This report summarizes the proceedings of the Metagenomics, Metadata, Metaanalysis, Models and Metainfrastructure (M5) Roundtable at the 13th International Society for Microbial Ecology Meeting in Seattle, WA, USA August 22-27, 2010. The Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC) hosted this meeting as a community engagement exercise to describe the GSC to the microbial ecology community during this important international meeting. The roundtable included five talks given by members of the GSC, and was followed by audience participation in the form of a roundtable discussion. This report summarizes this event. Further information on the GSC and its range of activities can be found at Web Site.
Research in Microbial Ecology has entered a brave new world. For a few hundred years we have adequately understood the concept of microbial life; however, we have lacked the tools to explore that life in detail. Using microscopes and culturing techniques, we have managed to describe approximately 9-10 thousand species of the Bacteria, and for a much smaller number of the Archaea. Yet, by isolating microbial DNA from different ecosystems, we have demonstrated that these cultured representatives barely describe 30% of the phylum-level phylogenetic diversity that exists. Indeed, cultured isolates may represent less than 5% of the total microbial diversity in any given environment .
In terms of investigating the microbiome of a sample, (e.g. soil, marine, human-associated) it is the numbers of bacteria involved that are truly staggering. It is estimated that there are more than 1 nonillion microbial cells on planet earth (1 x 1030), with around 100 trillion existing on or in every human being. With this vast array of life comes potentially indescribable diversity. In part, this diversity is driven by the length of time (approximately, 3.8 billion years) these organisms have had to evolve. However, the rate at which they evolve must also play a significant role. The species concept so important for our understanding of eukaryotic systems takes a lesser role and may be less well defined in Bacteria and Archaea. The so-called pan-genome concept  attempts to describe the genetic information shared by and overall unique to members of a given taxonomic grouping. The concept partially describes how these groups exchange and utilize genetic information to exploit the vast diversity of environmental niches (both temporal and spatial) in an ecosystem.
As the research problem of describing microbial life on earth and thereby, devising new ecological theory to explain how it all works is so large, the microbial ecology community must advance how it produces and manages its sample and derived data information to provide a framework for improved collaboration and understanding. The global public repositories contain approximately 500 billion base pairs of genetic information isolated and sequenced from microbial communities around the world. Yet, this constitutes only 1/8th or ~12% of the genetic information found in a milliliter of sea water or a gram of soil. This hardly constitutes the kind of coverage or depth required to explore the basic principles governing microbial ecology. However, while the rapid, sustained provision of ever more sequences will help us to explore more of the genetic diversity in an ecosystem, it will not provide us with greater ability to explain ecological theory without the development of an integrative approach for analysis.
Unlike eukaryotic ecology, which until recently was nearly entirely reliant on morphological characteristics and the relative abundance of species, microbial ecology (encompassing bacterial, archaeal, eukaryal and viral) is just learning how to explain functional and phylogenetic diversity appropriately. Strikingly, the more we uncover the more we have to adjust our metrics to cope. Whereas the phenotypic characteristics of eukaryotic macrofauna and macroflora enable relatively simple comparative analysis to be made among multiple projects, the same cannot be said for microbial ecology. The lack of understanding in how we delineate species or functions has led to a considerable gap in our ability for comparison across microbial projects. It is therefore essential that we work as a community to explore ways of rectifying this.
There are currently some 8,000 metagenomic projects available. However, as these have been run on different sequencing platforms, with different amplification strategies, different PCR primers, and different sampling regimens it is virtually impossible to make any comparisons between them. In addition, very few projects are submitted to public repositories with any physical and chemical parameter data, which could help to describe the environment from which the samples were isolated. Comprehensive metadata, which could be used to establish which projects can be more usefully compared, is generally not available; this lack of contextual information significantly compounds the difficulties. Specifically, the metadata needs to include at least the minimum information that would enable us to explore ecological metrics among samples. This is essential if we are to start exploring the factors that shape microbial ecology, which directly or indirectly will therefore influence all biochemical and climatic events on the planet. Doing so would allow us to turn the data from metagenomics research into ecological knowledge.
There are currently three big challenges to overcome for microbial ecologists. Firstly, we must understand how to explore systems biology, community interactions and modeling, i.e. we need to know what parameters are required. Secondly, we must explore how to use these metrics and models to explore predictive biology, in much the same way as we physical scientists make predictions and extend the understanding of physical world. Third, only through deep exploration of natural microbial communities will we discover the "Dark Matter" of the microbial world and achieve the full potential for societal applications of novel microbial biology and biochemistry.
The M5 roundtable aimed to introduce the Genomic Standards Consortium to the microbial ecology community at the International Symposium on Microbial Ecology, 13th Meeting and promote increased future engagement. The Genomic Standards Consortium exists to improve the utility of public collections of completed genomes and metagenomes, through the development and dissemination of standards and data integration technologies. The GSC is an open-member international community consisting of biologists, bioinformaticians and computer scientists that includes representatives from EMBL, EMBL-EBI, DDBJ, NCBI, and major sequencing centers including JCVI, JGI, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI). Core work of the GSC includes the development and implementation of minimal information checklists. The first major accomplishment of the GSC was the publication of the 'Minimum Information about a (Meta) Genome Sequence' (MIGS/MIMS) specification , which describes the core information that should be reported with each new genome or metagenome publication and has been supported by major data producers/brokers (such as GOLD , MG-RAST  and CAMERA ), and is supported by the archival sequence resources of EBI, DDBJ and NCBI. More recently, the GSC launched this open-access, online journal to provide a forum for presentation of standards-compliant genome reports, standard operating procedures and other related articles. Further GSC projects include the Genomic Contextual Data Markup Language (an XML data format to support minimal standards  ), the Genomic Rosetta Stone (a resolving service for top-level genome and metagenome project information from different resources ; ) and Habitat Lite (a lightweight ecological ontology  ). Along with individual grants, the GSC currently receives support from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) under a Research Coordination Network grant awarded in 2009. Membership and community awareness of GSC has risen, such that meetings have grown in size substantially over the history of the GSC. GSC 11 and GSC 12 are already being planned for 2011 at the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus in Cambridge England and the Max-Plank Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen Germany, respectively.
The topics presented and discussed at this roundtable were broad and focused on the value of richer stores of metadata associated with public data and ongoing GSC projects to improve metadata capture and exchange. The ultimate goal of the roundtable was to attract experimentalists in microbial ecology to appreciate and review the recommendations of the GSC, understand the rationale behind the development of new standards, and ultimately, participate in their usage We, therefore, divided the roundtable into two parts, beginning with a set of five talks and following with an open forum in which the community could ask questions regarding GSC activities.
Rob Knight (University of Colorado) provided numerous examples of the power of having metadata associated with environmental and host-associated 16S rRNA amplicon datasets. This umbrella talk helped to explore the ramifications of data standardization and potential routes for implementation. Importantly, this talk was from an experimentalist's perspective and helped to drive forward the concepts from that standpoint. Dawn Field (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology), the president of the GSC, described the history of the organization and gave an overview of all of the current organizational efforts. Jack Gilbert (Argonne National Laboratory) provided an overview of a new mega sequencing initiative, the Earth Microbiome Project , which aims to catalogue global functional and phylogenetic diversity through the sequencing of ~200,000 environmental samples; he also explored the equally vital Microbial Earth Project , which aims to close the genomes of 10,000 cultured Bacterial and Archaeal type strains from culture collections around the world. Both of these projects highlighted the vast information flux, which is become real for microbial ecology. With vast data come great responsibility; it is essential that these projects are made available for the whole community, and as such, it is vital that appropriate reporting standards are implanted.
Folker Meyer (Argonne National Laboratory) explored the computational requirements for coping with the data wave. The fast growth of data will require the various analysis providers to not only collaborate in order to avoid duplication of effort but also improve the computational cost of their various analysis steps dramatically. The M5 group (metagenomes, metadata, metamodels, metainfrastructure and metanalysis) is working together to develop the standards required for sharing data and computational results in a democratized sequencing world, standards that will add transparency to and enable sharing among the providers of analysis like IMG/M , MG-RAST  and CAMERA . Standard formats for data and result sharing will require machine-readable descriptions of computational results (metadata on bioinformatics analysis). Components of this format will be the MIMS information in GCDML and descriptions in abstract workflow formats. Pelin Yilmaz (MPI-Bremen), explained the newest GSC minimum information checklist and how it should be used. The objective of the "Minimum Information about an Environmental Sequence" (MIENS) checklist is to aid in the description of phylogenetic and functional marker genes from all three domains of life, from surveys to cultured organisms and independent of the sequencing platform used. The talk highlighted the pressing need for better contextual metadata standards for marker genes in the age of mass-sequencing in microbial ecology, and briefly showed the GSC roadmap to tackle with this issue with the outcome as MIENS. The core standard was presented, with a focus on examples of compliant datasets and submission of compliant data to INSDC databases. The audience was encouraged to give feedback and participate in the further development and applications of MIENS.
A wide disciplinary range of microbial ecologists participated in the roundtable, which was well attended (approximately 60-70 attendees), especially considering the many roundtables running in parallel. A lively discussion ensued and a sense that the work of the GSC had a growing place in the world of microbial ecology was established. There was discussion about the practicalities of complying with the GSC family of standards and an emphasis on the fact that it was the responsibility of the GSC to make compliance as easy as possible for experimentalists. This would need to be achieved through documentation, development of tools and re-engineering of the core databases in this field. It was agreed that the vision of a future store of richly annotated genomes, metagenomes and marker sequences was worth working for, but would need both community buy-in and engagement as well as dedicated funding.
Being chosen for an opportunity for the GSC to host a roundtable at ISME13, especially given such fierce competition for these fora, demonstrates that the microbial ecology community understands the importance of data standards in recording and interpreting biological information. Importantly, the community further understands that when working towards descriptive and predictive models that will require data generation from multiple sources, this endeavor is imperative. The GSC looks forward to future opportunities in engaging the experimental community and advancing the potential of microbial ecology.
The organizers gratefully acknowledge the support from the International Society for Microbial Ecology in hosting the meeting. The National Science Foundation for their support through the research coordination award.


As a loyal Bosch power tool user why would i have to change all of my cordless tool if i want to use the Li-lon.I currently have my 14.4 & 24 volt Nimh pod-style battery packs and bought a 10.8 & 18 volt Li-lon cordless drill and driver so why havnt Bosch made the old pod-style battery packs into Li-lon like someother manufacturers have so you could still use your older cordless tools but with the benifits of Li-lon.
The new Li Ion batteries work together with the redesigned internals in the new tools. Li Ion batteries on old tools wouldn't receive the full benefit of the new technology and as batteries are by far the most expensive part of the system it just doesn't make sense buy batteries if you are not getting the all the features from them.
I am aware some other manufacturers experimented with the idea but the as far as I know the idea was dropped early on.
Bosch isn't alone in doing this.
Almost all manufacturers redesign their battery/tool interface with the advent of new battery technology. I understand that some of the latest tool electronics "talk" between battery & tool, allowing cell protection, overload & temperature protection etc., but there also seems to be an element of planned obsolescence in there also.
DeWalt, for example, pride themselves on the fact that all new generation chargers are backward compatible with earlier generations of battery design and technology. What a fantastic idea! This means that your old, less-used ni-cad tool (a saw for example), can accompant your basic new drill kit to the jobsite, and still be rechargeable from the newer Li-ion charger! I read somewhere, that of all the different types of battery DeWalt have produced over the years (over 30 I seem to recall), only TWO!! can't be recharged on their latest chargers!
That's showing the sort of respect for their older tools amd customers that Bosch should be paying heed to. Designed backwards compatibility is a customer reward that creates brand loyalty.
I have the greatest respect for the R&D department at Robert Bosch, but find it frustrating, for example, that I have to carry BOTH 18v & 36v chargers, along with all my cordless & corded kit. Being forced to do so means that I don't really need to have all Bosch cordless tools, as the chargers and batteries are incompatible anyway! Having only the one "multicharger" would have the converse effect!
While we're at it, Bob, why don't you suggest to your boffins that they produce a dummy 36v battery, attached via an "umbilical cord" to a purpose built fanny-pack or bum-bag that contains two 18v li-ion batteries in series to power, for example, your GBH 36 V & VF LI hammers? Having the increased runtime of 3.0ah and the battery weight on your belt rather than your hands makes for a much lighter, easily-handled tool, and only one (or perhaps two) 18v chargers required for continuous work! It wouldn't work for your saws (too dangerous to have a power cord, even if only 36v), but would be fantastic for your GSB & GSR36 drills also.
Id buy that belt, fantastic idea.
I have a GSB 18 VE-2LI Drill driver, but find the batteries are not powerful enough! (1.3ah), so is it possible to put larger AH batteries to this driver without damaging it??
Yes. The battery system is designed to be one size fits all. You can use the 2.6 and 3.0. Make sure they are 18 volt though. Best buy at min is FFX tools. Same chargers used to charge as well.
This idea of having a battery belt would work very well with the GOP 10.8 multi tool. At the moment the battery life is very poor at the expense of the power of the cutter, a belt with more battery power to give a good 30-60 mins of use would be fantastic. Get going now Bosch and I'll put it on my christmas list.
Just a few questions/comments on Bosch batteries.
I was reading an article recently on cordless tool batteries. The article stated that Bosch, AEG and Ryobi are all using Samsung cells in their cordless batteries. Is that correct? If so, then it seems that Bosch and Samsung are lagging in technology.
Your competitors (notably Hitachi-Koki and Metabo) who are using Sanyo cells seem to have a technological edge. Both these tool manufacturers can now offer 4.0ah batteries with no size or weight penalties AND a three year warranty on both tool and battery!
I understand that Li-Ion chemistries vary widely. As such I'm fairly sure that a change in cell supplier would make current charger/battery/tool interfaces redundant; i.e. you couldn't charge different cells on a Bosch charger, nor would the tool and battery be able to monitor each other's performance characteristics properly.
I also see that you already have a (much larger & presumably heavier) 36v 4.5ah battery originating in China, rather than Poland as the 2.6ah. batteries currently are. Bigger means heavier, and given the weight of the 36v range of tools, this isn't really a workable solution: your GSB36V-Li is too heavy already for overhead work. The other's 4.0ah batteries are the same size and weight as their 2.6 and 3.0ah alternatives.
So when can we see bigger capacities from your batteries? I'm afraid that as it currently stands, both the alternative ranges of tools are looking decidedly superior to Bosch, at least from a battery and warranty viewpoint! Hell, Metabo are even offering 4.0ah batteries for their 10.8v range! I think it's time to reconsider your supply contracts! It's only their lack of a decent one-handed SDS like the GBH18 that stops me going Metabo.


Tomi holds M.Sc. (Econ.) and has broad expertise from finance, banking and insurance businesses. He has been responsible for cash management and financial reporting as well as helped to develop his employer's internal accounting processes. In banking, Tomi has worked extensively with both consumer and corporate customers. He also has a strong expertise and understanding of risk management and internal processes in banking.


Two little ones and two older people that occupied the sport-utility vehicle ended up also injured, 1 kid possessing a major head laceration. Law enforcement proceed to examine the incident.
Over the a long time, the motives car incidents come about have remained quite a lot the exact same. Driving too rapid or driving even though beneath the impact stay two of the greatest brings about of California automobile incidents. Now, California harm lawyers can also include distracted driving to the checklist since so several men and women speak on hand held equipment and textual content even though powering the wheel.
Rushing does indicate driving quicker than the pace limit, but it also means driving too rapid for weather, traffic or road disorders. When traffic is large or weather is inclimate, motorists need to know that even driving the posted pace limit can be risky and will increase the risk of an incident. In bad weather, streets may perhaps be slippery and it is additional challenging to see plainly. When traffic is congested, it is frequently difficult to see what is heading on up forward and driving too rapid may perhaps result in a risky crash as you abruptly appear on stopped traffic. Motorists need to generally use great judgment and generate in accordance to disorders, not generally in accordance to what pace limit is posted.
Velocity related incidents can result in tragic effects. When two cars and trucks heading at high costs of pace collide, the result can be major injuries or even demise.
More than 1,000 men and women are killed each year in California, even while drunk driving has turn out to be considerably less of a aspect in automobile incidents. Those who pick to generate even though beneath the impact frequently have delayed reactions and impaired judgment. Their minds are not apparent, and they may perhaps sense that they are beautifully fine to generate even while they are not. Those who generate drunk frequently pace and interact in other reckless functions which may perhaps result in a major or deadly incident.
Though cell telephones, texting and other technological improvements have been blamed for distracted driving, it is a truth that motorists have generally been subjected to a number of distractions. Billboards, loud new music, browsing with travellers, transforming radio stations and achieving all over seeking to discover a CD are distractions. Just about anything that normally takes the motorists brain and eyes away from the road can be regarded a distraction, which will increase the risk of currently being included in an incident.
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On the label of a bottle of Rockford Reserve whisky, 'fine and rare' is printed proudly. When you see the golden brown pigment of the liquid, from the oak of a barrel, and break the seal to smell the Scottish malt blended with Indian grain spirits, you start to believe it. This is a review. Rockford Reserve whisky cost, alcohol content and rate will be included. Quality is the Reason for Rockford Reserve Whiskies Cost The whisky shelves of India are in an interesting state. There are the local whiskies and expensive, foreign whiskies, but there is nothing in between. Rockford Reserve Whisky price aims to be the in between. It is priced around the entry level scotches, but there is so much more to this drink then that. "Right now, we are the most premium Indian whisky in the market," says Umesh Modi. It is a hell of a thing to say, but it is the truth. Indian pride is in these bottles, a degree of romance, and a quality, which even the most pedantic drinker will recognise. This is a well-priced whisky. The further away from the subcontinent the more expensive the drink. It is a great deal nicer than the price suggests. The lower cost is mostly due to the market they are trying to dominate, but one can't help but feel that if a bottle, of Rockford Reserve, had Scotch printed on the label it would price around 6000 INR. Pay the High Rate for Quality Mass produced whiskies saturate the market because they are cheap and easy to make. The lower cost carries a price of its own. Even the seasoned drinker, who long surrendered his taste buds to harsh spirits can't help but cringe when he swigs a bottle of cheap spirits. This whisky is often made with molasses, but with none of the dignity of rum. They burn the throat, and drinking them is signing up for a brain smashing hangover tomorrow morning. The alcohol content of these whiskies is no higher than that of Rockford Reserve, but you are paying for quality. The alcohol content of Rockford Reserve whisky is 42.8% Rockford Reserve Whisky Worth the Price UmeshModi has done a lot to distinguish Rockford Reserve from the cheaper stuff. Before releasing Rockford Reserve UmeshModi put it through rigorous consumer testing over an 18-month period. They scraped their original blend. Going back to the drawing board and tweaking the blend, until they had the premium quality of Rockford Reserve whisky. They succeeded in producing a drink that was notably smooth, with a nice colour, aftertaste in the mouth, and not much of a hangover the next day. The company's philosophy is all about the blend. "Packaging helps, but it eventually is about the blend,"says UmeshModi. This dedication to quality is reflected in the million dollars they invested in getting the taste just right. This is why you are paying a higher rate for this superior drink.
Tags: Rockford Reserve Whisky Price, Rockford Reserve Whisky Review, Rockford Reserve Whisky Taste.
Why people like Rockford Reserve whisky?


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Tag: tracey emin
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Hôtel George Washington + Le Petit George Restaurant Paris
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The Francophile Charles Dickens would still recognise the Golden Triangle of Paris. Dickens on France edited by John Edmondson in 2007, "Dickens first saw Paris in July 1844, when he and his family were travelling through France on their way to Italy. He was instantly enthralled: 'I cannot tell you what an immense impression Paris made upon me. It is the most extraordinary place in the world. I was not prepare for, and really could not have believed in, its perfectly distinct and separate character.' This first, fleeting visit marked the beginning of a friendship with the city that would last for the rest of his life."
To quote Joseph Roth in The White Cities: Reports from France 1925 to 1939, "Over the rooftops of Paris there is a smiling baby colossus of rude health." A baguette's throw from Champs-Élysées and a croissant's toss from l'Arc de Triomphe lies Hôtel George Washington, one of two independent boutique Parisian hotels (the other is Hôtel Chateaubriand) owned by second generation hoteliers and siblings Romain Rio and Méryll Collette. Assistant General Manager, Camay Tan, explains, "The Rio family are personally involved in both the decoration and day to day operations. It's a unique 'guest home'. All 20 guest rooms are individually decorated: every single detail was created and specially made. Hôtel George Washington is both classical French and contemporary."
A love of interior design is clear from the custard colour and navy trimmed reception hall to the 27 meter high seascape mural painted on gold leaf seen from the elevator behind a glass panel to the Marmara marbled bathroom filled with The Ritual of Ayurveda products. "There's a focus on really good materials," says Camay. There's also a focus on individuality: domed objets d'art; Grecian urns; sculpted shirt collars; Indian feathers. In the duck egg blue reception rear reception area opening onto an intimate courtyard are bookshelves with hours of distraction. Titles include 'American Fashion', 'La Lumière de Londres, 'Putman Style', 'Le Style Hitchcock'. Joseph Roth springs to mind again: "… it's so well appointed that it almost corresponds to my notion of a seventh heaven."
In Francis Scott Fitzgerald's short story The Camel's Back character Perry exclaims, "Take me upstairs. If that cork sees my heart it'll fall out from pure mortification." Channelling your inner Perry, close your eyes and dream of the ideal Parisian hotel bedroom. And open your eyes in the fourth floor bedroom of Hôtel George Washington. As you gaze through the pair of French doors clasping Juliet balconies and a trombonist serenades you from the street below (no, not artistic licence, this is Paris), it's clear some dreams come true. There's an elephant in the room. Or at least one over the bed. And a herd in the Ralph Lauren wallpaper. "It's so unique, that's one of my favourite bedrooms," Camay confides. "Our bedrooms are very large for Paris. They all have double beds with a bath and rain shower in the en suite bathrooms."
"We are in the business area of the Golden Triangle of Paris," she confirms, that iconic 8th Arrondisement. "Do you know how the Arrondisements are numbered? They are ordered like an escargot, the numbers swirling around in decreasing concentric circles. We kept the façade of Hôtel George Washington and refurbished everything else behind. At Hôtel Chateaubriand we were able to keep the original form inside. Hôtel George Washington is a Haussmann townhouse with a 'noble' second floor which has a balcony. Our service is very personal – our team have been with us a long time. Our clients are a very good mix of leisure and business travellers."
The Rios also own Le Petit George a few doors up on Rue Washington. Quirky neon lettering on the awning reads "Sincère et Malicieux". Has Tracey Emin been en ville? We have an aperitif: "Champagne is an integral part of French culture!" Camay relates, "Monsieur Rio's inspiration for this restaurant was the same expression of luxury as the hotels, from opulent linen tablecloths to silver cutlery, bringing back attention to detail. We wanted to change part of French dining culture and bridge the gap between bistro and gastronomy: 'bistronomy'. It's a unique dining experience." The all-female run establishment is a hit with lawyers and bankers midweek and well informed travellers at the weekend. "We attract a really good lunch crowd and are busy Monday to Friday. Lisa l'des Forges is Chef and Melisande Malle is Sommelier and Manager.
The décor is an essay in understated elegance in a language only the French can compose. A marble and brass bar stretches along one party wall and the kitchen to the rear is only visible through a small serving hatch. There are no pictures on the walls: we are the living art in this space. "There's a Chef's Table in the basement for 10 people," leads Camay. Joseph Roth once more, "Paradise is downstairs, in a basement. But it's so well appointed that it almost corresponds to my notion of a seventh heaven."
There's plenty for seafood lovers on this evening's menu. Anchovies for hors d'oeuvre (Anchois de Cantabria); caviar for entrée (St Jacques de Bretagne à cru, purée de choux fleurs, caviar de hareng fumé); and octopus for plat (Poulpe grille, joue de porcelet, haricots); accompanied by an aromatic Domaine de l'Enclos 2018 Chablis by Romain et Damien Bouchard. "We have a passion for natural wine produced without sulphite," Melisande shares. "We've all the classics and also like to educate with new wines. It's a very elaborate wine list!" No food fatigue here: "Lisa changes the menu three times a week," confirms Camay. "They are dancing in the streets of Paris," reported Joseph Roth. That'll be us; we're in rude health.
Charles Dickens witnessed at first hand the dramatic transformation of Paris. Dickens on France edited by John Edmondson 2007, "It was transformed, under the aegis of Napoléon III, by Georges Haussmann, Préfet de la Seine from 1853 to 1870. Haussmann had many of the old streets in central Paris demolished to make way for a system of long elegant boulevards that brought structural unity to the city… Dickens witnessed the progress of this Haussmannisation at first hand. He told W H Wills in a letter of October 1862 that a group of theatres on the Boulevard du Temple 'that used to be so characteristic' had been demolished 'and preparations for some amazing new streets are in rapid progress.'"
Tags arc de triomphe, camay tan assistant general manager, champs elysees, charles dickens, dickens on france, domaine de lenclos chablis romain damien bouchard, francis scott fitzgerald, georges eugene haussmann, golden triangle, hotel chateaubriand, hotel george washington, john edmondson, joseph roth white cities, lavenders blue, le petit george restaurant paris, lisa ldes forges, melisande malle, meryll collette, napoleon iii, ralph lauren, ritual of ayurveda, romain rio, stuart blakley, tracey emin
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Deal Town Kent + Lady Dalziel Douglas
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The Importance of Being
It's not every coastal town that has a restaurant run by a descendent of the lover of the greatest wit of the 19th century. But Deal in Kent isn't just another coastal town. It's chockablock with listed buildings without being chocolate box boring. The upwardly mobile relaunch of The Rose (firmly prefixing gastro to pub) complete with Tracey Emin prints hanging on the walls is simply the latest proof in the pudding (St Émilion chocolate torte tonight) of Deal's rising status as Battersea-on-Sea. Roast Jerusalem artichokes with shallots and hazelnut dressing provide more memorable menu moments.
On a rainswept late Friday evening, The Black Douglas along Deal's esplanade is an atmospheric hive of joyful activity. "My name's pronounced 'DL'," says owner Lady Dalziel Douglas. There are a few visual giveaways. One is the sepia soaked photographs of distinguished aristos in court dress – lots of ermine on display. Another couple of clues are Dalziel's cheekbones to slice Manchego with and her piercing blue eyes. She is of course the great great niece of Lord Alfred Douglas, the dashing poet better known as 'Bosie', Oscar Wilde's amour. "My great great great uncle, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry, invented the Queensberry Rules of Boxing!" smiles Dalziel, pointing to one of the photographs. The Douglas clan motto is Jamais Arrière which means 'Never Behind'. True to form, Dalziel confirms, "We were one of the first places to open in Deal of this nature. We've been here for 14 years and it's given other people confidence to open up similar businesses."
Just as The Rose and The Black Douglas have weekend dinners down to a tea tee, Deal Pier Kitchen upholds the great British breakfast tradition with a twist or rather lots of vegan twists. Eating the first meal of Saturday to the rhythm and splash of lapping waves is a must. Suspended over the sea at the end of a 1950s concrete pier, the café is in a timber and glass pavilion designed by Níall McLaughlin in 2008. The architect has continued Deal's centuries old dedication to romantic maritime architecture.
Tags 9th marquess of queensberry, architect niall mclaughlin, battersea on sea, bosie, dalziel douglas, deal pier kitchen, deal town kent, jamais arriere, lavender's blue, lord alfred douglas, oscar wilde, queensberry rules of boxing, stuart blakley, the black douglas, the rose pub, tracey emin
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Hotel nhow Berlin + David Bowie
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Right Here Right nhow | Take Two
Hard edged dockside architecture meets playful futuristic design. Nowhere is the status of a city and its wellbeing better reflected in its music than Berlin. The two are intertwined. Think the Weimar Republic and its jazz cafés. Of course the legend of a libertarian culture destroyed by fascism was propagated by the film Cabaret. Fast forward a century and post war Berlin's inherent appeal was again its openness. It was an anomaly, an oasis of extremity created by the Cold War. Here, anything could happen.
David Bowie arrived in Berlin towards the end of the 70s. He became immersed in the German music of the period. It was saturated in absence, loss and distance. Bands such as Kraftwerk influenced his craft, his work. Bowie's piece V 2 Schneider reverberates to the rhythm of an S Bahn train. He recorded two thirds of his Berlin Trilogy – Low and Heroes but not Lodger – at the city's legendary Hansa Studios. As the curtain fell on communism and the 20th century, techno music would emerge, climaxing with the euphoric blaze that was Love Parade.
Which brings us to right here right now. nhow Berlin is iridescently present, a tangible addition to the waterscape, a representation of contemporary immediacy. Its roots materialise from the city's relationship with music – more anon. With the hotel's opening, a new layer of meaning is added to the decadence and disharmony of the not so distant past.
Positioned along the River Spree, the old line between the East and West, nhow Berlin is a fusion of Sergei Tchoban's architecture and Karim Rashid's design. Russian born Sergei's creation is a cubist arrangement of boxes piled high, the top one perilously cantilevering over the others by a gravity defying 10 metres. The underside is clad in reflective steel. Sergei says he is seeking to "convey the image of a 'crane house'". Other planes are covered by an aluminium or brick skin punctured by square windows. It's all about clean lines, perpendicular angles and understated colourways. Enter the tinted glass doors – white outside; pink inside – and a whole new world unfolds.
New Yorker Karim's interiors celebrate the German capital's zeitgeist. He employs a progressive language to describe his oeuvre. The terms 'infostethic', 'blobject' and 'technorganic' are given three dimensional form. Karim says, "My vision engages technology, visuals, textures, colours, as well as all the needs that are intrinsic to living in a simpler less cluttered but more sensual environment." Strata of irregular lines, asymmetric shapes and psychedelic patterns constantly redefine the hotel experience. Here, anything can happen.
Take the reception desk. It's a pink amorphous sculpture with inset lighting. Beyond lies an expanse of white space stretching to a glazed wall overlooking the river. A giant continuous profile of Mussolini made of gold lacquered fibreglass hovers over the bar. Piped music radiates across the ground floor by day; live gigs rock it by night. Art or seating? The luminous voluptuous organic and ergonomic sofas are both. The restaurant is segregated from the bar by sheer curtains lined with a radio wave digipop pattern.
The hot pink rooms of the East Tower take their cue from sunrise. Sky blue dominates the rooms of the West Tower. The rooms of the 10 storey Upper Tower are calming grey to counteract the vertigo inducing views. Televisions double as radio wave shaped mirrors. Floors are acoustic friendly laminate painted with the digipop pattern. Guests can rent a keyboard or guitar in their room.
Two recording studios on the eighth floor of the Upper Tower are run by the co directors of the Hansa Studios. An adjacent music lounge is equipped with the latest multimedia technology – and a pink jukebox. The lounge, conference rooms and even the roof terrace are all directly wired to the studios. This allows for impromptu recordings.
nhow Hotel is in Osthafen, a destination of the new Berlin. It's between the offices of MTV and Universal Music. Yet history is on its doorstep. Fragments of the Berlin Wall are a stone's throw away. David Bowie could easily have been gazing out over the dizzying panorama from the music lounge when he penned Thru These Architect's Eyes, "All majesty of a city landscape | All the soaring days in our lives". Back in London, a few years ago David Bowie called in with Tracey Emin to Christ Church Spitalfields. He was there to see the Richard Bridge Organ, once played by Handel. Bowie voiced the desire to play the organ once it had been restored. The Richard Bridge Organ was restored in 2015. David Bowie died in 2016. Here, anything may happen.
Tags berlin trilogy, blobject, cabaret, christ church spitalfields, david bowie, hansa studios, hotel nhow berlin, infostethic, karim rashid, kraftwerk, love parade, nhow hotel osthafen, richard bridge organ spitalfields, sergei tchoban, technorganic, thru these architect's eyes, tracey emin, v 2 schneider, weimar republic
Architects Architecture Art Design People Restaurants
Reverend Andy Rider + Christ Church Spitalfields Crypt London
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Cool Lud | Kingdom Come
"And your Church in the Spittle-Fields, is it near complete?" Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd. "Carl Lentz of Hillsong in New York City, Phil Williams of East London's Christ Church Spitalfields, Reverend Sally Hitchiner, Senior Chaplain at Brunel University… a raft of hip young Christians is credited with breathing new life into the church," read Vogue as edited by Kate Moss. The model had been to Christ Church Spitalfields – not for a service but for an Alexander McQueen fashion event (the church building must earn its earthly keep to serve its heavenly purpose).
Turns out Kate was particularly interested in the historical plaques of this 18th century marvel. Church really shouldn't be about people watching but at candlelit Christmas Eve Midnight Mass there's a good chance you may be singing carols next to Vivienne Westwood or Bianca Jagger. Or one or two of the newsworthy neighbours on Fournier Street be it Tracey Emin, Jeanette Winterston or Gilbert + George. An Evening Standard spread of Phil Williams and his fellow Anglican Pastor Darren Wolf as bearded and tattooed Christian poster boys of our time has only widened Christ Church's appeal.
It's hard to believe that not much more than a decade ago Christ Church lay derelict, the congregation meeting round the corner in Hanbury Hall (where Charles Dickens once performed readings). The timely arrival of Reverend Andy Rider in autumn 2003 more or less coincided with the restoration of the church. At least from ground upwards. Christ Church the building was reborn. Then came the congregations. Plural. Now there's an 8.30am Book of Common Prayer service for early risers (everyone heads to Spitalfields Market for breakfast afterwards), two hours later a family service, a Bengali service at 4pm and The Five for late risers. "It's used a bit like a cathedral," Andy observes.
The services become livelier, younger and better attended as Sunday progresses, culminating in a congregation of several hundred mainly 20 to 30 somethings by the evening. A lunchtime service for city workers is held every Tuesday. Diverse in worship and worshippers yes, but there's a common thread: theologically sound, intelligent, life changing sermons. One service it might be Andy on "A Joyride through Philippians". The next, Darren on "The Holy Spirit of Promise" (Ephesians) or Antje a German born lay preacher on "Sent to Make the Deaf Here" (Mark) or Pieter-bas a Dutch born lay preacher on "Sent to Change Hearts" (more Mark). In between Sunday afternoon services, the nave is open to the public. Described in the Evening Standard as "the best building in London"; breathlessly praised by historian Harry Goodhart-Rendel "it remains doubtful whether of its date and kind there is any finer church in Europe"; and haled by all as Hawksmoor's masterpiece, it's unsurprising this horizon piercing Grade I landmark is an international visitor attraction.
Christ Church has only taken three centuries to complete (usual build period of a contemporary London development rarely tops 24 months). Wren's student Hawksmoor laid the cornerstone in 1714 but the builders focused on completing the above ground work. Below, throughout the passage of time the crypt remained a sculpted unfinished shell, a ribbed skeleton in need of fleshing out and dressing up. The guardianship of Reverend Rider and his accompanying holystic vision changed all that. Meanwhile, above the crypt, Europe's finest baroque organ (once played by Handel) recently thundered one fine Sunday morning, notes marching 'cross the aisle, filling the nave, floating up through the clerestory, ending four decades of silence after a multimillion pound restoration by the Friends of Christ Church Spitalfields.
"The biggest challenge of the crypt project was having no obvious financial provision during the first seven years of my ministry here," says Andy. Over £3 million was needed. "We still appointed architects and moved the concept towards design. It was when the finance became available through the generosity of The Monument Trust that our biggest challenge was overcome." Nothing is incidental or accidental; minutiae were agonised over by Andy and the property team. Midnight oil burned in the Fournier Street Rectory while taps were chosen, lights selected and rugs argued over. "Above all," he states, "I am proud of the church family members who gave themselves to the property team who I believe God deliberately brought to Christ Church for this chapter of its history."
Dow Jones Architects were tasked with lending the labyrinth meaning, cracking the carapace, unleashing the dust of myriad wooden voices, listening to Andy and the property team. Wearing her erudition ever lightly, Biba Dow expounds on the challenge: "We began by stripping out all the partitions so that we were left with just Hawksmoor's structure. We revealed the stone piers and beams. The brickwork vaults were limewashed to dematerialise the existing structure into light while retaining the form and texture of the material. Then we inserted a series of oak rooms into Hawksmoor's space. We wanted to maintain a sense of the scale of the crypt. This is apparent when you walk down the ramp into the crypt and see along its length and then arrive in the café and see its width. We also wanted the windows to light the public spaces and connect them to the city outside. The oak rooms have an outer set of glazed doors and an inner side of oak doors. This allows them to be used in different ways… The oak walls to the main spaces have staggered boards – a contemporary version of plank and muntin panelling. The back of house spaces have narrower tongue and grooved oak walls."
Another paragraph worthy quote from Biba, "Our concept came from the position of Spitalfields within the mythos of London. It's a transitional zone, culturally and physically, beyond the city walls. Hawksmoor stacked two triumphal arches on top of each other to form the church's west front. The city gate is an architectural type that reconciles the centre with the edge. Hawksmoor's façade explicitly expresses this marginal condition. It's a juxtaposition which has brought and continues to bring an extraordinary cultural dynamic to the neighbourhood. We wanted the crypt to be part of Spitalfields. The wide ramp entrance brings the York stone pavement down into the space to make a public place. Our idea for the oak panelling was to make something which defines the place in between the edge and centre. The oak sits within the structure of the church building, making a place of habitation. We wanted the new fabric to be clearly contemporary and reversible so that you understand the primacy of Hawksmoor's space." Metalwork is bronze. Fabric is from Bute.
Criss crossed cryptic Christian chrysalis. A northern light, a southern kirk, an eastern revivification, a western Gesamtkunstwerk. Take the chapel door. Leading glass artist Nikki Cass was commissioned to create an artwork of fired coloured collaged glass to be inserted into the door of this thin place. "Your grace abounds in deepest waters," goes the Hillsong hit Oceans. Biblical verses delivered divine inspiration as blues and greens and reds and yellows flowed. "The river of the water of life as crystal flowing from the throne of God" (Revelations). "Whosoever believes in the stream of living water will flow from within him" (John). "No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and spirit" (John again). Nikki's artwork has even spawned an accompanying book. Then there's the kitchen – a stainless steel work of art worthy of a double Michelin starred restaurant (Comme Chez Soi, anyone?).
Rest unassured, life as an urban Anglican rector isn't quite all afternoon tea in the garden (although Christ Church Rectory does boast a walled oasis of tranquillity the envy of the neighbourhood). Count preacher, teacher, theologian, author, property developer, landlord, host and agony uncle among Andy's demanding roles. He's also Area Dean of Tower Hamlets and Honorary Chaplain to Langley House Trust. No room for boredom then which is as well as the Anglican retirement age is pushing three score and 10. As guardian of a portfolio of properties, mostly listed, inevitably Andy has faced both triumphs and travails. A long drawn out and unnecessary legal action by misguided individuals against the new school and community building adjoining the church garden was definitely one of his less rosy moments. Right now, he's on a hallelujah high with the rebirth of the crypt.
"We cannot leave Christ Church without mentioning the curious detail of the windows (which is echoed in the street-facing wall of Truman's Brewery, Brick Lane) – the pull that is set up by the sequence of small circular portholes above tall narrow lower windows. This is the symbol at the heart of Munch's iconography – and relates to a whole chain of meanings and resonances – the grail-cup above the lance – the cauldron and the sword – female and male – the setting sun and the molten light over the waters – the pill about to be dropped into the test-tube – stylisation of the phallus and generative spurt – volatile/active – demanding the leap of energies – repeated symbols of the unconsummated – invitation." Lud Heat by Iain Sinclair.
Tags alexander mcqueen, andy rider, andy rider area dean of tower hamlets, bianca jagger, biba dow architect, carl lentz, charles dickens, christ church spitalfields, christ church spitalfields crypt, christ church spitalfields restaurant, comme chez soi, darren wolf christ church spitalfields, dow jones architects, fournier street, friends of christ church spitalfields, gesamtkunstwerk, gilbert + george, hanbury hall, harry goodhart-rendel, hawksmoor by peter ackroyd, hillsong, honorary chaplain langley house trust, jeanette winterston, lavender's blue, lud heat iain sinclair, nikki cass glass artist, phil williams christ church spitalfields, reverend andy rider christ church spitalfields, reverend sally hitchiner senior chaplain brunel university, simon sainsbury, stuart blakley, the monument trust, tracey emin, vivienne westwood
Art Country Houses People
Elizabeth Cope + Shankill Castle Paulstown Kilkenny
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There are whistlestop tours and there's a 30 minute stopover till the Gatwick flight from Terminal 2 Dublin Airport departs to check out a centuries old castle complete with famous gates, a gatelodge, even more famous stables, cottages, a walled garden, an orchard, a ruinous church and graveyard. Oh, and did we mention squeeze in a coffee in the kitchen with the owners, an artist and historian, their film director son and dogs? Welcome to Shankill Castle, 45 minutes from the airport. If the heel is very firmly to the steel up the M9, that is.
The house is full of surprises. A playful Gothic exterior gives way to a wintry panelled entrance hall. "The 17th century chimneypiece without a mantelpiece is of an unusual design," says Elizabeth Cope, the bold and brilliant artist in permanent residence. "There's a similar chimneypiece in the National Trust house Dyrham Park just outside Bristol. This one's made of Kilkenny marble. Did you know Kilkenny marble is actually polished limestone? Look at how tall and slim the Queen Anne doorcases are. They're so elegant." The hall, like all the rooms, is a wonderfully eclectic mix of period details, antiques and of course Elizabeth's vivid paintings, bursting with life – and in some cases death. In the middle of the hall is a drum rent table with several dummy drawers for security and symmetry.
Beyond the entrance hall lies the dining room with a great boxy bay window overlooking the geometrically shaped lake at the back of the house. Dozens of wine glasses are laid out on the dining table. "It's my son Reuben's 30th birthday on Friday. The theme is The Great Gatsby. You must come! I love throwing parties. I always think no one will come and then at the last minute everyone turns up. This house is made for parties. There'll be dancing through the night." The drawing room is a gloriously summery space with wide windows opening onto the driveway and side garden reflected in 16 foot tall mirrors. Faded Edwardian wallpaper is the perfect backdrop to several of Elizabeth's life size nudes. They're as colourful and vivacious as the artist herself.
Through the former billiard room and ante room, now an interconnecting study cum office cum art store, to the bow ended staircase hall. "Look at the walls," points Elizabeth. "They were lined with Sienna marble in 1894." We're heading towards the back of house now, literally and metaphorically. "Keep to the left!" We descend the precariously angled stairs to the basement. Along a veritable rabbit warren of domestic quarters: boot room, lamp room, gun room, scullery, wine cellar with no wine – "We've drunk all the wine!" – past a row of numbered servants' bells we finally arrive at the kitchen, once the servants' hall. "Different rooms have been used as a kitchen down the years," explains Elizabeth. "Owners tended to move the kitchen in tandem with whatever room they used as a dining room." Flagstone floors are gently worn by the passage of time.
The tour continues outside. "The nine sided sundial next to the lake is 36 minutes behind London time. Geoffrey my husband says more like 36 years behind London." Elizabeth sighs wistfully. "London is the only place. We've sold our house in Kennington but I still exhibit in London. I recently had a show at Chris Dyson's gallery in Spitalfields. Tracey Emin came. She wanted to buy the sofa in the gallery. I should've partied more in London when I was younger. What a waste!" she laughs. The Copes bought Shankill Castle in 1991. "It was as if the house was destined to be our home. We know the previous owners, the Toler-Aylwards. In fact they're my daughter Phoebe's godparents. Phoebe lives in Scotland – she's an artist too."
Time is pressing; we've broken into a run. Elizabeth cuts quite a dash. "Come quick and see the stables. They're by Daniel Robertson." She strikes a pose. Even though Elizabeth has a studio in a stone outbuilding which would be the envy of any artist, she exclaims, "I paint everywhere, in the garden, on the bus, you name it! I paint through the chaos of everyday life. If I was to wait for a quiet moment I'd never paint. I believe painting should be like dancing. The real 'work of art' is not so much the canvas when the paint is dry. Rather it's the physical rhythm of the process of painting it."
Beautifully restored estate cottages and the east wing of the castle are available to let. "The things you do to keep a place like this going," says Elizabeth as we leap through the ruins of the church to the side of the front lawn. 'Shan-kill' is derived from the Irish for old church. "We throw a ScareFest every Halloween where I dress up and lie in a coffin to spook visitors. What people don't know is it's my real coffin. I was ill a couple of years ago so I thought I better get fitted out for one, just in case." A full calendar at the castle includes the Midsummer Fair, Murder Mystery, Drawing Marathon, Wand and Quill Making Workshop, artist residencies and a new music festival Light Colour Sound.
It's time to go, to drive by the haha and the trees planted in the 1820s to frame the view of Blackrock Mountain, leaving behind Shankill Castle, a world of its own.
Tags chris dyson architect, daniel robertson architect, dublin airport, dyrham park, elizabeth cope, elizabeth cope artist, gatwick, geoffrey cope, kilkenny marble, phoebe cope, phoebe cope artist, queen anne, rueben cope, shankill castle, shankill castle paulstown, shankill castle scarefest, shankill castlke light colour sound, the great gatsby, toler aylward, tracey emin
Art Design Luxury
Masterpiece London Arts + Antiques Show 2013
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Donald Judd. Art for architecture's sake. A private view at the chic David Zwirner Gallery in Mayfair. Three floors of white galleries behind a cream façade. Cool as. Next the RCA end of year show at the Dyson Building in Battersea. The gallery with a shop in residence. Unresolved duality. Is it just us or does art exist in a vacuum these days? Charles Saatchi put in an appearance, no doubt hunting for the next Damien or Tracey. Back over Battersea Bridge, a wedding cake cast in iron, walk down Cheyne and check into hospital. Royal Hospital Chelsea. We've saved the best till last. It's Masterpiece, the highest end arts and antiques fair in London reserved for the nought-point-one-per-centers. Boutique Maastricht.
A red carpet over green grass leads to a white pop up portico framing the entrance to a vast marquee, a primitive structure lifted to the sublime by a printed cloak resembling the hospital building: Henry James' "principle of indefinite horizontal extensions" in canvas. Masterpiece attracts the famous and infamous. Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice walk on by. Anna Wintour's sharp bob and Zandra Rhodes' fuschia bob make them both recognisable from behind, surely the key definition of fame. We are joined by leading architect and avatar of heritage today John O'Connell, first director of the Irish Architectural Archive Nick Sheaff, and reductivist artist Suresh Dutt. What's the collective noun for design luminaries? Coterie?
Now in its fourth year, Masterpiece is a variegated container of uses, architecture, history and technologies, challenging our thinking on design, strategies and the relevance of art – and on the urban importance of aesthetics. It questions artistic predilections and speculates on ideas of time and context. A temporary setting for the permanently magical. First – pit – stop the Ruinart stand, the oldest champagne house, purveyor to the likes of Browns Hotel. Next stop, The Mount Street Deli for beetroot and avocado salad.
The new Maserati Quattroporte on display provides a beautiful distraction. "The design of the Quattroporte is inspired by Maserati's core stylistic principles: harmony of proportions, dynamic lines and Italian elegance," explains Marco Tencone, head of the Maserati Design Centre. "It's been kept simple and clear with a character line flowing alongthe side to define the strong volume of the rear wing, creating a very muscular look. The cabin is sleek with a three window treatment and frameless doors." Even the engine is a work of art. Next, we call in on Philip Mould who has just sold The Cholmendeley Hilliard miniature, a rare portrait of an unknown lady of the Tudor court, for a not-so-miniature £200,000.
A pair of George III marquetry semi elliptical commodes with Irish provenance is the star attraction at Mallett, that stalwart of Dover Street antiques hub. "All this is very emphatic," notes John, pointing to the lashings of evidently bespoke detail. Mallett attributes the commodes to the London cabinetmakers Ince & Mayhew. They were supplied to Robert and Catherine Birch in the 1770s for their home near Dublin, Turvey House. Duality resolved. John reminisces, "I picked up fragments of historic wallpaper from the derelict Turvey House, just before it was demolished in 1987."
Onwards to the Milanese gallery Carlo Orsi which is celebrating winning object of the year, a 1920s bronze cast by Adolfus Wildt. But we are there to see Interior of Palazzo Lucchesi Palli di Campofranco in Palermo, an exquisite oil on canvas. Elegant Roman gallerist Alessandra di Castro remarks, "Oil is much more sought after than watercolour. This important aristocratic residence was the townhouse of the Duchess of Berry." She understands the painting to be by the early 19th century Neapolitan artist Vincenzo Abbati. "It's a wow picture!"
"The layered curtains filter the light through the open windows, imparting a soft indirect radiance to the room," observes John. "The red banquette type seating, white chimney board and green painted frieze combine to form a most stylish Sicilian neoclassical interior. It forms the setting for a beautifully hung significant collection of paintings." Guercino, Stomer, Titan: all the greats are represented. "My life is crowded with incident. I'm off to a bidet party in Dresden." In between, he's restoring Marino Casino, Ireland's finest neoclassical building.
Tags adolfus wildt, alessandra di castro, anna wintour, browns hotel, carlo orsi gallery, charles saatchi, cholmendeley hilliard miniature, damien hirst, david zwirner galley mayfair, donald judd, duchess of berry, guercino, henry james, interior of palazzo lucchesi palli di campofranco in palermo, irish architectural archive, john o'connelll architect, mallett, marco tencone, marino casino, maserati design centre, maserati quattroporte, masterpiece arts and antiques show 2013, mount street deli, nick sheaff, philip mould, princess beatrice, princess eugenie, royal college of art, royal hospital chelsea, ruinart, stomer, suresh dutt, titan, tracey emin, vincenzo abbati, zandra rhodes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Substantially more shoppers want to use their smartphones while shopping compared with a year ago, but retailers are not moving fast enough to meet consumers' increasingly sophisticated mobile needs, according to a new report from Accenture.
While retailers, for the most part, have adopted basic mobile strategies such as offering a mobile-optimized Web site, very few are addressing more sophisticated needs, such as offering real-time promotions or in-store navigational capabilities. A key takeaway from the findings is that retail capabilities once considered nice-to-have are increasingly becoming must-haves.
The report, Accenture's 2015 Adaptive Retail Survey, is based on a survey of more than 10,000 consumers in 13 countries. More than 160 retailers in 10 countries were also benchmarked for the report.
A key finding is that consumers continue to make mobile a bigger part of their shopping journey. For this year's report, 48 percent of respondents said they found it easier to make purchases using their mobile devices, up from 42 percent last year.
Additionally, 40 percent used their smartphones to track down goods and services, up from 36 percent last year. And, 27 percent expect to purchase more via mobile devices in the future.
The gap between millennial and baby boomer shoppers grew wider, with nearly three times as many younger consumers planning to increase their smartphone-based purchases compared to boomers.
Millennials are also three times more likely to say the mobile channel needs the most improvement.
Retailers are addressing the mobile basics, with 93 percent offering a smartphone-optimized Web site and 89 percent a tablet-optimized site.
However, only 58 percent offer a smartphone app with purchasing capabilities.
Retailers are even further behind when it comes to addressing consumers' more sophisticated shopping needs.
For example, while 47 percent of shoppers want to receive real-time promotions, only 7 percent of retailers send such promotions.
Additionally, 37 percent of consumers want to order out-of-stock items via their smartphones but only 43 percent of retailers enable them to do so via free Wi-Fi in store.
Another 37 percent of shoppers want to use their phones to access a shopping list or find in-store items. However, only 31 percent of retailers offer mobile shopping lists and just 4 percent provide have apps that help shoppers navigate a store.
Retailers are also lagging behind shoppers when it comes to automatically crediting coupons and discounts via a mobile phone, something 42 percent of shoppers want, up from 35 percent last year, but only 16 percent of retailers can do.
Additional key findings from the report include that trust continues to be an issue, with 57 percent of shoppers worried that their personal information could be stolen, up from 49 percent last year.
Retailers also still need to tread carefully with how they leverage shopper data, as 41 percent think it is creepy for sales associates to know the items on their online wish list.
Accenture also found that Google and Facebook are playing a bigger role on shoppers, with 57 percent saying they are most impacted by Google and 41 percent saying this for Facebook.
"This year's survey confirms that retailers have begun to adapt to the evolving needs of their customers," Ms. Walker said. "However, the challenge they face is investing in building the important digital elements of their channel strategy while remaining focused on driving profits, which in many cases is still primarily driven by stores.
"Retailers need to understand however, that they are actually involved in a race that will likely accelerate as consumers continually seek more value, greater convenience, and better customer experience across all channels," she said.


On the last day of his life, Moses seals the new covenant with the People of Israel. According to the Midrash, the people then return to their homes, and Moses proceeds to walk through the camps of each of the twelve tribes to bid farewell to his beloved people and to console them over his impending death. Moses encourages the people, urging them to trust in G-d, assuring them that they will triumph with Joshua as their leader, as they had with him.
Moses summons Joshua, and in the presence of all the people, designates him as the new leader. He urges Joshua to be courageous and informs Joshua that it will be his great privilege to bring the people to the land of Israel and to apportion the tribal lands to the people. In Deuteronomy 31:23, Moses charges Joshua the son of Nun with the following words of encouragement, "Chazak veh'eh'matz, kee ah'tah tah'vee et Bnai Yisrael el Ha'aretz ah'sher nish'bah'tee la'hem, v'ah'no'chee eh'yeh ee'mach," Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the children of Israel to the land that I [G-d] have sworn to them, and I shall be with you.
Although the Torah describes the passing of the mantle of leadership from Moses to Joshua as a seemingly uneventful event, the Midrash goes into great detail regarding the transference of power from teacher to disciple.
Alas, Moses is allowed only to gaze at the land of Israel from afar, from atop Mount Nebo.
The Midrashic rendition of the transference of power from Moses to Joshua, and the portrayal of the reluctance with which Moses approaches his demise, painfully underscores the difficulty of transitions.
Although Yom Kippur is regarded as a day of joy and is observed with much optimism due to the assurance that G-d is certain to forgive His people, it is by no means an easy day. It is not only a day in which we afflict our souls with fasting and other restrictions, it is also a day in which we try mightily to transform ourselves, to give up the things that we most love, in order to return to a pattern of life that is ultimately better for us and more rewarding, but appears to be restrictive and limiting.
The story is told of the great and pious Tzaddik, Rabbi Leib Soros, who would wander from city to city and from town to town, hardly ever remaining in the same place for a single day. Where he visited during the day, he did not stay at night. And yet, with all the wandering it never happened that Reb Leib ever missed praying with a minyan, a quorum of ten men. Wherever he was, village, forest, field, even barren wilderness, when the time for prayer arrived, the Al-mighty would arrange for a minyan of ten Jews to appear so that Reb Leib could pray properly.
To achieve that feat, the Al-mighty employed many messengers. One bright, sunny day a wagonload of Jews stopped unexpectedly due to suddenly stormy skies, great rains and winds, all because Reb Leib needed a minyan.
However, one Yom Kippur eve, Reb Leib felt strongly that it was not proper for him to rely on miracles. Consequently, he was always careful to set out early for a Jewishly populated city, so that he could pray the Yom Kippur prayers properly with a suitable congregation in a formal house of worship.
However, one Yom Kippur eve, while on his way to the city where he expected to stay, the weather suddenly turned stormy, and the roads became impassable. With great difficulty, Reb Leib succeeded by noon of Yom Kippur eve to reach a very small village.
Because it was not unusual for him to travel in a "supernatural" manner, Reb Leib realized that it was decreed from Heaven that he spend Yom Kippur in that particular village. When he confirmed that there were eight Jewish men residing in the village, and that there were two more Jews from the nearby forest who always came for the Yom Kippur service, he decided to stay and worship with them.
After immersing his body in a lake before the holiday, he hurried to be the first to arrive at the house of prayer. After donning his white kittel, he wrapped himself in his tallit, and began to recite the preliminary prayers that precede Kol Nidre.
In anticipation of the Kol Nidre service, the local Jews all arrived early to the house of prayer. However, in total, there were only nine Jews–Reb Leib and the eight village Jews. For some reason, neither of the two Jewish residents of the forest had arrived.
Suddenly, a messenger arrived and delivered the unfortunate news that both Jews who lived in the forest had been falsely accused of some crime. They were now under arrest and would not be coming. The village Jews reacted with shock. Would they now have to pray on Yom Kippur without a minyan?!
"Is there no other Jew who lives nearby?" moaned Reb Leib. "There is no one!" "Perhaps there is a Jew who converted to Christianity?" asked Reb Leib. "A convert?!" the people responded with astonishment. "Yes, there is one convert," one of the men whispered softly. "He is the Poritz, the owner of the entire village, but he converted more than forty years ago…" "Does he wear a cross? Does he go to church?" asked Reb Leib. "No," confided the village Jews. "Where is his house?" demanded Reb Leib. The Jews feared that the Poritz, if confronted by Reb Leib, would be angry and confiscate their property. Reb Leib quickly took off his tallit and kittel and ran toward the Poritz's house.
The entire congregation burst into tears, wailing and crying erupting from the depths of their hearts. Later, when the congregation recited the Amidah prayer, the convert read it even more slowly than the great rabbi and with greater intensity.
All that night and the next day, from early dawn, the elderly convert stood bent over, wrapped in his tallit, not stopping for a moment, as he cried and moaned. The prayer book in his hand as well as the corners of his tallit were soaked; evidence of his constantly flowing tears.
When the final prayer of Yom Kippur, "Neilah," was chanted, the convert began to pray with renewed vigor. When he reached the words of "Shema Yisrael," the Poritz proceeded to place his head into the ark and with trembling hands touched the Torah scroll, crying out, "Hear O Israel the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One." He then pulled his body out of the ark, stood up erect and cried out with all his might "Hashem hoo ha'Eh'lo'kim" The L-rd is G-d! With an increasingly powerful voice and his face radiating a divine glow, the Poritz repeated the phrase again and again. When he had completed the declaration seven times, he collapsed on the floor, and his soul departed from his body with the word "Eh'lo'kim" on his lips.
For Maariv, the evening prayer, the congregation was, once again, lacking a tenth man for a minyan. Reb Leib, bereft, declared, "Praised be the one whose soul departs this world with the word Eh'lo'kim on his lips. He must be one of the truly righteous! And since the truly righteous are considered by the rabbis to always be alive, even in death, he shall be counted in the minyan." He began to pray as the congregation answered.
That very night, the body of the Poritz was brought to the Jewish burial ground in a nearby village. Reb Leib himself prepared the body for burial. The grave was located in the most distinguished section of the cemetery among the rabbis and the righteous.
This year, Yom Kippur will be observed from late afternoon on Wednesday, October 8th, through nightfall on Thursday, October 9th.
Tagged: -Difficult Transitions, 2008, 5769, Chassidic tale, Joshua, Judaism, leadership, minyan, new leader, Rabbi Buchwald, Reb Leib, Yom Kippur.


text:
The Convergence Stack
Convergence Alliance
Outlier Ventures reveals its top blockchain predictions for 2020
Lawrence Lundy
Partner / Head of Research
He helps inform the UK and EU on technology policy as an expert advisor to the UK All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Blockchain; steering committee member for the AI Global Governance Commission; community member of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on AI; member of the European Commission Observatory on Blockchain; and contributor to the UK Cryptoasset Taskforce led by HM Treasury, FCA and Bank of England....read more
Gaming will be the break-out application area
China goes all in on digital currency, with adoption accelerating at a staggering rate
Europe steals a march on the US as The West's hub for blockchain projects
The token market will be cleaned up, with valuations based on traction and usage
Telegram will have the most monthly-active users of any blockchain network
Corda will become the market leader in enterprise blockchain
Posted by Lawrence Lundy - December 2019
The SEC's reminder: the wheels of justice grind slow, but exceedingly fine
Jocelyn Roberts
Outlier Ventures and 18 organisations launch The Convergence Alliance to enable a new open data economy
Catherine Thomas
Over 11 years since the creation of Bitcoin, 2020 will be the year we follow the S-Curve of technology diffusion out of the period of Installation and into Deployment, where we see 'synergy' and 'consolidation' of the technology begin to take effect. Blockchain will finally grow up, with institutional money trickling into the market based on fundamentals – real traction and usage.
2020 also marks the start of more mature and usable networks creating decentralised applications, building an increasingly competitive landscape for projects to battle it out in order to become mainstream. This is the beginning of the cycle, where tomorrow's next internet unicorns are born, built on demand and mass usage. For mass adoption to happen, distribution over any necessarily fundamental innovation will become key, and can only be built, bought or borrowed using an open stack of collaborative technologies.
What can we expect in 2020…
1. Games, games, games
Gaming will be the break-out application area in 2020.
By the end of 2020 many of the pieces needed for a break-out mainstream game will be there: high-performance platforms; easier to use on and off-ramps for digital assets; and better digital asset storage and distribution tools for gamers. So, all that is left is the distribution and reaching gamers. This will be accelerated by the ability for gamers to earn credits that can be used in and possibly across games by renting out their GPU and CPU hardware to run computational and rendering tasks.
Measure: Valve and/or Epic will launch a blockchain-based gaming service
2. At home, you will be using Telegram
Telegram reaches about 200 million users a month all of whom have opted into a messenger specifically differentiated on privacy and security, and many whom have been early adopters of crypto projects.
With Klatyn (KakaoTalk) and Link Network (LINE) live, TON (Telegram), Mobilecoin (Signal) and Libra sans stablecoin (Facebook) expected, 2020 should begin to see real usage of blockchain-based platforms. Even if TON has to return funds to US investors as part of a settlement with the SEC, TON and the apps that run on top of the network will find a ready-made audience in a way that Klatyn, LINE and Facebook won't.
Measure: By the end of 2020, Telegram will have the most monthly-active users of any blockchain network.
3. At work, you will be using Corda
Corda will emerge as the market leader in the enterprise blockchain market.
While consolidating the lead in the financial services market, R3 will continue making inroads into other verticals like energy and telecommunications. Enterprise-friendly services such as training, customer services, and certification programmes will differentiate the platform driving more usage which in turn will drive developers to build for the platform. In 2020, it may not be as sexy as building DeFi apps on Ethereum, but real customers and real money will be made with Corda apps.
Measure: Corda will overtake Hyperledger, Ethereum, and Quorum by market share and become the market leader in enterprise blockchain.
4. China goes all in on digital currency
The Bank of International Settlements (BIS) survey of 63 central banks in 2018 shows the majority were researching or starting proof-of-concept work on digital currencies, although most of them were not ready yet to actually launch.
Christine Lagarde, the European Central Bank President, said a Central Bank Digital Currency "could satisfy public policy goals, such as financial inclusion, and security and consumer protection; and to provide what the private sector cannot: privacy in payments". These CBDCs will be wholesale CBDCs rather than retail. It's likely central banks will focus on the wholesale market leaving the retail market for regulated institutions. In 2020, we expect this to be how the Chinese Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP) launches with licenses given to select exchanges and dominant platforms as distribution platforms to hundreds of millions of users like Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent.
Measure: More than 500 million Chinese citizens to be using a service connected to the DCEP network by the end of 2020.
5. European scene booms
2020 will see Europe begin to steal a march on the US as The West's hub for blockchain projects, in particular tokenised networks, to both finance and base themselves.
However, it is to be seen to what extent with Brexit, London continues to be part of that narrative, it was previously the second most popular city globally for early-stage blockchain financing. This is all largely driven by the EUs determination to break away from the last few decades of US dominance over the internet – what it sees as Silicon Valley's anti-social and extractive web monopolies, initially based on concerns around data but now with Libra the very stability of its financial system.
Measure: European venture capital in blockchain companies was $700 million in 2019 and will surpass the all time high of $850 million of 2018 to reach $900 million in 2020
6. The Great East/West divergence plays out in blockchains
The more time we at Outlier Ventures have spent in Asia this year, in particular China, the more we have come to believe there will be a divergence between the East and West in blockchain, and more specifically digital assets. Of course, this is nothing new; there have always been in effect two versions of The Web but the acceleration of adoption driven by the Chinese central and provincial governments is staggering.
Whilst China formally pursues a path of permissioned and untokenised blockchain, Bitcoin mining and several POS networks like EOS are already dominated, and some argue controlled by Chinese companies.
The majority of exchanges and trading volume is still Chinese originated and it is understood by Q2 of 2020 there will be a few national champions formally given licenses, likely to operate initially in fairly restricted ways, possibly out of free trading zones.
We can expect various provinces and SOEs (State Owned Enterprises) to begin to champion their own regionally based tokenised networks within central guidelines.
The Chinese Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP) will reach hundreds of millions of consumers overnight by forcing adoption by dominant platforms, but this also further entrenches their business models where in the West we like many believe Web 2.0 platforms will be unbundled.
Perhaps we will see a longer period of Web 2.5 in Asia or an entirely different form of Web 3.0, but the outcome will lead to a battle for not just technological, but potential financial dominance.
Measure: 3 Chinese exchanges are given official permission under license to operate domestically under restrictions
7. The token market will be cleaned up
The big story throughout 2020 will be 'The Reckoning'. Despite the longish bear market, aggregate total market capitalisation of all cryptoassets being down 88% from an all time high in January 2018 for the vast majority of projects, are still not reflective of network activity or development progress.
As exchanges are forced to increasingly professionalise, 'zombie tokens' will be more aggressively delisted and investors will gradually flock to quality. The idea of projects worth $100 million without product-market fit will go away. Valuations can no longer be sustained by just a vision and an idea. 2020 will all be about traction and usage. And not just press release partnerships, beta releases, and funding rounds. We are talking about Brave Browser level 10 million monthly active users traction, something we are a proud early investor in.
Measure: More than 5 new indices will launch in 2020 onboarding >$5 billion
8. Bitcoin will get applications
We think in 2020 the narrative around Bitcoin will move away from simply 'store-of-value' to an open financial "platform", with the most secure and trusted settlement layer in the market.
The halvening will capture much of the attention of the industry and media, and price action will dominate mind share. But the growth of LApps (Lightning Apps) and more broadly data anchoring will be a stronger fundamental signal of the development of a fee market and the long-term viability of Bitcoin.
Measure: Bitcoin will increase market dominance from 66% to at least 75% by the end of 2020.
9. Ethereum won't get more apps, but decentralized finance will continue to be hot
We expect layer 2 adoption opening up use cases beyond crowdfunding and DeFi. Expect to see games currently using EOS and Tron to migrate over to Ethereum to take advantage of the DeFi lego available. With the development of MAST/Taproot on the Bitcoin network as well as the influx of new smart contracting platforms reaching mainnet in 2020, we are likely to continue to see a stable pool of developers spread over ever more platforms. Leading to fewer new dapps being built on Ethereum, but with a select few DeFi apps like Maker and Compound driving an increase in monthly active users and value locked up in contracts. The prediction that is hard to make is whether a break-out application using DeFi lego building blocks entrenches Ethereum as the base layer or if interoperability projects like GEO Protocol and others reduce the importance and value of the base layer over time.
Measure: Total value locked up in Ethereum DeFi will surpass 1 billion dollars in 2020
10. You come at the King, and new blockchains will miss
The glut of new smart contracting platforms will come to market in 2020 and begin heavily focusing on developer and customer acquisition. In time, general developers will become more familiar with blockchain-based platforms, currently estimated to be less than just 1% of the global developer population, but in 2020, we will still see more supply than demand.
In the context of prediction 1.0, when crypto assets are largely thought of as digital commodities, this glaring disparity will impact price. From a problem-to-be-solved lens, the vast majority of developers want to be able to use stable, secure, fast, and easy-to-use software. Polkadot, Fetch.ai, Dfinity, Hashgraph, Near Protocol, Spacemesh, Solana, Telegram Open Network, Thunder Token, nCent, and all the platforms already now in the market like Cardano, Tezos, Holochain, Algorand, Blockstack, et al, are all differentiated in some way, but the biggest question is: how do they cut through with developers who will need to build "killer" apps and attract consumers?
Different developer acquisition strategies will be deployed: protocol accelerators, ecosystem funds and Devcons, and whilst some will grow the total number of developers and their share of the market, most will struggle for critical mass head to head against Ethereum and Bitcoin in 2020.
Measure: No new smart contract platform has more than 400 total applications by EOY
11. It's a washout…
Between 50% and 75% of publicly listed tokens will be delisted and/or cease trading.
So from 2345 tokens actively traded today to >1000 tokens by the end of 2020. This could move closer to <500 if Binance decides to go on a delisting exercise to protect users and get ready for regulation and staking ends up in a race to the bottom.
New tokens coming to market will be few and far between and will all be more mature. By the end of 2020, public offerings and listings will no longer be for seed businesses, they will be not quite as advanced as a traditional IPO, but will at least have a product in the market with product-market fit. Token distribution events will be used, as originally intended prior to ERC20, to incentivise the usage of a live network, but for the development of the network.
Measure: More than 50% of today's publicly listed tokens will be delisted.
12. Investors don't want to be customers, they want returns…
Since the collapse of the ICO market and the lacklustre returns from IEOs, projects have been exploring alternative token distribution strategies that seek to raise capital and align the interests of network participants.
Ideal distribution method would solve for speculative intent, regulatory implications, network deanonymization, market irrationality, and stakeholder alignment. All sorts of exotic strategies have been proposed or tested like the lock-drop, warlock, liquid airdrops and others. In 2020, it will become clear the market of investors who can also become active network participants is too small to raise enough capital to build a global network. We will move back to startups selling equity to investors to raise money and using tokens as a reward for users.
Measure: Equity in The West becomes the dominant fundraising instrument before network launch at 90% of money raised.
The Convergence Alliance
Outlier Ventures Operations Limited is an Appointed Representative of Sapia Partners LLP, a firm regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA")


Enjoy a magical, family fun vacation at this Walt Disney World Good Neighbor hotel. This hotel is conveniently located minutes away from Disney Parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Old Town Kissimmee, Fun Spots and great outlet mall shopping.
Added value: Up to two children ages 12 and under eat free at the on-site restaurant with each paying adult.
Featuring 444 rooms and suites that have all the comforts and conveniences of home.


text:
Amanda Keller is up for the Gold Logie this year. Picture: Toby Zerna
Celeb interview that still gives Amanda Keller nightmares
by Andrew Bucklow
AMANDA Keller has opened up about the question she once asked a celebrity that still haunts her years later.
Keller, who is up for the Gold Logie this year, has met thousands of stars during her TV and radio career, but it's the interview she was most excited about that went spectacularly wrong.
"You know what was terrible was when I met my hero, Barry Manilow," The Living Room star told news.com.au.
"I was in Vegas because my girlfriend and I, we'd loved him since we were at school and we thought when we were in our mid-40s that we should go to Vegas and see Barry for the sake of clinking a glass on our 30-year friendship."
Keller somehow managed to arrange an interview with the Copacabana singer while she was in town and took her girlfriend along for the big chat.
Barry Manilow performs during A Very Berry Christmas in 2017.
"I had an out of body experience," Keller recalled. "It was terrible. I've got my head in my hands as I tell you this story.
"We were talking about fans going out of their way for him and I said, 'what's the weirdest thing a fan has given you?' But then I said, 'apart from herpes'. My friend looked at me like I'd gone insane and Barry looked at me with a face of disgust. I thought, 'What's happened?' I've loved this man since I was 16 and I've just said the word herpes'.
"It's like the devil spoke," Keller said. "It was so terrible. I tried to recover from it but not very well and it was just dreadful. I still have nightmares about it."
There have been a few other interviews with Hollywood A-listers that Keller hasn't enjoyed over the years.
"I've had the best and worst interviews with Mark Wahlberg," the WSFM breakfast host told news.com.au. "The last one was great, the one before was terrible. You never know which Marky Mark you're going to get.
"Ashton Kutcher at the beginning of his career was the best interview and Will Smith too. They were both just brilliant. And they came out recently for movies and I just was disappointed because they'd been so great the time before. They just weren't giving much.
"At the ripe age of 56 it feels dismissive because you think, 'I'm not here as an elderly fan. I'm not here on pension day to get a biscuit off you. I'm here to do my job and if you could look me in the eye and answer a question, how hard can that be?'"
One celebrity that Keller had an absolute ball with was The Brady Bunch star Florence Henderson who passed away in 2016.
Florence Henderson played Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch for five years.
"I interviewed her on the radio and did a Living Room story with her and we filmed it in my house," Keller said.
"For some reason she was here promoting tinned tomatoes which was weird to start with. But Mrs Brady, I grew up watching her and I had to pinch myself that she was in my house and she was the nicest woman.
"She invited my husband and me out to dinner that night. She swore like a trooper, threw back about five vodkas and then insisted on paying for dinner. And she even wrote me the loveliest note when she went home."
News.com.au caught up with Keller just two weeks out from this year's Logies which are being held on the Gold Coast on July 1.
At the recent nominees announcement ceremony, Keller found out she's up for the Gold Logie, the silver Logie for Most Popular Presenter and her Channel 10 show The Living Room is up for Most Popular Lifestyle Program.
"It's nothing I ever expected," Keller said about the Gold Logie nomination. "I've been blown away by it actually."
"The [announcement] ceremony was on a weekend where my husband was away on a hike and I was at home with my eldest son. And they [Channel 10 publicity] said, 'You need to go to the Gold Coast.' And I said, 'Oh look, it's really hard this weekend.' And they said, 'We think you SHOULD go to the Gold Coast.' And I thought, 'That's unusual.' I thought to myself, 'Obviously I'm up for Best New Talent!'"
In a career full of highs, Keller said winning a Gold Logie would "be right up there" in terms of her biggest achievement.
"I've had a couple of big things in recent years," she said. "The Order of Australia Medal and the Radio Hall of Fame meant so much to me and look, imagine the trifecta. Then I can just retire and maybe run a fish and chip shop."
Gold Logie nominees: Grant Denyer, Tracey Grimshaw, Amanda Keller, Rodger Corser and Jessica Marais. Andrew Winter is also a nominee. Picture: Nigel Hallett
Win or lose, you can bet that Keller will be putting in a solid effort at the Logies afterparties this year because her breakfast radio show will be on holidays at the time and she won't need to be on air the following morning.
But the parties aren't as wild as they used to be, Keller said.
"It is a little bit monitored now," she told news.com.au before recalling one of her favourite afterparty stories.
"I remember one year I was watching A Current Affair [the day after the Logies] and they had a thing that said, 'Logies Shock!' and there was a picture of me and Rebecca Gibney wearing feather boas. I thought, 'What the hell's that?'
"The story was that someone had been booted out of the Logies and it had nothing to do with us but they'd used our picture in the promo. I texted Rebecca and I said, 'I don't know what tonight's story is but keep your eye out!'"
You can vote for Amanda Keller and The Living Room when Logies voting reopens on Friday, June 29 online. It will finish at the end of the Logie Awards red-carpet telecast on Sunday, July 1.
Mark Wahlberg's surprising new move
logies 2018


Jen grew up in Minneapolis, lived in the Adirondacks for 8 years, and now resides in New Jersey with chaos and a cat. She is a secretary, holds no degrees, and gets excited about things that will end poorly.
"Jenphalian" is sort of a sideways reference to Candide. You might call her Rat if you're in the SCA.
Questions, queries, quotas, queues, and quorums may be directed via comments here, or to jenphalian at twitter or gmail.


text:
Q: SqlAlchemy: engines and connections management Both of these work:
sel = select([self.tbl])
rec = self.engine.execute(sel)

and
sel = select([self.tbl])
conn = self.engine.connect()
rec = conn.execute(sel)

What is the underlying difference?

A: According to the docs:

*

*About connect()

The engine can be used directly to issue SQL to the database. The most generic way is first procure a connection resource, which you get via the Engine.connect() method:

connection = engine.connect()
result = connection.execute("select username from users")
for row in result:
    print("username:", row['username'])
connection.close()

The connection is an instance of Connection, which is a proxy object
  for an actual DBAPI connection. The DBAPI connection is retrieved from
  the connection pool at the point at which Connection is created.

*

*About execute()

The above procedure can be performed in a shorthand way by using the execute() method of Engine itself:

result = engine.execute("select username from users") for row in result:
    print("username:", row['username'])

Where above, the execute() method acquires a new Connection on its
  own, executes the statement
  with that object, and returns the ResultProxy. In this case, the
  ResultProxy contains a special flag known as close_with_result, which
  indicates that when its underlying DBAPI cursor is closed, the
  Connection object itself is also closed, which again returns the DBAPI
  connection to the connection pool, releasing transactional resources.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Federico Bonacossahdeharo2020-07-06T18:39:22-04:00
Federico Bonacossa, D.M.A.
Assistant Teaching Professor | Music History and Music Theory
Email: fbonacos@fiu.edu
Location: WPAC 161C
Federico Bonacossa currently serves as assistant teaching professor at the FIU School of Music. He teaches music theory and musicology courses, as well as the MIDI Technology class.
He spent his early years playing electric guitar and skateboarding before suddenly falling in love with classical music after listening to some old tapes of Bach's Brandenburg concertos and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. He studied classical guitar at the Conservatorio Statale G. P. da Palestrina in Italy before moving to the U.S. in 2001. He holds a master's degree for the Peabody Conservatory and a doctorate from the University of Miami in classical guitar performance and music theory. He also holds a master's degree in music composition from Florida International University where he studied composition and electronic music.
His recent work as a composer explores various forms of interaction between live performers and the computer, the relationship between pitch and rhythm, and the transcription of spontaneous vocal gestures with the aid of the computer. In addition, he has a strong interest is computer assisted and algorithmic composition.
As a performer he is involved in promoting new music for guitar, especially works that feature electronics and is also a member of the Miami Guitar Trio.
Recent experiences include performances at the Subtropics Festival, Mainly Mozart Festival, New Music Miami Festival, Compositum Musicae Novae, USF New Music Festival, Electronic Music Midwest Festival in Kansas City, Contemplum symposium in Philadelphia, Kendall Sound Arts, 12 Nights Electro-acoustic Series, the Miami World Music Festival, the Miami Dade College On Stage Series, the Miami International Guitar Festival, Guitar Sarasota, the Miami Bach Society, the State College of Florida, the Bass Museum of Art, the Scuola Civica di Musica in Olbia, Italy, the Sephardic Jewish Synagogue in Lima, Peru, and a live concert for WLRN. He is the company composer for Dance NOW Miami.
In addition to FIU, he has also taught at the University of Miami, Miami Dade College, Barry University, and the Art Institute.
Visit www.federicobonacossa.com to learn more.
10910 SW 17th ST, Miami, Florida 33199
E-Mail: music@fiu.edu


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