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Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Best Harp Amps
UPDATE: The best small harp amp on the planet now is the Memphis Mini !! But for my views of harp amps in 2008, read on.
Several readers have written asking for my list of "Best" or "Favorite: harp amps, but I have resisted publishing this for a few reasons. I've not played some noteworthy amps, and I am burdened with my own biases for or against other amps.
But what the heck… I'm game. I've been playing through various blues harp amps for decades. My truly favorite amps are the ones I own, particularly my modified 1970 Fender Champ and my old Masco ME-18 and Avatar cab, but for fairness they will not be included in my list of "best."
Small Harp Amps – under 10 watts
When I think of small harp amps I think first of a Fender Champ or any of the zillions of clones that use the same basic circuitry: a single 6V6 power tube, 5Y3 rectifier, and an 8-inch speaker. Preamp tubes vary according to taste, usually a 12AX7. These amps are bright and "barky," and they have a cut-through-the-mix quality that is very satisfying. However, they can be nasal or boxy, and with only 5 watts of power they usually need PA support to be giggable.
Having said all that, every harp player should own a small amp. They have a tone you just can't get from any other platform. These amps are wonderful for recording and practicing, and for jams.
Best bang-for-the-buck small amps are the Fender Silver Face Champs and the Kalamazoo Model 2. The Epi Valve Jr. half stack is pretty decent.
Of the boutique Champ clones, the best in terms of tone vs. dollars is the little Harp Gear amp. It has exceptional build quality and tone.
Special Mention: The Roland Cube 30 or Cube 30X is a terrific little amp for harp. No, it is not a tube amp, but its tone is excellent, and it is rugged and reliable; indestructible. The built-in amp models and effects are good. I include it in the Small Amp category not because of its power (30 watts) but because of its price. It sells new for about the same money as a decent Silver Face Champ on eBay.
Small harp amps I've tried and did not particularly care for: Crate/Palomino, Hohner, Fender Champion 600.
Medium Harp Amps – 10 to 35 watts
The next step up in harp amps starts with amps using two 6V6 power tubes, generating about 12 watts of power. Of all the amps I've played or heard in this sub-class, the Fender Black Face Princeton non-reverb amp is by far the best.
Medium harp amps also include the popular Fender Blues Jr. amp. I owned one for a couple of years but never really liked it. It is a high-gain guitar amp at heart, with two EL84 power tubes and a solid state rectifier. I tried tweaking it and finally gave up on it, selling it to a buddy.
One of my favorite medium harp amps is actually a kit from Weber: The 5F2H is an exceptional harp amp using a single KT66 power tube (a relative to the 6L6) and my favorite harp speaker, the Weber 10A125-0. It generates about 22 watts of power and has one of the warmest, roundest harp tones you'll ever hear. If you lean into it with a tight cup on your bullet mic you get an edgy rasp that sounds just right. This is a great amp.
Other Medium harp amps I like: Fat Dog Amps. Peavey Delta Blues 210. Fender Vibrolux Reverb. 1958 Fender Narrow Panel Pro.
Large Harp Amps – 35+ watts
I think of large harp amps as the rigs you would use with a loud band in a medium to large club venue. They generally do not need to be mic'ed to be heard. They vary in power and speaker configuration.
The tweed 4x10 Fender Bassman from the Fifties is the prime example of a good large harp amp, but these are expensive. The Fender reissue '59 Bassman amp can also be made to sound quite good. My buddy Ronnie Shellist of the Shuffletones plays through a great-sounding tweed Bassman clone: the 5E6A kit from Weber.
Any list of "best" large harp amps has to begin with the Harp King amps. Their tone is organic and textured at any volume. The Harp King amps can fill a large room with swelling tone and yet they have an uncanny resistance to audio feedback. These amps are expensive and rare, but well worth the money and the wait.
The Meteor amps are outstanding, as are the new HG50 amps from Harp Gear. Both of these are full-on pro gear from good guys who know a thing or two about tone. Their customer service is also excellent.
Any amp Gerald Weber breathes on is spectacularly good. His Kendrick Amps I've played are among the best anywhere. And, any amp from Victoria is almost hypnotic in it's tonal complexity for harp. The best live harp tone I have ever heard came out of a Victoria amp.
Other large harp amps I like: Fender Black Face Super Reverb
So there you have it… My "favorites" list as of this week. I've left out dozens of amps, but I guess that is the nature of lists such as this. Let me know your favorite harp amps.
9 comments:
- Anonymous said...
I bought a Sonny Jr 410 last year. Thing sounds good but here's what rips me. I bought it for 2100 bucks. Today, you can buy one for 1600 bucks. In 6 months, my investment has devalued 500 bucks along with hundreds of other folks. This amp has fallen 25% in value! Some way to run a business.
- June 12, 2008 at 2:46 PM
- Anonymous said...
Thanks for sharing this great research Rick. It sure makes one want to get out and find some of these gems to tryout. As for me, I'm getting by with a 9-10 year old Fender Blues Jr. with a single mod: One of three 12AX7s replaced with a 12AY7. Getting great tone and little feedback - I use volume control both on Astatic JT30 and GreenBullets. Sometimes the Jr. is miked to the PA which is cool but usually it's fine on its own raised up off the floor a little. Anyway your information here makes we want to go on a quest!!
Thanks again. Johnny Blue
- June 12, 2008 at 7:03 PM
- Anonymous said...
My favorite small amp is my tweed Champ clone. It's a 5F1 circuit built from a Marsh Amps kit.
My favorite midsize amp is a Harpgear Double Trouble. It's pretty feedback resistant. Sounds really nice with almost any microphone. It gets as loud as I want to play. It sounds great!
- June 13, 2008 at 10:56 PM
- Anonymous said...
Do you know someone with a 5F2H? I've wanted to build one of those, but I don't really need another small amp.
- June 13, 2008 at 10:59 PM
- Anonymous said...
Interesting article, I wish I could link my amps as you did. Let me share my list of amps over the years.
My first amp was a 1966 Fender Blackface Pro-Reverb with 2-12" speakers. Man, that thing had nuts, but it was a guitar amp. I swapped that plus some cash for a 1960 Fender Tweed Bassman. All original except it had been retweeded with fake tweed contact paper, like the stuff you line kitchen shelves with. Tacky looking but it had monster tone. After a number of years, I had it retweed and tuned up. The result was my pumpkin turned into a gorgeous, hot-rodded guitar amp that lost its mojo for harp.
By now I was gigging out and didn't like the idea of lugging a valuable amp around that could get damaged. So I sold it to a collector for a ton of cash (it's probably gathering dust in his living room and doing double duty as a beer mat) and in turn bought two amps: an original 1958 Fender Tweed Deluxe and a Sonny Jr.1-4x8 amp. I used these amps for 15 years depending on the gig situation. Both had great tone and versatility, and were very reliable. Only problem was volume and projection when playing with a loud band.
During this time I bought a Gibson GA-40 amp in New Bedford, MA that the store owner claimed once belonged to Magic Dick. Whether true or not, this two-toned amp with a 12" Jensen was okay but I ended up swapping it for a 1960 Fender Tweed Vibrolux that I still own today, but is used mostly by guitar players that drop over to play. Cool for harp, awesome for surf guitar!
Oh yeah, I also had a Victoria Bandmaster 3x10 because it was a distressed sale. Helping a brother musician. I used it for a month and I ended up giving to my guitar slinging 12 year old nephew who loves to play loud and jump off the cabinet. Whatever, it's inspired him and drives my sister nuts. There's a twofer for ya!
More recently I bought a Sonny Jr 410. Great gig amp in any setting that never gets lost in the mix and has good tone versatility. It is roadworthy and durable as heck. First time I played out with it, a dancer fell into the bandstand and knocked the amp over with a crash. I picked it up and kept on boogying without missing a beat.
And finally, a few months ago I had a chance to buy a Masco MA-17 amp. This baby has just great tone and I can play it through any of my amps' speakers: 4x10, 4x8 or 1x12 with great results. It also looks great, like a toaster my Mom got with S&H Green Stamps back in the 60's! Someday I'll build a 2x10 cabinet for it.
Over the years in my quest for tone, I always favored tweed amps for their cool look and great tone. As a consequence, my wife couldn't tell the difference with them since they all looked the same so she thought I only had one or two. But alas, she finally got wise and I am looking to move the Sonny Jr. 1 and the Vibrolux. For over 25 years, it has been a fun and interesting journey to find that perfect amp with just the right mojo that could articulate my own voice. After I got the Masco, I told my wife my days of searching was over but I did see a very cool Red Bogen Ch-10 on Ebay recently..............
- June 14, 2008 at 8:06 AM
- Anonymous said...
High all, I play a modified Fender Super Reverb SF from 1971 for 15 years now and I'll never give it away again. Smooth, creamy tone but very punchy when nessecary!I've changed to Celestion speakers (I have stored the original JBL's), put other tubes inside and built in a (hidden) Mastervolume to avoid feedback and to play at the same volume as the band.
For little gigs I have a modified 1966 BF Fender Champ with a Weber AlNiCo speaker, 12AY7 pre amp tube and some other mods - i swear sounds as good as any tweed model.
I use Astatic, Turner and shure bullets with it.
Thanks and greetings from Austria
- July 24, 2008 at 12:05 AM
- Unknown said...
Hi harp players, I use a Marble Harpmaster which I bought something like 2 years ago. It's a Dutch amp of 50 watts with 6 8" speakers. It sounds great and I use it for gigs in cafés and on stage.
- August 9, 2008 at 2:29 PM
- Rick Davis said...
I've heard the Marble Max harp amp (it's very good) but not the Harpmaster. Is that the amp you are using in the clips on your band website?
It would be great if you could submit a full review of the Marble Harpmaster for this blog. Just email to me at email@example.com. Sound clips or video would be great.
- August 9, 2008 at 3:37 PM
- Unknown said...
You can hear sound samples of my Marble Harpmaster on http://vi.be/YPWY-8598-XTP. This is the webpage of my new bluesband, Kingsize
- September 4, 2013 at 3:00 AM


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ZEOvit System
What is the ZEOvit system?
ZEOvit is a ultra low nutrient system that utilizes bacteria to help eliminate excess nutrients. The concept is to help provide an environment for our corals much closer to natural seawater than is found in a standard tank by reducing problem nutrients like nitrate and phosphate without affecting other parameters like calcium, alkalinity or magnesium.
Most aquarists look at the Korallen-Zucht ZEOvit system like a two step process. The first stage is using the ZEOvit reactor with ZEOlites, ZEObak, ZEOfood and ZEOStart (the basic four) to create a ultra low nutrient environment. The second step is to develop ideal coloration, health and growth using some of their additives based on amino acids, minerals, foods and other additives.
The Basic Four
Korallen-Zucht offers a wide verity of products but there are only four basic elements to the ZEOvit system. You will need a reactor for the ZEOlites and run carbon 24/7 but other than that these are the only four items you will need to get started.
- ZEOlites - These are a group of natural occurring minerals that have the ability to adsorb, ion exchange or retain molecules. The KZ mix consists of three different ZEOlites chosen for their ability to reduce toxins in a balanced manor. The ZEOlites do get consumed and should be replaced every 6-12 weeks depending on the tanks nutrient load. Use 1 liter of ZEOlite per 100 gallons of water.
- ZEObak Mircooanism solution – This liquid additive contains a verity of bacterial strains that form the proper chain for nutrient reduction. This product is used during the intial stages of starting a zeovit system as well as every time you replace the ZEOlites. It is also recommended to dose once or twice weekly to help maintain the microgoranisms.
- ZEOfood combination of bacteria and coral food - This product is designed to be food for the dosed microorganisms to help them multiply as well as provide a food source for corals. ZEOfood is primarly composed of amino acids and vitamins which enable corals to uptake necessary nutrients which leads to a natural brilliant coloration.
- ZEOstart bacteria food – A liquid nutrition source that promotes the reproduction of all nitrifying bacteria in the aquarium. Addition of ZEOstart to the system is very effective at reducing phosphate and nitrate.
Some other factors to consider when using the ZEOvit System
- It is recommended to not use any other type of phosphate remover such as GFO or aluminum based compounds. The ZEOvit system alone is fully capable of maintaining ultra low phosphate levels.
- It is recommended that you run activated carbon continuously
- The protein skimmer is a critical component of the ZEOvit system. Be sure you are maintaining and cleaning it properly.
- Lighting is also a critical component. They suggest using primary bulbs in the 10-14k range and supplementing with other bulbs in the bluer spectrum if necessary.
- It is also critical to use RO/DI water for water changes and top of water to reduce the nutrients added to the system.
- Limit the other additives dosed to the tank to reduce. The ZEOvit line has a variety of their own additives which as all based on adding very small amounts slowly and the rest is taken care of with a good water change schedule and quality salt mix.

subset: commoncrawl


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First Corinthians 1:4 says "Love suffers long" since God is love He suffered for us. But in His sufferings many good things came into being. Reading the book of Hebrews offers a glimpse of the manifold benefits of suffering.
Hebrews 2:10 "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." By His sufferings we are granted salvation of our souls. Our bondage to sin is broken. We are captives set free by His sacrifice.
Hebrews 2:18 "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." Through the suffering Jesus endured, He is able to comfort us in our suffering. He knows what it's like, for He suffered terribly. When we suffer, our minds go to His suffering, knowing we have not suffered nearly as dearly as He has.
Hebrews 5:8 "though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered." Through His suffering He learned obedience. This was the example for us to follow. In our sufferings we, too, learn obedience to Him and we begin understand the God who saved us.
Hebrews 9:26 "He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Our sin is dealt with once and for all. No more sacrificial offerings are required. Jesus' sacrifice is enough. Our debt is paid.
So you see, good really can come from suffering. Next time you are suffering, think about what Jesus suffered and ask God to show you what you are to learn through it.
Lord Jesus, thank you for your suffering. You know what it is like to suffer. Help us to see our suffering through your eyes of love. In your name we pray. Amen.
© ThinkOnIt Bible Ministries Inc is a 501(c) (3) Public Charity helping you grow in knowledge and understanding of God's Word.
Learn how to engage your mind as you read the Bible with Beginner's Inductive Study Puzzle. It's easy and fun to use. Get yours
at http://thinkonitbibleministries.org/studies/study-puzzle/


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Work Sharing - A Smart Alternative to Layoffs - Unemployment Insurance
Dear Maryland Employer,
In 1984 the Maryland General Assembly enacted legislation establishing the Work Sharing Unemployment Insurance Program. Work Sharing is a voluntary program that provides an alternative to layoffs for employers faced with a temporary, non-cyclical decline in business due to lower economic activity. The program is designed to avoid layoffs by preserving jobs for trained workers. Qualified employers, who participate in Work Sharing, are able to retain an entire employee group by reducing that group's hours of work by a percentage equal to the total reduction of hours that would have been achieved by a layoff.
Work Sharing offers many benefits to both employers and workers. Using Work Sharing, an employer can maintain high productivity and quality because the existing trained work force remains in place. When business improves, the employer has an intact work force and have avoided the time and expense of rehiring and retraining. Work Sharing enables employers to keep productivity and employee morale high because workers avoid the insecurity, unrest, and "bumping" characteristics of layoffs.
For workers, the obvious benefit of Work Sharing is keeping their jobs while avoiding the emotional and financial hardships resulting from unemployment. Employees are not subject to the same conditions as those on regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) such as making an active search for work or accepting offers of suitable work from employers other than the Work Sharing employer. The employees whose hours are reduced receive partial UI benefits to supplement lost wages. Both the employer and employees must develop and agree to the conditions of Work Sharing.
Example: An employer has 20 full-time employees in a unit, each of whom works 40 hours per week. Due to an unexpected reduction in business, the employer must reduce payroll by 25 percent. Instead of laying off 25 percent of the employees, the employer may apply for Work Sharing. If the Work Sharing Plan is approved, affected employees would receive 25 percent of their UI benefits while being paid for hours worked at the Work Sharing employer. When business improves, the employer has retained its trained workforce and may resume normal operations.
Employers' Frequently Asked Questions-Work Sharing
Employees' Frequently Asked Questions-Work Sharing
Please contact email@example.com for additional information.


text: Please enter your e-mail address below and follow the instructions to have your password sent to you. Be sure to check your spam folder if this mail does not appear in your inbox. Adding email@example.com to your safe list will help you to receive all our mails straight into your inbox.


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In Latin American countries such as Mexico and El Salvador, it is customary to honor beloved family members who have passed away by celebrating Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
In many places, people will spend all day today in the cemetery on what is considered a celebration of life, not death. The graves are decorated, and it is a time for family and friends to gather and honor the lives of their loved ones.
Here at our headquarters in Kansas City we have our own Day of the Dead display. Veronica Vidal, who works in our Sponsor Services department, prepared a place in our community dining room to feature friends and loved ones in the CFCA community who have gone before us.
This year we honor the memory of two of our co-founders, Nadine Pearce and Bud Hentzen:
Bud Hentzen died Nov. 30, 2011, and his sister, Nadine Pearce, died two months later on Jan. 30, 2012. We miss them deeply, but we also celebrate their legacy and everything they have helped CFCA to be during the last 30 years.
Related links:


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Chris Rock and Mike Nichols have teamed up to replace David Mamet and Martin Scorsese in a remake of an Akira Kurosawa thriller. Go ahead, read it again. It's not a misprint.
Rock has been asked to update Kurosawa's 1963 detective story "High and Low" for a film to be directed by Nichols, the comedian told Black Voices while doing press for his upcoming "Death at a Funeral," itself a remake of an English film of recent vintage.
More than 10 years ago Scorsese hired Mamet to adapt the story of a man who gets word from kidnappers that his son is being held for ransom only to realize that the thugs have grabbed his chauffeur's kid and not his own. Kurosawa himself adapted the story from the pulp novel "King's Ransom," by Evan Hunter.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
If it's not clear by now, this is not comedic turf. Sure, it could be, but let's hope not. Could it be that Rock also hopes to star in the film?
Nichols was tabbed to step behind the camera two years, with Scorsese apparently staying aboard as a producer. This would be his first film since "Charlie Wilson's War" in 2007.


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Cocktail Overhaul: Surfer on Acid
Taking drinks from the Dark Ages of cocktails and revamping them, with delicious results.
Editor's Note: In Cocktail Overhaul, Jeff Lucas re-imagines drinks from what many consider the dark days of cocktails.
Get the Recipe
The Surfer on Acid is most often consumed in a shot and conjures up hilarious images of a surfer trying to stand up on his surfer board while tripping on drugs. The original concoction is an equal-parts mix of coconut flavored rum, Jagermeister, and pineapple juice—a simple mix of alcohol that trends toward the intense-and-sweet side. But what would this drink look like as a long drink? My revamped Surfer on Acid moves away from the shot format with a light and refreshing—but still remarkably flavorful—result.
Coconut rum has its fans (and we even have a recipe for making it yourself at home) but I wanted to go for a more subtle, natural coconut flavor, so I replaced the rum with lightly nutty coconut water. It's best if you can tap it straight from young green coconuts (look at places like Whole Foods or Latin American or Asian markets) but there are also lots of boxed and bottled version available. In addition to being refreshing, coconut water is loaded with electrolytes and potassium—why not start combating the effects of alcohol while you're still drinking it?
I replaced the Jagermeister with one of my favorite herbal liqueurs, Green Chartreuse. This secret-recipe mix of herbs and spirits has a strong affinity for pineapple, complementing the sweet-tart nature of the fruit. Angostura bitters emphasize the spicy side of the liqueur.
As for the base spirit, rum would have been the easy choice—and feel free to experiment with different rums in this drink—but I love this combination paired with spicy and grassy blanco tequila. The bright agave bite of high quality silver tequila is an excellent addition to this drink; I'd steer away from the oaky caramel flavors you might get with any of its older siblings. Keep it light and refreshing: you never know when you might have to hop on a surf board.
Get the Recipe
About the Author: Jeff Lucas enjoys gadgets and exotic spirits. When it comes to food and drink he'll try anything at least once. You can follow his cocktail musings on twitter @the_mixlab and his blog at themixlab.wordpress.com
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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The Washington DC Chapter of the
User Experience Professionals Association
8:00 - 9:00
Sign-In and Coffee
9:00 - 11:00
Opening Session and Keynote Presentations
Steve Krug, author of Don't Make Me Think
Marti Hearst, author of Search User Interfaces
11:00 - 11:30
Coffee Break and Poster Sessions
Room A
Room B
11:30 - 12:10
Panel: Plain Language: Expert Perspectives on What's Next
Dick Horst, Ginny Redish, Charlene Haykel, Kathryn Summers
Mobile Web Design and Evaluation: Emerging Trends and Best Practices
Cory Lebson
12:20 - 1:00
E-Commerce Usability: Using Eye Tracking to Improve Results
Michael Summers
User Interface Design Trends for Faceted Search
Duane Degler
1:00 - 2:00
Room A
Room B
Room C
2:00 - 2:40
Express Usability: How to Conduct and Present a Usability Study in One Week or Less
Sarah Weise & Linna Manomaitis
Boardroom Secrets: Putting UX in the Agenda
Kate Walser
2:00 - 3:30
Cranky Conversations About Users
Dan Willis
2:50 - 3:30
Universal Usability and Accessibility for Rich Internet Applications
Ann Chadwick-Dias & Marguerite Bergel
Going Beyond Usability to Excite and Engage Your Users
Spencer Gerroll & Andrew Schall
3:30 - 4:00
Coffee Break and Poster Sessions
Room A
Room B
4:00 - 4:40
Agile Usability: Overcoming the Us vs Them Problem
Jason Lee
Strategic Design: Aligning Business Goals and User Needs
Chris Avore
4:50 - 5:30
Low-Hanging Fruit: Making an Impact as a First Step Towards Change
Bennett Lauber
Helping Users Find a Needle in a Haystack: Lessons in Search from Your TV Guide
Lorelei Brown
5:30 - 7:30
Happy Hour
Steve has been a usability consultant for more than 20 years, working on dozens of great projects with smart people at interesting companies. His guide to web usability, Don't Make Me Think, has sold 300,000 copies, and its younger brother, Rocket Surgery Made Easy was born in December 2009. View presentation as PDF
Most discussion of information retrieval focuses on the algorithms behind search engines and information retrieval systems. However, there's another side to search: the human users and the tool they use to interact with them — the search user interface. Because of their global reach, search user interfaces must be understandable by and appealing to a wide variety of people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds, and meet an enormous variety of information needs. Hearst will focus on the aspects of this process that can best be supported by the user interface. She will describe the methods behind user interface design generally, and search interface design in particular.
About the Speaker: Dr. Marti Hearst is a professor in the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley. She received BA, MS, and PhD degrees in Computer Science from UC Berkeley and was a Member of the Research Staff at Xerox PARC from 1994 to 1997. A primary focus of Dr. Hearst's research is user interfaces for search. She has invented or participated in several well-known search interface projects including Scatter/Gather clustering of search results, TileBars query term visualization, BioText search over the bioscience literature, and the Flamenco project that investigated and the promoted the use of faceted metadata for collection navigation. She has published extensively on this and other topics. The Flamenco project has had a significant impact in industry and practice; interfaces similar in design to Flamenco are now the standard on e-commerce sites, image navigation sites, and library catalog sites, and support for faceted navigation is now standard in content management systems. Dr. Hearst has also acted as a consultant for a wide range of search companies.
The movement toward plain language for documents and website content is gaining traction. Through questions from the moderator and the audience, the expert panel will discuss some success stories, provide their perspective on the plain language movement, offer opinions on what's next, and suggest what usability practitioners should be doing to further the cause. View presentation as PDF
This session is an introductory overview of the mobile Web user experience, including the design and evaluation of mobile interfaces. Using a case study from a government client, the presenter will describe how issues were resolved when the client decided to "go mobile" with an alternative version of their existing web site.
By watching hundreds of real purchases and applying eye tracking technology, the presenter has developed a detailed knowledge of the key obstacles to conversion for e-commerce sites, as well as principles that extend to the broader process of on-line registration in any context. He will share insights about product foraging, evaluation, and checkout, with examples from top web sites.
Faceted navigation and filtering is now a common part of search results interfaces. Yet with so many variations on the Web, it is not obvious how to design facet UIs to be most usable. This presentation focuses on the different styles of facet interfaces that are emerging, along with the types of things designers and usability specialists need to consider when creating or evaluating those interfaces. View presentation as PDF
Without the luxury of unlimited time and budget for user-centered analysis and design, a 40-hour study can be a low-risk way to introduce usability to a project and make a difference in a short time frame. Through real-world examples and a hands-on activity, attendees will take away some express approaches to traditional data gathering, analysis, and presentation techniques. View presentation from SlideShare
Discover how to decipher business information and lingo and translate it into business objectives and benefits that usability professionals can provide. Attendees will learn what executives care about, how to find the right people within an organization who can help, how to create a simple plan that will open boardroom doors, and what is needed to take that simple plan and turn it into an entire program.
Dan Willis uses the quirky entries of his blog uxcrank.com as a jumping off point for a lively, fully involved conversation with the audience around key user experience issues including: The Cherry Blossom Effect (satisfying users by expecting less from them); Your Inner Lumper (the impact of our wiring on our work); and How People Choose (the practical ramifications of dealing with the human brain.)
As the web becomes a richly interactive experience through new technologies such as Flash, Flex, DHTML, and AJAX, universal usability and accessibility issues are driven to the forefront. The presenters will examine case studies involving dynamic content and will show video clips of usability sessions with participants of all abilities to illustrate design challenges and solutions.
Usability alone does not engage our users. Attendees of this session will learn about user engagement, including a psychological basis of what attracts users. The presenters will show how to conduct the appropriate research that informs engaging design, how to design a more engaging user experience, and how to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of user engagement.
Agile methods have been widely adopted within the software industry. However, usability professionals often have trouble working within agile teams due to procedural, cultural and personal differences. We will describe the challenges of integrating usability into an agile team from both a usability and an agile developer perspective. We will also detail how those challenges can be overcome, drawing on experiences from our own agile usability approach, extreme scenario-based design, as well as other leading integration methods. View presentation as PDF
This session will show how strategic focus and delivering value across the customer engagement lifecycle can help user experience professionals align organizational strategic goals and objectives with user needs through targeted approaches and methods. Attendees will learn how to leverage core user experience skills to inform and guide strategic design thinking. View presentation as PDF
Have you ever been asked for a list of the low hanging fruit in order to "fix" the usability of a product? Attendees will learn what the true low hanging fruits are, how to present the output from usability practices in formats that can be more easily consumed by software development organizations, and how to have an immediate and lasting impact on the usability of products. View presentation as PDF
Does your business demand that users find something that they like or need, even if they aren't looking for it? How can you turn the serendipity of the browse into a satisfactory destination? Learn how to focus your search results and CMS relationships from this case study surrounding cable television search across a library of half a million items.
Great value for the price and very practical case studies.
Exposure to the research going on; practical steps I can take in my work.
- Quotes from previous conferences


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PubSub HuddleSeptember 23rd, 2011 - andyp
I presented on MQTT today at the PubSub Huddle event in London – a developer meetup for all those interested in messaging topics. 0MQ, RabbitMQ, SockJS (websockets) and other projects were all represented. You can watch the video of the talk on the Skills Matter website.
The talk included a short demo of how great MQTT can be to connect up tiny devices like Arduinos – I had my Arduino with a temperature sensor and an XRF module passed around the audience, and showed MQTT publishing the data via a simple Python script to my Really Small Message Broker. We also did a live link-up to an automated home system in IBM and showed that being controlled using MQTT over the web. Later in the afternoon I had a Wifly shield attached with the MQTT client running on the board, and clients running in C, Java, node.js, Python, and an Android app receiving the data concurrently.
There's a real buzz around messaging at the moment, and it was great to see so many different people at the event. Lots of interesting folks around – including the author of the Perl and Ruby MQTT clients, Nicholas Humfrey. One piece of news from him is that the Ruby gem now has a new home on Github, so it's worth checking out there if you are interested.
Finally – our new discussion group is up-and-running so do join us there if you'd like to talk about any MQTT-related topics!


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|"Are you a wizard or not?"
The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is a conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.
- "A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowing boat bobbing in the iron-grey water below them."
- —The Dursleys meet the rowboat owner[src]
The rowboat owner was a toothless old Muggle. In 1991, he lent his rowboat to Vernon Dursley, so that the Dursleys and Harry Potter could get to the hut placed on a rock off the sea coast, and subsequently spend the night there.[1] They needed to do so, because Vernon and Petunia Dursley wanted to escape the grasp of Hogwarts. But they were unsuccessful, as Rubeus Hagrid appeared and personally delivered Harry's letter.[2] It is uncertain whether he returned for the Dursleys, or they returned to the mainland on some other transportation.
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (Concept Artwork only)
Notes and references
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 3 (The Letters from No One)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 4 (The Keeper of the Keys)


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If you've looked into belly dancing as an alternative to your regular workout routine, I'm sure that you've seen the name Amira Mor.
An internationally renowned Belly Dancer and Certified Fitness Instructor, Amira Mor is almost synonymous to the phrase, belly dancing. Ms. Mor has developed her own remarkable style of belly dancing, combining her love of classical movement with her passion for modern innovation. No wonder, Ms. Mor has drawn a large, devoted audience that has made her one of the world's most sought-after contemporary belly dancers.
I received the Belly Dance Your Way to Fitness Vol.2 DVD to review and wow, it's like having a live belly dancing class right in front of me. In this DVD, Ms. Mor not only helps you understand the sensual movements of belly dancing with the most basic and easy to understand instructions, she also shares her tips on the importance of fitness incorporating belly dance movements.
I love belly dancing myself and if you're new to this form of fitness, this DVD will serve as your guide. Ms. Mor guides you through every step of body isolations, the fundamental building blocks and experiencing the beauty of belly dance.
Here is what Dr. Jason Tirado (from the American Academy of Pain Management) has to say on Amira Mor's Belly Dancing techniques for fitness:
"Amira Mor has done an incredible job in revolutionizing complex information on sensible exercise for busy people. Her techniques focus on strengthening and toning your abdominal, back, spine, shoulders, hips and most joint and muscles to support your spine which are vital in maintaining good posture and keeping a youthful look. Amira's technique are safe for all ages, if you are looking for fun, fast and long lasting fitness solution that can actually live with –this is your answer. I highly recommended it!".
Now to me, that says a lot.
For other Amira Mor Videos and DVD titles, check out her Shopping Mall or at Amazon.com.
I have one copy of Amira Mor's DVD, Belly Dance Your Way to Fitness Vol.2, to give away to one of you, lucky Hip Mama's Place reader!
*HOW TO WIN? Read on…
To enter this contest, please leave a comment telling me what you do currently to stay fit or attempt to do to get fit. Comments must be in by November 24th, 2010 at 12MN, EST to be eligible for this contest. This contest is open to U.S. ADDRESSES ONLY Please leave your email address (if you don't have a blog). I will choose one (1) winner using Random.org and will be announced as a comment on this post. The winner will also be notified by email and/or through a comment on the winner's blog (if available).
*EXTRA ENTRIES for many chances to win!
Your comment is your one required entry. To earn extra entries, just do the following:
1. Tweet this giveaway on Twitter however you like, but include this URL page and hash tags at the end of your comment: http://bit.ly/aIYd8A #fitness #bellydancing #AmiraMor (5 EXTRA ENTRIES)
I want to win an Amira Mor Belly Dancing DVD giveaway @hipmamasplace! http://bit.ly/aIYd8A #fitness #bellydancing #AmiraMor
2. Like or Become a fan of Hip Mama's Place on Facebook and post a comment on our wall and tell me why you like visiting Hip Mama's Place or reply to the latest post on our wall (3 EXTRA ENTRIES)
3. Follow me or friend me on Google Friend Connect (link is under "Our Hip Followers" on the left side bar) (3 EXTRA ENTRIES)
4. Follow Hip Mama's Place on Twitter (3 EXTRA ENTRIES)
5. Join the Hip Mama's Place Community and EARN 2 EXTRA ENTRIES. You can earn 3 more extra entries by creating a new post or join in on the conversations on the "Forum" section of our mom community. (5 TOTAL EXTRA ENTRIES)
6. Grab one of Hip Mama's Place's buttons under the "Grab Our Fabulous Buttons" on the right hand side bar on our main page and paste it on an HTML page on your blog sidebar. (5 EXTRA ENTRIES)
Remember, the more entries you have, the greater chances of winning! Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do for your extra entries (i.e. your name on HMP Community name, Google Friend Connect, blog posts, Facebook name, Twitter name and post links, etcetera). Good luck!
*Hip Mama's Place Disclosure: "My reviews and opinions are 100% my own. 5WPR sent me a copy of Amira Mor's Belly Dance Your Way to Fitness Vol.2 DVD to facilitate this review. The DVD giveaway is provided solely by 5WPR".
About the Author: Jocelyn Cañasa-Brown is a working mom of two boys and is a recognized blogger and mom influencer in the Washington, DC area. In her spare time, she designs and creates her own handmade jewelry, maintains her jewelry store on Etsy and is an active moms group organizer and leader both online and offline. Hip Mama's Place was nominated for Parents' Picks 2010 Best Parenting Blogs and named one of the Highest Rated Blogs and Sites on Nickelodeon ParentsConnect for the Washington, DC area. Follow Jocelyn on Twitter and/or Facebook.


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Dear ITU: A Complex Process Where Delegates Who Fly To Dubai Can 'Lobby' Is Not 'Transparency'
from the words-mean-things deptThe EU Parliament recently joined the US government in speaking out against the ITU's upcoming WCIT event, which we've been discussing. This is where the ITU -- an ancient organization designed to deal with telegraphs, and whose relevance today has been widely questioned -- is seeking to take over certain aspects of internet governance, well outside its mandate. Certain countries -- Russia and China in particular -- and certain large telcos (including many EU ones) are looking at this as a way to advance very specific interests, either for increased control and censorship over the internet, or in forcing successful internet companies to fork over money to telcos who have failed to innovate. Thankfully, the EU Parliament has now spoken up about its concerns, noting a number of key points (these are just the first half, but they give you an idea):
1. Calls on the Council and the Commission to ensure that any changes to the International Telecommunication Regulations are compatible with the EU acquis and further the Union's objective of, and interest in, advancing the internet as a truly public place, where human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly freedom of expression and assembly, are respected and the observance of free market principles, net neutrality and entrepreneurship are ensured;The ITU has taken to its blog to hit back, claiming that it is deeply disappointed in the resolution. No surprise there. It tries to hit back on some of the points, but fails wildly. Take, for example, its response to the transparency issue:
2. Regrets the lack of transparency and inclusiveness surrounding the negotiations for WCIT-12, given that the outcomes of this meeting could substantially affect the public interest;
3. Believes that the ITU, or any other single, centralised international institution, is not the appropriate body to assert regulatory authority over either internet governance or internet traffic flows;
4. Stresses that some of the ITR reform proposals would negatively impact the internet, its architecture, operations, content and security, business relations and governance, as well as the free flow of information online;
5. Believes that, as a consequence of some of the proposals presented, the ITU itself could become the ruling power over aspects of the internet, which could end the present bottom-up, multi-stakeholder model; expresses concern that, if adopted, these proposals may seriously affect the development of, and access to, online services for end users, as well as the digital economy as a whole; believes that internet governance and related regulatory issues should continue to be defined at a comprehensive and multi-stakeholder level;
6. Is concerned that the ITU reform proposals include the establishment of new profit mechanisms that could seriously threaten the open and competitive nature of the internet, driving up prices, hampering innovation and limiting access; recalls that the internet should remain free and open;
However, it is important to point out that WCIT is inclusive of 193 national delegations which are participating in WCIT-12. Private sector companies and civil society organizations have also registered to attend WCIT-12 in large numbers.Note the key false equivalency here: that transparency means that you can have your voice heard (if, that is, you're willing to sign up to fly to Dubai and take part as a delegate). First of all, being heard is not transparency. Transparency is about sharing information in the other direction. It's about making the discussions and details public so everyone knows what's going on. Hearing what people are saying is listening and it's important -- but it's not transparency.
Everyone attending WCIT-12 is free to lobby for their specific positions.
Added to this, in the run-up to the conference, the ITU Secretariat created a platform to allow any individual, civil society player or company to make its views known.
The very thorough and inclusive preparatory process leading up to the WCIT-12 has been completely transparent. Every European parliamentarian could have obtained all the documents from their own government, or from the European Commission.
At ITU, transparency is achieved at the national level, through national consultations in national languages. Surely this process is far more inclusive than just posting an English language text on a web page?
Second, the fact that parliamentarians could obtain the documents is not transparency either. It does not involve the public.
It's this kind of misleading rhetoric that makes people so concerned about the ITU. The fact that it pretends transparency is something other than it is seems like a real problem.
Filed Under: itu, transparency


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Drop-in Programs: No registration is required. Admission to drop-in programs and events is first come, first served.
Registered Programs: Advance registration is required. Register below or call 250-940-4875 for more information. If you do not have an email address, enter [email protected] A confirmation email will be sent after successful registrations. When registering for a program in a series, only one registration per individual is necessary. If you are registering for a series after the series has begun, please select the next program date in the future and register for that one. Your registration will be applied to the rest of the series.
Scribble Time
August 10, 2019, 10:30 am-11:30 am| Free
For ages 3-5. Join us for sparkle and shine, pencil play, art-filled stories and creative crafty fun. Registration begins June 27.


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Natural beauty. Ideal weather. Gorgeous mountains. A charming village feel. And friendly people. Great places to stay, play, eat, shop, and relax. The spirit of adventure is alive and well in Palm Springs, whether golfing in a tournament, sipping cocktails at a poolside reception, or team building on a mountain adventure, our visitors marvel at the truly unique combination of urban activities within our suburban village. Hiking, biking, horseback riding, jeep tours, tramway, museums, spas, nightlife, theater and live entertainment. Or everyone's favorite, lounging poolside under our big blue skies in the warmth of the sun – we have it all.
Location, location, location… Our enviable location, within 90 driving minutes of San Diego, Orange County (beach cities), and Los Angeles has long made us a favorite for event planners seeking to attract a larger audience. Located 1.5 miles from the Palm Springs International Airport, the Palm Springs Convention Center is walking distance to 1600 hotel rooms and just blocks away from the Heart of Downtown and historic Palm Canyon Drive. Whether it's a leisurely stroll or a morning power walk, drive and you miss finding that treasure to take back home.
There's always something fun happening in Palm Springs with a variety of community and internationally recognized events. The Palm Springs International Film Festival, The BNP Paribas, Palm Springs Modernism Week, Kraft Nabisco LPGA Golf Tournament, The White Party, Stagecoach Country Music Festival, Coachella Music Festival, Palm Springs Restaurant Week and many more. And did we mention our year round VillageFest – which occurs every Thursday evening, as Palm Canyon Drive closes to traffic and transforms into a vibrant pedestrian street fair called VillageFest. It's a favorite among locals and visitors alike, and many meeting planners opt to begin the evening with a welcome reception, then encourage attendees to enjoy the sights and sounds of downtown and uptown.
Like No Place Else…..utilizing the natural desert landscape the Palm Springs Convention Center has created an authentic meeting oasis. Offering 120,000 square feet of carpeted exhibit space, 21 breakouts, a 20,000 square foot Ballroom, an 18,000 square foot Lobby with panoramic mountain views, and a 20,000 square foot Event Lawn, or the adjacent Jackie Lee Houston Plaza, options abound…..either indoors or out. Thoroughly modern, we offer state-of-the art high-speed wireless internet access throughout the facility; an innovative exclusive caterer, Savoury's Full Service Catering, for onsite and off site events; and an experienced Event Services Team to help you tie everything together…..seamlessly. All Under One Roof. The Convention Center is conveniently attached to the beautiful Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel, offering an additional 30,000 square feet of meeting space and 410 guest rooms.
Affordable variety of hotels, restaurants and shops to serve every visitor. Hotels at every price level, from full-service upscale hotels to small boutique properties and charming Inns. Fine dining to casual cafes and intimate bistros. We hope you'll have time to explore and enjoy Palm Springs…Like No Place Else.


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With back-to-school season in full swing, we're giving away 6 months of LastPass Premium to all university students! For a limited time, students with a valid university email address can go to lastpass.com/edu to go through the quick steps to upgrade your LastPass account.
The Premium upgrade will allow students to take full advantage of LastPass' secure cross-browser, cross-platform syncing capabilities to access login data from anywhere, at any time. LastPass makes student life a bit easier by helping you get organized with your digital life and get on with your semester – no more forgotten passwords and no more re-using the same password everywhere. And if your computer happens to crash (fingers crossed it doesn't, especially right before finals, but if it does…) you'll be able to reinstall LastPass with no data lost and one less thing to sweat about.
Best of luck this year, students!
The LastPass Team


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logo jordan png
You can get acquainted with the presented collection of logo jordan png to choose suitable ideas for your business or design interface.
Today we have 10 cliparts and vectors for this category.
Advice on how to make a good presentation
Follow the basic layout rules. Make a normal spacing between the lines
Let's get to see how to set the correct spacing between the lines in your presentation. This is for PowerPoint 1013.
- Select text to be formatted
- Click on " Home" tab and look for "paragraph" group
- Choose "Line Spacing"
- You will be offered various options of spacing. Experiment with these before choosing the best applicable spacing
Beware that presentations normally require a wider spacing than a normal text does. The reason for this is for all the words and text to be easily legible and comprehensive for the audience. However try to stay as close to normal spacing as possible as too large a space looks weird in presentations


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Yesterday, a sweeping power outage left six million people without power in the Southwest—including a huge swath of San Diegans. The result? An Emerald City that shined in patches, not flares. And it's actually kind of beautiful.
Also fun: turns out that the outage was the fault of a single electrical worker for Arizona utility APS. He apparently removed the wrong monitoring equipment at the wrong time, which set off a domino effect that reached as far as, well, San Diego. Power has since been restored in most areas, but the city might want to coordinate a lights out night again some time soon. It's just so much easier—in so many ways—on the eyes. [Photo credit: justininsd/Flickr via The Daily What]


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In Stock
Add to Cart
PHS American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is made from Organic American Ginseng and is an herbacious perennial plant used in Chinese medicine as an adaptogen, tonic and stimulant.
American Ginseng is known to be helpful in general illness when defense stimulation is needed. PHS American Ginseng is highly concentrated and contains a full spectrum of ginsenosides.
American Ginseng has multiple uses. Please refer to research articles, multiple texts and usage statistics online for more specific details.
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A magnificent herbal expectorant...
Copyright 2016 Pacific Health Sciences. All Rights Reserved. Information provided is from historical use, common professional knowledge and current research.


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FRIDAY, Aug. 29, 2008 (HealthDay News) -- Some Japanese survivors of the World War II atomic bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced key genetic changes that may have sparked the onset of a form of thyroid cancer, new research indicates.
Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is typically linked to a particular genetic mutation involving the so-called BRAF gene. But Japanese researchers say that among Japanese atom bomb survivors, a different and relatively rare disease trigger -- involving the chromosomal rearrangement of the RET/PTC gene -- seems to be to blame.
Though both mechanisms spur activation of the same enzyme-signaling pathway that leads to PTC, "the RET/PTC rearrangements were more common among cancers from individuals with higher (radiation exposure) doses, cancers that occurred earlier after the A-bomb exposure, and cancers among those who were at younger ages at A-bomb exposure," noted study lead author Kiyohiro Hamatani.
Hamatani is chief of the laboratory of cell biology in the department of radiobiology/molecular epidemiology at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), in Hiroshima. He and his colleagues reported their findings in the Sept. 1 issue of Cancer Research.
The finding is just the latest from a decades-long tracking of 120,000 Japanese atom bomb survivors. It comes on the heels of an analysis released this past spring that revealed that young children exposed to radioactive atomic fallout in the blasts faced a greater risk of adult cancers than those exposed to radiation while still in the womb.
With respect to radiation-associated PTC, the authors noted that other studies have uncovered evidence of similar (but not identical) chromosomal rearrangements among childhood survivors of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in Russia who later developed PTC.
In their study, Hamatani's team found that between 1958 and 1998, there were 63 cases of thyroid cancer attributable to A-bomb radiation exposure, of which 90 percent were of the papillary variety.
They also extracted genetic material called RNA from thyroid tissue samples supplied by 50 patients who had been exposed to atomic bomb radiation, along with 21 patients who were not exposed.
The comparative genetic profiles revealed that younger men and women who lived close to the bomb site when exposed to radioactive fallout, and who went on to develop PTC, were more likely to have the less frequent chromosomal rearrangement.
Hamatani cautioned, however, that he and his colleagues still do not know exactly how radiation exposure might have contributed to the onset of RET/PET rearrangements. It's even possible that radiation exposure may not have played a role in the development of PTC among patients who had the chromosomal rearrangement before they were diagnosed with the disease. Hamatani noted that, among childhood PTC cases in particular, such chromosomal shifts are relatively common, regardless of whether a child has been exposed to radiation or not.
Because of this, Hamatani stressed that any link between radiation and chromosomal changes, "needs to be confirmed with additional PTC patients in the future".
In the meantime, Dr. Alfred I. Neugut, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and co-director of cancer prevention at New York Presbyterian Hospital, in New York City, said the association "makes biological sense."
"The fact that radiation exposure is associated with thyroid cancer is well known and not news," he noted. "But now, as research technology has caught up with scientific expectations, they're now able to identify the specific chromosomal anomaly that causes the cancer. And, indeed, this is exactly what you would expect."
More information
For more about radiation and its impact on health, visit the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.


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As the world gets increasingly tense, cosplay nerds in Taiwan have it all figured it out: there's no better diplomacy than cosplay diplomacy. Bless them.
These photos are from the recent Petit Fancy and the Comic World events, which were held near the prestigious National Taiwan University. Many of the cosplayers enjoyed dressing up as their favorite Japanese anime, manga, or video game character.
One dude stood out for going with an American icon, instead: Batman. Bravo, Dark Knight.
Granted, tensions have been running way hotter in neighboring China than in Taiwan (Taiwan is traditionally less anti-Japan, but the sentiment does exist). And even in China, cosplay and anime fan events are still going on. Cosplay is bringing people together! Well, sorta.
This kind of stuff—namely, dressing up in silly outfits—might seem trivial. It's not. Appreciation for another country's pop culture does help build bridges, even if those bridges are wearing hot pants. Make that especially.
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.


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Introduced in Europe, the A1 came to life from the same chassis used for the Volkswagen Polo (another car some American have summoning unsuccessfully) as the Audi brand's challenger against the BMW 1 Series or Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Sharing similar expense pressures of driving, the motorists inside countries like France, Germany and the United Kingdom have been battered hard by higher fuel prices on top of car insurance costs. Luxury cars like the Audi A1 are creations based on necessity returning the market as a sporty personal hatchback. Spawned initially in three-door form, the Audi A1's five-door version charms the tight European roads with youthful looks and practicality.
The 2012 Audi A1 Sportback is another product the German auto company wishes to link thoughts of performance with practicality. While the Sportback name appears more common on the European Audi vehicle line-up, the S7 Sportback brought to the United States lends understanding to the marketing and design principle the five-door A1 looks to accomplish. Adding two additional doors for the rear passengers, the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback's persona is casually altered. Rather being a nifty sport look, the five-door version of the A1 Sportback is propelled as a more considerate, mature existence. Measuring a total length of 3.95 meters (155.52 inches), the Audi A1 Sportback is more than 14.5 inches shorter than the smallest North American Audi offering, the A3. The A1 Sportback incorporates the new Audi brand design traits including the flared wheel wells and the furious-looking front headlamp housings. Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights can be optioned on the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback. On the back of the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback, SuperRed LED taillight units quickly warn following vehicles. Showing that Audi's knowledge of materials stretches beyond aluminum, one-third of the five-door A1 Sportback consists of high strength steel.
Structurally stable on a front-wheel drive train (there is no mention of quattro all-wheel drive), the Audi A1 Sportback invokes a strong sense of control with an electronic stability program, strong brakes featuring front ventilation and an electronic limited slip differential. In different trim levels, the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback sports a trendy assortment of wheels. 2012 Audi A1 Sportback models trimmed in the Attraction version wears rather basic 15-inch steel wheels. The Ambition trim model of the A1 Sportback upgrades the outer look with 16-inch alloys with optional 17-inch cast aluminum and quattro GmbH sourced 18-inch wheels perfecting appearances. An additional outside styling touch is a two-tone colouring scheme on the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback accenting the roof against the list of 12 exterior colours.
With the cabin opened by the two new passenger doors, occupants inside the Audi A1 Sportback partake in a delightfully spacious interior surrounding. Up to 32.49 cubic feet of cargo room is created in the Audi A1 cabin when the rear seats are folded. Helping to create a comfortable environment for adult passengers, the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback comes standard equipped as a four-seat vehicle. Optional features provided on the 2012 A1 Sportback includes five-passenger seating, 14-speaker Bose surround sound system, Audi MMI navigation plus with a 6.5-inch screen and the Internet equipment as well as software that can turn the vehicle into a WLAN hotspot.
In touch with the European tastes for diesel power and small gasoline engines, the 2012 Audi A1 Sportback is propelled by a selection of six power plants. Thee gasoline and three Audi TDI engine choices all configured with four cylinder banks, entry-level power comes from a 1.2 TFSI powerplant producing 86 horsepower. Top gasoline power for the 2012 Audi A1 is realized with a supercharged and turbocharged 185 horsepower, 1.4 liter inline-4 that allows the premium subcompact to run from 0 to 62 miles per hour in a stout 7 seconds flat. The performance-leading diesel for the 2012 A1 Sportback is a 2.0 TDI that combines 143 horsepower with average fuel economy said to be over 57 miles per gallon. Five-speed and six-speed manual transmissions and a 7-speed twin-clutch S tronic gearbox are available through the Audi A1 Sportback's engine line-up.
While the potentially lower rates of van insurance could tempt for more financially strapped families, the more energetic presence of smaller utility cars is a solid way to retain a zest for life. Soon to be a realization of automotive customers in Munich in 2012, motorists in American cities are not expected to see the A1 Sportback for the immediate future. However, Audi has a history of being receptive to North American interests in European-only vehicles. Just like the TTRS and the RS5, the Audi A1 Sportback could only be a matter of a petition away.
Information and photo source: Audi AG


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Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he'll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too.
On Sunday, the Ravens face a familiar foe in Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer, who tormented them when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals. … Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said that injuries are limiting his effectiveness. … Ngata and three other starters sat out practice for a second straight day. … Defensive coordinator Dean Pees explained why he has moved upstairs during games. … Quarterback Joe Flacco needs to be more efficient. … Mike Preston says the Raiders are the last creampuff on the schedule.
Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said that third-down conversions are a critical issue that the team must address. … Linebacker Terrell Suggs was selected as the team's Ed Block Courage Award winner this year. … The Ravens say that Palmer can still make all the throws. … The Ravens might have a strong 1-2 punch in running backs Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce.
Raiders running back Taiwan Jones is expected to get an increased workload with Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson expected to miss Sunday's game. … Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour is now expected to sit out, too. … Raiders linebacker Aaron Curry will bring energy and passion to the field Sunday, his first game of the season. … After getting gouged last weekend, the Raiders run defense now has to worry about Rice.
I wrote 1,200 words about two speakers and a green dot.
The Indianapolis Colts easily beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. … Nerve damage has made it hard for Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson to grip the football the past few weeks. … Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin is off crutches but he probably won't play Sunday. … Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller plans to sack Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton then do his signature Superman celebration. … Other teams think the Philadelphia Eagles defense is soft. … The Buffalo Bills say they want to draft a quarterback this spring.
- Sports
- Football
- Baltimore Ravens
- Oakland Raiders
- Terrell Suggs
- Buffalo Bills
- Carolina Panthers
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Denver Broncos
- Detroit Lions
- Indianapolis Colts
- Minnesota Vikings
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Superman (fictional character)
- Joe Flacco
- Haloti Ngata
- Ray Rice
- Calvin Johnson
- Richard Seymour


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Anna Deavere Smith has, in essence, combined a career doing serious, interview-based theater work like "Fires in the Mirror" and "Twilight: Los Angles" with more lucrative acting gigs on TV shows like "The West Wing" and, currently, "Nurse Jackie." Watching her perform for — and rev up — a couple of thousand nurses in Chicago Friday night, though, suggested that Smith might well be a good leftist candidate to run for office. Few think of her that way. Perhaps they should.
At one point in the colossal main ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers — packed to the gills with members of National Nurses United — Smith persuaded the assembled nurses to stand, find three or four fellow nurses they did not know, look each nurse in the eye and say to each one in turn, "We need you to heal this country."
"I believe that nurses have a power that we have not even begun to tap into in America," Smith shouted from the stage, as her congregants did as she had bid, affecting a style somewhere between political agit-prop and evangelistic ferment.
The nurses present were hardly apolitical — National Nurses United had just held a rally in downtown Chicago at which they campaigned for a so-called Robin Hood Tax on banks and financial institutions, with the proceeds going to health care and education. That said, Smith's impassioned evocation of their profession as American healers on a much broader level was clearly a new way of thinking for many in the room, many of whom watched wide-eyed, heads constantly turning to look at their fellow nurses, en masse and all around them, with a woman who plays a nurse on TV firing up the huge room.
"My nurses were so moved," Karen Elwood, a member of the California Nurses Association, would say after Smith was done. "Really, this was the first time most of them ever had experienced anything like this."
Although there was some material commissioned for this show — which went by the title of "Tell Me Where It Hurts" — much of Smith's performance was taken from her existing, if relatively new, piece "Let Me Down Easy" (already performed in Washington but not yet seen in Chicago), which is about the health care system and its failings and is composed of interviews with such groups as patients, doctors and, of course, nurses.
Smith understandably concentrated here on the last of those groups, telling, with her typical immersive sense of character, of a nurse who left her profession because she had "too big a heart" to stay among the failings of her American industry. There was talk of lost records, insensitive residents, patients kicked out of hospitals for financial rather than medical reasons (at such moments, the ballroom would fill with the sound of hissing nurses). The stories of frontline nurses make great material for artistic miners like Smith, not least because they constantly witness the line between life and death and understand how and why you might end up on one side or the other.
But the uber-text of this unusual performance in Chicago was that America was diseased by healthcare inequity and nurses, members of a sacred profession of healers, must rise up in service of those most vulnerable.
"Tell me where it hurts? I'll tell you were it hurts,' Smith said, her voice roaring from the stage. "It hurts when you see how privilege works ... and when poor people die."


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SEC Faces Compliance Costs, TooBy CIOinsight
With a little more than a year under his belt as CIO of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Corey Booth has been given a new mandate: Update the agency's technology systems to better and more quickly handle the ever-growing number of corporate investigations the commission undertakes each year.
It's a tall order, says Booth, even with the SEC's $113 million IT budget for 2005, a figure that has more than doubled since 2002.
"Historically, the SEC has underleveraged technology," he says. "We have been behind the curve. Ultimately we want to be in a position where we work with regulated companies on terms that are acceptable to both of us."
The bad news is that the new IT improvements will have a profound effect on U.S. businesses. Not only will the SEC be more effective at detecting fraud, but it will soon require companies to comply with its new technology, according to Boston-based research firm TowerGroup.
"The SEC has a mission to create a more efficient investigation process, and companies are going to have information requirements that are meatier than they were a couple of years ago," says Rob Hegarty, vice president of the securities practice for TowerGroup, which estimates that for each dollar the SEC spends on IT, the companies that report to it will spend an extra $5 toward compliance efforts.
Already under way is a digital imaging initiative Booth calls Electronic Discovery. Instead of sifting through paper records during an investigation, documents are now digitized as they arrive at the SEC.
"If you sue a firm the size of Enron, you'll have truckloads of documents that some poor attorney has to sift through. Now all that stuff can be done digitally," he says.
The benefit of digitizing all that data, Booth says, is that documents can then be keyworded and searched. That will lead to quicker completions of investigationsBooth estimates it can cut materials analyzing times by halfand will allow the SEC to be more thorough.
"For example, if we are going through an investigation and we think we should check someone else's involvement, in a paper world we'd have to go back to the beginning," and again search through countless documents, Booth says. "Now, we won't have to do that."
Other initiatives include a content management system to better track reports and documents, and a portfolio management system to better manage cases.
Booth says the initiatives are part of a five-year plan, but he hopes to have much of the work completed within the next two to three years.


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Peter Friess
European Commission Brussels, Belgium
Peter Friess is a senior official of the European Commission at DG CONNECT taking care of the research and innovation policy for the Internet of Things, in particular IoT Ecosystems, Large Scale Pilots, Machine to Machine communication, and also related to Smart Cities, Cloud computing, Big Data, Future Internet, Trusted IoT. He further oversees the international cooperation on the Internet of Things. In previous engagements he was working for IBM, Philips Semiconductors and in European Research projects.


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Ariz. religion bill sparks discrimination debate
- Proponents say bill simply tweak existing state laws
- Bill headed to governor%27s desk
- Similar measures debated by lawmakers in other states
PHOENIX -- The Arizona Legislature has passed a controversial religion bill that is again thrusting Arizona into the national spotlight in a debate over discrimination.
House Bill 2153 would allow individuals to use religious beliefs as a defense against a lawsuit.
The bill, which has been described by opponents as discriminatory against gays and lesbians, has drawn national media coverage.
Opponents have dubbed it the "right to discriminate" bill and say it could prompt an economic backlash against the state, similar to what they say occurred when the state passed a controversial immigration law in 2010.
Proponents argue the bill is simply a tweak to existing state religious-freedom laws to ensure individuals and businesses are not forced to do something that goes against their beliefs.
The bill will be sent to Gov. Jan Brewer, who has five days to sign it into law, veto it or do nothing and allow it to become law.
Specifically, the legislation proposes to:
• Expand the state's definition of the exercise of religion to include both the practice and observance of religion.
• Allow someone to assert a legal claim of free exercise of religion regardless of whether the government is a party to the proceedings.
• Expand those protected under the state's free-exercise-of-religion law to "any individual, association, partnership, corporation, church, religious assembly or institution or other business organization."
• In order to assert a free-exercise-of-religion defense, the individual, business or church must establish that its action is motivated by a religious belief, that the belief is sincerely held and that the belief is substantially burdened.
The votes on the bill were mostly along party lines, with Republicans supporting and Democrats opposing. Three Republicans voted against it.
Proponents say the bill would, for example, protect a wedding photographer who declined to take photos of a same-sex couple's commitment ceremony due to the photographer's religious beliefs.
"We are trying to protect people's religious liberties," said Republican Rep. Steve Montenegro. "We don't want the government coming in and forcing somebody to act against their religious sacred faith beliefs or having to sell out if you are a small-business owner."
But opponents say it could also protect a corporation that refused to hire anyone who wasn't Christian and could block members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community from access to nearly any business or service.
"The message that's interpreted is, 'We want you to work here, but we are not going to go out of our way to protect you, to protect your rights, to protect your family,'" said Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego. "God forbid should someone come to the Super Bowl and come to a restaurant that is not going to allow them in."
Similar debates have occurred nationwide this year as other states tackle the topic, but Arizona is believed to be the first to pass a religious-protection bill this broad.
Its approval comes a week after Republican lawmakers in Kansas introduced legislation that would have exempted individuals from providing any service that is "contrary to their sincerely held religious beliefs ... regarding sex or gender." That bill passed the state's House chamber on Feb. 11, causing a wave of national backlash. It has since stalled in the Senate and is not expected to advance this year.
Republican lawmakers in South Dakota introduced a bill last month that would have allowed businesses to refuse to serve same-sex couples on the basis that "businesses are private and that their views on sexual orientation are protected to the same extent as the views of private citizens." That bill would have made it illegal for a gay person to file a lawsuit charging discrimination. The bill and a similar one in Tennessee were killed this week.
A ballot initiative in Oregon would allow business owners to refuse to serve same-sex couples "if doing so would violate a person's deeply held religious beliefs." It could be voted on this year alongside another initiative that would legalize same-sex marriages.
During nearly three hours of emotional House debate on Arizona's bill Thursday, Republicans and Democrats disagreed vehemently on what the bill would actually do.
"The result of this bill is discrimination, period. This bill is going to hurt the LGBT community," said House Minority Leader Chad Campbell.
Bill sponsor Rep. Eddie Farnsworth said the bill has nothing to do with the LGBT community because they it is currently not protected under state discrimination laws.
"A business owner can already decide not to hire somebody who is gay or lesbian. This doesn't change that," he said.
The bill is nearly identical to one the Legislature passed last year but Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed. That legislation is not a clear indication of what she'll do, because according to her veto letter, her decision to reject last year's bill was due more to a political battle over Medicaid expansion than objection to the legislation.
Brewer has a policy of not commenting on legislation before it reaches her desk.
Contributing: JT Reid of The Republic


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Workers injured in industrial accident at Phillps 66
An industrial accident at the Phillips 66 refinery in Borger on Tuesday sent several people to the local hospital.
At around 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, several employees involved in planned maintenance work (or 'Turnaround' for those familiar with the term) at Phillips 66 in a unit that handles hydrofluric (HF) acid were taken to Golden Plains Community Hospital with injuries, according to Dennis Nuss, a Senior Advisor for Phillips 66 who works with Project Communications.
At least one Phillips 66 employee is being treated at the Lubbock Burn Center with non-life threatening injuries. One other Phillips 66 employee and a contractor with an unknown company were treated and released from GPCH.
Details are still being clarified as the influx of turnaround workers has increased traffic inside the plant. Phillips 66 is investigating the cause and implications of the incident. According to Nuss, "We want to figure out exactly what happened. We want to make sure that something similar will not happen again."
The unit where the incident occured was shut down at the time for the turnaround work, but Nuss did not confirm the exact nature of the incident. When asked if the incident was due to either a chemical exposure or a fire, he said, "There was no fire."


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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Smeal College of Business has presented Benjamin Lansford, clinical assistant professor of accounting and director of the integrated master of accounting program, with this year's Fred Brand Jr. Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Lansford came to Smeal in 2010 after serving on the faculty of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He earned a bachelor's degree in international studies from the University of South Carolina, an master of business administration in finance from the University of Pittsburgh and a doctorate in accounting from Penn State.
Faculty are nominated for the Brand Award by their academic departments. Students then offer their support of the nominees, with a selection committee of past honorees and student representatives selecting the recipients.
The award is named in honor of 1932 Penn State graduate Fred Brand Jr. Brand was a successful insurance executive who spent much of this career with Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Co. He died in 1998.


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Celebrating illustration, design, cartoon and comic art of the mid-20th century.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Storybook Styles and the Enlightened Art Director
Pitz could not have imagined how right he was. As realistic illustration lost ground to the relentless charge of television and photography, the storybook illustrators of the 50's were steering illustration in a new direction that the public likely found more palatable than the sometimes impenetrable work of the avantegardists lead by Robert Weaver.
A few enlightened art directors and their clients were early adopters of the storybook style...
... giving even the most mundane ad concepts an attractive, eye-catching flare that realism (photographic or illustrative) simply could not hope to compete with.
As early as 1953, members of the Art Director's Club of New York seem to have supported the idea of using more storybook styles. An unscientific survey in the January 1953 issue of Art Director and Studio News shows the following cleverly presented results.
Asked their opinion of which types of visiual devises used in advertising they felt were on the increase, most art directors seem to have felt that fine art and decorative art was on the increase...
... as well as more cartoon art and photography...
... while most seem to have felt that realism was, if anything, just holding its ground. This is quite telling.
Art directors are the ones developing concepts for client presentation. If they can convince advertisers to try something different, something that might make their product stand out from the competion, then they can be credited with having played a significant role in more storybook style artwork being presented to the public.
The pieces you see here and throughout this week are but a tiny sampling of clients who were convinced by their art directors to try something other than realism.
"The way for book illustrators has been paved by a growing audience for picture books, particularly among children," wrote Henry C. Pitz. "Americans love pictures, often without discrimination, but that raw appetite has given the book illustrator his opportunity."
"Our book illustrators are a concientious and devoted company, frequently giving much for very little. Certainly no one considers book illustration a road to riches. As a result, there is much less frantic opportunism and obsequious awareness of every breath of fashion than in the fields of advertising and magazine illustration. In a world of snatch and discard, the book illustrator retains some liason with permanent things."
So permanent, in fact, that they have flourished for half a century while many others have come and gone.
See my Ads with Storybook Styles Flickr set for many more examples.
8 comments:
- Anonymous4:39 AM
I find this quite enlightening reading.ReplyDelete
Also that "unscientific survey" is interesting to compare. Things in that field are very dynamic to the day. I wonder how such a survey would look nowadays in 2008.
That's an excellent question, Rick - one I'd love to hear answered by some of the art directors (and designers) who frequent this blog! From my perspective as an illustrator, I would say that many ADs are enthusiastic even today at the prospect of using illustration of any type - but one thing that hasn't changed in all these decades is the client's reistance to anything that doesn't present their product in crystal-clear realism.ReplyDelete
It takes not only an enlightened art director but a daring client to do what seems obvious to stand out from the crowd: something that looks *different* from the competition! Illustration, in all it mutitudinal variations of style, is the natural solution, imo.
Heya - I couldn't find an email address. I'm sure you know about this but just in case not, here is a link:ReplyDelete
The Children's Museum of Manhattan has an exhibit called the Golden Legacy: Original Art from 65 Years of Golden Books. The exhibit runs from July 4 to August 28.
- Anonymous2:06 PM
Yeah, leif, an enlightened art director in combination with a daring client...that looks quite promising.ReplyDelete
Just as an example of everyday experience: Passing by the local cinema, there's the usual look at those poster ADs. Don't know the exact percentage, but photographic and digital stuff must be accounting for at least 98% nowadays.
Haven't seen the new edition of the Indiana Jones movie, but the poster at the cinema was one hand-made, with paint and brushes. As they used to be. It just struck me as a rare exception. So there may be a particular story behind client and art director in this case. I venture to say, Mr. Spielberg would like your blog too...
Thanks, Leif! I loved the elephant and I hope you don't mind me stealing it.ReplyDelete
Thanks for letting me know - and thanks for linking back here to the blog, p-e :-)ReplyDelete
I can recall an illustrator (who's name I'm sorry to have forgotten) coming to my art school 25 years ago (!) to tell us about his meeting with Drew Struzan, the illustrator of countless Speilberg, Disney and other movie posters.
The fellow explained how Struzan had developed a process by which he could sand away part of a painting ( you know how they are usually a collage of scenes and big heads? ) to accommodate the endless changes the studios would request before the art finally went to print. He worked on huge sheets of, I guess, masonatie board, then gessoed them, then drew and finally painted in thin washes of watercolour? Doc Martin's? whatever...
The point being, the assembly of many scenes and head shots and the countless changes made life difficult and time consuming for Struzan, or any other movie poster illustrator... but all of this could be accomplished with relative ease in Photoshop!
In the space of a few short years, almost no illustration was being used for movie posters. Plus, with a photo collage, there's no worry about the *stars* complaining about their likeness on the poster... always a contentious issue illustrators had to deal with.
I'm sorry to see things have gone this way. I understand those posters were extrememly lucrative for illustrators and frankly, Struzan's work had a wonderful energy and flare that photography can't hope to match. He used a lot of subtle linear art in his paintings... chalk pastel? pencil crayon? maybe both... but they were a joy to scrutinize... masterful work, beautifully composed.
And going back further, the caricatured comedy movie posters of the 60's, like Jack Davis' "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" blow modern comedy movie posters out of the water.
We have lost a fantatsic pop art niche market with the demise of the illustrated movie poster - and the general public, which has not nearly enough exposure to artwork of any kind, is poorer for no longer being able to enjoy these wonderful high-profile illustrations.
- Anonymous2:40 PM
Thanks leif, for that exhaustive answer. I'm getting the whole picture now.ReplyDelete
So my hope is, that all the Spielbergs in this world are capable to understand what you're talking about and that the general public will one day get tired with monotonous photoshop...
Kind of a Renaissance looming?


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I finally found my grandparents George and Valeria Michutka in the 1940 census, living in Fairfield Township, Shiawassee County, Michigan. But before looking at them in 1940, I thought I'd focus on each of their census records through the years.
Grandpa—George—arrived in the U.S. in September 1907.[1] I have not been able to find him in the 1910 census; he was almost certainly living in New York City, in Manhattan. Our non-Western-European last name is both a blessing and a curse—unique enough to easily track, but so easily misspelled, misread, and misindexed that it is often garbled in print. So George remains unfound.
Valeria, 23, was still back in Makov in 1910. Her mother had died in 1902, and I believe her father was still alive (future research). If I had to guess, I'd say Valeria was living with her married older brother and his family.
Well, that takes care of the 1910 census; not much to say. But as my grown children will probably tell you, I do like to make a short story long. And although I have not found George, I did find his brother John, and his situation was probably comparable to George's.
First, the Michutka family situation in 1910. Widowed Johanna Pavlik Mičutka had immigrated to the U.S. in 1906; her sons Jan (John) and Juro (George) followed a year later. They joined other relatives, both Mičutkas and Pavliks, as well as others from Makov and the neighboring village Vysoka nad Kysucou. Sometime in 1909, Johanna returned to Europe with baby daughter Mary; by coincidence (or not) Mary's father also returned to Makov that year.[2] Johanna's other surviving children were still in Makov: Sophie, who later came to the U.S., and Veronika who died in Makov in early 1910 at the age of 8. Johanna's mother was likely still living, and perhaps the children were with her. So John and George were young men in 1910, living and working in the middle of an immigrant population that included family members and others from "home."
|John Michutka, 1910 census, Manhattan (citation is at footnote 3)
John Michutka was enumerated in the 1910 census as a boarder at 539 East 13th Street in Manhattan, in the household of a Slovak man named Rubinitz (first name difficult to read) and his wife Mary.[3] The household included the couple's two children, "Rubinitz's" brother Paul Kubinitz and their mother, twenty-five year old Joe Bungala [sic], and John Michutka. Probably the name Rubinitz was a mistake, given the name of the brother, the name of the next family enumerated in the building (Anton Kubinitz), and the fact that the names Kubinec (pronounced a lot like "Kubinitz"), Bugala, and Mičutka/Michutka were all family names from Makov. One of John's cousins would later married a Kubinec back in Makov, so perhaps the association with this family was even closer than fellow-townsman.
John was not the first Mičutka to live at this address; his father's sister Marianna and her husband Cyril Bartek had been living there in 1906[4] and John's mother Johanna as well as Mary's father lived there in 1908.[5] One could speculate that this was one of the places where immigrants from Makov landed.
This address, on East 13th Street between Avenues A and B, is in Manhattan's Lower East Side, and a few decades earlier this area was the most densely populated part of New York City and one of its worst slums. Tenement lots sometimes had a second multi-story building behind the first, contributing to the high population density.[6] Various ethnic groups lived this neighborhood, and in the early 20th century "Eastern Europeans" had a strong presence here.
Viewing this address on Google Earth, one sees today a rather handsome four-story red brick building between two somewhat taller lighter-colored stone-fronted buildings; the building has 3 windows across the front of each of the upper floors. The framing of the ground floor leads one to think that it might have originally been designed for a shop or other business.
|539 E. 13th Street, from a real estate map.
Atlas of the Borough of Manhattan, City of New York: Desk and Library Edition (New York: G. W. Bromley & Co., 1916), Plate 29; digital image, New York Public Library, "Atlases of New York City," NYPL Digital Gallery (http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?1511797 : accessed 28 February 2012).
A 1916 real estate atlas of Manhattan shows that the building did indeed have a ground floor store (as did many of the buildings on the street) indicated by the "S" appended to the number of floors ("4S"), and was 25 feet wide and 52 feet deep. The building did not have a basement--not surprising since the map indicates an old water course directly under the buildings on that side of the street!
But the 1916 map shows a four-story rear building as well (which no longer exists); this is reflected the census records, and was likely the building that John was living in. The 1900 census indicates five families (twelve people), mostly Germans, living at #539, and eight more families (forty-two people) living in the rear building.[7] The 1910 census makes it difficult to see that there are two buildings on the lot: the address appears twice, several pages apart, enumerated on different days, the second time (where John appears) on sheets labeled "suplementary" [sic]. The apparent front building in 1910 housed six families of forty-three people, and the apparent back building, six families of thirty people. These seventy-three people lived on a lot 25 feet wide by approximately 100 feet deep.
In 1920, two buildings are clearly indicated again, one with five families (thirteen people) and the other with six (twenty-seven people), mostly Russians. The 1930 census shows four families (eighteen people), mostly Poles; either the second building was gone, or I missed finding it (enumerated separately again?).[8] In each of these censuses for this address, "family" very often included boarders.
John and the other men with whom he was living were working as "stripers" (strippers) in a tobacco factory, stripping the tobacco leaves from the stem.[9] Many others in the buildings around him were working in garment factories; a few were laborers in construction work. Wherever George was, he was probably engaged in similar manual labor.
John probably did not remain a boarder in this tenement apartment much longer, as he married a month later in May 1910. Surprisingly, his brother George was not one of the two witnesses on the marriage record, again leaving us without a clue today as to just where George was at the time of the 1910 census.
We don't have any photos from the family's time in New York City, but there are collections of photos of early twentieth century life in the Lower East Side at the following websites:
- The Tenement Museum: http://www.tenement.org; click on History, then on Photo Search.
- H. A. Dunne and Co., http://www.nycvintageimages.com/category/old-new-york-photo-catalog/lower-east-side
- Although it is set about fifteen years earlier than the 1910 census, the Oscar-nominated film Hester Street provides a glimpse of tenement life for immigrants.
[1] Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957, microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: NARA), roll 986, 10 September 1907, SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie, for Georg Micutka, stamped p. 104, line 26; "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 August 2009). Ancestry.com indexes George's surname as "Mientka."
[2] Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957, microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: NARA), roll 1750, 4 October 1911, SS Kronprinz Wilhelm, for Johanna Micutka, stamped p. 153, line 13; "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 19 August 2010). The manifests indicate the time period that each was previously in the U.S.
[3] 1910 U.S. census, New York County, New York, population schedule, Manhattan, ED 1681, p. 22A, dwelling 24 [but Xed out], family 362, [illegible] Rubinitz; NARA microfilm publication M624, roll 1033. This appears to be a continuation of dwelling 24 on pp. 16B and 17A, and is likely a case of two buildings on one lot/address.
[4] Saint John Nepomucene Catholic Church (New York, New York), baptismal ledger [volume not noted], unpaginated, Josephine Bartek (1906); St. John Nepomucene Parish office, New York. By 1910 the Barteks had relocated to Connecticut.
[5] City of New York, Department of Health, delayed birth certificate no. 10742 S (issued 17 June 1927), Mary Pavelia, born 25 September 1908; Municipal Archives, New York City.
[6] Eric Homberger, The Historical Atlas of New York City, revised and updated (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2005), pp. 110-111.
[7] 1900 U.S. census, New York County, New York, population schedule, Manhattan, ED 334, sheets 15A & B, dwellings 41 and 42, families 371-383; NARA microfilm publication M624, roll 1096. Dwelling 41 is indicated as the front one, and 42 the rear.
[8] 1920 U.S. census, New York County, New York, population schedule, Manhattan, 6th Assembly District, ED 518, sheet 3A, dwellings 5 and 6, families 55-65; NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 1196. Dwelling 6 is indicated as the front one, and dwelling 5 the rear.
1930 U.S. census, New York County, New York, population schedule, Manhattan, ED 31-195, sheet 12B, dwelling 39, families 275-178; NARA microfilm publication T626, roll [?].
1930 ed 31-195, sheet 12B, ancestry 24/36.
[9] StinkyCigar.com (http://www.stinkycigar.com/CigarTerms/ : accessed 27 July 2009).