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Today's Featured Artist: Michael Godard

Transform your photos into one-of-a-kind, hand painted masterpieces!

Fine Art America has revolutionized the way that artwork, home decor, and apparel are bought and sold around the world.   With a few clicks, artists and photographers can upload their images to, set their prices, and instantly sell print-on-demand products to a global audience of online buyers.   We advertise extensively online, on radio, and on TV in order to attract buyers and sellers to our online marketplace.   Here are some of our recent videos and TV commercials for your viewing pleasure.   Enjoy!

TV Commercial - iPad App

Our iPad app is truly revolutionary.   Take a look at this video, and you'll see why.   A revolutionary app deserves a big-budget TV commercial to promote it.   20+ actors... six set locations... three days of shooting... this is our most elaborate TV commercial to date!

TV Commercial - Computer Animation

This is the first TV commercial that we ever produced... and still one of our all-time favorites!   It's simple, gets the point across, and has some really upbeat music.

TV Commercial - Hand Drawn Animation

This is the second TV commercial that we ever produced.   It does a fantastic job of describing exactly how our business works... and the hand-drawn animations are incredible!

TV Commercial - Picture Perfect

This is a funny TV commercial that introduces the concept of taking photos with your smartphone and turning them into works of art.

Radio - Howard Stern

The King of All Media discusses the King of All Online Art Sites.

Behind the Scenes Footage

This is behind-the-scenes footage of the multi-day video shoot for our iPad app TV commercial (see top of this page).

TV Commercial - Contest Winners

In June 2013, Fine Art America launched an online art contest which was open to visual artists and photographers from all over the world. Five winners were selected to have their images appear in our next TV commercial. Here it is!


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Vodka lover ? The best spritzer without the sugar!

Hi Ladies!

I’ve never been a vodka lover. It may be because my love has always been for wine. I recently just got back from Chicago, and tried one of the greatest spritzers ever, and yes it included vodka! It’s okay to have a cocktail every now and then right? I recently stumbled upon a great website recently where I seen a wonderful,  refreshing recipe for a lemonade vodka mix. The wonderful website Epicurious, has some amazing recipes. I asked the bartender in Chicago if he could try to make it without the sugar added, and he did! Viola! I have to say it was pretty amazing. It was so tasty, that I have to share the recipe with you. This is a great recipe for parties, cookouts, or even to make yourself on a hot summer night. This recipe will fill six- 8 oz. glasses. I did not add the sugar to my drink, as it calls in this recipe, but was still amazing.

1 cup packed mint leaves

2/3 cup packed sugar

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups vodka

crushed ice

Combine the chopped mint & sugar in a bowl with the vodka. Cover and refrigerate for atleast 30 min. Strain the mixture into a pitcher. Fills 6 8oz. glasses with crushed ice. Pour mixture over. Garnish with the mint leaves. This is one refreshing drink.

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No Bull, No Fluff, No Smudges
Your news source for
Flagler, Florida and Beyond

Flagler’s 6 Public-Sector Unions Launch Unified Political Arm as Palm Coast Workers Bargain

| March 31, 2016

public works union bargaining

Today’s collective bargaining session between Northeast Florida Public Employees Local 630–representing Palm Coast public works and utilities workers–and city management at City Hall today. Management was represented by Human Resources Director Wendy Cullen, right (far end), to the left of attorney Jeff Mandell. Ronnie Burris represented the union. The meeting was attended by a dozen public works and utilities employees. (© FlaglerLive)

After several years of efforts, Flagler County’s public-sector unions representing workers in a half dozen agencies—including police, firefighters, school employees and municipal workers—have joined forces in a new organization called the United Public Employees of Flagler.

The organization represents roughly 1,500 workers and well over double that number going by the households they represent, making it a potentially significant political force similar to the county’s home builders’ association, the Realtors’ association and the chamber of commerce—but from a labor perspective.

The association will not itself endorse political candidates under its name, but its method amounts to projecting the same unified voice—and the same influence on candidacies: Its member organizations will vet and agree to the same candidates, so that each union will independently endorse the same candidates they have agreed to, Stephen Palmer, who heads the county’s firefighters’ union and led the effort, said this evening: for example, if the teachers’ union supports candidate A for school board, then all other five unions will do so as well.

“They can change the way things go politically,” Palmer said, stressing that the association will be focusing on safety and intergovernmental communications as well as worker-retention issues: the unions want to see the various agencies better cooperate from a policy level, and they want more focus on critical safety infrastructure such as emergency radio communications, which affect day-to-day lives of residents and first-responders.

“I’ve been involved three years in the union,” says Jon Dopp, and Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy and the vice president of the Coastal Florida Police Benevolent Association. “Initially there was almost zero political presence from the PBA as far as local political matters were concerned.” The PBA ironically had pull in Tallahassee, but little influence locally. “I’ve had candidates tell me so much over the years. So we’re hoping to change that,” Dopp said.

Stephen Palmer, president of the Flagler County Professional Firefighters Association

Stephen Palmer, president of the Flagler County Professional Firefighters Association. (© FlaglerLive)

The group isn’t wasting time: it’s holding its first candidate forum for county commission and school board members on May 19 at the Hilton Garden Inn. The forum will double up as its vetting sessions on its way to deciding whom to endorse. Another forum will feature the long list of sheriff’s candidate, on June 22. Questions will be drawn from rank and file employees and a committee, and the forums will be moderated.

The idea of a union association began with Richard Bennett, a county firefighter and ex-president of the firefighters’ union until he was elevated to the dark side—he’s a captain now, making him part of management—leaving the work to Palmer and Dopp. They initially worked to join their unions, and the five candidates they endorsed in 2014 all won. “We hope to continue that success but to try to project what the future holds would be—I don’t know, I hope good things,” Dopp said, noting that the organization is just starting out.

The new association is in most ways a political response to the severe limitations on the powers of individual bargaining units, or union locals, under Florida law, a so-called “right-to-work” state that in effect shifts most labor-management authority to management: unions may bargain with governments, but in the end, the governing body—which almost always reflects the management it hired—decides arbitrates any differences, even after disagreements may have gone to an independent arbitrator: that independent arbitrator’s conclusions are only advisory recommendations.

So unions’ best alternative is to cultivate union-friendly city and county commissioners and school board members—or get them elected.

An attempt to balance power stacked against local unions.

The approach was illustrated this afternoon in a bargaining session between Palm Coast government’s fledgling public works union with city management at Palm Coast City Hall. It was the third bargaining session since August. The meeting clarified positions—or hardened them—more than it resolved them, underlying continuing strains between city management and its unions. (The city’s firefighters are also unionized, and both are part of United Public Employees of Flagler.)

The public works union filed an unfair labor practice this week with the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission, charging the city for not bargaining in good faith. And 54 utility workers, or about a third of the workforce, signed a petition to dissolve the union, generating the sort of allegations from the union that shadow such developments: that the city is pressuring workers to reject the union, which would be illegal.

The city administration’s team consisted of Human Resources Director Wendy Cullen and attorney Jeff Mandell. The public works’ bargaining unit was led by Ronnie Burris. He was flanked by a dozen employees from public works, the city’s largest department. It unionized with a 61 percent favorable vote in July 2014. The department, which consists of 168 blue-collar workers, lost 33 workers last year alone, Burress said, citing the turnover as an indication of dissatisfaction.

The two sides didn’t get far today. The union had submitted a thirty-article contract proposal. According to the union, the city rejected it wholesale, rejecting even so much as wording taken directly from the city’s employee handbook, such as articles on family leave and a drug-free workplace. The reality is a bit more nuanced. The city did reject most articles, but not necessarily the intent behind the articles: it just doesn’t want its own employee policies supplanted by the union contract, even though the wording might be identical.

But the difference underscores the heart of the strain between the bargaining unit and the city: employees are looking for the additional protection that a contract provides. The city is telling the workers that its own policies provide that protection. In other words, the city is telling the workers: trust us. The workers are would rather not: they want to put their trust in a contract.

The point was made clear in the two sides’ differences over one article this afternoon, when the union asked for a system of setting special meetings with human resources to work out disciplinary issues before they turn into formal grievances. The city refused. “I have an open door policy,” Cullen said, inviting any employee to call her, speak with her, visit her whenever they need to bring issues to her attention.

“On the other side of the coin, who’s to say it won’t change down the road?” One employee around the table said.

The city, at any rate, refused to change its approach, and there was little the union could do. They moved on.

united public employees of flagler

‘This group will ensure that all public employee unions in the county are communicating regularly and working together to advocate for our community and our members,’ a statement released today by the United Public Employees of Flagler says.

Talk turned to wages. Both sides agreed to consider a wage proposal yet to be submitted by the union. The union is looking for annual merit raises of 2 to 4 percent in addition to cost of living raises, as well as a change in how raises are calculated: currently, the city awards its cost of living increases based on each employee’s starting wage, regardless of whether that employee has been there one year or 10 years. In other words, if that employee started at $10 an hour, his or her cost of living raise increases, year after year, will be based on that $10 base rate, not on the new rate. Employees consider that unfair as the overall wage will rise very slowly. It limits their ability to “top out” in their wage scale.

“What we want to propose is that the raises are actually based on what they make, not on the lowest rate in the scale,” Burris said.

“Put it in writing,” Cullen said.

Burris had a more detailed wage proposal that included a $2,500 across the board raise for all bargaining unit employees followed by 3 percent annual raises. “And what are you basing that on? You have comparative data to show that that’s warranted?” Mandell, the attorney, asked. “Show us the data that would support us doing something different.”

No article can adequately reflect the tensions, the charges and counter-charges, the verbal chess moves—or verbal bullying—that takes place in a bargaining session: it’s the normal course for such sessions: the school board’s sessions a few years ago were even more abrasive, though the end result also reflected a board that’s been much more union-friendly, or at least union-tolerant, than the Palm Coast City Council, which tends to mirror its city manager’s disdain for unions. The council showed that favor when it sided with its manager ina  contract dispute it had to arbitrate with the firefighters’ union in 2014. That decision sealed the firefighters’ first union contract with the city.

The contract the city is presenting its public works and utility workers is very similar to that firefighters’ contract, which in itself tells the tale of where the public workers’ union stands: pleas and bargaining aside, it’s ultimately at the mercy of the city’s decisions, even if it goes before the council.

That’s also why the new union is placing its hopes on the November elections, when it is working toward getting union-friendly council members elected in the three seats about to be vacated. It’s also why they joined the United Public Employees of Flagler.

The union and the city parted ways, agreeing to a subsequent bargaining session without setting a date. Though a public meeting, the city did not notice the meeting publicly, on its website, as it does all its other public meetings.

The shadiness is not unique to Palm Coast: not a single government agency in the county notices its union meetings on their websites, alongside all other public meetings, either.

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24 Responses for “Flagler’s 6 Public-Sector Unions Launch Unified Political Arm as Palm Coast Workers Bargain”

  1. r&r says:

    Now if they disagree with something they can hold the entire city hostage and shut it down.

  2. Sherry says:

    This is wonderful!

    Horrific “union busting” has led to lower wages and less safe working conditions all over our nation! The “right to work” statutes are a misnomer. What they should be called are the “right for management to lay off or fire WITHOUT CAUSE” ! Statutes and policies like “right to work” have massively shifted all the power to the “overpaid” bureaucrats and completely away from the workers! It’s time for the middle class to rise up against the power brokers of the Tea Party! Our government should NEVER be run like a “profit center”!

    Power to the Workers!

  3. Hammock says:

    3% cost of living raise? Funny but the Fed spoke and the 2016 cost of living for social security is 0%. I believe tax payers dollars should go to pensions for police, fireman and military. The people that put their lives on the line for us. Not Fed, state, county, city employees. Let them get a 401k like everyone else.

  4. Sherry says:

    Some public employees have not received raises in years. Firefighters start at less than $43K while the county administrator receives over $150K. This disparity is incredibly common throughout our nation in both the public and private sectors. Holding the reins on compensation for the front line workers is outrageous, especially when considering what bureaucrats pull in. . . including all their perks!

    This disparity of income, as Bernie and Hillary have pointed out, is a nation disaster and a crime against the American Dream!

    This from the Wall Street Journal:

    By adopting a “right-to-work” law this week, Michigan is joining a group of states where wages tend to be lower, but job growth stronger, than states that don’t have the law.

    But gauging how much of this divergence in paychecks and employment is a result of the laws is difficult to do.

    Right-to-work laws, which allow workers in unionized workplaces to opt out of paying union dues, were first adopted in the South decades ago as part of a larger drive to lure factory jobs from the heavily unionized North. By that measure, those early laws—in conjunction with other business-friendly policies—were highly successful.

    Now, the trend is spreading to the heart of the old Rust Belt itself, in the wake of Republican gains in the region in the 2010 elections. Earlier this year, Indiana passed such a law, and on Tuesday, the birthplace of the United Auto Workers union, Michigan, became the 24th state to adopt such a measure.

    Critics of the laws say they hold down wages. And indeed, private-sector employees in right-to-work states earned an average of $738.43 a week in the past 12 months, 9.8% less than workers in states without such laws, according to an analysis of Labor Department data that didn’t include health-care and other benefits.

  5. Jimw says:

    Unions suck the life out of the people that pay… Taxpayers in this case.

  6. Kendall says:

    Hammock, the cost of living raise is for current employees. Not retirees.

  7. Lin says:

    Just what we need, another political arm.
    Unions are neither bad nor good — they can work well like UPS or can bankrupt an industry or city with exorbitant demands especially for pensions that a community cannot afford.
    That the fed can tell social security recipients that there is no inflation so they don’t get an increase and the city promises 3% is that gap that puts personal and company financial health in jeopardy.

    But some City workers do deserve raises. What I’m against is that across the board non-performance related raises just because the union has the power to shut down our institutions especially the schools.
    But I’ll reserve judgement

  8. Sherry says:

    Looking for a major cause in the demise of the middle class? “At Will” and “Right to Work” laws have gone hand in glove when it comes to driving down wages, benefits, safety and employee rights! Here’s a very relevant first person story about a worker who did exactly the same job as a union employee and then non-union. . . take a close read:

    Before I moved to Florida I worked construction for 10 years in NY. I was a member of glaziers local 1281. I worked hard everyday. and earned over 90k a year. not including my medical, pension, and annuity fund that after 10 years accumulated over $100k that was paid by my employer (who by the way wasn’t struggling to pay me as he pulled up in his porche) which is how I bought my house down here in Florida.

    I never had to belittle myself by begging for a raise, and I never had to worry about being fired for refusing to do something dangerous.. after moving to florida I figured its a right to work state. it wont matter if I’m in a union or not. so I got a job glazing non union. I was making less than 1/4 of what I made in ny. no health ins. no retirement plan. the guys I worked with were scared for their jobs. constantly ratting each other out. they didn’t take lunch breaks, and would work 10 hr days with no overtime pay, in fear if they didn’t would be fired and replaced. they worked unsafe and cut corners doing shoddy work.

    after 2 weeks I called the local down here and joined local 452. the union put me to work with a different company the next day. I work just as hard as I did in ny. and even in the union, in right to work state or florida, I still only make half of what I did in the right to bargain state of ny. but at least now I can go see a doctor and not have to open my wallet. and when I turn 62 I can retire and enjoy my golden years.

    I know if I work over 8 hrs a day I will get my overtime pay. and if I refuse to do something unsafe and I am terminated for it the union will fight for me. being a right to work state not everyone I work with is a member. I’m actually one of 3, out of 40 men working for the company. aside from the lead foremen and other union guys I am the highest paid worker. and us union guys are the only ones with medical and a retirement plan.

    just about every guy that I work with has asked me if I can get them in the union. but I was told by my employer not to talk to them about it. and by my union delegate if these unskilled (i went through the unions apprenticeship program that consisted of 4 years of schooling to learn my trade. the non union men I work with have no training in the craft of glazing) workers joined they would most likely be laid off.

    I hate to speak negatively about my union brothers. but the union guys I work with down here don’t really understand what it means to be apart of a union. they think its just about getting paid more and having job security. while that is a huge perk. that is not what its about. its about sticking together and standing up for each other (which I have learned is not something that comes naturally to floridians) and having a voice in the workplace. its about being treated fairly and with respect. and unless everybody is on board this is very hard to achieve.

    Even in ny non union workers make a decent wage because employers have to compete with the union wages. why would someone work for $10/hr when they could be making 50 for doing the same work. down here its the opposite. why would the employer pay $25/hr when he can pay someone 9. the only reason my employer pays me what he does and keeps me working is because I was trained in my craft. he can give me a job and not worry about weather or not it will be done correctly. that should be the case with everyone I work with.

    The customer is getting screwed because of the poor craftsmen-ship these men are doing and the boss is losing money because it takes these unskilled laborers longer to perform the tasks, and usually it needs to be fixed or done 2 sometimes 3 times.

    Unions built the middle class. right to work laws are destroying it.

  9. brnwtrs7 says:

    From the article: The city is telling the workers that its own policies provide that protection. In other words, the city is telling the workers: trust us. The workers are would rather not: they want to put their trust in a contract.

    Does the city attorney have a contract with the city or is he/she going by blind trust in city officials that those officials will do the right thing for their attorney? Do other city officials work with a contract or do they operate in the same blind trust that they are asking the union workers to abide by that the city will take care of them?

    Does anyone see something wrong with the city’s bargaining in bad faith?

  10. Anonymous says:

    From the article: The city is telling the workers that its own policies provide that protection. In other words, the city is telling the workers: trust us. The workers are would rather not: they want to put their trust in a contract.

    How many of the city officials have a contract with the city because those officials will not adhere to the same provisions of ‘just trust us’ that the city wants to foist on these union workers?

    What is the city afraid of by putting their intentions into binding words? Can’t the city be trusted?

  11. Anonymous says:

    First of all we can’t hold the city hostage ,because we are not able to strike .2nd of all we have a 401k that’s not the issue raises are Givin off the lowest pay in ur grade : so if starting pay for my grade is 10.oo and i make 12dollars a hour my raise goes off 10.00 dollars .so that comes to 8.00dollars a week .not bad until you take it back by raising my health care . Check the statistics on the amount of road workers killed each year
    .Remember next time your driving through town who’s keeping it clean where your running water comes from oh and when you flush it’s not magic somewhere in town somebody is working for uou

  12. shrek says:

    After 4 years of service I’ve recived the annual raises, this accounts to a total of $73.00 a year. Yes PER YEAR. i now make $282.00 more on year 4 then year 1. Our health care costs have out paced out salary every year, so I now work for less than I did 4 years ago. A new hire makes $.14 per hour less then me, after 4 years of service, numerous schools, training, licenses, and certifications.

    Makes a great opportunity for upper management to ask for a raise!?!?

  13. Sherry says:

    Before complaining about unions and raises for our front line workers. . . let’s remember this outrage:

    And the bureaucrats/upper management/ CEOs just keep getting richer!

    Sure some unions abused their power. . . but “throwing the baby out with the bath water” and demonizing ALL unions has contributed greatly to the complete demise of the middle class. Our workers need to unite in order to regain any kind of influence on the future of their careers.

    And, I really don’t hear anything at all from the Republicans regarding a solution for the stagnation of wages over the past 20+ years. All they want to do is stop the increase in minimum wages, increase tax breaks for businesses and the wealthy, decrease safety and environmental regulations and rely on the tired ole’ theory of “trickle down” economics. . . which is nothing but a big FAILURE!

    Think about it. . . Most unions have been busted! Business taxes have been cut to the bone! Companies have higher profits than ever before. . . yet they are still shipping jobs “off shore” to countries with cheaper labor forces. . . in order to maximize profits even more. This has sent the stock market into record high territory. . . which only benefits the wealthy. There is NO loyalty to American workers!

    How’s that “trickle down” workin’ for ya? Time to wake up and realize that Republican policies only benefit the rich!

  14. Lin says:

    Here’s a couple of ideas
    Nafta sold out the American worker thanks Clinton
    Say no to TPP thanks Obama
    Blame the banks for the housing debacle, maybe but they were forced to lend money to people that couldn’t pay it back.
    Stop releasing the money held by us to Iran so that they can build better bombs to kill us and our allies and double whammy we have to increase our defense military and cyber budget to combat them
    Stop giving foreign aid to our enemies — you can’t buy love — start holding our allies accountable for their under the table support for terrorists
    FAIR trade policies should be negotiated. We should be able to sell our goods overseas without penalties in us.
    Stop illegal immigration which holds down wages and forces our people out of work or taking less $ in wages.
    Fight back through negotiation against currency manipulation of China and Japan

    How’s that workin for ya?

    None of these require unions to get together to fight for wages — think about it. Who are they fighting? If I were privy to the negotiations, I would try to get fair wages to all. In the other hand, here in Flagler/Palm Coast you can’t help but see the non-negotiations that have given undeserved raises to the Supervisor and pay for the Manager. That’s the fault of the Commissioners and our Council some of whom think they deserve raises (they should work for free). Our only recourse is to vote them out.

  15. Geezer says:

    Sherry, as usual you put forth your educated opinion in a masterful way.
    You are a gem, and a polished one at that!

    I wish that I could clone you, and then take credit for saving the world.

  16. screaming Eagle says:

    Right to work means right to get fired and have no rights at all. Pensions are a thing of the past. But when your sewer is backing up in your house call the police and fire. When you have no water coming into your house call police and fire. When you have no power coming into your house call police and fire. Whom do you think fixes that, it sure isn’t police and fire. More wastewater operators and water operators get hit by lightning in Florida than any other job. Who do you think keeps the roads clean for the police and fire to be able to travel on? They say ignorance is Bliss but sometimes ignorance is plain out ignorance.

  17. Barry Hartmann says:

    Yea water , wastewater, and public works are as dangerous as police and fire!

  18. Lin says:

    That’s the thing about unions and political influence
    There is no difference between unions especially a group of unions getting together to further a czndidate’s career via demonstrations votes and contributions and
    A “company” influencing policy

    And all union members are not equal certainly though all can benefit if negotiations go right
    If they go wrong all can go down together?

    Will the assorted unions back each other if one Union gets more salary and benefits than another?
    Will there be a strike if teachers or other groups do not like what is offered?
    What a mess.

    I wish the city would negotiate in good faith and be reasonable. As a worker, there are a few down sides to being a member. Going along with the group politically is mandatory. Or at least it was. Contributions and influence went to those not selected by every rank & file member. A member may do a much better job than the next guy but because if contract will not necessarily be paid more. If a company goes out of business, contributions to the pension negotiated as part of a contract CAN be lost if the pyramid scheme doesn’t have enough present day members to pay retirees – like our social security system spent our contributions and now we are getting screwed. Yes, my family is facing this now and our government offers no protection.
    Membership puts every member in the same boat, sink or swim. It offers no incentive for excelling at your job – sort of like socialism. And don’t get me started on ridiculous work rules, and the deals that are struck between management and the union hierarchy that doesn’t benefit the rank and file.

    In the days of the Shirtwaist factory fire there was a definite need for unions but now? There are lots of rights being talked about, to work, to organize, etc. Yeah sure, but I have a hard time paying it out with a cost of living increase I did not get and a pension cut 80%.

    When I was up north I attended a school board meeting where a man stood up and said he couldn’t afford the crazy high school taxes (school workers were very highly paid there). The school workers in the row in front of us said out loud, “if you don’t like it, move to Florida”. Well, I have moved and I hope I’m not getting string-armed by this new political arm.

    Please don’t take this wrong — I’m not against those who are trying to right wrongs by being strong in the face of a government who isn’t playing fair. But you are employees of the citizens really. Don’t forget that. We have rights too.

  19. confidential says:

    From this Palm Coast taxpayer of over 24 years, also a business owner and semi retired at 70 and older now: fellows without unions you are all slaves!! Do we want to go back to the times of Carnegie?

  20. confidential says:

    And sorry forgot,,,Kudos to Sherry here for telling it like it is!! The extreme conservative agenda is destroying our middle class.

  21. Bill harvey says:

    If you want pay raises you need binding arbitration. Binding arbitration in the PD help me obtain a 75grand pension with free medical for me and my wife until the end , binding arbitration through a state mediator is the way to go

  22. Sherry says:

    Thanks so much Geezer and Confidential.

    Blaming immigrants for stagnant wages is patently unfair! It’s almost like blaming the victim. Think this through. If those highly profitable fruit and vegetable growers, hotels, restaurants, etc. owned by the likes of Donald Trump wanted to pay a “living or even minimum wage” to a US citizen, they certainly could. The FACT is that even Trump admits to hiring illegal immigrants because he. . . and all his billionaire compatriots. . . want to maximize their profits and incomes by paying much less money and NO benefits to ILLEGAL immigrants. If all employers here really complied with the laws, there would be NO jobs for illegal immigrants and therefore they would be much less likely to come here.

    In addition, illegal immigration has greatly slowed in the past 7 years because the INS has been beefed up and more people are deported.

    The TRUTH about sub-prime lenders. . . most were NOT regulated by the CRA. . . this from ocregister.com. . . take the time to read:

    In a Sept. 18 appearance on MSNBC, conservative economist Larry Kudlow said, “The Community Reinvestment Act literally pushed these lenders to make low-income loans. … Liberal, guilt(y) consciences forced banks and lenders to make lousy, substandard loans.”

    And in an Oct. 13 op-ed in The Register, Chapman University President James Doti, an economist, wrote that the law “pressured banks to make loans and mortgages to people who might not be the best credit risk. In fact, Clinton administration Attorney General Janet Reno threatened legal action against banks that didn’t loosen up mortgage requirements.”

    The criticisms of the reinvestment act don’t make sense to Glenn Hayes. He runs Neighborhood Housing Services of Orange County, which works with banks to provide CRA loans to first-time homebuyers. In its 14-year history, the nonprofit has helped 1,200 families buy their first homes. Score so far: No foreclosures and a delinquency rate under 1 percent.

    “It is subprime that’s really causing it,” Hayes said of the mortgage crisis. “But CRA did not force anyone to do subprime.”

    Bob Davis, executive vice president of the American Bankers Association, which lobbies Congress to streamline community reinvestment rules, said “it just isn’t credible” to blame the law CRA for the crisis.

    “Institutions that are subject to CRA – that is, banks and savings associations – were largely not involved in subprime lending,” Davis said. “The bulk of the loans came through a channel that was not subject to CRA.”

    Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act to crack down on “redlining,” the practice by banks of refusing loans to neighborhoods where most residents are minorities or earn low incomes. The law applies to all federally insured banks and thrifts that take deposits. It generally requires banks to help potential customers near their branches, typically by making loans, investing or providing other services such as financial education.

    A companion law, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, requires every large home lender to report annually on every home loan application they receive. (No names or streets are listed.) Those reports feed a database that in turn allows regulators, community activists and others to monitor home lending in virtually every neighborhood in America.

    Beginning in 2004, federal regulators also have required lenders to report on high-priced loans – those with rates at least three percentage points higher than U.S. Treasury notes of comparable maturity. While the mortgage industry defines subprime loans by credit scores, Federal Reserve Board analysts believe that subprime and Alt-A loans fall into their high-priced loan category.

    The Register used that database for its analysis. During the four years covered by our analysis, lenders made 55 million home loans, including 12 million subprime loans.

    In its glory days, subprime lending was a lucrative business that paid six-figure salaries to 20-something salespeople and made fortunes for top execcutives. Nowhere were the riches more evident than in Orange County, home to industry giants New Century, Ameriquest, Argent and Fremont.

    But the money spread far beyond Orange County, thanks to Wall Street’s years-long love affair with subprime. In 2005 and 2006, subprime lenders sold about 70 percent of their loans by dollar volume to investors – principally to finance and insurance companies or by packaging the loans in highly rated securities.

    Fannie and Freddie, the federally sponsored mortgage buyers, were bit players in this market. Together they bought about 3 percent of all subprime loans issued from 2004 through 2007, most of that in 2007 alone.

    In 2007 Wall Street turned its back on subprime. That year, subprime lenders were forced to keep 60 percent of their loans on their own books or on the balance sheets of their affiliates.

    That was the last fatal step in a financial high-wire act.

    Since then, most of the 25 companies that dominated subprime lending between 2004 and 2007 have shut down or been sold at fire-sale prices.

    Just eight of the 25 top subprime lenders were subject to the reinvestment law. But among those eight are two of the summer’s most prominent failures – Washington Mutual and IndyMac Bank. Together with its Long Beach Mortgage subsidiary, WaMu made $74.2 billion in subprime loans. IndyMac specialized in “Alt-A” loans to customers who had good credit but couldn’t qualify for top-drawer loans.

  23. Sherry says:

    The massive gap between the wealthiest citizens and the poorest, and demise of the middle class has become a global disaster. This from CNN Money:

    As for a global middle class, Pew called it more promise than reality. While the middle class has nearly doubled over the decade to 13% in 2011, it still represents a small fraction of the world’s population.

    Related: The rich are paying more in taxes, but not as much as they once were

    To help counter inequality, Oxfam is renewing its call for global leaders to crack down on tax havens, where the rich have socked away $7.6 trillion, the group estimates.

    Other things Oxfam is advocating: pay workers a living wage and protect workers’ right to unionize; end the gender pay gap and promote equal inheritance and land rights for women; minimize the power of big business and lobbyists on governments; shift the tax burden away from labor and consumption and towards wealth and capital gains, and use public spending to tackle inequality.

  24. David S says:

    I worked for many unions in MD years ago I didnt mind paying union dues becouse it kept us strong and it worked for me I dont agree about police and fire being a part of this it is going to cause many problems let the IAFF and the PBA handle it themselves.

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Tomb of Real ‘Gladiator’ Found in Rome

Friday, October 17, 2008

Italian archaeologists have discovered the tomb of the ancient Roman hero said to have inspired the character played by Russell Crowe in the film “Gladiator.”

Daniela Rossi, an archaeologist based in Rome, said the discovery of the monumental marble tomb of Marcus Nonius Macrinus, including a large inscription bearing his name, was “an exceptional find.”

She said it was “the most important ancient Roman monument to come to light for twenty or thirty years.”

The tomb is on the banks of the Tiber near the via Flaminia, north of Rome. Cristiano Ranieri, who led the archeological team at the site, said the tomb had long ago collapsed into the mud but its columns, roof and decorations were intact. Some parts of the tomb had slipped into the river, but had been recovered.

Marcus Nonius Macrinus, born in Brescia in northern Italy, was a general and consul who led military campaigns for Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor from 161 AD to 180 AD.

He became part of the Emperor’s inner circle and one of his favorites, serving as proconsul in Asia.

• Click here for more photos.

• Click here to read the rest of this story at the Times of London.

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See on Scoop.itAugmented, Alternate and Virtual Realities in Higher Education

Transmedia storytelling usually ends up in the shape of alternate reality games, which all-too-often become scheduled, passive on-rales experiences for the user. How can content creators make it more meaningful?

“Well, despite much recent evangelising about transmedia storytelling as a revolutionary and innovative progression, too often these digital manifestations become scheduled, passive, on-rails experiences for the user….The web excels at democratising creation. It does not want to simply be another channel, another delivery system. It wants to be a toolbox, a sandbox and a toybox all rolled into one. So when we think about transmedia and multiplatform, we should also be talking about transexperience and multicontributor. We need to stop creating more closed narratives and finite tales, and instead concentrate on fragmenting the stories we already have into a million pieces and sparking the imaginations of our audiences so they want to put them back together in the way that feels right to them.”

KF:  This closing statement also resonsates with innovative educators embracing student-centredness.  In an educational model that is ast once connectivist and constructionist this same principle applies.  Rather than creating the totality of the content of a unit of study, teachers could look at how they can enable revolutionary and innovative education.  Open up the learning and assessment activities to invit further development and input from the learner; break the cycle of delivery and assessment to allow the same type of fragmentation that Hindcliffe proposes in this article.

See on www.wired.co.uk

One thought on “Transmedia storytelling: what’s the alternative to alternate reality games? (Wired UK)

  1. Pingback: Transmedia storytelling: what’s the alternative to alternate reality … | Richard Kastelein - Creative Technology and building the bridge

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Courtesy of Paul Townsend

The TV landscape is changing. With the advent of digital came the question, “Is this the end of cable television?” Until now, the answer has been no, but the television industry has not been immune to change, as viewers increasingly shift to a range of video on demand services, including Netflix, Comcast Xfinity, and most recently, an unbundled HBO.

As TV adapts to new developments in technology and shifting user preferences, so does the realm of television advertising. TV advertising has been a hot topic in the news recently, with much buzz on the shifting distribution of advertising dollars towards digital and projections about what holds for the industry’s future. In this evolving space, there are a couple key trends to be familiar with.

Downward Trend: Spending

Last month, a Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (CAB) report announced a 6% reduction, or $577 million decrease, in spending in cable TV advertising compared to the previous year. This marks the first time since the 2009-2010 season that advertisers allocated less dollars than the previous year for the “upfront” market, which represents the time of the year when TV networks sell the majority of their advertising in advance for their fall programming. CAB attributed the decline to clients holding onto their ad dollars longer in order to achieve a greater sense of flexibility and align ad spending with immediate business needs.

The negative trend is similarly reflected in spending for February’s upcoming Super Bowl, for which advertising sales has also slowed compared to previous years. According to an NBC exec, marketers are holding back ad budgets and spending much closer to air date, avoiding buys “until they have to.”

Despite the downturn, TV is still the dominant advertising medium, projected by eMarketer to make up 38.1% of total US ad spend in 2014, with digital amounting to 28.2%. But this balance is expected to change come 2018 (and even earlier according to other projections), when digital ad spend will surpass TV ad spend.

Upward Trend: Programmatic

Although overall spend might be decreasing for now, there has been a lot of talk about programmatic TV advertising, or the data-driven automation of TV advertising. Programmatic TV advertising would allow for increased specificity for advertisers, enabling them to reach a more targeted subset of consumers through access to audience data.

Globally, programmatic advertising is on the rise:

In the UK, Channel 4 has announced its plans to launch a programmatic marketplace for its video on demand service, 4oD. The channel will offer advertisers access to viewer data, enabling them to trade ad inventory programmatically. The broadcaster claims to be the first in Europe to offer a programmatic TV marketplace. By 2016, Channel 4 plans to sell more than half of all its ads on 4oD via demographic and interest-based targeting, and even predicts to phase out traditional genre-based ad selling within the next few years.

Australia too is making strides in this space. Multi Channel Network, which sells ads for 70 different cable networks in Australia, plans to launch a programmatic television marketplace across the entire Australian TV business. Broadcasters including MTV, Fox Sports, E!, and Discovery will be harnessing the dual power of technology and data to sell ads.

Will programmatic advertising take over the television advertising industry? Although TV advertising will, in the future, involve a greater level of programmatic, there are mixed feelings about whether this trend will completely dominate. At this point it’s tough to say—less than 1% of TV inventory has been sold programmatically this year. In the US, TV execs have been cautious to adopt programmatic selling, in part because American networks haven’t had much trouble selling ads in the past. With dwindling figures, however, this could very well change.
While the future of TV advertising is not clear at the present, what is apparent is that significant change is taking place. As traditional TV ad spend continues to decrease in favor of digital, we will likely see an increase in attention towards the programmatic marketplace. No doubt 2015 will be a year to watch in this space.


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How important is it to be able to type quickly? Jeff Atwood has said numerous times that programmer must be a good typist. For example, a few weeks ago he said

I can’t take slow typists seriously as programmers. When was the last time you saw a hunt-and-peck pianist?

But programming is not like playing piano.  Programming is more like composing music than performing music. Most composers can play piano well, but some cannot. Read Full Article At – http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2010/12/09/does-typing-speed-matter/

Pages : Follow ankurtwi on Twitter


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Focus on Math

Helping children become mathematicians!

Responding to a FB Post… October 29, 2014

Filed under: General Math — Focus on Math @ 10:40 pm

Screen Shot 2014-10-29 at 10.25.01 PMI just finished posting an opinion to a thread on FB that had this graphic with it. It began here:

Do you know how to do Common Core math? Confusion over the standards has some calling for their removal. NBC’s Rehema Ellis reports tonight.”

One reader had addressed me specifically in that thread, asking for my opinion, but as I responded to her under my personal FB account and not my Focus on Math account, I decided to copy and paste my thoughts here on the blog (and thus to my FoM FB account) so they are officially “on the record”. Here is my post:

Louise Cook, This is about learning to think about numbers deeply. Most adults, if asked to add or subtract two two-digit numbers in their heads, cannot do it. They have to to the “carrying” or “borrowing” formula (on paper usually, or with great difficulty in their heads), and have no alternative ways to think about the numbers. If children are truly exploring numbers regularly it is AMAZING how they learn to manipulate numbers. More importantly, they understand deeply about the number system and why things work the way they do. The true mathematics is not just in memorizing methods that spit out an answer, but understanding the concepts that under lie those methods. Adults may be able to divide fractions (say, divide 1/2 by 3/8 using the “invert and multiply” method, but very, very few understand and can explain WHY they get an answer of 1 1/3. They think it just “magically” appears as an answer, but they don’t know why. I think that moving numbers around in operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing) without understanding why the methods work is like allowing a student to “read” without having any comprehension of what the words said. In fact, is it really reading without comprehension? Part of the problem is that we have been teaching math in the “spit out an answer way” for so long, that we believe it is right just because it feels comfortable. (I will also add that many teachers have been asked to teach for deeper understanding, such as with multiple strategies, without having developed an understanding for themselves. That is rather like trying to teach a foreign language that you don’t speak yourself — a difficult task to say the least. No wonder is does not work!) It was George Polya, a pioneer in problem solving, who said, “better to solve one problem five ways that five problems one way.” (end of that post)

I believe deeply in letting children really think about math, not spitting out a page of fifty numerical problems on a page without a context, ones they are expected to solve in a prescribed manner. If this method was doing such a great job we would have all of Canada and the US loving math and feeling confident about it. Instead, the vast majority of folks will say they hated math, were not (and are not) good at it, etc. Math usually wins as the “least-liked subject in school”. Oh, dear, I am still fired up about this and could go on and on, but it is late and I must stop. I am happy to continue chatting about this.

Mathematically yours,

What’s Important to Have in a Grade 1 Classroom? October 2, 2014

Screen Shot 2014-10-02 at 10.02.55 AMI was recently contacted by a former colleague, Dawn, regarding what manipulatives a grade one classroom might need to have on hand to support effective learning math. It seems a friend of Dawn’s is in a classroom which really has nothing for the children to use for hands-on math learning and they were wondering what was needed.

First off the classroom needs counters — counters in different shapes, sizes, etc. They can be purchased ones (such as mini plastic teddy bears) or ones gathered from home (such as bread tags, but†ons, etc.). But the need to be abundant and available.

Students need a way to count efficiently, especially in tens and ones. Egg cartons cut down to 10 holes, blank 10-frames printed on paper or card stock, or commercially produced 10-frames can all be used. I even like using cookie sheets (non-aluminum) and marking them with coloured tape as a giant 10-frame for use with magnets.

Base 10 blocks are also great for young students. These a generally in the form of small 1 cm cubes for “ones”, sticks for the “tens”, and flats for the “100’s”. I do want to make a critical point here: students may be engaged in a game of trading 10 cubes for a stick, or 10 sticks for a flat with every appearance of understanding the “ten-ness” of our base-10 number system. But be careful here. Student can be following your rule of trading 10 for 1 without that understanding. They might be just as happy to trade 8 for 1 or 12 for 1. The manipulatives give a opportunity for students to develop that important base-10 understanding, but moving blocks around correctly does not necessarily indicate that the understanding has been built in the student’s mind.

I think a grade one classroom needs “pop cubes” (multi-link cubes) — those blocks about 1inch in each dimension that can be attached together. I like to store them sticks of 5. If students need a particular amount for an activity, say 18, we discuss how many sticks each student will need, and then go get them. I also use these in many quick number-sense building activities. If I have students hold up a certain number of blocks, I want them to do so to model a ten frame. If I ask for 9 blocks and a student were to hold up a single stick of 9, I, as the teacher, cannot tell from a distance if the student is holding 8, 9, 10, or 11 blocks. But if he holds up a five stick beside a four stick, I can tell at a glance that he has the correct number. Pop cubes can be used in a multitude of math activities and should be on-hand for regular use.

Another must-have in my book are pattern blocks. They are particularly great for patterning activities for exploring symmetry, not to mention the creativity factor! I love them!

There are a number of things that I think should be in the classroom that are “make-able” such as dot cards, dot plates, printed ten-frames, even printed dominoes (click for more info on these)— all useful in exploring numbers, in building number sense, and  in helping students develop the skill of subtilizing. Students need to SEE the numbers in math, and these materials can help develop that “seeing” in the children.

Of course there are many other things that are fun to have in the math classroom, such as dice, dominoes, blocks, playing cards, geoboards, plastic coins, bingo chips, square tiles, Cuisenaire rods, and two-colour counters, to name a few. But lots of math learning can take place with some thoughtfully crafted lessons and activities and just the basics.

I hope you will focus on the math understanding with whatever materials you have at your disposal!

Mathematically yours,


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Default- Home- helping you + your biz get out there

Tag Archives | Isaac Mizrahi

  • A White Shirt Dress Is So Chic and You Won’t Look Like A Nurse, See LeeLee Sobieski

    LeeLee Sobieski in a long Jil Sander white shirtdress

    I’ll Have What She’s Having: The white clothing fashion trend continues with a dose of celebrity style as Leelee Sobieski wears a fantastic white shirt dress by Jil Sander to The Tribeca Film Festival Raf Simons last few seasons at Jil Sander saw the designer taking cues from Yves Saint Laurent met with Isaac Mizrahi & Bill Blass’ iconic American subversions of classic YSL shapes much like the dramatic, all-white Jil Sander dress actress Leelee Sobieski wore at the Tribeca Film Festival recently. >> How to clean that […]

    ... READ MORE
  • Impromptu Madness with Sharon Haver and Brad Boles- Video Episode 1, Barbie and American Fashion

    Chit chat video… On this show: Sharon and Brad talk housewife to housewife: Barbie, trendsetters, American fashion, and post New York Fashion Week Spring 2011.   >> MORE Impromptu Madne >> LISTEN to Sharon & Brad on blogtalkradio  Sharon Haver is the founder and editor in chief of Brad Boles is the editor at large and also a reappearing cast member and Jill Zarin’s gay husband on The Real Housewives of New York City >> MORE FocusOnStyle videos on Youtube Sharon is […]

    ... READ MORE
  • Isaac Mizrahi- Spring 11 Fashion Show, Enough about Trends, Lets be Pretty

    SS11DLR_NY, Isaac Mizrahi,New York

    Every once in a while we need to cleanse our palette of trends and unneccessary froufrou and get back down to what a woman really wants to be when she gets dressed. For most of us over the age of 20ish, it’s simply to look pretty in a way without unneccessary artifice or pretention.Pretty doesn’t mean boring or dated. It means that you are in control of your look and want ot look stunning for yourself in a timeless and […]

    ... READ MORE
  • Fashion Victim Alert- How NOT to Look Like A Wackadoodle, Freakazoid Fashionista and Get Some Personal Style

    Sharon & Brad's Latest Radio Show: What not to wear and why if you want to avoid falling into the fashion victim trendoid trapNew York Fashion Week has come to a close and with it comes not only some fantastic season for the following season, but the crop of trying too hard trend-addicts who no matter how hard they try, just can't get it right!On this week's Focus on Style- Talk, hosting duo Sharon Haver & Brad Boles discuss what […]

    ... READ MORE


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National Champagne Day – December 31st

Happy National Champagne Day!

Tangerine Champagne, Courtesy:
Tangerine Champagne, Courtesy:

Not only is it New Year’s Eve around the world, but today is also National Champagne Day in the Unites States – how fitting as champagne is often the beverage of choice to ring in the new year.

Here is a Tangerine Champagne recipe to get your new year’s eve started!  Please drink responsibly.

Whipped Topping in Short Supply

I read recently in the Washington post that Americans from the mid-west to New England are facing a shortage of some brands of whipped topping this holiday season.  The shortage is attributed to limited production of nitrous oxide, which is used in keeping and dispensing the canned whipped cream. As distribution of the gas ramps up, it will be delivered first to medical facilities, such as dental offices, where it is used for sedation.  The gas is expected to be widely available again in February.  If you haven’t already stocked up on your whipped topping for the holidays, you night have to enjoy that pecan pie naked (the pie, not you)!

Recipe: Spiced Pecans

Spiced Pecans, Courtesy:
Spiced Pecans, Courtesy:
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. dried ground orange peel
1 pound pecan halves
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp. water
  1. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Mix the salt, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon and orange peel together in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. Place the nuts in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and set over medium heat.
  4. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes until they just start to brown and smell toasted.
  5. Add the butter and stir until it melts.
  6. Add the spice mixture and stir to combine.
  7. Once combined, add both sugars and water, stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the nuts, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
  8. Transfer the nuts to the prepared sheetpan and separate them with a fork or spatula.
  9. Allow the nuts to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container for storage.
  10. Can be stored up to 3 weeks.
Food Mingle Blog Alternatives and Substitutions:
  • Adjust the spices to your liking – it’s better to start with less and add more.
Yield: 1 pound
Source:, Courtesy: Alton Brown

National Bouillabaisse Day – December 14th

Happy National Boullabaisse Day!

Sometimes referred to as Seafood Stew, Bouillabaisse is a classic French dish from southern France, requiring many varieties of fish.  The name bouillabaisse refers to the preparation method. Specifically, the ingredients are not added all at once. The broth is first boiled, then the various types of fish are added one by one, and each time the broth comes to a boil, the heat is lowered. Yes, it requires a time commitment, but it is so worth it!

Here is a great recipe to help you celebrate the day: Bouillabaisse (Seafood Stew)

Bouilliabase, Courtesy: Food Mingle Blog
Bouilliabase, Courtesy: Food Mingle Blog

Recipe: Bacon and Egg Pizza

Bacon and Egg Pizza, Courtesy:
Bacon and Egg Pizza, Courtesy:

With this pizza, any meal can taste like a lazy Sunday morning. Combine your breakfast favorites of bacon and eggs with a pizza crust and mozzarella and you have breakfast for dinner.

2 to 4 Tbsp. cornmeal
1 can (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 oz)
1 cup cooked real bacon pieces (from a jar or package)
1 cup sliced grape tomatoes
3 scallions, chopped
4  eggs
1/4 cup water
4 fresh basil leaves, sliced

  1. Heat oven to 425°F.
  2. Sprinkle 16-inch pizza pan with cornmeal (to prevent dough from sticking to pan).
  3. Unroll dough on pan; starting at center, press out dough to edge of pan, building up edge slightly.
  4. Brush with oil.
  5. Sprinkle cheese over dough; top with bacon, tomatoes and scallions.
  6. In small bowl, beat eggs and water with fork or wire whisk until well mixed; pour over top of other ingredients.
  7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until crust is crisp and eggs are set in center.

Food Mingle Blog Alternatives and Substitutions:

  • Add other vegetables to amp up the flavor, such as broccoli or peppers.

Yield: one 16″ pizza


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Daily Archives: July 26, 2011

Simon Bolivar Tests Don’t Rule Poisoning In or Out

Third Age.com Venezuela
…Jose Antonio Lorente, a forensics expert, of the University of Granada, led the study of DNA samples from Bolivar…

Ministers accused of DNA database U-turn

The Home Office has denied breaking a pledge to delete the DNA profiles of more than a million innocent people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

ISFG Meeting Site

The 24th World Congress of the International Society for Forensic Genetics will be held August 29-September 3, 2011
This year’s meeting will be hosted by the University of Vienna (founded in 1365) Austria

DNA can be taken from suspects at time of arrest, judges say

Pittburgh Tribune Review
A divided federal appeals court ruled on Monday that the government can take DNA samples from people arrested on federal charges before they’re convicted, setting up a likely battle before the Supreme Court.


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2013 Forisk Timber Price Forecast: Framing the Outlook

5 04 2013

This is the fifth in a series related to Forisk’s 2013 forecast of softwood stumpage prices in the United States.

In the 2013 Forisk Forecast published in March, four key themes frame the outlook for the next ten years:

  • Timber price performancehow did timber markets perform in 2012 relative to Forisk’s expectations for 2012?  A detailed self-assessment provides a necessary testing of key assumptions.
  • Capital investment:  where have forest industry firms decided to allocate capital for 2013 and moving forward?  Since timber forecasts are applied locally, capital flows reinforce which states will have the “iron in the ground” to satisfy growing demand.
  • Forest supplies: what have we learned about the relative supplies of pine grade and pulpwood and their actual or perceived impacts on stumpage markets?  In the past two years, we observed an eroding of the price-to-demand response in states that corresponded with excess pine grade inventories.
  • Demographics: how do current demographic trends in the U.S. compare to our historic understanding of how population changes relative to wood demand and housing?  At the end of the day, we must confirm the expectation of fundamental demand for wood products.

In the South, the Forisk Forecast includes state-by-state, year-by-year prices for 11 Southern states for pine sawtimber, chip-n-saw and pulpwood. In the Northwest, the Forisk Forecast includes Douglas-fir and Western Hemlock prices for Oregon and Washington. Select expectations include:

  • Lumber Production: while the U.S. South lost lumber production market share to the Pacific Northwest in 2012 on a relative basis, capital flows continue to indicate that long-term trends for capacity and production will grow faster in the South.
  • Demand from Pulp/Paper, OSB and Bioenergy: by 2023, the pulp/paper sector will account for less than 80% of pulpwood/chips demand, while bioenergy and OSB use 11% and 10% in Forisk’s Base Case.
  • Log Exports: the Pacific Northwest remains the colossus among U.S. regions; the U.S. South managed to nudge its share from 2.5% in 2011 to 2.9% in 2012. (Hold the champagne.)
  • US South, Pine Sawtimber: South-wide prices are forecasted to increase 7% in 2013 and 34% by 2023.  Alabama, Florida and Louisiana lead Southern states across the $30 per ton benchmark in 2014 and 2015 based on state-wide pricing.
  • Pacific Northwest, Douglas-fir: in the Base Case, delivered #2 domestic sawlogs are forecasted to increase 3% in 2013 and 23% in Coastal Oregon and 20% in Washington through 2023.  Oregon average annual prices maintain a $41/MBF spread over Washington.

To learn more about the 2013 Forisk Forecast or Forisk’s market-specific stumpage forecasts tailored to individual wood-using facilities or timberland ownerships, contact Brooks Mendell at bmendell@forisk.com, 770.725.8447.


text:
Help with decade counter

Discussion in 'The Projects Forum' started by CaptainPrice, Oct 23, 2011.

  1. CaptainPrice

    Thread Starter Active Member

    Aug 12, 2009
    So heres what I want:

    When output 1 goes high LED1 goes on.
    When output 2 goes high both LED1 and LED2 goes on.
    When output 3 goes high LED1 & LED2 & LED3 goes on.

    what Im stumped on is that output2 would short with output1 (cause when output2 is hi all other are low (right?)).
    How can I wire this up?

    Thanks. Ive been puzzling with this for hours...
  2. KJ6EAD

    Senior Member

    Apr 30, 2011
    The correct use of steering diodes is the key. Additional diodes are strategically added to balance the voltage drops.

    This is the equivalent circuit function implemented with integrated OR gates instead of discrete diodes.$+3...16+0 w+320+112+320+152+0 w+320+152+320+184+0

    Edit: Sgt.Wookie points out the current budgeting flaw below. I always forget the driver transistors and supply voltage when I'm playing with the Falstad demonstrator.
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2011
  3. SgtWookie

    Jul 17, 2007
    Unfortunately, steering diodes don't work so well with this problem, as the voltage drop across the diodes is cumulative, and the current requirement exceeds the capacity of a 4017 to supply it.

    I came up with a solution using AND gates awhile back... now to track down where I put it...

    Oh yeah, here:

    Bernard came up with this circuit:

    It will work OK if you just have a few LEDs to light and are running from 12v. The ULN2004 has a pretty high input resistance (~10.7k Ohms), but even then after cascading three or so you'll be about out of current to supply the inputs.
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2011
  4. KJ6EAD

    Senior Member

    Apr 30, 2011
    This is more realistic than my previous examples. It's a demonstrator, not a simulator so the component models are simplified and idealized.


text:
Discussion in 'General Electronics Chat' started by praondevou, Aug 16, 2011.

  1. praondevou

    Thread Starter AAC Fanatic!

    Jul 9, 2011
    Has anybody worked with this receiver IC?

    I'm working myself through the datasheet, on page 11 it says something about impedance matching for the antenna and inductors to use. But it doesn't say anything about the Q-factor of these inductors. Or does this not matter that much? Has anyone had any experience in using and configuring this IC? I'm planning to use 433MHz.
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2011
  2. SgtWookie

    Jul 17, 2007
    Well, 68nH and 15nH are very small inductances.

    5 turns of AWG24 magnet wire on a 1/8" drill bit shank with a total coil length of 1/8" will get you right around 68uH, and the Q will be pretty good. But, parasitics of traces leading to the inductor would add significantly to that.

    For the 15nH inductor, about all you'd need would be a short straight length of wire.

    Depending on how many of these you're going to make, you might consider just designing the inductors as traces in the PCB itself.

    You might not have thought about it, but MOSFETs in TO-220 packages have around 7.5nH inductance in each lead; which is one big reason that limits the frequencies at which they can operate.


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Anti Skating adjustment

Hi, I was reading a response to a thread concerning anti skating adjustment. I was hoping someone could give me some advise. I just recently purchased a retipped Monster Cable Genesis 1000MkII while I send my Sigmas Genesis 2000MkII for a new stylus. Anyway, when lowering the new cartridge down on a protractor the cantilever deflects left. I have checked and recheck table balance and azimuth in the horizontal plane. All appears ok. The antiskating seems not to affect the deflection while lowering the cartridge onto the protractor. I have adjust antiskating with the Cardas "balancing plateau" track as well as a Hi Fi News test record. The antiskating adjustment does impact the tonearm movement when rotating a record but not when just lowering the cartridge onto the protractor. When lowering onto a record the deflection is still there but less noticable.
The retipping appears to maybe have affected the compliance of the cartridge. My turntable is an extensively modified AR ES-1 with all of George Merrill mods with an delrin/acrylic clamp and aluminum periphery ring, the tonearm is an Audioquest PT-9.
So when the anti skate is set to 0 you still get some deflection?
The anti-skating will always cause the cantilever to deflect when lowered statically. Adjust the anti-skate for minimum L/R deflection when lowered on a spinning record.
First make sure your arm wiring is not putting any torque on the arm. Check for this by setting the balance to neutral with no anti-skate and blow on the catridge to check for up & down and lateral freedom of movement. If all is well, and you still have deflection with minimum anti-skate, then your re-tipped catridge may have bad rubber damping or possible bad retip geometry.
Thanks Oldears! I totally agree and suspect that either the suspension (piano wire tension) has somehow been affected or the damper material is causing it. Soundsmith retipped the cartridge with a ruby cantilever just recently from the original diamond coated boron type. The length of the cantilever appears a little longer than the original and the compliance seems to be higher, although if just the cantilever/stylus was changed, I would think that the suspension would not have been affected. The A/S does appear to work correctly when spinning a "flat" track like the Cardas record. I will recheck again. I never really gave this much attention to all this until this cartridge came along.
Should one make VTF, overhang, zeneth, and azimuth alignments with no A/S then after all is setup then adjust A/S? Then adjust A/S (or bias)with either a test record (which checks for distortion only at 300Hz) or as Soundsmith recommends by listening to a mono track and adjusting for least or equal bleed through on the "empty" channel? In the past I would set VTF and A/S the same (as Jelco/Audioquest recommends) then set physical orientation and then recheck VTF after that? The last adjustment would be VTA.
Yep, I just rechecked the bias with no VTF (balanced) and the A/S dial set to 0 produces no horizontal movement when "blowing" straight down on the headshell from above. Just a slight amount movement on the dial does start to move the tonearm away from the spindle. I set the VTF at 1.7grams with digital gauge and with A/S dial at zero there is still deflection easily seen. The sylus tip geometry is correct or at least looks straight down and vertical in relationship with the cantilever. It has to be the suspension!! I just bought this cartridge on Audiogon from an owner who had the retip service conducted by Soundsmith just recently. I would think that Peter at Soundsmith would check the suspension on arrival and before shipment out. I can't see how one would damage the suspension (previous owner) and not break the ruby cantilever. Oh loss!
Imho abd experience the antiskating force is if not the same a little bit less than the vtf.

As the Vta the perfect way to get it right is begining from a standard point (arm paralel to the platter) and move up and down. With the A/S vegining from the vtf number and increase or decrease simply listening.

Forget to use the non-groove vinyl procedure because it is not right. It simply doesn't work
My anti skate force is about 1/10th of my VTF.

There is not a single "correct" anti-skate force. It is always an approximation that gives "better" performance given a constantly changing set of variables. Yes, listening is the best way to set anti-skate force, but it isn't the most helpful advice.

There are many "tricks" to help best determine this approximation. My personal favorite is steady the cartridge near the outer edge of a blank CD-R (similar to the blank LP method). I believe this is the method suggested by both Peter Ledermann and Frank Schroder (but my espresso hasn't kicked in, so my memory may be foggy).
Correcting an error in an earlier post, VTA is set with the top surface of the cartridge parallel to the platter.

Not the tonearm.

1-. This cdr test is not valid because the skating force is applyed to the grooves, if you hae no grooves you have no information about skating force. Another reason is that for example SME arms always go to the center with this cdr test even if you add all the antiskating force to te arm.

2-. Probably it depends on the cartridge/arm relation BUT imho with all the cartridges i have had the a/s force was really really near to the vtf value. I think when this value is not near the vtf probably the problem is in the arm (age), the azimuth adjustment, etc...

I talked to Peter today concerning the cartridge and he is willing to look at it again with a new RA#. Don't know how this occurred, but the suspension or dampers seems to be the problem. I don't know enough about the internal construction of this cartridge but it should be very similar to the ZYX cartridges today since Nakatsuka-san built them. I have heard that he does not use any rubber dampers and that age should not be an issue, but I'm not sure. What this has brought up though is the Anti-skating factor. I think we all should check our tonearms with balancing for zero VTF and setting A/S to zero to ensure that there is no residual side movement of the tonearm. I always set the VTF and A/S the same as Jelco/Audioquest recommends for the PT-9. With the VTF and A/S set at say 1.5 grams (minimum tracking force for this cartridge) there is a substantial side movement toward the edge of platter. I still think that the flat surface tracks for antiskating on the Cardas and HiFi News records in the center of the LP is a good starting point, then either a bias track of some old Shure test records, or Peter's recommendation for equal crosstalk of the silent track while playing a mono track between channels is a good method. I do think that A/S should not be the same as VTF and much lower.
Not valid? If you say so.

But, back to the OP, you be better off consulting a tonearm designer and a cartridge manufacturer than an audio forum on anti-skate. You'll get 11 opinions from 10 members.
It seems that too many of you get over excited about Anti-Skate. It is not nearly as important...or even important at all. Simply add a very tiny bit of anti-skate if it makes you feel less nervous. The force that one corrects with anti-skate is constantly changing with distance the cartridge is from the spindle, the angle of the cartridge relative to the groove, the loudness of that particular area of the record, the lightly or heavily scoring of that particular area of the record, and I'm sure other factors as well. There are those that also say that anti-skate mechanisms themselves can adversly affect tonearm performance, and that they should be disabled.

Regarding Yesfan's cartridge...send it back to be rechecked/repaired. Personally, I would only accept perfection.
Dear Pojuojuo,
I recently did some internet research on this subject. Most mathematical calculations of AS show that the force applied needs to be but a fraction of the VTF, in agreement with what Nrenter says. If you found otherwise with your cartridge in your tonearm, other factors may be at play. For one thing, you might want to check that your tonearm mounting board is level and plane parallel to the surface of the platter.

However, in my house, in my system, I do find there is some benefit to applying some low amount of AS. Usually I just set AS to the bare minimum above zero and forget it thereafter.
Thanks for your inputs...

The fact is that as I said with ALL the SME models if you play a non groove vinyl always the arm goes to the center of the spindle so this cdr test is not valid, even it is not a clue. I also said that a/s force is added into the grooves and if you have no grooves you can't evaluate anything, this is the reason of the a/s tracks in some vinyls like Hifi news test record I have.

As Stringreen said before a/s is constantly changing but you should try to get the best sound possible, at least in my system if I change the a/s force I lose everything
Hi Pojuojuo, I agree with what Lew stated. But to have some
tangible orientation I use the Image HIFI test record with
tracking ability test. With 70 mu without any buzz from the
R. channel I am complete satisfy and this is in accordance
with an advice from Van den Hul from years ago.

Pojuojuo, I agree with you, a test LP with no grooves cannot generate any skating force that is like the skating force we are trying to cancel. Skating force is due to friction between the stylus tip and the groove walls, which is why it is a moving target (variable) throughout the course of playing an LP. No groove, no skating force. So, we all agree on that.
Lewm might agree with himself, but he now needs to explain how a non-adjusted cartridge/tonearm can skate across the surface of an ungrooved record. If he doesn't believe this he can try it. He needs to acquaint himself with the physics of frictional forces and the intracacies of vector algebra to avoid making totally incorrect statements like this. Note that my observation does not necessarily promote the use of ungrooved records to set the optimum anti-skating force.
Regards, Maclogan: It's called centripetal force, a concept that's been around almost since that famous event when the apple clonked Mr. Newton on the head. The engagement of the stylus in the groove contributes to additional friction, sometimes simple phenomena (or simple minds like mine) don't need to be distracted by algebraic formulas for comprehension. Otherwise I agree, we'd all do well to get our facts right.

Personal approach is to listen for the "phantom center channel", or when the stylus is equally involved with both sides of the groove. My stylus, records and ears thank me for doing so, it's much less wearing on all of them.

Have fun & seasons greetings.

Anti skate can be set by ear. Find a record with some vocals and some decent dynamics. Then set the force to zero. This works best with someone helping you, but you can do it yourself if you're patient.

Listen to the right channel and you should hear it almost lower in dynamic volume than the left (a bit recessed). Slowly turn the tracking force up, I mean very slowly a wee bit at a time. Eventually you should start to hear the right channel coming up and getting closer to what the left channel is producing dynamically. Then as you get higher you should hear both channels sounding more dynamic and just better and better. Move the anti-skate up very slowly now.

At last you will hear a fairly dramatic drop off in the quality of both channels. You have now gone a wee bit too far. Back it off a notch and you have optomized your anti-skate.

Dear Maclogan, I really don't know what you are talking about. The fact that the cartridge seeks the spindle on a rotating ungrooved LP does not in any way disprove my statement that it is not a good idea to set anti-skate using an ungrooved LP. The skating force is due first and foremost to groove friction (acting in concert with the lack of tangency between the cantilever and the groove). If you don't have grooves, you don't have the skating force that we are interested in canceling. I did not say that there is NO force, just not skating force. On a smooth surface there is still some friction between the vinyl and the stylus tip, and the tip/cantilever are still not perfectly perpendicular to the radius of the LP (what I meant by "tangent"), so yes, there is a centripetal force present. But no groove walls. So, what's the problem? (In fact, skating force is also a centripetal force, just different in magnitude from what you get when there are no grooves, which is my whole point.)

I would not wish to misinform anyone, so if someone sees an error in what I wrote, I am more than happy to acknowledge that and glad to be corrected, if you can convince me.
The skating force that acts on a stylus to cause the arm to swing towards the spindle is generated by the friction between stylus and record. It acts along an axis which is tangent to the curve at the point where the stylus meets the record.

If there is no groove, then that simply means the amount and nature of the friction force is different depending on the stylus profile and how much, or how little, it digs into the blank record surface.

In other words the stylus will skate if there is VTF and the arm has overhang, unless something stops it.

The point to remember is that the stylus is stopped from skating by the inner groove, not constrained by the outer

When playing an LP, with enough VTF the stylus will stay in the groove, but there will still be unequal downforce on each channel. With antiskate applied, these forces can be equalised. That"s the way it is.

There is always a skating force. Depending on arm length and stylus, it will usually be from 10 to 30 % of VTF. The force varies across the record, so it might change from say 20 to 30 % of VTF from outer to inner groove in the case of a 9" arm.

If, with particular set ups, users prefer not to use antiskate, then they presumably feel the trade off is worth it. This doesn't mean there is no skating force.

The centripetal force In terms of the arm, which is the rotating part in this context, not the cartridge, would be that acting from stylus to arm pivot in reaction to its opposite component which is supplied by the friction on the stylus. The remaining component of that friction force acts to rotate the arm, and is the skating force we all know and love...
Hence, with a sensitive higher end cartridge you should be able to hear a difference as skating force is removed and applied, and you can optomize it by ear (as I stated above), which is all that really matters anyway regardless of the math.

Dropping a stylus on a grooveless record is not optomizing anything with regards to the music and what you hear, and can actually be worse than using no anti-skating at all (per the info above).
Agreed. I do it by ear. With no AS at all, I hear a dominance of the R channel output and some distortion in that channel. I add AS to the point where the image seems to centralize and the distortion disappears. That endpoint usually requires only very little in the way of AS.
Lewm, do you mean dominance in the left channel with no AS? Skating force is towards the centre, inner wall of groove (left channel). AS provides a force towards the outer groove wall (right channel).
There is an interesting take on setting AS here: Guru setup method
Tobes, I was reporting what I actually did hear. But you have reminded me that on the day I made that observation, the tonearm leads may have been crossed. I just read the Vacuum State reference you kindly provided. What I hear is not quite like what they describe but the endpoint is the same. The sad message from Vacuum State is that one needs to be fiddling with AS all the time for all LPs, if the sweet spot is as elusive as they say it is.
I haven't tried all the 'guru' setup tips - and I definitely don't adjust VTA with the precision suggested in the article - but I found the antiskate adjustment method useful.
I've found it important to adjust antiskate and azimuth in an iterative manner. As I dial in azimuth I find I can reduce antiskate and the soundspace becomes bigger, more cohesive and the music more compelling and alive. Very small adjustments to azimuth make a difference IME (or perhaps that's due to the stylus shape I'm using?).
I sent the cartridge with the suspected suspension problem to Peter at Soundsmith. I have verified no problems with turntable or tonearm by mounting different cartridges and they don't exhibit any problems. My original post was concerning antiskating and it's possible effect with this cartridges weird cantilever deflection when applying VTF.
Peter said that he can't duplicate the problem but it's definitely got one!
I just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone involved with this thread.

Because of the controversy I revisited my AS setup on my SME V and am very glad that I did! As others have stated, your ear and taste is the final arbiter.

For the last few hours I've been fiddling with my VTF, AS and the damper on the SME V and am more than pleased with the results! A good afternoon's work with my reference vinyl!

Cheers from sunny London!

I would email Audiofool and get his opinion...he knows what is the best thing for everyone.
Not true soundsreally.

But I know a lot more than you.

So anytime you want to go one on one for cash anything analog, you let me know. You don't have the balls.

But if you decide to play, bring your checkbook.


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Belden vs Canare

Getting ready to try and build some component video cables. Am considering Belden 1694A or Canare L-5CFB.
Going to use Canare RCA connectors unless there is something better.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

I think the Belden has a slight edge.

Belden copper center conductor is 18 AWG
Canare copper center conductor is 25 AWG

Insulator of Belden is HD Polyethylene
Insulator of Canare is foam Polyethylene

Capacitance (per foot) of Belden is 16 PF
Capacitance (per foot) of Canare is 17 PF

Belden is 3% higher propagation of signal transfer according to tests.

Bottom line, both are excellent and will work. Likely you would never know the difference. Considering the Belden is usually cheaper and holds up better under temperature extremes, I think it's the winner.

I choose the Belden for my system and have all my video and DirecTV runs done with Belden 1694 or better.
I would go with the beldan. Make sure your connectors are same material as the wire. Use good silver solder.
I had Rf in the signal path and Canare solved the problem.


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Is Qsonix out of business?

I have been attempting to get a simple question answered about my Qsonix 205. No email responses. Today I called; telephone numbers disconnected. I had (the past) presidents cel phone number from past discussions. I called and he told me he had been gone from Qsonix for a year and had no idea what was happening there.

Scary stuff...
Scary stuff perhaps, but not surprising. Qsonix gear became obsolete practically the day the iPad was released. Their claim-to-fame was the user interface they developed, but because the ipad is so much better (mpad app) interest in Qsonix declined quickly. When I sold mine I almost had to give it away - no one was interested. Such is life in the world of digital (and Apple).

BTW, I replced my Qsonix with a bryston BDP1 and iPad - it sounds much better, is totally silent and, for playback, more practical to use. The Bryston doesn't offer zones, but I used a separate DAC and did not use the Qsonix for that purpose.
Yes it is. See the thread Meridian Sooloos vs Qsonix below for more information.
I am a Qsonix dealer, and I can assist you. The company will most likely be back they have been having a rough time lately.

The good thing is that a tech savy person can service the system.

The Qsonix hardware is really excellent, and we sold numerous units that have always worked well.

Please feel free to contact me.

Qsonix came up with a fantastic Ipad app, and the second generation 205 product has a terrific digital output designed by Wadia.

I would agree that the first generation product was lacking but the 205 is an excellent product, I don't know anyone who actually bought a Qsonix and used the Analog outputs, most Qsonix were purchased as digital transports and with the upsampling set to 192K the sound was fantastic.
Audiooracle how do I contact you or the qsonix technician?
Hi , I am shocked today to find this out today ,I purchased my qsonix 205 for Doron Ben Zvy June 2012, I called wadia they could not help, diconnected phone at concearn is if I need any info and support. I made need and to get all of my Music on something other than Qsonix any help or who can I call . would be great thanks .
A really good local electronics repair shop recently repaired my Qsonix. Lots of common parts in the 205 according to the tech. He put in a new CD drive for $89 including installation! Let me know if anyone wants his contact info.
Bummer. I had a feeling they were in trouble as I was not getting any response to my service inquiries. I have the 205 and need a drive. Anyone know a reputable service shop in Colorado.
Hi I may have access to get you a hard drive with the Qsonix software if you still need it
Hello hgproaudio, I have a Q110 and a Q205 that need repair. If you could send me the info on your repair guy, I will buy you a nice dinner through PayPal.
Hey Lookatch, the last post was for you.....I need a repair on my Q110 and Q205. Please send repair guy info and I'll send you dinner money through PayPal.
Hgproaudio, if you know if a repair guy for the Q110 and Q205 the offer stands for whomever sends info first.Once confirmed dinner is on me.

hello, does anyone have access to fixing Qsonix units?

Please give us a call, we have experience with them.

Audio Doctor
877 428 2873