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How can citizen networks and organisations work together with local government to shape and deliver the local agenda for transformative change?
In every local area there is an elected local authority with responsibility for 'place shaping' to promote the well-being of the whole community, as well as other public bodies (e.g. relating to health and emergency services) with more specific mandates. There may also be sectoral bodies (e.g. the Chamber of Commerce) outside public control but representing significant local interests. Likewise there will typically be a much larger number of citizen networks and organisations, often seeking to advance a particular vision (e.g. sustainability initiatives like Transition Town Brixton), represent the interests of particular groups of citizens (e.g. Disabled Persons Organisations like Disability Action in Islington) or indeed bring together people in a neighbourhood to improve local amenities (where I live, it is the Highbury Community Association).
Our focus in this series of blogs has been on both sides of this equation: on how citizen groups and local government leadership can together create the civic partnerships required to build sustainable and inclusive communities.
We have emphasised that this is a complex agency system seeking to engage with multiple challenges and identified five inter-related strands in the strategies required to address these challenges effectively. In this sixth strand we revisit the previous five to produce a design guide for both 'sides' in civic partnership development. In the interests of clarity, the check list of key questions is written with a focus on the local authority leadership (LA) on the left-hand side and a civil society organisation (CSO) on the right-hand side. (I have particularly had in mind Disabled People's Organisations and citizen networks like the red inclusiva of Bucaramanga, discussed in the first series of these blogs.) Clearly reality is considerably more complex and every locality is different: the checklist is intended as a stimulus to critical and creative deliberation both within each side and across local initiatives as alliances and partnerships are developed.
Defining valued outcomes
1. How well has the LA articulated its responsibility to meet the 'triple bottom line' of environmental protection, sustainable economic development and greater social justice?
2. How well has the LA created processes for wide participation in agreeing and acting on local strategic goals?
3. Are these clearly expressed as valued outcomes to guide and evaluate a wide range of local actions?
I. How well has the CSO articulated its goals in terms of valued outcomes (e.g. making a positive difference in people's lives)?
II. How well is the CSO exploring how these goals might contribute to progress on wider local priorities (e.g. how greater inclusion could strengthen local resilience)?
III. How well is the CSO exploring how its interests might be reflected in action on other priorities (e.g. by making inclusion a key dimension of economic development)?
Engaging whole systems
4. How well is the LA leadership creating opportunities for relevant stakeholders to come together to make sense of local challenges?
5. How well is the LA working with its partners to analyse the potential contributions of different departments and agencies to achieving the strategic outcomes?
6. How well is this joint working reflected in delivering effective action?
IV. How well is the CSO actively contributing its perspectives and experiences to local sense-making?
V. How well is the CSO exploring potential connections with other CSOs which might facilitate action on related or complementary objectives?
VI. How well is the CSO playing its part in local initiatives (e.g. as a vehicle for outreach to interested citizens or as a partner in delivery)?
Co-producing the future
7. How well is the LA inviting partnership with local communities and civic associations in shaping and delivering action on local priorities?
8. How well are public services devolving leadership to the neighbourhood level and ensuring delivery staff have the autonomy required for personalized engagement with citizens?
9. Are there good arrangements to ensure that policy-making properly reflects the interests of future generations?
VII. How well is the CSO investing in developing the capacity of its members (e.g. through community organizing) to be empowered partners with public agencies?
VIII. How well is the CSO working to strengthen peer support (e.g. for mutual information, advice and advocacy) among interested citizens?
IX. How well is the CSO helping its members explore what will be required to secure a better future?
Strengthening resilience
10. How well is the LA strengthening democratic control over local responses to uncertain conditions?
11. How well is the LA helping to foster economic self-reliance and responsible stewardship over local resources?
12. How well is the LA helping to strengthen local communities as places of social cohesion and mutual support?
X. How well is the CSO supporting its members to play their part in a pluralist local democracy?
XI. How well is the CSO aligning its interests with sustainable economic development (e.g. through participating in 'green' initiatives)?
XII. How well is the CSO helping to connect people through local social networks which promote everyone's well-being?
Working inclusively
13. How well is the LA providing a welcome for diverse participation and attending to the voices of people at risk of marginalisation?
14. How well is the LA fostering a listening culture which seeks to learn from different perspectives?
15. How well is the LA making use of social technologies (e.g. World Café) which promote shared understanding and encourage the will to act on significant challenges?
XIII. How well is the CSO welcoming diverse participation and reaching out to people on the margins?
XIV. How well is the CSO helping its members to listen carefully to different perspectives?
XV.How well is the CSO supporting its members in becoming active participants in many local opportunities for conversations which matter?
Clearly these fifteen pairs of points are framed as questions not answers. Each 'side' separately but hopefully also each side together will need to deliberate on these questions and reflect on experience so as to ensure the widest possible mobilization of people and agencies in shaping a better future. Equally these points provide an agenda for capacity building so that both local authorities and civil society organizations are better able to play their parts in effective civic partnerships.


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Electrifying news
The century-long saga of the CrazyStable Electrical Service continued yesterday...but did it conclude?
To recap, here is a quick history of our troubled relationship with Mr. Edison's excellent utility:
1910 or so: CrazyStable is built. It is piped for both gas and electrical lighting, in case this whole newfangled electricity business doesn't catch on. Inside, the wiring is insulated with cloth and laid alongside the gas pipes to the lighting fixtures; between the house and the street main, it is insulated in lead ("lead sack") and buried in a pipe.
1986: Gullible and delusional young couple buy ruins of CrazyStable. Sensing danger from 70-year-old original wiring, they hire affordable "electricians" to rewire it with updated service. However, "electricians" never have job approved by Con Ed, claiming this is not necessary.
1990s: Chronically overwhelmed homeowners learn that "electricians" hooked up new service to original "service" from street main. Otherwise, job was not badly done ( if you don't count swags of exposed BX cable hanging in basement, above, along with butchery of plaster walls in every room). That's why they didn't need an inspection. Lights occasionally flicker, but go for years without event.
February, 2008: Explosion rocks CrazyStable; fire shoots out of manhole cover in front of house. We lose power, are given temporary "jumper service" through a scary wire swagged across the street from a lamp-post, and are told we must abate the chunks of asbestos pipe sleeve near the service box before the gentlemen of Consolidated Edison will enter our basement to "pull through" new service.
April, 2008: After interviewing several raving lunatics, we find a competent asbestos abatement contractor who removes the pipesleeves, HEPA-vac's the floor, and paints over the offending areas with white goo. We fax air-testing reports back and forth, and Con Ed inspects the job and declares it to be good. Supervisor Guy informs us that we will get, on Con Ed's tab, "all new service" from the street; hopefully this will not require opening street to replace damaged pipe. Manhole-sucking truck arrives to noisily suck out manholes for the second time.
Yesterday: Crew arrives. They finish the job with surprising speed and deliver the good news that the pipe was fine, they just hooked up our inside service to the existing wire at both ends. What, I say, to the "lead sack"? Weren't we supposed to get "all new service"? The supervisor guys had implied that the ancient service between house and street was part of the problem.
Ah. Now comes the interesting part of my cordial dealings with the friendly Con Ed crew: the part where the woman uses complex sentence structure, logic, and curiosity. I explain perkily that I am not challenging their nice job, no no, but I am interested in the inconsistency between what Supervisor Guy said and what they report just having done. The Con Ed guys' eyes glaze over and shift uneasily. Somebody makes a cell phone call, whose content is never disclosed. I ask again; I am told the lead sack "could last another hundred years."
And then I realize: The fellows are talking to someone else.
You see, this is me, in the basement with the Con Ed guys, talking "lead sack."
And this is who the Con Ed guys think they're talking to; why is she down here, and why does she care?
Will the ancient wires keep our lights on and our computer and fridge running for another hundred years? Stay tuned.

subset: commoncrawl


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Marie Flanagan never imagined she would end up as a Milliner.
Studying fashion and textiles in London in the late 1960's, Marie moved into teaching and counselling before moving back to her creative roots.
While out on a shopping trip in Harrogate, Marie noted how a particular hat made her feel and after a three year millinery course in Huddersfield, she opened her own shop.
Recently moving from her shop in Huddersfield to a studio in Halifax, Marie sees her clients by appointment only and makes hats for clients, theatre and most notably, an episode of Emmerdale.
Marie's Emmerdale creation will be on show at the Emmerdale Studio Experience on Burley Road, Leeds from the end of July.
To contact Marie, call: 07712 656 579


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Lately I've been constantly adding items to my wish list. As the summer has finally arrived, my wish list has grown a lot, everything from beauty to fashion. You know how summer is all about colorful and pretty pieces, new beauty arrivals and recently arrived new must-have items… no wonder my wish list has gotten so much longer!
This summer is all about florals, pink shades and YOINS – your summer's go-to online shopping destination! From those on-trend florals to different pink shades and so much more else to choose from, a browse on the website will end up with a add-to-cart click. The best part? Affordable prices – because you can look amazing and feel amazing for less dollars as well.
I've been loving this beautiful-floral-pattern maxi dress, perfect for summer days. Find it here. This set consisting of an off-shoulder crop top & high waisted shorts are on top of my wish list. I love that you can dress it down and dress it up, based on where you are going, or could you wear them separately if you fancy! Find it here. Also this jumpsuit is super cute and definitely a summer winner! I just love the pattern of it, I think it's so beautiful and also the cuts on the legs are a nice touch. Find it here. They also have really nice tops, swimsuits and a newly-launched activewear section!
For more must-have pieces, go to – yoins.com
When it comes to beauty, this summer I'm all about fresh and healthy looking skin, so the Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser from Korres is definitely on top of my wish list! Another product I'm dying to try out is Rose Face Mask from Fresh! I've heard so many great things about, and it's therefore on my wish list as well. For makeup, I'll be going for bronzy cheeks and pink lips. I've been so loving this combination as it is both summery and extremely pretty! See my beauty wish list below.
Shoes and shoes. This year I've been so obsessed with the Head over Heels collection by Dune Kalmia which you can find on asos.com. Love how beautiful and affordable they are at the same time! See exactly what I'm talking about below.
Miriam Elizabeth


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1965 Continental
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2010 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award Winners
ACRL is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2010 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award: The Bucks County Community College Library, Newtown, Pa.; the A.C. Buehler Library at Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Ill.; and the Indiana University Bloomington Libraries. Sponsored by ACRL and Blackwell's Book Services, the award recognizes the staff of a college, university and community college library for programs that deliver exemplary services and resources to further the educational mission of the institution.
Additional information on the award, along with a list of past winners, is available at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/awards/excellenceacademic.cfm


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The Playrific Playground is filled with hundreds of fun and educational videos, games, books, and activities for kids
Playrific Playground: Videos, Books, Activities, and Mini Games for Children
A combination of videos, games, activities, and books that are both fun and educational.
What is it about?
The Playrific Playground is filled with hundreds of fun and educational videos, games, books, and activities for kids.
For those who...
- It's ideal for parents with children who enjoy entertaining themselves.
Not for those who...
- Although the content can be enjoyed by children of all ages, it's really meant for younger children. Some of the activities are designed for children nine and older, but very little. If you have an older child they will likely tire of the content relatively quic
Why we love it
If your child loves to play and learn, they're going to have a lot of fun with Playrific Playground. It's so jam-packed with content, even the pickiest of children will be able to find something they like.
App Screenshots
Playrific Playground is FREE but there are more add-ons
Pirates Playpack
Fairy Tales Playpack
Under The Sea Playpack
Danger Rangers Playpack
Bean Sprouts Playpack
Bumblz Playpack
Pets Playpack
Kidbooks 3-5 Playpack
Puzzles and Memory Games
Farm Animals Playpack
App Store Description
The Playrific Playground is filled with hundreds of fun and educational videos, games, books, and activities for kids.
Playrific has partnered educators, children's television shows, and other popular kids brands to bring together the perfect mix of play and learning.
We're adding new playpacks from kids brands every week:
- Under the sea by Hameray Publishing
- Cooking fun for kids with Bean Sprouts
- Fire safety with Danger Rangers
- The Wonderful World of Oo
- Math Games by Mr. Nussbaum
- Bumblz episodes and games
Additional Playrific playpacks:
- Pirates: raiders of the sea
- Fairy Tales: princesses, mermaids and fairies
- Pets: cats, puppies and baby animals
- Farm animals: counting, spelling and colors
- Arctic animals: polar bears, penguins and seals
- Big cats: lions and tigers
- Preschool alphabet: learn abc, words and spelling
- 3-5 year old book library
- 6-12 year old book library
- and much more to come!
We are adding new playpacks every week.
In this app, your child can:
- Watch educational videos
- Watch episodes of kid tv shows
- Have story books read to them
- Read educational e-books
- Solve puzzles
- Play memory games and match-3 games
- Read and learn while playing infinite runners
- Color in popular characters
- Play dress-up games
- Create their own animal scenes
- Play find the difference games
- and more!
Register up to 3 children in the app to received customized content for their age and gender. We'll send them special surprises, and we'll notify you about exclusive Playrific offers.
*New Feature*
If you have already registered with us or purchased content in another app, it will automatically appear in your child's playground.
There are a couple free media items in each playpack. You can unlock full playpacks for $.99 each or you can unlock all playpacks with an auto-renewing $2.99 monthly subscription.
- The payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase
- Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period
- Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period
- Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase
- No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period
- Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication
- Our Terms of Use: http://playrific.com/terms
- Our Privacy Policy: http://www.playrific.com/public/privacy/mobile
AppAdvice does not own this application and only provides images and links contained in the iTunes Search API, to help our users find the best apps to download. If you are the developer of this app and would like your information removed, please send a request to [email protected] and your information will be removed.


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Veteran toymaker Bill Crompton is still making toys to bring a smile to children's faces.
The 79-year-old from Felling, Gateshead, could have stepped out of the pages of the fairytale classic Pinocchio.
Just like the living puppet's creator Gepetto, Bill lavishes love and care on the wood he turns into wonderful toys for North East youngsters.
But there are no strings attached with Bill.
For more than half a century, he has carefully constructed miniature masterpieces from wood including dolls' houses, train sets, farmyards and forts - and doesn't keep a penny for himself.
Bill and his small team of volunteers donate any profit to local charities, spend it on buying new materials and equipment and put it towards the upkeep of their woodwork workshop at Felling Community Centre, in Gateshead.
"We don't receive a penny in grant money," said Bill, of Wardley. "I don't believe in it. People should be able to help themselves."
Together with helpers John McGarle, 58, and Jerry O'Donnel, 80, Bill beavers away in the workshop four days a week. They are assisted by three disabled people, brothers Bob and Ken Armstrong and Dave Cormack.
He has been an official at the community centre for 55 years and after retiring as an assistant sub post office manager, the self-taught craftsman has ploughed all his energies into toy making.
People come from all over the region to snap up the team's toys, which cost a fraction of those bought in the shops. Bill is now selling them to parents who were bought his toys when they were children. Bill, a widower for 14 years, added: "Our toys are bought mainly for birthday and Christmas presents and can be custom made.
"Often parents bring their children along with them and it's lovely to see their faces light up when they see them."
Their busiest time is after August. Another popular line is garden furniture. People bring in pictures from catalogues and the team build the item for them.
Bill has just sold his latest creations and has donated the #1,000 proceeds to charity. The money will be divided between Gateshead Mayor Pat Ronan's two charities, the Alzheimer's Society and the Stroke Association.
"Thanks to Bill and his team for making such a generous contribution to two local charities and keeping a dying trade alive here in Gateshead," said Coun Ronan.
"Woodwork and toy making is not something that you often see but the finished product is appreciated by adults and children alike.
"It is great that Bill is continuing to train local people in this craft to make sure the woodwork shop at Felling Community Centre is kept in production."
Bill has been working in the woodwork shop since it was established in 1959 and he and his team have donated #1,000 every year since 1996 to the Mayor of Gateshead.
"I firmly believe it's important to put back into the community and as the Mayor of Gateshead chooses a different charity each year I am happy to support them," he added.
If you want Bill to build something special, call (0191) 469 3502.


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The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter. Although later outclassed by larger bombers, the Hudson achieved some significant feats during the first half of the war. On 8 October, 1939, over Jutland, a Hudson became the first RAF aircraft to shoot down a German aircraft. (The accolade of the first British aircraft to shoot down a German plane went to the Blackburn Skua of the Fleet Air Arm on 26 September, 1939.) They operated as fighters during the Battle of Dunkirk. A PBO-1 Hudson of US Navy squadron VP-82 became the first US aircraft to destroy a German submarine when it sankU-656 southwest of Newfoundland on 1 March 1942. A Hudson of Royal Canadian Air Force Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron 113 became the first aircraft of RCAF's Eastern Air Command to sink a submarine, when Hudson 625 sank U-754 on 31 July 1942.
Following Japanese attacks on Malaya, Hudsons from No. 1 Squadron RAAF became the first aircraft to make an attack in the Pacific War, sinking a Japanese transport ship, the IJN Awazisan Maru, off Kota Bharu, an hour before the attack on Pearl Harbor. During the war, they were used as maritime patrol aircraft in the Pacific by the US Navy, the RAAF and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
They were operated by RAF Special Duties squadrons for clandestine operations; No. 161 Squadron in Europe and No. 357 Squadron in Burma.


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I love Halloween stuff. My inner Goth Girl still loves things skully and black and spiderwebby.
So of course I'm going to hit up the 70% off holiday section at the Joann. And I'm going to snag a skully hand towel for $1.80.
But I don't need more towels, certainly not white ones. But look at that skull!
So it became a zipper pouch. I know, I need more of THOSE like a hole in the head but it's skull so shut it.
I wanted to keep the skull front and center and the ribbon trim at the bottom. And a rounded top. I think I actually got TOO round, but it works.


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Welcome to my blog! Danish Fiber/Textile Artist. Blogging about: design inspiration, work in progress, exhibitions, textile groups, how-to' crafting techniques, etsy shop 'SewDanish', travelling, yoga and life as it comes :-) My website http://BirgitteHendricks.com
Friday, 13 August 2010
Tantalizing, Translucent and Manipulated with Pauline Verrinder
I just spend 5 fabulous days doing nothing but sewing and sewing and sewing. It was fantastic! In January I had signed up for a summer school with the yummy heading: 'Tantalizing, Translucent and Manipulated'. And was I in for a treat! The summer school took place at Cottenham Village College, North of Cambridge (GB) Our tutor was Pauline Verrinder a wonderful textile artist, international tutor and author. Did she keep us busy? OH YES!
Over the 5 days we looked at several ways of creating transparent and semi transparent backgrounds for stitch. Amongst others, we worked with cocoon strippings, different types of water soluble fabrics, laminate pouches, silk chiffon, sheers, cotton organdy and much more.
Some of the techniques I had touched base with before, but as always it was great to be reminded. I never ever mind revisiting seemingly familiar techniques. There is always so much to explore with in a technique. 'Been there done that' is not a phrase that for me applies to contemporary, free style machine embroidery. The potential for developing and pushing the boundaries even further, is always there. It is such a freedom to play, and that is probably one of the reasons, why I like this type of embroidery so much.
The amount of work that was produced during these 5 days was totally impressive. So inspirational to see the different and very individual results.
7 comments:
- IKABAGS said...
Such a great post about sewing !
I am sure you and other handmade lovers :) had a great time !
Cheers from Paris
- 13 August 2010 at 23:54
- SewDanish-Scandinavian Textile Art, Unique Handmade Supplies said...
Thank you :-) I had the most fantastic time. When you have 5 days to play one can really just 'dive in and let go'. Pure bliss!
- 14 August 2010 at 08:20
- Kirsten said...
How wonderful Birgitte! I can't wait to see the new skills and ideas you have acquired, manifest in your shop items!!? It surely will be exciting to see.... :) Have a lovely weekend! Kirsten
- 14 August 2010 at 15:33
- SewDanish-Scandinavian Textile Art, Unique Handmade Supplies said...
I tell you my head is so full of exciting ideas that I don't have time to go on vacation. Just joking, but I'm sure you know what I mean :-)
- 14 August 2010 at 16:27
- Rita said...
It definitely sounds like you had a fantastic time! It all sounds so interesting too. :)
- 16 August 2010 at 17:57
- Alison said...
Sounds like you had a great time, where did you hear about the course? I live in Norfolk and would love to do a course like that
- 1 September 2010 at 13:25
- SewDanish-Scandinavian Textile Art, Unique Handmade Supplies said...
Hi Alison
I'm sorry for this late reply due to being on vacation.
Here is the link for Cottenham Village College.
The summerschool program is usually published in January/February and it is important to sign up as early as possible, as the classes do fill up very quickly. http://sites.google.com/a/cvcweb.net/commed/summer-school
Take care
- 14 September 2010 at 20:42


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IQS Directory provides a comprehensive list of investment casting manufacturers and suppliers. Use our website to review and source top investment casting manufacturers with roll over ads and detailed product descriptions. Find investment casting companies that can design, engineer, and provide investment casting to your companies specifications. Then contact the investment casting companies through our quick and easy request for quote form. Website links, company profile, locations, phone, product videos and product information is provided for each company. Access customer reviews and keep up to date with product new articles. Whether you are looking for manufacturers of sand casting, metal casting, investment casting copper, or customized investment casting of every type, this is the resource for you.
Advanced offers a wide range of mold making options including, Injection Molding, Rotational Molding, CNC Machined Parts, Lost Wax Investment Casting, Stamping and Spray Metal Molds. With over 40 years of experience in the industry, you can rely on us for the finest Rapid Prototyping and Production mold making. Advanced works hard to help get your products to market quicker and less expensively.
Aero Metals is a leading producer of investment casting components, ferrous castings and nonferrous castings. We have provided components to various industries — aerospace, agricultural, automotive, computer, defense and others. If you have a component problem, we will have the solution.
Alloy Cast Products, Inc. was incorporated April 3, 1959. Our focus has always been castings and machine finished parts made from exotic cobalt based alloys, primarily our trademark REXALLOY materials. Extending our four decades of COBALT BASED alloy experience to all companies who are seeking solutions to their wear and corrosion problems has made us known throughout the world.
Alltech Industrial is a small company with a big outreach. Our specialties are: precision CNC machining, industrial castings & forgings. In addition, we offer in-house mechanical, metallurgical & reverse engineering services, quality control, coordinate measuring (CMM), inventory programs, assemblies, welding, light fabrication, warehousing and more. We welcome the opportunity to work with you on your next project!
Alphacasting, the leader in ferrous and non-ferrous, exotic and titanium investment casting, invites you to visit our new web site, which is interactive and provides explanatory pictures. We serve industries such as aerospace, armament, military, telecommunications, transportation and medical.
Located in Phoenix, Arizona for the past 25 years, AATC has established itself as a leader in the manufacturing of investment castings for the aerospace and commercial industries world wide. The management at American Aerospace Technical Castings is strongly committed to a strategy of continual improvement, seeking to learn the expectations of our customers and meeting and exceeding those needs.
American Casting Company has been providing our customers with high-quality investment castings and the industries shortest lead times for more than 25 years. American Casting Company produces steel, copper and cobalt alloy castings for many industrial markets. We invite you to contact us for a quote. We call our highly engineered processes, "The Foundry of the Future™". Contact us today!
Our specialty is versatility in casting methods—air-set, green sand, steel castings, nonferrous castings, investment castings and shell—plus a variety of capabilities—casting design, heat treating, machining. We will also assist in the selection of the correct materials for your particular application.
At AMOS, we are dedicated to delivering high quality components to you on time and at a reasonable cost. Our ferrous and non-ferrous investment casting foundries are located in Taiwan and China. We produce parts for many industries including pump manufacturers, marine supply, food processing and handling, military goods, machinery, hand tools, automotive, sporting goods, and more. Please call us today for more information!
AMT is a leading manufacturer of Precision Investment Castings with expertise in both Shell and Solid Mold processes. Specializing in small castings ranging from a fraction of an ounce to a few pounds, AMT produces a full range of air melt alloys including Stainless and Low Alloy Steels as well as a number of other alloys. Serving aerospace, defense, medical, commercial and other markets, AMT recently invested in state of the art equipment to meet your exacting requirements.
With leading-edge technology and innovative solutions, Arconic Power and Propulsion meets the exacting demands of the aerospace and industrial markets with precision investment castings of superalloy, titanium and aluminum alloys. We are the premier manufacturer of components for the jet aircraft, gas turbine and other advanced-technology industries.
Aristo Cast, Inc., is a name that is fast becoming synonymous with quality, service and technological innovation. In an industry that is hundreds of years old, we believe that keeping ahead of our competition can only be accomplished by expertise and advanced technology. Aristo Cast has that expertise and is dedicated to keeping abreast of the newest technology our industry has to offer.
We are a leading manufacturer of high quality, nonferrous precision investment castings who can also machine, coat and paint the product. Our investment casting alloys are aluminums, copper-based manganese, bronze-based aluminum, silicon and yellow brasses.
We specialize in precision investment castings of ferrous and non-ferrous alloys--aluminum; brass; bronze; carbon and alloy steel; cobalt alloys; nickel; stainless steel; tool steel. Intricate parts, to larger parts – we manufacture it all. Certifications: ISO 9001:2008, PED, NADCAP, ITAR, and AS 9100 with an expected completion in the 4th quarter of 2014.
Barron Industries began in 1923 as the Motor and Machinery Casting Company. 60 years later, the Barron Industries facility opened in Oxford Michigan, and has been a committed leading manufacturer of investment castings ever since. We have been faithfully serving a variety of industries such as aerospace, automotive, and tool and die. We are an AS1900 certified company.
We manufacture via investment casting (lost wax casting). We see your project at the engineering design phase, proper alloy selection step, then on to the ceramic shell mold and processing of product. Our investment casting is done using ferrous castings, nonferrous castings or ductile iron.
When it comes to investment casings, we offer unparalleled customer service during each step of the casting process. We have the experience and ability to manufacture products to our customers' specific requirements, while providing the expertise of our talented engineers throughout the design, development, and manufacturing stages. Contact us today for more detailed information; we look forward to hearing from you!
Bimac Precision Castings produces world class investment castings to a diverse global market. We offer design review, prototyping, assembly, testing and innovation combined with prompt customer service and on time delivery in addition to the cost savings afforded by investment casting. A leader in the production of precision products through wax casting, Bimac Precision Castings your source for top quality investment cast products.
Brukar Inc has been a contract manufacturer of stainless steel, aluminum and alloy castings since 1985. Our capabilities include precision casting, machining, welding and assemblies. All of our foundries are ISO certified proving our commitment to the utmost quality castings and products. We have competitive pricing and on-time delivery. We have consistent, reliable casting for your convenience.
Serving the carbon steel casting, ductile iron casting, gray iron casting, investment casting and sand casting needs for the aftermarket, agriculture, auto, construction, dredging, marine, material handling, mining, OEM, railroad, ship building, trailer and truck markets. We cast and fabricate up to 120 tons.
In business since 1962, Chicago Vacuum Casting offers a wide range of precision investment casting products ranging from a few grams up to 50 pounds in weight. We provide castings from a wide variety of materials—aluminum, brass, bronze, cobalt, copper, stainless steel, tool steel, and more.
We believe that quality is the highest priority in investment casting. That is why we help you select the best alloy and processes to meet your needs. We offer state-of-the-art technology to help you find the ultimate solutions. We have years of experiences and you can trust the experts at CMAI Industries! Contact us for additional info today!
We are a leading producer of ferrous and nonferrous investment castings, steel castings (aluminum, copper, stainless) and rapid prototype castings since 1984. We provide our customers with high-quality vacuum casting service and products to meet their needs. We are ISO certified so our customers can rely on the quality of our products.
Consolidated Precision Products, formerly, Magparts is a manufacturer of high strength aluminum castings and magnesium castings, primarily for the aerospace industry. We produce sand castings, permanent mold castings and investment castings to high quality standards. We produce premium quality magnesium and aluminum castings. It is the intent of Consolidated Precision Products to maintain the highest degree of product quality through continuous improvement.
Established in 1983, Craft Pattern & Mold's foundry uses investment casting, sand casting, rubber plaster casting and spin casting to produce high-quality prototypes or do short-run production. For our customers' castings, we use aluminum, ductile iron, gray iron, zinc or stainless steel.
We believe that quality is the highest priority in investment casting. That is why we help you select the best allow and processes to meet your needs. We offer state-of-the-art technology to help you find the ultimate solutions. We have over 30 years of knowledge and experience to better our customers. Contact us for additional info today!
Dolphin Incorporated has been producing Quality Investment Castings since 1968. Aerospace, petrochemical, medical, valve pump, metering, military, railroad, fiberglass insulation, as well as others, have all benefited from Dolphin's casting expertise. Aluminum, Titanium, Stainless Steels, Hi Silicon, Bronze, Cobalt, and exotic alloys are just an example of the alloys we cast.
At Engineered Precision Casting, we are a committed leading manufacturer of investment castings and more. We have been faithfully serving a variety of industries such as aerospace, automotive, and tool and die. We are an AS1900 certified company. For a complete list of our products and service, visit our website.
We specialize in high-quality investment castings; sand castings; lost wax castings for artists; plus stainless steel, nonferrous and nickel-base castings. We are equipped to offer in-house tooling, which allows us to submit you low prices and quick delivery. Doing investment castings since 1987.
FS Precision manufactures precision investment castings for automotive, aerospace, and commercial applications. Our facilities produce titanium, zirconium, stainless steel, and cobalt, alloy investment castings from our facilities in North America and Asia. Our castings range from as little as an ounce to one hundred pounds. We offer extensive capabilities in machining, heat treatment and testing.
We can do the work of multiple foundries all in one stop. G & W Foundry provides gray iron castings, die castings, investment castings & more. Everything from drawing, to patterns and prototypes are done here, along with many other services you may need us to provide such as plating or painting. Our mission is to ensure the success of all our customers by being your reliable provider.
A wide range of product produced via investment casting, sand casting and die casting are what keeps Hardware Components busy. Investment casting is good for parts under two pounds. We can produce ferrous and non-ferrous castings, stainless castings, aluminum castings, iron castings.
For more than 25 years, Highland Lakes has produced quality investment castings. Many industries—agriculture, aircraft, automotive, electronics, firearms, gas, hardware, high-tech, marine, military, mining, oil, sporting—have benefited from each of their investment casting purchase orders.
We specialize in investment castings & steel castings using more than 120 ferrous & nonferrous metals. Our ferrous casting division has served customers in many markets—automotive, defense and more. The nonferrous division uses aluminum and copper-based alloys using the ceramic-shell casting process.
We provide investment castings, plus sand, permanent mold, and low-pressure castings. We have manufactured castings as large as 200 pounds, 24" diameter or length. Alloys used: alloy steel, aluminum, brass, bronze, carbon steel, copper, ductile iron, gray iron, high-temperature alloys and stainless steel.
ICI is your one-stop for high-integrity, precision aluminum investment castings, from miniature to 30" x 30" x 30". We utilize solid mold and shell mold investment processes to create intricate investment castings. With the shortest lead times, we deliver production-grade samples/prototypes.
To satisfy your needs in ferrous investment castings, you can rely on our ISO 9001:2008 certified facility. At Intercast, we can cast sizes ranging from ounces to 65 pounds and lead times are weeks, not months. Simple operations such as drilling and tapping can be done in house and machining sources are done in the US and Mexico. Contact us today for world-class investment castings.
IQE based in the US, with manufacturing in China, supplies high quality, and low Investment casting (lost wax casting). Castings are handled with great care to meet required dimensions and surface finish. IQE also provide Lost foam casting. Quality and customer satisfaction is the goal of our service.
Here at K&H, we use a fine sand mold process and use fine sand and a urethane binder to produce a broad range of products. We are able to prototype permanent mold applications and produce thicker and irregular wall thicknesses. We offer short lead times for prototypes and low volume production castings as well as other in house value added services. For more information, visit our website or call us today! Our design team looks forward to working with you!
We act as a single-source aluminum investment casting partner for all our customers. We also act as a domestic and global supplier for all our products. We create products for industries including appliance, HVAC, electrical, construction, medical, and automotive. No matter what industry you are in, we can help you find the right solution. Contact us for more info!
Precision investment castings are our business, now and since our founding in 1975. We can produce investment castings from mere fractions of an ounce to 75 pounds. Several industries have taken advantage of our capabilities—power generation, military, medical, firearms, commercial and aerospace.
Since 1986, Lansco Manufacturing Services has provided customers with high quality components and assemblies delivered on time at competitive costs. From small precision Swiss Machined components to complete Factory Automation, we handle it all—Sand Casting, Permanent Mold Casting, Investment Casting, Die Casting, Secondary Machining, Finishing, Polishing, Assembly.
Here's where you can get investment castings, lost wax castings or steel castings. MCM will make nonferrous castings (silicon brass, bronze or manganese bronze, aluminum alloys) or ferrous castings (alloy, stainless or tool steels; high-temp, nickel-based, chrome-based and cobalt-based alloys).
As a full-service OEM solutions provider, Mentco can supply you with high quality machined forged and cast parts at prices that will help you gain and maintain a competitive edge. Forging is an ideal process when high strength is of paramount importance. We are capable of executing open die, closed die, and ring forging processes and can supply rough, proof, or finished machined components forged from any type or grade of stainless or alloy steel.
When it comes to investment castings, MetalTech Systems has decades of experience. We are your "full service" casting provider for high quality industrial castings from conception and sample castings to production castings and delivery of the final products on your schedule. We offer expertise in tooling, many casting and molding methods, core processes, machining, finishing and assembly.
MetalTek International is an international manufacturer of high quality metal products. We are industry leaders for centrifugal, investment, sand, and continuous casting and it is our mission to bring you the very best. We are a turnkey supplier and you can count on us to handle all of your special requests. Please contact us today to learn more!
MIC Group provides manufacturing services. Among the services offered at MIC are electrical discharge machining, plunge EDM, CNC machining, grinding, welding, investment casting, nondestructive testing, helium leak testing, assembly and more. Call today for more information!
Our business is manufacturing precision investment castings, sand castings and sand shell castings. We use several ferrous metals for ferrous castings—all grades of alloy, carbon and stainless steels. Midwest Precision casts mixing-unit propellers for chemical, food processing and paper pulp companies.
Milwaukee Precision Castings specializes in investment castings, stainless steel castings, aluminum investment castings, aluminum alloy castings, bronze castings, and lost wax investment castings. We provide complete turnkey capabilities including heat treat, machining, and assembly.
Founded in 1982, Modern Investment Casting Company (MICC) leads the way in small precision type castings used in all industries. Our foundry maintains the latest equipment available for applying the unique "Lost Wax" investment casting process. MICC guarantees total support with single source responsibility and efficiency from design through finished product. Call us today for more information.
Since 1940, Modern Pattern and Foundry has provided clients with a large fund of innovative casting solutions. With over 65 years of experience, we are one of the most diversified metal casting companies serving aerospace, military and commercial industries, globally. MPF produces Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Castings with Investment Casting or Sand Casting processes.
As an international investment casting company, Nu-Cast offers many services to meet your precision casting needs. Our latest technology uses lost wax castings and the investment casting processes. We serve the aerospace, military, industrial and test equipment markets for custom casting specifications. Nu-Cast is an ISO 9001:2008, AS9100B registered company. Contact our company for a quote.
Since 1969, O'Fallon Casting has manufactured nonferrous investment castings. As one of the world's best producers of steel castings made from aluminum & copper, we offer competitive pricing on our castings along with old-fashioned customer service. Awarded manufacturers of the year. We are ISO 9001:2000 & EN/JISQ/AS9100:2004 certified & has been audited in accordance with requirements of AS9104A.
We produce a wide range of investment castings in a variety of alloys. Our products range from construction, decorative and industrial castings to street lighting, counterweights and marine hardware. Our foundries blend traditional craftsmanship with modern ferrous and nonferrous casting foundry science.
People seek us when they want steel investment castings. We produce parts weighing mere ounces up to 200 pounds. Customers' investment castings are done in exotic alloys, carbon steels and stainless steels. We've produced for the food processing, military and power generation industries.
Pine Tree Castings is your leading source for investment castings, steel castings and precision castings. We offer reliable accurate castings for challenging commercial and industrial applications. Our products are used in a variety of applications including medical, aerospace and defense.
Our offerings include a wide variety of investment castings in aluminum and steel. Our industrial castings can be ferrous or non-ferrous alloys. Since 1977 we have been a leader in precision steel castings and can save you money as we are able to create a casting that used to be stamped, forged or machined.
Precision Castparts Corp. is a world leader in manufacturing high-quality, complex investment castings for aircraft engine, industrial gas turbine, airframe, and other applications. The Investment Cast Products segment produces the world's largest diameter stainless steel, nickel-based superalloy, and titanium components. Contact us for a quote today.
Precision Technology is a manufacturer of ferrous castings and non-ferrous castings. We serve the aerospace, commercial and military markets with high-quality investment castings. Products from ounces to one hundred pounds are produced by us. We also offer painting, plating and assembly services.
ProtoCAM is the largest rapid prototyping service bureau in the Eastern United States. ProtoCAM produces the highest quality rapid prototypes and offers precision short run production (rapid / additive manufacturing), with both urethane-based and investment castings. ProtoCAM also utilizes the newest in rapid tooling technologies to give you hard tooling in as little as two weeks!
Richwood Investment Casting acts as a single-source aluminum investment casting partner for all of our customers. We also act as a domestic and global supplier for all our products. We create products for industries including appliance, HVAC, electrical, construction, medical, and automotive. No matter what industry you are in, Richwood Investment Casting can help you find the right solution. Contact us for more information!
Romark Industries, Inc. is a supplier of custom steel and stainless steel sand castings, investment castings, closed-die forgings, forged rings and forged shafts. We offer a wide range of metal parts including investment castings, sand castings, closed die forgings, forged rings to 14ft diameter, and shafts to 40 ft long. All our global suppliers are ISO certified and quality checked.
RPM Engineering Corp. is an off-shore manufacturer of original equipment parts. We have over fifty years experience with off-shore manufacturing and specialize in several types of metal forgings and castings such as permanent mold casting, die casting, squeeze casting, sand casting, investment casting, machining, stamping as well as custom plastic and rubber production.
Look no further for your precision investment casting needs. You've found us. We take into consideration the size (.001-400 pounds) and the production run (1 piece to 1 million pieces) and proceed from there. Our alloys: aluminum, cobalt, copper, duplex, nickel, stainless steel, tool steel.
Signicast Corporation is dedicated to incorporating the latest advancements in the investment casting process. The alloys we use include stainless steel, low alloy steel, tool steels, & more. Our investment casting process equals parts ranging from a few ounces to in excess of over 100 pounds. We redifine how we manufacture our products and serve customers by providing rapid prototyping and timely delivery. Contact us to learn more!
For 60 years, Skat-Trak has been high quality investment castings to some of the largest companies in the U.S., serving industries including automotive, aerospace, and more. Our first priority in excellence is quality control. Skat-Trak is committed to providing the highest quality service to meet and exceed all customer and regulatory requirements. Every step of the investment casting process is closely monitored. Our process ensures the production of the best investment castings for you.
Let Spectron Manufacturing save you the task of assembly, welding, or additional machining. Our advanced investment casting equipment is capable of producing complex shapes with fine detail and a smooth surface finish. We also offer prototyping services. For more information on our capabilities, visit our website.
Since 1952, we have been serving the world with our investment castings. As a family-owned business, we care about our customers when it comes to taking you from concept to finished product. We make precision castings from a few ounces to 50 pounds. Rapid prototyping is one of our capabilities.
Texcast manufactures investment castings and lost wax castings of all sizes and intricate shapes, from gram weights up to 35 lbs. We work with many types of metals including iron, nickel and cobalt base alloys such as carbon steel and stainless steel to name a few. From prototype to 10,000 pieces, let Texcast put investment casting to work creating the high quality parts and components you need.
Texmo Precision Castings has state-of-the-art capabilities for manufacture of castings through the lost wax process. Backed by an excellent information system, Texmo Precision Castings tracks customer orders from order receipt to shipping. Multiple semi-automatic wax presses fitted with premium temperature and hydraulic controls ensure repeatability in wax pattern manufacture.
Since 1959, our castings have been used by the aerospace industry with a specialty in ferrous and nonferrous alloys. Our precision investment castings vary from a few ounces to over 300 pounds and can be in carbon, alloy, stainless steel, nickel, brass or bronze produced to your specifications.
We are one of the leading providers of investment castings in the industry today. We have years of experience manufacturing quality castings including wax casting, centrifugal casting, and precision casting. Our goal is to ensure that your needs are met with our capabilities and services. We believe in giving the customers what they ask for each time. Contact us for details!
We are one of the biggest providers of investment castings in the Pacific Rim today. We have years of experience manufacturing quality castings including wax casting, centrifugal casting, and precision casting. Our goal is to ensure that your needs are met with our capabilities and services. We believe in giving the customers what they ask for each time. Contact us for details!
Since 1946, Thompson Investment Casting has been at the forefront of the industry. Our attention to detail, state of the art facility, and many years of experience combine to produce a superior product. We serve a myriad of industries including medical, sporting, industrial, commercial, and technology. Our capabilities allow us to fabricate complex shapes with fine detail. We can produce castings up to 18 inches in length or width and as thin and .020 of an inch.
Waltek produces world class investment castings to a diverse global market. We offer design review, prototyping, assembly, testing and innovation combined with prompt customer service and on time delivery in addition to the cost savings afforded by investment casting. A leader in the production of precision products through wax casting, Waltek your source for top quality investment cast products.
We offer various grades of investment steel castings, using the conventional gravity poured, centrifugally cast tube and counter gravity casting methods. Wirco, Inc. is dedicated to exceeding our customers' expectations with high-quality steel products. Since 1941!
Wisconsin Precision Casting specializes in quality investment casting using ferrous and nonferrous alloys, with over 150 alloy choices. Also known as the precision lost wax process, you can be assured of design freedom, improved surface finish and the opportunity for a reduction in weight and cost.


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Qutb al-din Muhammad bin Zengi ruled from AH 594 to 616 (AD 1198 to 1219).
Denomination : Bronze Dirhem.
Date & Mint : I have not attempted to read the date and mint on this coin, but these are normally Sinjar mint ca. AH 598.
Reference : BMC 3, 622-628. Mitchiner Islamic - 1139 to 1140. Album 1880.2. Size : 24.1 x 26.1 mm Weight : 11.07 grams.
Grade : VF. This coin is a mid to dark brown color, without the green tint the image suggests. It is also a little nicer in the hand than the image suggests.
Obverse : Male head right, with a spear over his shoulder and a shield on his shoulder, with Arabic inscriptions around. The head is of a style that appears to have been copied from some Roman coins.
Reverse : Arabic inscriptions.
利率: 01/18/19


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Experienced Bookkeeper
- Recruiter
- Brook Street
- Location
- Dover, Kent, England
- Salary
- £23000 - £26000 per annum
- Posted
- 02 May 2018
- Closes
- 25 May 2018
- Ref
- Contact
- Michelle
- Sectors
- Accountancy
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
This is a well Established Company that have been trading now for over 80 years, providing accountancy and tax services to small/medium businesses throughout Kent, London and South East area.
Historically the bookkeeping has been done by the accounts staff but they are looking to separate this function and now require an experienced person who they can reply upon to take charge of the role unsupervised.
Ideally the candidate will have a good level of experience with bookkeeping and also have experience of cloud accounting software such as Xero, Kashflow, Quickbooks and Sage One.
Please forward your details or call for more details on 01622 695911


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New York Giants Coach Tom Coughlin Selling New Jersey Townhouse
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Just because New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin is selling his three-bedroom Park Ridge, NJ, condo doesn't mean he's on the way out -- or, at least, so says the New York Post. After a rough couple of seasons, the listing is sure to raise eyebrows, but sources tell the Post that Coughlin "has been looking to downsize for nearly a year."
Coughlin is in the middle of his 12th season as head coach for the Giants, most of which have been enormously successful. The team has won two Super Bowls during his tenure, overcoming long odds each time. But since winning his second Lombardi Trophy, the team has struggled, leading many to suspect Coughlin, 69, might be nearing the end of his tenure.
Whatever happens, we're sure he'll be sad to leave his $1.2 million semi-attached townhouse, which offers more than 4,000 square feet of living space, including a stunning upper-level recreation room that currently houses two billiards tables -- with plenty of footage to spare.
Speakers have been installed throughout the spacious first floor, so you can listen to your favorite tunes as you move from the enormous kitchen, with dark wood cabinetry and a generous breakfast nook, to the formal living room, which opens directly onto the deck.
Surrounded by trees, the lot feels private and secluded -- you might not even guess you're living in a townhouse.


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14 Cool Psychology Tricks You Need To Try
Via Stumbleupon, ReallyInterweb provides 14 cool tricks that you can try. The one I want o remember the most is the one above -- sitting next to a person who may get mad at you at a meeting. I haven't tried it yet but it's worthy keeping in mind. My other favorite is the patneral wisdom.
See all the tricks at 14 Cool Psychology Tricks You Need To Try


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The hyacinths are now starting to make a move. The white one has come out. Unfortunately isn't a nice dense flower, but it is still pretty.
Poor photos again, as they were taken at night.
I have actually made a start on Mum's quilt. A little bit of remodeling had to take place at the start as the panel had been cut a bit lopsided and one of the vine strips was too narrow for the pattern. I had to make them all a bit narrower, but I won't tell if you don't. It was fun looking through my stash to find 56 different fabrics that tone in with the panel for the flying geese.


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When Canada's Liberal government was elected in 2015, it promised to repair the extensive damage inflicted on environmental laws and policies by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government. Progress is being made on environmental assessment, species at risk, water, fisheries, and climate policy.
This talk will feature Jonathan Wilkinson, Member of Parliament for North Vancouver and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. He will lead a discussion about the progress being made, and whether the changes are strong enough to rebuild public trust, respect Indigenous rights, and fulfill Canada's international commitments to protect the environment.


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Tuesday, 2 July 2013
you and me in a photobooth
(yeah, I've used that exact title for a blog post before, but every time I say the word 'photobooth' I sing that song, so I couldn't resist!)
the other weekend me and the boy-o took a day trip to Brighton. it was the windiest day ever, but we had so much fun just eating, strolling round the shops, and playing in the arcades. I forced him to take photobooth pictures with me - he loved it, as you can tell from his expression in the photos!
when I got home I stuck them up over my desk, along with my current favourite print just as a little reminder to myself not to worry so much. i'm such a worrier by nature, but i'm getting better at letting things go. life is so good right now, i'm trying to just enjoy it and go with the flow.
Posted by Zoe Jade Bateman at 18:00
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4 comments:
I love getting comments and read every single one. I try to check out the blogs of people who leave comments, and reply wherever possible :) Thank you! xoxo
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text: I think we look pretty good for just having gotten off the bus after hours of riding. I don't know if I'll ever be that fit and relaxed again. Oh yeah, this is Fountainbleu, where Napolean rallied his troops after escaping from Elba from a balcony that we're blocking your view of. If you want to see it that bad, go over a take your own picture.


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Christmas is just the coolest now that we live in a house with a four year old. And I have a sneaking suspicion that in only gets better from here. At least until about eight. At which point, I'm guessing, the doubting might start.
Santa may have gone a little wild this year. Mrs. Claus finished shopping for the boys a while ago, but Santa thought it wasn't enough and went out shopping on his own the Friday before Christmas. (Mrs. Claus doesn't want to hear Santa say she spoils the boys ever again.)
Jack asked for a bow and arrow and wouldn't you know it, Santa brought him one (rubber tips of course).
Hudson? He didn't ask for anything. I like to think it's because he is modest and not because his only words are "Ma-ma" "Da-da" "more" and "Lola". Santa improvised and brought an indoor trampoline. This is more a gift to Mommy. Should this winter finally take a turn, I am going to need ways of burning tiny toddler/child energy. Thank you Santa Claus.
S0, back to it being the coolest. Jack ran into our room with the sweetest and happiest little voice saying "Santa has come this day! It is time to wake up Mommy and Daddy! Santa has come this day!" We are human so upon waking up there were certain needs we had to attend to before Jack could go downstairs. For both of us to use the restroom and put on some sweatshirts took no more than three minutes but that boy could barely stomach the wait.
When we finally let him go, his movements were more like a really fast prance than a run. He was so happy, he was walking on air. Don't you remember the magic of waking up to see all the presents and the stockings all full? Seeing that Santa ate the cookies you left out and drank the milk?
That's the greatest part about having kids. Reliving childhood. Giving them magical memories that will last a lifetime.
Hudson was just happy Jack was happy. All he wanted to do was bounce on the trampoline and play with the light up wand Santa put in his stocking. Can't blame him, if I met the weight limit requiremnets I would be bouncing right alongside him.
How was your holiday? What was the most magical memory you had this year? Mine is the way Jack woke us up and the way he "patiently" waited for Ryan and me at the top of the stairs. I will be sure to tuck that one away.
With love from Detroit,


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Amay Kataria (b. 1990) is a global artist intersecting technology with modern art mediums for self-expression. Born and brought up in Delhi, the capitol city of India, he developed artistic tendencies at the age of 14, when he started learning instruments like guitar and harmonica. After placing 1st in Future Cities India 2020 in 2007, a competition to design futuristic road architecture for Commonwealth Games held in India in 2010, his team of 4 students represented India in Washington D.C. to present their designs. During that trip, he visited U.S. universities and decided to pursue his college education abroad. At the age of 18, he moved to Virginia Tech to pursue Computer Engineering. While studying engineering, he took classes in philosophy, music appreciation, interdisciplinary product design, robotics, hardware-software, and embedded systems. After graduating from Tech in 2012, Amay joined Windows team in Microsoft as a Software Engineer in Seattle, WA.
He explored his passion for arts through music production, attending creative writing workshops, and painting & drawing lessons in Seattle Community College and Gage Academy of Arts. In 2014, he moved to Skype4Life project in Microsoft under the mentorship of Eric Traut. During this time, he collaborated with designers, product managers, and led the development of several high-impact features for the brand new Skype app. He also participated in creative hackathons to work with modern art mediums like Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Sound to expand his repertoire of creative mediums. Ultimately, while attending Burning Man in Nevada in 2015, when his artistic tendencies were at peak, Amay decided to pursue graduate education in fine arts. He began collating a portfolio for a MFA and left his job at Microsoft in Summer, 2017 to start school in Fall, 2017. Currently, he is pursuing a MFA in Art & Technology Studies at SAIC and is expected to graduate in 2019.
While working at Microsoft from 2013 - 2017, I spent 2.5 years in the Skype organization after working for Windows. I joined Skype4Life's development team led by Eric Traut, where I got to work on a myriad of projects ranging from user interface development, scalable backend services, artificial intelligence driven bots, and infrastructure/platform work. Our team had two primary goals. Firstly, it was to build a new platform on top of Facebook's React & React-Native technology called ReactXP, which would allow developers to write a highly performant application that could run on web and native platforms (iOS and Android) seamlessly under a single codebase. Additionally, we wanted to rebrand Skype and make it the first large-scale application written using ReactXP from scratch. During this time, I contributed to CoreUI, Messaging, and Fundamentals squads by architecting and developing features that are utilized by millions of Skype users today. Earlier in 2017, our team open-sourced ReactXP, which has built a strong community of developers around it. Subsequently, we released the newly developed Skype application in June, 2017 on the app store. My experience at Skype exposed me to industry practices and experienced software engineers, who taught me the significance of collaboration to deliver a high impact product like Skype. Here's a short video in my own words about my experience at Skype and the possibilities beyond.
Skype and Beyond ... from Amay Kataria on Vimeo.
EarthLens was developed with a team of data scientists, software developers, and product managers at Microsoft's //oneweek hackathon in 2016. It is an augmented reality application using Microsoft's HoloLens to help scientists, students, and enthusiasts to immersively uncover and predict the health of our planet.
I led the software development of this project in Unity and collaborated with 2 other developers to deliver a MVP from scratch. The scenario we prototyped was a table-top experience of Great Barrier Reef, where a user interactively experienced changes in the health of corals in past years. By creating machine learning models with 50 years of data for the reef's health, data science interns created prediction equations for calcification and density of corals in the future. I worked on visual depiction of two primary scenes and their transitions, Hololens gestures, and integrating contributions from other developers, who developed the machine learning models for the coral scene.
To make the experience more immersive, I added spatial sound effects for gestures and surround sound commentary on how to use the application.
EarthLens from Amay Kataria on Vimeo.
After meeting Stephen and Tyler in Seattle at Startup weekend event with a music vertical in 2015, we decided to hack a PureData patch to create stutter mic effects in 48 hours. The pd patch ran on a laptop that was hooked to a mic through a sound controller. I contributed by developing the midi component for the patch, which communicated with a TouchOsc XY midipad on a mobile device to achieve portable interactivity. As soon as the user interacted with the midipad and spoke in the mic, the system got activated and recorded user's voice sample. Once a sample was stored, user could modify the sample in real-time by scrolling in the X or Y axis on their phone. X-axis was the playback speed and Y-axis was the length of the sample. Magic mic is for people doing standups or hosting events to create stutter effects like "Che-che-che-check it out.." Magic Mic was the crowd's most entertaining project. We also got offered to create this as a plugin for a local startup's Android music application.
Later, I enhanced the patch to include incremental recording of wav files. This made it a handy sampler to collect, save, and modify ambient sounds using just my laptop. To follow up, I imported the samples into Ableton and created experimental tracks using them.
Magic Mic from Amay Kataria on Vimeo.
This work is inspired from Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics philosophy. In this, Aristotle greatly explores what makes human beings happy and the reasons behind their well being. According to him, good and successful people possess distinct virtues, which one should learn to identify in themselves and honor in others. He identified 12 virtues; courage, temperance, liberality, magnificence, magnanimity, proper ambition/pride, patience/good temper, truthfulness, wittiness, friendliness, modesty, and righteous indignation.
This work revisits each virtue and expresses it with sound and visuals. The visual for each track is generated using an interactive tool I developed in processing and post-processed the outputs in Gimp. Each audio track binds a virtue, it's emotional presence, the visual art for it, and the gamut of vices, which the virtue lies between.
Aristotle proposed that mastering a subset of these virtues can ensure well-being and happiness of humans to a great extent.
A tool developed in processing enables users to interactively create abstract art. Users can choose between four shapes (circle, square, rectangle, and line) and can change scale, stroke, rotate, opacity, and render rate parameters for these shapes by referring to its keyboard interface document. Compositions created in it were post-processed in Gimp to be finalized.
This project is an investigation of a popular computer science technique called Recursion to devise algorithms. Here, I developed a system that renders a specific circular pattern at each depth and branches off to create a similar pattern from each circle; thus, reproducing a mandala like pattern. These sacrilegous looking patterns are identified by the input angle given to the system that determines the number of circles at each depth. The parameters like depth and angle determine the shape of the mandala. These patterns were also laser cut on MDF (wood). Here is the code for this project.Close Project
During Fall 2017 at SAIC, I conducted a workshop on how to use Github for versioning creative coding projects. I used Daniel Shiffman's Github for Poets videos as a reference to prepare this workshop. We started by covering the difference between Git and Github and walked through the web interface to create repositories, make commits, create pull requests and observe user activity. Then we dove into the Terminal and covered Git commands and Git workflows to organize and version the projects.Close Project
How does it feel to be in control? Sonic Negotiations is a dialog between participants and the sound around them. It questions what does it mean to be in control and how does one share this control with other humans in an interactive sonic environment. A participant is presented with a visual clue on the screen about his/her presence along with a connection to other participants in the room. Every participant entering the room enables a unique sound effect like reverb, delay, pitch or distortion on the audio track. When the moving participants are detected in the room using Computer Vision, the distance between them maps to the intensity of these effects. The audio track for this piece is an excerpt from Alan Watts' philosophical discourse called "What Do You Desire?", which argues that the primordial thing that one desires if money was not an object is to be in control. This work wishes to involve the participants in a state of negotiation of control with other participants. Below, a series of images show how the visual clues change with the number of participants in the room and a video documentation of this system at the artist's studio in SAIC. This system was developed using OpenFrameworks and here's the code for this project.
Sonic Negotiations from Amay Kataria on Vimeo.
Tree of Life is an audio-visual performance of the unravelling of a tree over time. This work is inspired from philosophical parallels between the growth of a tree and the human body, where different stages of a tree's growth are represented by a visual and sonic landscape. In the initial stages of its growth, a tree receives nutrients like water and sunlight, just how a child grows and receives visual and audial stimulation from the environment. This information is responsible for forming a child's brain and influencing his/her growth. Once a child starts becoming an adult, he/she starts meeting various people and develops certain relationships. These relationships are like branches of a tree that bear fruits and flowers with time, just how human relationships flourish and reap new connections. Eventually, the tree completes its life and becomes one with the ground from where it grew. Similarly, human body completes its soujourn journey and perishes like it's destined to be.
This performance creates a unique soundscape by combining fabricated metal objects with technology, body gestures and audio-reactive visuals to expess this growth process from beginning to end. It wishes to explore the sonic virtuality that imagines an audio language to express the performer's stored experiences and memories of his upbringing with respect to the growth of a tree.
With the metal dishes acting as external tongues, the role of these body gestures is no different than the mind, which gives words to our expressions and uses vocal organs to produce sound. Here, the body gestures are converted into intellect, and metallic objects are converted into vocal organs that express this tree of life.
Flow of thoughts that led to the ideation of Tree of Life. The goal was to create an audio-visual system for self-expression.
The technology stack for this project utilized OpenFrameworks for development. The audio was collected using microphones from the metallic dishes and routed to Ableton. With a custom TouchOSC interface, OSC messages for audio and visual commands were sent to an OpenFrameworks program running on a laptop. Audio commands were processed and sent to Ableton as MIDI messages to control the sound. Visual commands were forwarded to another OpenFrameworks program as OSC messages running on a machine across the room, which drove the visuals on the screen. Here's the code for this project.
Tree of Life from Amay Kataria on Vimeo.
Parabolic Sound is an interactive sound installation that lets users manipulate sound using parabolic metal dishes and a custom TouchOSC interface. It started as an investigation to convert metal objects into capacitive touch sensors using a simple RC circuit principle and explore new gestural relationships of human skin conductivity with sound. In this system, the user can cycle through audio samples and select audio effects like delay, distortion, and pitch modulation to be manipulated through interaction with the dish. They can also choose to manipulate these effects on sin, square or triangle waves and mix them with the output of the audio samples through the TouchOSC interface. A part of this system was utilized in Tree of Life project to extract sounds from body gestures. It was also exhibited at the Creative Coding exhibition at SAIC in Fall 2017.
Parabolic Sound from Amay Kataria on Vimeo.
During Fall 2017 at SAIC, I got an opportunity to be Christopher Baker's Teaching Assistant (TA) for Intro to Creative Coding class, which introduced students to OpenFrameworks and dove deep in it. At the end of semester, a total of 33 students from both the sections including me, exhibited their work in ATS Flex Space at SAIC. As a TA, I got to experience the creative capacity of students, ramp up their programming skills, and assist them in bringing their creative visions to life. Here are some highlights from the show.Close Project
Breath foliage is an interactive art work that idealizes the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature through breath. In this installation, participants exhale into a carbon dioxide station, which collects the breath and converts it into branches of a tree. Through this, Breath Foliage questions the equilibrium between humans and nature, which is mediated by the quality of air in our surrounding. In the current age of anthropocene, how long will this equilibrium be maintained before we hit the tipping point? By collecting and storing the participant's breath into a growing foliage, this work wishes to store this breath as a promise to reflect upon the quality of air around us.
Breath data was collected using a MQ135 gas sensor connected to an Arduino, which was calibrated to be sensistive to carbon dioxide in the room. The breath data was sent to another machine using OSC (open source control) signals running a processing sketch, which was responsible to grow the tree.
Breath Foliage from Amay Kataria on Vimeo.
Bad breath is a sonic recreation of machines breathing alongside humans in our ecosystem. With the onslaught of industrial revolution, there has been an omnipresent sound wall created by these machines. R. Murray Schafer observed the sounds from air ducts, exhausts, and ventilation systems in modern-day architecture as bad breath of machines. This work is inspired by his writings.
Humans have a symbiotic relationship with machines that represent urbanism, development, convenience, and necessity in our lives. But how does their physical presence affect the natural environment? Is there an equilibrium between humans, environment, and machines or have we already tipped over that equilibrium? What sort of consequences await us? This 4-channel sound composition layers the field recordings done through alleyways in Chicago, of vents, exhausts, and heavy machines and arranges them to give a lifelike character with the sound of breath.
The form for this work is inspired by the shape of giant chimneys in factories and industries where the industrial smoke is excreted from. Speakers are installed underneath the metal pipes to use the resonance of these pipes and create a hyper-local sonic environment. This work intends to confront the audience with sonic essence of machines and reflect upon the state of our environment where we live today. It questions the contributions we must make to restore the equilibrium between humanity, its inventions and nature. This installation was exhibited at Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago as part of Waveform and has been selected for the Level Up Grant by Shapiro Research Center.
Generative Decay surfaces the dichotomy between the objective and subjective phenomenon in this world. It's inspired by the theory that physical objects do not exist as things in themselves but only as perceptual phenomena or bundles of sensorial data situated in time and space. With the use of computer vision and computation algorithms, the artist paints a mental image of a familiar physical object like flower vase to reflect this duality in reality. This ethereal, constantly updating, and generative image represents the perception of a physical object from the artist's mind by constantly shedding layers of appearances and unravelling the subjective nature of human consciousness.
Generative Decay from Amay Kataria on Vimeo.
Ontology of Cryptocollectibles is about the digital & reproductive nature of assets like Crypokitties and Cryptopunks. It questions the current economical fuel and psychological ownership behind collecting these assets (aka non-fungible digital tokens) in our society using Cryptocurrency. This work uses custom software and reproduction techniques to create another creative abstraction on top of these digital assets to create a post cryptocollectible art work. The visual imagery reveals the reproductive ontology of these assets by slowly removing subsections of an asset, layered with its own reproductive version and creating a never-ending loop of revealings over time. Today, we are amidst a Blockchain revolution, where provenance is being proven the pinnacle for digital art. With digital platforms like Cryptokitties and rare assets like Cryptopunks, we have identified an age-long human fetishism to collect artifacts and claim ownership through a digital token. This has created a wave of active developments and innovations in the space of Art and Blockchain, which looks promising for visual artists in this modern age of internet. All it could take is a digital token, securely stored in an e-wallet to own a rare piece of art. This work was developed and exhibited as part of the Ethereal Summit in New York on May 11-12, 2018 where I was invited as a visiting artist to explore the realm of Art and Blockchain.Close Project


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Still reeling from Rebeka's death, Bourne is drawn back into the fight between the Mexican cartels when he learns that his nemesis Ouyang Jidan is involved. Determined to discover the connection between the Chinese official Ouyang and a deceased drug lord, Bourne sets off for Shanghai. . . where he'll face his greatest threat to date.
With a new Jason Bourne movie on the horizon I thought it would be probably a good idea to read as many of the novels in the character's series as possible in order to prepare. I've read four so far including The Bourne Retribution and I've yet to find anything in the series that matches up to the quality of Robert Ludlum's original novel which shouldn't really come as any surprise. But it's becoming clear that Lustbader is gradually getting better in his role, and it was interesting to see where he took Bourne given by book eleven, he's done pretty much everything short of going into space at this point.
Here, Bourne is mourning Rebeka when he's pulled back into a mission that could lead him to the man who was responsible for her death. It's a revenge driven narrative that takes him to various locations along with Mexico's newly appointed Chief of the anti-drug enforcement agency, Carlos Danda Carlos and their anti-terrorist specialist Eden Mazar. But Bourne can trust nobody, and as twists and turns are pulled throughout the novel, you'll be left on the edge of your seat as you race to find out what happens next.
The book moves along like a video game with bad guys who seemingly get harder to fight each time the novel goes on, and manages to remain accessible to anyone who's at least seen the movies regardless of what may have happened before, and it's fairly obvious to figure out where everybody stands. It's easy to see who's out for the titled Retribution, and while you know that Bourne will eventually emerge on top because well, he's Jason Bourne, The Bourne Retribution is still a solid, escapist thriller that fans of the series will enjoy.
There isn't anything new that goes on in The Bourne Retribution that hasn't already been covered before, with plenty of clichéd action sequences throughout. But it is a solid entertaining Summer read that Bourne fans will enjoy, even if you probably should go back and read Ludlum's novels before reading this one from Lustbader.
Fans of the genre will get the most out of this but if you don't like thrillers then obviously, stay clear of The Bourne Retribution. For those who do like it prepare for a fairly formulaic, but well-paced and entertaining read that further expands the adventures of the well-traveled character.


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I've been thinking a lot about how we can provide experiences that make the library truly valuable to our patrons. With that said, I wrote this little piece awhile back and just wanted to share it.
Wake up and Smell the Coffee: Transforming the Ordinary Library to the Extraordinary through the Guiding Principles of Starbucks
by Lisa A. Forrest
The announcement by Starbucks Corp to close 600 of their stores due to economic slow-downs set off a flurry of reaction from coffee lovers around the United States, including letters and petitions to company officials, and an on-line grass roots "Save our Starbucks" campaign. National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation featured callers pleading, "Please don't take my Starbucks away." Callers went on and on about their love for the consistency of the coffee, the variety of choices, the atmosphere, and the stellar service that they receive from the personable staff. Sitting in my cozy local Starbucks with my half-caff., 1% milk (not all the way skinny), light-on- the- caramel –macchiato, listening to the baristas patiently decipher various caffeine requests, I began to draw comparisons between Starbucks and libraries. What was it exactly that made people so devoted to a place—and so passionate about a coffee shop closing? While libraries are certainly not businesses, I felt that there was something to be gleaned from the Starbucks model of customer service. I began researching the subject and discovered that there are entire books written about the company's philosophy of human service. The "guiding principles," which all new baristas receive during training, are contained in a 16-page pocket sized book called The Green Apron Book. I inquired of this book to my favorite barista, who energetically returned from the back office with a copy just for me (why can't all of life be so easy?). "Happy reading," he said with a smile—"let me know if there is anything else I can help you out with." I opened the little green book to the first page, which appropriately read, "Give. Connect. Elevate." As I walked away, I did feel elevated--and it wasn't just the caffeine buzz. This pleasant, simple interaction with the barista actually made my entire day. It reminded me that libraries could have the best collection in the world, but if the staff is unmotivated, unwelcoming, or uninspired-- it doesn't really matter.
With that said, here's my take on the rest of The Green Apron Book as it relates to libraries and human service:
Why we're here. The Green Apron Book states it in one sentence: "to provide an uplifting experience that enriches people's daily lives." It's true—coffee can be uplifting…but it's obviously more than just about the coffee (just as libraries are way more than about books!). It's the interactions that occur during the entire experience that have the power to enrich lives. What would you say if someone came up to the reference desk and asked "why are you here?" Do you have a bare boned philosophy of librarianship somewhere in your back pocket? For many librarians (including myself), the answer might be to inspire inquiry and a passion for life long learning. What can be more heartening than being inspired to learn? Yet I've seen libraries lose focus of this time and time again—it's there, but often hidden under the everyday white noise of the running of the library. We forget that we are indeed in the business of enriching lives.
How we do it. We all know that it takes a lot of teamwork to keep a library working smoothly. According to The Green Apron Book, Starbucks does it "Together. In legendary ways, big and small." The next time you're in Starbucks, just notice how the baristas are communicating all of the time. Notice the togetherness behind the counter—how one person picks up where the other leaves off (they are all cross-trained to work every station of the process). Listen to how they speak to one another and to their customers (even when there is a line). The whole process of ordering a drink appears almost effortless—when in fact, there are actually many steps involved in the "behind the counter" operation. At my local Starbucks, the baristas often come out from behind the counter to walk the floor and check in on their customers. It's not so different from a reference librarian coming out from behind the desk to follow up with a patron. Does your team of librarians and staff communicate with such transparency, cooperation, and good nature? Or are some too attached to their specific roles to reach across those invisible lines to make even the smallest operation run smoother?
Be welcoming. The Green Apron Book provides some common sense advice on good manners. Greet people as they walk through the door, make eye contact, start conversations, anticipate the customers' needs, and so on. The point of being welcoming is to "offer everyone a sense of belonging." Of course, most of us do all of these things every day. But if you're reading this at the reference desk and haven't looked up at the patron who just walked in the door…well, we all need reminders now and then, right?
Be genuine. Out of the entire Green Apron Book, I appreciated this section the most. The points that stood out for me in regards to libraries: Remember that communication happens verbally and nonverbally, legendary service exceeds customers' expectations, and to focus on the positive (what you CAN do, not what you cannot do). As librarians, how can we get past meeting basic expectations to exceeding our patrons' expectations? Can you put yourself back on the other side of the desk to empathize with the patron—or do you find your patience running low? I appreciate when someone tries to anticipate my needs, whether that is a glass of water at a restaurant or someone pointing out the restrooms. Perhaps for those working in libraries, that comes in the form of drawing out a path on the library map, or maybe it is taking the extra time to guide someone through the online Inter-Library Loan application. You need a pencil? How about a piece of scrap paper, too? There are many, many ways that librarians and library staff can exceed patrons' expectations.
Be knowledgeable. Starbucks instructs its employees to "Love what you do. Share it with others." It's true what they say: enthusiasm is contagious. Why can't libraries be celebrated in the same way as good coffee? National Library Week aside, do we really celebrate our libraries, our skills, and our knowledge? Not only are libraries in the business of finding out the answers; they also serve as intellectual and social cornerstones of the community. We should take pride in sharing what is most unique about the libraries where we work—everyday.
Be considerate. The Green Apron Book's main points on the subject of consideration include offering support to colleagues, caring for the environment (think double sided printing and green friendly products), taking initiative as "when you see something that needs to be done, do it" (something as simple as picking up a piece of trash on the floor), and recognizing people for their efforts. How can we develop a greater consideration for our patrons? So often, we look at the library through "librarian's eyes" without truly considering the perspective of the patron (we think we know what they want). As the saying goes, "let the sweeper choose the broom." Consider the use of online polls and focus groups…or better yet, go face to face and just ask your patrons their opinion.
Be involved. Libraries and coffee shops have one main thing in common—they both serve as social and intellectual meeting places in the community. The Green Apron Book reminds employees to be become involved in their communities (our local Starbucks has even partnered with the public library), to be aware of the tone and energy of the store in which they work, and to be models of positivism. These are good reminders to those working in any public service job. The Green Apron Book also encourages employees to express their views—what better way to ensure involvement than to give employees (and patrons) the opportunity to openly voice their ideas and concerns?
Make a friend. Make a difference. Make someone's day. In regards to the library, we've all had experiences where we know we've really made someone's day. Remember, the small things make all the difference. Just think how different my opinion of Starbucks would be if the smiling barista had told me that he couldn't give me a copy of The Green Apron Book, or if the staff was not so motivated by challenging drink requests? The last page of The Green Apron Book states that three things are needed to keep people coming back: products, place, and people. "They come for coffee, stay for the inviting warmth, and return for the very human connection." Everything matters. Simply providing access to information is no guarantee of the library's use, nor does it instill any lasting dedication. If our patrons visit for library resources, it's up to us to provide the personal connections which keep them coming back.