Membership as a 416 sophisticate has never been a goal of mine. As such, I can't really relate to Bob Rae's admission that he showed contempt for our laws by smoking marijuana. I prefer to remain an abstainer and obey the law of the land.
"I don't think anybody of my generation could be regarded as an abstainer," Rae reportedly told 680News. Well, I along with millions of law-abiding Canadians did abstain, Mr. Rae.
And, yes, we were of your generation, more or less. We were not of the intelligentsia, though, we were just plain folks. We studied hard, worked hard, played some, and along the way we married and raised families. And we didn't find it necessary or clever to flaunt the law and get high. We left that to those special folks who felt entitled to do as they pleased.
Why do NDP leaders believe they are above the law? Bob Rae has admitted that he smoked pot; the late Jack Layton apparently used a whorehouse—at least, he was found naked in one by the police, with virtually no coverage by the Toronto press, by the way.
These transgressions might not have come while either man was a party leader, but I believe it says volumes about their characters and their idea of moral behaviour. And it probably would be indicative of how they would have run our country, had they been given the chance.
Laws, I guess, are for lesser Canadians: the vast majority of us who believe one has an obligation to be law-abiding.
Lefties always think they're above the law. It's in their genes. They all have a congenital penchant for committing crimes, becoming violent, etc. This is why they're so against tough-on-crime laws, because they know that those laws will hit them sooner or later.
Oh, come on now, Russ. You are better than this post.
Are you seriously trying to claim that smoking pot is reserved for "intelligensia", Torontonians and the elite?????
It is pretty clearly the opposite. The more money and wealth and urban you are, the less you smoke generally and the less you smoke pot.
Sorry, but that is just the case.
Have to say, and with the respect I hope you know I have for you, I am really sick of this line of attack from conserservatives. Anything THEY don't like, THEY deem to be part of the elite. Facts don't matter. Applicability of the term doesn't matter. Developing a reasoned and intelligent argument doesn't matter.
It's just kind of a knee jerk reaction. I don't like it so it must be elitist. Or more importantly in this world of spin, called elitist.
And that, is a truly elistist way to make your point!
0maybe he did a Clinton and didn't inhale. Another lefty you notice.
I don't think I claimed smoking pot is "reserved" for the intelligentsia. And I didn't mean to imply it either.
After living and/or working in and around Toronto for decades and listening/reading/viewing Toronto media, however, I have concluded there is a group there the members of which see themselves as special people who know best and who believe certain laws really don't apply to them. They are well off and well educated and can often be found in academia and at toney restaurants and coffee shops--usually drinking latte. Most, though not all, are progressives. Bob Rae is a member of this group.
Your words: "Anything THEY [conservatives] don't like, THEY deem to be part of the elite."
To make a point I will sometimes (mischievously) use "elitist" to describe certain types of individuals, and, yes, it is a bit of spin. But I try to be careful not to over use the term--after all, poetic license only goes so far.
Far more egregious, I find, is the predilection on the part of progressives to blacken Prime Minister Harper's name in any and every way they can, even in references that are completely gratuitous in the context into which such references are introduced.


No matter the project, staying motivated takes work. Almost always, at some stage, you will lose the motivational spark you had when you began. So how do we stay motivated?
A List Apart has a great article about staying motivated in creative projects. However, these tips can be associated with any activity.
Never give up on projects or problems. Put them aside for a while, but always come back to solve them (even if it's only developing a theory for solving them). Solving these problems will build your confidence, your knowledge, and (hopefully) your portfolio.


text:
ADULTS IN SCOUTING
Leaders and Assistants
Leaders and supporters
Leaders, assistants and helpers in all sections are the people who make Scouting happen for young people. Though your first line of support lies in your District, the Region is also available to offer advice and assistance. The Info section contains useful material and more links.
POR (UK)
POR Scottish Variations
Scouts Scotland
Badge Support Blogs
Programmes Online
Scout Shop (Glasgow)
News for Leaders
Simon Cocker New Deputy Regional Commissioner
"I am delighted to welcome Simon as our new Deputy Regional Commissioner. Simon's long term interest in outdoor activities means that he will be able to assist our leaders develop and run more outdoor activities and camps in their sections as well as special Regional...
Scout Ambassadors Visit Edinburgh
Scout Ambassadors Phoebe Smith & Dwayne Fields visited Edinburgh on 3 December while on a 1300km journey walking from Dunnet Head to Lizard Point. A group of Explorer Scouts and leaders gathered to hear their story. Their journey takes them from the most northern...
A Leader's Guide to running the 4 Week Challenge
The purpose of the 4 Week Challenge is for parents or other adults to see and experience Scouting first hand. The four weeks should showcase how easy it can be to help, show adults it's fun and gradually build a relationship between the leadership team and the new...
Got a query about which way to go?
Information and support for leaders Got a question you need an answer to in a hurry and you don't know where to go? The "Information and Support" page on the South East Scotland Scout website might be able to help. The page provides support to leaders and...
Come and assist us recruit more new leaders
Two great opportunities to meet potential adult volunteers We have arranged to attend two Volunteer Fairs which are being held in Edinburgh in September and October. We are looking for additional support to assist us on the stalls to let potential volunteers...
How long have you been a leader?
If it is between 1 and 5 years, are you due to have a quiet talk with your GSL or manager about your work and how we can support you? We know that some people have never had a review. We also know that most people work better if they have, from time to time, the...
Deadline Approaching for Mandatory GDPR Training
Following the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) in May 2018, Scout HQ introduced a new mandatory training module on the subject. While new volunteers have this module automatically added to the Getting Started set of modules they need to...
Leslie Sell Charitable Trust
The Leslie Sell Charitable Trust provides financial assistance to the Scouting and Guiding movement through small grants to Groups in the UK to help with the cost of making repairs, or purchasing sundry items of equipment. It also assists groups and individuals for UK...
A Scouting Welcome for Tattoo Visitors
Tourists visiting this year's Edinburgh Military Tattoo received a good Scottish welcome from a team of Explorer Scouts and Adult members who volunteered to sell programmes and merchandise to the international visitors attending the world famous event at Edinburgh...
Recognise Member's Contribution in Awards
Do you know someone who deserves a special THANK YOU? by Margery Naylor, Regional Commissioner If you do, please recommend them for an award. There is a range of awards in Scouting and I can assist you to make an application for someone who has made a real...
AGM and Annual Review 2018
The Annual Review and Annual General Meeting is to be held on Wednesday 10 October 2018 at Queen Margaret University, University Drive, Musselburgh, Edinburgh EH21 6UU. The Annual General Meeting will start at 7:00pm followed by the Annual Review. Refreshments will...
Environmental project for Explorers
Take part in an international study Looking for a programme idea? Your Explorer Unit could take part in a study of environmental attitudes and behaviour, run by Athina Georgiou Shippi, a PhD student at Edinburgh University. She will visit your Explorer Unit and get...
Non Member Children Insurance
Insurance cover for children (under 18 years old) who are not Members of The Scout Association, but who attend, or take part in, weekly meetings or events. Continue Reading Non Member Children Insurance
Regional Explorer Camp 14-16 Sep
Sign up for the camp, which includes a visit to M&D's Theme Park. Continue Reading Regional Explorer Camp 14-16 Sep
Manage free time safely
This new Factsheet offers advice, relevant to all Scouting activities, on how to avoid incidents. Continue Reading Manage free time safely

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
SEE THRU PICTURES, Inc.
TV Series and Developments
THE SPIDERS' MAN
TV Series and Development ( co-productions are welcome )
THREE OF A KIND (series) .
Created by: CV HERST, Virginia Travers, Ruben Maria Soriquez
LOG-LINE
In the netherworld of con artists and cat burglars, CAESAR ROMANO was once a rock star. Over the last thirty years, CAESAR has pulled off some amazing, even record-breaking heists. But then he over-reached, not on the choice of target, but the choice of personnel. When his newest crew member disappeared along with the trinket, CAESAR was left to explain to the police, a task he has been doing from his prison cell for the last twelve years. So naturally when the opportunity for early release presented itself, CAESAR jumped at it…
Download the LOOKBOOK
TOAK_lookbook.pdf
IN POST-PRODUCTION
- THE IMMORTAL HUNTERS
Writers: Ruben Maria Soriquez, Paolo Bertola Director: Paolo Bertola
ALL RIGHTS AVAILABLE
Cardinal Piccolomini sends the Vatican's Holy Hunters to kill the last vampires of the Tepesh family but Vlad, a former WWII Romanian Colonel, will make it difficult for him.
Other Projects IN DEVELOPMENT
- The house of angels
Writers: Mark McKeown, Ruben Maria Soriquez, Alex Roces
Solomon Ray is the charismatic and enigmatic Maestro Supremo (Master Leader) of the House of the Angels, a religious cult living in a Monastery in a remote island. Solomon is a Psychic-Healer whose Disciples regard him as a Prophet of the Christ. A former U.S. Marine in the second Iraqi war, Solomon is hiding dark secrets, and struggling with inner demons that could drive him into a downward spiral of self-destruction and mayhem....
- The father
Writers: Paolo Bertola, Ruben Maria Soriquez
- Attoly kan balay (back home)
Writers: Ruben Maria Soriquez
Ricardo fears that his 6 year old son is possessed and seeks the help of a priest exorcist who reveals a worse truth.
Ifan, a 35 y. old Fil-American never met his father, a former U.S Marine. He lives in a remote area of the Philippines. Fo- reign look but native tounge speaker, he sits everyday by the river and talks to it.
- Alvin
Alvin, a bullied dumb kid from a poor family, magically becomes a basketball champion. But fame, money and power take him away from the people who love him. The newfound ability to speak makes him lose his awesome basketball skills. To be the champion he used to be he has to go back to his roots.
- The Color of Life
Writers: Ruben Maria Soriquez, Edith Asuncion
2008. DAN SMITH, an executive of Smith & Caldwell, a brokerage company that is cheating wealthy clients, finds himself fleeing New York City in haste to avoid being caught by the FBI. DAN tries to elude justice by hiding in a small provincial town in the Philippines. There he meets a woman and her blind young son...
© 2023 by SeeThruPictures, all rights reserved.


Most people journey outdoors with their dogs, but I like to venture outside with my cat, Simon.
As an adventurer and lifetime nomad, I've experienced an array of incredible locations around the globe. Living a nomadic lifestyle, I barely had time to take care of my own needs let alone a cat's, so raising a cat was far down my list of things to do.
So when Simon entered my life last year, it was a bit of shock.
I was used to going on adventures by myself or with friends, but in August 2016, my world changed when I found myself rescuing a stray mountain cat, whom I later named Simon.
Now, I've always been a cat lover because I relate so much to their often aloof and standoffish behavior. Funnily enough, my friends even call me a cat.
I grew up with a cat named Rookie, whom I considered my brother. And after Rookie passed away seven years ago, I was a little reluctant to raise another cat.
But living in the mountains of Colorado, you often see people climbing peaks with their dogs, and there have been many moments where I envied those people and imagined myself with a doglike companion that I could take wherever I go. However, being a cat person, that was kind of a tricky dilemma.
So when the opportunity to raise a cat that would enjoy tagging along on my adventures finally struck me, I embraced it full on. As we all know, cats are not necessarily known as the type to walk with us effortlessly on a leash, so right away I knew what I was up against. But I was determined to train my cat to be a cat-dog or an adventure cat.
Soon after adopting Simon, I put him through what I call "Kitty Boot Camp," a training course I designed by to teach my cat how to hike on a leash and listen to commands. It was challenging, yes. Cats aren't sprinters, nor are they long-endurance runners like dogs.
My strategy was simple: Start with short hikes under a mile and work him up to longer treks.
The most challenging part of teaching Simon to hike was finding a secure harness that he could stay in no matter what. The next challenge was building up the miles of hiking before he needed to be carried, and I discovered pretty early on that it was easier to have him perch on my shoulder when he needed to rest.
Obviously, when you're backpacking, you need to consider this additional weight, but being someone who loves to train and get fit, I welcomed the extra weight on my back.
The most interesting part of hiking with Simon in the backcountry is the reactions we receive from passing strangers. People usually have to take two looks to register if what they are seeing is real. "Yes, that is a cat on my shoulders," I tell them.
Many folks snap photos to show their friends, and one of these photos actually went viral on Reddit this past summer. It definitely makes camping more entertaining, and I'm pretty sure Simon enjoys the attention.
When Simon and I first started camping together, I would haul in a portable litter box and also the litter. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I am dedicated cat dad. Luckily Simon learned right away to potty outside, so we could do away with the extra weight. However, I still travel with a portable litter box when I'm flying to destinations with Simon as it makes going on the go easier.
One thing I'm very mindful about when outdoors with Simon is wildlife encounters. Typically, small cats and dogs can be targets for mountain lions, coyotes and other large animals, so I always carry air horns and bear spray with me. I usually backpack with another friend too to help scare off unwanted wildlife encounters. At night, I make sure to keep Simon close to me.
Overall, I find the process of traveling with my cat to be a rewarding one. It's difficult at times, but I think every great part of life has its obstacles, so I take each step with a grain of salt. At the end of the day, I'm just so happy to watch the sunset on a beautiful overlook with my cuddly furry feline named Simon. The challenge is worth it!
JJ Yosh is an experienced international mountaineer, rock climbing coach and outdoor trip organizer and leader. You can follow him and Simon on Instagram.


Brand new, certified 1/4" NPT Threaded 115 PSI Industrial air compressor / tank pressure safety relief valve. Also known as a "Pop Off" or "Blow Off" valve. This relief valve is manufactured in the United States and is stamped with "UV" & "NB" symbols. The relief pressure of this valve is set at 115 PSI and is accurate within + or - 3% of the set pressure.


text:
Дэ́вид Лэнг (, 8 января 1957, Лос-Анджелес) — американский композитор, педагог.

Биография
Закончил Стэнфордский университет, затем учился у Мартина Дженни, к которому специально поступил в Айовский университет. В 1987 году вместе с коллегами создал организацию Bang on a Can, пропагандирующую современную музыку. Докторскую степень получил в Йеле в 1989 году, среди его наставников были Лу Харрисон и Ханс Вернер Хенце.

С 2008 года преподает в Йельской школе музыки. Активно сотрудничает с современными хореографами — Эдуаром Локом, Сьюзен Маршалл, Бенжаменом Мильпье, Шэнь Вэем.

Лэнг аранжировал саундтрек фильма ««Реквием по мечте» для Кронос-квартета. Две композиции Лэнга вошли в саундтрек фильма Паоло Соррентино Великая красота (), а также он создал саундтрек для ещё одного фильма Паоло Соррентино «Молодость» (2015). Также стал автором саундтрека фильма Пола Дано «Дикая жизнь», телесериала Сэма Шеридана «Имя мне Ночь», документальных фильмов «Вудманы» и «Деревенский детектив».

Композитор года в США (2013). Почётный доктор музыки Университета штата Огайо (2015).

Обладатель Пулитцеровской премии по музыке за ораторию «The Little Match Girl Passion» (русс. Страсти по девочке со спичками).

Избранные сочинения
 Eating Living Monkeys для оркестра (1985, 2-я ред. — 1987)
 international business machine для оркестра (1990
 modern painters, опера (1995)
 grind to a halt для оркестра (1996)
 Как трудно поле перейти / The Difficulty of Crossing a Field, опера по новелле Амброза Бирса (1999)
 The Carbon Copy Building, комическая опера (1999, в соавторстве с Джулией Вулф и Маклом Гордоном; премия Obie)
 Lost Objects, оратория (1999, в соавторстве с Джулией Вулф и Маклом Гордоном)
 how to pray для оркестра (2002)
 Shelter, оратория (2005, в соавторстве с Джулией Вулф и Маклом Гордоном)
 Анатомический театр / anatomy theater, камерная опера (2006)
 evening morning day для детского хора (2007)
 after gravity для фортепиано в 4 руки или 2-х фортепиано (2007)
 the little match girl passion по сказке Андерсена Девочка со спичками (2008, Пулитцеровская премия, диск Harmonia Mundi получил в 2010 премию Грэмми)
 battle hymns для двух хоров и балетной труппы (2009)
 darker для 12 струнных (2010)
 Plainspoken, балет (2010)
 world to come, концерт для виолончели и оркестра (2010)
 stuttered chant для виолончели и перкуссии (2011)
 ordinary для органа (2012)
 love fail, опера (2012)
 before gravity для 2-х фортепиано (2012)
 wed for brass quintet (2013)
 man mademan made для квартета ударных (2013)
 Опера шепотов / the whisper opera (2013)
 Crowd Out для 1000 человек (2014)
 mystery sonatas для скрипки соло (2014)
 Государственные гимны/ the national anthems для хора (2014)

Примечания

Ссылки
 Официальный сайт

Академические музыканты США
Композиторы США
Композиторы-минималисты
Кинокомпозиторы США
Музыкальные педагоги США
Родившиеся в 1957 году
Родившиеся в Лос-Анджелесе
Оперные композиторы
Выпускники Йельского университета
Преподаватели Йельского университета
Преподаватели Йельской школы музыки
Почётные доктора Университета штата Огайо

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
New 'Jon & Kate' season debuts
What manner of reality have they and their eight conscripted co-stars (that is, their children) been dispensing to the multitudes who follow "Jon & Kate Plus 8"?
Questions have raged in recent weeks amid reports of marital strife and off-screen mischief. Splashed across Web sites and magazine covers are accounts of infidelity by both spouses -- Jon with a 23-year-old schoolteacher and Kate with her bodyguard (accusations both of them deny).
Can this marriage be saved? How about the series? "Saturday Night Live" weighed in last week by joking about two replacement shows: "Jon Plus 4" and "Kate Plus 4."
But as the Gosselin homestead seems increasingly at odds with the happy, wholesome version of reality approved by TLC, one thing is sure: Viewers are stoked to watch "Jon & Kate Plus 8" when it returns on TLC for a new season Monday at 9 p.m. EDT.
Two months ago, more than 4.6 million viewers flocked to the fourth-season finale. But now, for better or worse, "Jon & Kate" has raised its must-see stakes. There's significantly more suspense than was ever in the show's original concept: rearing a house-full of twins and sextuplets.
The suspense is surely felt at TLC. It must strike a balance between the racy new reality of its monster hit series, and holding firm to what the network stands for: family friendly fare.
"Attention and big audience are desirable," said Robert Passikoff, president of the market research firm Brand Keys, "but not at the expense of the network's brand -- or the audience and advertisers who like the show the way it is.
"I can't imagine this does anything to reinforce the core values of TLC or the show itself."
TLC has withheld any comment on the "Jon & Kate" media firestorm, apart from declaring support for the family and "respecting their needs as they work through this challenging time."
Meanwhile, the network has been scrambling to finish the season kickoff, promising it will properly address the negative publicity bombarding the Gosselins.
A challenging time, indeed.
"This is certainly not the way the network would have preferred things to go," Larry Gerbrandt, a principal of Media Valuation Partners, noted.
Since "Jon & Kate" premiered two years ago, TLC has been the proud custodian not only of a show with broadcast-network-size viewership, but also of a merchandising golden goose. (Latest samples from the product line include Kate's third book, due this fall, with nearly a million copies of her first two books in print, according to their publisher, Zondervan. And another batch of series DVDs will be hitting stores in July.)
Can TLC navigate the stormy, uncharted waters and keep the franchise intact?
"They've got some tough choices to make," Gerbrandt said. "They must handle it with great sensitivity."
Like maybe: Add marriage counseling to the narrative mix. "They could bring in a Dr. Phil," suggested Gerbrandt. Of course, it isn't just up to the network and producers. The stars of the show will obviously have some say. After a decade of marriage, do Jon (age 32) and Kate (34) mean to stay together -- or at least recommit to a convincing simulation of togetherness for the cameras?
"Kate and I obviously have been going through a lot of stuff, and discussing what's best for our kids," Jon says in his roundabout way during a "sneak peek" clip from Monday's episode, posted online by TLC a few days ago.
"My kids are the reason I have always done everything," says Kate.
If the Gosselins are discussing anything, it would seem to be by e-mail. In the two-minute excerpt, each addresses the camera seated solo on a sofa. And in scenes at their sextuplets' fifth birthday party, each gives the other a wide berth.
A recent People magazine story quoted Kate Gosselin saying she and Jon had struggled with their marriage for months.
"I don't know that we're in the same place anymore, that we want the same thing," she said.
It's the sort of sentiment that clashes with the feel-good tone of past shows that has Kate declaring in the title sequence, "We're a family," as Jon chimes in, "We're in this together."
Granted, a certain stress level was always part of the show's recipe. Kate came off as snippy, Jon as taciturn. Their less-than-perfect relationship was just another way that made them seem relatable to viewers.
"She's so emasculating, it's just a matter of how much is he going to take? There's tension every episode between them," said Jessica Remo.
Remo, a contributing writer for Philadelphia magazine, was a big fan of the show, which she found "cute and adorable," when a few months ago she began reporting an article on the Gosselin phenomenon.
"Jon + Kate + 8 = $$$" appeared in the magazine's March issue. While sidestepping any mention of marriage vows broken, the article charted a vivid distinction between being a family and performing as a TV-friendly family-for-hire.
Now Remo wonders how her story, and the recent avalanche of tabloid coverage, could have caught the Gosselins off-guard.
"You're selling your privacy and going on television," Remo said. "You guys are celebrities, your show is a hit, and everybody wants to know about you."
And that sums up the plight of "Jon & Kate" as it begins its planned 40-episode new season. It must bridge the gap between the Gosselins its viewers used to think they knew, and an alternate, less sanitized family the media are racing to expose.
"Viewers aren't stupid. You've got to explain it away somehow," said Remo, laying out the challenge facing TLC. "But I think even if the network doesn't do it well, people will still watch. It's human nature: They want to see what happens next."


text:
Q: MIPS wired logic DPU I am a student and i have an exercise on MIPS and i need some guidance! Below is the exercise:
Consider the Data Processing Unit of MIPS architecture wired logic for a command cycle for single and multiple machine cycles. Describe the full flow of information and
in both implementation cases - single and multiple machine cycles - for the command:
bne $ 12, $ 4, -100
where -100 is the displacement of relative addressing commands.
In particular, report all the values of the control signals produced, as well as the
micro-processes performed in each DPU, in the order in which they are executed, whether useful for the mandate or not - which is requested
to report. Also, write the information values that arrive at each subunit
and each multiplexer. Finally, in the case of multiple machine cycles, please report
the registers of the A, B, C, IR and DR registers occurring, as well as the values
are recorded.
Consider that the $ 12 and $ 4 registers contain the values at the beginning of the instruction cycle
8 and 0 respectively, while the PC contains the address 0x1480a008.
How would the execution of the above command evolve if the $ 4 registrar is in the beginning
of the command cycle contained the value of 8;
Thanks...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In nerve transfer, we transfer a physiologically active nerve to a distal, more important but irreparably paralyzed nerve. This surgical procedure is best done early within 6 months of the injury. Nerve transfer can be broadly classified into four categories: (1) Extraplexal; (2) Intraplexal and (3) Targeted nerve transfer.
Prime extraplexal donors are the spinal accessory, phrenic and intercostal nerves. There are many combination of nerve transfer, depending upon the loss of action and available motors.


text:
Incidence of three sexually transmitted diseases during a safer sex promotion program for HIV-infected women
J Gen Intern Med. 1996 Dec;11(12):750-2. doi: 10.1007/BF02598989.
P Kissinger 1 , R Clark, J Dumestre, R Bessinger
1 Department of Medicine, Louistana State University, New Orleans 70112, USA.
DOI: 10.1007/BF02598989
Promotion of safer sex practices typically includes education, skills building, and condom distribution. To evaluate the impact of such promotions and describe risk factors for sexually transmitted disease (STD), a retrospective review of 741 sexually active HIV-infected women was conducted. The cohort was African-American (82%), at least 22 years of age (81%), acquired HIV through sex (36%), had a CD4 count above 200/ mm3 (76%), and had a history of substance (alcohol or drug) use (38%). Those with incident STD (14.7%) were more likely to be under 22 years of age, to have a history of substance use, and to have an STD at entry. Traditional methods of promoting safer sex practices should be enhanced by other options such as regular screening, partner treatment, and the use of microbicides and other female-controlled methods.
Chlamydia Infections / epidemiology*
Chlamydia Infections / prevention & control
Condoms / statistics & numerical data
Gonorrhea / epidemiology*
Gonorrhea / prevention & control
HIV Infections* / epidemiology
Sexual Behavior*
Syphilis / epidemiology*
Syphilis / prevention & control


We are a family run business that first offered ice cream in Peggy's Cove in 2004. We opened the doors of our Halifax café in 2010.
We strive to remember the interdependence of all living things and our place as guests on the planet we call home. Issues related to the health of community and the environment have the greatest influence in our decision making process. We are willing participants in the difficult conversations around social equity, environmental sustainability and the impact our business decisions have on our immediate community and ultimately the world.
Outwardly we focus on serving delicious and enjoyable food while engaging with actions that contribute to a healthy, inclusive world for everyone.
Over the past years we have forged personal relationships with many of our suppliers. We stand by their integrity as farmers and business owners whose values align with our own. We have many amazing suppliers who we rely on and greatly value for the ingredients that make our food so good! Some of the following people we have had a business relationship with for over a decade!
Thank you to all of our wonderful suppliers!


Find out where we are at our next event or festival around New England!
Check out the history of the Crescent City Kitchen and learn a bit more about our own Chef Koz!
When our food truck isn't on the road, we would be happy to cater your private event in ME, NH or MA!
Copyright 2013. Flat Iron Catering Co., LLC. All rights reserved.


text:
James Hearn | Audio Production
Audio. Production. Research
Research & Writing
The Nashville Studio Survey
Recording Studio Management
Mass Media & Mass Communication
Category: James Hearn
Music Industry Project Management – Process Groups
The Five Project Management Process Groups for the Music Industry
Looking to make sure your next recording project actually ends in a recording?
Want to make your next tour more successful?
Try using the concept of the Five Project Management Process Groups for your next endeavour!
The Five Process Groups are used in project management to help ensure that the project is consistent, to know when the project has met expectations, to help keep the budget in check, and makes sure you don't spend forever on trying to finalize the details of the project.
The Five Process Groups are:
Initiating
Executing
Monitoring and Controlling
1. Initiating – make sure your project has a definite START date. This process includes the idea that you need to make sure you have everything in place, as much as possible, before you start your project.
Questions to answer:
WHY am I doing this project? To make money? To increase sales of my previous releases? To support my new release? To generate interest from a label? Identify who, what when, where, and why before you even start your project, and don't leave these questions hanging – you may not like the answer you get after you've spent time and money on the project.
WHO needs to be involved with this project, and who is impacted by this project?You don't have to identify each individual person explicitly, but know what kind of people you'll need to complete this project before you start.
2. Planning – Start setting priorities for your project. What is absolutely necessary, and what can be left out, if needed?
What's the end-goal of this project? Make concrete, your goals and plans for this project. Do you want a seven-song EP recorded at home, with mixing and mastering being done by other people? Do you want to spend three weeks out on a tour of the midwest, playing at least eighteen gigs in that time, and playing in front of at least 2,500 total people?
3. Executing – This is the actual work in your project. A lot of executing involves managing teams and people. No one is an island in the music industry, and you're no different. This is where a lot of communication happens, accomplishing your project on time and under budget.
4. Monitoring and Controlling – This process happens throughout the other four processes. You monitor and control because nothing will ever go they you plan it. You planned on using a specific engineer to mix your album, but she's busy with another project when you need her? Time to take control and change your plans. It takes you twice as long to record the first four songs than you planned? Time to take a look at what you want the outcomes of this project to be (called scope), and either look at adding more money and time to the project, or scaling back on what you want the end product to be.
Monitoring and controlling are continuous processes, controlling the risks you take, addressing on-going time and budget situations, and dealing with other changes to the plan while still making progress toward your goals.
5. Closing – Following through to the end of the project, making sure that all the bills are paid, reviewing the progress that was made with your team, and updating your records. Good project managers also make sure to include evaluations of the project's performance, so that the NEXT project is even MORE successful.
Native Instruments' Maschine 2.0 Says "No" to Pro Tools Previous Versions
Native Instruments announces new Maschine software. Find the PDF of the press release here:
If you notice in the release, there is no support for Maschine as an RTAS plug-in.
Native Instruments Maschine Studio Software
What does that mean? Anybody who's using any version of Pro Tools prior to Version 10 is out of luck.
Will this have an impact on you as a music creator? If you have Pro Tools 9 or less, will you upgrade your Pro Tools rig to accommodate the new Native Instruments Maschine software?
Thinking About Setting Up a Recording Studio in Your Dorm?
Photo Courtesy Dave Cintron
Recroding music in a tiny space has never been easier.
You know what beats out a great-sounding A/D converter? A great-sounding vocalist, musician, or song.
You know what's beter than going into a bunch of debt buying a bunch of hardware and software for your recording? Buying the minimal amount of gear and learning how to stretch that gear ot the limits, using every single feature/knob/contol/button on the gear/software.
A small space != small creativity.
Read more: Thinking About Setting Up a Recording Studio in Your Dorm? · NYU Local http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2013/09/13/thinking-about-setting-up-a-recording-studio-in-your-dorm/#ixzz2eoDHlJOD
Home Studio Marketing & Promoting To Make Money
What do YOU think? How possible is it to "make it" in the recording studio business now days?
Pumping Synth Effect as Heard on the David Guetta & Sia Track "Titanium"
I've noticed that a lot of people have been asking about how to achieve the "pumping synth" effect as heard on the David Guetta & Sia track "Titanium". Here's how!
If you get something out of this, read my other posts on the David Guetta & Sia track "Titanium":
Part I: http://wp.me/p1E8ld-35
Part II: http://wp.me/p1E8ld-3f
Taylor Swift – "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together": A Production Analysis
Taylor Swift's song "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin & Shellback, and produced by Scott Borchetta, Max Martin & Shellback, provides some interesting production ideas that aspiring (and current) producers can learn from.
Taylor Swift – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Single Cover
YouTube Official Music Video
One of the most interesting production ideas in the song is the use of changing dynamics to indicate different parts of the song. Of course songs should be dynamic, and good songs push and pull the dynamics to draw the listener in & create interest in the song.
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" does this by changing the instrumentation and what the instrumentation is doing throughout the song. There are no less than eighteen different parts to this song, broken down by instrumentation and dynamics.
Intro – The tune starts with a single acoustic guitar, digitally warped with a few notes reversed & an interesting stereo knock on the guitar's body to catch the listener's attention.
Verse 1 – Adds a kick drum. Still simplistic instrumentation to highlight the vocals that are telling the story.
Verse 1, Part 2 – Halfway through the verse, some additional sound is added to the kick. No new instrumentation, but the kick simply has a different sound. Probably by adding another sound to what was originally triggered, or maybe a change in the EQ of the kick drum.
Pre-Chorus – The part with the "Oooohs". Add a bass playing straight 1/8th notes and hi-hat rhythm, that swells into
Chorus 1 – Add background vocals, a huge snare, and additional guitar parts. The bass part changes from 1/8th notes to longer notes, with lots of space in between, basically the opposite of what you heard in the verse, which slightly swells to
Chorus, Part 2 – Similar to the previous verse, the chorus gets added to in the second half, with additional melodic instrumentation. This part of the chorus also includes a two-bar change in the rhythm of the song for "You go talk to your friends..". Back to the original rhythm when you get to "But we are never…". Probably my favorite part of the song.
Turn Around – After the chorus, there's a short turn-around of two measures that serves to take the song back to a lower dynamic level for verse 2.
Verse 2 – Starts at the level the second half of verse one started, so it's not just a repeat of verse 1, by adding the bass (again playing 1/8th notes). This verse is only half the length of the first, so we continue on the the
Pre-Chorus 2 – The "Ooooh" part again, where there's a hi-hat again, with some addition of delay on some of the vocal tracks, along with additional background vocals, which rises to
Chorus 2 – Similar to chorus 1, but adds additional lead vocal ad libs, which swells (larger than last time) to the interesting
Chorus 2, Part 2 – Two-bar rhythm change, plus some additional lead vocal ab libs. See Chorus 1, Part 2 above.
Turn Around 2 – Actually the pre-chorus in dynamics and instrumentation, but there's no downturn in intensity until it swells to the
Bridge – Takes out everything but the vocals, bass, and kick to start with. The acoustic guitar riff comes in with the high frequencies rolled off & phased/filtered, and gets louder/less equalized, and less phasey, until it gets to the
Fall Off – Not really a "part" of a song, but the entire instrumentation falls off so it's just the spoken "like, ever". To put a fine point on the concept, which reverse cymbal rises into the climax
Chorus 3 – All instrumentation, additional BGVs, lead vocal ad libs. The climax of the song
Chorus 3/Outro – Adds more instrumentation, but nothing heavy-handed. Adds an almost club/dance snare track leading in tot his final chorus, along with a rhythmic keyboard part.
Last line in Chorus – Climax is over, intensity decreases to just kick, vocals, BGVs, bass, and guitars, which ends the song with
The Very Last Line – "Getting back together", with no instrumentation.
"Titanium" – David Guetta featuring Sia: A Production Analysis, Part I
Titanium – David Guetta and Sia
Produced by David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, and Afrojack
"Titanium" is a song written by Sia Furler, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, and Nick Van De Wall. Sia Furler started her career as a jazz singer, but has gained more fame as a pop and dance vocalist, releasing five albums (not including a recent "best of" album). Giorgio Tuinfort has also had success working on previous songs such as "Nothing But the Beat" and "Who's That Chick?" with David Guetta (and Rhianna for "Who's That Chick?"), as well as singles with Akon and Usher. Nick Van De Wall (A.K.A. Afrojack) is a Dutch DJ that has worked with the likes of Shermanology, Steve Aoki, Quintino, and The Partysquad, as well as multiple singles with Guetta. Guetta himself is an accomplished DJ and music producer, whose 2011 album release Nothing But the Beat has received many honors and awards. Guetta may be best-known for his work with The Black Eyed Peas on their 2009 hit single "I Gotta Feeling".
Lessons to be learned from this production:
You Don't Have To Use The Same Instrumentation Throughout the Song
Notice the very beginning of the song. There's a guitar in the beginning. That guitar continues through the first verse. However, it stops when we get to the pre-hook at 0:46. Another instrument takes over the job, so the function of the rhythmic melodic instrument is still in play, but there's no need to have that same guitar playing the same part throughout the song. The guitar DOES reappear in the 2nd verse, but again, only for that section. We never hear from it again.
Do NOT feel like you must have the same instrumentation included throughout the song.
A common techniques employed by producers is to set up certain instruments as identifiers of the parts of the song. Here, the guitar tells you you're in a verse (or the intro, but that only happens once). Experiment with different instruments in different parts of the song, like you hear here. Notice that there's a different pulsing synth sound used for the pre-hook/hook part compared to the chorus too.
Reverb Control as Special Effect
Want to make a simple instrumental part stand out in a crowd? Add reverb, but don't add it all the time. Play around with when it's active and not active. Take the very beginning of this song, for example. The guitar plays a fairly simple part. Eighth notes with a bit of delay (Andy Summers would be proud!). To add some interest, Guetta plays around with adding reverb on some phrases the guitar plays, but not others. Imagine that amount of reverb on the entire guitar track – it'd be all you hear by the end. What Guetta does is turn the sends from the guitar track to the reverb on & off (a good reason to set up your reverb as an auxiliary track instead of inserted on the track) and mutes/unmutes the reverb tracks well, so that the reverb builds when the sends are on. As soon as the sends are turned off, there's no more new reverb, and when he mutes the aux track, the existing reverb gets cut too.
Keyed Compression
One of the most prevalent music production techniques used in this track is the use of side-chained (A.K.A. keyed) compression. If you're unfamiliar with the term, you're very familiar with the sound. It happens in this song multiple times, on the sweep at 0:42 to 0:46, and again at 1:58 to 2:02, the synth at 1:16 to 1:32, and again at 2:32 to 2:46. Notice what happens here. As the kick hits, it causes the sweep/synth to decrease in volume.
What's happening is called side-chain compression because a compressor (what turns down the volume) is placed on the sweep/synth, but the kick is what is actually controlling the turning down of the volume.
The kick track has been side-chained to the sweep and synth tracks, so that every time the kick hits, it turns the volume of the sweep or synth. Between kick hits, the volume of the sweep/synth is turned back up. It adds rhythmic elements to the track since the kick is rhythmic. It makes the synth track feel as if it pulses with the beat.
One of the cooler uses of this technique is to trigger this side-chain compression with a percussive track that's not routed to the main outputs.
For an example of this, listen to 2:44 to 2:48. If you single out those two bars, notice that there's no kick track. However, the synth is still pulsing like it was when you could hear the kick. Guetta mutes the kick track for those two bars, so you don't hear them, but they're still triggering the synth to turn down and up again in volume. For a fairly extensive lesson in using this technique (sometimes in more subtle ways than others), listen to Portisehead's album Dummy.
The Extreme Sadness of Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know – A Chordal Analysis
Loneliness, sadness, a touch of regret and sarcasm. All emotions wrought out by Gotye's #1 single "Somebody That I Used to Know".
Click here to review the song and video, if you want.
"Somebody That I Used to Know" is written in the key of D minor. I believe this particular key is used for several reasons:
D minor's relative major
D minor is related to F major. F major is a fairly easy key for peoples' ears to understand, with only one flat (B-flat) and its relationship to C major (being the V chord in F major) and closeness in the circle of fifths. C major is the home base for major keys, with no sharp or flat notes (all white keys on a keyboard). The idea here is accessibility for the listener. This is not absolute accessibility, however. Think o fit as taking a familiar painting, and changing the color scheme to give it a darker tone or mood. The familiarity of F major brings about positive, happy vibes, but they're warped into a minor key, and the clouds roll in.
Use in the chord progression
The use of D minor also plays an important role in the chord progression. Most of the song is a simple i – VII progression. If i is D minor, then VII is C major. C major, the previously-noted home base for music-listeners' ears!The you-play-this-chord-and-everything's-okay chord!
This sets up a severe dichotomy. D minor, sad. C major, happy. Back & forth, back & forth. The fact that the tempo is close to 120 BPM (129, I believe), makes it feel like a clock, ticking away the seconds until your life is over because your girlfriend dumped you last week.
With C major as such a starting point for your music ear, to make C major the place you to from D minor, is unsettling, at best. Oh, the misery!
The chorus is not much more complicated, i – VII – VI – VII. Wanna hear some other songs that employ a i – VII – VI – VII progression?
Dream On – Aerosmith
My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
And, probably the most well-known i – VII – VI – VII progression (for the ENTIRE SONG):
All Along the Watchtower – Bob Dylan
Yeah, I'm referencing Aerosmith, Celine Dion, Bob Dylan, & Gotye in a single article. Listen & compare !
Your brain is pre-programmed to associate the music of "Somebody That I Used to Know" with sadness, break-ups, losing that special someone, general and specific melancholy, etc.
Bob Moog's birthday!
Happy birthday, Dr. Moog! We'll always be thankful for your inventions, unless they're used in ways we don't approve of 😉
We Are Young – fun. Compositional Analysis Part 2
Something we always talk about in my production classes is where the climax of the song is, how we get to the climax, and what happens after the climax. Some songs hit you like a Mack truck from beat one. "We Are Young" does not. One of the things that are so great about this song is the buildup. The song starts out with – say what?? – toms playing the same single-bar pattern over & over?? Imagine a scale from one to ten, with one being the least climactic thing you could do in a song and 10 being over-the-top meters-in-the-red guitars-to-eleven in-your-face production. The beginning of "We Are Young" starts at what, 1.5, maybe?
The introduction of the vocals is followed by the most simplistic piano performance possible – two-measure chords. The song builds with a more complicated drum pattern by using the snare and more piano.
The interesting thing with the piano is that, while the drums are playing a VERY straight 4|4 time, the piano is playing triplet patterns. These are all things that a first-year music student can do the middle of their first year playing, but there's already a tension being set up in the music, between the eighth-note percussion and triplet piano. All that tension's got to go somewhere…
Almost a minute into the song, and all we hear is drums, piano, and vocals. And to make it worse, the pre-chorus is in a much slower tempo. This is about the time people go mad wanting SOMETHING to HAPPEN!!!
Well, at 0:48 in the track, it does. The chorus relieves all the previously built-up tension in a wonderful way. It's almost the song actually STARTS at the chorus. Drums, bass, piano and a whole bunch of vocals, but we're not at the climax yet.
All instrumentation follows a strict eighth-note feel from here on out. And if you haven't consciously heard the snare drum, your subconscious sure has. The snare drum drives the song from here until the outro. The snare drum is HUGE. Monstorous.
This is a production technique that serves the purpose of making the song something you can lock on to and keep the beat with. Your subconscious picks up on this and you find yourself waving your arms in the air like you're the love child of Travis Barker & John Bonham. The snare plays such a large part of the song from here on out, the end of the snare sound contributes to the rhythm too. The snare is way more than just a snare for the remainder of the song.
Even more interestingly, the snare (as a percussion instrument) is in almost complete contrast to the bass synth in the chorus. The snare is hard, with sharp edges, the bass is soft & fuzzy. Contrast builds a song.
The many vocals in the chorus also contrast to the first verse. Another subconscious element of this song is that when one person sings, you listen. When many people sing, you sing along too. The vocals in the last line of the chorus "than the sun" from 1:25 to about 1:30 beg the listener to scream along with them. And they do. Background vocals tell listeners what to sing along with, and people remember what they sing along with.
However, we're not finished yet. Through the second verse and chorus, we're still reaching the climax of the entire song. The climax of the song happens at 2:32, when Janelle Monáe's vocal comes in. Not only is the listener singing along with the chorus (and screaming out the last line like it's their lifeline), but the bridge invited the listener participation with an entire chorus of "na na na na" vocals to sing along with! You can even go falsetto and sing in the same register the children that make up this chorus sing.
The climax happens at the middle of the song, and then proceeds to decline back to the original intensity.
The song ends very similar to how it starts, with a simple piano and vocal.


text:
Features Profiles
Rise of Digital Textiles
October 17, 2016 By Victoria Gaitskell
Canadian designer Lucian Matis received major attention for the digitally printed dresses he created for Sophie Trudeau during her most-recent visit to Washington. (Photo courtesy of PMO.)
The growth of digital technologies is now starting to make a major impact on the textiles sector, where new business models are opening up a world of possibilities.
If you don't believe that digital textile printing has gone mainstream in North American fashion circles, ask Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. On March 10, 2016, in Washington, D.C., she wore a dress made with Canadian-manufactured digitally printed fabric to no less august an occasion than the welcoming ceremony for the first official visit of her husband, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to the White House.
To create the dress, Toronto-based designer Lucian Matis applied decorations made of silk that was digitally printed with a hand-painted pattern of pink and purple orchids onto a background of solid crimson crepe. Fashion media instantly erupted into raves about the dress, some commentators even going so far as to claim that its sensational colours stole the show away from the Prime Minister and the Trudeaus hosts, U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama.
In fact, Michelle Obama had already climbed on the digital textile printing (DTP) bandwagon seven years ago in May 2009, when she made fashion headlines by wearing a piece by U.K.-based DTP-pioneering designers Basso & Brooke to an evening of poetry and music at the White House. (Actually, her stylist shortened Basso & Brooke's design for a digitally printed, Swarovski-crystal-beaded dress into a top which the American First Lady wore over white cropped pants. Another Basso & Brooke garment is the first digitally printed piece in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York.)
Equipped with these revelations about the wardrobes of celebrity political wives and a tip from a fashionista friend, I tracked down the printer who manufactured the sumptuous silk fabric used in Grégoire Trudeau's Washington-arrival-ceremony dress: The Emerson Group Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario. Company President Michael Hawke confirmed that the distinctive material was one of their recent jobs and speaks at length in this report about the evolution of his DTP business over the past eight years.
Global growth statistics
Via email I also contacted Ron Gilboa, a Director of Functional Printing and Packaging at InfoTrends (Weymouth, Massachusetts) a worldwide market research and strategic consulting firm for the digital imaging and document solutions industry. While I was writing this article, Gilboa was preparing to deliver an overview of the DTP market and trends at the FESPA Digital Textile Conference on September 30, 2016, in Milan, Italy. FESPA (formerly the Federation of European Screen Printers Associations) is a global federation of 37 national associations for the screen printing, digital printing, and textile printing community.
The Milan conference is one of a series of educational events on DTP that FESPA has organized since 2008. According to FESPA's Website, Milan is the largest DTP market in Europe, and the nearby Como region a textile manufacturing and decorating hub that accounts for 55 percent of the European digital textile market and produced more than 180 million square metres of digitally printed textiles in 2015.
In an online description of the Milan conference, FESPA CEO Neil Felton comments: "Today, digital accounts for only a small proportion of all textile printing, but this is forecast to grow substantially in the years ahead, with estimates suggesting that digital could account for 5 percent of textile printing by 2020, up from 2 percent today. Clearly that's a significant diversification opportunity for printers already invested in digital output technology and supporting workflows."
Gilboa kindly furnished me with a statistical report he wrote with InfoTrends Research Analyst James Hanlon, entitled "Digital Textile Printing Market Overview," that further explains and predicts the extent of the new global commercial opportunities cropping up in this up-and-coming segment of digital print. Their report expects DTP to reach an estimated global product value of over $30 billion by 2020, based on driving factors that include technology maturity, supply chain consideration, brand ability to develop new products, and a significant and positive environmental impact.
Additionally, although Gilboa and Hanlon predict DTP's future growth will be concentrated in the Asia Pacific and other areas of the world where the most cutting and sewing is conducted, they add that "one of the trends we are observing keenly is the formation of localized production that includes print, cut and sew that are digitally enabled and automated. These allow for in-country production and consumption and new revenue streams for customized high value products," as Hawke's case exemplifies.
Emerson's 8-year curve
Hawke's business, The Emerson Group Inc. is a family-owned, integrated communications company whose current services, aside from DTP, include marketing and design. His father, John, first started the business as a prepress film company in 1986, and Hawke, now 52, jumped in soon after. His brother, Chris, joined them a year later and now runs production. Hawke's wife, Kara, also joined them in 2000 and now works as Vice President of Sales. These days, even at age 75, John still keeps an occasional hand in the business.
As it evolved and the rise of computerized prepress caused demand for prepress film to shrink, the Hawkes bought a small design company and converted it into an advertising agency. Then eight years ago, after they first saw digitally printed fabric being produced in Europe, they decided to get involved in soft signage production. Hawke says they reached this decision in part because returning to some form of manufacturing seemed a more comfortable fit than staying with prepress and design work alone.
They started doing DTP with one large-format printer 3 metres wide and within the next three years added two more printers, both 1.8 metres wide. All three machines, manufactured under DuPont's Artistri brand, are no longer available for sale. Hawke clarifies: "Although we do also own a dye-sub printer as a backup, we don't do dye-sub" (short for dye-sublimation printing, a common process for decorating apparel, signs, and novelty items such as cell phone cases or coffee mugs. In dye-sub specialized processes apply sublimation dyes first to transfer sheets, then onto another polyester or polymer-coated substrate using heat.) Rather, all Emerson's DTP work is printed directly to fabric.
Right now Hawke's business employs 25 staff, six of whom work in the front end with the rest divided between two production shifts on weekdays. Production staff also routinely work overtime and on weekends during peak periods, which nowadays Hawke says fall practically all year round, except for summers and at Christmastime, when orders tend to slow.
Presently their DTP operation produces both large-format print on synthetic fabrics and textiles in natural fibres for fashion and interior décor. Their customers are located all over North America, many in the United States. Textile orders typically involve relatively small runs of 200 to 500 metres of printed cotton, linen, silk, viscose, or blends based on these fibres. Large-format orders include not only the usual signs, banners, trade show displays, and backdrops, but also frequent novelty items for theatrical performances, festivals, special events, weddings, and large parties.
One especially challenging job Hawke recalls was a wall covering for the theatre of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina–a project requiring them to print and sew together three separate panels into a gargantuan 30-feet-high-by-435-feet-long scene simulating the grandstand at a NASCAR race. Another was a tent for a corporate banquet with paintings by Old Masters printed on the interior walls, and a 50-feet-wide-by-165-feet-long roof printed on the inside to look like a ballroom ceiling decorated with elaborate crown molding.
"We are getting more and more orders for soft fabric walls and trade show displays," says Hawke. "Although vinyl has traditionally been the main substrate for these products, fabric is so much easier to use in many ways: it's lighter, more resistant to creases, easier to move around, and easier to handle and store."
DTP details
Hawke recounts that they have previously tried to run four different types of textile dyes on their equipment: acid dye, pigment dye, disperse dye, and reactive dye. Now, however, they specialize in only the latter two: disperse dye, which they run on their large-format printer for synthetic fibres, and reactive dye, which they run on the other two printers for natural fibres.
Reasons for limiting their production to this two-dye system include that washing the printers repeatedly to change over dyes is costly, plus the only fabrics they cannot print are nylon-based ones (because the dye won't stay on the fabric.) Hawke specifies that the process of applying disperse dye to synthetics requires heat, while applying reactive dyes to natural fibres uses steam to avoid burning the fabrics. He adds that when using reactive dye, the type used to print the silk for Grégoire Trudeau's dress, textiles turn out softest to the touch and their colours look the best.
"We try to offer our clients a range of about 20 different synthetics and 30 different natural fabrics that will work for a variety of projects, including displays, upholstery, drapes, household linens, dresses, and accessories," Hawke continues, adding that textile orders for pillows and scarves seem to be especially popular. Designers can also bring in their own fabric for printing, providing it does not contain nylon, for the reasons explained above. After printing, both synthetic and natural fabrics go through a washing system to remove excess dye, then a post-treatment to apply water and dirt repellent or fabric softener, then larger fabrics are laser-cut to size.
Online and other advantages
"We don't do a lot of advertising," says Hawke. "Instead, a lot of our business comes by word of mouth, Internet searches, and our blog on DesignYourFabric.com, an online business we've operated for about a year, where designers can upload their own designs to print whatever quantity they want of their own fabrics. We've had some hiccups along the way, but since we got the bugs out six months ago, we're seeing the on-line business grow."
He explains that to obtain textiles via traditional screen- or rotary-screen printing methods from places like Europe, South America, China, or India, customers have to order at least eight weeks ahead and commit to a minimum order of 100,000 to 500,000 metres. "If they don't use up all the fabric, they're stuck having to sell off their inventory. But our on-line ordering system fits the way people shop now, there's no minimum, we can usually fill orders in seven to ten days – and those time frames are shortening. In eight years, print heads have improved, so whereas we used to get 200 droplets out of one head, now we get 1500 droplets, and the newer heads can print four to five times faster than we used to."
Gilboa and Hanlon's report provides further supporting details on how digital inkjet technology has dramatically improved in recent years to facilitate a multitude of applications, ink types, print quality improvements, and faster production speeds.
Hawke comments: "It's nice because DTP is starting to bring textile production back to North America. Printing small orders on demand is where the growth is going to be here, because customers can buy locally, they don't have to buy minimums and don't have long waits for their orders."
Significantly, Gilboa and Hanlon's observations on new opportunities mirror Hawke's Web strategy and bode well for his business model: "New software and technology developments allow for greater brand, producer and consumer interaction. Web based applications are being developed that enable an individual to create designs and patterns for textiles, manage orders, and track fulfillment more easily. All of these combine to facilitate a streamlined supply chain while reducing operation cost.
Digital solutions help products reach the market faster, reduce overall inventory, and make purchase activated manufacturing possible. This is great benefit for both the consumer as well as the brand that are now able to develop new products at speeds not possible with traditional printing. Brands, with digital textile printing, can react faster to consumer needs, localize products faster, and produce in small batches and custom products. This all leads to the democratization of design, and helps support upcoming designers, as there is minimal inventory obsolescence risk associated with digital production. Areas of textiles where these benefits shine through include fast fashion, high fashion, sports apparel, home textiles, and outdoor furnishing. Major fashion brands such as Zara and H&M are deploying digital print to improve and reduce their supply chain complexity."
Hawke continues: "Another of the nice things about our DPT business is that our dyes are all water-based, you can recycle polyester, and natural fibres break down in landfill, so our process is pretty green." Gilboa and Hanlon's report also emphasizes that "digitally printed textiles have one other key advantage over current methods, and that is a drastic reduction in overall environmental impact.
Digital systems are able to produce the same printed textiles with significant reductions in water consumption during the printing process, sometimes up to 90 percent when compared to rotary screen-printing. Reductions are also seen in energy consumption as well as CO2 emissions, where steaming, washing and drying occur."
New steps
The business resources Hawke continues to rely on include the Canadian Textile Industries Association (CTIA) and ITMA, a global textile and garment machinery exhibition held every four years, next scheduled in 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.
His advice to DTP novices: "Prepare for a big learning curve – for one thing because, compared to other substrates, fabric undergoes a lot of changes. It's not stable. It shrinks, for example, and batches of fabric can vary from one to another, so it's important to locate suppliers who give you a consistent product."
Hawke's future plans for his own business: "We've reached the stage where we're maxed out for both space and electricity. So we have a choice of either moving to another building or trying to get more space and more electrical power at our current address. Once we've secured more of both these resources, we'll take another step forward by purchasing more equipment."
Durst to debut 5th gen Alpha technology with SuperMultipass
Kornit DC Pro Ink for High Fashion
DuPont Artistri textile inks earn Eco Passport
Mimaki Launches Textile Tiger
SupremeX Label (formerly Pharmaflex)
York Bindery Services Ltd.
Netpak
Anjou, QC
St. Joseph Acquires Bassett Direct
Core-Mark Adds Bizhub Pro


For if not, they would all disappear!
Were all patently, wholly … absurd.
Which suggests that a thing can end well.
After winning a fight at high noon.
And his wife dies right after her swoon.
It would signal the end of their race.
And an elf makes (think Santa) our toys.
Safely tenured and raking in dollars).
A bourgeoning flourish of … love!
To honor the season of flowers.
But it suited his elfin-ish powers.
And of hope, love, and joy there were none.
Next their hearts started, wildly, to sing!
Although Spring and Abe had no clue.
Could return to their heretofore glories.
We can squelch all those erudite fires.
Cease to worry, and simply … enjoy!
Copyright © Shelly Reuben, 2019 Originally published in The Evening Sun, Norwich, NY - evesun.com Shelly Reuben's books have been nominated for Edgar, Prometheus, and Falcon awards. For more about her books, visit www.shellyreuben.com.