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3,2,1: A Final Say With Bob James
01/23/2012, 8:21 PM
Filed under: Interviews | Tags: , , , ,

(I did this one a couple years back and at the time, Bob had me send him the story so he could plug it on his own site (which then, wasn’t yet up and running). Bob’s site went live last week and to my pleasant surprise, we’re getting a lot of traffic as a result. The piece covers perhaps his most important works (albums One, Two, and Three) in addition to his deep history with CTI and his subsequent connection to hip-hop. Here is my in-depth 3-piece article on Bob James, re-posted given the sudden surge of relevance. – DM)

Originally published for Wax Poetics

“I’m flattered to be a part of hip-hop’s history,” says Bob James nonchalantly. “But I believe we’re still at the beginning of understanding how young people make music.”

Bob James’s career developed during a time when radio ruled, records sold, and Roberta Flack had the country’s number one song. Things were different then. Popular music was changing, and over in New York, kids were priming themselves for a burgeoning hip-hop scene. James was thirty-five by 1974 and had just released his first solo album on CTI Records. His subsequent projects for the label were both commercially successful LPs and unsung flops. Regardless of units sold, it was those very records that would lay the foundational sound for some of hip-hop’s most coveted records. It was those kids in New York who initially took James’s music and adapted it for themselves to use and the world to see.

James’s first three CTI releases—One, Two, and Three—are amongst the most sampled records ever. And if we’re truly beginning to grasp how younger generations make music, it’s safe to assume that James’s catalogue is a resource that’ll be continually sifted through and sampled from.

In this three-part interview, he talks in-depth regarding details of his career: The first part of the interview touches on colorful names that are intermingled with his history, its development and legacy. Next, he reflects back on his first three CTI releases, breaking down the most sampled songs on each album. In the interview’s final component, Bob James explains the process of sample requests throughout the years, its affect on him, and why he’s “flattered to be a part of hip-hop’s history.”

I. Quincy, Creed, and the Biz:

What role did Quincy Jones have in developing your career?

Everyone talks about the history of our field and Quincy Jones has a lot to do with my history. You could even say he discovered me. He was very influential at several key stages in my career. He was a judge at a jazz competition that I did when I was still in college, and my group ended up winning the whole thing. Quincy then signed me to do a record called Bold Conceptions in the ’60s. That, of course, was very important to me. Ten years later when I moved to New York, I met Quincy again, and it was Quincy that introduced me to Creed Taylor. This launched my career with CTI. Those two things are extremely important to me, and how my career played out. Quincy was definitely pivotal.

You were with CTI for a few years before your own project debuted. When did Creed Taylor interject and aid in the progression of things?

Well, I was working a lot with Creed at the time for CTI. But I was working primarily as an arranger and would play piano on other jazz artists’ records. After doing this for about two or three years, on a fairly stable basis, and being on the support staff for other artists like Grover Washington, finally Creed asked me if I wanted to do my own album. So of course I said yes. One ended up being my first for CTI.

What specifically was Creed Taylor’s influence during those years? Is there anyone else you’d credit in aiding your career?

Well, Creed’s whole outlook on production was very influential to me. He always believed in hiring the best musicians possible and he put a lot of emphasis into the mixing and production value. He always used a fantastic engineer named Rudy Van Gelder. I can say that Rudy was very important in my development also. He cared about the way things sounded more than any engineer I’ve worked with. He also had a very identifiable sound. I’ve never thought that much about the recording process, just the composing and playing. But together, Rudy and Creed had a definite personality in all their projects. The combination of Creed’s ears, how he listened to things, combined with Rudy’s engineering style made them a great production combo. I’d always try to keep that same feeling going into my works for many, many years after first working with Rudy and Creed.

Strangely enough. Biz Markie is another name that’s attached to your legacy. He claims to have a 12-inch of “Take Me to Mardi Gras.” Can you confirm or deny this once and for all?

I couldn’t really tell you one way or the other. [laughs] It’s definitely possible that a 12-inch of “Take Me to Mardi Gras” exists. I wasn’t personally involved in making the 12-inch edits. Often times, it was made by the engineer. I assume some of these versions are legit and some aren’t. I’ve never physically seen any or heard other versions besides what’s on my LP.

Well, adding to the rumor, Biz says his version doesn’t contain the bells at the beginning.

That intro with the bells sticks out in the front of the arrangement, so I’m sure it would be possible to take chunks and make edits. What I think is very doubtful is that anybody did. Someone would’ve had to go into the masters, and the multitrack tape, and manually take the bells out—or any other individual elements for that matter. There’s a small window of opportunity that an engineer during the time could have taken out the bells after our recording session. But I wouldn’t know why someone would do that. Especially if it was a promotional 12-inch for the LP. The possibility of a 12-inch single could certainly exist. But a version without the bells seems unlikely to me.

II. Three, Two, One: Revisited

Three (CTI) 1976:

I was three years into a solo recording career with CTI at the time, and things were going good. The first two records sold well and I felt like my career was really solid by this time. But I wasn’t really sure where I was headed on this album. Once again, I had no idea of what would become of anything I made. Especially having been in the instrumental jazz field for a while at this point, I was wondering what else I could do. The meat of this album is in the parts where a lot of improvising took place. But with this, I didn’t know what was going to stick with the public. As a musician, improvisation is great; but the public doesn’t care, they just want good tunes. [laughs] This album has some of my favorite moments, but as far as the public was concerned, I think it fell a bit short of what I would’ve liked. And with “Westchester Lady,” it wasn’t until years later that people even wanted it hear it on the radio. This album remains a sentimental one because of the time it was recorded. The music industry was going through a lot of changes. This didn’t sell as well as the two previous LPs, but I’m still proud of it. There’s a certain element of randomness to this LP, which I like.

Track #3: “Westchester Lady”

The tune, the hook, and main melody of this one was just a jumping point for improvisation. At this point I was really into trying new things and improvising almost wildly at points. I mean, of course improvising has always been an important part of my compositions, but I felt like I now truly had the freedom to do whatever I wanted. I was always looking for schematic material to get a song started, and this song did take a while. But I was real happy with the results when we finished this one because it took longer than some other songs we had done by then. For me, “Westchester Lady” is a real signature piece. I love this song.

Track #4: “Storm King”

This is probably the most sampled song on this album. People sampled “Westchester Lady” too, but this album as a whole isn’t as heavily sampled as One or Two. I’m not sure why, because it seems like this album has a lot of the same qualities as my other stuff, which get sample requests all the time. Nothing was really different about the attitude we had coming in to this particular song though. We just went in looking for a hook and a groove, and I think the fact that we found such a solid groove indicates to me that we did our job right on this song. I think that’s what held up about the song and that’s why people sample it. The groove is very solid on this one.

Two (CTI) 1975:

Thinking back on it, this album is like my sophomore year as a recording artist. By the time we went into the studio to cut the album, One was already pretty popular, so we needed a strong follow-up. There are several songs on this record that were continuations of the same concepts as the first one. There was an adaptation of a classical piece on it called “Farandole,” which went on and got a lot of airplay. The other track was “You’re Right as Rain,” which was my arrangement of a popular vocal track at the time. We tried to give a groove to it, similar to “Feel Like Making Love.” This record reminds me of my friend Ralph Macdonald a lot too because Ralph really helped me out. He helped out all the rappers too by playing the cowbell part on “Take Me to Mardi Gras.” [laughs] Ralph has had a lot of success from his records that have been heavily sampled too. And one of his most successful samples is from a tune called “Mr. Magic,” that Grover Washington did. The part from “Mr. Magic” that got used was the arrangement I did for it. But because I didn’t technically write the song, Ralph got all the income from that track. [laughs] I did the arrangement and played piano, but I didn’t see any money from “Mr. Magic.” We talked about it years later and still joke that we’re even, because he never saw any income from playing the “Take Me to Mardi Gras” bells. [laughs]

Track #1: “Take Me to Mardi Gras”

I was a pretty big fan of Paul Simon at that time and even did some work with him in the studio. I’ve always really liked that song and thought I could bring something to it as an instrumental version. So I decided to do it with a kind of Latin groove, and low and behold, twenty-five years or so later, these hip-hop guys used it a lot. I mean it’s a really simple vamp. Ralph [MacDonald] is the guy playing the cowbell on the intro. Ralph played percussion on many recordings in the same era as I did. And he’d played percussion on many of my albums, while I played piano on many of his. So he helped me out this time by sitting in and playing a pretty standard intro section. It wasn’t anything that was really thought about or heavily planned. We were just improvising in the studio and trying to establish a carnival type of mood before the melody came in. We wanted to just let the rhythm section do their thing. But the way the record got mixed, the cowbell part is really prominent. I’m sure lots of rappers were just looking for a loop to rap over and the tempo for it was just right. That’s why I think Run-DMC and other early folks used it so much. I am very fond of this song.

Track #4: “Farandole (L’Arlesienne Suite #2)”

The way we worked with rhythm in that era were often repetitive vamps. There were some real nice bassline vamps that were similar to “Nautilus.” They were short and just two measures long that just repeated, so it is very easy to edit. I think this has been sampled many times because there is a big enough chunk separated from other elements, which made it easy for producers to come in and make a loop out of. It is a classical composition by a composer by the name of Bizet, and I just arranged it and adapted it for a jazz tune. Creed and I liked playing around with compositions.

One (CTI) 1974:

This is the most sentimental project of mine. I’m amazed at the life it still has even though it was recorded thirty years ago. The music business surprises me in all kinds of ways and this has been one of them. The most rewarding thing about this project, which I was committed to and worked so hard on, is that it took on new life years later. It’s amazing really. Given all of that, I never would have anticipated how so many songs from this record would end up in a completely different genre. When I recorded the album, I wasn’t thinking about it in that way. In the back of my mind, I was thinking that this album, at the very least, would give me a chance to record some arrangements that I could use as a demo. [laughs] I wasn’t even thinking about it as a full time solo thing. And that’s why the album is so eclectic. I did all kinds of stuff, used different musicians and orchestras just to have a wide variety of music to show people. One song in particular, “Feel Like Making Love” was also done by Roberta Flack around the same time. Roberta’s version became a huge hit, so I sort of rode on the coattails of that. [laughs] Radio stations at the time would play both our versions back to back, which gave me a lot of exposure. I think Roberta Flack’s success helped catapult my record sales. “Night on Bald Mountain” was another cut that got a lot of airplay. I think those two songs helped make the album a success. I had no idea the record would become commercially successful, so well remembered and so sampled.

Track #1: “Valley of the Shadows”

Well this is the type of tune that would be difficult to convince record companies to do in the later years. But at the time, Creed [Taylor] was very open to letting me do what I wanted to do. I really loved having the chance to do something like this. In a way, I treated this song like a film score because it was very dramatic. And, I suppose that in the back of my mind, I was hoping this song would help me get work in the film-scoring business. Although I can’t trace my film work to this song, I think it did indirectly help me get future jobs in films. I definitely had a lot of offers to score movies after it was released. I think people realized my background allowed me to do that type of music too. It was full of contrasts and was just really different. That song was probably the most radical and daring in that era because it was very different than what anyone else was doing.

Track #4: “Night on Bald Mountain”

Creed Taylor really liked the idea of taking classical music and adapting it to jazz or funk. This song gave me an opportunity to work with a larger ensemble of musicians. Especially for a piece like this, there was a huge orchestra and a big brass section. It also was one of the early recording sessions of Steve Gadd who became very respected in our field. He was one of the most well-known jazz drummers and “Night on Bald Mountain” featured him pretty prominently. Steve often credits this tune as helping him establish his reputation because so many people heard him on this. I’m very proud of that. Steve and I have remained very close friends since.

Track #5: “Feel Like Making Love”

This song was written by Gene McDaniels. I was hired to play piano on Roberta Flack’s record and that’s where I first heard this tune. It was a great song and I had a feeling it could be a hit. We were in the studio recording her version, and within a couple weeks I had the opportunity to do my own record. So I just decided to use the same band, same sax player, same rhythm section; Idris Muhammad on drums, Gary King on bass, and Richie Resnicoff on guitar. So we were just trying to recreate that same groove, but as a funkier instrumental piece. I think it really work out great.

Track #6: “Nautilus”

This song is the most ironic thing of all. [laughs] It didn’t get any attention when the record came out in the ’70s. Then as years went by, I found out that the hip-hop field was heavily sampling it. Of course it was the LP era, so there’s a side A and side B. Often times, producers would put what they consider to be the best cut on the beginning of the A side because the audio is much better on the outer ring of a record. The grooves were wider and just other technical stuff like that. The songs that would be “attention getters” were placed on the outside of the record. And “Nautilus” is hidden at the end of side B. [laughs] So that should give you an indication that we didn’t pay much attention to it. I had written several compositions of my own, primarily so I could get my own copyrights of the album and this was just another one of those compositions. It’s a real simple tune because I was just looking for a nice groove to improvise on. I had a great rhythm section that was in the studio that day so we were just having fun.

III. “…the final say”

What has the sample clearance process been like throughout the years for you?

I’ll listen to the track that is sampling my tune. That way I can make an intelligent decision on whether or not I’m going to allow it. I still get requests for sample clearances all the time. It’s lessened through the years to a certain degree, but I still get requests to this day and it still surprises me. The coordination of the requests has become more well-organized, and simplified, than it used to be. We have a basic formula now for how we treat requests. Record companies are better about the approach nowadays because there have been too many lawsuits and they’d lose money if they did it the wrong way. Fortunately, almost all the records where there have been sample requests, I am the record company. [laughs] I am the artist, record company, and composer by law. So I control all the publishing rights and fortunately, make a lot of the decisions.

Are there any songs that you don’t have full control over?

There is really only one significant piece where I don’t have the final say, and that’s “Angela.” I don’t know if younger people remember, but it was used for the television show Taxi. I heard its also been sampled by some hip-hop artists recently, but the television company owns those administration rights. Of course, for a song like “Take Me to Mardi Gras,” they have to get permission from Paul Simon’s publishing company too, since I didn’t write it. Technically, I just control the recording of my version. So something like that is more of a joint effort, but that’s rare.

Have you heard how “Angela” was used? What do you think when you hear how your work is sampled?

I haven’t heard how “Angela” was used. Even if I didn’t like it, I couldn’t do anything about it anyways. [laughs] But I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything I’ve really disliked. I’m usually just very flattered when I hear someone else interpreting my work.

You’ve never heard something and thought your music got butchered?

Well, there have been a few songs that I’ve heard where my song was sped up so fast, or slowed down so much, that it didn’t even sound like my piece anymore. That can be kind of annoying. But I know why they want to do it, since they’re probably looking for a different tempo to fit with the rapping, or other samples they might of used. But when it distorts my records so much I wonder why they just didn’t get something else that fits better rather than Mickey Mouse-ing my tune. [laughs] There was a reason why we worked so hard on certain grooves and played things at specific tempos. When its changed too much, it gets at best, comical; and at worst, insulting. But that’s rare. I usually like interpretations of my songs.

What are your final feelings on being such an integral part of hip-hop’s history?

Nowadays, I live in Michigan and am still able to tour the world playing music. Life has treated me real well. Being a part of rap history is just another extremely good thing that’s happened to me in my career. I’ve heard about other composers of my era who don’t like their work being sampled or touched—but I’ve never felt cheated. I mean, sampling gave my work a life of its own without me being in the creative process at all. I’m just a bystander watching it happen. It’s a bit strange. [laughs] But it is a good thing because of the exposure. In many instances, it led hip-hop listeners who’ve recognized certain samples to dive into my original works. And seeing how sampling isn’t just a passing fad, or that it was done in a novelty kind of manner, makes me extremely flattered. I still don’t know why everyone chose my music to use. But here we are, twenty years later, and people are still talking about it. I’m very proud that my music has taken on this new life, and for the most part, thehip-hop audience and musicians have treated me with great respect. It seems like I’ve always gotten the final say throughout my career. You really can’t ask for anything more than that.

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Great interview, man. So happy to hear that his experience with sampling has been positive. It’s a very cool perspective to think about “where will the music I’m working on be in 30 years?”

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It always takes me over three weeks to arrange a great impromptu speech.

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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Cinema of the Arab World

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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS:  “Cinema of the Arab World”

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Games Tech Video

John Carmack on Quake Wars, Mega Texture, and Xbox 360 vs PS3

I am a big fan of John Carmack (read Masters of Doom). At E3 this year he sat down for an interview on G4. The interviewer was pissing me off though. If the interviewer didn’t control the conversation, Carmack could have talked for hours about mega texture and the inner workings of the PS3 architecture. It just feels like he wants to go more in-depth, but the intelligence of the audience around him and the interviewer are keeping him locked down. I guess programmer speak is not what they were looking for, but I wanted to hear it.


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Julie Comnick

Region: West

Website: http://juliecomnick.com/

City / State: Flagstaff, AZ

My paintings and drawings are invested in absence; their content depends upon what is not immediately present. Composed solely of elements pertinent to the narrative, the images are devoid of much of the surroundings that nature would have us expect. The people, animals and objects, removed from their conventional settings, appear on barren grounds or in turbulent climates. Displaced from their ordinary surroundings, the subjects take on new roles within each narrative.

In my recent work I have used the visual devices of absence to bring attention to cultural misrepresentations of the exotic, and the subjugation of the "other" for entertainment and service in contemporary western culture. In this new series of paintings the elephant symbolizes the dual role of the hunter and the hunted. My research on the pachyderm has revealed parallels between the human use of elephants and the slave trade, the drug trade, and the sex trade: activities that are oftentimes cloaked within notions of the exotic. The objective of this project is to bring awareness to the underlying and overwhelming manipulation of various ethnic and social groups, while raising attention toward the continued plight of the elephant in the U.S. and abroad.


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Wal-Mart Dot Com is Clicking: Soren Mills Speaks

Wal-Mart dot com’s vision is nothing less than to “create an integrated approach to reach, communicate with, reward and retain our mutual most valuable customers.”

An un-miked Soren Mills, VP of Strategy and Business Development for Wal-Mart.com, presented “Driving Multi-Channel Sales” Thursday morning as the latest offering from the Bentonville Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce’s Champion University program for Wal-Mart vendors and service providers.

Mr. Mills has been with Wal-Mart for five years, starting as a GM in health and beauty at Asda (UK) and jumping across the pond three years ago to help build Wal-Mart’s dot com business . . . and build it has.  Wal-Mart’s dot com sales have jumped from $300 million to $2 billion-with-a-“b,” growing at an average rate of 35% each year since 2003, it is the 15th largest site on the internet (jumping to #9 during the holiday shopping season), and the division now supports 600 employees in San Francisco.   Many of the eye charts that Mr. Mills presented were flashed at lightning speed which means that this report may be lighter-than-usual on stats (hey, put those pom poms away!). No great loss since the morning was all about messaging!

Message #1:  We have a lot in commonSo many retailers and e-tailers want you to know just how DIFFERENT their online shoppers are from those who hit the bricks.  We’re to believe that online shoppers are young, rich, aspirational and time-starved . . . how better to justify the higher price points, right?  Hold on . . . Mr. Mills wants everyone to know how SIMILAR Wal-Mart’s online customers are to those who traverse their stores. Yeah, they might be slightly younger (clicks:  43, bricks:  50), slightly higher income (clicks:  $62.6, bricks:  $51.8), a wee bit more educated (clicks:  37% college educated, bricks:  31% college educated) oh, and they are also “more female” (which doesn’t mean that they’re sitting at their kitchen tables wearing heels and lipstick) . . . Bottom line:  There is “lots of overlap” between the two and that spells opportunities for vendors; which brings us to . . .

Message #2:  Dot com is that rare, sticky brand showcase in a world driven to distractionWal-Mart is on a “dual mission” to drive online and in-store sales synergistically and they’re partnering with vendors to develop creative ways to showcase their brands.  Not a bad idea when you consider the humongous marketing dollars that many Wal-Mart vendors have at their disposal.  Why not take those already-fleshed out campaigns and slap them on Wal-Mart dot com; prettying up the Wal-Mart site and driving brand awareness with those very similar shoppers in the process?  And speaking of brand, more than once, Mr. Mills used the term “brand” to refer to Wal-Mart itself.  He said that dot com gives consumers the opportunity to interact with “our brand” online  . . . did he accidentally leave off the “s”?  I think not.  Pretty radical talk for a retailer sometimes dismissed as a “place to shop” while competitors are given way too much credit for delivering on the store-as-brand promise . . . then again, this dovetails with Stephen Quinn’s foreshadowing a few months ago when he spoke about Wal-Mart realizing its own-brand potential. 74% of online customers browse online then purchase in-store, a dynamic referred to as “influenced sales,” and the average American spends 17% of their media time online.  What a shame then that marketers’ average online spend is only 3% . . . well, not everyone is a dinosaur . . . take the forward-looking mother’s little helper, Alli.  Clickers spent an average of 2 minutes, 11 seconds on Wal-Mart’s Alli brand page; 35 seconds longer than on traditional brand pages   . . . that should be enough to make marketers salivate.  Picture a customer staring at your latest magazine ad for 2 minutes, 11 seconds.  Alli went on to increase its sales above projections and sales were in line with forecast for the critical first two months.  According to Mr. Mills, you can expect consumers to spend an advertising eternity on your own Wal-Mart dot com brand page (that would be 1.4 minutes).  He didn’t say whether obsessive vendor clicks were subtracted; however, surely an impressive number regardless. Okay, you want to be a hard case?  Need some metrics in marketing-speak?  Wal-Mart dot com can increase “unaided awareness” by 76%, “purchase intent” by 63% and the all-powerful “intent to recommend” by 54%.

Message #3:  Wal-Mart dot com is the “at-home kiosk.”  I’m giving snaps to Wal-Mart’s latest terminology twist.  Reading between the lines, the “at-home kiosk” concept means that Wal-Mart is using dot com to drive traffic to the stores; not the other way around.  Wal-Mart will NOT be putting internet kiosks in stores, instead, they will count on the 77% of Wal-Mart dot com shoppers that have access to broadband (vs. the national average of 61%), making brand connections online, resulting in an uplifting halo effect at the stores.  Dot com; therefore, isn’t just a vehicle for selling products and shipping them to consumers’ homes, it is a brand messaging powerhouse that “completes the (brand awareness) circle.”

Message #4:  “Virtual merchandising” is a whole lot more predictable, and impactful, than the alternativeYour best laid merchandising plans . . . gorgeous planograms, flawless convention-floor product set-ups . . . all for naught as you see your competitor’s products on your fixtures, your stuff on the floor . . . Mr. Mills didn’t go into all of that but I had to based on experience.  Instead, he made a compelling argument for bringing your hottest programs online, using Wal-Mart dot com as your beta and building advanced awareness for those customers that you know will eventually hit the stores.  There, they’ll be able to select from your perfectly-pre-refined assortments.

Message #5:  Web customers are your BEST customersFurther bolstering his clicks-drives-bricks argument, Mr. Mills told the audience that web-to-store shoppers spend an average of $327 vs. $264 for store-only shoppers.  Beyond that, Wal-Mart dot com’s customers spend 64% more on average than Target’s web-to-store customers.  So, websites aren’t just most retailers’ top “door,” they also have the unique ability to drive sales at additional doors.

Message #6:  Selling product is the tip of the (web) icebergSo, why do consumers go to Wal-Mart dot com?  The top three reasons according to Mr. Mills are:  1) To conduct product research, 2) To look for store advertising flyers, and 3) To locate the nearest store (so why are store finders always in wee font at the bottom of the home page??)

With that in mind, Wal-Mart dot com has developed several programs, some of which benefit vendors whose categories aren’t even on the site (i.e. food).  How can that be?  Well, if a customer is able to order samples of your product online, check out your latest roll-backs, and visit your brand boutique before even setting foot in a store, that certainly primes the pump, particularly in the ever-distracting mass retail environment.  As Mr. Mills stated, Wal-Mart dot com is the “best time to start talking to the customer” regardless of the product. No doubt, some of the programs that he outlined, such as site to store, are familiar to anyone following multi-channel (naturally, that includes you).  Wal-Mart’s Site to Store program promises free delivery to a Wal-Mart store near you within 7-10 days.  When you pick up the item, bring some extra bucks . . . $60 to be exact.  That’s the extra that you’ll spend once you’re in the store according to Wal-Mart’s research.

Wal-Mart also launched customer ratings, which falls under “syndicated and consumer content” and they are calling out their growing roster of service offerings (custom tires, optical, baby and wedding registry), featuring multiple online brand boutiques, and giving vendors the opportunity to feature their brands and products in several “unique ways” including “digital end caps,” product matching (Gatorade click-throughs on the treadmill page; cosmetics with jewelry), interactive quizzes, and incentives for customers to try products once they go to the store.

Message #7:  Wal-Mart stores are as big as, well, Wal-Mart dot com! One of the trickier pieces of the multi-channel puzzle is that many retailers are using their websites to explode product assortments (ever checked out Target’s online furniture gallery?  Look out Ikea!), and even to venture into entirely unique categories (caskets and fine art at Costco.com anyone?).  Wal-Mart is also expanding its web-unique offerings but as pointed out before, Wal-Mart envisions bricks and clicks working together as a synergistic whole that targets similar customers, going so far as to say that Wal-Mart stores are as big as Wal-Mart dot com. It’s all about having the “right assortment at the right place” whether satisfying immediate gratification or facilitating expanded options; however, the key variable will be associate knowledge.  Wal-Mart stores aren’t even as big as Wal-Mart stores if associates can’t help customers find what they need and facilitate sales, never mind solving the challenge of guiding them toward virtual options.  Mr. Mills stated that Wal-Mart is training associates to do just that, so in essence, the store associate IS the in-store internet kiosk.  To me, that means that vendors should leave nothing to chance.  Take the bull by the horns and factor multi-channel support into your in-store marketing efforts.

Mr. Mills wrapped it all up by reminding everyone that Wal-Mart dot com is in partnership mode.  They aren’t just doing their own thing and asking people to join in but instead, are building tools with supplier input.  He ran through an enticing roster of new features including CRM applications that will allow suppliers to capture names for their own data bases, “geo targeting” which will allow suppliers to target consumer segments (Hispanic, for example) that will correspond with store traiting, seasonal solutions (everything from cold and flu season to NASCAR), and special projects such as sustainability (check out the impressive “common future” section on the site). Back at the office, I had to sign onto Walmart.com seeking reassurance.  Surely with all of the features and initiatives called out by Mr. Mills, the thing would be a chocolate mess.  Alas!  A highly-navigable wonder was before me.   4.5 minutes and counting . . .

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  • Three Illinois professors named Sloan Research Fellows

    Three Illinois scientists are among 126 recipients of the 2018 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. According to the foundation, the awards “honor early career scholars whose achievements mark them as among the very best scientific minds working today.” Winners receive a two-year $65,000 fellowship to further their research.

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  • What are the challenges of providing services for children with mental illnesses?

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    Batteries that charge faster and have greater capacity could boost portable electronic devices and electric cars. A new method to simultaneously test stress and strain in battery electrodes gives researchers a window into the mechanical, electrical and chemical forces within lithium-ion batteries. The method revealed an unexpected point of stress in the charging cycle, which could guide development of better batteries.


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2017 Ford Explorer,a Best SUV For Outdoor Activity

As the new redesigned version, 2017 Ford Explorer is predicted using a lot of experts that this company will complete it with a concept and new design. Perhaps, 2017 remains to be far away right now but we can’t deny regarding the rumors and many leaks relevant to the coming of their new design. This new sports utility car is devoted from Ford that is to be quite different from the latest design of 2017 Explorer. Although, there is absolutely no official information yet about the exact release, we all do hope that individuals could see your vehicle soon about the future. It would be interesting should the company could impart us with the official confirmation to be sure whether this challenge and speculation are true.

2017 Ford Explorer

2017 Ford Explorer Engine Prediction

Speaking in regards to the engine of the popular car, it can be mentioned by some reliable sources which the company gives a new system of transmission. Some of the lineups happen to be announced to find the engine using this type of new transmission. 2017 Ford Explorer is anticipated to get new powertrain while using the presence of 9-speed auto transmission. Later, leaked details are coming out regarding the engine which will be used by this car. It is V6 engine Ecoboost 3.5 liter that can give much better performance in comparison to the recent engine model that’s 3.5 liters combined to deliver the power through the 6-speed transmission. As a result, the vehicle has boosted mpg rating for 2017 Ford Explorer. This way will likely be helpful to keep its competitiveness in the market mainly because it helps you to save your hard earned dollars when you want to ride this car.

2017 Ford Explorer side view

Redesigned For Explorer 2017

2017 Ford Explorer will probably be available with boosted performance also to complete it, the corporation will increase the design language. The company offers it with new taillights design because of its back side and there will likely be the pipe of exhaust. Inside the cabin, the organization will offer it with basic high-tech features which can be attached to the advanced technology to provide much interesting comfort inside.

2017 Ford Explorer redesign

Safety Features Of 2017 Explorer

We glad to know how the company will give you it rich in tech features to accomplish this new 2017 Ford Explorer. It is reported that this company can certainly make the safety features enough to restore much more acceptable out there. The improved safety system is anticipated in order to have more buyers. Some new attributes are extremely possible for being presented to make the vehicle could step of progress among its rivals.

2017 Ford Explorer specs

2017 Ford Explorer Video

here a video about this car, check this out:

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Expansion of Chile’s largest private digital radio system will improve security, safety, operational efficiency and environmental impact of Forestal Mininco

SANTIAGO DE CHILE – Sept. 8, 2015Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) today announced the expansion of its managed services agreement supporting Forestal Mininco’s mission-critical communications system. The system improves employee safety and security, operational efficiency and Forestal Mininco’s impact on the environment.

The system supports a number of Motorola Solutions’ high-tech innovations, such as the TETRA messaging application, which enables lighthouse keepers to deliver weather data, such as air humidity, wind and rainfall, from radios in the forest to the dispatch center. The data is then analyzed to generate forecasts and statistics, predict the behavior of fires and used to develop action plans.

“As the operations of Forestal Mininco are very diverse and carried out in a rugged landscape, they need to be coordinated. We had to keep improving the technology deployed some years ago. In order to extend coverage, we were looking to seamlessly cover the area between Regions 7 – 9. In addition, thanks to Motorola Solutions technology, we have been improving our communications, which will enable us to enhance operational efficiency and safety,” said Luis Rodriguez, administration manager at Forestal Mininco.

Through the fleet management application, radios in the field can be tracked, improving security in the forest while saving time and fuel, reducing the environmental impact of Forestal Mininco’s operations.

New electronic dispatch guides are bringing another innovation to the forestry industry in Chile. The cranes located in the forest generate the guides, enabling workers to conduct online tracking of materials, from the harvesting of the raw material to the end of the process.

“The managed communication system provided by Motorola Solutions helps our customers reduce their initial capital expenses and avoid errors as it operates with different technology options,” explained Mitchel Zúñiga, services manager at Motorola Solutions for Forestal Mininco Operation. “In cases like Forestal Mininco, we can manage the entire system from initial deployment, and develop it based on their business needs.”

“One of the keys to our success with Mininco has been the investment we’ve made in learning more about forestry industry operations,” Zúñiga added. “During the course of years of collaboration, we gained extended experience in the industry, allowing us to develop innovative solutions that anticipate business needs and make operations both safer and more efficient.”

The Terrestrial Trunked radio (TETRA) system will include 10 new radio frequency sites, new applications and portable devices to increase coverage due to the rugged geography, spanning over 49,000 square kilometers in the areas of Maule, Biobío and La Araucanía. The new solutions include two sites connected to the system via satellite links. These links provide communications in difficult-to-access places and enable mobile coverage, a feature specifically designed to support harvesting tasks in the large areas of the forest.

These enhancements will provide considerable increase in signal coverage and service quality. The renewal of the agreement entered into Motorola Solutions and Forestal Mininco in 2010 includes the extension of coverage with new sites and 2,350 new terminals.

About Forestal Mininco
As part of the corporate group CMPC, Forestal Mininco is the cornerstone of the company’s forestry business. Its mission is to supply industrial centers with wood from forests that are sustainably managed.

About Motorola Solutions
Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) creates innovative, mission-critical communication solutions and services that help public safety and commercial customers build safer cities and thriving communities. For ongoing news, visit www.motorolasolutions.com/newsroom or subscribe to a news feed
Media Contact:
Andrea Modarelli
O: +5411-4837-4002

MOTOROLA, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC and are used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2018 Motorola Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Bullying and Safety Kits

Hello Parents,

I have been asked to pass along a letter from School Resource Officer Matt Topham and ICSD Administrators regarding an effort to collect materials for school safety kits to be available in every room in the event of an emergency or lockdown setting. Please review the letter and if you are able to help in this effort, please bring the item(s) to the school prior to Nov 22.

Also, I would ask all parents to be aware of your child’s use of Twitter and Facebook in following hateful accounts. We have seen a disturbing trend of anonymous hateful accounts being created and followed by 100s of kids. These accounts will post negative, hurtful, harmful messages about kids. These could include rumors of sex with other students, sexually transmitted diseases, rumors of using drugs or alcohol, and so forth. It is filth. Some will dismiss it as just “fun” and people need to ‘lighten up.”  I can assure you, however, if you or your child is being targeted by these rumors and filth, there is nothing fun about it.
Please talk to your child. See who their “Friends” are on Facebook. See who they “Follow” on twitter. If they are full of hateful messages, encourage your child to not give the hateful people an audience. Unfriend. Unfollow.  We are working with the City Attorney and Cedar Police to address the issue but we need everyone’s help to stop the anonymous abuse.  Do not just assume your child isn’t involved. I have had some very pointed discussions with many of our kids at the school over the past few days because they are either supporting the abuse by giving it an audience, or they are being targeted by the abusers.
Thank you for your assistance!
Attached Letter:

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Each year we see situations across the country where students are harmed in natural disasters or school violence. These situations can have a devastating effect on the families and communities involved. As a school district we will do everything in our power to prevent this from happening, but we will also stand ready to respond if it ever does. Therefore, we are putting together emergency preparedness kits for each of the schools in the Iron County School District.

A kit will be placed in each classroom, library, and lunchroom. In addition they will be placed in other areas where the students may be located in the event of an emergency, such as a natural disaster or school lockdown. These kits will be a vital resource for our teachers and students if they are in a school lockdown or an emergency situation for an extended amount of time. To this end, we are asking for any contributions to assist in creating these kits.

The items that we still need to create each of these kits are as follows:

  • 15 foot length of nylon cord
  • A tarp approximately 6 foot by 8 foot
  • Toilet paper or baby wipes
  • A flashlight with batteries
  • A case of bottled water
    • some food items (hard candy, granola bars, or other single serving non-perishable food item)
  • A bottle of hand sanitizer
  • Small roll of duct tape
  • Some feminine hygiene products (for the female students in the older grades).

Please bring your donations to your child’s school by Friday the 22nd of November. Any of these items that you can donate will be greatly appreciated. We will then sort the items and begin to build these kits.

We will also accept monetary donations in order to purchase these items and complete these kits. We ask that money donations please be brought into the Main Office of the schools. These donations will be collected by the Principals and other school administrators. All donations will first go to the schools in which they are received. After these needs are met, any additional items will then be used in the other schools in the district as needed.

In order to meet the needs of the school district we will need 600 completed kits. This is a large and difficult task. However, with your help, together we can accomplish this goal and help to ensure the safety of our students.

Thank You

Iron County School District Administration

2nd Quarter Begins

This email was sent to all parents on October 22nd…

I just wanted to drop you a quick note as we begin second quarter and let you know of the great work done by students to start the year out. The average daily attendance percentage for the school is 96.77%. Our senior class led the way with a 98.0% attendance rate. This is a great indicator of student success and engagement in the learning process.
The school has been well-represented by our clubs and student-athletes this Fall. It is always so fun to see the students work so hard both in the classroom and in their extra-curriculars. The FFA Land Judging team took first place at their state competition and are going to be representing Utah at the National Competition in 2014. Our Girls Cross Country team took second place at the Region 9 competition this past week and are headed to state today.  The list of accomplishments and great effort goes on and on. Thank you for supporting your student and all of Canyon View!
Coming up in the next few weeks are tryouts for our winter sports teams (swimming, wrestling and basketball).  Also looking ahead we invite everyone to come out for the combined Canyon View / Cedar High performance of West Side Story. The musical will run November 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 at 7 pm. All performances will be at Cedar High. This combined effort is something we have done in the past and has proven to be a great endeavor. Come on out and enjoy the show!
There has been lengthy discussions among the secondary administrators and the district office personnel on the possibility of instituting a Late-Start collaboration time. This would be similar to what has been done for years among elementary schools. The purpose of the Late-Start time would be to provide an opportunity for secondary teachers across the district to collaborate as teams of professionals.
One of the greatest struggles we have in a high school is to provide teachers with common time to talk about individual students as well as train on best practices. I reflect on my own experience as a math teacher and wonder how much more effective I could have been if I had been able to collaborate with the science and language arts teachers on what is working and not working for a student struggling to keep up or a student that is an advanced learner and is bored in class.
I also love the possibility of providing our teachers an opportunity to collaborate with teachers from across the district on best practices and what is working well. This would be a huge benefit to not only our core teachers but also our teachers in art, business, CTE, and so forth where they are the only teacher in the school with their specialty.  The end result is increased achievement for students and a better experience for students.

While we have had much discussion on the subject, there is still much work to be done before we are ready to roll it out. At this point I am not sure whether Late-Start will happen in January at the semester break or possibly in August to start the new year. On November 19th at 4 pm Superintendent Dulaney will make a presentation to the school board in the regularly scheduled ICSD School Board Meeting. Public input will be welcomed at that time. If you have an interest or opinion on the subject, we would invite you to attend that meeting.  I would also welcome questions on the issue.
Thank you again for all you do in support of our students and school community.

Community Council & School Grade

Hello Parents,
I wanted to email you and pass along two items that should be of interest to everyone. I apologize for the length, but wanted to get the information out to you.
First, our School Community Council Elections are completed. We would like to welcome our two newest representatives Susan Carter and Summer Tremelling to the council. Please feel free to contact them or any other member of the council (myself, Suzy Gatherum, Tim Benson, Tammy Hulet, Karen Johnson and Jennie Hendricks) for anything related to the community council, the school improvement plan, or School Trustland expenditures. Our first meeting will be September 16th at 3 pm in the school main office conference room.
I want to thank all those parents that expressed an interest in being involved in the community council elections. It was inspiring to know that there were a dozen that stepped forward and said they would be willing to help. THANK YOU!
Many people have been talking about the School Accountability Report Card information that came out last week. Some have asked my opinion.  I thought I would take just a minute and explain my thoughts on the subject.  For those that don’t know, schools have had different versions of an accountability report issued based on standardized test scores for many years. Most recently it was in the form of an AYP Report (adequate yearly progress). Some people may recall the No Child Left Behind act and the report that was generated from that.
This year the state mandated (through the Utah Legislature) that schools be labeled with an A, B, C, D or F grade based on the data.  In Utah there were three boundary high schools that received an A. There also were a couple of Early-College high schools that received an A rating. Canyon View received a C grade on the report. We received 521 points out of 750. The cutoff for a B was 522 points.  Does one point really translate into being transformed from a “C” to a “B” school when you look at the whole picture?
The way that points on this Report are generated are from end of level testing in Math, Language Arts and Science. Other points are allocated based on the school graduation rate. Points are allocated based on “Growth Points” that are generated from a comparison of student scores from one year to another when compared to peers from around the state. Finally, growth points are awarded based on a comparison of student growth for students that were below proficiency levels the prior year.
Do I feel that Canyon View High School is a “C School?”  Not at all!  A few months ago the school was noted as the 8th Best High School in Utah by U.S. News & World Report. This report was based on the same students, the same programs, the same teachers, the same community. There are some inherent difficulties in trying to label a school as A, B, C, D, or Failing. The legislature has attempted to do just that in order to paint a picture for parents and communities.  I believe the end result is a fuzzy picture and I would expect that the reporting system will again be changed by the legislature this upcoming session.
My hope is that you will take the time to truly understand what is going on within Canyon View High School. It is no secret that we, along with the rest of the state, struggle in mathematics testing. The Community Council has looked to address this concern as part of our School Improvement Plan.  We will continue to work to improve in this area.
There are areas that are not measured in this report that are a fundamental part of who we are and what we do at Canyon View.
Above all I hope you know that we look at each piece of data (whether it is reported by the newspapers or not) and look for ways to make changes that will be a positive impact for our students and community.  We constantly look for opportunities to improve. And we will always look to enhance the experience for each of our students.
Thank you for your continued efforts on behalf of your student and all those at Canyon View High School.
Let me know of any questions you have or of any assistance I may be able to provide your student.
Rich Nielsen

Welcome Back 2013 Letter

Welcome to the 2013-14 school year at CVHS!

I would like to welcome each of you to the Home of the Falcons for the upcoming school year.  We look forward to an exciting and successful year.  We especially would like to welcome the Class of 2017 to Canyon View and look forward to four great years with you.

We would like to make you aware of some great additions to our staff as well as a couple of changes.  Mandy Wood and Kylie Findley have joined our math department. Robby Robinson is our new PE teacher and Head Football Coach. In the front office, Shelly Goodwin has taken over as our Office Manager, Joyce Edwards as our Registrar and Vicki Christian as our Attendance Secretary. Our S.R.O., Isaac Askeroth, will be teaching the Intro to Law Enforcement classes.

Canyon View continues to be recognized regionally and statewide for excellence. We look to continue to build on that tradition this year through increased effort among our staff to work collaboratively. In addition we will be fully implementing our College and Career Readiness Model (CCR) across all grade levels. This will be a tremendous advantage to students to get them a head start on being prepared for the “next step” in their lives.

CVHS information is now available as an app for your smart phones, iPods, iPads and Android based devices.  The app is a great source of information, especially when you are on the go. Search the Android Marketplace and Apple App Store for the app by typing in “Canyon View High School.” It is a free download. News, calendars, videos, photos, tweets and much more are available through the CVHS App.

Follow us on Twitter with our two different accounts: @canyonviewhigh and @cvhs_news . The @canyonviewhigh has been used for two years now and is designed for all the activities, news, sports, scores and updates that most students would want to know (and many parents as well). The @cvhs_news account is new and is designed for those parents that only want info in the event of an emergency such as school closure, evacuation, and so forth.

Please join the PTSA.  They are a tremendous asset to the students and staff at CVHS!  A table will be set up at registration where students, parents and staff members may join.  You may also mail in the PTSA registration if you choose to do mail-in registration this year.

Students received their schedules in May and we will be printing one more copy of the schedule for them to be handed out the week of registration.  Class changes have already taken place.  If there is a need for a schedule change due to an error on the part of CVHS, that can be accommodated by the counselors the first week of school.  Schedule changes for any reason other than an error in graduation progress or the wrong level of a class (such as Calculus instead of Pre-Calculus) will not be made as we need to get a handle on current class loads and maintain balance between courses.  You may now view schedules in PowerSchool.  The PowerSchool address is http://ps.irondistrict.org.

We encourage you to use the mail in registration and online payment system if you are able. On-Site Registration will take place August 12 – 14.  The main office will be staffed beginning August 5th. If there are multiple CV students in a household and you would like to register them all at once please feel free to bring them at any of the available times.  Please be prepared to pay your school fees.  See the enclosed school fee form for information on fees.  Online payments are now available for all school fees – see enclosed information and CVHS Website for instructions.

Monday August 12th

Seniors – Registration from 1 to 3 p.m.

Tuesday August 13th

Juniors – Registration from 8:00 to 10:30 a.m.

Sophomores – Registration from 12:30 to 3 p.m.

Wednesday August 14h Freshmen Day @ CVHS (parents may attend too)

Freshmen –             Registration from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m.

11:45 a.m. – Freshmen assembly in the auditorium

12:30 p.m. – Tour of CVHS to find classrooms and ask questions

12:50 p.m. – Ice Cream in the Commons Area

1:00 p.m. – Excused to go home

Registration forms are available on the school website http://cvhs.ironk12.org/ and will be available at the school during registration.

Mail-In Registration Information –

If you would like to mail in your paperwork and fees this year and forgo coming in during registration, please complete the attached registration demographic form, download the registration forms (Safe School Policy, Acceptable Use Form, Parking Registration if desired) from the school website and mail them in with your check for registration fees to the school.

Rich Nielsen, Principal

CVHS 2013 Mail-In Registration Form

Student: __________________________________________       Grade:  ______________

Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________

Parent Email Address:  ________________________________________________________

Parent Cell Number:  ____________________________    Home Number: _______________________

Please enclose the following forms if mailing in your registration:

(forms are available from the CVHS WebSite at http://cvhs.ironk12.org)

___   Safe Schools Policy (Required)

___   Acceptable Use Policy (Required)

___   Parking Registration Form (Optional)

___   Fee Waiver Application Form (Optional)

Additional forms are available such as CHIP on the website.

____  Please Check This Line Indicating you are enclosing a check for registration and class fees

___   Please Check This Line indicating you have submitted payment via the online payment system