text:
It's a Family Affair at
Phillips & King International
Bringing the exotic to the mainstream.
By Joseph Finora
Finding an undiscovered niche and then cultivating it has been the key to many successful businesses. But after the initial excitement wears away, how can one continue to make the business thrive? For Phillips & King International, remaining constantly innovative, being dedicated to first-rate customer service, and maintaining an in-depth, regularly growing inventory has become the recipe for success. And while this sounds like a simple recipe, it's not nearly as easy as it sounds.
Phillips & King International has evolved to become more than just a cigarette distributor. The company itself is preparing to celebrate 100 years in the tobacco business - a significant milestone by any standard - and its synergy within the industry has become well known. Phillips & King is the only tobacco distributor in the country that's licensed and bonded to sell and stamp products in all 50 states. Personnel will actually hand stamp items destined for hard-to-reach locations, but the retailer still pays only one price for the total shipment and service.
Today Phillips & King's 6,000+ products can be found in all 50 states as their lineup has expanded to include related accessories, such as humidors and cigars which are housed in the West Coast's largest humidor - 4,800 square feet in size. And the merchandise list keeps growing as every day marks a new opportunity for Phillips & King, whose key personnel refuse to lose sight of the qualities that have helped them flourish in an area many considered too exotic to be taken seriously. Yet it is this category of product that today's retailer takes most seriously, deriving the bulk of their revenue in the super premium tobacco product category. This has been a mainstay in Phillips & King's long-term marketing strategy and has allowed it to form strong ties with thousands of retailers.
Phillips & King is home to the West Coast's largest humidor at 4,800 sq. feet in size. It's named after P&K's c.e.o., Hugo Cassar, and is part of Phillips & King's 100,000 sq.-foot headquarters, warehouse, and shipping facility in California.
"We try to serve as the retailers 'back room,' " notes Mark Cassar, chief operating officer, who - along with brother Sean, Phillips & King's marketing vice president, and Eliot Suied, vice president of sales - guides Phillips & King from its 100,000 sq-ft facility in Moorpark, Calif. Combined with founder, c.e.o., and owner Hugh Cassar's expertise, together they represent about 120 years of tobacco-industry experience.
"Retailers become greater specialty sellers when they see how they can grow their profit margins with our products," says Mark. Helping customers improve their business has been a key to Phillips & King's growth strategy but is supported by the company's proven ability to spot cigarette brands and other products that are full of sales potential.
In addition to Indonesian-made Djarum clove cigarettes (kreteks), Phillips & King also carries Dunhill, Natural American Spirit, and Nat Sherman - all unique entrants in a world full of retail conformity. Subsequently, these non-run-of-the-mill brands attract a customer that generally has higher purchasing power and is desirable to retailers. Customer service representatives remain highly trained to provide the retailer top-flight customer service and merchandising advice, including product knowledge, mark-up specifications, display ideas, and quick shipping.
"We can put product into a retailer's hand in 24 hours," says Sean. "This helps them save on inventory and better manage expenses." Phillips & King allows retailers to pay for orders via credit card and also offers a two percent early-payment discount. "A retailer does not need to keep a deep inventory when dealing with us because we keep everything in stock," says Sean. "This is another one of our hallmarks that plays a big part in keeping the customer first. We can help them better manage their inventory and cash flow."
How does one identify the smoker who enjoys an exotic product?
"Anyone who smokes a mainstream cigarette can be turned into a specialty smoker," says Mark. "Visibility and communication are key points because smokers are creatures of habit. They're usually very brand-loyal, so a retailer must give them a reason to switch. They usually do that by suggesting it to their better customers."
Phillips & King handles over 6,000 separate merchandise items and is bonded to sell cigarettes in all 50 U.S. states.
Phillips & King identifies a prospect as anyone who can afford a cigarette that's better than mainstream offerings. They also add that it can be a matter of image or status that may make a smoker convert to the exotic side. At other times it's a desire to smoke a better quality tobacco or try a new flavor, but promotions are generally limited to in-store displays and advertising in select outlets. Product placement offers in media are generally refused.
The Dreams brand was launched in 2001 and it enjoyed such steady success that a line extension - Pink Dreams, aimed at the female smoker - is forthcoming. Lush is a line of four specialty menthols including Sweet, a slightly sweet minty menthol; Max, a strong ultra cool menthol in red; Pure, a clean and refreshing menthol in green; and Menthol Blues, a satisfying and very smooth menthol packed in blue. Available in hard packs, the line takes aim at the mainstream menthol smoker, which the company estimates to be about 22% of the overall retail cigarette market.
Phillips & King has no set formula for deciding whether or not to bring a brand into its stable but instead relies on several factors. "Sometimes it's curiosity from a customer who's just returned from a foreign country and inquires at a retailer for a product he tried there," says Mark. "Other times we might be meeting with an overseas manufacturer who may introduce us to something new that they've been successful with in other markets. In either of these cases we'll try to bring new items on board, expand the brand, and build an exclusive relationship." Imagination and innovation are standard characteristics at Phillips & King. Consider that in 1998, Phillips & King added the herbal cigarette Ecstacy to its extensive collection of products. Manufactured by California-based Global World Media Corporation, Ecstacy cigarettes are tobacco- and nicotine-free and made strictly from herbal ingredients including damiana, wild lettuce, catnip, passion flower, and mint. The company also lists "love and light" among the cigarette's ingredients. Ecstacy cigarettes are available in Regular and Light, in 20-count hard packs and 10-pack cartons.
Phillips & King's philosophy is to allow retailers to buy frequently from the widest assortment of merchandise available. They maintain over 6,000 items in stock at all times and distribute twice-monthly order guides to offer retailers additional purchasing opportunities. Other goals inherent in this philosophy are to encourage retailers to buy additional items while saving money and enhancing their inventory. Its catalog has become the industry reference that also contains complete information on nearly every cigar brand in the industry including country of origin, wrapper type, ring gauge, and even the history of the maker.
Speaking of Cigars
According to a Swedish Match North America spokesperson, "Phillips & King has one of the best reputations in the marketplace in terms of developing extensive retail distribution." The overall mentality at Phillips & King is that "an educated customer is a successful customer and a loyal customer." It is this philosophy that has earned it the position as one of the industry's one-stop-shops for all tobacco products.
And as cigar sales grow, so do those of humidors, which now represent another expanding category for Phillips & King. To better exploit humidor sales, Phillips & King has capitalized on the product line with in-depth inventory and aggressive pricing.
"We've become one of the largest suppliers of humidors in the United States," notes Mark. "We have them shipped in by the container-load. This aggressive buying power enables us to pass on competitive prices to the retailers who can, in turn, price them well for their customers." This is the kind of foresight and customer consideration retailers have come to expect.
Phillips & King has not been immune from the seemingly countless restrictions placed on the tobacco industry in recent years and the virtual tsunami of negative publicity that's hit the industry. Nevertheless, the company remains true to its game plan.
"This industry operates from under a microscope," says Hugh, the tone of experience ringing heavily in his voice. "State-by-state, nearly every community has tried to make this business illegal, yet people still go out of their way to smoke. In that light, when one considers the restrictions, we've shown a great deal of imagination and resourcefulness."
Phillips & King International, 5069 Maureen Lane, Moorpark, CA 93021, Toll-free: (800) 358-8100, Tel: (805) 531-8888, Fax: (805) 531-8899.


Don't you love it when you see the proverbial light bulb go off in your participants? We love helping other facilitators make those light bulb connections with a new tool or technique for better processing! One participant had told us he was going to try one of the debriefing techniques he learned...we received an email from him a few days later with reports of success and amazement at how easy it was and what a better experience his participants had as a result. The technique he tried out was Metaphoric Methods.
Metaphoric Methods are amazing techniques that really let the props do the talking for you. They also give more ownership of the debriefing process to the participants themselves. Debriefing activities can be just as dynamic and engaging as challenge course initiatives or group initiatives- especially with a new frame of mind from facilitators towards recognizing that reflection is not that 'boring thing' that comes at the end of the activity. It is the thing that creates the value and wonder in learning; it is the way ideas come together as a lasting lesson. Instead of 'telling' the participants what they were supposed to learn from the experience, let them make the connections by having them pick a metaphor that matches the experience. This technique gives the participant more ownership of the learning and allows for a greater transference of the learning back to the real world.


This is part of a series about the scrapbooking booths I visited at CHA 2016. If you'd like to see all the posts in the series, click HERE.
My first stop after checking in at the Craft and Hobby Association 2016 show was the MAMBI booth. They're one of my favorite companies because of their fun colors, fabulous fonts, and everyday scrapbooking topics.
This was one of the outside display windows. Obviously, the Create 365 Happy Planners have been a BIG product for MAMBI this year!
Papercrafting, Embellishments, and MAMBI Makers, which are DIY projects like photo cubes and canvases.
The very nice Charon Thurman from MAMBI showed me around the booth. We got into a great discussion about the MAMBI planners. She said it's been a huge seller for them. I was telling her how, in my online entrepreneur circles, it seems everyone is going back to using paper planners, even those of us who are considered techie and are on the computer all day. And that's probably why …. 'cuz we're on the computer all day, LOL.
Charon said that planners make perfect sense for scrapbookers because we're tactile people who like to interact with our surroundings. Well, actually, she said something really profound and beautiful along those lines and afterward I said, "I wish I'd been recording you because what you just said was AWESOME!" I totally see why they have Charon work the floor. She's guuuuud.
This is an example of the add-ons they have like Wedding and this is Exercise. So you can extend the use of your planner beyond just work and home.
Me likee this washeeeee . . .
This punch caught my eye – would be great to have for inserting random pages, printables, etc.
And Charon was wearing one of these snazzy pen holders on her badge. The pink heart one is my fave.
See how it says $2.50? Scrapbook products are typically marked up 50% so this will probably retail for $4.99. On the one hand, you may think "50%!! We're being robbed!" On the other hand, think about how many pen holders a scrapbook store has to sell just to pay the light bill each month. It's a hard, hard biz, people.
Back to our scheduled programming. Here are some alphas.
You know how I'm always complaining about the scrapbooking industry having no love for us Silver Girls and that it's always GOLD GOLD GOLD everywhere?
Five gold alphas and one stinkin' silver one. The pain is real, yo'.
New Paper pads . . .
Say goodbye to the MAMBI booth – that's it!
I took over 200 photos at CHA (in 5 hours, wow!). I couldn't post close-ups of everything but if there are items you'd like a closer look at, please leave a Comment on this post and I'll edit the photo(s) so you can see better :) Just another service provided by your friends at Scrapbook Obsession. Okay, well, it's just me but I wanted to sound important.
Thank you for a great post on MAMBI. I have been watching the videos of CHA that I have found on YouTube and as of yet I have not seen anything on the MAMBI. Thank you for covering that line for us.
Very cool, Erika. I used to use Me & My Big Ideas stuff all the time when my kids were little. At the time they had lots of neat kids' patterns, die cuts, etc. and bright primary colors. They really had a HUGE booth at the show. It was so open and looked like their very own showroom.
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text:
Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants Say NO to Tentative Agreement
The trend of airline workers refusing to accept concessionary agreements during times of record airline profits continues.
Southwest Airlines flight attendants have overwhelmingly voted down the tentative agreement presented to them by their union, TWU Local 556.
Our last vote report:
NO: 9916 (87.3%)
YES: 1446 (12.7%)
89 percent of flight attendants at Southwest voted on this tentative agreement. This vote will most likely result in the removal of some members of the negotiating team.
Southwest sent the following to employees:
Southwest Flight Attendants have voted down a tentative agreement that would have ended two years of negotiations. Representatives for Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556 say Flight Attendants rejected the deal by 87 percent of those casting ballots. Nearly 89 percent of eligible Flight Attendants voted.
"This agreement ensured that our Flight Attendants would stay atop the industry in pay and benefits," said Randy Babbitt, Southwest Senior Vice President Labor Relations. "It improved the Company's competitiveness with certain work-rule changes and supported our evolving network, both domestically and in international markets. So naturally we're disappointed that it didn't pass."
The deal was slated to run through May 2019 and contained fixed wage increases, cash bonuses, and quality of life improvements. Southwest says it remains committed to reaching an agreement that best serves the interests of both the Company and its Flight Attendants.
"Knowing how volatile our industry can be, I can't imagine a better time to secure an agreement," said Vice President Cabin Services Mike Hafner. "But together we will find a way to move forward. Southwest Flight Attendants are the finest in the industry, and I am continuously proud of their consistent efforts and the caring service they provide our Customers."
Southwest expects TWU leadership will take some time to evaluate the results prior to returning to direct bargaining. But for now, Southwest Flight Attendants will continue working under the terms of their current agreement.
Most Southwest flight attendants didn't like the agreement from the start
Many flight attendants had complained that the tentative agreement did not properly reward them for their continued contribution to Southwest's success. Some crewmembers have also viewed the relationship between the union officers and Southwest management as inappropriately close and the rushed voting period for the tentative agreement as suspicious. The voting period was timed to end just in time for Southwest's latest quarterly financial announcement.
Announced yesterday: Southwest Airlines posted net income of $608 million in the second quarter, its highest quarterly profit ever.
The following is a letter sent from TWU 556's president and lead negotiator:
Dear Member,
As reported today by the TWU Local 556 Board of Election, the Membership has voted to reject a new six-year Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Contract was rejected by 87% of voting Flight Attendants.
I appreciate the high voter turnout and thank the 11,375 Flight Attendants who voted. Democracy works best when Members take an active role in their Union.
We have much work to do on the heels of this vote. First, we have to conduct surveys and have dialogue with the Membership around the system to ascertain the best approach on moving forward. We must also discuss and re-prioritize our key issues and Contract Articles since the rejected Tentative Agreement (TA) deal is now off the table. Second, we cannot just assume that Southwest Airlines Management will give in to our demands — and we surely will not ever just give in to their demands. As a result, we have been developing a Contract action plan. We will need to mobilize our Members in very active ways. I will be calling upon each of you to get involved. Lastly, and importantly, we must continue to be the leading advocates for the well-known Southwest Airlines Culture. Our Membership must make sure that our special and successful culture is maintained, especially as our airline expands into the future.
As I promised, regardless of the outcome of the vote, your Union leadership is fully prepared to move forward. Now that the voting has concluded and we start a new round of bargaining, it is imperative that we maintain our Unity as we go forward. This was a vigorously debated and discussed TA. This is a good thing. However, while we debated ideas, we should never debate the value of standing together as a strong and united Union. Let's move forward together as one TWU Local 556.
Audrey Stone
TWU Local 556 President and Lead Negotiator
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Melanonus gracilis är en havslevande fisk av familjen skärlångefiskar som finns circumpolärt i subantaktiska och angränsande tempererade hav.

Utseende
Arten är en liten fisk som blir knappt 19 cm lång. Den har en enda, lång ryggfena, och en likaledes lång analfena. Båda är nästan ihopväxta med stjärtfenan. Kroppen, som är långsträckt och starkt avsmalnande, har flera små, köttiga åsar. Ryggfenan har 67 till 72 mjukstrålar, och analfenan 52 till 54. Färgen varierar från mörkbrun till blek.

Vanor
Melanonus gracilis är en pelagisk djuphavsfisk som kan förekomma på djup från 150 m till över 3 600 m. Den är dock vanligast mellan 600 och 1 100 m.

Utbredning
Arten finns circumpolärt i subantaktiska och angränsande tempererade hav. Enstaka fynd har dock gjorts såväl i tropiska hav som vid Antarktis kust.

Referenser

Torskartade fiskar
Melanonus

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Saint Phanourios the Great Martyr
Saint Fanourios is without doubt an important and holy youthful figure, who stands out in a particular way among the other Saints of Christianity, as he is not only honoured on a single date, but the faithful often make use of the well-known "fanouropita" (Fanourios cake).
Saint Fanourios, who lived during Roman times, went up bravely against the idolatric world, for the Christian spirit of this man of God did not allow him to deny his unquestionably virtuous principles. Thus, the 12 tortures that the Saint suffered constitute for us a strong motivation for perseverance and adherence to the moral values of Christianity, to come out victors from the in-cessant struggle of unbelief and injustice of our time. This Saint teaches us with his real sacrifice that even though we do not struggle against Roman soldiers and vile Hagarenes, still we have to confront the more skillfully set traps of materialism and atheism, that attempt en masse to overwhelm the Christian order.
Saint Fanourios also taught us that the crown of a virtuous life is not easily won but only through continuous tests – with boldness, patience and perseverance. Therefore, as true fighters of the faith let us imitate the exemplary and irreproachable life of the Saint, so that we too may be found worthy to honour the Christian name we bear, as he so fittingly did.
1. General overview of his life.
Nothing certain is known concerning the lineage and the life of Saint Fanourios because all the information about his life was lost during turbulent times.
The only information we have concerning the Saint is the discovery of his icon, around 1500 AD according to the Synaxarion, or according to other sources around 1355-1369 AD.
2. The discovery of the icon
Let us return to the past, when the Hagarenes (i.e. Muslims) ruled Rhodes and had decided to rebuild the wall of the city, which they so barbarically demolished and leveled a few years previously.
They started to send workers outside the south part of the citadel to gather stones from the semi-ruined houses of the inhabitants, to rebuild the new and strong walls of the city. Among the ruins they discovered a most beautiful church which was partially destroyed on one side. Inside they discovered a multitude of icons, which over the course of time the faces of the Saints as well as the inscriptions on them were indistinguishable.
Only one magnificent icon stood apart from the rest, one that time did not affect, which depicted a youth dressed as a soldier. The Metropolitan of Rhodes, Nilus, went immediately to the site and clearly read the name of the Saint, Fanourios. The Metropolitan, moved by the appearance of the saint, saw that he was dressed as a Roman Soldier, holding a cross in his left hand and a lit candle in his right. Around the icon the iconographer had also painted the twelve depictions of the martyrdom that the saint had suffered, clearly telling his life.
These depictions are as follows:
1. The Saint is present in front of the Roman magistrate, standing and looking like he is boldly testifying and defending his Christian faith.
2. Here the soldiers are intervening and striking Fanourios' head and the mouth with stones to force him to succumb and deny the Lord.
3. The soldiers have thus far become enraged by the persistence of Fanourios, throwing him to the ground and beating him mercilessly with sticks and clubs to break his steadfast resistance.
4. Fanourios is in jail and is being tortured in a most abominable way. He appears totally naked and the surrounding soldiers are tearing his flesh with sharp metal instruments. The Saint is silently enduring his frightful martyrdom.
5. Fanourios is back in jail praying to God to strengthen him to the end of his tortures.
6. The Saint is again brought before the Roman magistrate to give a defense for his posi-tion. By the peaceful expression on his face it appears that neither the tortures he suf-fered nor the future threats of the tyrant can shake his faith, and thus being undeterred he is waiting for further tortures.
7. The torturers of Fanourios with rage and cruelty are burning his naked body with lit torches, thus showing his insuperable sacrifice for the Crucified One. The Saint wins again with his indomitable will and fortitude for the Lord.
8. Here his savage torturers are making use of mechanical means to achieve the worse of his tortures. They have tied the Saint on a press which crushes his bones when rotated. He is suffering without grumbling, but on his beautiful face there is an inexpressible exul-tation since he is suffering for the sake of the Lord.
9. Fanourios is cast into a pit to become prey to wild beasts and his torturers are watching from above to witness his end. The beasts, however, are totally docile through the grace of God and silently surround him like lambs to enjoy his magnificent company.
10. The torturers were not satisfied by the latest result so they removed him from the hole and are crushing him under a huge rock, convinced that they will finish him off. However, even this time they do not succeed.
11. The scene presents the Saint in front of an altar, where the torturers are urging him to sacrifice, placing burning coal in his hands. Fanourios also passes this test victoriously and a devil in the form of a dragon is shown flying in the air and crying over its failure.
12. The last scene is the end of his martyrdom, with Fanourios being cast into a large furnace standing on a stool and surrounded by flames and smoke. The Saint seems to be praying intently to God, without complaining or grumbling, and thus unwavering and without giving in, he flew to heaven, full of contentment for all the tortures he had suffered for the sake of the Lord.
3. The Erection of the Church.
The then Metropolitan of the island, Nilus, after carefully studying the icon that was found, pronounced that Fanourios was one of the most significant great martyrs of our Faith. He immediately dispatched a delegation to the ruler of the island and to ask him for a permit to erect a church. However, when the ruler refused the Metropolitan himself went to Constantinople and managed to obtain from the Sultan the permit he sought. He soon returned to Rhodes and built the church exactly on its old spot, outside the walls. The Church survives to this day and is a sacred shrine for all Christians.
The Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Martyr on August 27.
PrevPreviousThe Icon as a Unique and Inimitable Fact in the Church
NextA Testimony about Greek Fasting Practices in 1798Next


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I discovered some file errors today, which means that I need to redo a lot of work before sleeping tonight. So I've brewed up the strong coffee and put on the music. Only a few more days of this before my escape to the USA.
Photocopy a 1956 article from the Lancet, called "Physique of London Busmen: Epidemiology of Uniforms". In the days of double-decker London buses, there used to be drivers (who sat all day) and conductors (who ran up and down stairs collecting fares). Drivers were much more prone to early heart attack, and J.N. Morris wondered if the difference were confounded by how fat the two professions were on average. He tested his hypothesis by getting a catalogue of all the uniform measurements from the central company, enabling a cheap and accurate study.
Turns out the drivers had quite a bit larger girth than conductors, but it wasn't just because they sat around all day, they were fatter on average on their first day on the job than conductors. A nice little study written up in a page and a half. Ahh, the good old days.
Purchase a quality cigar. My choice this time was a Montecristo No. 4 from Habana. I picked up two (a bit pricey) and thoroughly enjoyed the first this evening while on a break from work.
For some reason yesterday I felt the strong need to listen to John Denver. I downloaded some tunes, and let me just say that "Rocky mountain high" is a pretty awesome track. I think the guy's got a really amazing voice, so shoot me. Best line in the song, though?
Friends around a campfire...everybody's hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh!
In related news: I'm incredibly psyched for my trip to Colorado in March.
iTunes just shuffled its way to Journey's Don't Stop Believing, which for me always brings to mind my 2004 Sox playoff mix. Seriously, though, is there any song which is induces as strong an urge to rock out and go nuts on the air guitar?


text:
Ranking the Top Five 90s Superheroes
There were some great superheroes that came to the big screen in the 90's, and some that are still great but have gone through a few rough patches. In the 90's heroes were allowed to be edgy, brutal, and just off the wall awesome when it came to violence. They didn't have to worry so much about being PC or being family-friendly. Lately there's been a trend going around that's seeing superheroes going back to their roots and getting down with the violence when the moment calls for it, but the 90's were a time when it was just flat out crazy and over the top.
Those times aren't likely to come again, I think.
5. Robocop 2
The sequel to Robocop was in some ways better and worse than the original. There was a well-defined antagonist that didn't hide behind a faceless machine, kind of, but he was such an over the top villain that he was kind of goofy to be honest. Plus even as a machine it seemed like Cain couldn't kick his drug habit, as the robotic body actually seemed to run on the stuff thanks to the fact that Cain's brain was running it. Creepy.
4. Blade
The first Blade movie was awesome. From the opening fight scene to the last fight with Frost, where it got just a little corny. It was a new movie and a different type of hero on the big screen though so a lot was allowed by viewers. The no nonsense approach that Blade favored was a welcome break to simply jailing or somehow incapacitating the enemy. But then the sequel and the third film got made and it really went downhill.
Batman has always been a cool superhero and his legend thankfully hasn't been tarnished too much. But there are actors that should have never taken up the mantle and they know it at this point since it kind of marked their careers. Batman and Robin wasn't the best movie in the franchise, but then again neither was Batman Returns even though Michael Keaton played the role so perfectly.
2. The Crow
The Crow is another hero that doesn't adhere to the norm. He wasn't out for justice, he was out for vengeance and he took it. A lot of people tend to look up to fictional heroes because they do the 'right thing' by getting justice for the oppressed and those that have been victimized. However Erik Draven came back from the dead to exact the kind of justice that human nature has understood for a lot longer than what passes for justice now.
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
It might seem odd to think that a movie in which the actors were wearing big rubber suits was actually more enjoyable than the current films that have been a CGI thrill ride. But despite the difference in effects and even the choreography the first TMNT movie was deemed authentic because they adhered to the overall appearance and mythos of the Turtles without going into any grand scheme that wasn't originally intended.
The superheroes in the 90's were simply there to do what they did best.
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Aiden Mason February 4, 2017
Movie Review: Censor
A Week After Wonder Women We Get The Mummy and My Cousin Rachel?
Remembering The Snow Owls From The Masked Singer Season 4
The Robot Apocalypse is Upon is With New Robot that Can Climb Stairs
Alex Jones Didn't Remember Basic Facts about his Kids Because of a "Bowl of Chili"


SQA Accreditation has a remit from Scottish Government to accredit any type of qualification other than university degrees. We only accredit qualifications from approved awarding bodies.
We also advise and support sector skills organisations in the development of National Occupational Standards (NOS) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) and awarding bodies in the development of qualifications.
We are an approved SCQF credit rating body.
SVQs — Accreditation is mandatory for SVQs. We are the only body that accredits and SCQF credit rates SVQs.
Regulatory and other work-based qualifications — some of which are contained in apprenticeships.
Workplace Core Skills — designed for use with SVQs and a component of Modern Apprenticeship Frameworks in Scotland.
We also accredit qualifications which assess expertise in areas which are not necessarily work related. These include exam-based qualifications such as music and dance performance.
If you want your qualification accredited, please contact your SQA Accreditation Manager.


Big Sean made a stop on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and performed two tracks off Finally Famous. Watch Sean and The Roots perform "I Do It" and "Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay" right here on UTG. If you haven't check out Finally Famous you are missing out on this Michigan talent.
Big Sean was the main attraction of of meet and greet this evening at the SoHo Adidas Store in New York City. Watch below as he is flooded by onlookers and fans alike.
You've heard multiple tracks, read us discussing it at length, and now you can finally hear the major label debut from Big Sean. UTG is proud to present this stream of Finally Famous, which officially hits stores June 28. If you like what you hear, pre-order the album.
Another song from Big Sean's upcoming album has made its way online. Click below to stream the Lupe Fiasco assisted "Don't Wait For Me," which features tremendous production from No I.D. and Exile. Finally Famous arrives June 28.
Big Sean has unleashed breaking news that he will drop a new mixtape before his Def Jam debut, Finally Famous, hits stores on June 28. This release will be 9 to 10 songs long and have a guest appearance by Nas and other hot artists. Watch the video below.


text:
Academy Unveils An Oral History of TV For Free Public Access Online
Tuesday, May. 15, 2018
In this Feb. 3, 2018 file photo, Judd Apatow arrives at the 70th annual Directors Guild of America Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. A collection of 4,000 hours of video interviews recorded over more than two decades by the Television Academy Foundation will be available for free on a website. Apatow made use of footage from a Garry Shandling interview for a documentary released this year about the late comedian. The clips were licensed from the foundation, one of the ways it generates money to preserve and expand the archive's collection. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
Lynn Elber, Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP)
Diahann Carroll recalls a date with Marlon Brando that yielded a slap and career advice. Robert Adler tells how he co-invented the TV remote control. Walter Cronkite shares his dismay over learning that White House pressure trimmed a CBS report on Watergate.
Their accounts are part of an extraordinary collection of 4,000-plus hours of video Q&As recorded over more than two decades by the Television Academy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, organizer of the primetime Emmy Awards.
On Wednesday, a new website will make the full collection of 895 interviews — and counting — available free to all comers, who can watch complete interviews or search the curated treasure trove by individuals, shows, events, themes and more. Even such minutiae as the origin of TV catchphrases including "Come on down!" from "The Price is Right" is there.
The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews) is a browser's delight. You can listen to producer Chris Carter's account of making "The X-Files," or hone in on how he cast Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny.
"The arrangement is key," said archive director Jenni Matz. "I've done research at the Library of Congress where they just point to a box and say, 'Dig.' What we've done is we've really dug through it for you, and we've sifted it and sorted it out and made it acceptable and searchable."
Some of the interviews, including those done in the early years on videotape and gradually digitized, were available online at Emmy TV Legends, which is being replaced by the new site.
"We are living in a digital, sound-bite world, and I believe that we are enjoying a second golden age of television," said Madeline Di Nonno, foundation chair. "It's really critical that as the leading industry organization for television we stay relevant" and accessible to all, especially younger generations.
Judd Apatow is an unabashed archive fan. "I just love it," the producer-writer ("Freaks and Geeks," ''Girls") said, calling its in-depth, hours-long interviews the "definitive record of people's careers and their feeling about it and approach to their work."
For a new documentary on the late Garry Shandling, Apatow licensed footage from what he called a "fantastic" interview the comedian recorded for the collection. Such commercial use is one source of the money needed to preserve and expand the archive.
The website was the mid-1990s vision of industry leaders including Dean Valentine and Thomas W. Sarnoff, who believed that first-person accounts of TV as a business, a creative medium and the national town hall deserved to be saved and, ultimately, made readily available to scholars, aspiring industry members or anyone with an interest in what TV is and who makes it.
"For my money, this project is the single most important contribution that certainly the foundation and maybe even the academy, aside from the Emmys, makes to the industry," Sarnoff said.
The archive has its roots in another, deeply somber one: the Shoah project, a University of Southern California-housed repository of meticulously cross-referenced interviews with Holocaust survivors and witnesses founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg. There is no comparison between ensuring a record of Nazi inhumanity and the story of an industry, Valentine said, but it brought home what the passing of TV's founders meant.
"With their loss, memories of what happened in the early days of television and the creative ferment would be gone, too," he said.
He took his idea for a TV archive to Rich Frank, then president of the TV academy, and to Sarnoff, who was foundation chairman. Sarnoff, now 91, had a particular reason to value the medium's history: his father, David Sarnoff, pioneered the development of TV and created NBC, the first broadcasting network.
In 1996, the foundation taped six "pilot" interviews — industry lingo for an episode used to decide if a TV project passes muster. The subjects demonstrate the archive's wide range from the start: comedian Milton Berle; ABC founder Leonard Goldenson; makeup artist Dick Smith; Elma "Pem" Farnsworth, widow of TV technology inventor Philo Farnsworth; producer Sheldon Leonard; and casting director and network executive Ethel Winant.
Subjects can edit their comments but rarely do more than correct factual errors, Matz said.
Unexpected stories abound in the archives, such as Diahann Carroll's account of a Los Angeles dinner out with the young but already renowned Brando when she was building her career. As they left the restaurant he gave her a "little whack" on her rear.
"I turned around and gave him a whack right across his jaw," she recounted. He followed up the next day with a gesture of apology, sending her a selection of important books on acting and calling to encourage Carroll to "get out of this town," go back to New York and focus on her craft — which is what the Emmy- and Oscar-nominated Carroll did.
From the start, Sarnoff said, people were honored to contribute to the archive and were candid in return.
"They realized they were being interviewed for history, and they told us everything they could."
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
An Oral History of Television
Bloys, DuVernay, Herzog, Igbokwe, Madden, Nishimura appointed to TV Academy Exec Committee
Friday, Feb. 22, 2019
Six thought leaders--Casey Bloys, Ava DuVernay, Doug Herzog, Pearlena Igbokwe, David Madden and Lisa Nishimura--have been appointed by Television Academy chairman and CEO Frank Scherma to the...
Hayma Washington, TV Academy's First Black Chair, To Step Down
Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018
The TV academy's first African-American chairman is stepping down after two years.
Hayma Washington told Variety he decided against seeking a second two-year term so he could focus on his...
TV Academy's John Leverence Reflects On Evolution Of The Emmys
In 38 years of managing the Emmy Awards — more than half its 70-year history — John Leverence has faced everything from the demands of a changing TV industry to ticket nightmares to a statuette...
TV Academy's John Leverence Reflects On Spots Vying For The Emmy
Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018
Our annual tradition continues with SHOOT sounding out John Leverence, sr. VP of awards at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, to get an entertainment industry POV on the spots...
TV Academy Expands Membership To Include Promo Producers & Directors, Commercial Performers
Wednesday, Mar. 28, 2018
The Television Academy announced additional 2018 changes in membership requirements as approved by its Board of Governors. On-air promo producers and directors are now eligible to join the...
When Harry Met Sally...
Delicious Contents
Adriana Robles
O'Keefe Reinhard & Paul
Cuba Tornado Scott
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards
Paul Sutton
Chiraq
Erwin Creates
UNHEARD/OF
Big Fish Entertainment
Dom & Liam
Luc Janin
California Film & TV Tax Credit
Karen Kaufman
Thirst Streetd


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text:
THE INFLUENCE OF EUROPEAN LITERARY AND ARTISTIC REPRESENTATIONS OF THE "ORIENT" ON WESTERN ORCHESTRAL COMPOSITIONS, CA. 1840-1920: From Oriental Inspiration to 'Exotic' Orchestration
Author: Little, Jonathan David
This is the most comprehensive survey of the major sources of inspiration for Western composers who sought to infuse their musical works with an 'Eastern' flavor. The book discusses the aesthetic, philosophical, political , geographical, literary and
historical forces at work during the period. This book contains thirty-one black and white photographs and fifteen color photographs.
From the Foreword:
"In short, this study . . . is a valuable contribution in both understanding the development of the modern symphony orchestra, as well as the compositional approaches made by the many composers who have rewarded us today with some of the finest works in the orchestral repertoire.
– Prof. Craig De Wilde, Monash University
"... is a detailed yet accessible descriptive account of its subject, equally able to stand alone or as a partner to the author's second volume. ... it should serve very well indeed the undergraduate or the historically poled graduate, whether in music or literature, as well as the general reader and music lover." -Prof. Elizabeth Markham, University of Arkansas
Associate Professor Craig De Wilde
PART ONE The Orient: 'as image or as thought'
Chapter 1: Understanding the Retreat to the 'Exotic'
Chapter 2: Defining the 'Orient'
PART TWO The Historical Background
Chapter 3: Pilgrimages to the 'Orient'
a) The Politics of the Middle East
b) Music and Musicians among 'the splendour and havoc of the East'
c) En Espagne
Chapter 4: Sailor Musicians and Musical Travelogues
Chapter 5: Universal Expositions and the Inspiration of Contemporary Events
Chapter 6: Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
Postscript Colour and Atmosphere
A guide to the lingua franca of Musical Orientalism An explanation of the fundamental 'Eastern' traits imitated by Western composers, including a list of the most characteristic formulae employed by them to create 'Oriental' atmospheres
Other Cultural Studies Books
2022 - The Celtic Head Cult in Arthurian Literature (8 X 10 Oversized soft cover)
2004 - Anthropological Analysis of Local Politics and Patronage in a Pakistani Village
1990 - Figure of Cressida in British and American Literature Transformation of a Literary Type
>> See all our Cultural Studies books
2011 - Literary Sources of Nineteenth Century Musical Orientalism: The Hypnotic Spell of the Exotic on Music of the Romantic Period
Copyright © 2009. All Rights Reserved. | 0.232 sec


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5-15P-plug configuration. 208-230/60/1 ice machines are factory pre-wired with a 6' (180 cm) power cord only,no plug is supplied.
Air-cooled — 8.5 amps. Water-cooled — 7.7 amps.
Air and Water-cooled — 15amps.
HACR-type circuit breakers can be used in place of fuses.
These are the good and the bad for both. It's simply the way in which the systems are cooled.
This appliance is not designed for use in America. Only for countries that use 220 / 240 V electrical outlet.