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"Bake me a pie or go away," I've literally had my son say that to me a few times. So, what was I to do except fulfilling his demand? Baking (not only pies), is a cooking method where tools DO actually make the man, which means that it is very hard or nearly impossible to do it successfully without proper bakeware.
With years of experience under my belt, I’ve learned about and discovered what truly matters when looking for bakeware to buy, and I am going to teach you later in the article.
Also, I have reviewed what I believe to be the best five non-stick bakeware sets out there, so make sure to check them out if you are in search of one.
The first and most obvious reason is – because food doesn’t stick to it! I do not want to sound overly simplistic, but any chef (or mom, as a matter of fact) knows that pans that stick will absolutely mess up the outcome.
People normally solve this problem by oiling up, but I don’t like it since it makes the food greasy. Using non-stick bakeware is a healthier, more convenient, and more practical way of baking.
The next thing that you might not have known is that non-stick bakeware is so much easier to clean than more conventional types. It is a no-brainer really – if nothing sticks to the surface then there won’t be anything to scrub, scrape or wash off.
This trait right here will save you tons of time as well as frustration, and it might motivate you to bake more often because of the hassle-free cleaning process. Just make sure to maintain the bakeware.
Lastly, even heat distribution is another thing that you should look for, and this type of bakeware enables it.
Here's the deal: heat distribution most likely won't affect the quality of the result, but it will make the bakeware heat up more quickly which will ultimately decrease the cooking time.
Investing a little bit of time into research can save you a lot of money and trouble in the long run, and that is why you need to read this section carefully.
Bakeware sets differ regarding materials, abilities, cost, and maintenance, so learning about some general features of these products will help you decide which type will fulfill your demands.
Bakeware can be made from different kinds of materials including iron, glass, copper, steel, etc.
Today I will mention only the types that are related to products I reviewed in this article.
It is important to know that each material yields different cooking properties so study these paragraphs to find out which one is right for you.
Carbon steel – this material is light, durable, and reacts to temperature changes very quickly, meaning that it can heat up fast. Even though is lightweight, it is a bit heavier than copper and doesn't retain heat as well as iron. It's a good choice for baking meats, veggies, bread, and cakes.
Copper – it is an excellent heat conductor and doesn’t need pre-heating since it gets hot very quickly. Very light, but also quite expensive compared to other bakeware materials. Also, it isn’t the best choice for recipes that require baking under very high heat.
Silicon – good for foods where sticking is an issue, such as breads, cookies, and cakes. It is light, affordable and dishes will slide out of it easily. The one downside is that it can be frustrating to wash because it is so elastic, but luckily, most of the silicon bakeware is dishwasher safe.
Since you’ll be buying an entire set of products, it would be a good idea to find one that is suitable for all kinds of baking jobs. Make sure that all the basic items such as pie pan, muffin pan, loaf pan, cookie sheet, cake pan, or whatever you need, is included in the package.
This is a feature that most folks overlook, and it makes a world of difference when it comes to handling the pan. It's easy to move the dish around when it's cold but taking it out of a scorching hot oven is a different story (trust me, I know). You’ll try to be cautious not to burn your fingers so it is easy not to pay attention to the contents of the pan which can lead to spillage and a messy kitchen.
Look for bakeware that has nice, ergonomic handles or handling areas. Some models have silicon added to these parts for extra protection and ease of use.
Not all types of bakeware can withstand the same temperatures; as a matter of fact, this trait greatly differs from product to product. Certain pans are oven safe to up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, while others cannot take more than 350.
This is a significant difference so pay close attention to this detail when buying a set.
Now, let’s get into the meaty part of this article – the reviews.
After trying out many sets, I’ve reached some conclusions and decided to put together a list of my favorite ones.
Keep in mind that these are my personal choices, but they are also top rated products.
Rachel Ray is a world-renowned chef and TV personality, and her famous Cucina line of products never fails to deliver. Here, we are dealing with an excellent, 10-piece set that I personally think very highly of.
The material that this bakeware is made of is carbon steel, and the non-stick, latte-colored coating looks very pretty and does the job well.
A thing that I didn’t like about the construction of this set is that everything is so bulky. It is not a huge issue, but folks who lack storage space will not be thrilled with these products.
As far as items are concerned, the set includes two loaf pans, two cake pans, two cookie sheets, two pie plates, a muffin tin, and a plastic cake pan topper.
In my opinion, this is more than enough, but I’m sure some folks are going to be disappointed because there’s no pizza pan included.
The handles have silicon grips attached to them, and this is a big bonus when it comes to practicality and handling. Also, the rolled edges allow you to grab the pan more easily and move it around securely.
The pan can withstand heat of up to 450 F, and I think that this should be sufficient for most baking jobs. Make sure not to go over this temperature because you could burn the pans.
Copper has gained a lot of popularity in the cooking world over the last few years, and honestly, I can only say good things about it. Copper Chef is known for a plethora of cookware, and now we are taking a look at their baking set.
As I've mentioned before, copper is a fantastic heat conductor, and the heat distribution in this material is as even as it gets.
Personally, I find the latter feature very important because I like to have consistency in my cooking.
This is a 12-piece set that consists of a 12-cup muffin pan, a cookie sheet, a loaf pan, a square pan, and eight pieces of silicon ramekin cups with lids.
Ok, so I think it is a bit unfair for a company to advertise a set of twelve copper products while only four of them are actually made of this material. While the ramekin cups are lovely, they seem to be a cheap filler in this set.
As far as handling is concerned, most of the products in this pack do not have handles, so you have to rely on the rolled edges for gripping. This is a big disadvantage in my opinion, and greatly handicaps the ease of use.
These black, sturdy-looking baking dishes remind me of old-school bakeware sets that people used to bake with a few decades ago. However, this is a modern and versatile set that should fulfill most of your demands.
The ChefLand set is made of carbon steel; it looks pretty plain but has a non-stick coating that's quite effective. One thing that this material is good at is even heat distribution, so you won’t need to worry about hotspots.
The products are dishwasher safe, however, after several months of kind of cleaning, some items started to form rust on the outer edges, which is a big minus. I would recommend washing them by hand.
When it comes to the items, ChefLand’s set includes a roasting pan, a round pizza pan, a large and medium cookie sheet, two round cake pans, a square cake pan, a loaf pan, an oven crisper pan, and a 12-cup muffin pan. As far as I’m concerned this set has everything covered!
Most of the dishes have handles on them, and even those which don't, have a nice grip area that allows for good handling.
Unfortunately, there is no silicon padding or protective surface so you will need to use gloves or cloth.
This bakeware set comes to us from Sunbeam; it is a bit smaller set in terms of the number of items in it, but a worthy addition to today's list. Oh, I forgot to mention it’s cheap as chips!
The material these pans are made of is carbon steel, and its non-stick features are achieved with a xylan coating interior and exterior. The black color gives it a pretty plain, non-exciting look, but I personally do not mind this.
The Sunbeam set has only 5-pieces, which is significantly less than other sets we reviewed today. The dishes included are a loaf pan, a cookie sheet, a 6-cup muffin pan, and two round cake pans.
One disadvantage of this set is that it cannot handle temperatures higher than 400 F, which is quite limiting because some recipes require more heat.
All of the pans have handles or enough room to grab them properly and handle safely.
Now as I was reading some online commentary, many people complained that pans arrived dented or bent when they ordered them, so this might be an issue.
I haven’t experienced this myself, so I just want to put it out as a warning.
This set differs from others I reviewed today because it is the only one that’s not made of metal.
Boxiki Kitchen brings us this 3-piece silicone set that bread and cake lovers might find interesting.
As I’ve said, these products are made of silicone which has its pros and cons.
The good thing is that food will just slide out of it, but it might be irritating when trying to wash it by hand because it’s so bendy. A lot of people raise concerns about chemicals in this material, so you’ll be glad to know that this set is FDA approved and non-toxic.
The set comes with three items – a round cake pan, a square brownie pan, and a banana bread/meatloaf pan.
All of the dishes are equipped with metal handles which allows for a nice and solid grip, so you won’t have to worry about the pans slipping out of your hands.
Silicone is generally oven safe up to 500 degrees F, which is fantastic and much better than some metal products, so you won’t need to worry about burning your bakeware.
However, the metal handles don't seem to take high temperatures very well, and I've heard some reports of them flaking and bubbling at 400 F.
I hope that the article was helpful and that it got you acquainted with the basics of bakeware.
Now, the time has come for me to declare my top pick of the day, and the product that got most of my sympathies is Rachel Ray’s 10-piece Cucina Set.
Its beautiful design is what attracted me to this bakeware set, but the excellent performance made an even stronger impression.
Non-stick surface does its job flawlessly, and the carbon steel construction is sturdy and strong.
This is a very good list, i have tested myself the Rachel Ray’s 10-Piece Cucina Bakeware Set and i’m satisfied with it, it fulfill most of my daily cooking. | 2019-04-20T02:37:15Z | https://kitchenbyte.com/best-bakeware-sets/ |
Yesterday [12 Nov], at the Shoreditch Town Hall, Dr. Macdonald, M.P., the coroner for the North- Eastern District of Middlesex, opened his inquiry relative to the death of Marie Jeanette Kelly, the woman whose body was discovered on Friday morning, terribly mutilated, in a room on the ground floor of 26, Dorset-street, entrance to which was by a side door in Miller's-court.
Superintendent T. Arnold, H Division; Inspector Abberline, of the Criminal Investigation Department, and Inspector Nairn represented the police. The deputy coroner, Mr. Hodgkinson, was present during the proceedings.
The Coroner (to the juror, severely): Do you think that we do not know what we are doing here, and that we do not know our own district? The jury are summoned in the ordinary way, and they have no business to object. If they persist in their objection I shall know how to deal with them. Does any juror persist in objecting ?
The Juror: We are summoned for the Shoreditch district. This affair happened in Spitalfields. The Coroner: It happened within my district.
The jury having made no further objection, they were duly sworn, and were conducted by Inspector Abberline to view the body, which, decently coffined, was at the mortuary adjoining Shoreditch Church, and subsequently the jury inspected the room, in Miller's-court, Dorset- street, where the murder was committed. The apartment, a plan of which was given in yesterday's Daily Telegraph, is poorly furnished, and uncarpeted. The position of the two tables was not altered. One of them was placed near the bed, behind the door, and the other next to the largest of the two windows which look upon the yard in which the dustbin and water-tap are situated.
Joseph Barnett deposed : I was a fish-porter, and I work as a labourer and fruit- porter. Until Saturday last I lived at 24, New-street, Bishopsgate, and have since stayed at my sister's, 21, Portpool-lane, Gray's Inn-road. I have lived with the deceased one year and eight months. Her name was Marie Jeanette Kelly with the French spelling as described to me. Kelly was her maiden name. I have seen the body, and I identify it by the ear and eyes, which are all that I can recognise; but I am positive it is the same woman I knew. I lived with her in No. 13 room, at Miller's-court for eight months. I separated from her on Oct. 30.
[Coroner] Why did you leave her ? - Because she had a woman of bad character there, whom she took in out of compassion, and I objected to it. That was the only reason. I left her on the Tuesday between five and six p.m. I last saw her alive between half-past seven and a quarter to eight on Thursday night last, when I called upon her. I stayed there for a quarter of an hour.
[Coroner] Were you on good terms ? - Yes, on friendly terms; but when we parted I told her I had no work, and had nothing to give her, for which I was very sorry.
[Coroner] Did you drink together ? - No, sir. She was quite sober.
[Coroner] Was she, generally speaking, of sober habits ? - When she was with me I found her of sober habits, but she has been drunk several times in my presence.
[Coroner] Was there any one else there on the Thursday evening ? - Yes, a woman who lives in the court. She left first, and I followed shortly afterwards.
[Coroner] Have you had conversation with deceased about her parents ? - Yes, frequently. She said she was born in Limerick, and went when very young to Wales. She did not say how long she lived there, but that she came to London about four years ago. Her father's name was John Kelly, a "gaffer" or foreman in an iron works in Carnarvonshire, or Carmarthen. She said she had one sister, who was respectable, who travelled from market place to market place. This sister was very fond of her. There were six brothers living in London, and one was in the army. One of them was named Henry. I never saw the brothers to my knowledge. She said she was married when very young in Wales to a collier. I think the name was Davis or Davies. She said she had lived with him until he was killed in an explosion, but I cannot say how many years since that was. Her age was, I believe, 16 when she married. After her husband's death deceased went to Cardiff to a cousin.
[Coroner] Did she live there long ? - Yes, she was in an infirmary there for eight or nine months. She was following a bad life with her cousin, who, as I reckon, and as I often told her, was the cause of her downfall.
[Coroner] After she left Cardiff did she come direct to London ? - Yes. She was in a gay house in the West-end, but in what part she did not say. A gentleman came there to her and asked her if she would like to go to France.
[Coroner] Did she go to France ? - Yes; but she did not remain long. She said she did not like the part, but whether it was the part or purpose I cannot say. She was not there more than a fortnight, and she returned to England, and went to Ratcliffe-highway. She must have lived there for some time. Afterwards she lived with a man opposite the Commercial Gas Works, Stepney. The man's name was Morganstone.
[Coroner] Have you seen that man ? - Never. I don't know how long she lived with him.
[Coroner] Was Morganstone the last man she lived with ? - I cannot answer that question, but she described a man named Joseph Fleming, who came to Pennington-street, a bad house, where she stayed. I don't know when this was. She was very fond of him. He was a mason's plasterer, and lodged in the Bethnal-green-road.
[Coroner] Was that all you knew of her history when you lived with her? - Yes. After she lived with Morganstone or Fleming - I don't know which one was the last - she lived with me.
[Coroner] Where did you pick up with her first ? - In Commercial-street. We then had a drink together, and I made arrangements to see her on the following day - a Saturday. On that day we both of us agreed that we should remain together. I took lodgings in George-street, Commercial-street, where I was known. I lived with her, until I left her, on very friendly terms.
[Coroner] Did she express fear of any particular individual ? - No, sir. Our own quarrels were very soon over.
Thomas Bowyer stated: I live at 37, Dorset-street, and am employed by Mr. McCarthy. I serve in his chandler's shop, 27, Dorset-street. At a quarter to eleven a.m., on Friday morning, I was ordered by McCarthy to go to Mary Jane's room, No. 13. I did not know the deceased by the name of Kelly. I went for rent, which was in arrears. Knocking at the door, I got no answer, and I knocked again and again. Receiving no reply, I passed round the corner by the gutter spout where there is a broken window - it is the smallest window.
Charles Ledger, an inspector of police, G Division, produced a plan of the premises. Bowyer pointed out the window, which was the one nearest the entrance.
He [Bowyer] continued: There was a curtain. I put my hand through the broken pane and lifted the curtain. I saw two pieces of flesh lying on the table.
[Coroner] Where was this table ? - In front of the bed, close to it. The second time I looked I saw a body on this bed, and blood on the floor. I at once went very quietly to Mr. McCarthy. We then stood in the shop, and I told him what I had seen. We both went to the police-station, but first of all we went to the window, and McCarthy looked in to satisfy himself. We told the inspector at the police-station of what we had seen. Nobody else knew of the matter. The inspector returned with us.
[Coroner] Did you see the deceased constantly ? - I have often seen her. I knew the last witness, Barnett. I have seen the deceased drunk once.
John McCarthy, grocer and lodging-house keeper, testified: I live at 27, Dorset- street. On Friday morning, about a quarter to eleven, I sent my man Bowyer to Room 13 to call for rent. He came back in five minutes, saying, "Guv'nor, I knocked at the door, and could not make any one answer; I looked through the window and saw a lot of blood." I accompanied him, and looked through the window myself, saw the blood and the woman. For a moment I could not say anything, and I then said: "You had better fetch the police." I knew the deceased as Mary Jane Kelly, and had no doubt at all about her identity. I followed Bowyer to Commercial-street Police-station, where I saw Inspector Beck. I inquired at first for Inspector Reid. Inspector Beck returned with me at once.
[Coroner] How long had the deceased lived in the room ? - Ten months. She lived with Barnett. I did not know whether they were married or not; they lived comfortably together, but they had a row when the window was broken. The bedstead, bed-clothes, table, and every article of furniture belonged to me.
[Coroner] What rent was paid for this room ? - It was supposed to be 4s 6d a week. Deceased was in arrears 29s. I was to be paid the rent weekly. Arrears are got as best you can. I frequently saw the deceased the worse for drink. When sober she was an exceptionally quiet woman, but when in drink she had more to say. She was able to walk about, and was not helpless.
[Coroner] Where was this ? - In Dorset-street. She went up the court, a few steps in front of me.
[Coroner] Was anybody with her ? - A short, stout man, shabbily dressed. He had on a longish coat, very shabby, and carried a pot of ale in his hand.
[Coroner] What was the colour of the coat ? - A dark coat.
[Coroner] What hat had he ? - A round hard billycock.
[Coroner] Long or short hair ? - I did not notice. He had a blotchy face, and full carrotty moustache.
[Coroner] The chin was shaven ? - Yes. A lamp faced the door.
[Coroner] Did you see them go into her room ? - Yes; I said "Good night, Mary," and she turned round and banged the door.
[Coroner] Had he anything in his hands but the can ? - No.
[Coroner] Did she say anything ? - She said "Good night, I am going to have a song." As I went in she sang "A violet I plucked from my mother's grave when a boy." I remained a quarter of an hour in my room and went out. Deceased was still singing at one o'clock when I returned. I remained in the room for a minute to warm my hands as it was raining, and went out again. She was singing still, and I returned to my room at three o'clock. The light was then out and there was no noise.
[Coroner] Did you go to sleep ? - No; I was upset. I did not undress at all. I did not sleep at all. I must have heard what went on in the court. I heard no noise or cry of "Murder," but men went out to work in the market.
[Coroner] How many men live in the court who work in Spitalfields Market ? - One. At a quarter- past six I heard a man go down the court. That was too late for the market.
[Coroner] From what house did he go ? - I don't know.
[Coroner] Did you hear the door bang after him ? - No.
[Coroner] Then he must have walked up the court and back again? - Yes.
[Coroner] It might have been a policeman ? - It might have been.
[Coroner] What would you take the stout man's age to be ? - Six-and-thirty.
[Coroner] Did you notice the colour of his trousers ? - All his clothes were dark.
[Coroner] Did his boots sound as if the heels were heavy ? - There was no sound as he went up the court.
[Coroner] Then you think that his boots were down at heels ? - He made no noise.
[Coroner] What clothes had Mary Jane on ? - She had no hat; a red pelerine and a shabby skirt.
[Coroner] You say she was drunk ? - I did not notice she was drunk until she said good night. The man closed the door. By the Jury: There was a light in the window, but I saw nothing, as the blinds were down. I should know the man again, if I saw him.
[Coroner] Do you often hear cries of "Murder?" - It is nothing unusual in the street. I did not take particular notice.
[Coroner] Did you hear it a second time? - No.
[Coroner] Did you hear beds or tables being pulled about? - None whatever. I went asleep, and was awake again at five a.m. I passed down the stairs, and saw some men harnessing horses. At a quarter to six I was in the Ten Bells.
[Coroner] Could the witness, Mary Ann Cox, have come down the entry between one and half-past one o'clock without your knowledge ? - Yes, she could have done so.
[Coroner] Did you see any strangers at the Ten Bells ? - No. I went back to bed and slept until eleven.
[Coroner] You heard no singing downstairs ? - None whatever. I should have heard the singing distinctly. It was quite quiet at half-past one o'clock.
Caroline Maxewell, 14, Dorset-street, said: My husband is a lodging-house deputy. I knew the deceased for about four months. I believe she was an unfortunate. On two occasions I spoke to her.
[Coroner] Did you speak to her ? - Yes; it was an unusual thing to see her up. She was a young woman who never associated with any one. I spoke across the street, "What, Mary, brings you up so early ?" She said, "Oh, Carrie, I do feel so bad."
[Coroner] And yet you say you had only spoken to her twice previously; you knew her name and she knew yours ? - Oh, yes; by being about in the lodging-house.
[Coroner] What did she say ? - She said, "I've had a glass of beer, and I've brought it up again"; and it was in the road. I imagined she had been in the Britannia beer-shop at the corner of the street. I left her, saying that I could pity her feelings. I went to Bishopsgate-street to get my husband's breakfast. Returning I saw her outside the Britannia public-house, talking to a man.
[Coroner] This would be about what time ? - Between eight and nine o'clock. I was absent about half-an-hour. It was about a quarter to nine.
[Coroner] What description can you give of this man ? - I could not give you any, as they were at some distance.
[Coroner] What sort of dress had the deceased ? - A dark skirt, a velvet body, a maroon shawl, and no hat.
[Coroner] Have you ever seen her the worse for drink ? - I have seen her in drink, but she was not a notorious character.
Sarah Lewis deposed: I live at 24, Great Pearl-street, and am a laundress. I know Mrs. Keyler, in Miller's-court, and went to her house at 2, Miller's-court, at 2.30a.m. on Friday. It is the first house. I noticed the time by the Spitalfields' Church clock. When I went into the court, opposite the lodging-house I saw a man with a wideawake. There was no one talking to him. He was a stout-looking man, and not very tall. The hat was black. I did not take any notice of his clothes. The man was looking up the court; he seemed to be waiting or looking for some one. Further on there was a man and woman - the later being in drink. There was nobody in the court. I dozed in a chair at Mrs. Keyler's, and woke at about half- past three. I heard the clock strike.
[Coroner] What woke you up ? - I could not sleep. I sat awake until nearly four, when I heard a female's voice shouting "Murder" loudly. It seemed like the voice of a young woman. It sounded at our door. There was only one scream.
[Coroner] Were you afraid ? Did you wake anybody up ? - No, I took no notice, as I only heard the one scream.
[Coroner] You stayed at Keyler's house until what time ? - Half-past five p.m. on Friday. The police would not let us out of the court.
[Coroner] Have you seen any suspicious persons in the district ? - On Wednesday night I was going along the Bethnal-green-road, with a woman, about eight o'clock, when a gentleman passed us. He followed us and spoke to us, and wanted us to follow him into an entry. He had a shiny leather bag with him.
[Coroner] Did he want both of you ? - No; only one. I refused. He went away and came back again, saying he would treat us. He put down his bag and picked it up again, saying, "What are you frightened about ? Do you think I've got anything in the bag ?" We then ran away, as we were frightened.
[Coroner] Was he a tall man ? - He was short, pale-faced, with a black moustache, rather small. His age was about forty.
[Coroner] Was it a large bag ? - No, about 6in to 9in long. His hat was a high round hat. He had a brownish overcoat, with a black short coat underneath. His trousers were a dark pepper-and- salt.
[Coroner] After he left you what did you do ? - We ran away.
[Coroner] Have you seen him since ? - On Friday morning, about half-past two a.m., when I was going to Miller's-court, I met the same man with a woman in Commercial-street, near Mr. Ringer's public-house (the Britannia). He had no overcoat on.
[Coroner] Had he the black bag ? - Yes.
[Coroner] Were the man and woman quarrelling ? - No; they were talking. As I passed he looked at me. I don't know whether he recognised me. There was no policeman about.
Mr. George Bagster Phillips, divisional surgeon of police, said: I was called by the police on Friday morning at eleven o'clock, and on proceeding to Miller's-court, which I entered at 11.15, I found a room, the door of which led out of the passage at the side of 26, Dorset-street, photographs of which I produce. It had two windows in the court. Two panes in the lesser window were broken, and as the door was locked I looked through the lower of the broken panes and satisfied myself that the mutilated corpse lying on the bed was not in need of any immediate attention from me, and I also came to the conclusion that there was nobody else upon the bed, or within view, to whom I could render any professional assistance. Having ascertained that probably it was advisable that no entrance should be made into the room at that time, I remained until about 1.30p.m., when the door was broken open by McCarthy, under the direction of Superintendent Arnold. On the door being opened it knocked against a table which was close to the left-hand side of the bedstead, and the bedstead was close against the wooden partition. The mutilated remains of a woman were lying two- thirds over, towards the edge of the bedstead, nearest the door. Deceased had only an under- linen garment upon her, and by subsequent examination I am sure the body had been removed, after the injury which caused death, from that side of the bedstead which was nearest to the wooden partition previously mentioned. The large quantity of blood under the bedstead, the saturated condition of the palliasse, pillow, and sheet at the top corner of the bedstead nearest to the partition leads me to the conclusion that the severance of the right carotid artery, which was the immediate cause of death, was inflicted while the deceased was lying at the right side of the bedstead and her head and neck in the top right-hand corner.
the coroner said: It has come to my ears that somebody has been making a statement to some of the jury as to their right and duty of being here. Has any one during the interval spoken to the jury, saying that they should not be here to-day ?
Julia Vanturney [Van Turney], 1, Miller's-court, a charwoman, living with Harry Owen, said: I knew the deceased for some time as Kelly, and I knew Joe Barnett, who lived with her. He would not allow her to go on the streets. Deceased often got drunk. She said she was fond of another man, also named Joe. I never saw this man. I believe he was a costermonger.
[Coroner] When did you last see the deceased alive ? - On Thursday morning, at about ten o'clock. I slept in the court on Thursday night, and went to bed about eight. I could not rest at all during the night.
[Coroner] Did you hear any noises in the court ? - I did not. I heard no screams of "Murder," nor any one singing.
[Coroner] Were you in the house when Joe Barnett called ? - Yes. I said, "Well, Mary Jane, I shall not see you this evening again," and I left with her two men's dirty shirts, a little boy's shirt, a black overcoat, a black crepe bonnet with black satin strings, a pawn-ticket for a grey shawl, upon which 2s had been lent, and a little girls white petticoat.
[Coroner] Have you seen any of these articles since? - Yes; I saw the black overcoat in a room in the court on Friday afternoon.
[Coroner] Did the deceased ever speak to you about being afraid of any man ? - She did not.
Inspector Beck, H Division, deposed that, having sent for the doctor, he gave orders to prevent any persons leaving the court, and he directed officers to make a search. He had not been aware that the deceased was known to the police.
[Coroner] Was it by your orders that the door was forced ? - No; I had an intimation from Inspector Beck that the bloodhounds had been sent for, and the reply had been received that they were on the way. Dr. Phillips was unwilling to force the door, as it would be very much better to test the dogs, if they were coming. We remained until about 1.30 p.m., when Superintendent Arnold arrived, and he informed me that the order in regard to the dogs had been countermanded, and he gave orders for the door to be forced. I agree with the medical evidence as to the condition of the room. I subsequently took an inventory of the contents of the room. There were traces of a large fire having been kept up in the grate, so much so that it had melted the spout of a kettle off. We have since gone through the ashes in the fireplace; there were remnants of clothing, a portion of a brim of a hat, and a skirt, and it appeared as if a large quantity of women's clothing had been burnt.
[Coroner] Can you give any reason why they were burnt ? - I can only imagine that it was to make a light for the man to see what he was doing. There was only one small candle in the room, on the top of a broken wine-glass. An impression has gone abroad that the murderer took away the key of the room. Barnett informs me that it has been missing some time, and since it has been lost they have put their hand through the broken window, and moved back the catch. It is quite easy. There was a man's clay pipe in the room, and Barnett informed me that he smoked it.
[Coroner] Is there anything further the jury ought to know ? - No; if there should be I can communicate with you, sir. | 2019-04-25T04:55:47Z | https://www.casebook.org/official_documents/inquests/inquest_kelly.html |
The Eastern Playoff race has been decided. The Carolina Hurricanes have drawn the first wildcard spot and will face the Metropolitan Division-leading Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. The New York Islanders will be the second seed in the Metro and will have to square off against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the Atlantic Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets end up with a tough match-up as they will face the Tampa Bay Lightning, while the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs will meet once again, as everyone has known about for quite some time. The final results of the night will determine how the Western Conference Shakes out.
The Colorado Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen was spotted on the ice Saturday in San Jose wearing a non-contact jersey, according to The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark. The injured forward, who hasn’t seen action since March 21st with an undisclosed injury, traveled with the team but will sit out once again. While that doesn’t sound like great news, considering the playoffs are right around the corner it is better to have him skating than not. If Colorado has any chance of advancing out of the first round, they will need their young scorer. The 22-year-old will have played eight less games than last year, but has a career high 31 goals and 87 points in his sophomore season. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said later today that he is hopeful that Rantanen will be available for the playoffs, according to BSN’s Adrian Dater.
Speaking of injuries, the Pittsburgh Penguins got some good news as defenseman Brian Dumoulin skated on his own after missing the past three games with a lower-body injury, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Dumoulin, who normally skates alongside Kris Letang, would make a big impact on a lineup that is preparing for the playoffs and could use the player tied for fifth in the NHL with a +31 rating. “The fact that Dumo is on the ice is really encouraging from our standpoint,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. He added that the injury isn’t considered major and Doumolin remains day-to-day.
The St. Louis Blues expect to get back defenseman Colton Parayko, who has sat out the past two games with an undisclosed injury. The 25-year-old defender is expected to play in the playoffs, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas. Thomas added that Tyler Bozak was just held out for precautionary reasons Saturday after he was in a car accident getting to the game. The veteran center was rear-ended, but wasn’t seriously hurt. He too is expected back for the playoff opener.
As the Blackhawks pass through another disappointing season, the team must continue to focus on development. The team has a nice group of prospects coming up the pipeline, but there are many that are starting to worry about whether the Blackhawks are doing the right thing with defenseman Henri Jokiharju, their 2017 first-rounder.
The Blackhawks, not known for developing defensemen recently, loaned Jokiharju out to Finland for the World Junior Championships, against the youngster’s wishes even though they eventually won the gold medal. Since his return, the team has changed course in his development, moving him over to the left side, his off-side which will help make room next season for right-hand shot Adam Boqvist, and has had his ice-time cut, according to The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required). He even was a healthy scratch recently.
Head coach Jeremy Colliton said the changes are being made to make sure the youngster won’t burn out like many rookies do during their first season.
The Colorado Avalanche suffered a key loss Saturday as the team will be without defenseman Erik Johnson, who suffered a concussion during their game against Los Angeles. The veteran defenseman is expected to be out for the next two games and head coach Jared Bednar hopes he’ll be back after the All-Star break, according to The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark. The defensive-minded blueliner averages 21:42 of ATOI and is a key figure on the team’s defense.
The Avalanche also had good news in practice as defensive prospect Conor Timmins, who has missed all of the 2018-19 season so far with a concussion, practiced today with the team even if it was in a non-contact jersey, according to BSN’s AJ Haefele. Bednar said after the practice that Timmins will begin ramping up activities over the next couple of weeks and they will see if he’s ready to go when the team returns after the All-Star break. Timmins, the team’s second-round pick in 2017, could help the team down the stretch if he’s deemed ready.
Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun looks back at the first half of the season now that the team hits their bye and All-Star week, suggesting that while many things have gone right for the Jets, perhaps the most disappointing part of the season has been the play of star forward Patrik Laine. The scribe writes that the third-year winger is having a miserable season despite having 25 goals at this point. Despite an 18-goal November, Laine has tallied just seven goals combined in the other three months and often looks like a rookie on the ice. Of course, he’s only 20 years old still, so patience is needed.
After struggling for much of the season and recently seeing his ice time dwindle, Tyson Jost is headed back to the AHL. The Colorado Avalanche today assigned Jost and Ryan Graves to the Colorado Eagles, giving them just 21 players on the roster.
Jost, 20, was the tenth overall pick in 2016 but has yet to really establish himself in the NHL. After a great freshmen season at the University of North Dakota, the offensive center signed his entry-level contract and made his debut down the stretch for the Avalanche. Last year he returned to the lineup full-time and recorded 22 points in 65 games, but has failed to really take a step forward in 2018-19. Jost hasn’t been asked to play center on a regular basis this season given his struggles in the faceoff circle, and it’s not clear exactly where he fits into the lineup in a perfect scenario.
That fit will have to be determined through his play in the minor leagues, as the young forward was clearly not progressing in the NHL. In 43 games he has just 15 points, despite being given ample opportunities on the powerplay for much of the year. Given that he does not penalty kill and is seeing fewer than ten minutes of even-strength ice time in recent weeks, playing in a top-six role for the Eagles is probably the best for his development. Jost can obviously be recalled at a moment’s notice given the proximity of the AHL team, and currently does not require waivers.
Graves meanwhile could be back up before the Avalanche hit the ice on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings, but he too had been used extremely sparingly by head coach Jared Bednar during his time in the NHL. The 23-year old defenseman has logged fewer than 12 minutes of ice time in each of his eight appearances, though he does have two goals already to show for his short NHL career.
Poll: Should Colorado Move Semyon Varlamov?
The Colorado Avalanche returned third-string goalie Pavel Francouz to the AHL today. Yet, at this point in their season, it is fair to ask whether that move actually makes the team better. The Avs finally snapped a six-game win-less streak on Friday night against the New York Rangers and have fallen out of the once-competitive Central Division race over the past month. Colorado’s struggles are not singular in nature – a lack of secondary scoring and a struggling penalty kill have played a part – but poor performance in net has been the most pressing issue facing the team. After a hot start to the season, Semyon Varlamov has regressed to a .912 save percentage and 2.80 GAA and has missed the team’s past two games with a lower-body injury. Off-season acquisition Philipp Grubauer has yet to settle in with Colorado, holding a career-worst .902 save percentage and 3.13 GAA thus far.
Considering that Varlamov’s play is not currently winning games for the Avalanche, the team could opt to move on from the veteran keeper. Despite Varlamov’s recent slump, the impending unrestricted free agent would still be a valued name on the trade market as the NHL Trade Deadline grows closer. Several teams will be looking for a rental for the stretch run and postseason and Varlamov could potentially be the closest thing to a bona fide starter that could hit the market. Why then would the playoff-bound Avalanche want to move Varlamov if he’s still a top NHL option? The return would be substantial and could – either directly or by flipping part of the return – result in Colorado adding the forward depth they so desperately need. It was recently reported that the Avs are hesitant to move their top prospects and young roster players for help, which could force them to move an established veteran like Varlamov.
The Avalanche could benefit from some addition by subtraction when it comes to Varlamov as well. The aforementioned Francouz, in his first season in North America after an illustrious European career, has made the transition look easy this season. Recently named an AHL All-Star, Francouz, 28, has a .919 save percentage and 2.65 GAA through 23 games with the Colorado Eagles. Perhaps more impressively, Francouz has made two NHL relief appearances and has saved 33 of the 35 shots that he faced (.943 SV%). The Denver Post’s Sean Keeler writes that head coach Jared Bednar considered making Francouz the starter over Grubauer last night and opined that the current third-string could be the X-factor for the Avs this season. Francouz is also an impending UFA and the team should take a longer look at him this season to determine if he could be a long-term option alongside Gruabauer. An extended stay in Denver this season would certainly help convince Francouz to stick around as well.
Of course, if the Avalanche were to trade Varlamov this season, it would very likely hurt their chances at a Stanley Cup title. Despite his struggles, Varlamov has outplayed Grubauer and has years of success to fall back on, as opposed to his young backup and Francouz, an unproven import. Colorado would likely have to turn around and add another option in net if they were to trade Varlamov. However, given that the Avs face a probable playoff route through the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets this season, it could be that they favor improving the team for the future rather than clinging to slim title chances. The team could also feel that addressing their needs at forward is a priority compared to maintaining depth in net.
What do you think? Should the Avalanche change things up by trading Varlamov for young pieces or forward help and hand the reins to Grubauer and Francouz? Or should they hold on to their established starter in hopes that it is their best chance at a Cup run this season?
The Colorado Avalanche announced they have recalled goaltender Pavel Francouz from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Head coach Jared Bednar said that Semyon Varlamov was a little banged up and Francouz was recalled as a precaution. The 28-year-old was up earlier this month and was impressive in a relief stint on Dec. 22 when he saved 21 of 22 shots against Arizona in 29 minutes of work. Francouz, who signed as a free agent with Colorado in the offseason out of the KHL has performed well in the AHL as well, posting a 13-7-1 record and a .919 save percentage. With Varlamov expected to hit free agency at the end of the season, Francouz could be a strong candidate to fill the backup role next season.
The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned forward Janne Kuokkanen to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. The 20-year-old prospect has had trouble finding a positive role with the Hurricanes, despite being dominant in the AHL. Kuokkanen has yet to score in seven games and has seen his playing time dwindle to under 10 minutes in the past three games. He will return to Charlotte where he has already equaled his goal output from last year and can continue working on his game. The team followed that up announcing the promotion of Saku Maenalanen from Charlotte to fill Kuokkanen’s shoes. Maenalanen has appeared in just one game for the Hurricanes, but has scored seven goals and 14 points in 31 games for the Checkers.
While it’s already been reported that the Chicago Blackhawks’ recent trade acquisition Jason Garrison cleared waivers earlier today, NBC Sports Charlie Roumeliotis reports that Blackhawks’ general manager Stan Bowman said Garrison will be assigned to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. Garrison, picked up in Sunday’s trade with Drake Caggulia for Brandon Manning, has played in 17 games with the Oilers this year. He did play 58 games with the Chicago Wolves last season when playing for the Vegas franchise.
After two years in the Swiss League, former NHLer Bobby Sanguinetti has returned to North America, as the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL announced they have signed the 30-year-old veteran to an AHL deal. The defenseman, who played 45 games with the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, played with the Checkers for three years before spending the last two years in Switzerland. Sanguinetti, a former first-round pick in 2006, will hope to resurrect his career there.
The Nashville Predators announced they have assigned Nicholas Baptiste to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. The team recalled him Monday to serve as an emergency player for their game against Washington, but now have returned the 23-year-old without getting him into a game. Baptiste has played 34 games for Milwaukee and has six goals and 14 points.
The Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman Ryan Murphy from AHL Iowa per a team release. This will be the 25-year-old’s first stint in the NHL this season but he has 172 games of NHL experience between Carolina and Minnesota over the past six seasons. Murphy has played in 27 games in the minors this season with three goals and 10 assists.
The Colorado Avalanche went out of its way to bring in goaltender Philipp Grubauer via trade during the offseason to be their heir apparent in goal, but with Semyon Varlamov playing well throughout this season, Grubauer hasn’t had much of a chance to claim that role. However, that might be changing.
With the team having lost five of their last seven games and Varlamov struggling, the team got a brilliant performance from Grubauer on Tuesday as he saved 35 shots in a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. After that performance, The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark (subscription required) wonders if this is the turning point where Grubauer takes over as the team’s No. 1 goaltender. With Varlamov slated to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, the team needs for Grubauer to take that next step and that looks to be the case. In the last six starts (not including Friday’s 2-1 loss to Chicago), the 27-year-old is 5-0-1 with a 2.29 GAA and a .936 save percentage.
“(Grubauer) gives us a chance. He gives us a real good chance,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “He keeps it at 1-0 and guys are saying the right things on the bench. … I just felt like he looked really solid in the net. Like he was in control tonight. I haven’t felt that way about our goaltending for the last little bit and that’s what we need.
The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) writes that when winger Brendan Perlini was traded from the Arizona Coyotes to Chicago Blackhawks, he had high hopes that a change of scenery would jumpstart his career as he has struggled to put up points. However, while the Blackhawks liked what they have seen from center Dylan Strome, Perlini quickly found himself on the team’s fourth line and even found himself a healthy scratch early on. “To be honest, you never like to sit, but it’s good because I can watch the game and say, OK, here’s certain spots where maybe I can get the puck or things like that or realize watching I can settle down there, there’s a lot more time than I actually think. Like I said, you never like watching, but you can take good things from it. I think I’ve done that and just try to build off it and learn every day.” Perlini since then has looked much more comfortable and has picked up a couple of goals in the past four games. The hope is he continues to make adjustments in Chicago’s lineup.
Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun writes that with the impressive play shown by Winnipeg Jets’ goaltender Laurent Brossoit can be attributed back to last year when the back-up lost his job in Edmonton to Al Montoya and he found himself in the AHL for the remainder of the season. That experience made him work harder to get back to the NHL. “Now I’m more aware of who I am as a goalie and as a professional, if that makes any sense,” said Brossoit. “It was unfortunate I had to go through those growing pains during my biggest opportunity with that club. I wouldn’t say that I performed at the level I normally do.” Brossoit was offered to return to Edmonton, but instead opted to start fresh in Winnipeg.
The NHL has issued a $2,000 fine to Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen, citing two instances in which he broke Rule 64 for Diving/Embellishment this season. Fines will increase for Rantanen for any subsequent instances, and eventually include financial punishment to head coach Jared Bednar as well. The first incident, which garnered just a warning, was on October 16th against the New York Rangers, while the latest was during a November 14th game against the Boston Bruins.
Rantanen has been one of the league’s brightest stars this season and still leads the entire NHL in scoring with 32 points. His play alongside Nathan MacKinnon has been a revelation, and has the Avalanche poised to become one of the league’s most dangerous offensive teams. Unfortunately with this history, he’ll now be watched even more closely by the officials and may not get the benefit of the doubt on close calls. He also could very well draw the ire of his coaching staff if he causes them to be fined, or costs his team with an ill-timed penalty.
With a dominant top line that includes Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, the Colorado Avalanche can’t be happier as they have combined for 75 points so far this season. However, the biggest concern for the team has been their secondary scoring, which most recently seems to have improved when the team re-inserted center Tyson Jost together with wingers Alex Kerfoot and Colin Wilson, according to Kyle Newman of the Denver Post.
Jost had spent some time with that line earlier this year, but between a demotion to the team’s fourth line and an injury that kept him out for four games, Jost finally got a chance to center the two wingers and has made the most of his opportunity with a pair of goals in the past week as well as improved play from both Wilson and Kerfoot. | 2019-04-26T02:31:08Z | https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/coaches/jared-bednar |
Gimme S'more - A School Superintendent's thoughts on education, community, parenting, and more.
What can make a hippopotamus smile? What can make him walk more than a mile? It's not a party with paper hats or a case of candy that makes him fat, THAT’S NOT WHAT HIPPOS DO! Nooooo. They, ooze through the gooze without any shoes, they wade through the water till' their lips turn blue, that’s what hippos do!
Just in case you were wondering what makes a hippo smile, right?
Before you jump to the conclusion that I have lost my mind, let me explain. For some, the introductory lines of this blog will ring familiar. They are the lyrics to one of many songs that will echo through acres of forests, hillsides, and riverbanks during the months of June, July and August. These songs will be sung by a passionate army of young children who, along with their mentors and idols, will be participating in a ritual cherished by the inner child in so many of us--SLEEPAWAY CAMP!
It’s February, which means families across the country are securing their spots at one of over 8,400 U.S. sleepaway camps and over 5,600 certified day camps. Have you reserved your spot yet? If not, let me explain why I think you should.
As a parent of three and a former camper, camp counselor, and camp director, I cannot impress upon parents enough the meaningful impact summer camp can have on children. In my parent education classes, I often refer to sleepaway camp as the single most important and impactful experience a parent can provide their child. For most children, sleepaway camp develops the skills and mindsets parents so earnestly want to impart upon their children and does so in ways that we parents are sometimes unable to do. So why am I such a passionate advocate for sleepaway camp?
It’s easy for a parent to forget that our number one responsibility is to prepare our children to LEAVE US. It’s counterintuitive, really. We spend so much of our lives connecting with these little beings that grow up so quickly. We offer them all we have. In them, we place our hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Only to have them roll their eyes when we perse our lips for a kiss as they leave the car and say, “Gross, mom. My friends will see. Ugh!” As our kids grow older they need us less. And they should. If you want to measure your success as a parent (and I don’t necessarily recommend that you do), consider how well you are preparing your children to leave you.
Sleepaway camp is the single most important resource that I have found that helps prepare our children for healthy individuation. Individuation is a psychological term (coined by Carl Jung) that describes the process of self-actualization. In basic terms, a child’s individuation begins when he/she starts to see him/herself as separate from the parent. As much as we might not feel comfortable with the idea of our child separating more from us, it is an essential part of the process of a child becoming a healthy adult. At sleepaway camp, our children are given the opportunity to see themselves through a lens separate from their parents. The very nature of spending several days and nights without parents in a safe and controlled environment allows children to expand their view of themselves in relationship to the world around them. Their identities away from us are allowed space to grow.
Of all of the gifts sleepaway camp provides us parents, it’s personal responsibility and independence that are often the most gratifying. After years as a camp counselor and director, the response I most often heard from parents after their children returned from camp was appreciation that their child was helping out more around the house. Parents would comment that they didn’t have to ask their child to take their dishes to the sink, rinse them off, and put them in the dishwasher...it just happened! Parents were shocked to find their child had actually made their bed in the morning.
At most sleepaway camps (and if this is NOT the case for your child’s camp, I would encourage you to find another one), personal responsibility is the cornerstone of daily life. Daily chore charts that require every camper to participate include jobs like: wait the tables in the dining hall, wash dishes, deliver mail, vacuum, collect and empty garbage, etc. At many camps, the kids are responsible for cleaning their own bathrooms. YES, even toilets. My favorite job to be assigned was “super spatula.” This job entails scraping all of the food off of the plates at mealtime onto one main plate and then transferring the “ORT” (or leftover food morsels) to the “ort bucket,” the contents of which would be fed to the pigs at the camp’s farm.
Our children can be forgiven for thinking that the world they live in is universal. After all, many of our children haven’t had the opportunity to see much of the world during their young years. Sleepaway camp, particularly those that attempt to attract children and staff from different cities, regions, and backgrounds, provide our children with new and unique experiences and the opportunity to navigate and negotiate social situations that involve people who are different from them and the friends they interact with every day. Often, many sleepaway camps will hire staff from one of several international staffing agencies, thus diversifying the experience even more. Camp program staff design clinics, courses, and experiences that are likely to be novel for the campers, thus expanding a camper’s view on what he/she might enjoy or be good at. I have had the good fortune of observing scores of campers find new hobbies, interest, and passions from just one experience at camp. I know campers who have become chefs from having participated in outdoor cooking classes or children who have become veterinarians as a result of attending horse/ranch camp.
With peers: Ask any adult who has spent time as a camper or staff at a summer camp and they will most likely have close friends today that they met at camp, as well as an army of others that may not be as close, but whose sleepaway camp bond keeps them connected for a lifetime. Children learn not only how to build and maintain relationships with peers, but they also learn the VALUE of deep, supportive friendships. Especially as kids get older, I find that they appreciate having a world outside of school where friends “accept them for who they are.” At camp, children are able to let go of so much more of the pressures of “fitting in” and “measuring up” because they are in a new space. Not to mention, most sleepaway camps provide a technology-free environment for children to cultivate friendship the old-fashioned way--through conversation and shared experience--NOT through social media.
With non-parent adults: In an age when the pressures and distractions our children face are only increasing, one of the best defenses against childhood and teen depression, anxiety, and self-harm is a supportive adult outside the family that your child knows they can turn to. In school settings we ensure that each child has at least one adult on campus they know they can talk to, and a camp experience widens the net of available confidantes for our children. As our kids individuate, their bonds with other adults become more important. They will value and look up to role models they trust, and those trusted adults become part of the village that helps raise our children. As a “retired” counselor, I can’t tell you how many now-grown campers still reach out to me for support, advice, or just a friendly and non-judgmental ear. It is a privilege for me to me held in that esteem, but also a helpful relationship for them as they navigate their way through young adulthood. I know the counselors whom I most respected held that role for me and my life is better for it.
With YOU: Before you worry that sending your child off to meet and bond with other adults will diminish your own relationship, fear not. Consider that a child whose parents trust them enough to 1) send them to camp and 2) encourage them to seek mentorship outside the parental relationship feels valued and supported, and will actually respect you more for that freedom. I find that as children grow up, the parents with whom they feel closest are the ones who have learned to loosen the strings appropriately. We want the best for our kids, and helping them grow a network of close adults who can provide advice and support is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. Believe me, they will not forget about you – they will love you for the experience!
When I was a child, my friends and I were free to ride our bikes to the far ends of the earth (or at least that what it felt like) to discover our own adventures. We explored the outdoors with a lightness and whimsy that is often frowned upon today. Even though our neighborhoods are much safer than they have ever been, providing the freedom for children to explore the great outdoors feels too risky a venture for most parents. And even if we did provide that freedom, the draw of technology or the scheduling of numerous sports and activities has our children indoors and/or booked most of the time.
Sleepaway camp is a ticket outdoors without the worry of putting children’s safety at risk.
You don’t need me to remind you of the myriad of benefits being outdoors has on our health and wellbeing. There’s plenty of great research out there to tell you that being outdoors can do wonders to your body, mind, and spirit. However, maybe we all need to be reminded that our children need it, too. Desperately. And if you are like me and live in the middle of massive suburbia with all of its pressure, stress, noise, and competing interests, then we share an even greater need to get out in the great outdoors. Sleepaway camp provides this necessary connection to the natural world for our children.
Below is a graphic published by the American Camp Association that highlights some of the benefits campers, parents, and staff experience from camp.
I imagine that all this sleepaway camp talk has got you wondering a few things. Let me take a stab at answering the most likely questions you may have.
I am also a big supporter of day camps. In fact my own children attend several day camps in our area and love them. There are so many great options with specific sports, music, art or hobby foci. There are also more globally focused camps that try to address the teaching of innovation, adventure, or making skills. Day camps are a gradual entre to sleepaway camp, too. All that said, there is some developmental growth and experience that only sleepaway camp can provide. In my book, including at least one week of sleepaway camp in the summer plans, along with a smattering of day camps and family time is a great recipe for summer growth and respite.
How do I know my child is ready for sleepaway camp?
Begin with day camp experiences at least one year before signing up for sleepaway camp.
If possible, select a sleepaway camp that is near to your home when your child is younger. For those in the Bay Area, there are many options in the Santa Cruz Mountains and surrounding areas.
A one-week session is usually the perfect starting point for a new sleepaway camper.
Start talking about sleepaway camp early. My children hear about my sleepaway camp experiences all the time. Last summer we visited my former sleepaway camp in preparation for one of my children to begin this summer. He has been talking about starting ever since we visited.
Attend a family camp at your favorite sleepaway facility. Most camps properties provide family camp options during the off season. These are great opportunities to acclimate your children to sleepaway camp.
What are indicators of quality?
I’m going likely disappoint a lot of people by not recommending any specific camp. It’s not my job to presuppose a family’s needs and values; I also don’t want to leave any quality program out of my recommendations. That said, there are some great resources out there to help you identify a great camp for your child.
First get recommendations from people you trust. There is no better indicator of quality than the recommendation of friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Second, you want to make sure that the camp you choose is accredited. Accreditation ensures that camps have the proper facility maintenance, staff training and support, safety plans and measures, and philosophical approach. The American Camp Association is the largest accreditation organizations in the U.S., but there are others. To ensure that the camp is a right fit, you can also read online reviews and take a visit. Camps welcome parent visitors to their facilities to discover more; take them up on that welcome.
Sending your child to camp, especially the first time, with a friend is a great way to ease the anxiety that they--or more likely, you--have about being away from home for an extended period. Homesickness is real for many kids, even the most well adjusted and outgoing. Attending with a friend can help create just enough comfort, allowing kids, especially the younger ones, to adjust quickly to being away from home. Often, after the first experience with a friend, the childhood fears dissipate greatly. While attending with a friend is a great strategy, I do recommend providing at least occasional camp options that don’t always include the same group of kids your children hang out with at school or in sports/scouts/church, etc. Having an experience that challenges children to get out of their comfort zones is valuable; attending sleepaway camp with a team and coach they are always with is great, but there is growth in providing experiences with children and staff with whom a camper is unfamiliar.
What if I can’t afford camp?
Many camps offer financial aid and scholarships, as well as discounts. If you are interested in sending your child to sleepaway camp, but worry about the cost, contact the camp you’re interested in attending and ask about financial assistance. Another strategy for managing costs is to get your child excited about sleepaway camp and use earning money toward camp as an incentive or a substitute for expensive gifts at birthday and holiday times. Having a birthday party? Instead of receiving a dozen toys as gifts that will get broken and lost within two weeks, ask folks to donate to your child’s sleepaway camp fund. Many faith-based organizations and local community groups also sponsor summer camp experiences that are low or no cost. If you have the will to send your child to sleepaway camp, there are ways to make it happen.
All this talk about camp makes me nostalgic for my camp days. Nature hikes, horseback rides, all-camp capture the flag, campouts under the stars, the sounds of a dozen hammers pounding leather, S’mores and camp songs by the campfire as fireflies light up the night sky. I’m not sure what can make a hippopotamus smile, but I am sure there’s nothing like belting the song out at the top of my lungs with new and lifelong friends.
If my words have piqued your interest, you might want to sign your child up soon. Spots often fill up in January and February for the summer at most of the best sleepaway camps. Give your camp a call today and feel free to let me know how it goes once the summer wraps up.
What can make a hippopotamus smile? What can make him walk more than a mile? It’s not a tune on the old violin, or listenin’ to the whistlin’ wind. THAT’S NOT WHAT HIPPO'S DO! Noooo. They, ooze through the gooze with batting shoes, they wade through the water till' their lips turn blue, that's what hippos do! Yes, THAT’S what hippos do! | 2019-04-23T21:59:00Z | http://www.mpcsdsupson.com/home/gimme-smore |
WBS: why is it important & why it is not important?
Can somebody post their view or opinion based on practice, why is it that WBS is not important or why is it that WBS is important in managing project?
I appreciate all ur input.
creating a wbs forces you to think about how you are going to dissect your project and organize your project into meaningful groups or packages of work.
It is a way to group your work so that people can understand the where's the what's and the how's you will approcah the work.
for example if you were looking for an activity in the 2rd floor of Building B and the activities were not group by building and floor it would be very hard to find.
Also by using a wbs you can collapse work and summarise work more easily.
I love a good WBS!
See below link to one of our newsletters.
I started using activity codes even before WBS functionality was available. And I still use them, precisely for purposes as you mentioned - eg filtering the plastering items etc. And since I started using these things from DOS days, I also make use of the characters in activity ID to represent various things. And as you correctly mentioned, it is also possible to get those functionalities from few characters in the activity description.
In fact, the best way to input your coded information is in the activity id. That way, the information is "in built" and cannot be changed easily.
All these things including searching and filtering (eg for filtering for certain characters in activity id or description) work well when everybody is disciplined in naming and coding. And as long as one person is doing all these things, everything works perfectly well for him (as it does for me and you). But when you are integrating programmes from various contractors, it is not easy to excecise those rules with planners from various firms.
WBS concept is as old as project management but its functionality appeared relatively late. Even in P3 3.1, WBS is still optional function that appears the same way as acivity codes. And some people still dont use it because 1) it is optional 2) activity codes seem to do the same job and 3) they are more used to activity codes. But even in P3 3.0, WBS code can do things which activity codes cant.
For example, you can have WBS activity and it does not need any links as in hammock activities. And this WBS activity can summarise all the activities which have the same WBS code. When you need a high level programme that shows bars in the same line as activity description (activity code roll up bar appears one line below), you can just filter for WBS activities and you get very good presentation. And the list goes on.
And when you start using P3e, WBS is no more optional and it appears more different than activity codes and thus makes it more apparent. But activity code has more functionality in new programmes as well as you can have second level of codes within same acitity code. And these lower levels of codes work exactly the same way as WBS does. So you can have work breakdown stucture as well as ANY breakdown structure using a single code.
But as long as you have to use two or more actity codes (as you have to do in P3 3.1 and earlier), to make your work breakdown structure, it is far more easier to do so using the in built WBS coding. (And you can of course, still use activity codes, for other functionalities).
I can therefore sort as activity description contains plastering and all the activities drop out. Now If I have also coded for floors and towers I can organise so the towers and floors show up so I know where I am.
That means I need to code in a tower and a floor with each activity, thats pretty easy cos I can copy and past this info.
If I am really smart when I copy and past the fragnet I can add some alpha numerics at the end of the ID ie 100 activity number from fragnet then T1 (tower 1) then F1 ie the id is know 100T1F1 this helps in that I can sort all activities in tower 1 or floor 1 or whatever so by using the ID and the description almost without touching the codes we have a pretty robust sorting catergory. In turn when you can sort in this way logic application and resource balancing becomes much easier.
Lets go back to the plastering scenario we now have all the activities, so linking floor to floor or globally copying resources is easy as is levelling them because you can see whats happening and more importantly so can everybody else.
In this way you can tell your subby exactly what he needs.
I am not saying you cant do it with WBS and of course you can what I am saying is for a great deal of what we do in building and Civil Engineering WBS codeing is excessively complicated.
Im Currently using Hierarchical code structures to help with the application of the cost accounts from our cost tool. I simply apply the codes to the activities and then group and sort with totals and balance my activity budgets.
So you can use code fields to give rudimentry totals for Units.
This process has helped me immensley as when I started with this company 9 weeks ago there wernt even any baselines in the projects and they were using units % Complete and just adding extra hours to the remainings by multiples of 10 or 50. They even expected to be able to resource level with this data.
Activity codes look good and seems to show what you want to show only when data is organized in a particular way (eg phase, location, contractor etc). So it is very much a Layout depedent method.
WBS works no matter how you organize your activities. And you can have WBS activity (in P3 for example) which summarises all the activities which have the same WBS code no matter where those activites are located. There is no such functionality available for activity codes.
Furthermore when you organize activities with acitity codes, you will always end up with groups with no names. Planner would understand it but there would be many would be questining it everytime they see it.
So when you want work breakdown that really add up to whole project, use WBS. It is that simple. And use activity codes for other organizing and filtering purpose.
I suppose WBS & Codes are lying on the same concept, so why bother? youre not showing codes on your schedule anyway.
Dont let anybody walk away with the idea when you have explained something "gee I wonder what he is smoking"
Often in fact more often than I care to remember I dont employ planners because they cant do their job but because they cant explain what their job is.
Remember we are planners, that makes us somebody who assists the process not somebody who actually does it, so go and assist the person doing it by understanding what he wants not what you feel you should give him.
The WBS structure is simply an end to a means.
The end is being able to provide BAC, ACWP, ETC, EAC & EV for particular portions of the project.
The WBS is simply the most widley used method of doing this, and as a consequence comes as a standard part (or code) of most planning/scheduling software.
As far as codes go - well the world is your oyster.
As far as how to, and what size, and by what method you chose to quantify and divide your project up, its really up to you..... However you should document what each structre is for and what assumptions were made to arrive at the particular structure.
CBS - Cost Breakdown Structure, ETC.
Again I will say its limitless to how many you can have, but you should document what it is and how you came up with it.
That way when youre asked to explain a code field that you thought was a good idea at the time - Your manager doesnt walk away with the "I dont know what that guy was on about" thought in their head.
this is very simple! you use WBS or Codes to make your Project become "Measurable" either in a summarized form or a detailed one. But how do you put a certain unit to a summarized deliverable? Isnt it Lump Sum (LS)? and how do you define Lump Sum? are you gonna need WBS or Codes?
While the Explanation is well "dry but clear"
I think all would benefit more if you provided sonme clarity with examples.
As I have mention before WBS development can be viewed as the process of grouping all project elements into several major categories, normally referred to as Level One; each one of these categories will itself contain several subcategories, normally referred to as Level Two. Alternately, and more accurately, developing a WBS involves dividing the deliverable items until the project has been divided into manageable, discrete, and identifiable items requiring simple tasks to complete that, when combined, constitute the project deliverable.
Logically is to keep dividing the project until the elements cannot realistically be divided anymore and may vary from organization to organization or may even vary among project managers within the same organization.
Each level of detail contains not only organization specific, but they also are specific to the nature of the deliverables involved in each project. Similarly, the degree of detail at the lowest level of each branch must be in line with the size of the project and in conformance with the organization’s operational philosophies.
Ideally, there should be some uniformity and consistency in the WBS. To achieve this uniformity, all children of the same parent must be developed based on the same division basis.
Usual practice of WBS are using three division levels which are “Deliverables oriented (Structure or products, functional system, physical area and proof of capability)”, “Schedule oriented (normally referring to a task or activity and sequential/ phases)” and “Resource oriented (disciplines, administrative units and financial accounts)”.
So again, no matters how you do it by codes or groups fields or using the WBS field as long as you define the structure into manageable level and represent the project deliverable that will contribute to success of the project.
Most of my work is in building construction, so maybe the fact that I like codes better is biased by my work.
But if sometimes you need to see activities organized by floor; sometimes by trade; other time by trade within each floor, etc. There’s no way to do that except with codes.
Do other lines of work have the same need or is it enough for you to squeeze into a rigid WBS and limit reports and analisys to that single point of view?
what I believe it says is that progranmmes should be structured in such a way as to enable sorting in a logical and affective manner thus enabling the team to ascertain an accurate picture of the progress of the works and the elements that make up the works.
"for hard planning thinkers"?? they dont know how to use codes?
WBS show the heirarchy of Scope of work and deliverables.
WBS is the standard for PMI, PMP, Planning Professional.
It is very clear in PMI influence or way of project management in general and planning in particular way of managing project.
So for hard planning thinkers, WBS is the preference.
I think the need and importance of structure in a schedule is clear and proven. The point now is how.
I prefer primavera codes over WBS or outlines. Codes are much more flexible and let you organize activities in different ways to analize different aspects of a schedule. WBS an outlines are rigid.
Of course you can use both at the same time, but unless I´m forced by a client, I don´t use a WBS, but codes.
Its just a simple divide and conquer technique. It a way to go from general to specifics. Its like writing a book first you have the outline the going to the details and contents.In a way it helps in organizing a project and simplify the job of a planner.
Breakdown Structure - Work, Cost, Organization..whatever it is..It is important! I think nobody is using a one liner schedule!
Just to explain more on WBS. As I have said on the other thread (Work Breakdown Structure is a results-oriented family tree that captures all the work of a project in an organized way. It is often portrayed graphically as a hierarchical tree; however, it can also be a tabular list of "element" categories and tasks or the indented task list that appears in your Gantt chart schedule). Meaning it can be shown on a different approach or style as long as it became meaningful and useful to other member of project management. It defines as a level of schedule to make it more sensible and manageable. It is used to define the project objectives with sufficient detail information into more detail groups of scope or task. Some planner/ scheduler used activity codes as their WBS and others are just the first 1, 2, 3 or 4 character of their activities.
Proper schedules are using this technique according to their own methods so they can level their schedule to more manageable levels.
On my own view “schedule without the proper work breakdown structure is going nowhere or meaningless as its does not show the sensible picture of the project”.
Any serious program must have some kind of organization so it is usable for control.
WBS is one way, but theres also activity codes.
The more detail that you want to see (monitor), the more important the WBS. A formal and logical structure helps capture the project data (activity type, resourcing, costing, progress etc.) in the most appropriate "pigeon-hole". | 2019-04-18T12:44:40Z | http://www.planningplanet.com/forums/planning-scheduling-programming-discussion/415258/wbs-why-it-important-why-it-not-important |
Anyone who has done a quick search on what to see in Norway certainly came across Preikestolen. It is one of the most popular hikes in the whole country. Not everyone experiences it the same way, however. Outdoor Life Norway is a guided service that offers guests a chance to see Pulpit Rock like most will never experience. The sunrise hike is an amazing way to up your chances of getting those stunning views without the crowds. If you truly want an original experience, though, go with their "Off the beaten track" tour. This hike begins with canoeing across a glacial lake to a long forgotten trail. Traverse the trail through multiple altitudinal zones and scramble up to the top of the fjord. There you can hike along until you reach your destination, a beautiful view of Preikestolen! There you can enjoy your view that majority of the hikers are missing. From there you will travel down to Pulpit Rock itself for some more photos. The trip down follows the more popular marked trail. If you are lucky enough, you may run into some of the Sherpas that have built the trails! If you're looking for more tours to fill up time in Norway, Outdoor Life Norway offers many guided services year round.
The land of fire and ice is an outdoor enthusiasts playground. Scuba diving in Silfra had been on my bucket list for years. It was a massive influence for me to get my PADI Open Water certification. Once I got my certification I remember my instructor asking me where I would go now that I could explore underwater paradises. I excitedly announced I'd be going to Iceland. He did not seem amused. "Don't you want to start somewhere... warmer?" I brushed off his remark as quickly as I whisked off my hood and booties. I had my mind made up. Silfra was my white whale and I finally had it in my headlights. When everything was booked, I was struck with panic. For years I had dreamed of Silfra, a place where you could swim between the North American and Eurasian continental plates. Would it be as spectacular as I had made it out to be?? Oh yes it was. The crystal clear glacial water is nearly ice cold and is filtered through lava creating over 300ft of visability. This quality of water means you can sip it while you're diving. It doesn't get fresher than that. Being able to say i've touched both continental plates at the same time in the only place in the world where you can dive directly in continental plate cracks is certainly bragging rights. I thought that would be the highlight of my cold swim in Silfra, but once I was in the water I forgot about the location. The dive was beyone beautiful with such distinct geographical features. The colors were jaw dropping. Though the dive itself was short, it's a dive that I could do over and over again. For those not scuba certified, many tour companies offer snorkeling excursions as well. Dive. Is. offers guests either option with photo services.
If you asked a stranger what came to mind when they thought of Iceland, volcanoes would make the list. This is definitely merited. The land has practically been completely molded by volcanic eruptions. If there's volcanoes you know there is lava, but Icelanders don't let it get them down. In fact, it gets them going. These hardened lava fields create the perfect backdrop for some serious mountain biking. These trails are not for the faint of heart. I may have overestimated my skills since I had been mountain biking in the past. I rated myself as an intermediate, which I quickly second guessed as soon as I saw people pull out their own peddles from perfectly packed Camelbaks. As nonchalantly as I could muster, I asked what the tour company's general client level was. My growing suspicion was confirmed. Most were season mountain bikers. I laughed in response to hide my surmounting fear. There was a good chance I may die in Iceland on a bicycle, I thought. There was worse ways to go I reasoned. It would make an interesting story, at least. Alas, I survived. Every part of my body may have hurt the next day, but something else was genuine as well. That was my smile. I signed up for a tour that I was not physically prepared for, but I did not regret it. It was a challenge that I overcame and I saw some stunning scenery along the way.
For those of you like me who are not expert mountain bikers, there are more appropriate tours to take. Icebike offers guests several options for different levels of experience. After seeing my lack of finesse in the lava fields, Icebike offered to take me to another location afterwards. I battled with my opposing feelings. Should I stick it out and do another lava field or should I opt for something different? The guide was very patient and genuinely wanted me to enjoy the experience that was right for me. I went with their recommendation. A part of me felt like a quitter until I saw the change of scenery. The lava fields were wild and otherworldly. The new scenery was as lush as if I had been plopped into Neverland itself. My bitter feelings instantly faded. Biking through the purple lupine fields was a magical end to a demanding day. My lesson of the day: Don't be afraid to try new things and have flexibility if they do not work out as perfectly as planned. My biking experience had more hiccups than I had predicted, but biking in Iceland was a once in a lifetime experience.
Utah snow is world famous. In a location with pristine snow and more resorts than one can choose from, how does one... well, choose?? I struggled with the dilemma during a recent visit. I was down to my last day and I had only seen two resorts. I wanted to end with a bang without draining my bank account on a lift ticket. I gave up and resorted to asking my local friend for direction. "You need to go to Sundance". Sundance? I was baffled. This resort had barely made my radar. While I had pondered the pyramid hierarchy of ski resort awesomeness for days, it took my friend no time at all to respond to me."Not Snowbird or Park City?" I bantered. Nope, he was firm. Well that settled my predicament. At the very least it would bring me some mental clarity since I no longer had to wrestle the decision.
If you go to Utah and don't visit Sundance Resort, you are doing it wrong. I immediately felt at home at this resort, as if I had been snowboarding there since I learned the difference between regular and goofy. In a world obsessed with modernizing everything, Sundance has made a point of preserving that nostalgic ski culture that we all love and miss. Okay, so the staff is nice. Is that a good enough reason to opt for Sundance over a larger resort? In retrospect, Sundance is one of the smaller resorts, but the views are not. I almost fell off the chairlift gawking at the scenery. From the base to the peak, every corner of the resort offered views that even Ansel Adams would have to stop and photograph. The character didn't stop at the lodge. The terrain kept me smiling from trail to trail. Feeling hungry? Stop at the peak for the most scenic nachos in the game. The Bearclaw Cabin is the only mountaintop lodge in Utah. If the sun is out, opt to sit outside in one of the zero gravity chairs. Sun and snow, can you beat it? If you want a resort with big hearts, big views, and a touch of home, you need to go to Sundance Resort.
The sunshine state usually cultivates images of lazy beach towns with a weird abundance of shaggy-haired surfers with names like "Zander" or "Brock". If you don't think of surfing, chances are you think of a retirement home paradise with every pm dinner special you could imagine. I am not here to knock your idea of Florida, because both scenes I just described exist in North Florida. I mean what's wrong with eating your food truck burrito while your barefoot at a reasonable time so hard to get on board with? You have time for dessert and digestion before you catch those zzz's! This is a battle meant for another day. If you aren't into shredding the gnar or attending senior bingo, you may wonder what Florida has to offer other than concrete amusement parks. Rejoice my friends because I have a solution. Though it may not be topping your vacation brochures, Florida offers great places for paddle sports. These sports can be enjoyed by any age group. Are you a seasoned kayaker looking for a challenge? Opt to try paddle boarding instead for a great core workout that perfects your balancing skills. Are you more into the outdoors just to get a tan? Select a tandem kayak and make your buddy do the brunt of the work. I know this because I've been the recipient of this. As I paddled with all my might in Norway and wondered why we weren't going faster, my friend Randy sat behind me happily snapping photos enjoying the fruits of my labor. I did not learn my lesson, however, since here I am recommending his devious plan to all of you. Just make sure your friend takes the front seat and doesn't read this passage. You're welcome.
The Aloha state is paradise: sunny, laid-back, umbrella drinking mai-tai kind of paradise. Though many people come here to do nothing more than read their book on the island's 30 miles of beaches, Maui can also be an adventure hot spot. I mean literally. The highest peak on the island is the world's largest dormant volcano. The impressive Haleakala volcano never ceases to draw in outdoor enthusiasts from around the globe. Want to feel like Hawaiian royalty? Opt to catch a mesmerizing sunrise from it's peak. Haleakala National Park offers guests more than just the star of the show. The park offers beach access but my favorite swimming spot of the entire Maui trip was dunking into the Seven Sacred Pools, or the Pools of 'Ohe'o. If mermaids emerged from the depths, I would have thought it perfectly normal. I loved being able to climb up to a series of the falls and sit under the cool,flowing water as I looked out at the ocean. Some pools are more popular and accessible than others. As I mentioned, the pools flowed into the Pacific so that contrast in scenery was fantastic. Pack a picnic to make a great day of pool adventures. Swimming does not get more exotic than this. After you have your fill of swimming, continue hiking through Haleakala National Park to dry off. Your efforts will be rewarded when you reach a stunning bamboo forest. You may think you accidentally arrived on another continent with the landscape change.
Haleakala is not to be missed and you can access it off of the famous Road to Hana. The road itself merits a few days to explore. Opt for a convertible so you can soak up as much roadside scenery as you can. If you are still craving big views, end your trip with a cherry on top. A helicopter tour of Maui may not be the most physical tour you can do, but I promise you will be feeling the adrenaline. The tour gives you access to views you would never be able to see otherwise. Get close to peaks and waterfalls alike. The views are breathtaking and you may just get the feeling that you are about to be dropped off in Jurassic Park.
I can never be satisfied with doing everything just like everyone else. If I am going to a stereotypical tourist spot. I need to have an element that is different. While doing my research for antelope canyon, I found just what I was looking for to satisfy my stubborn self. Hidden Canyon Kayak was Arthur and the day trip through Antelope Canyon was my sword in the stone. At first I was a bit disappointed to see how large my group size was. In the past I have been spoiled with much smaller guide to tourist ratios in my travels. Once in the water, however, the problem dispersed as quickly as waves off my boat. The guides were good at accomodating people of all ability levels. As a frequent kayaker, I had a much faster pace than most. The guides recognized this, and made sure I did not feel restrained. Once we reached antelope canyon, we were released to explore the slot canyon on our own to a certain point. Again, I was happy to hear this since I much preferred being alone than attached to families I didn't know. It was a thrill to be able to skip, run, and even sing if I wanted to down these beautiful corridors. I loved this tour and would recommend it to anyone. The guides were relatable and I enjoyed my time talking to them. My only recommendation is if you are an experienced kayaker, let the guides know ahead of time and they will bring you a touring kayak. Compared to my kayak at home, the kayak I was given made me feel like I was moving through mud. Avoid this and request a more efficient boat. They just don't like to assign them to someone who is not experienced and has a higher chance to tip the narrow boats.
Have you ever thought that mountain biking is cool, but it would be so much cooler to bike on Mars? I can't say i've been on this train of thought before, someone out there has been. To them I say, Mars is too far away. Sure you can keep fantasizing about the day that Richard Branson and Elon Musk unite like superheroes and create martian colonies complete with lotteries to fuel us basic humans with dreams of dual planet citizenship. Okay, maybe I have thought of this before. I digress. Biking in Page, Arizona may be the closest alternative. Really, the place is out of this world! So aren't my puns. Accessible right from town, I was told by a local to check out the Rimview trail. I stopped at a local shop, Lake Powell Paddleboards, and rented a mountain bike. A quick overview of a map and a heeding message of "there are parts of the trail that if you get hurt or can't finish, no one can come get you"and I was off. A little skeptical of my skill after my warning, I wasn't sure how my day would go. Quickly into the trail, my reservations disappeared. It was easy to with the beautiful desert landscape. The "rimview" gets its name for a very specific reason. In parts you were on the very edge of the trail with a steep drop off. If it got too hairy, I simply walked. It was my best option since I was alone and if I got hurt, I didn't want to think of the desolate potential situation. The views of Lake Powell were breathtaking. What blew me away was that I had the trail virtually to myself. In a busy tourist town, I came across only two people my whole time biking. The two people were locals at that. It was my escape from vacation. A step away to truly take in a place. This was not without hard work, however. The trail had its difficult moments and was best suited for at least intermediate riders. If you are new, you at least have the ability to walk any dangerous spots. The heat is also draining. A lot of water and snacks for energy are a must. I can honestly say my lunch was well earned this day. | 2019-04-21T20:19:10Z | http://eatsandfeats.blogspot.com/p/feats.html |
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Renting a dumpster provides the simplest way to eliminate trash during a home project. Maryland's cities offer limited rubbish pickup. This specific trash collection is limited in order to bagged rubbish that is released to the road in a trash can. The trash have to be separated according to local trying to recycle laws also it must not meet or exceed a certain rubbish bag control. This control varies from location to location within Annapolis; you must check your local trash collection regulations as a way to comply with their own trash collection standards. Dumpster leases in Annapolis are available as a result of online buying and can be delivered the very next day.
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You may want to furthermore clean out your barn. You can rent a compact, medium or maybe large dumpster to have the job done. You might need a large dumpster should you have a lot of crap that will squeeze into ten pickup truck loads. 12 pickup plenty or 4 tons could be the limit to get a large dumpster. If your items meet or exceed four a lot, you will need to rent yet another dumpster to finish the position off. In the event you only need in relation to five collection loads compared to a medium dumpster is designed for you. The medium dumpster will hold up to about three tons of crap or dust. A small dumpster will hold up to two tons of dust. | 2019-04-19T03:16:08Z | https://maxdumpster.com/texas/6-yard-dumpster-poteet-tx/ |
When people ask me what my favorite horror film is, I guess they would expect me to say “Halloween” or “The Exorcist.” And while I do love those movies and they, along with “Psycho” for instance, would be in my top-five of the genre, I say that my favorite in the genre is definitely “The Haunting.” And the trouble is, I always have to back up that title by labeling it “the Robert Wise haunted-house film from the 1960s” because I know that they’re thinking of the other “The Haunting” (the 1999 Jan De Bont remake of the 1963 film with Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones). I’ll have something to say about the remake later and why it definitely doesn’t work in comparison to its predecessor, but I truly love the original film. In fact, I love it so much to admit that it’s just my favorite scary film—it’s one of my all-time favorite movies.
“The Haunting” is a superb, gorgeously-shot, very well thought-out chiller that uses psychological tension and character development in the same concepts of mystery and atmosphere. It takes place in a haunted house—Hill House, to be exact—and it’s about a group of characters who would like to investigate the supernatural occurrences of such a place but get much more than they expected. That premise sounds pretty simple, but Wise’s direction, along with great cinematography as well as great acting, makes it far more than what it could have been. Even if you don’t really find it very scary (it depends on whether or not you accept the “less is more” aspect—I’ll explain later in this review), it’s still a gripping psychological thriller, Gothic story, and character study.
“The Haunting” begins with an opening narration over a shot of an ominous-looking mansion in the night, and right away, the narration sets up the premise in a most interesting way. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a depiction of a haunted house, or rather just exploring a haunted house, has ever been put in a better way. “An evil old house, the kind some people call haunted, is like an undiscovered country waiting to be explored. Hill House has stood for 90 years and might stand for 90 more. Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there…walked alone.” And when the intellectual voice of Richard Johnson puts it like that, I think I might follow him as well as those his character, Dr. John Markway, are brought into his experiment. And yes, his experiment is simply to investigate any sort of paranormal activity while spending several nights in Hill House. The house is full of history that connects to further evidence that it may be haunted, which fascinates him even more. He wants to know if everything he’s heard and studied is as real as it may seem.
Brought in on the project are Eleanor “Nell” Lance (Julie Harris), clairvoyant Theodora “Theo” (Claire Bloom), and the house’s cynical new heir, Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn). Eleanor, in particular, is our main focus of the film, as we hear her inner thoughts a good amount of time and has the most compelling character arc of the group. She’s a meek, insecure, guilt-ridden woman who has spent most of her adult life caring for her sick mother until her death, leading to further severe guilt that she has to deal with everyday. She seeks to belong somewhere with somebody, which is why she does take a chance and leaves her sister’s apartment (where she sleeps on the couch), and steals her sister’s car to make her way to Hill House, where she is finally expected somewhere.
Hill House itself is a marvel to look at. It’s a large, maze-like mansion that looks like a Gothic castle, with many secrets and unsettling decorations and such. Among the most notable unsettling locations in the house is the library, which features a tall, spiraling staircase that is very rickety and unsafe. The exteriors and interiors of Hill House are just extraordinary and the whole place gives off a creepy vibe. You definitely can tell that something is not quite right with this place. Eleanor notices this upon first arriving, thinking to herself that “it’s looking at me” and if she goes into this house, she’s afraid she won’t come out the same way. But she does come inside, get to know Markway, Theo, and Luke, and surely enough, many strange things occur with apparent supernatural forces at work here.
But how much of the supernatural is actually “supernatural?” We spend so much time with Eleanor and we know that she isn’t quite mentally-stable because of her insecurities that sometimes take her over, so you have to wonder just how much of this ghost-story is actual ghosts and how much of it is actually in Eleanor’s mind. It’s evident that ghosts are real in these surroundings, as Eleanor is not the only one to experience these happenings. But what about when she explores the house herself and feels herself to be more at home, in a way depicted creepier than it sounds? Is she being controlled by the paranormal forces, is she letting in to her hopes of belonging somewhere, are her insecurities getting the very best of her? I won’t go into too much detail about what I get out of the connection between her and Hill House, but trust me when I say it’s an excellent psychological study. And that this is a character who seeks redemption and acceptance within a haunted house makes it even more unnerving.
It’s hard to pick my favorite “scary moment,” as most people choose their own favorite scary moments from their favorite horror films (the opening in “Halloween,” the exorcism in “The Exorcist,” the shower scene in “Psycho,” and so on). There are literally more than I could think of right off the bat, and oddly enough, every time I watch the movie again, I find myself unnerved throughout the whole movie because of those many moments. To name some of these scenes, I’d start with the introduction in which we see in flashback (with help of Dr. Markway’s narration) the past historic happenings of Hill House (suicide, accidents, etc.)—it’s a great opening and also very well-crafted in how it’s able to set up the environment and build up suspense for the rest of the story, and of course quite unnerving. There’s the first occurrence on the characters’ first night in Hill House, as Eleanor and Theo are frightened by loud, pounding noises coming from outside their bedroom and hold onto one another in fear—the terror is genuine and the scares come as unexpected so that the characters’ fear becomes ours, because we know just about as much as they do. Most memorably, arguably, is the scene in which Eleanor awakens at night to hear what sounds like a child being beaten and crying in pain. She wants to yell but is too afraid to, and she holds hands with Theo who is obviously as frightened as she is because, as we hear through Eleanor’s inner thoughts, she is holding on to her hand a little too tightly. When she finally yells “STOP IT!” and the lights turn on, she looks to see that…nobody was holding her hand the whole time. This is a perfect “scary moment”—the buildup, the tension, and the payoff are all very well-handled, making the standard-but-needed question “Whose hand was I holding” seem all the more impactful. There are many more moments like that in this movie. And do I even need to mention that the aforementioned “tall, spiraling staircase” comes into place for a crucial moment later?
The casting of the four principal roles is spot-on. Julie Harris is excellent as Eleanor, creating a believable portrait of an odd, meek woman who is possibly misguided to find a place to feel accepted. It’s a great performance and it makes “The Haunting” more of a character study than a haunted-house story. Richard Johnson is also great as Dr. Markway, a man who could convince you to jump off a cliff if he found a solid reasoning behind it. I love the way he puts the supernatural occurrences most of us have heard of, particularly the difference between “ghosts” and “ghouls.” Claire Bloom makes Theo her own character and also gives a certain indication that she might actually be a lesbian, which could explain why she acts the way she does toward Eleanor (compassion mixed with teasing most of the time) and also would give another disturbing sense in the scenes when they’re the only ones in a room together. Bloom makes risky decisions with this role, but they’re never over-the-top and are played effectively. I even enjoyed Russ Tamblyn’s comic relief—as Luke, Tamblyn plays a man who doesn’t believe in the supernatural or the phenomena; he’s just protecting his investment after being left the house and simply enjoys poking fun at whatever experience or little detail that the other characters bring up. He’s a smooth, wisecracking guy who likes to drink and crack jokes (“This ghost I can expect in my room tonight—is it male or female?”), which makes his ultimate belief in what’s really happening here all the more effective because all this time, he has served as a representation for some of the more cynical audience members. When he finally seems as scared as everyone else, it’s believable.
The filmmaking serves as another reason “The Haunting” works as well as it does. A good number of shots in this movie looks like it’s been fully prepared for first, so that we feel a hint of unease and also fascination. Even the reaction shots, which are mostly thankless, say something about the consistency—some of them are even at low angles with characters on either the right or left side of the screen. With a location as grand as Hill House, it’s important to know how to frame certain shots and Robert Wise obviously went out of his way to create something unique.
“The Haunting” is undoubtedly my favorite horror film. Its scares are more than effective because of how much its psychological terror works well. The themes are very well-presented. The depictions of the “haunted” aspects of this house and the occurrences are fascinating to listen to. The lead character of Eleanor is a great character for this sort of story. And it fascinates me and of course continues to scare me every time I watch it. It’s a well-crafted, excellent chiller.
NOTE: I mentioned the brilliant opening lines earlier in this review. I should also add that the similar-sounding ending lines are even more chilling, particularly because of who says them. | 2019-04-24T10:34:17Z | https://smithsverdict.com/2013/07/29/the-haunting-1963/ |
Stefano Guzetti is a composer, producer and sound designer based in Sardina, Italy. He has an ensemble that has released three albums, Home Piano Book (Volume One), Ensemble, and Leaf. He was previously an ambient electronic musician as Waves on Canvas. While not touring Stefano produces soundtracks and sound design for film, documentaries and video games.
Innerversitysound: Stefano, a bit of background first. You had a recent earlier electronic outfit called Waves on Canvas that produced electronic music that was received well enough given the scene. But nothing in comparison to the reception that your three albums with your ensemble. Can you tell us a bit about the departure from electronic music to a form of modern classical ensemble? What was the impetus for you for this break?
Stefano: Basically I had a graduation in electronic music from the conservatory in my town. I was very into electronic music and I had studied it a lot. But also from childhood I had a background in classical music because I studied organ, or an instrument with a keyboard. Then I made this Waves on Canvas project and it was very great for me and also it was a way of mine to give a rendition, or a proper tribute to what I was into when I was younger, especially 4AD stuff in the Ivo (Watts-Russell) era. But in regarding electronic music I’ve got this mixed feeling. Especially nowadays when everyone can buy a computer, a laptop and record some seagulls or birds with their smartphone and then download a version of Ableton Live, add some effects, some tweaks and then claim himself an electronic musician or a drone music musician.
One of the reasons for the change was I wanted to take a distance from all of this because now a lot of people, a lot really, are making electronic music. If you take an example of the 90’s when buying music gear was really expensive and it wasn’t something that was ready at hand for everyone, which wasn’t a good thing anyway, because in my opinion everyone should have the opportunity to say something musically. It was different, now everyone is making electronic music and to my personal subjective perception most of them sound the same. Because they are done with the same environment, the same software, a laptop and so forth. This was one of the reasons but I also just wanted to get back to simple things and try to say something musically, just for me. Interested in just a few things, natural acoustic sounds for instance, and I wanted to get back to my roots, because when I was younger I was just playing an instrument as well. So this is something that really made me decide to be just me, myself, and just work with simple natural sounds. From time to time I had some electronicia, some simple sine waves and simple elements, like little noises, but these are just things that in electronic music are considered a simple thing, a sine wave. These are things you can also find in the works of Stockhausen or Xenakis, basically in the pioneers of electronic music. So we are not talking about synthesisers or computers but more about tapes. So I just decided to change and I’m ok with this decision really.
Innerversitysound:In interviews you have mentioned a wide range of influences from industrial, indie pop, German electronic music, drum and bass, ambient, and the ethereal electronic pop of your teenage years. The early band of yours Antennah, what was the ideas that drove you and your friend Valentinno Murru?
Stefano: When I was a child I was playing the organ and when I was a teenager I discovered New Wave bands, Joy Division and that kind of stuff from about 1986. So my decision was to buy a bass, I was a bass player and we just formed this band. We just wanted to make something new, quite naïve. It was great but after about five years I just wanted to make something else and this electronic music thing in me started when I was very young I had this computer in my house and I started programming this computer to make simple sounds and to play by pressing the keys of the keyboard while I was playing the organ. So I was tweaking a home computer to make some sounds and noises and this was my very first approach to electronic music. So after I was in a band for five years, playing the bass, I felt a real need, an urgency to widen my palette of sounds so I decided to leave them and start making electronic music. From 1992 until 2006 I was making electronic music.
The last thing I did, apart from the Waves on Canvas project was a collection of remixes for Kirsten Hersch, the singer for Throwing Muses, because in a period around 2006-7 she was recording the tracks of her new album and releasing the tracks of the songs on the web. So I was just taking the vocal parts and doing the rest, a brand new arrangement with new chords, new tonal centre. Just then I was just starting to think differently about electronic music. So this is just my background, I was taught classical music, I played bass in a band but in the meantime I was still tweaking my computer at home, I embraced electronic music, but now it is like being back home again. Just being what I was when I started making music when I was a child.
Innerversitysound: So the immediate reception of At Home Piano Book (Volume One) on Home Normal was decisive in its endorsement of your new approach to music. Can you tell us a bit about this album and how the collaboration with Ian Hawgood came about?
Stefano: Basically I started making these little compositions on the piano, they were just little ideas. I sat at the piano when I had ideas and if I felt they were interesting I just recorded the scratch idea on the iPad. So then I started to compose them properly with a kind of structure and my idea was to make a collection of piano impressions, like little water colours, something like that. Nothing too serious. I sent a few of those tracks to Ian, about 5 years back and he was really into those tracks. Then we started emailing and I felt quite lucky, because when you have a label like Home Normal, which is kind of busy, there are a lot of people sending stuff, I felt lucky anyway. And then we became friends. Of course there is a mutual friendship now between the artist and the label as well. I wanted to keep that feeling of playing in a room, a very simple thing.
Innerversitysound: You are incorporating minimal electronic touches and processing. Has it receded so far into the background that it may eventually disappear? Or has the impression of the knowledge gained by exposure to these forms indelibly informed your composition of classic forms?
Stefano: There is a future release that will be out in September that is based on a work of a friend of mine who makes paintings and cartoons as well. He was living in Japan for about 9 years, he worked with Sakamoto, designed a Swatch and he made this last book about his memories in Japan. I was really inspired by his latest work because I love Japanese culture as well and then I wrote and produced this new album called Japanese Notebooks. It features some electronicia, but very subtle, there is also some in Leaf. It is just a little colour and nothing that characterises too much the overall sound. What I still like about elements that come from electronic are the sub-basses and that round warm feeling. And that is just from a simple sine wave, a regular oscillation of a wave. Yes there is still electronic music but very few and just in a very delicate measure. I am planning to use some electronic elements like arpeggios of simple waves to be a part of an arrangement in the future. I am thinking about this idea but mostly it is just acoustic music. I don’t want to be a second hand Max Richter or things like that because mostly I am still exploring and looking for a language of mine of course for otherwise it would not be very useful to be out there and be a clone of someone.
Innerversitysound: You formed an ensemble which is a change from the solitary electronic musician. It involves a good deal more interpersonal communication. How did forming this ensemble come about and can you tell us a bit about the dynamics of working with 3 other people in an ensemble has changed your practice?
Stefano: If you make electronic music for instance, you have a very immediate response to what you are doing because you are just playing sounds with a machine. You have got those sounds, just suddenly. When you score, when you write music on a score, yes you can make sounds to make a sort of pre-production of what you have in mind. But then again when you play with real players it will sound different again. So it’s really exciting and interesting because a player is not a machine and he will play differently every time and it will depend on how tired he is from his feeling of the day; a lot of variations can happen and anyway real instruments forever change. Yes the real feeling is in the score but the overall feeling of the track can change of course. This is something that fascinates me a lot because we are humans, we are faulty humans by nature so it’s great to transpose this aspect into music. We are not talking about recorded music that will sound the same every time you play it to your friends but music that will change every time and it’s great. I love this, I really need this aspect from music to be alive, in a way.
Innerversitysound: In Quiet Fracture on the Leaf album is the most sound designed piece of the recent few albums. Is this interlude kind of thing going to happen more often or was it something that just occurred in the making of the album.
Stefano: Yes, Leaf, it’s an album of that started when my father started being ill. And my father now has a very serious illness. And this illness was showing by some very strange events like from time to time he was falling but we underestimated what was happening. Quiet Fracture is about something that is very slowly starts to go, in this case it was my father, and then shows in itself completely. So there are some steps and some laughter from a few women. This is quite symbolistic about something that starts to show inside and then grows as a big laughter. Yes that album it is written, ‘from my father, to my father’ and it was a very bad time and for some reasons it still is. It’s quite personal to be honest.
Innerversitysound: In reading background material about what you do I stopped at you commenting that you had adopted a very simple attitude towards life and music generally. If you could elaborate on this turn to simplicity and its effects on the whole of what you do in life.
Stefano: Simplicity, simple things, it is a value that I make mine a lot. For instance my decision to move on from electronic music to apparently more simple music. Like the title Leaf, it is just a small green element that we see on the side of the road, in the trees, but if you move your attention to the inner structure of the leaf, in this structure you see a lot of little path roads and this is a clear symptom that simplicity shows us a different world if you take the right pathways and if you approach simplicity with the right attitude. I have been doing Zen meditation for about 10 years in my life so I am really attached to a simple approach to life which is not a basic approach. It is just simple because then by embracing simplicity you can embrace the complexity of life as well. So it is something very connected. Like for instance when I was making electronic music I had complexity at hand very easy because of sounds, because of all those electronic elaborations on sounds as well. But to me it wasn’t that interesting anymore. But if you use just simple sounds and you give them the proper attention to the inner structure of a simple acoustic sound, it has a lot of things that change every time. Like if you struck a note on the piano and every time it will resonate differently and this is apparently a simple sound which it definitely is not. This is an example of simplicity not being simple at all. Simplicity being a great and a good example of the complexity of life itself. Because simple things to me are just the first side of the real complexity of life.
Innerversitysound: Your album Japanese Notebooks is slated for later this year. Is it completed yet, or is it still in production or in Ian Hawgood’s very long cue for mastering?
Stefano: The album is just finished, mixed and mastered. I finished it in January and I am leaving it to ‘take the dust’ for 4 to 5 months and then I will listen to it again to fix a few things with fresh ears and a fresh mind because you have to take the distance from things at a certain point. Possibly, I don’t know yet, I will ask someone to master it. I still have to decide. I usually master things myself, I am very much of a DIY person, and I really love this attitude. I do almost everything about my job; like promoting, producing, I have my own label as well, Stella Recordings, for my stuff, so it’s really important for me to have most of the things under my control. I rarely work with people, one of these ones is Ian because I really trust him, we are friends, but I really trust Ian and his approach to music. So this album is basically finished, I just have to fix a few things here and there. But that’s it really.
Innerversitysound: In terms of ambitions, or strategies when this simplicity gets a bit tricky and demanding. Have you an escape plan lined up?
Stefano: My escape plan is that I will always have to be honest with myself and correct about what I am doing at the moment. And when all of this won’t work anymore I will ask myself what is happening and if I won’t have any reply for myself, I always tell myself and to my future wife as well, maybe I will stop making music as well. I hate the idea of riding the wave of what is going on at the moment because I wouldn’t be honest to myself and mostly I would be wasting my time. Because it is not written anywhere in the sky that I have to make music. Maybe there will be a time when I just have to stop, or maybe not. I don’ know. But what I know is that my only escape is just to be honest with myself and ask myself directly what’s happening and add a proper reply, never be negative or positive. I hope positive.
Leaf is out now on Stella Recordings and digitally on Home Normal. | 2019-04-21T10:30:46Z | https://www.cyclicdefrost.com/2016/04/stefano-guzzetti-by-embracing-simplicity-you-can-embrace-the-complexity-of-life-interview-by-innerversity-sound/ |
Residential buildings account for a significant amount of the national energy consumption of all OECD countries and consequently the EU and the Netherlands. Therefore, the national targets for CO2 reduction should include provisions for a more energy efficient building stock for all EU member states.
National and European level policies the past decades have improved the quality of the building stock by setting stricter standards on the external envelope of newly made buildings, the efficiency of the mechanical and heating components, the renovation practices and by establishing an energy labelling system. Energy related occupancy behavior is a significant part, and relatively unchartered, of buildings’ energy consumption. This thesis tried to contribute to the understanding of the role of the occupant related to the energy consumption of residential buildings by means of simulations and experimental data obtained by an extensive measurement campaign.
The first part of this thesis was based on dynamic building simulations in combination with a Monte Carlo statistical analysis, which tried to shed light to the most influential parameters, including occupancy related ones, that affect the energy consumption and comfort (a factor that is believed to be integral to the energy related behavior of people in buildings). The reference building that was used for the simulations was the TU Delft Concept House that was built for the purposes of the European project SusLab NWE. The concept house was simulated as an A energy label (very efficient) and F label (very inefficient) dwelling and with three different heating systems.
The analysis revealed that if behavioral parameters are not taken into account, the most critical parameters affecting heating consumption are the window U value, window g value, and wall conductivity. When the uncertainty of these parameters increases, the impact of the wall conductivity on heating consumption increases considerably. The most important finding was that when behavioral parameters like thermostat use and ventilation flow rate are added to the analysis, they dwarf the importance of the building parameters in relation to the energy consumption. For the thermal comfort (the PMV index was used as the established model for measuring indoor thermal comfort) the most influential parameters were found to be metabolic activity and clothing, while the thermostat had a secondary impact.
The simulations were followed by an extensive measurement campaign where an in-situ, non-intrusive, wireless sensor system was installed in 32, social housing, residential dwellings in the area of Den Haag. This sensor system was transmitting quantitative data such as temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, and motion every five minutes for a period of six months (the heating period between November to April) and from every room of the 32 dwellings that participated in the campaign. Furthermore, subjective data were gathered during an initial inspection during the installation of the sensor system, concerning the building envelope, the heating and ventilation systems of the dwellings. More importantly though, subjective data were gathered related to the indoor comfort of the occupants with the use of an apparatus that was developed specifically for the SusLab project. This gimmick, named the comfort dial, allowed us to capture data such as the occupants’ comfort level in the PMV 7 point scale. In addition further comfort related data like the occupants’ clothing ensemble, actions related to thermal comfort, and their metabolic activity were captured with the use of a diary. The subjective data measurement session lasted for a week for each dwelling. These data were time coupled real time with the quantitative data that were gathered by the sensor system.
The data analysis focused on the two available indoor thermal comfort models, Fanger’s PMV index and the adaptive model. Concerning the PMV model the analysis showed that while the neutral temperatures are well predicted by the PMV method, the cold and warm sensations are not. It appears that tenants reported (on a statistically significant way) comfortable sensations while the PMV method does not predict such comfort. This indicates a certain level of psychological adaptation to occupant’s expectations. Additionally it was found that although clothing and metabolic activities were similar among tenants of houses with different thermal quality, the neutral temperature was different. Specifically in houses with a good energy rating, the neutral temperature was higher than in houses with a poor rating.
Concerning the adaptive model, which was developed as the answer to the discrepancies of Fanger’s model related to naturally ventilated buildings (the majority of the residential sector), data analysis showed that while indoor temperatures are within the adaptive model’s comfort bandwidth, occupants often reported comfort sensations other than neutral. In addition, when indoor temperatures were below the comfort bandwidth, tenants often reported that they felt ‘neutral’. The adaptive model could overestimate as well as underestimate the occupant’s adaptive capacity towards thermal comfort. Despite the significant outdoors temperature variation, the indoor temperature of the dwellings, as well as the clothing of the tenants, were largely constant. Certain actions towards thermal comfort such as ‘turning the thermostat up’ were taking place while tenants were reporting thermal sensation ‘neutral’ or ‘a bit warm’. This indicates that either there is an indiscrimination among the various thermal sensation levels or alliesthesia, a new concept introduced by the creators of the adaptive model, plays an increased role. Most importantly there was an uncertainty on whether the neutral sensation means at the same time comfortable sensation while many actions are happening out of habit and not in order to improve one’s thermal comfort. A chi² analysis showed that only six actions were correlated to thermal sensation in thermally poorly efficient dwellings, and six in thermally efficient dwellings.
Finally, the abundance of data collected during the measurement campaign led the last piece of research of this thesis to data mining and pattern recognition analysis. Since the introduction of computers, the way research is performed has changed significantly. Huge amounts of data can be gathered and handled by evermore faster computers; the analysis of these data a couple of decades ago would take years.
Sequential pattern mining reveals frequently occurring patterns from time-ordered input streams of data. A great deal of nature behaves in a periodic manner and these strong periodic elements of our environment have led people to adopt periodic behavior in many aspects of their lives such as the time they wake up in the morning, the daily working hours, the weekend days off, the weekly sports practice. These periodic interactions could extend in various aspects of our lives including the relationship of people with their home thermal environment. Repetitive behavioural actions in sensor rich environments, such as the dwellings of the measurement campaign, can be observed and categorized into patterns. These discoveries could form the basis of a model of tenant behaviour that could lead to a self-learning automation strategy or better occupancy data to be used for better predictions of building simulating software such as Energy+ or ESP-r and others.
The analysis revealed various patterns of behaviour; indicatively 59% of the dwellings during the morning hours (7-9 a.m.) were increasing their indoor temperature from 20 oC< T< 22 oC to T> 22oC or that the tenants of 56% of the dwellings were finding the temperature 20 oC< T< 22 oC to be a bit cool and even for temperatures above 22 oC they were having a warm shower leading to the suspicion that a warm shower is a routine action not related to thermal comfort.
Such pattern recognition algorithms can be more effective in the era of mobile internet, which allows the capturing of huge amounts of data. Increased computational power can analyse these data and define useful patterns of behaviour that could be tailor made for each dwelling, for each room of a dwelling, even for each individual of a dwelling. The occupants could then have an overview of their most common behavioural patterns, see which ones are energy consuming, which ones are related to comfort and which are redundant, and therefore, could be discarded leading to energy savings. In any case the balance between indoor comfort and energy consumption will be the final factor that would lead the occupant to decide on a customised model of his indoor environment.
The general conclusion of this thesis is that the effect of energy related occupancy behaviour on the energy consumption of dwellings should not be statistically defined for large groups of population. There are so many different types of people inhabiting so many different types of dwellings that embarking in such a task would be a considerable waste of time and resources.
The future in understanding the energy related occupancy behaviour, and therefore using it towards a more sustainable built environment, lies in the advances of sensor technology, big data gathering, and machine learning. Technology will enable us to move from big population models to tailor made solutions designed for each individual occupant. | 2019-04-21T16:45:14Z | https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/index.php/abe/issue/view/627 |
Mark Frigon is a senior product manager with IBM’s Enterprise Marketing Management organization, a key group involved in leading IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative. Mark’s specialties are in Web analytics (he joined IBM as part of its acquisition of Coremetrics) and Internet privacy, an issue that has come to the forefront in recent years for digital marketers around the globe.
Effective Web metrics are critical to the success of businesses looking to succeed in e-commerce and digital marketing these days, and IBM has a number of experts who spend a lot of their time in this area.
One of those here in Madrid at the IBM Smarter Commerce Global Summit, Mark Frigon, is a senior product manager for Web analytics in IBM’s Enterprise Marketing Management organization.
Mark sat down with me to discuss the changing nature of Web analytics, and how dramatically it has evolved as a discipline over the past few years, including the increased focus by marketers on “attribution,” the ability to directly correlate a Web marketing action and the desired result.
Mark also spoke at the event about the importance for digital marketers around the globe to be more privacy-aware, a topic we also discussed in our time together, calling out in particular the “Do-Not-Track” industry self-regulatory effort that intends to put privacy controls in the hands of consumers.
If you spend any time thinking about Internet privacy or Web analytics, or both, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
Remember that team of blackjack-playing cohorts from MIT in the book (and, later, movie) “Bringing Down The House,” who fleeced a number of Vegas casinos before they were invited never to grace their gambling doors again?
IBM’s Yuchun Lee explains to the IBM Smarter Commerce audience in Madrid how the company is doubling down on its investments in enterprise and social marketing management.
Well, IBM executive and Unica co-founder Yuchung Lee was one of those who was asked not to come back. Permanently.
Which is okay by those of us at IBM, as we’re keeping him way too busy to bother with card counting.
Instead, Lee’s mathematical prowess is being applied to help companies improve their marketing capabilities, a key ingredient in the IBM Smarter Commerce soup.
As Lee explained in his keynote session this afternoon here in Madrid, “this is the first time we’re bringing together Coremetrics and Unica.” He also highlighted the fact that out of the 1,700 participants here at the Summit, over 1,000 are marketeers!
Lee provided a broad overview of the Enterprise Marketing Management portfolio at IBM, explaining that “we’ve shared progress as a group within IBM over the past year,” sharing that also incorporates lessons learned from both the market and IBM customers.
The social buildout also incorporates enterprise analytics, tag management, and full mobile and social market capabilities that tie more closely together the marketing automation experience with the social realm.
Lee also debriefed quickly on two recent acquisitions, DemandTec, which expands IBM’s EMM offerings with pricing, promotion, and product mix optimization, and Tealeaf, which rounds out IBM EMM solutions with customer experience management and analytics.
As Lee explained, “A picture’s worth a thousand words,” and that’s precisely what TeaLeaf provides, the ability to look at snapshots of individual user sessions to help determine where, exactly, it is that you’re driving them crazy with your convoluted web experience!
But where Lee really “hooked” the audience was in his observations about the Generation C customer, who is more connected and in control than ever! Did you know that 4 in 10 smartphone users search for an item in a store? Or that 77 percent of B2B buyers check with their peers before buying?
Which, he expanded, means that it must work more closely with other disciplines and functions, including merchandising, on- and offline sales, customer service, and even with IT.
But, Lee indicated, they can’t stop there. Marketing must also share customer insights with other parts of the business so that all functions can benefit from these insights.
Finally, they must extend that sharing of customer insights with other key stakeholders who can benefit: Partners, agencies, customer communities, and so forth.
Lee also explained that many organizations must adjust their marketing cultures to fully capitalize on the “Generation C” (“C” for “connected”) culture. They must build organizations that balance analytics and creative talents (easier said than done!), work with IT rather than around IT, and break down marketing siloes — digital and traditional marketing must consolidate and collaborate.
Finally, accept mistakes and learn from them, and be agile enough to iterate and improve upon them. As even Lee can explain, there are only so many opportunities to double down in blackjack, and in business.
The enterprise marketing management opportunity vis-a-vis IBM’s Smarter Commerce strategy is one of those rare opportunities.
Well, that day of the year has finally arrived.
That day where we all slink into our offices after four nice, long, official holidays where (mostly, we hope) people stay away from their computers and mobile phones and tablets and God knows whatever other else connected devices just long enough to make it feel like you got some real rest (even though many of you were probably dealing with unrelated, but similarly frustrating, realities —you know, like screaming kids and antagonizing in-laws).
And all you could do was think about how nice it would be to come back into the nice peaceful and quiet office on Monday so you could get back to…shopping.
Yes, boys and girls, cyber Monday has arrived.
But judging from the results of the IBM Coremetrics Benchmark Black Friday e-retailing analysis, you really need not worry about coming into the office anymore just so you can get yourself an extra slurp of broadband.
This is 2011, yo, all you gotta do is break out that iPad and you’ll be standing in front of Macys women’s wear or Best Buy’s electronics section in seconds!
But while you’re out there figuring out your Cyber Monday strategy, I’m going to hit the highlights reel for the weekend in e-shopping.
U.S shoppers apparently took great advantage of early sales this holiday, driving a 39.3 percent year-over-year increase in online Thanksgiving day spending while setting the stage for 24.3 percent online growth on Black Friday compared to the same period last year.
Consumer spending increases. The aggressive shopping we witnessed on Thanksgiving Day this year carried over into Black Friday, with online sales increasing 24.3 percent annually.
Mobile Bargain Hunting. Black Friday also saw the arrival of the mobile deal seeker who embraced their devices as a research tool for both in-store and online bargains. Mobile traffic increased to 14.3 percent (compared to 5.6 percent last year).
Mobile Sales On the Getgo. Sales on mobile devices surged to 9.8 percent (a tripling from last year’s 3.2 percent).
Apple’s One Stop Shop. Mobile shopping was led by Apple, with the iPhone and iPad ranking one and two for consumers shopping on mobile devices (5.4 percent and 4.8 percent respectively). Together, the iPhone and iPad accounted for 10.2 percent of all online retail. Apparently, it ain’t easy bein’ an Android on Black Friday.
The iPad Factor. Shoppers using the iPad led to more retail purchases more often per visit than other mobile devices, leading one to wonder about the real estate to deal closing ratio. The bigger the device, the larger the average order value? Possibly, but this number can’t lie: Conversion rates for the iPad were 4.6 percent, compared to 2.8 for all other mobile devices. The iPad was this weekend’s e-shopping mobile king.
Social Influence. Shoppers referred from Social Networks generated 0.53 percent of all online sales on Black Friday, with Facebook leading the pack and accounting for a full 75 percent of all social network traffic.
Social Media Chit Chat. Boosted by a 110 percent increase in discussion volume compared to 2010, top discussion topics on social media sites immediately before Friday showed a focus on the part of consumers to share tips on how to avoid the rush. Topics included out-of-stock concerns, waiting times and parking, and a spike in positive sentiment around Cyber Monday sales.
Surgical Shopping Goes Mobile: Mobile shoppers demonstrated a laser focus that surpassed that of other online shoppers with a 41.3 percent bounce rate on mobile devices versus online shopping rates of 33.1 percent.
This data came from findings of the IBM Coremetrics fourth annual Black Friday Benchmark, which tracks more than a million transactions a day, analyzing terabytes of raw data from 500 retailers nationwide.
With this data, IBM helps retailers better understand and respond to their customers — across the organization — improving sourcing, inventory management, marketing, sales, and services programs.
You can get more background on the study here.
Black Friday: U.S. Online Retail Up 20% Year-Over-Year!
I had absolutely nothing to do with shopping today, online or off. But I seemed to have been a minority, and for those retailers looking to the holiday season to help bolster an otherwise anemic year, they will be excited by the news delivered today by the IBM Coremetrics e-retailing Black Friday Benchmark Report.
No flies on those guys! Apparently they were too busy counting everyone else’s clicks to pursue any of their own.
Click image to enlarge. Black Friday e-retail sales in U.S. were up 20% over the same period last year, with consumers turning to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets for their e-shopping efforts more than they ever have.
E-retail sales at major online retailers were up 20 percent as of 3 P.M. EST this afternoon, compared to the same time on the Friday after Thanksgiving last year.
The survey monitors some 500 major U.S. Online retailers, and the 20 percent is in line with the 20 percent year-over-year increase IBM was reporting mid-day yesterday. However, apparently lots of folks are holding out until they’ve allowed the turkey trytophan to kick in and the evening football games to start, because full-day online Thanksgiving sales ended 39 percent up over the holiday last year and they soared Thursday evening.
Mobile devices also played a much bigger role in online shopping this year, according to the benchmark. Shoppers are making 9.73 percent of their purchases from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, about the same as Thanksgiving day. And, as much as 17.37 percent of traffic to e-retail sites is coming from mobile devices, higher than even the 15.2 recorded yesterday.
Consumer spending increased: Online sales were up a healthy 15.9 percent, with consumers pushing the average order value up from $170.19 to $190.80 for an increase of 12.1 percent.
Luxury goods are making a comeback. Jewelry retailers reported a 17.6 percent increase in sales.
Social shopping. Consumers appear increasingly savvy about their favorite brands’ social presence, and are turning to their social networking friends for information about deals and inventory levels.
Though the percentage of visitors arriving from social sites is fairly small relative to all online visitors — nearly 1 percent — it’s gaining momentum, with Facebook dominating the space.
Department stores. They’ve become the research engine of choice for consumers looking for Black Friday deals and product promotions. As a consequence, shoppers are spending 17.7 percent more time year over year on department store sites.
Health and Beauty. A reported rise of 73.1 percent in the number of new consumers completing their first purchase on their sites and a 53.4 percent jump in the number of visits in which consumers completed an order.
In-Store Sales for Consumer Electronics and Appliances. These are expected to increase 3.5 percent this year compared to last, with consumers spending a larger-than-usual share in November, according to an analytics-based forecast from IBM’s Global Business Services division.
U.S. consumers have been increasing their savings relative to disposable income, from 2 percent in 2007 to nearly 6 percent today, which has led to strong pent-up demand for consumer electronics and appliances, both of which are typically seen as necessities in today’s economy.
Stay tuned here on the Turbo blog for other upcoming reports on the holiday season’s retail tidings. It’s still Black Friday, we still have the weekend, and Cyber Monday is a full three days away!
The weekend in sports proved to be as about as exciting as I had hoped.
Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke became the third man from that region to win a golf major in 3 of the last 6, and it was Clarke’s first British Open title.
And as to the U.S. Women’s soccer team, they played a nailbiter of a match, but in the end the team from Japan won on penalty kicks.
My hat goes off to both teams. I had a whole living room full of soccer fans, and we were all nervous wrecks up to that last penalty kick that gave Japan this year’s World Cup trophy.
Still, it was an awesome game all the way around, and I wish my friends in Japan a very happy celebration. They could probably stand some good news about now!
Later today, IBM will announces its second quarter 2010 earnings. You can check the Investor Relations site for more details.
On the announcement front, today saw the introduction of a new cloud-based Web analytics and digital marketing suite intended to help organizations automate online marketing campaigns across their online channels, including web sites, social media networks, and even mobile phones.
The new offering combines the best of Coremetrics and Unica, and provides analytics that help companies better determine the effectiveness of new products and services, fine tune their marketing campaigns, and create personalized offers in real-time across channels.
With 64 percent of consumers making a first purchase because of a digital experience, it’s critical that marketers understand online behavior and refine their marketing activities accordingly.
Supports deep analysis into how customers interact with a brand over time and when each marketing program is the most effective.
Using this technology, businesses will be able to evaluate Facebook or Twitter activity, and offer customers tailored promotions delivered to their mobile devices on the fly.
IBM’s suite also enables businesses to deliver and fine tune digital marketing programs based on what customers are doing offline.
For example, a consumer who purchased a new tablet in a brick-and-mortar store would receive special offers via email to purchase tablet accessories.
The benefit to the customer is a consistent, relevant brand experience that reflects all of their online preferences, not just what they did, read or saw on one specific site.
The IBM Coremetrics Web Analytics and Digital Marketing Optimization Suite is the newest addition to IBM’s family of Smarter Commerce solutions,which is focused on helping companies more effectively market, sell and secure greater customer loyalty in the era of social networking and mobile computing.
Smarter Commerce transforms how companies manage and swiftly adapt to customer and industry trends across marketing, selling and service processes that span the entire commerce cycle, putting the customer at the center of their decisions and actions.
To learn more about this and other marketing solutions please visit the IBM Enterprise Marketing Management site. | 2019-04-24T20:42:18Z | https://turbotodd.wordpress.com/tag/coremetrics/ |
I’ve never understood the whole points thing, scholarships, etc. for open comps. I don’t do enough open comps for it to matter – but I’d love to understand it. I’ve tried to look it up and other than the official rules which are like reading a law-book ( in other words make no sense to me!) I can’t find a simple explanation of it all. If anyone can give a layperson’s explanation it would be cool!
I had to clarify. What to which “points” was she referring, exactly?
Maybe you are referring to being top student or top teacher in a competition or a district or in a competition series? If that is the case, what happens is you get a certain amount of points for each entry you are in (or your instructor dances), and then more points for placing higher. Like when I got top student in San Diego it was like 8 points (or something, I don’t exactly remember the point value) for 1st place, 6 for 2nd, down through 6th and then 1 point for participating. You get more points for participating more and for placing higher. Your instructor gets points for the same things, but obviously if they bring more students and dance more often, they earn more points.
So I checked it out, not being familiar with proficiency points. No one had ever mentioned them to me before.
Ellen, I’ve looked at the proficiency point guide and I’m intrigued. Seems to be a complicated system to determine which category you should dance in…what age, what level, as an attempt in making sure people are competing at an appropriate level – not too high or too low. It says in the guide that USA dance will make a database online of the points so I’m now trying to find that. I’m curious to see where I might rank. I’ve always been told that the instructor decides which category you dance at. It seems like the points might be more important for high level amateur competitors or professional couples. I’ll ask Ivan about it, but who knows if he knows anything about it. It does say that you can be disciplined for dancing below your level! Thanks for asking this question. I love learning more about my favorite sport! I’ll keep you updated.
The topic sparked my interest in a number of facets of ballroom dancing that involve points and I had a big ‘ole conversation with Ivan about it after my lesson today.
Sadly, he didn’t know about proficiency points, but he did comment on another type of points used by ballroom studios which I found intriguing. Also, I did a little more research and found on http://DanceForums.com some old comments about the proficiency points. You can see the comments I found here.
First, the database is not current. I don’t even know if you can find it. Someone who is on the USA Dance board must have been in the conversation because he or she commented that they needed someone to volunteer to keep up with the points. I guess you are supposed to keep track of them yourself! Well, I for one, haven’t been doing that.
Second, the link Ellen sent me on the USA Dance page that directs you to the rules about the Proficiency points is outdated. I guess there have been changes (that a couple must now only accrue 200 points instead of the 300 mentioned in the pdf file) that aren’t reflected in that edition of the rules.
But the plot thickens. These mystery proficiency points are only applicable to USA Dance sanctioned events.
USA Dance isn’t the only governing body of ballroom dance.
There are different proficiency points and rules for the National Dance Council of America (NDCA) and the Youth College Network (YCN).
So there are points you accrue in competition. But after my conversation with Ivan, I have learned there are also points you can accrue at a studio. Now, I don’t purport to have expertise in this area because I’ve never danced in a ballroom dance franchise studio. I’m going on what Ivan told me. If things are different, feel free to comment below and fill us all in. At least this is what I gather went on at Ivan’s studio when he was employed by a franchised studio.
Students accrue points and have proficiency tests to determine what level they are at: pre-bronze, bronze, silver, etc. Then packages are sold around getting to the next level. Like for every lesson you take or every figure you learn it’s recorded and there are charts of points and where you are. There are also charts proclaiming which student is which level, so you can compare yourself to other students and follow your and their progress.
To me, this seems a bit weird. I guess it is great for goal setting and is some form of monitoring progress, but just knowing the steps in the gold syllabus doesn’t necessarily, I think, mean you are a gold level dancer – meaning that you might be dancing a gold step with bronze level technique.
What it does do is give a person a sense of being able to put a feather in their cap. I’ve had people ask me what level dancer I am, but since I have no points or proficiency tests to go on, I honestly don’t know. I have no idea what level the steps I know are considered nor my level in terms of technique.
Seems like another VCR manual to me, but at least this one only applies to amateurs. I still don’t know what this means if I’m dancing Pro/Am since my proficiency in Pro/Am shall not be used in determining my amateur proficiency level….though I don’t dance Am/Am, myself!
Sheesh! I think it’s an interesting topic, but still kind of a mystery even after all this writing and after all the various research!
So, now the ball is in your court. Do you know anything about points tracked in ballroom? What do you think of these point systems? Does your studio use them? How? Have you heard of them in the context of NDCA or USA Dance? Have you kept track of yours? What do they mean….really? I’m curious to know.
Ooohhh, I’m a bit nervous writing this post, but I think it is a very important subject that is not often talked about. It kind of relates to my previous post about when learning to dance that you make sure you find an instructor that can teach in a way that you can understand and process. And if it’s not working out, to feel free to move on to a different instructor who can suit your needs. Sometimes that can be a little tricky. One of those situations where it is easier said, than done.
The topic I’m talking about is whether or not as a dance student we are free agents, at liberty to dance with whichever instructor we desire and the sometimes-weird possessiveness that the instructor or studio may exhibit for his/her/its students.
When it all boils down, I personally believe that I am the customer, I am the one paying to learn, and I should be able to go wherever I want to do that.
However, it actually isn’t as black and white as that. It isn’t as easy to navigate as one might think.
Hopefully you can avoid some of the difficulties I’ll mention by doing “dancer-views” before settling on a particular instructor. I plan to write a post later on about how to go about the process of finding and selecting an instructor, so I’ll leave that for another time. However, even if you do your due diligence, it may not always be possible to stay with your current instructor indefinitely. Life happens. I’m with my third instructor, and in both previous cases, there were life events that pushed that change along.
But for now (and for what I hope is a long, long time to come) as you know from the blog, my primary instructor is Ivan, who is an independent dance instructor. He is my #1. Any place I go to take group classes or whatever (unless it is just social dancing or I’m not there enough for it to matter and it’s none of their business) is aware of my instructor. Conversely, Ivan is aware that I take group classes at Inna’s studio, and I often inform him if I go social dancing as well, out of courtesy.
With Ivan, he has made it clear that if I want to dance with other instructors for ballroom, then I need to not dance with him. Coaching would be a different situation, or a lesson with Marietta or Nona as a one time deal for styling or something would be fine too, and he’d know about it.
But if I want to learn something that he doesn’t have expertise in, like West Coast Swing, or Argentine Tango, then I just have to tell him my desire and he’d be cool with that. That is the arrangement we have set up. But the point is, we had a conversation about it. At no point did I go behind his back and do things. I wouldn’t want to risk losing him as an instructor. We have this agreement set up and I respect it.
Somehow, however, I’ve managed to be dancing at like three different places (sometimes more), but this is not, from what I’ve heard, the “norm” when it comes to ballroom dancing. And if you are going to go that road, it is extremely, extremely important to be respectful of the professionals at each location, as well as their students, and the relationships between them. It is extremely, extremely important to be upfront and clear on what relationship you have to each place you dance. Otherwise, things can get very messy, very quickly!
From my past personal experience, and from that of others who have shared with me, some teachers and studios can become almost possessive of their students. I can even understand it, to a point. They want to protect their business and that only makes sense. However, I feel like it comes from a scarcity mindset – the idea that the instructor or studio has to keep the student away from any other dance influences for fear that the new or different dance instructor or class may “steal” the student away is focused on a fear of losing something. From my perspective, it isn’t possible to steal a student. If you are providing the value a student is looking for, they won’t go anywhere, no matter how many “other” group classes they take, or instructors they are exposed to. This would be an abundant mindset.
But the fact is, some of the studios just don’t offer everything a person might be looking for. Not everyone offers Lindy Hop, or ballet. If I can’t get those at my primary studio, and I want them, I should be at liberty to go elsewhere to find them. My primary studio can always take that as feedback and grow such areas if they so desire. But to prevent me, threaten me, or guilt me into not doing more dancing if I have that desire, I feel is poor behavior. To allow myself to let any threat, or guilt deter me from what I really want is not okay either.
However, there is really something to be said for sticking with one instructor or studio when its good for you, even if it is tough. Sometimes there are issues to work through, even if you adore your instructor. I’ve had a lesson or two with Ivan where we had to get clear on a few things and it wasn’t necessarily comfortable. But I’d choose being uncomfortable and having open, honest communication, than to lose a fab instructor any day of the week. That is just me.
Again, as mentioned in a previous post, there isn’t necessarily one “right” way, the be-all and end-all way of dancing. That means that each instructor you learn from will give you some similar information, and some very different information than others. This can be very confusing and muddle the clarity of your dancing. A person has to be careful of not always thinking the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. It might be very green right where you are. Sticking it out with your instructor may be the best choice you ever make. Also, if you do decide to receive instruction from multiple sources, be aware that you may need to filter some of the information and make sure that you apply those things that will best serve you while leaving the rest behind. This will take discernment on your part.
If the time does come when you feel the need to change instructors, I’d encourage you to do it in as clean, clear, and honest manner as possible. Although some people just stop taking lessons, not only can this strain your relationship with the instructor and the studio, but it steals the opportunity for the instructor or studio to respond to your issue, and even if the issue can’t be amended, it robs them of the feedback you could provide so they don’t recreate the same pitfall with another student.
So, to answer the primary question of this post, am I a free agent? Yes…and no. Yes, because I take classes at a variety of places that I feel will enhance and enrich my dancing. But no, because I am very clear that Ivan is my primary ballroom instructor and I’m not going anywhere else for that. I mean, the entire relationship is built on trust. You can’t have trust if you are not engaging in open, honest communication or going behind someone’s back. I guarantee it will show up in your dancing.
What about you? Do you only dance with one instructor at one location? Why? How does that work for you? Or do you dance a lot of places? What positive or negative experiences can you share around that? What advice would you give someone who was considering dancing more than one place or changing instructors? I’d love to hear your thoughts! | 2019-04-25T01:58:08Z | https://dancingwithstefanie.com/tag/dance-studio/ |
Esther and Kenso fell in love with , and chose , the stunning Tuscany themed backdrop of Central Florida’s Bella Collina Wedding Venue for their Central Florida April wedding and what a wedding it was! How can you possibly go wrong with a gorgeous bride, a handsome groom, and a beautiful venue?? This beautiful Haitian couple chose a classic contemporary and elegant theme for their Central Florida wedding. We have such a history with Esther’s family ( We have already photographed 3 of her siblings weddings with 2 to go!) that Stan and I were really excited as well as nervous about capturing Esther and Kenso’s Bella Collina Wedding just perfectly. Everything went smoothly with the talented team of Lynn Stuckas of Your Events by L & L who was in charge of coordinating Esther and Kenso’s stunning Central Florida Bella Collina wedding. Esther’s flowers were just beautifully done by Weddings by Carly Anes, and complimented her stunning mermaid dress from Demetrios Bridal. Her off white mermaid dress was heavily beaded, with lots of sparkle to compliment the dress, while the form fitting skirt enhanced and complimented Esther’s perfect curves. The finishing touches were hair and makeup and beautifully done by LeJeune Artistry . The reception ballroom at Bella Collina was beautifully decorated with linens by Eli of Linen Creations, and D.J Geordany Jean Baptiste made sure that the music was a crowd pleaser, playing a well rounded selection of music from soca to hip hop to R & B. Of course we must include that Esther and Kenso’s stunning Bella Collina Wedding was captured by S & S Photography and their beautiful video captured by Kelvin Aultman .
Brandy and Dave met working aboard the Disney Fantasy Cruise ship in 2013. Brandy worked with the cruise staff team while Dave worked on the ship wide tech team. After nearly 4 years of sailing the seven seas with Mickey Mouse, the two lovebirds decided it was time to start a life together on land, in far away New Zealand. For Brandy’s 28th birthday Dave surprised her with a fantastic trip to the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga, the northern most point of New Zealand. It was here, overlooking the ocean, on the last day of their trip, that Dave got down on one knee and popped the question. Brandy of course said “yes!” and the excitement of planning their September 22 nd wedding began.
When planning their wedding Brandy and Dave wanted a theme that reflected their life together thus far. They loved traveling, and decided to go with a vintage travel theme to match the grandeur feeling of the Ballroom at Church Street Station in downtown Orlando. Each table was themed around a different city in the world that they had visited together and of course they had to incorporate , at the head table no less, the Disney Fantasy Ship where they met. A ” Where in the world are you sitting? ” map directed guests to which city in the world they would be sitting and dining at. Party favors included a delicious candy station which included many different treats from the U.S , the U.K and New Zealand. A nice personal touch were the added photographs of each of their grandparents, on their wedding days ,which added the perfect vintage touch to their Ballroom at Church Street Wedding.
Since Brandy and Dave are from two different countries the most important thing they wanted to make sure happened on their wedding day was getting their friends and families together, allowing everyone to get to know each other. Their guests came all the way to Orlando from Australia, the United Kingdom and Switzerland to celebrate with them, and celebrate they did with delicious food, lively dancing and drinking all night long until their fiery sparkler departure. Their Ballroom at Church Street Station Wedding was a huge success, that brought together 2 families, and 2 different cultures.
All wedding days are a blur but no one will forget the epic Maid of Honors ” rap speech ” nor the fun father/daughter mash up dance Brandy did with her dad. Dave’s fondest memory was the tender and sweet dance with his grandmother to her favorite song. Congratulations Brandy and Dave, your wedding was great fun and S&S wishes you both many many years of happiness together!!
I honestly can say that Madalyn was one of the most relaxed brides I’ve ever encountered , lucky Aaron! When a bride “goes with the flow” so to say the stress of the wedding is greatly reduced. If you have no theme other than choosing things you like how can you go wrong? Instead of having to find things that fall within your theme or “go with ” your theme you can simply find what works for you thus opening up all sorts of possibilities. Madalyn and Aaron chose Maison et Jardin for their beautiful April 1st Orlando wedding and it was refreshing and surprising to me how beautiful and elegant everything was for a bride who had no theme and no preconceived ideas about how her Central Florida wedding day should be.
Congratulations to this wonderful and so in love couple, S & S Photography wishes you many years of health and happiness!!
We went with a personal friend to DJ our wedding. He knows our preferences in music and he was so eager to make us happy on our big day!
Would you believe that Mike & Paige’s parents and brother kept this proposed proposal secret for 3 WEEKS!! How her Mom kept that from her is beyond me, I would have burst from excitement! Paige and Mike eventually chose the beautiful Mission Inn Resort for their Orlando wedding. The day was rainy but nothing could dampen Paige and Mike’s excitement! All the planning , all the details, all came together ( with considerable help from their talented planner Katie Jimenez, owner of Big Day Celebrations, Katie@BigDayCelebrations.com) and their Mission Inn Resort wedding was a true celebration of the joining of 2 lives and 2 families. Here we are 2 months later and these 2 wonderful people are now busy helping others. Paige is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Mike works in Law Enforcement protecting and serving the citizens of Orlando.
Stan and I wish Paige and Mike a long, happy and healthy life together. These are 2 people that are thoughtful, kind, smart, gorgeous, and just plain NICE…good people as they say, with wonderful families supporting them. Lots of love to them!!
Advice from the happy couple…” Always think about why your partner may be acting the way they are, whether they be happy, sad, mad,anxious etc. We find that this brings us peace and helps us to react in an appropriate way. We also encourage couples to ” not sweat the small stuff” . Is it really worth your energy to bring up that annoying thing that happened last week ; the answer is usually no. When there are big issues, talk about them and again, think about why your partner is acting the way they are. If you know what may be causing them their sadness, anger, anxiousness only then can you move in a direction towards happiness! Great words of wisdom Mr & Mrs. Hamm!
Alyssa and Bud’s beautiful Venice wedding!
Bud and Alyssa first met at a Chilies restaurant in 2013 after initially meeting on line via “Chemistry.com”. Clarence, AKA Bud, worked the night shift as an Orlando Police Officer and Alyssa, as she says,”being surrounded by engineers limited our dating scene so we both turned to online dating and it all turned out for the best!” Bud said that,” they talked for hours, about everything from work to zip lining, and unbeknownst to them, began laying the foundation of what would become a wonderful and lasting relationship.” Bud’s proposal began with an invitation to dinner and a movie, after which they headed for their favorite local spot, Cranes Roost. ” It’s where we first became officially boyfriend and girlfriend, and had our first kiss.” Bud even had a photographer there who, under the false pretense of “practicing” on them, proceeded to take their picture. Alyssa went along and agreed to ” have some stranger take our photo” Bud, after the first photo, got down on his knee and proposed! She said YES and now here they are, happily married newlyweds in 2016.
August 6 th was the big day and Bud and Alyssa agreed that they wanted an outdoor themed wedding, without the outdoors…” Too hot for a Florida August outdoor wedding” said Alyssa. They chose the beautiful Plantation in Venice, a spot on the East coast close to where Alyssa grew up. One thing Alyssa knew for certain was that she wanted a cookie table at the reception. ” I was raised by my Mom and always grew up close to her, she was the one there through thick or thin. My Dad lived in NY so when I visited him he would make sure we had our time together by waking me up in the middle of the night and we would have Oreos and milk” How super sweet..pun intended!
Everything came together beautifully on their wedding day in large part due to Alyssa being a very hands on and involved bride. “Everything was set up and made by myself or one of my amazing bridesmaids- from the homemade jams and the signs to the center pieces and the kids table!” Apart from a tiny thunderstorm that blew through as the ceremony was about to start the wedding was a success…lively & full of dancing and laughter, which ended with an exciting ecofetti departure. Alyssa and Bud Stan and I wish you two lovebirds a long, safe and prosperous life together and want to thank you for inviting S & S to be a part of such a momentous occasion in your lives!
After 7 years of dating Chris unexpectedly proposed to Pam in June of 2015 at a Styx concert! “We had seen them twice before and were super excited to be able to go again. The show was incredible and we had a great hotel which we ended up at after the concert. Our room had a view overlooking a river and he suggested we take a walk along the boardwalk. I was a little curious since it was an odd time of night to go (around 11:30pm I think) but it was beautiful. We walked onto the bridge over the river and joked about how many spiders there were (I am afraid of them of course). He told me how much he loved me and promised he always would then asked if I would do the same and when I said yes he pulled out the ring. I promptly dropped the water bottle that I was holding onto his foot, I was so surprised! But we laughed and I practically screamed yes and the rest, as they say, is history.” Pam’s Mother had purchased a dress for her to wear at her prom many years ago at the Goodwill store in her high school home town of Lockhart , for $14.00. She ended up not being able to go to her Senior Prom and the dress stayed with her as she moved and relocated 3 times….she loved her dress too much to part with. No occasion seemed worthy of it, until Chris proposed…”After Christopher and I got engaged I had no doubt that I would wear my long lost dress, it was perfect. The theme, flowers and decor all fell into place after that! ” Stan and I loved Pam’s entire look…from her dress to her beautiful summer flowers in her hair, the inspiration coming from her childhood…”My mother wore a flower crown for her wedding and I remembered how much I loved playing with it when I was younger. I thought about buying a crown online but the cost was way higher than I expected and the colors were good but not perfect. It took many trips to a handful of craft stores but I was able to find the flowers that I really wanted and after reading some DIY articles I decided to make my own crown. All in all it cost around $35 (for the stuff I actually used) and took about 18 total hours.” The guest list for their intimate July 31st wedding was short..her parents, his parents , his sister and boyfriend and a favorite Aunt…”Our parents, my aunt, and Christopher’s sister and her boyfriend have truly been our support system and very best of friends over the last 5 years which made them the most important people to have with us on our wedding day.” The ceremony was in a beautiful park tucked away in a Longwood neighborhood, with dinner at Lake Mary’s FishBones.Congratulations to a sweet, unique and beautiful couple!!
Karla & Steven Bayes chose one of Orlando’s premier wedding locations for their beautiful March wedding…yes we are late posting this but better late than never! Orlando’s ChampionsGate Resort is a gorgeous Central Florida location perfectly suited to hosting Central Florida weddings. This venue is beautifully decorated, especially the courtyard and ballrooms. The accommodations are luxurious , the cuisine exceptional and the service superb. S & S Photography enjoyed working with a talented , organized and detail oriented co-ordinator and her team, Xiomarra Sanchez, owner of A Nite To Remember Events. ( Niteevents.com) Xiomarra and her team ensured that every detail, every desire, every element and every aspect of the wedding day was meticulously addressed , handled and taken care of immediately,for the bride and groom. When I asked Xiomarra why Steven and Karla chose S & S Photography for their Central Florida wedding photography needs she answered…”S & S was a no brainer when picking a wedding photographer for Karla and Steven. Charlene and Stan were the photographers for Karla’s Mothers wedding a few years back and they LOVED them! Working with S & S is EASY and a PLEASURE. I LOVE Charlene’s energy. The pictures speak for themselves. EXCELLENT photography and an EXCELLENT company”. We always look forward to working with A Nite To Remember Events and we look forward to the change in photography needs of Karla and Steven…from being their wedding photographers to, one day, becoming their FAMILY photographers!
It was so wonderful to be the wedding photographers for a couple that truly compliments each other and are so in love with each other! Heather and Todd’s Bella Collina wedding was absolutely wonderful and touching beyond words, just perfect. Their outdoor traditional wedding ceremony on the lawn at Bella Collina was romantic and emotional…watching Todd try to stay composed while Heather walked towards him on her Dad’s arm had me tearing up! After the ceremony we had so much fun taking their wedding pictures…under the Bell Tower, down by the bridge…we’re always able to find great locations for wedding pictures at the Tuscan themed Bella Collina. The evening was filled with joy and laughter and everyone there had an amazing time celebrating the union of two amazing people! | 2019-04-22T11:00:31Z | http://snsweddings.com/tag/orlando-wedding-photographer/ |
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