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Iolanthe Cast

The Principals

Scott Benson – The Lord Chancellor

Twenty-six short years ago, Scott auditioned to be in Patience with the GSVLOC because they rehearsed near his house. Several years ago, he moved. How kind the GSVLOC was to accommodate him by moving its rehearsal space to less than a mile from his new home! Scott has come to a point in his on-stage career where he’s actually close to the age of the characters he’s played since he was fourteen, when he played the town drunk. By day, Scott is a lawyer and can confirm that “the law is the true embodiment of everything that’s excellent.” Scott served on the Minneapolis City Council from 2002 until 2009, but he had few opportunities to give away wards of chancery in that position, so it grew tiresome. Scott finally married in 2015, and even had music from Gilbert & Sullivan at the wedding … which seemed fitting given that he was marrying his comic foil from the 1990 production of Patience. (In hindsight, the title of the show takes on special significance.)

Deb Haas – The Fairy Queen

Cast as a pirate (and understudy to Ruth) in The Pirates of Penzance at the tender age of twelve (her voice was lower than most of the males her age), Deb Haas was bitten by the G&S bug too early to deny its siren song. With “cat-like tread” she sought opportunities to express her inner battle-axe and was rewarded with the role of Katisha in the Saint Olaf College production of The Mikado. The die was cast and Deb spent the following years pursuing her noble ambition, portraying spinsterish longing and desperation on stages from Oxford University, England, to Minneapolis, to Houston, Texas and back to Minnesota. This is her seventh show with the GSVLOC (you’ll also find her in cast photos from 1993 to 1996 and 2013 to 2014) and her first time sporting wings on stage.

Eric Sargent – Strephon

Eric is ecstatic to be playing Strephon! This is his first production with the GSVLOC. He has performed in the past at Minnetonka High School, Oberlin College & Conservatory, the Chameleon Theatre Circle, Theatre 301, and the Old Log Theatre. His past credits include: Don Quixote (Man of La Mancha), Brad Majors (The Rocky Horror Show), the Childcatcher (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Bobby Strong (Urinetown), Carl Olson (Street Scene), and Rambaldo (La Rondine). Some upcoming roles include: Fyedka (Fiddler on the Roof) with Bloomington Artistry (Formerly BCT), in April to May, and Johnny Cash (Million Dollar Quartet) at the Old Log Theatre, June 2016 to February 2017. Eric would like to thank his incredible family for their support and love.

Sarah Wind Richens – Phyllis

Sarah has been performing with the GSVLOC since 2004. Her past roles include Lady Psyche in Princess Ida, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Princess Nekaya in Utopia, Limited, Patience in Patience, and Julia Jellicoe in The Grand Duke. She has also performed with GSVLOC and the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra at the Lake Harriet Bandshell as Rose Maybud in Ruddigore, Peep-Bo in The Mikado, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore. Sarah has now made it through a full cycle of the G&S operettas, as Iolanthe was her very first GSVLOC show. She misses being a fairy as she was the first time she did the show, but also appreciates the fact that Phyllis gets to spend all her time with the men.

Waldyn Benbenek – Lord Mountararat

Waldyn has been doing this for a really long time. His children believe he came ashore with the Pilgrims singing patter songs. In fact, he did spend much of his youth memorizing Gilbert & Sullivan, though his parents refer to those as the “lost years,” and his siblings refuse to talk about it. He managed to suppress his tendency to “patter-chorus” during his younger theatrical life. Upon arriving in the Twin Cities during the second half of the 20th century, he discerned the signals of an underground subculture with operetta tendencies. They met secretly in a Kenwood basement to form the GSVLOC. Over the decades, Waldyn has served the company in many capacities, and played in many roles, mostly scoundrels and father figures. He has also appeared around town with many fly-by-night companies in several questionable venues. His secret identity is mild mannered computer programmer and husband of Dr. Mary Mescher Benbenek. They have three children who went through a traumatic period when they learned that to “sing choruses in public” is not normal.

Lara Trujillo – Iolanthe

Lara’s first experience on the stage was performing in G&S productions in her hometown of Colorado Springs, with her mother. She continued to do so until the day she learned that there were other composers too! More recently, Lara has appeared in My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, at the Ordway Center, River Road Boogie: The Augie Garcia Story and J.D. Steele’s Snapshots: Life in the City, at the History Theater, HAIR, at The Pantages, as well as in productions with Theater Latte Da, New Breath Productions, Teatro del Pueblo, Lyric Arts Main Street Stage, Bloomington Civic Theater (Artistry) and Mu Performing Arts. Some of her favorite roles include The Witch in Into the Woods, Anita in West Side Story and Eva Peron in Evita. Lara recently co-authored and appeared in a production of Theater: A Sacred Passage, with Rick Shiomi’s newly founded Full Circle Theater Company, for which she also serves as an Advisory Council member. Lara performs regularly with Minnesota Opera and will appear this summer in Mill City Opera’s production of Sweeney Todd. This is Lara’s seventh appearance with the GSVLOC, having performed previously as Iolanthe, in the company’s 2004 production, Katisha in The Mikado, Phoebe Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard, Lady Sophy in Utopia, Limited, Lady Sangazure in The Sorcerer and Mad Margaret in Ruddigore. She has also performed with the GSVLOC and the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra at the Lake Harriet Bandshell, appearing as Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore, Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance and Katisha in The Mikado. Lara is immensely grateful to her husband, Stephen, and to her family and friends who continually offer her their love, support, and encouragement.

Eric Mellum – Lord Tolloller

This noble peer is excited to be back onstage with the GSVLOC after a short sabbatical. Eric has been paired with leading ladies of various ranks in several GSVLOC productions (Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore, Luiz in The Gondoliers, The Duke in Patience, Ernest Dummkopf in The Grand Duke, and Prince Hilarion in Princess Ida), and also in several Lake Harriet concerts. Since he was last seen on the GSVLOC stage, Eric met and married his real life leading lady, his lovely wife Jennifer. Oh rapture! With the Minnesota Opera chorus for the past seventeen seasons, he has occupied a noble station as a messenger, guard, soldier, donkey, courtier (both umbrella-wielding and otherwise), as Pump Guy 2 in the world premiere of The Grapes of Wrath, as The Condemned Guardian in The Handmaid’s Tale, and a soccer-playing Scottish fighter in the world premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Silent Night. Other credits include roles with Skylark Opera, Mill City Opera, New Breath Productions, Ashland Productions, Rochester Aria Group, Minnesota Orchestra and Colorado Opera Festival. He is grateful for the opportunity to perform again with such a talented cast (both noble and lowly-born).

Mackenzie Leavenworth – Celia

Mackenzie is thrilled to be making her GSVLOC debut in Iolanthe. Born and raised in Northern New Jersey, she studied Classical Languages and Art History at Hamilton College. Favorite roles include Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld, Cunegonde in Candide, Celia in Iolanthe, and Laurie in Oklahoma! She also enjoys occasionally dressing up in her left shark costume, working on her night cheese and inserting obscure pop culture references into each of her biographies. Many thanks to Joe and Randy for this opportunity, and much love to her NJ, MN, FH and HC families!

Ryan Johnson – Private Willis

For his third production with the GSVLOC, Ryan prepared for the role of Private Willis by answering, “I’m pretty sure I do” to everyone asking if he gets to wear “that big hat” British sentries wear while on guard. This is technically his fourth time performing with the company: first as Dick Deadeye in H.M.S. Pinafore, second as the court Usher in Trial By Jury, and third in the choir for a performance of The Events by David Grieg. When not improvising shaman rituals on The Guthrie Proscenium stage, Ryan’s work has also involved arranging hip hop for glockenspiel with the Cromulent Shakespeare Company, singing madrigals with the Elizabethan Syngers, and being an incredibly efficient gopher for Cirque Du Soleil. Oh, and he also directs middle school choir and resides in Saint Paul with his ravishing wife, Emily.

Sarah Mehle – Leila

Sarah is tremendously thrilled to be making her debut with this delightful company! Sarah’s love for Gilbert & Sullivan was sparked as a child, when she discovered a lovely trio of dusty VHS tapes in her parents’ basement (which included the much beloved Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, and … wait for it … Iolanthe!). This love only grew as Sarah began to perform, most recently as Angelina in Trial by Jury. She enjoys the opportunity to play a humorous role, providing a nice contrast to her bloody insanity as Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor. She has also appeared as Gretel in Hansel & Gretel, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, and Gianetta in L’Elisir D’Amore. Sarah is an unashamed lover of her cat, Toulouse, and her boyfriend’s dog, Oliver … DO YOU WANT TO SEE SOME PICTURES ON MY PHONE!?

Krin McMillen – Fleta

Krin is delighted to make her GSVLOC debut in this production of Iolanthe. She recently completed her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at Bethel University. Past roles include Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Maria in Westside Story, Louisa in The Sound of Music, and others. Krin has also been seen over the past four years onstage at Valleyfair Amusement Park, where she has performed as a magician’s assistant, a children’s show host, a dancing zombie, a singing skeleton, various Peanuts characters, and more! In her spare time, Krin sings soprano in the Minnesota Chorale and eats lots of Chipotle burritos. She now works as the Seasonal Manager of Entertainment and choreographer for Valleyfair Entertainment.

The Chorus

Joe Allen

This is Joe’s third spring production with the GSVLOC, and the first of which he can proudly claim as a company member! As an ardent enthusiast of metaphysics, aesthetics, kinesthetics and mind, Joe strives to be a jack-of-all-trades and his passions pull him in many different directions. Theatrical endeavours this past year include: producing and directing Girlhood at Mixed Blood Theatre as a part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival; dancing and acting onstage at the Ordway in Minnesota Opera’s Carmen; and singing onstage at the Guthrie as a guest chorister with the GSVLOC in The Events. Joe is most fulfilled lending his body, soul, voice and mind to the creative process. Joe graduated from Hamline University in 2012 with his Bachelor of Arts’ Degrees in Theatre Arts and Philosophy, where he also fulfilled all the coursework for a K-12 Theatre Arts Education licensure. During the day, Joe is the Office Manager and Training Assistant for Orion Associates, where he continues to juggle hats and learn new skills. His other interests include video and tabletop gaming; reading books, articles, and journals (distopian sci-fi, high-fantasy, philosophy, and academia); all aforementioned performative pursuits; robust conversation/debate; and good beer.

Mary Mescher Benbenek

Mary has been in the GSLVOC, well, for a long time, so plays the part of an ageless fairy (Okay, not so much) with renewed determination. This is her third production of Iolanthe with the GSVLOC in which she displays her limited skill as a pseudo-ballerina on a raked stage. So far, she has managed not to tumble off, but you never know! She is sharing the role of ageless fairy this year with Julia Knopf. Mary is married to the similarly ageless peer, Lord Mountararat, Waldyn Benbenek.

Tom Berg

By day, Tom teaches constitutional law and intellectual property law as a professor at the University of Saint Thomas School of Law. Like many other lawyers over the decades, he has an affinity for the absurdly logical mind of the failed barrister W.S. Gilbert. Tom’s thirst for attention has been unquenched by performing in front of students in the classroom, and he joined the GSVLOC in 2008, appearing since then in several full productions and summer concerts, including turns as Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore, Pish Tush in The Mikado, the Notary in The Grand Duke, and Samuel in The Pirates of Penzance. He is married to Maureen Kane Berg, who he met in the cast of a student musical comedy production in law school. He and Maureen co-directed an all-lawyer comedy troupe, the Public Offenders, in Chicago; he co-composed the music for Maureen’s musical comedy, Got It Made, which has had runs in the Twin Cities and across the country; and their new musical in progress (with another collaborator), A House Divided, has just finished a series of staged readings in the Twin Cities. Their other major collaborative productions are two sons, Brendan and Aidan.

Jim Brooks

Jim has had the pleasure and privilege of performing with the GSLVOC chorus for the past twenty-three years. Jim has performed in all of the Gilbert & Sullivan collaborations (He is still hoping for a restaging of the lost operetta Thespis). When not doing G&S, Jim is the director of the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers and choreographs and calls square and contra dances in the Twin Cities. He is also a professor at Concordia University – Saint Paul in the College of Education and Science. Jim’s wife Judy and daughter Julia have been faithful followers of the GSVLOC. They tolerate Jim’s intense rehearsal schedule each year, but always bring friends and acquaintances to enjoy the shows.

Maggie Burr

Maggie is very happy to be in her first GSVLOC production! She received her Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance at Oakland University in Michigan, and moved to Minneapolis to study with Barbara Kierig at the University of Minnesota. Since then, she has performed with Skylark Opera (La Rondine), the Guthrie (A Christmas Carol), and Minnesota Opera (Doubt). She sings with Mindekirken Church as the soprano section leader, and is a voice teacher at Brooklyn Center High School.

Maia Carnicom

This is Maia’s third show with the GSVLOC, and it may very well be her favorite yet! In the past, Maia has been involved in high school and community theatre in her childhood hometown of Hutchinson. Some favorite shows she has been a part of are Gilligan’s Island: the Musical, Fiddler on the Roof, and Hello, Dolly! If she ever has free time (ha!), she likes to play video games, sing about Alexander Hamilton, cuddle with her six month old son, Emory, and relax with her husband Stephen when she can.

Clyde Gerber

Clyde is excited to be performing in his third GSVLOC show, having previously appeared in 2012’s Patience and 2014’s The Grand Duke. In his spare time he can be spotted on the trails of Mendota Heights with his wife Nancy and their two dogs, Stella and Guthrie.

Alexander Gerchak

Alexander is an actor and director in the Twin Cities area, and is excited to take part in his second production with the GSVLOC! Alexander doesn’t care to talk about himself too much.

Taylor Ann Grand

Taylor Ann is elated to be joining the GSVLOC for the first time in their production of Iolanthe! With an early Waldorf elementary school education, she finds portraying a fairy to be reminiscent of her childhood activities as well as quite an exceptional ensemble experience! Taylor received her Bachelor of Music in performance and vocal music education from Concordia College of Moorhead, where she sang in the opera program as well as with the Concordia Choir for three years. She has since enjoyed pursuing opera performance with programs including Spotlight on Opera in Austin, Texas, AIMS in Graz, Austria and the Amalfi Coast Festival in Maiori Italy. Some roles she has really enjoyed singing include Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Sarah in The Ballad of Baby Doe and the scene of Olympia in The Tales of Hoffman. Aside from singing, Taylor enjoys teaching private violin lessons to young students, serving in two fast-paced restaurants and in her spare time can be found immersed in her love of sunsets, nature, horses, fairy tales, music (of course) and all the beauty life has to offer!

Mary Gregory

When Mary was seven or eight, she remembers walking home from school in late February when the sun shone on the snow piled by the side of the road. Looking at the melting snowdrifts, she saw the crystal courts of the Fairies. Now, how delightful to be able to join the imaginary fairy courts on stage with music and dance! The score for Iolanthe is filled with beautiful melodies and harmonies, and Mary is happy to be with her friends at the GSVLOC for another fun operetta. This is her third time performing Iolanthe with the GSVLOC, proving the fairy statement that “the fairies never grow old” … not so long as we stay young at heart! (Mary still looks for the fairies in the snowbanks and forest!) “Every child can remember laying his head in the grass, staring into the infinitesimal forest and seeing it grow populous with fairy armies.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Stephen Hage

Stephen’s lifelong passion for Gilbert & Sullivan began in the eighth grade, when he was cast as Sir Joseph Porter in his middle school’s production of H.M.S. Pinafore and it has carried him through the years to this staging of Iolanthe … his thirty-sixth appearance in a G&S production … but then, who’s counting!? In addition to appearing on stage, Stephen also serves as the GSVLOC’s Producer. In addition to performing with the GSVLOC, Stephen has appeared with Bloomington Civic Theater (Artistry) and performs regularly as a supernumerary with Minnesota Opera, most recently as a concert pianist in this past fall’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos. He enjoys the opportunities that performing in the opera affords him … to carry spears, to flirt with or rough up world famous sopranos … usually in different operas … and to be killed in battle … sometimes several times in the same opera! By day, Stephen is responsible for Human Resources for the Orion Associates organization of companies, which he does with a wonderful staff of Human Resources professionals, all the while enjoying far too many cups of coffee. Stephen dedicates this, and all that he does, to his delightful daughters, Lyndsay, Madeleine and Maya … to his sweet son, Liam … and to his lovely and loving wife, Lara.

Andrew “A.J.” Herman

A.J. is thrilled to be making his debut with the GSVLOC. He was recently been seen in productions of One Man, Two Guvnors and Assassins with Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, Tennessee. On top of singing, he also loves playing cello and bass. He would love to thank his family for their constant love and support, and his wonderful girlfriend, Katie, for whom he wouldn’t know what to do without.

Shawn Holt

Iolanthe is Shawn’s tenth show with the GSVLOC. She enjoys being a fairy of seventeen, but finds tripping hither and thither rather difficult, what with all the hopping involved. You’ll see her knitting vine nets onstage which she crocheted in real life. As a member of the Fairy Party she is actively campaigning to get more Fairies into Parliament. In her real life, Shawn lives in Shoreview with her husband Phil, daughter Amanda, and cat Shadow. She thanks you for coming and hopes you enjoy the show.

Kaitlin Klemencic

Kaitlin is thrilled to be making her GSVLOC debut and to take the stage with such a delightful group of people. Originally a cheesehead (go Pack), she earned her B.F.A in Theatre Arts and Secondary Education degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University. After graduation, she moved to New York City for a few years, but upon realizing she missed the open space of the Midwest, moved back this past November. She resides in Saint Paul and works as a nanny. Infinite amounts of love and thanks to family, friends, Pat and to the GSVLOC for this great opportunity. This is for you, Grandpa.

Julia Knoll

Julia is thrilled to be “tripping hither, tripping thither” with the GSVOC again. Her love of G&S was born while singing patter songs with her dad on long road trips. Previous roles with GSVLOC include chorus member in Trial by Jury, The Grand Duke and The Yeomen of the Guard, Lady Angela in Patience, Ruth in Ruddigore, and singing the part of Pitti-Sing in the summer concert performance of The Mikado. Julia has performed in various other musical theater productions with Morris Park Players, Chameleon Theatre, and the Northfield Arts Guild. When she isn’t “singing choruses in public,” she works for the History of Science and Technology program at the University of Minnesota.

Jerry Kurek

This is Jerry’s first show with the GSVLOC … and first opera to boot! When not engaging his manliness with the rest of the Peers, he makes 1-shot, no-froth, extra-hot lattes for busy bankers at a Caribou Coffee. In 2014, he graduated from Ripon College with majors in Theatre and English. Since then, he has taken on roles such as Hero in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Hans Brinker in Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates. He also filmed and produced several promotional videos for manufacturing companies during this interim. His favorite part of the show is getting flung into the air by fellow cast member David Peichel. He has never felt safer in the arms of another man.

Maddy LaRoche

Maddy is so happy to be working with the GSVLOC for the first time! Iolanthe is very near and dear to her heart as it was the first G&S show she ever sang back in a high school summer program! Maddy got her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from The Theatre School at DePaul University. While in Chicago, she worked with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Emerald City Theatre Company, Big Noise Theatre Company and Drury Lane Theatre. Her favorite roles include Evelyn Nesbitt in Ragtime, Natalie in Next to Normal and Mary Tilford in The Children’s Hour. This spring she will be appearing as Chava in Bloomington Civic Theatre’s production of Fiddler on the Roof!

Dean Laurance

Dean has been singing on and off in the chorus since 1979. He hasn’t been on stage for the past two years, but the lure of Iolanthe, his favorite G & S show, brought him back this year to perform in it for the fourth time.

Holly MacDonald

“Oh, to be seventeen again!” Oh wait she is! (At least for a couple of hours on stage.) As a long-time GSVLOC member, this is Holly’s third time performing as a fairy in Iolanthe. But it is the first time she is performing the show with her husband of five years, John Orbison and they hope to live happily ever after in fairyland.

Anna Maher

Anna is delighted to take the stage in her first official show with the GSVLOC. She also performed in the Lake Harriet concert edition of H.M.S. Pinafore last summer (where she was known as the Girl Who Crashed Her Vespa the night before the show and had to perform with a large bandage on her knee), and also tagged along when members of the GSVLOC chorus were selected to sing with The Events at the Guthrie last fall. She can also be seen performing with Minnesota Chorale, and Garden of Song Opera. Anna recently became a Level I Sommelier, which is fancy-shmancy speak for “knows a lot about wine, and takes great pleasure in talking your ears off about the topic,” and her apartment is currently strewn with thousand-page books, color-coded maps, and flashcards with words like “phylloxera,” and “méthode champenoise.” She also really, really likes beer. Really. It’s totally possible to like both, you know.

John Orbison

It’s been ten years since John made the first stage appearance of his life, after being drafted without audition, thanks to his sister Jean, GSVLOC Assistant Music Director, into the chorus of Princess Ida. This marks his eleventh GSVLOC show, nearly completing the cycle. A shout out to his kids, Tom and Ann, whose clay he moistened with infant food (mostly Gerber) at one time, but who are now more than five-and-twenty. The greatest of his many blessings is marriage to his priceless treasure, GSVLOC alto Holly MacDonald.

Eric Pasternack

In real life, Eric is a peripatetic petrophysicist rapidly approaching retirement. Nobody knows what a petrophysicist is, so he does other more recognizable things for fun, such as singing the second tenor part in the GSVLOC chorus and doing whatever the director tells him to do on stage. Eric’s first G&S experience was in 1963 as Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard. Despite that auspicious start, he stayed off the stage for thirty years before joining the chorus of the (late) Texas Gilbert & Sullivan Company from 1994 to 1998. He joined the GSVLOC in 2000 after moving to the great state of Minnesota. (Note for the curious: a petrophysicist evaluates data from oil and gas wells in order to determine how much oil and gas is really down there. Now you know).

David Peichel

Dave is thrilled and honored to be a part of his second GSVLOC production! He grew up on a pig farm in south central Minnesota where real men don’t sing in public and admitting interest in the opera is social suicide. As a child, Dave developed many bad singing habits listening to the AM radio oldies station while driving the tractor on the farm. During the day, he plays the part of a dedicated and donut-loving engineer at Medtronic, and by night sings with Randy and the choir at the First Universalist Church and the Medtronic Metronomes. Before hanging out with peers and fairies, Dave has been in the chorus of The Events at the Guthrie, last year’s GSVLOC production of H.M.S. Pinafore, and the Southwest Theatre’s production of Annie. His vocal practice is largely tolerated by his wife, Marnie, and occasionally joined by his kids, Luke, Andrew, and Neela.

Richard Rames

Richard enjoys “singing choruses in public” and has appeared in the chorus of almost every performance of the GSVLOC at the Howard Conn Fine Arts Center since the first production of Patience in 1980. He also sings regularly in other groups, including the Saint Mark’s Cathedral Choral Society and the Heinrich Schütz Winetasting Homeschool, as well as singing along with his player piano. This is his fourth production of Iolanthe.

Nicole Riebe

Nicole has had a wonderful time during her first production with the GSVLOC! After graduating with a Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from the University of Colorado – Boulder, she worked overseas for a few years until she met and followed her soon-to-be (and current) husband to Minnesota. It took a few years to get her feet back on the ground after a whirlwind of life changes, but she started performing again last year in a few shows, including a Rodgers & Hammerstein Revue, Wizard of Oz with Faith Community Theatre, and Phantom with Artistry. By day, she works as a Student Exchange Program Coordinator for a nonprofit organization, where she enjoys working with students, families, schools, and various communities to expand their global understanding. She would like to thank her husband for his full support, her family for inspiring her to continue performing, and God for this wonderful opportunity.

Sarah Shervey

Ever since Sarah was a young girl, it was her dream to run around in a tutu and be a princess … or a fairy … or a fairy princess. Now she finally has her chance to be fairy royalty! Sarah is honored to make her debut with GSVLOC in the fairy ensemble and as the Fairy Queen understudy. You may have recently seen Sarah in Philly The Musical (Sexy Blonde), Eagan Summer Theater’s Beauty and the Beast (Belle), Minnesota Jewish Theater Company’s The Last Five Years (Cathy), Park Theater Company’s The Forger’s Apprentice (Carmen), and Eat Street Players’ A New Brain (Waitress / Nancy D). Sarah is excited to be challenged by this incredible show, and to work with this extremely talented cast and production staff! Enjoy the Show!

Rhea Sullivan

Rhea, no know relation to Sir Arthur Sullivan, actually married into the Sullivan name over a quarter century ago. She found a Sullivan in the GSVLOC (Steve) in 1982 and snapped him up as quickly as possible (1984). She and Steve have two children with the surname of Sullivan, one a G&S-ophile (Brianna May – Assistant Stage Manager for this production) and one a G&S-ophobe (Jack Frederick – who is named for Jack Point and Frederic, but who stays as far away from the stage as possible). This marks Rhea’s thirty-fourth year with the company and her third production of Iolanthe.

Felix Aguilar Tomlinson

If he had to describe himself in three key phrases, Felix would choose “Home-cleaner,” “Hufflepuff,” and “very excited to be returning to the GSVLOC’s main stage at Howard Conn!” This will be his third show with the company, having been a member of the chorus in The Grand Duke and performed as the ruffianly cad of a Defendant in their Minnesota Fringe Festival production of Trial by Jury this summer. Outside the G&S Realm, he has performed with a number of companies over the past couple of years, including Theatre in the Round Players, Youth Performance Company, and Gadfly’s Final Frontier: Horror Festival. He studies with tenor Dennis Petersen at the MacPhail Center for Music and is currently in the midst of the chaotic college audition process. Upcoming projects include music directing 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for the Young Artists’ Council at YPC, playing the Usciere di Corte in the Really Spicy Opera Company’s production of Rigoletto, and a post-Yar rewatch of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Seth Tychon

Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe or The Peer and the Peri is Seth’s first production with the GSVLOC. In fact, it is his very first production in the Twin Cities. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse this past December with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance and Cultural Anthropology. He was very eager to jump on the opportunity to perform in this fantastic show. Previous credits from his last five years in La Crosse include Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Prince Eric), Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Caliban) Catch Me If You Can (Frank Abignale Jr.), Les Miserables (Enjolras), A Streetcar Named Desire (Harold Mitchell), A Christmas Carol (Ebenezer Scrooge), Little Shop of Horrors (The Dentist), Rumors (Leonard Ganz), and many others. As a side note, Seth would also like to point out that Sarah Shervey is his fiancee and they are to be married October 8th of this year. He cannot think of anyone who he’d rather share the stage with in his very first production in the Twin Cities! Phos Zoe!

Brooke Wahlstrom

Brooke, a recent graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University, is pleased to join the cast of Iolanthe in her first GSVLOC production. She has been seen performing at PBA as a member and soloist in the Concert Choir, Oratorio Chorus, Early Music Ensemble and the Opera Workshop scenes, in which she sang her favorite role to date as Adele in Die Fledermaus. Aside from the theater, Brooke can be found enjoying a perfect cup of tea, sending snail mail to friends or in the kitchen baking sweet treats.

Jake Wellington

Fifteen years ago, a young boy’s family was murdered and his siblings sold into slavery, never to be seen again. Having lost everything, the boy would spend his days crawling through the dirty underbelly of the city, despair plaguing his heart. Soon the once-frightening rats, scurrying about the musky alleyways, became his family in his new home. One day he heard a sound. It echoed through the labyrinth of sewage that served as tainted veins to the city. At first it was only an echo, but once he had found the source it became an obsession … the Grand Opera House. Although his clothes were plain and his pockets empty, his heart was now full of life. The performers took pity on the wide eyed urchin, who stared at them through the cracks in the floor, and tutored him in the ways of music. After some years the Artistic Director came to meet him. The young man was so nervous that he started to sing … and sing… and sing. He performed entire operas from heart, note for note and word for word, dancing skillfully from meaty baritones to flighty sopranos. A long silence fell, and two words were uttered: “You’re in.” Jacob Wellington was not this boy. Nevertheless, there’s always a hint of truth in fiction.

Holly Windle

Unable to resist the opportunity to sing this beautiful music, Holly returns to the chorus as the oldest fairy – thirty-five years after having sung the part of Leila in the GSVLOC’s first production of Iolanthe in 1981. Other local acting includes work with Theatre in the Round, Gadfly, DayTrippers Dinner Theatre, and doing Crisis Intervention Training with the Barbara Schneider Foundation. Her writing projects include a couple of biographies and more than 125 approved limericks for the Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form. Her lyrics can be heard in this production in the Fairy Queen’s second verse of “Oh, Foolish Fay.”


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Gender Talk

In Gender Talk, several people spoke about gender non-conformity and shared details about their identities or personal experiences. One student talked about the struggle of being both gay and hispanic. He said that being gay and non-gender-conforming in a machista culture is very difficult because of the very strict gender roles and expectations imposed by this culture. Since only a certain definition of masculinity is considered as acceptable, all men are supposed and expected to conform to specific gender norms. The performer said that he feels like he is stretched between the two identities (latino and gay) because they are conflicting and incompatible. Another performer talked about being bigender and not really fitting into any gender category. The performer said that she/he lets people refer to her/him as a girl because it’s simpler and others probably wouldn’t understand that her/his gender identity is continuously shifting. While there are days where she/he identifies as a female and “likes her breast”, other days she/he just feels like a man. That’s why she/he said that having “detachable penis” would be the perfect solution.

The last performer talked about his mother’s reaction to his sexuality and gender identity. He identifies as a gay man, but his mother keeps asking him if he actually “wants to be a woman” because he has taken part in drag performances and dressed up as a woman for Halloween and other occasions. What I found interesting is that his mother told him that it would be easier for her if he wanted to be a woman, because that would be something that she would have less trouble understanding. What she finds confusing then is the fact that the way he performs his gender doesn’t conform to the “normal” idea of masculinity and somehow challenges the gender divide. It made me think of what another performer had said about boys not being allowed to play with dolls and dress up like princesses. Not conforming to specific gender norms means having your whole gender identity questioned.

I went to the event with a friend that is not really familiar with the issues concerning gender identity, and at the end of the night she told me that she thought it was a really interesting experience and that she was now aware of her cis privilege (she didn’t use the word privilege of course, but that was pretty much the feeling behind what she told me). I wondered then if having more events like this could be an effective way to educate on these matters, because having people share their own personal experiences can have a very great impact. However, one of the performers said that sometimes he gets really tired of having to educate others, and I completely understand that needing to explain and justify your whole identity and existence must be really frustrating (to say the least). What should be done, then, to spread more awareness on these matters?

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Both the antennas can be lowered down to reduce the size during the storage or tansportation...

The safety remote control antenna mounted on the left hull.

Regarding the safety I've already written this in the communication software description:

The safety is a very important issue for an autonomous vehicle, both for its integrity and for the human health. A special attention has been applied on every board software to prevent "blind travel". On each board the internal watchdog system or something similar, has been used to keep the board in a safe state if the communication with other boards is lost for any reason. The startup condition for all the boards is designed to have motors halted until a higher level order arrives.

The transmitting counterpart of the receiver is a small, key-chain style, transmitter. Once more it's realized with standard and simple devices. A PT2260 encoder IC is the pair component of the decoder inside the receiver. An HPR315 Surface Acoustic Wave resonator generates the 315MHz carrier frequency needed to wirelessly connect the circuits, and allowing a communication range that looks much more than the described 20m, even with walls in between.

The receiver board contains the Radio Frequency part, the decoder circuit and the power driver. The decoder is a common PT2272 IC. It is not a very sophisticated decoder but the number of possible codes consents a security level much more higher than a standard Yale key-lock. The code is modifiable by soldering the pads on the bottom side of the PCB to high or low rails. Pay attention to have the same code in both TX and RX boards.

The power circuit is realized with two robust relays (one for each channel) both provided with normally-open and normally-closed contacts.

updated on 02-11-2013

Safety Remote Control

What about, in fact, if some software module goes crazy or some communication between different boards fails? And what about an hardware module (H-bridge or encoder for example) keep the power at maximum levels to one or more motors? Are all the automatic fault detection systems enough? If not it could be difficult to run behind the rover trying to push the hardware switch off button.

The simplest way, without reinventing the wheel, to remotely control an electric circuit, is a remote door opener. A very cheap and efficient two channel control.

Let's take a look inside. opening both the TX and RX boxes, we can easily understand the circuits, that both use some common components.

The RF subsystem is a super-regenerative receiver. This simple circuit, just two active devices, is a very sensitive receiver but with a lack of selectivity. This characteristic is not so important in this case because the reliability is achieved by the digital decoder filtering.
The detected signal is amplified by a LM358 double operational amplifier before being entered into the decoder.

Maybe I'm too anxious but I prefer to have full control on my rover. An emergency, autonomous system, with a dedicated communication channel, able to completely switch off the Low Level Supervisor, and therefore all the electronics inside the rover, can calm my anxiety and add a good level of safety to the whole robot.

Pressing for some seconds the B button a soft switch-off is performed, in the same way as the green button do. The red A button is for the high emergencies, immediate, hardware switch-off (as well as the red button).
The SW switch-off drives both LLS and HLS to a graceful shutdown without the risks of file system corruption. The HW switch off could be less safe on the file corruption point of view but safer for possible hard damages in case of faults.

The board installed on the robot below the rear-left H-bridge.

...or even completely removed.


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About Me

Humara Naam Humari Personality ko suit karta hai”

I wear my heart on my Sleeve.I cannot hold back my emotions, for good or for bad.

It has to be clear how I feel in each moment.

Termed ‘Extrovert’ in all my Report Cards(whether School,college,office..) & now that i have started enjoying the ‘STATUS’….I am Proud of it!

Professionally a Fixed Income Analyst,where I am supposed to give my views is no different then dis blog…..

So,I am here to make sound about my experiences with a pinch of Gunjan Masala !

Hope You all Enjoy!

Looking Forward for ur Feedback!!


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- 20%

Cabochon Earrings at Pat’s Findings

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    Pat’s Findings@gypsyspoonful.com

$10.00 $8.00

1 in stock

Shipping Included

 Pats findings at Gypsy Spoonful. Com

                                                                        Polished gold and green cabochon earrings on a silver backing plate.

French style earwires are 925 silver.

This style of  earrings, Cabochon, make it’s mark on your style in a range of colors. So versatile, integrating effortlessly into your existing elements in fun and colorful shades playing up the visual impact the earrings are  making.

Additionally,  earrings are  stylishgracefultastefulsophisticatedclassic, and chic.

Besides being fashionable, this set is graciousbeautifullovelycharmingartistic, splendid, exquisite, magnificent, luxurious, and divine.

Additionally earrings are so versatile,  they are suitable for everyday wear.

Due to the fact that bead cap is silver filigree, please keep earrings dry.

You will find this precious set of earrings at Pat’s Findings.

I make earrings, bracelets, necklaces or zipper pulls. Hypoallergenic jewelry can be made, if you have a nickel allergy. I will make orders to your wants or needs Please just ask. I am a widow, mother and grandmother. I am a retired Registered Nurse, so this leaves me time to enjoy my love of crafting.

Refund Policy

See Cancellation/Return/Exchange Policies.

Cancellation / Return / Exchange Policy

Returns & exchanges I gladly accept returns and exchanges Contact me within: 5 days of delivery Ship items back within: 30 days of delivery I don't accept cancellations But please contact me if you have any problems with your order. The following items can't be returned or exchanged Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for: Custom or personalized orders Perishable products (like food or flowers) Digital downloads Intimate items (for health/hygiene reasons) Returns and exchange details 5 days. Please contact me first.

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SVG & colors in OpenType fonts

Sample of a colorfont

Until recently having more than one color in a glyph of a vector font was technically not possible. Getting a polychrome letter required multiplying the content for every color. Like it happened with many other techniques before, it took some time for digital type to overcome the constraints of the old technique. When printing with wood or lead type the limitation to one color per glyph is inherent (if you don’t count random gradients). More than one color per letter required separate fonts for the differently colored parts and a new print run for every color. This has been done beautifully and pictures of some magnificent examples are available online. Using overprinting the impression of three colors can be achieved with just two colors.

Overprinting colors
Simulation of two overprinting colors resulting in a third.

Digital font formats kept the limitation to one ‘surface’ per glyph. There can be several outlines in a glyph but when the font is used to set type the assigned color applies to all outlines. Analog to letterpress the content needs to be doubled and superimposed to have more than one color per glyph. Multiplying does not sound like an elegant solution and it is a constant source of errors.

It took some emojis until the demand for multi-colored fonts was big enough to develop additional tables to store this information within OpenType fonts. As of this writing there are several different ways to implement this. Adam Twardoch compares all proposed solutions in great detail on the FontLab blog.

To me the Adobe/Mozilla way looks the most intriguing.

Upon its proposal it was discussed by a W3C community group and published as a stable document. The basic idea is to store the colored glyphs as svgs in the OpenType font. Of course this depends on the complexity of your typeface but svgs should usually result in a smaller file size than pngs. With the development of high resolution screens vectors also seem to be a better solution than pixels. The possibility to animate the svgs is an interesting addition and will surely be used in interesting (and very annoying) ways. BLING BLING.

I am not a font technician or a web developer just very curious about this new developments. There might be other ways but this is how I managed to build colorful OpenType fonts.

In order to make your own you will need a font editor. There are several options like RoboFont and Glyphs (both Mac only), FontLab and the free FontForge. RoboFont is the editor of my choice, since it is highly customizable and you can build your own extensions with python. In a new font I added as many new layers as the amount of colors I wanted to have in the final font. Either draw in the separate layers right away or just copy the outlines into the respective layer after you’ve drawn them in the foreground layer. With the very handy Layer Preview extension you can preview all Layers overlapping. You can also just increase the size of the thumbnails in the font window. At some point they will show all layers. Adjust the colors to your liking in the Inspector since they are used for the preview.

RoboFont Inspector
Define the colors you want to see in the Layer Preview
A separated letter
Layer preview
The outlines of the separate layers and their combination

When you are done drawing your outlines you will need to safe a ufo for every layer / color. I used a little python script to safe them in the same place as the main file:

f = CurrentFont()
path = f.path
for layer in f.layerOrder:
newFont = RFont()
for g in f:
    orig = g.getLayer(layer)
    newFont[].width = orig.width
    newFont[].update() = = layer = path[:-4] +"_%s" % layer +".ufo")
print "Done Splitting"

Once I had all my separate ufos I loaded them into TransType from FontLab. Just drop your ufos in the main window and select the ones you want to combine. In the Effect menu click ‘Overlay Fonts …’. You get a preview window where you can assign a rgba value for each ufo and then hit OK. Select the newly added font in the collection and export it as OpenType (ttf). You will get a folder with all colorfont versions.

The preview of your colorfont in TransType.

In case you don’t want to use TransType you might have a look at the very powerful RoboFont extension by Jens Kutílek called RoboChrome. You will need a separate version of your base-glyph for every color, which can also be done with a scipt if you have all of your outlines in layers.

f = CurrentFont()
selection = f.selection
for l, layer in enumerate(f.layerOrder):
for g in selection:
    char = f[g]
    name = g + ".layer%d" % l
    f[name].width = f[g].width
    l_glyph = f[g].getLayer(layer)
    f[name].mark = (.2, .2, .2, .2)
print "Done with the Devision"
For RoboChrome you will need to split your glyph into several.

You can also modify the svg table of a compiled font or insert your own if it does not have any yet. To do so I used the very helpful fonttools by Just van Rossum. Just generate a otf or ttf with the font editor of your choice. Open the Terminal and type ttx if you are on Mac OS and have fonttools installed. Drop the font file in the Terminal window and hit return. Fonttools will convert your font into an xml (YourFontName.ttx) in the same folder. This file can then be opened, modified and recompiled into a otf or ttf.

This can be quite helpful to streamline the svg compiled by a program and therefore reduce the file size. I rewrote the svg of a 1.6mb font to get it down to 980kb. Using it as a webfont that makes quite a difference. If you want to add your own svg table and font that does not have any yet you might read a bit about the required header information. The endGlyphID and startGlyphID for the glyph you want to supply with svg data can be found in the <GlyphOrder> Table.

<svgDoc endGlyphID="18" startGlyphID="18">

<svgDoc endGlyphID="19" startGlyphID="19">...</svgDoc>
<svgDoc endGlyphID="20" startGlyphID="20">...</svgDoc>

One thing to keep in mind is the two different coordinate systems. Contrary to a digital font svg has a y-down axis. So you either have to draw in the negative space or you draw reversed and then mirror everything with:

Y-axis comparison
While typefaces usually have a y-up axis SVG uses y-down.

Now if you really want to pimp your fonts you should add some unnecessary animation to annoy everybody. Just insert it between the opening and closing tags of whatever you want to modify. Here is an example of a circle changing its fill-opacity from zero to 100% over a duration of 500ms in a loop.

<animate    attributeName="fill-opacity"

Technically these fonts should work in any application that works with otfs or ttfs. But as of this writing only Firefox shows the svg. If the rendering is not supported the application will just use the regular glyph outlines as a fallback. So if you have your font(s) ready it’s time to write some css and html to test and display them on a website.

The @font-face

@font-face {
font-family: "Colors-Yes"; /* reference name */
src: url('./fonts/Name_of_your_font.ttf');
font-weight: 400; /* or whatever applies */
font-style: normal; /* or whatever applies */
text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; /* maybe */

The basic css

.color_font { font-family: "Colors-Yes"; }

Shiny polychromatic text

As of this writing (October 2014) the format is supported by Firefox (26+) only. Since this was initiated by Adobe and Mozilla there might be a broader support in the future.

While using svg has the advantage of reasonably small files and the content does not have to be multiplied it brings one major drawback. Since the colors are ‘hard-coded’ into the font there is no possibility to access them with css. Hopefully this might change with the implementation of a <COLR/CPAL> table.

There is a bug that keeps animations from being played in Firefox 32. While animations are rendered in the current version (33) this might change for obvious reasons.

Depending how you establish your svg table it might blow up and result in fairly big files. Be aware of that in case you use them to render the most crucial content of your websites.

Links, Credits & Thanks

Thanks Erik, Frederik, Just and Tal for making great tools!

About Johannes Lang

I am a graphic and type designer working in Vienna (Austria). I am also part-time teaching typography at the university of applied arts Vienna. I like paper objects and riding my bicycle.

More articles by Johannes Lang…

About Robert Nyman [Editor emeritus]

Technical Evangelist & Editor of Mozilla Hacks. Gives talks & blogs about HTML5, JavaScript & the Open Web. Robert is a strong believer in HTML5 and the Open Web and has been working since 1999 with Front End development for the web - in Sweden and in New York City. He regularly also blogs at and loves to travel and meet people.

More articles by Robert Nyman [Editor emeritus]…


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Meta 2 AR Headset with Firefox

One of the biggest challenges in developing immersive WebVR experiences today is that immersion takes you away from your developer tools. With Meta’s new augmented reality headset, you can work on and experience WebVR content today without ever taking a headset on or off, or connecting developer tools to a remote device. Our friends at Meta have just released their Meta 2 developer kit and it works right out of the box with the latest 64-bit Firefox for Windows.

The Meta 2 is a tethered augmented reality headset with six degrees of freedom (6DOF). Unlike existing 3D mobile experiences like Google Cardboard, the Meta 2 can track both your orientation (three degrees of freedom) and your position (another three degrees). This means that not only can you look at 3D content, you can also move towards and around it. (3+3 = 6DOF).

In the video above, talented Mozilla engineer Kip Gilbert is editing the NYC Snowglobe demo with the A-Frame inspector on his desktop. After he edits the project, he just lifts his head up to see the rendered 3D scene in the air in front of him.  Haven’t tried A-Frame yet? It’s the easiest way for web developers to build interactive 3D apps on the web. Best of all, Kip didn’t have to rewrite the snowglobe demo to support AR. It just works! Meta’s transparent visor combined with Firefox enables this kind of seamless 3D development.

The Meta 2 is stereoscopic and also has a 90-degree field of view, creating a more immersive experience on par with a traditional VR headset. However, because of the see-through visor, you are not isolated from the real world. The Meta 2 attaches to your existing desktop or laptop computer, letting you work at your desk without obstructing your view, then just look up to see virtual windows and objects floating around you.

In this next video, Kip is browsing a Sketchfab gallery. When he sees a model he likes he can simply look up to see the model live in his office. Thanks to the translucent visor optics, anything colored black in the original 3D scene automatically becomes transparent in the Meta 2 headset.

Meta 2 is designed for engineers and other professionals who need to both work at a computer and interact with high performance visualizations like building schematics or a detailed 3D model of a new airplane. Because the Meta 2 is tethered it can use the powerful GPU in your desktop or laptop computer to render high definition 3D content.

Currently, the Meta team has released Steam VR support and is working to add support for hands as controllers. We will be working with the Meta engineers to transform their native hand gestures into Javascript events that you can interact with in code. This will let you build fully interactive high performance 3D apps right from the comfort of your desktop browser. We are also using this platform to help us develop and test proposed extensions for AR devices to the existing WebVR specification.

You can get your own Meta 2 developer kit and headset on the Meta website. WebVR is supported in the latest release version of FireFox for Windows, with other platforms coming soon.

About Josh Marinacci

I am an author, researcher, and recovering engineer. Formerly on the Swing Team at Sun, the webOS team at Palm, and Nokia Research. I spread the word of good user experiences. I live in sunny Eugene Oregon with my wife and genius Lego builder child.

More articles by Josh Marinacci…


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Opendi Stadtbranchenbuch
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Haines City, FL Business Pages

There are 764 listings and reviews for Haines City, FL.
16 listings have additional information, such as opening hours and company descriptions.

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  1. Florida
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Construction Large Project Manager

Apply for this job

Our client a leading construction company in Norwich are seeking a Project Manager to join their team to work on ongoing and upcoming projects. They provide design, partnered construction and project management services for private and public sector clients on projects ranging from £50 to over £50 million.

As the Project Manager you will be responsible for a Team of Site Managers – reporting to a Contracts Manager. You will be responsible for the Build, Health & Safety and Processes for the Client.

– Responsible for Build including managing Management, Health & Safety and Finance

– Ensuring project is delivered safely through effective planning & use of method and risk assessments

– Ensure that the programme deadlines are achieved and monitored throughout the course of the build

– Liaising with Commercial Team and Manage and maintain the project budgetary requirements

– Main point of contact for Client, Sub-Contractors and Public.

– Managing completion and the handover to the client

– Ensure that all works are carried out to the highest…

If you are experienced and looking to be apart of exciting new projects then please apply with CV

Hales Group Ltd collects and keeps information from applicants, so that we can monitor our recruitment process, ensure compliance with the Equal Opportunities policy, and when appropriate send you details of future job opportunities. We keep your name and address, and details of your application. If you do not want us to do this please contact your local branch.

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Monthly Archives: June 2016

Stream Fudge’s ‘In My Shoes’ (Featuring Alex Mali) for Free

Fudge, the duo of Prefuse 73 and Michael Christmas, have shared a free stream of ‘In My Shoes’, featuring Alex Mali.

The duo is expected to release their debut album later this year. Title and date TBA.

Braids Unveil New EP

Braids have unveiled their new EP Companion, the follow-up to their Polaris Prize short-listed album Deep in the Iris.

They composed the four tracks in August 2015. Fans will have a chance to pick up the EP on their current tour;

07.15 – Pemberton Festival – Pemberton, BC

07.22 – Wayhome Festival – Oro-Medonte, ON

07.23 – Calgary Folk Festival – Calgary, AL

07.27 – Casa Del Popolo – Montreal, ON

07.28 – Casa Del Popolo – Montreal, ON

And check out the videos for ‘Companion’ and ‘Joni’;

Stream or Download Sannhet’s ‘Short Life’ for Free

Brooklyn metal trio Sannhet have shared a free stream/download of ‘Short Life’ via Adult Swim’s 2016 Singles Program.

To download the track, head here.

‘Short Life’ is the first track the band recorded after the release of their album Revisionist.

Stream Club cheval’s ‘Discipline’ (Louis The Child Remix) for Free

Club cheval have shared a free stream of production outfit Louis the King’s remix of their track ‘Discipline’ and unveiled the dates of their upcoming tour of Europe and North America;

 European Tour Dates:
7/9 –  Lisbon, PT @ Nos Alive festival
7/16 – Biarritz, FR @ Big Festival
7/17 – Dour, BE @ Dour Festival
North American Tour Dates:
7/21 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
7/23 – Brooklyn, NY @ House of Yes
7/27 – Washington D.C. @ U Street Music Hall
7/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ Coda
7/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lot 613
7/30 – San Francisco, CA @ Mezzanine

Stream Lily Elise’s ‘Let Me Down’ (Featuring MADE IN LA) for Free

“‘Let Me Down’ is about wishing a dude would stop stringing me along and just cut it off. If guys would just let me know when they weren’t feeling it, I wouldn’t have to think about them anymore or wonder what I did wrong and life would be breezy,” Bay Area artist Lily Elise said in an e-mail.
Elise is joined by MADE IN LA on the track.
If her voice sounds familiar, it’s because she’s been featured on tracks with  Dillon Francis, Twin Shadow, Felix Cartal, Frenship and more. ‘I Don’t Know Why’, from her EP OLIVER, a chronicle of a failed relationship, reached #14 on Spotify’s Viral Charts.
Stream the track for free below;
Elise is currently singing duets with Don Henley.

Stream Phantogram’s ‘You Don’t Get Me High Anymore’ for Free

Phantogram has shared a free stream of their new single ‘You Don’t Get Me High Anymore’.

Stream or Download Clark’s ‘Mirage Trooper’ for Free

Clark has shared a free stream/download of ‘Mirage Trooper’ via Adult Swim’s 2016 Singles Program.

To download the track, click on the embedded Soundcloud file.

This follows the release of D∆WN‘s ‘Serpentine Fire’, also available for free stream/download;


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A Sophisticated Safe Haven

I was in the hospital a few weeks ago with a severe case of tonsillitis (not fun) and was admitted to the Southern General Hospital in the South West of Glasgow. I did not see much when I first entered the building but when I was released to go home the next day I wondered about the place and it was HUGE, with 900 beds throughout the hospital.The design and manufacture process of the buildings took approximately eight months to complete. It resembled a shopping centre, it was quite amazing. Here are some pictures I took of the interior and exterior.


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Roof Installation in Chipita Park, Colorado

Is it time to replace your Chipita Park roof? Are you getting water seepage due to roof damage? There is no need to prolong replacing your roof, especially when you can have a new roof installation in Chipita Park at great price! Hansons Window & Siding of Denver has been providing roof installation services in Chipita Park since 1990, and we would love the opportunity to help you too. There is an abundance of colors, textures and roofing styles to choose from. Call today for a quote. We will visit you in your home at a convenient time, present some options and provide a free quote.

Call Today!

(720) 464-6994

Roof installation in Chipita ParkWhy Choose Hansons Window & Siding of Denver for Your Chipita Park Roof Installation?

Affordability: We'll work within your budget to provide the best quality roof possible at an affordable price. There are many great roofing options with excellent warranties to choose from. We'll help you match a roof to your goals and budget. As a roofing leader in the area, we pride ourselves in taking the time to hear your concerns and answer any questions you may have.

Professionalism: When severe weather in Colorado hits, it's important that your roof will withstand the potential damage and protect your home investment. The professional roofing crew here at Hansons Window & Siding of Denver will respect your investment. We will cover and protect your shrubs and outdoor furniture and leave your home just as we found it. We'll respect the needs of your family and work around your schedule. Call us today for a free quote!

Quality: Yes, you really can have an affordable roof that is also of great quality. Our roofs will list for many years. Ask about our warranty program. We'll also provide a list of references if you'd like to chat with some of our happy customers who's roofs have keep them dry and secure for many years.

You Can Have it All!

If you are looking for a professional, knowledgeable Chipita Park roofing contractor who will respect your home investment and provide the best quality roofing products and service at a reasonable price, look no further than Hansons Window & Siding of Denver. We'll get it right the first time!

Call today for a free Chipita Park roof replacement quote!

(720) 464-6994

Call for FREE Roof Installation Quote

(720) 464-6994

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“I would do anything to get my little shadows to live with me again.”

Screen Shot 2016-03-07 at 18.51.46

Lee has lead a chaotic life, yet he is someone with many talents – from mechanic to street artist to baker. What he wants most of all is to learn to be a good father to his 1 and 4 year old daughters. He also has a 19 year old daughter, who is currently studying art and he is very proud of her. All he wants at this moment is to stay clean and have his kids back.

“Whatever happens after that, happens.”

Lee didn’t do drugs for 10 years when he lived out of town, but heroin was always in the back of his mind. When his wife suffered postnatal depression, Lee had to take care of the kids and also go to town for work every day. To deal with his situation, he started taking drugs again. After a spell in prison he started working on a scrap yard, living in a caravan on site. He loved it and developed a close relationship with his boss and wife. He says that they eventually helped him get away from addiction.

timeline web Lee v2

If Lee’s story has touched you, let him know.
Take 2 minutes to send Lee a message.

Here are the insights that relate to Lee’s story:

Change: “the hardest thing you’ll have to do in your life.”

icons2Acknowledging traumas and learning to be vulnerable are part of the recovery journey. It can be challenging to adapt to a “stable” life, especially when it means giving up on old relationships and environments, or when people then have to face universal services that don’t recognise how far they have come. We need to recognise that recovery is a journey, not just a step.

For a more in-depth insight, read these stories and blog posts:

Lizz Zeb Natasha Tex Martin Karen Lee Colin
Building a new me – Part 1 Building a new me – Part 2

Recovery is a social journey

iconsExperiencing addiction, abuse or homelessness can be very isolating, and people experiencing those issues have often had to follow their own independent path from a young age. The system sometimes reinforces people’s isolation and sense that it is all their fault, while the circumstances they are in are in fact the result of a set of interdependent relationships. We need to support people to build positive relationships and social networks, and to be part of “recovery communities.”

For a more in-depth insight, read these stories and blog posts:

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HarrisDoyleHomesSchool may be back in session, but that doesn’t mean that summer fun is over! Exciting things are happening in and around the great city of Birmingham in the coming weeks, with many events and festivals hosted near Harris Doyle Homes’ new home communities.

Here are just a few of the fun upcoming events that residents can look forward to attending:

  • Birmingham Restaurant Week is just heating up, offering fantastic dishes and incentives throughout the city from now until Sunday, Aug. 24. Residents can look forward to revisiting their favorite local hot spots and also exploring new venues that have recently opened. Prices for two and three course prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus range from $5 to $30 dollars per person. Kid-friendly options will also be available at many of the participating restaurants.
  • The 16th annual Sidewalk Film Festival will be opening on Friday, Aug. 22 at the Alabama Theatre and will be showcasing films all over Birmingham through Sunday, Aug. 24. Aside from a weekend packed with critically acclaimed shorts, documentaries, and narratives in theaters across the city, movie-loving attendees with VIP tickets can look forward to celebrating the 16th birthday of the Sidewalk Film Festival at the Super Sweet 16 Saturday Bash, which will include pizza, ice cream and a screening of the classic film, Sixteen Candles. Not sure which films to see? Check out these six suggestions from entertainment writer Jeremy Burgess on AL.com.
  • For the past two years, Artwalk has attracted more than 10,000 people to the streets of downtown Birmingham to check out the work of 100 local artists, live musicians and street performers. This colorful street festival will be held September 5 through 6 and will have family-friendly activities and a variety of food and drink vendors. Art lovers will be able to purchase original work across all mediums and price points from talented local artists. Artwalk is FREE to the public and is definitely an event you don’t want to miss!

Harris Doyle Homes is proud to offer fantastic home opportunities in prime metro Birmingham locations, near vibrant shops, delicious restaurants and some of the south’s best entertainment. For more information about the new townhome and single-family homes in the area, visit the Harris Doyle Homes website or call 205-982-2896.


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Economic Development Proposal Instructions

Welcome to the SC2 Hartford Challenge

Over the course of eight (8) months starting February 4, 2014, your team is invited to submit an Economic Development Proposal (Proposal) to the City of Hartford. Your Proposal will be based on a comprehensive understanding of local, regional and global economic realities and will aim to foster long-term economic development, job creation and community prosperity.

There are two required and one optional sections of each Proposal. You must comply with all of these instructions. Once you have submitted your complete Proposal, Hartford staff will review it to ensure your compliance with the instructions. If your Proposal is not complete, then it may be excluded from further consideration. In order to submit a Proposal, you must also comply with the Terms & Conditions of the SC2 Hartford Challenge competition, including confirmation that any materials are unencumbered by rights of intellectual property and may be used, retained and utilized beyond your control.

The three sections allow you to cross-reference your materials. This is an important tactic that allows you to provide summary explanations with references to more detailed information. Understand that we anticipate receiving many Proposals, and you are asked to distinguish yourself by provoking greater interest in your ideas. So, it is not to your advantage to lead with complex explanations. Instead, you should plan to offer compelling and succinct presentations that will encourage the Judges to read more or to dig deeper into the details of your Proposal. Further, the judging criteria are heavily weighted to reward substance over style. A well articulated presentation is important, but you need to focus your time describing solutions that include cutting-edge concepts and ideas that could be applied to address real economic development challenges.

You are one among many other teams. If your team's Proposal is selected to receive a cash award, then your team is eligible to receive one of the following prizes:

  • 1st place:     $60,000
  • 2nd place:    $30,000
  • 3rd place:     $10,000

Also, those teams that receive the highest scores will be invited to participate in the second round of the SC2 Hartford Challenge as a Finalist, during which you will be competing against a smaller set of participants for larger cash awards. You will be provided the opportunity to expand upon your Proposal and develop a more comprehensive Economic Development Plan (Plan). Here is a set of Economic Development Planning Tips that offer some insight into what will be expected of you if you are selected to develop a Plan.

Your Proposal should aim towards two critical objectives. First, you will showcase your talent and potential for advancing to the next round. Judges want to know that you are capable of developing a more sophisticated Plan. Second, you are asked to deliver one discreet Economic Development Project (Project) within your proposal. The Project needs to represent your overall strategy. And it needs to provide sufficient detail, so that the City may consider it as a potential investment opportunity. Your Project needs to be practical and make sense within your larger Proposal. It needs to show that you are aware of cost implications and other concrete challenges, such as when the City could expect a return on the investment. When developing your Proposal, lead with a clear demonstration of your capabilities and showcase your talent by delivering a compelling and concrete example of your proposed recommendations.

SECTION 1: Executive Summary

Your team is required to submit a paper of no more than five (5) pages that summarizes your major points and the specific Project. Below is the outline for your Executive Summary. Cover the following points succinctly and expand upon them in the full body of your Proposal (see Section 2). Here is the outline:

  • Demonstrate that you have investigated regional and local economic development conditions by linking your recommendations to a broader understanding of those trends, particularly any that you feel would support your proposed solutions.
  • Provide a broad but compelling description of your general economic development strategy—explain why your approach is both innovative and practical; offer why and how you've adopted a particular approach.
  • Outline a proposed Project that best embodies your strategic approach. Offer context and explain how the Project is emblematic of an effective overarching plan or proposed "set of recommendations."
    • Be specific—describe how and when the Project will yield a net return on the investment and focus on why the Project may represent other related proposed activities.
    • Be accountable—identify where there may be a need for further development of the Project and be sure to offer a clear description of a pathway for resolving any outstanding issues; it is acceptable to admit that concepts may require more work, so long as you're demonstrating an ability to overcome challenges and resolve any threats to the proposed Project.
    • Be bold—don't be afraid of new or inventive ideas. Audacity counts, so long as it is rooted in sound economic principles and an understanding of the related risks for adopting your ideas.
  • Select the measure of your success. Whether you're measuring job creation or some other return on investment, make sure that you have modeled what and why you've chosen a particular metric or set of measures. Be as quantifiable as you can be.

NOTE: These points are a lot to cover in a five-page paper. So, it is essential that you reference or link to more sophisticated analysis and explanation that can be provided in the full body of the Proposal (See Section 2). Your job is to make the Judges want to read more and ask questions that you will answer in greater detail.

You will submit your Executive Summary by uploading a PDF file. This is the only file type that the system will accept. The Executive Summary must not exceed five (5) pages.

SECTION 2: Economic Development Proposal

This is your opportunity to showcase your level of effort and/or the depth of your research and investigation. The main body of your Proposal should not exceed 25 pages (including any appendices). The purpose of the main body of the Proposal is to provide a deeper set of explanations and copy from which you should cite references in the Executive Summary. You are welcome to include graphic illustrations of your findings, such as tables and figures. Those may be displayed however you feel is most appropriate. The full body of your Proposal will also include other detailed information.

Here is the outline:

  • Identify your Multidisciplinary Team members; let us know who you are and lead with your most credible accomplishments—it is okay to represent team members who are not typically associated with economic development work; in fact, we are inviting a broad diversity of expertise.
  • Publish your detailed analysis of regional and local economic conditions and trends; substantiate any claims made in the Executive Summary which would lend greater depth to your understanding of those issues.
  • Declare your broad strategic approach—based upon your previous analysis—including a justification and reasoning for using proposed tactics. Include a brief description of the economic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (i.e., "SWOT") that you considered. It is important to realize potential threats to your Proposal, but focus on your ability to address or overcome them. The SWOT framework is a required method of analysis in the second round, and you must show that you can use it if you are invited to participate.
  • Describe your proposed Project in detail; offer an explanation for why it embodies your larger strategy, why you have chosen it to showcase your capabilities, what it may offer as a stand-alone representation of any other considerations.
    • Include a description of the resource requirements to advance the Project. You must include draft budgets and explanations for any assumed expenses and/or other implied cost. Here, you are showcasing your ability to be concrete, to recognize practical limitations and to propose solutions that will demonstrate a focus on efficiency.
    • Explain how the Project will generate net benefits; at what point will the investment "pay off" for the City? How? Why? When? If it is relevant, you are welcome to include any explanation for how the proposed Project may scale or expand to include other projects.
  • Measure or project any intended outcomes. Adopt a system of metrics that allow you to focus on any or all of the following questions:
    • How will your Proposal impact industries and occupations (either growing or declining), and why?
    • What is the net impact on job retention and creation, and why?
    • Where will your Proposal have the greatest impact (declining or growing areas), and why?
    • When will the Proposal generate a net positive impact on the City and why? If you can, please look at or beyond a nine-year (9) timeline for making an impact.
    • Taking into consideration the regional and surrounding local economies, consider how the Proposal will both utilize those strengths and/or help to resolve those conditions.
  • Conclude with your most ambitious view for the future of the City and why your strategic approach is critical to realizing that vision.

You will submit the full body of your Proposal by uploading a PDF file. This is the only file type that the system will accept. The full body of your proposal must not exceed (25) pages.

SECTION 3: Video Presentation (Optional)

Each Proposal may include a short video presentation of no less than two (2) minutes but no more than five (5) minutes. When developing your video presentation, plan to cover the core elements in your Executive Summary. It is important to realize that by including video presentations in the required sections, we are not emphasizing style over substance. For some, the video presentation may be outside of your core competencies. We want you to focus on producing a sincere and thoughtful message. If you add a video, you will be responsible to upload your video to YouTube and copy the video's YouTube ID into the proposal submission page. Click here to see a short video showing how to identify a YouTube video ID. YouTube will accept any of the follwing format types:

  • WebM files: Vp8 video codec and Vorbis Audio codecs
  • .MPEG4, 3GPP and MOV files: Typically supporting h264, mpeg4 video codecs, and AAC audio codec
  • .AVI: Many cameras output this format—typically the video codec is MJPEG and audio is PCM
  • .MPEGPS: Typically supporting MPEG2 video codec and MP2 audio
  • .WMV
  • .FLV: Adobe-FLV1 video codec, MP3 audio

The video presentation must not exceed five (5) minutes.

Economic Development Plan Instructions

During Phase II, you will have fewer constraints. We feel that you have already set a course for your strategy and have provided a case study for how your ideas may be realized. Now, it is your responsibility to expand upon your Proposal. As you draft your Plan, please know that you are subject to the same Terms & Conditions of the first phase.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA), has provided a comprehensive set of planning tips, with specific questions, answers, formatting and content considerations. Please review it and develop your Plan with those tips in mind.

There are two required and one optional sections of the Plan. In addition to the full body of your Plan, you will spend the next five (5) months soliciting and securing "letters of endorsement" from civic leaders and citizens. You also may provide a second video presentation, longer than the first. In addition, the Selection Committee members, who are responsible for judging your Plan, may request additional presentations, but those should be scheduled by appointment.

SECTION 1: Economic Development Plan

Unlike your previous effort, which started with a separate executive summary and followed with the full body of your Proposal, your Plan will be contained within a single and more comprehensive or detailed document – any executive summary will be included in your complete Plan. The Plan must be developed as a stand-alone set of materials, one that may be bound and distributed as the roadmap towards economic growth and prosperity for the city of Hartford. The Plan should include any and all graphics, budgets, project plans, appendices and reference materials. There is no separate means for presenting your metrics, projections of costs and returns on investment. All of those considerations need to be contained in the Plan itself.

Please refer to the outline from the EDA for the Planning Tips (Economic Development Planning Tips). You will submit the full body of your Plan by uploading a PDF file. This is the only file type that the system will accept. There is no page limit.

SECTION 2: Endorsements

A critical component of your Plan is the solicitation and submission of letters of endorsement from community leaders and/or the general public. You are asked to secure those letters from individuals and organizations representing the public interest and/or any specific community interests identified in your Plan.

There is no prescribed format for the letters of endorsement. They only need to be signed by the official representative of an organization making any claims of support. If they are provided by an individual, they need to show some specific reference to the proposed recommendations in your Plan. You are welcome to seek other forms of endorsements, such as petitions from the general public or other signs of popular support. You will submit Endorsements by uploading a single zip file of your individual Endorsements in a PDF file format; you may submit a single PDF file if you're offering only one Endorsement. These are the only file types that the system will accept. If you include a file type other than a PDF inside the zip file, you may be disqualified. There is no page limit to any Endorsement. We do not recommend including any petitions which contain individual signatures and/or long lists of supporters; those should be summarily described in a simple letter with a signature from a designated entity with the authority to validate the supporters. You may submit as many Endorsements as you like.

SECTION 3: Video Presentation (Optional)

There are two audiences for your optional video presentation. First and foremost, you will appeal to the Selection Committee members. However, we are also interested in publishing some of the video presentations to the public on websites and through other media channels. This time, you can present up to ten (10) minutes of video content.

You may upload your video presentation in any of the approved format types:

  • WebM files: Vp8 video codec and Vorbis Audio codecs
  • .MPEG4, 3GPP and MOV files: Typically supporting h264, mpeg4 video codecs, and AAC audio codec
  • .AVI: Many cameras output this format—typically the video codec is MJPEG and audio is PCM
  • .MPEGPS: Typically supporting MPEG2 video codec and MP2 audio
  • .WMV
  • .FLV: Adobe-FLV1 video codec, MP3 audio

The video presentation must not exceed the ten (10) minute limit.

As a Finalist, you are eligible for any one of the following cash awards:

  • 1st place:      $500,000
  • 2nd place:     $100,000
  • 3rd place:      $  75,000
  • 4th place:      $  50,000
  • 5th place:      $  50,000
  • 6th place:      $  25,000

Any requests for winning teams to participate in one or more awards ceremonies will be scheduled separately.

EDA Planning Tips

(U.S. Economic Development Administration)

Economic Development Plans: Structure, Format, and Content

The following guidance is provided to you by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA).  Selected Finalists will be asked to participate in the second phase of the SC2 Challenge by preparing and presenting Economic Development Plans. Those Plans will be much more comprehensive than the Proposals drafted in the first phase. To provide some context, these guidelines are available to understand how much more is required when anticipating your role as a Finalist. Please be aware that the following questions and answers represent general guidance. It is not essential that you follow each and every step when developing your Plan. You are allowed to make the most compelling case, however you see fit. But, it is critical that your presentation aligns with the needs and expectations of the City of Hartford and any regional or statewide considerations. The goal of the SC2 Hartford Challenge is to generate Economic Development Plans that both leverage local assets and compliment larger trends and opportunities. We hope that you will use the proposed structure, format and content guidelines as a helpful tool.

Formatting Your Ecomonic Development Plan

Good strategies do not have to be long documents

Final documents should not exceed 50 pages, with a three- to five-page executive summary containing key findings, opportunities, and initiatives. The executive summary, in particular, is an important (and useful) element. Decision makers need an executive summary to make informed choices based on a short, yet informative synopsis.

In addition, supporting data that does not directly link and support the strategies and messages within the plan should not be included in the document or, at the very least, relegated to an appendix (see below for more info on data).

Presentation is important

While the content of a plan is clearly the most significant factor, the organization developing the plan does itself a disservice if the document does not have a professional and appealing look-and-feel. Many groups will look to the plan as an indication of the City's capabilities and overall commitment to effective economic development. Also, the plan should not contain only text; plans should make use of professional photos, charts, and graphs to draw attention to and bolster the messages within the plan.

In addition, the plan should be crafted in whatever format provides the best mechanism to compellingly communicate the strategy within. In some instances, a plan may be best developed in a traditional Microsoft Word format. However, many strategy documents are now being developed using other formats, including Microsoft PowerPoint. Investigate recent strategy documents from consulting firms, research organizations and university centers for ideas on alternative formats for presentation. However, please note that your final submission must convert to a PDF file; so, make sure that the conversion does not corrupt the format, clarity, and quality of your materials.

Think beyond the document

When crafting the plan, applicants should think creatively about how the document (or specific portions) may be used as a vehicle to engage stakeholders in a meaningful conversation and debate about their region. Consider how the plan will translate into many of the new media strategies (e.g., podcasts, blogs, videos). Can portions of the plan document be showcased on a website? Different people consume information in different ways. Some people prefer to read shorter bits of text on websites and other people prefer longer, more traditional document formats. There are numerous examples of economic development organizations in urban and rural areas that have created engaging websites to complement their strategy documents.

Please take the time and make the effort to present the most strategic, clear and compelling economic development plan.

Drafting Economic Development Plan Content

In general, each Plan should support a framework that is results-oriented. Please focus on aligning and leveraging resources, including the public, private, and non-profit sectors (along with the general public), and emphasizing the importance of asset-based regional economic development. City-based plans should align with and inform greater regional economic development plans.

Each Plan will be unique, reflecting the specific challenges and opportunities of the City in question. It should contain, as mentioned previously, four main elements: summary background, SWOT analysis, strategy/action plan, and evaluation framework. The background should provide an overview of the economic situation enhanced by relevant data and information. The analysis should assess the state of the regional economy, the opportunities and threats posed by external trends and forces, and the availability of partners and resources for economic development. The community's vision and goals, together with an appraisal of the region's competitive advantage, should set the strategic direction for the action plan. The evaluation framework should establish criteria and performance measures for evaluation of the strategy and action plan and for the periodic update of the document.

  • Data analysis should be tied closely to the SWOT assessment. Many Plans focus too much on demographic information pulled directly from Census data and listed in tables and charts with little context or direct relationship to SWOT. Demographic data should be reviewed in order to identify key findings that are relevant to the SWOT, but not all of that information needs to go in the document. For example, if the data analysis reveals that a City's population is significantly older than the state or U.S. population as a whole, that's an important finding because it could impact workforce availability. However, it's not necessary to create detailed tables that break down population by age to prove that point—conserve space in the document by moving that sort of information to an appendix.
  • Incorporate potential projects in the implementation Plan and evaluation framework/performance measurements, not just as a stand-alone section of the document. Show how potential projects align with the findings from the SWOT assessment. However, as you are drafting other sections, feel free to incorporate specific references to any major project initiatives that would add substance or material considerations to the points that you are making.
  • Performance metrics for each plan should address:
    • Which conditions are important?
    • Which trends need to be reversed?
    • Which assets are available to be leveraged?
    • How will the plan help achieve Hartford's economic development vision?

Here are specific topics for data analysis (either in the background or the SWOT) and how they relate to potential implementation:

  • Identify clusters with a presence in the City (or region). Which clusters, and industries and occupations within the cluster, are growing or declining, and why? Identify firms belonging to these clusters and interview or survey them to collect input on opportunities and challenges facing the region.
  • Take a "workforce view" of the city's economy. Identify occupations or workforce skills that are more heavily concentrated in the region compared to state and national averages. Are these jobs growing or declining? How can these skills be leveraged to expand the economy? Are any shortages anticipated that need to be addressed?
  • Identify and map the most distressed areas of the city. What stands out about these areas in terms of workforce skills, educational attainment, demographics, etc.?
  • What is driving job creation or loss (i.e., startups or closures, expansions or contractions, firms moving into or out of the region)? Which industries and clusters are affected?
  • Identify sources of exports, foreign direct investment, and other activities like tourism bringing in new wealth to the region. How can these be expanded or accelerated?

Key questions that that should be asked when reviewing each plan (and proposal):

  • How does the Plan support a more resilient economy (and community) by focusing and targeting Hartford’s existing and potential competitive advantages?
  • How does the Plan foster a regional collaborative framework to strategically align public sector investments from federal, state and local sources, as well as private, nonprofit and philanthropic partners?
  • Does the Plan use modern scenario, data and analysis tools and planning techniques that provide policy makers, stakeholders and the public with evidence-based and factual information?
  • Was the process used to develop the Plan strategy-driven, focused on regional visioning, priority setting and performance outcomes? Or was it a broad-based encyclopedia or narrative of the region with a laundry list of projects and programs?
  • Does the Plan promote and support peer review and exchanges of planning professionals and policy officials with the goal of increasing collaboration across political boundaries, enhancing organizational resources, and positioning the Plan as a more effective building block for regional and potentially statewide strategies?
  • Does the Plan communicate in a compelling and contemporary style, including use of executive summaries, high quality print and online resources, social media and other complimentary presentations?
  • Did the Plan represent public, private, nonprofit and/or educational sector support, along with any signal of general public interest, in the development and implementation of its core strategic goals?

A strong Plan, therefore, will foster a strategic planning and implementation framework that is results-oriented. It will focus on aligning and leveraging resources, be inclusive of the public, private and nonprofit sectors, and emphasize the importance of asset-based regional economic development. It will identify clusters, take a workforce view of the city's economy, promote sustainable, place-based location choices, and identify the region's top wealth-creation activities (i.e., it's not just about jobs). It will specifically focus on making the City more resilient to economic shifts.

A strong Plan will effectively link its data analysis to the SWOT assessment, leverage existing tools to augment and bolster its summary analysis, be focused on strategies (and how to implement them), and incorporate prospective activities into the implementation/action Plan and evaluation framework, rather than just provide a stand-alone list of potential projects. It will consider and align (where appropriate) with other local and regional plans. Moreover, a strong plan will be relatively brief, contain an informative Executive Summary, and be presented in a professional, forward-thinking format that compellingly communicates its concepts to key stakeholders.


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Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past

“Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past” is an innovative art exhibition, curated by Mami Kataoka, which opens Friday at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The exhibition focuses on contemporary art while also exploring its deep connection to art of the past, and features the works of 31 prominent artists from all over Asia.

Some art works featured include ancient Chinese and Indian sculptures, 19th century Tibetan thangka paintings, the 17th century Korean scroll painting ”A King of Hell”, as well as contemporaries like abstract paintings and light boxes of artist Palden Weinreb of Tibet and the seriocomic video “The Class” by Thai artist Araya Radsjarmrearnsook.

Possibly the most visible and ambitious piece in the exhibition is the 24-foot tall red lotus sculpture called “Breathing Flower”, which stands in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza. The art piece, created by Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa, is the symbol for the ancient Asian’s devotion of spiritual illumminatino and renewal.

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