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Sunseeker's CEO on building a sustainable brand
Home » Sunseeker's CEO on building a sustainable brand
Words Sir Eric Peacock
Brand Sunseeker
To own a Sunseeker has become an aspiration for many and an obsession for some. Phil Popham in his role of CEO has put the wind back in the sails of this British yachting icon and here he talks to Sir Eric Peacock about the brand's core values and its luxury aspirations.
Phil Popham, it's a pleasure to be with you here. As a man who's spent his career with luxury brands, what would be the attraction of Sunseeker?
Yes, it's a question I've been asked quite a few times actually. I spent 25 years at Jaguar Land Rover – I joined from university and I've been quite fortunate to be involved within a company that allowed me to have a say in the development of the brand because it was a relatively small company when I joined back in 1988. Being on the company's board, running different functions and being the legal entity director, I realised I actually wanted the opportunity to run a business. For me, it had to tick the boxes of Luxury, British, Great Heritage, but also provide a role that can be challenging.
After having a conversation with my CEO at JLR, I received a call from a headhunter at Sunseeker. I'd been involved with Sunseeker before – back in 1991, I was a regional manager in the south west for Land Rover who were selling Range Rovers to Sunseeker. At the time of the call, I was consciously thinking about running a business and after weighing up the different attributes of the company that ideally I'd like to run, I realised Sunseeker was that one. It just felt like the right place at the right time, and I was in the right mindset, plus the company had got the right need.
And how would you define the brand values of Sunseeker?
Joining Sunseeker and being aware of its reputation and history, it was surprising that when you asked what the brand stood for internally, neither of those elements were clear. I worked on a lot of brand positioning work at Land Rover, establishing what 'Go Beyond and Above & Beyond' meant for Land Rover and its customers.
When I started at Sunseeker, I was confused because it had a really proud heritage yet no one could really articulate what it was. So, we purposefully organised – with help from consultants as well as the internal team – workshops to get back to what we're all about. The keywords that came out were 'pioneering' and 'daring', reflected in our accomplishments as a brand and the attitudes of our founders, Robert and John Braithwaite, who are still active in the business today.
They were daring, they loved the product they were producing and they pioneered a way to actually go and do something different from what everyone else had. After compiling the feedback, we worked on rebuilding those keywords back into the company by asking questions like: what is that Sunseeker DNA? What should actually drive the design and engineering of our product? And it's not a single thing at Sunseeker, it's actually a blend of things. Its distinctive design is what distinguishes a Sunseeker yacht from any other yacht in a marina.
When it comes to British-ness how does this tie into the Sunseeker brand?
The design, engineering and craftsmanship elements are something that adds to the brand's Britishness. It's that blend of distinctive design, performance and craftsmanship, together with a degree of customisation to our larger models that makes us unique and very British. I wouldn't say we're over the top with it but we're quite overtly British.
So for the last two or three years, this is what you've worked on to establish.
Ultimately, we want to pull together everything we've always been, get that focus, define what we are and then work on communicating that. This was how the concept of 'Seek More' came about – obviously a play on words with Sunseeker. But it was really about the pioneering and daring aspects of the brand that we wanted to channel to reflect how we always seek perfection, and that applies to all the attributes of the brand including our customers. The Seek More concept mirrors their beliefs too, and that's why they're successful and ultimately the reason why they're buying a Sunseeker.
In terms of size, how does Sunseeker sit within the rest of the luxury yacht industry as a business?
We're approximately a £300 million business with 2,500 employees, a number which has grown by about 25 per cent in the last three years. During this time, revenue has also increased and we've gone up in boat numbers by about a third.
We've briefly touched on the Sunseeker customer but could you share your thoughts on who the Sunseeker customer is.
The thing that brings them together is clearly their high-net-worth status and they are generally self-made. They don't come from any particular profession, background or age category – there's a huge range from early to mid-thirties up to sixties and beyond.
It's not a cheap hobby to run any sort of boat, and our boats start at about £650,000 plus tax so it's a big investment. Our customers are therefore successful and they're buying the boat for a reason; for the enjoyment, quality family time together and the luxury lifestyle. Very few of our customers actually buy to charter and they see their boat as a very personal asset.
I hear you're expanding dealer distribution and moving into markets where perhaps you've not been as visible before; could you share with us what this entails?
I've got a lot of experience setting up networks around the world with Jaguar Land Rover, which have approximately 2,500 dealers in over 175 countries. At Sunseeker, we have possibly the largest dealer network in the industry with 125 appointed dealers operating in 74 countries, and they are vital as the first port of call for our customers.
In terms of expansion, it was quite clear that the focus needed to be in the Americas, especially North America where our market share is well below what it was in Europe. So, for the last two, three years we've been quite focused on building up that network and we've gone from less than a quarter of our sales in as recently as 2016, to over a third last year only in the US. Our focus now is moving towards the Middle East and to the Asia Pacific region as well.
With a workforce of over 2,500 people and a combination of artisan legacy and high technology, what are some of the people opportunities and challenges you have and have had?
One of the big issues we had when I came to the business was that it was losing quite a lot of money. In 2014 we offered revenue at about £200 million but we lost over £14 million. That obviously is compounding a number of things: the product development process, for example, which we've since invested in with the 2016 and 2017 products.
We've also invested in our facilities, allowing us to physically rebuild production lines to fit new products because before, we were known for manufacturing a large number of small boats whereas now, we are making a lower volume of much bigger yachts.
We are not currently manufacturing boats in the 35–40 foot range which meant we had to reconstruct our shipyards to accommodate larger models and it gave us the chance to really clean up the manufacturing operation. We are absolutely focused on health and safety as it can be a dangerous place to work because of the weight of the things moving around. We have to work in a safe environment and by adopting best practices and making small changes such as cleaning and painting facades, making sure flags aren't ripped on any of the sites, painting the walkways, and insisting people wear safety gear when they go on the boats, you actually start to see people's change in mindset.
Even as an outsider looking in, the speed and the pace of new product development is impressive. Could you share with us a bit more about this process?
Well, we have had to change the process as it was lacking in long-term planning. For me, this is key because you have to deliver a financial plan that's linked to investments and that wasn't in place when I came to the business.
The starting point for any new product is the prototype so we learn as we go. It's not so different to from cars; you have to balance your resource, ensuring you're getting up to speed in terms of the very high quality of what we deliver.
And in terms of what's happening with Brexit, how are you viewing that: opportunity, neutral, threat or a combination of all three?
It's hard to actually answer that because with 50 percent of our business being in the Mediterranean, a lot of the business is being paid for in Euros. Ultimately, I don't think people who spend upwards of £18 million are going to be that impacted by what's happening on the exchange rate because a Sunseeker yacht is not an impulse buy. That said we did see some currency speculation going on, which gave us some uncertainty because this is a cash-hungry business.
As a consequence of Brexit, there's more importance on being a sustainable business and trying to spread risk in terms of revenue, which is why the real focus over the last two years has been in the Americas and beyond.
Sunseeker has always had a social conscience. Would you like to share with us where that social conscience is now manifesting itself?
I think it's really important to put back into the sector and the geographic area where you operate. I've always wanted Sunseeker to be a prominent player within Dorset; we are after all one of the biggest employers in the county and I sit as a non-executive director on the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. We were keen to actually work with a charity that could resonate with our employees, who have now personally raised approximately £73,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. The Macmillan Dorset Bike Ride that we sponsor will this year surpass £1 million in donations since our involvement began. Most recently we've announced a long-term partnership with the Blue Marine Foundation, a charity that works to create marine reserves and establish more sustainable fishing methods.
And with the Sunseeker community and client base, how do you keep them connected both with the business and with one another?
We're increasingly looking at how we promote experiential events that we can invite our client base to. Our boat shows are a time when we have a lot of boats for people to come and see. Our sales team will be at about 15 to 20 shows a year and I'll attend six to eight; I've just returned from very successful shows in Miami, Dusseldorf and Dubai, and I was in London of course for our 'home' show in January.
From a personal perspective outside the world that you operate in now, what are the brands that you really admire in luxury?
The brands that stand out for me are those that are actually doing what I've just been describing that Sunseeker is working to achieve. Pioneering brands for me would be Ferrari and also Porsche. And in terms of those brands that have gone beyond their core, Harley-Davidson is another brand that really understands brand extension. Its entry strategy into China, for example, was around merchandise and the bike element followed.
Could you tell us a bit about the award-winning apprentice programme you have in place at Sunseeker?
It was set up 35 years ago and last year we had 40 apprentices join us, which was the most we've ever had. In total, we have about 115 apprentices on our books at all different stages, and that's about investing in our future. For those 40 places, we had something like 450 applications and it's growing every year, so we can see that people do actually want to work for our business. What we find with our apprentices is that they tend to stay for their careers and we can nurture them; by teaching them the skills they need and empowering them, we can garner tremendous employee loyalty. This year marks the 40th anniversary of one of our original apprentices and he's still very active in the business and in product development.
Looking to the future at Sunseeker, what's the game plan for the next few years?
We've now gone through a turnaround strategy in the last three years and we've delivered on that. We've gone from big losses back to breaking even and now we're making a profit. It's about reinvestment and that turnaround plan has now become a growth strategy of segments. We just announced that we're going to go back to our heritage with small performance boats in collaboration with another exciting brand, Red Bull Advanced Technologies. We will expand our product range as part of that process and during the course of this year; we will be talking a bit more about what that looks like. We want to become an even greater global luxury brand with substance. There is far more to our brand than the award-winning products our customers love. The entire experience, at every touch-point, should reflect our luxury aspirations.
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text:
To: Public Utilities
By: Representatives Miles, Markham
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 21-39-13, 21-27-17 AND 21-27-23, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE A MUNICIPALITY TO ALLOW A MUNICIPALLY OWNED UTILITY TO IMMEDIATELY REFUND A DEPOSIT TO A CUSTOMER OF A MUNICIPAL UTILITY AFTER THE MUNICIPAL UTILITY DETERMINES THAT PAYMENT FOR ALL SERVICES AND ANY OTHER OBLIGATIONS WHICH THE CUSTOMER MAY HAVE INCURRED IN REGARD TO THE UTILITY HAS BEEN MADE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 21-39-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
21-39-13. (1) (a) The clerk of the municipality shall draw all warrants or checks for claims and accounts allowed and approved by the governing authorities. Except as provided in subsection (b), the warrants or checks shall be signed by the mayor or a majority of the members of the board of aldermen in any municipality operating under a mayor-alderman form of government, and attested by the clerk, and to which there shall be affixed the seal of the municipality. The governing authorities of any municipality may adopt the use of a standard check signing machine to be used in lieu of the manual signing of warrants or checks under such terms and conditions as the governing authorities shall deem meet and proper for the protection of the interest of the municipality.
(b) A municipality may authorize a municipally owned utility to immediately refund to a customer of the municipal utility his or her deposit for municipal utility services after the municipal utility has determined that payment for all services and any other obligations which the customer may have incurred in regard to the municipal utility has been made.
(2) Every warrant or check drawn on the treasury shall express on its face to whom issued and for what purpose allowed, and the ordinance authorizing its issuance shall be cited, by minute book and page, in or upon it.
(3) All such warrants or checks shall be drawn against the proper fund in the municipality from which such allowed claims shall be paid, and all such warrants or checks shall be drawn in the order of their allowance. No warrant or check shall be signed, removed from the warrant book or checkbook or delivered by the clerk until there is sufficient money in the fund upon which it is drawn to pay the same and all prior unpaid warrants or checks drawn upon that fund, whether delivered or not.
(4) The owner of any claim against a municipality, either before or after allowance, may transfer same by assignment, and the holder of such assignment shall be entitled to receive the warrant or check therefor at the proper time by presenting such assignment to the clerk at any time before the delivery of the warrant or check to the original claimant.
21-27-17. The commission provided for by Section 21-27-13 is authorized to make such bylaws for the holding and conduct of its meetings and such other regulations as it may deem necessary for the safe, economic and efficient management and protection of the system or systems, and such bylaws and regulations shall have the same validity as an ordinance duly passed by the governing authorities of any municipality.
It is authorized to elect such officers and appoint such employees as may be necessary to operate the system or systems efficiently, and it shall have the entire control and management of such system or systems, together with all property connected or appertaining in any manner to such system or systems. The commission shall have the authority to employ a superintendent or manager of the systems, who shall have actual charge of the management and operation thereof and of the enforcement and execution of all the rules, regulations, programs, plans and decisions made and adopted by the commission in making purchases for materials and supplies to be used in the operation of the systems. In addition to any other purchasing authority granted by law, the commission may purchase electric transmission line materials, electric distribution system substation equipment, transformer equipment, and all other appliances, apparatus, machinery, equipment and appurtenances necessary for the sale of electricity, such as utility vehicles and fencing, from the surplus inventory of the Tennessee Valley Authority or any other similar agency of the federal government and electric power associations. These purchases shall be exempt from the public bid requirements prescribed in Sections 31-7-12 and 31-7-13. However, for all other purchases, the commission shall advertise for competitive bids in the manner and form as is required in accordance with Section 31-7-13. The superintendent or manager shall make and keep full and proper books and records of all purchases and shall submit them to the commission for its approval and ratification before payment thereof is authorized to be made. It shall have the right to fix the salaries and term of office of all employees and to direct them in the discharge of their duties. It shall have the right to require good and sufficient bonds from all officers and employees in such amounts as it may deem proper. It shall have the right to discharge employees when found inefficient or for other good cause. It shall have the power to make and collect rates for services and facilities, and appropriate funds for the maintenance and improvements of such systems. It is authorized to borrow from the Mississippi Development Bank in order to fund advance purchases of energy for gas producing, generating, transmission or distribution system or its electric generating, transmission or distribution system. It is authorized to insure all property used in the operation of such systems, including buildings, furniture, books and records, against loss by fire and tornado, and to carry sufficient amount of employers liability, steam boiler, plate glass and other miscellaneous casualty insurance, as in the discretion of the commission may be deemed proper, and to pay premiums therefor out of the funds derived from the operation of the systems. It shall report quarterly to the governing authorities of the municipality of all its doings and transactions of every kind whatsoever and shall make a complete statement of the financial condition of the systems at the end of each quarter, and shall annually make a detailed statement covering the entire management and operation of the systems, with any recommendations which it may have for the further development of the systems. At any time, the commission, by order or resolution, may authorize the expansion of activities of any component facility to include processing of materials on a custom basis or the processing and marketing of materials acquired to fully and efficiently utilize existing plant capacity. It shall also provide copies of all such quarterly and annual reports and statements to the Public Service Commission when so directed under Section 77-3-6.
The commission provided for by Section 21-27-13 is also authorized to immediately refund to a customer of the municipal utility his or her deposit for municipal utility services after the municipal utility has determined that payment for all services and any other obligations which the customer may have incurred in regard to the municipal utility has been made.
21-27-23. Any municipality is authorized and empowered:
(a) To borrow money and to issue revenue bonds therefor solely for the purposes specified in this section and by the procedure provided in Sections 21-27-41 through 21-27-69.
Money may be borrowed and bonds issued by any municipality of the State of Mississippi, as hereinbefore defined, to acquire or improve any waterworks system, water supply system, sewerage system, sewage disposal system, garbage disposal system, rubbish disposal system or incinerators, gas producing system, gas generating system, gas transmission system, or gas distribution system, electric generating, transmission or distribution system, or motor vehicle transportation system, including any combination of any or all of those systems into one (1) system, within or without the corporate limits thereof, for the purpose of supplying such municipality and the persons and corporations, both public and private, whether within or without its corporate limits, with the services and facilities afforded by such system, provided that water, electric energy, or gas afforded by any such system or systems may be supplied to such ultimate consumers thereof by sale thereof to the owners or operators of a distribution system for resale to the public. Any municipality which shall borrow money and issue revenue bonds to provide funds with which to acquire a gas transmission system may, if necessary, in order to reach and obtain a source of supply of gas for such municipality, extend or construct its gas transmission line into an adjoining state, and may use and expend part of the proceeds of such issue of revenue bonds for such purpose.
(b) To assume all indebtedness for any system or systems which may be acquired under the provisions of this section as all or part of the consideration for the acquisition of such system or systems and to issue its revenue bonds in exchange for the bonds or notes evidencing such indebtedness.
(c) To acquire or improve any system which it is authorized to borrow money and issue revenue bonds under subsection (a) of this section to acquire or improve; and to make contracts in furtherance thereof or in connection therewith.
(d) To own, operate and maintain any such system or combination of any and all of said systems into one (1) system.
(e) To establish, maintain and collect rates for the facilities and services offered by any such system; provided that if there is a combination of systems into one or more systems, the municipality establishing the same shall be and is empowered to establish, maintain and collect rates for any and all of the services or for any combination thereof, and such municipality shall be and is authorized to discontinue any or all of the services upon any failure to promptly pay the charges fixed for the services. The rates so fixed for services rendered by any system or combination thereof may be charged for all services rendered thereby, regardless of whether or not such services may have been previously rendered without rates or charges therefor by the previously existing waterworks system, water supply system, sewerage system, sewage disposal system, garbage disposal system, rubbish disposal system or incinerators, gas producing system, gas generating system, gas transmission system, or gas distribution system, electric generating, transmission or distribution system, which shall have been merged into such combined system. Any such municipality is authorized to pledge for the payment of any bonds issued to acquire or improve any such combined system, or to refund any bonds previously issued to acquire or improve any such combined system or to acquire or improve any system merged with such combined system, the revenues to be derived from the operation of such combined system, including the charges authorized to be imposed by this section.
A municipality may authorize a municipally owned utility to immediately refund to a customer of the municipal utility his or her deposit for municipal utility services after the municipal utility has determined that payment for all services and any other obligations which the customer may have incurred in regard to the municipal utility has been made.
If the revenues of any previously existing system being merged into a combined system are subject to a prior lien, the revenues and the expenses of any such previously existing system shall be accounted for separately to the extent necessary to satisfy the covenants relating to such prior lien for so long as the indebtedness secured by such revenues shall remain outstanding. Only surplus revenues remaining after the satisfaction of all covenants relating to said outstanding indebtedness may be pledged to the retirement of any indebtedness to be secured by the revenues of a combined system. The existence of such outstanding indebtedness shall not, in and of itself, prevent the combining of systems as herein provided, so long as the prior lien on the revenues of any previously existing system is fully satisfied from the revenues of said previously existing system.
(f) To acquire property, real or personal, which may be necessary to effectuate the powers herein conferred. The municipality may purchase electric transmission line materials, electric distribution system substation equipment, transformer equipment, and all other appliances, apparatus, machinery, equipment and appurtenances necessary for the sale of electricity, such as utility vehicles and fencing, from the surplus inventory of the Tennessee Valley Authority or any other similar agency of the federal government and electric power associations. These purchases by the municipality shall be exempt from the public bid requirements prescribed in Sections 31-7-12 and 31-7-13. If the power of eminent domain is exercised, it shall be exercised in the manner provided by Sections 11-27-1 through 11-27-51.
(g) To enter into contract with the United States of America or any agency thereof, under the provisions of acts of the Congress of the United States, to aid or encourage public works and the regulations made in pursuance thereof, for the sale of bonds issued in accordance with the provisions of Sections 21-27-41 through 21-27-69 or for the acceptance of a grant to aid such municipality in acquiring or improving any such system; and such contracts may contain such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon by and between the municipality and the United States of America or any agency thereof, or any purchaser of such bonds.
(h) To adopt such ordinances and resolutions and to do all things and perform all acts necessary, proper or desirable to effectuate the full intent and purpose of Sections 21-27-11 through 21-27-69, including processing, marketing, custom processing, sale and resale of materials processed through any facility under its jurisdiction.
(i) To borrow from the Mississippi Development Bank in order to fund the advance purchase of energy for its gas producing, generating, transmission or distribution system or its electric generating, transmission or distribution system.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 1998.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Soncino (Cremona): Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie
The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Soncino is a true jewel of Renaissance art which hides behind a sober and austere facade an interior completely covered with magnificent frescoes.
The church is located on the edge of the village, along the old road to Cremona.
It was built starting from 1501, together with an adjacent convent, by the Carmelites in place of a pre-existing medieval church that was incorporated into the new building.
The project is probably by father Antonio Maestri, former prior of the convent of Soncino and certainly superintendent of the works.
The church was consecrated in 1528, in the presence of Francesco Sforza who had financed the internal decoration.
The bell tower had already been built in the years 1515-1516.
The church was adopted by the Marquises Stampa, who took over from the Sforza family, as a family pantheon. In 1536 Charles V, right in this church, had invested Massimiliano Stampa of the Marquisate of Soncino.
In 1772, when the convent was suppressed, its lands were auctioned by the government, while furnishings and furniture of the church were sold off by the competent bishop. Among them there was also an altarpiece by Giulio Campi, now in Brera.
The exterior of the church is in exposed brick. The façade, divided into three parts by two pilasters, is very simple and essential. The only decorations are the imposing bramante-style portal, built in white marble of Rezzato (Botticino marble) and the rose window framed by a terracotta frieze that surmounts it.
In the past there were also two frescoes depicting San Cristoforo and Sant'Antonio superimposed on fifteenth-century triptychs. Unfortunately, little has remained of them.
The church has a rectangular plan and a single room without a transept. The nave is divided in three parts by two pilasters and has a high barrel-vaulted ceiling and five chapels on each side, all of equal size.
The interior receives light through five round windows on each side, placed inside the lunettes, plus the larger rose window placed in the façade.
To be noted, inside, the terracotta friezes depicting plant elements that extend between the side walls and the ceiling of the nave and, more subtle, between the walls of the chapels and their vaults and along the edges of these. They were made by the local plastier G. Antonio Pezzoni.
The interior surfaces are almost completely occupied by spectacular frescoes. They are the works of G. Francesco Scanzi, Giulio Campi and Francesco and Bernardino Carminati:
The counter-façade is occupied in the lower part by a spectacular fresco of the Last Judgment. In the upper part, on the other hand, there are on the sides of the rose window St. Peter and St. Paul, while above it there is God the Father.
All representations are vigorous, both in color and in the details: the various charachters are represented each with their own attitude and their own mimicry, Jesus Christ has both arms raised, in an attitude that underlines the drama of the moment, while the clouds of the sky appear similar to the foam of the waves of a stormy sea. Note the terrible monster in the lower right corner, where the damned end up in the open jaws!
In the upper part, on the contrary, the Saints Peter and Paul are represented on the background of an idyllic landscape in which villages, cultivated fields and woods alternate.
The frescoes in the counter-façade are the work of the Carminati brothers.
Carminati brothers' work is also the splendid decoration of the vault, divided into five sectors corresponding to the five spans of the church.
Each sector contains five medallions representing characters corresponding to a specific theme.
The medallions are surrounded by plant-themed decorations, while the bands separating the various sectors are decorated with grotesques.
Also the representations of prophets in the lunettes housing the round windows of the walls are were painted by the Carminati.
The first, the fourth and the fifth chapel on the left and the chapels on the right were frescoed by Francesco Scanzi with various subjects, including Madonna and Child, Escape to Egypt, Annunciation, Apparition of Jesus to Mary Magdalene and saints. The third chapel on the left was instead frescoed by Vincenzo Berlenghi, a scholar and helper of Scanzi.
The presbytery has a cross vault in the sails of which Giulio Campi represented the evangelists (Fig. 4). Also in this case the dividing strips are decorated with grotesques.
A further work of Giulio Campi is the great fresco on the triumphal arch depicting the Virgin in glory surrounded by musician angels.
Although chromatically this fresco is in perfect harmony with the one in the counter-façade, looking better you notice that the drama is replaced by joy and serenity, with chubby angels and playful attitudes.
In the apse, with a polygonal base and semicircular vault divided by ribs into segments, there are finally rounds with busts of Carmelite saints.
They came to light when the frescoes depicting prophets and Carmelite saints were ripped off.
Overall, the pictorial decorations inside the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie di Soncino are of a very high level and have nothing to envy, in the opinion of the writer, to those of the roughly coeval and more famous Church of San Maurizio at the Maggiore Monastery in Milan and Church of San Vittore in Meda. The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is in some respects even superior, as the elegant solution of the ceiling with plant-based decorations on a light blue nearly white background conveys a sense of lightness that in the other two, with a ceiling with grotesque decorations on a dark background, it is not present.
Page about Soncino in this web site
Via Francesco Galantino, 26029 Soncino CR
Foto aggiuntive della Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie nella sezione Fotografia


Experienced Florida Appellate Attorney - Margaret E. Kozan, P.A.
The Briefs, April 2012, Vol. 80, No. 4. It is published here by permission of the Orange County Bar Association.
Licensed in both Florida and Louisiana, Ms. Kozan has been practicing law for more than 20 years. She has worked for some of the largest and most prestigious law firms in the Southeast. A former law review editor and federal judicial clerk, she has excellent legal writing and analytical skills.
Ms. Kozan handles all aspects of civil appeals in both state and federal courts. She also provides legal services to law firms of all sizes. These services include legal research and analysis, drafting and responding to substantive motions, and counseling on case strategy and issue preservation.


Robust diplomacy and profound technical skill will be put to a test of epic proportions in the coming ten weeks as Iran and the so-called P5+1 meet to work out the minute details of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Friend and foe will be watching at close range if the long and lengthy nuclear dispute over Tehran's nuclear energy program will be brought to a successful conclusion.
Though the talks are mostly held between the six powers (the five UN Security Council veto powers plus Germany) and Iran, much will be the function of a better "understanding" between Washington and Tehran. As such, the Rouhani administration and the Obama White House have invested immense political capital in a solution to the complex negotiations that should end by a self-imposed June 30 deadline.
Both have done so for a whole set of dissimilar reasons. Suffice to say, the former wants to unload the unjust sanctions baggage that has messed up the Iranian economy, and the latter has both eyes on his legacy, not to mention what failure would entail for the future of the already descending Democrats. Whether or not the two presidents will achieve their lofty goals should become clearer as springtime in Tehran and Washington makes way for the hot summer fast approaching.
Much remains to be done and time is of essence. Even before the stage was set for the final round, the hardline Republicans and sworn opponents of Barack Obama unsheathed their swords telling the embattled US president that any deal, nuclear or otherwise, should be on their (Israeli) terms.
Those with basic knowledge of recent Iranian history and its advanced nuclear energy program concur that that is not going to happen.
What is rather visible, on the other hand, is the risk of unjustified expectations by either side about what the other might concede. The same risk is apparent in comments, both in official and unofficial quarters, about such specifics as the number of centrifuges Iran can spin, volume of uranium enrichment, duration of the JCPOA, and most importantly, lifting the sanctions (read economic war) on Iran.
Conventional wisdom has it that unrequited expectations will lead to animosity during and after the unusually tough final negotiations. And mind you, this would be an unfortunate development neither side can afford for understandable reasons. The present opportunity if far too important, and the final phase of the intricate talks far too crucial to be sacrificed at the altar of irrationally or fallacy.
Tehran will be careful not to pitch its demands and hopes too high, nor should it appear to be willing to undertake more than it really can. So far it has clearly declined what it cannot accept for the sake of any "future easing of sanctions" that the western powers are tying tightly to "verifications" by the IAEA, the agency that for years has been everything but impartial in handling the Iranian nuclear dossier. On the same wavelength it must be mentioned that Tehran is clearly able to shoulder what it can, without risking a deficit when it comes to delivering.
It merits mention that the stakes are high for both Iran and the United States. Iran on Rouhani's watch is aware of the gravity of the situation and has long crossed the fear barrier. It is not oblivious to the fact that a defining feature of the modern world is interaction and interdependence, not fear or intimidation. That is why it is trying to reach out to the outside world on a different level and gradually build the necessary contours of trust in the peaceful nature of its nuclear energy program and its responsible foreign policy.
The time has come for the US and its western allies to read the writing on the wall. After all, they together stand accused of inaugurating military threats and unilateral economic sanctions, and in the process creating pain and misery for entire nations. They truly need to take a pause, stop demonizing those they do not understand, and put an end to the unsafe mantra that the West alone has the whole truth.


The 2018 Nissan Armada in Penticton BC makes no compromises in the SUV segment. Whether you are looking for a capable towing and hauling vehicle, or a comfortable and spacious daily driver, the 2018 Armada will check all the boxes.
Powering the 2018 Armada is Nissan's 5.6-litre Direct Injection V-8 engine. This engine produces 390 horsepower and 394 pound-feet of torque. The engine is paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission. 2018 Armada models utilize a the Intelligent 4x4 system. This system instantly responds to road conditions, modifying the power distribution to help provide maximum control. The system is also able to switch back to 2WD when 4WD is not needed to maximize fuel economy ratings. The engine is able to tow up to 3,856 kg (8,500 pounds).
The interior of the 2018 Nissan Armada offers seating for up to eight people. The available second-row captain's chairs reduce this number to seven. The Armada offers 168.7 cubic feet of interior volume.
A wide variety of comfort, safety and technology features are available on the 2018 Nissan Armada.
Safety and Driver Assistance Systems: Lane Departure Warning (LDW) with Intelligent Lane Intervention (I-LI), Intelligent Forward Collision Warning (I-FCW) with Intelligent Emergency Braking (IEB), Intelligent Back-up Intervention (I-BI), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention (I-BSI), Intelligent Distance Control (I-DC), Intelligent Around View® Monitor (AVM) with Moving Object Detection.
Comfort and Technology Features: Tire Pressure Monitoring System, 13-speaker Bose audio system, SiriusXM satellite radio, USB, Bluetooth and auxiliary connectivity, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, leather seating surfaces, heated and cooled seats, remote keyless entry and ignition, dual-zone automatic climate control, remote engine start, touchscreen infotainment system, second-row rear seat entertainment system.


The Upanishads don't try to teach you anything about Brahman (or the Ultimate Truth). You already have assumptions in your mind about: "Who is God or Brahman?" The Upanishads attempt to "disabuse" your mind of its assumptions and states "what it is not".
Nobody can really describe Brahman. All the Upanishads end with the saying, if you want know what Brahman is, enjoy it, experience it. You will not even know what it is, because you will have no awareness when you are one with Brahman. If someone claims that he knows Brahman or, that he does not know it, he does not know a thing – when you become Brahman, you do not even know that you know - Brahman is beyond cognition, it can only be realized, experienced, it cannot be spoken about.
Just like a mother's love for a child or, a roller coaster ride – it cannot be described, quantified. There are many things that we experience in this world, but cannot explain in words. The Upanishads are not trying to explain what Brahman 'IS', they are content with explaining what it 'IS NOT'.
Ask yourself questions: Who am I? Am I the body, the mind or the intellect? Am I something else? What is purpose of my life in this world? Then step by step, you know that it (the Brahman) is not this. At some point, you exhaust all questioning.
There is a mirror in the bathroom – you cannot see much in the mirror when you have a shower. Or a person has a cataract in his eye – he cannot see things clearly. The doctor does not replace the eye, but only removes the layer covering the eye; the person's ability to see is not impaired, it is only covered by a layer of tissue. When a mirror is unclean, it is not the mirror's fault. A lot of dirt has accumulated over time. So, clean it and you can see clearly again. There is a lot of dirt and ignorance enveloping the mind and the intellect. The mind and intellect both assume that they can understand the Truth.
Modern science tries to do this, Particle Science calls it the "God Particle". Einstein said: "There is a God; given a long life, I will discover it." Science is knocking on the doors of Vedanta. There is a nano particle not visible to the naked eye and travels at a fantastic speed, and releases energy. The entire world is filled with energy, gravity, electro-magnetism, etc. Brahman is the source of all such energy and sustains the entire cosmos.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa talked about the salt doll that went to discover the ocean to measure it's depth and jumped into the ocean. It did not come back. The salt doll does not know what it discovered. Once you are merged with Brahman, you do not come back to talk about it.
Put gold bangles (or other gold jewelry) in the crucible and heat them – they become gold. All energies everywhere have a source. And the source is Brahman. Brahman is indescribable. Think about electricity – it operates everything – the dishwasher, the A/C, the ceiling fan, the lights, the blender - Can any of these say that they are self-powered? Where is the energy coming from? All power comes from the power generation plants. So, will I get electrocuted from water? How can it be? How does the energy manifest itself from water? In fact scientists are talking about transmitting electricity without copper wires. The sun's energy is able to produce electricity.
Modern communications and the internet lets you speak and see another person through a hand-held satellite or, cellular phone on the other side of the world. They say that in the future, you may be able to communicate feel, taste and smell through hand-helds. How does this energy get directed into the hand-held? There is a connection to the farthest galaxies – millions of lights years away and filled with tiny particles of electricity.
So, nobody can say what Brahman is – if anyone explains Brahman to you, he does not know it. How small it is, how big is it? Smaller than the smallest – larger than the largest ("anoraneeyam-mahatomaheeyam").
There is nothing other than Brahman – If you talk of a second thing, you don't know Brahman. If I talk, I don't know Brahman. Shri Adi Shankaracharya says, the one who has realized Brahman is either like a child or like a mad person. The person's mind and intellect is dissolved in Brahman, he only enjoys the bliss – "nandathi, nandathi, nandathyeva".
The Upanishads do not give you positive knowledge – they tell you what it is not and encourage you to ask questions and to come to your own conclusions.