The Santa Clara-based startup has been trying to build out its own
niche in the $1 billion+ smart device case market* by offering
something different from the usual combination of device protection with
a little bit of personal flair. In addition to the above features, its
cases are also stamped with a scannable QR code, which can link to
either your business contact information, your social profiles, or the
contact and reward information you would want someone to see if your
device is lost. You can toggle through which of these settings is
active using either Findables’ native mobile app or its website.
The
company first soft-launched its products five months ago, with more of
a focus on the “lost and found” feature, but user feedback had the
team rethink things a bit. Apple already offers the “Find my iPhone”
app, users said, plus there are other companies that doing things
involving stickers or tags, for example. Says Findables co-founder
Andre Liao, the space was already pretty competitive.
So with the new line of cases,We provides high risk merchant account
for businesses in high-volume industries. the emphasis will be more on
the social features, something which speaks to the team’s original
inspiration for Findables, anyway. “[We wanted] a case that had some
personality. What I mean by that is allowing the user to customize and
personalize the case.” says Liao.Our precision manufactured lasers and laser marker
systems deliver the highest possible laser marking performance. “Then
we started thinking about the benefits – wouldn’t it be great if you had
a case that could help you share information?”
Via the
Findables site or app, users can customize their profiles with any info
they choose by uploading pictures, writing a short bio, and adding
links to social networking services like LinkedIn, Facebook, or
Twitter, for example. Plus, they can add personal links – like the link
to their sales deck on Dropbox, their personal website, or anything
else.
Upon sign-up,Search our Eyeglasses frame
catalog for designer frames including from China. the code on the case
is registered to the user, and from then on it will show whichever
profile (business, personal, or “lost”), you have enabled.
The
codes on the device cases are just standard QR codes, which can be read
using any third-party scanning application. If using the
Findables-branded iOS or forthcoming Android app, however,Buy Sports glasses
and prescription goggles with a custom Glasses prescription. you can
download the digital business card directly into the phone’s address
book. For those using third-party barcode-scanning apps, the vCard has
to be emailed first. The native apps also track the history of scans,
and support favoriting.
At present, the company offers cases
for the iPhone 4 and 4S, iPhone 5, Samsung’s Galaxy SIII, the new iPad,
and the iPad mini. A protective case for the iPhone 5, designed to
compete with Spec’s CandyShell product, is also on its way. Existing
cases are produced at low-cost in China using polycarbonate (hard
plastic) to which a soft touch finish is then applied. They retail for
$29.95-$49.95 and Findables has sold over 20,000 to date.
Findables,
co-founded by Derick Yee and now a team of eight, has raised angel
funding in the “hundreds of thousands,The most important qualities to
look for in a pair of new Cycling sunglasses
are the clarity of vision.” and was intending to raise a round a few
months back. But, says Liao, “we ended up focusing our attention on
getting purchase orders. We’re expecting the revenue that we’ll be
generating will to be able to sustain and grow the company…We’re about
to turn a corner. We’re about to be profitable,” he claims.
Of
course, that’s all a big bet on the QR code’s traction and growth. And
since barcode-scanning isn’t a feature native to smartphones, users
still have to be savvy enough to have a reader app installed. Relying
on savvy users means this is still a risky bet. But in the meantime, the
cases look nice and definitely make for a nice conversation starter,
at least.
Microsoft can perhaps be forgiven for its wariness
entering the market with the latest, more powerful version of its
Surface tablet, after the first incarnation—the Surface with Windows
RT—launched to lukewarm consumer acceptance. But whereas the former
machine was hobbled by a new, limited Windows-hybrid interface married
to a paltry selection of apps, the Surface Pro boasted the eye-opening
potential of bringing together tablet functionality and high-end
computing. That’s why I was eager, and fortunately, I finally ended up
with my own Surface Pro a few days ago (in fact, I’m writing this column
on the fabled Touch Cover). I’m here to tell you that it is one
giddy-making device—at least, for the right person.
I’ve been
playing with Surface Pro for a couple days, and I’ve come away with
some strong initial impressions. Most of these impressions are
positive, but a few are undeniably negative; let’s call those last
items frustrations, or areas to improve, because in most of those
cases, they are certainly areas that the existing Surface Pro can
improve on in its lifetime. I’ll start with my top 5 features and wrap
up with my bottom 3.
2013年2月19日 星期二
"Smart Justice" Reform Proposal Unveiled
Lowering the chances of former inmates going back to prison is the
goal of a new proposal filed in the Florida Legislature. State
lawmakers are partnering with business backed group, Florida Smart
Justice Alliance, to rehabilitate nonviolent inmates to reduce the
number of crimes.
When an inmate gets released from prison, the general assumption is they normally get $50 and a bus ticket and are thrown out into society. But, under a new proposal, lawmakers are aiming to change that for eligible non-violent offenders serving the last few years of their sentence.
Essentially it would allow released inmates to have an official ID card with the state, making it a bit easier for them to find a job.
But, Republican Senator Thad Altman says that’s only after they complete treatment at a re-entry facility created by the Florida Department of Corrections.
“We have a separate facility designed specifically for re-entry back into society where these inmates after being released from hardened prisons where many times they come out a more hardened criminal than when they went in, are going to be going to a different facility, a facility specifically designed to support them and help them re-enter society,” said Altman.
And, that’s what “Smart Justice” is about, helping to reduce the recidivism rate, which is just keeping ex-inmates from committing more crimes. Altman, the bill’s Senator sponsor,Polypropylene and polythene can be used in a process called plastic injection mould. has been working on the “Smart Justice” proposal with Republican Representative Dennis Baxley, the bill’s House sponsor.Browse our huge selection of Safety goggles from the best brands.
“There’s a nexus of opportunity here, whether you’re trying to save the state a billion dollars in Corrections cost, whether you’re trying to prevent victims of crime from reoccurring, or you see that somebody in this system needs some drug treatment or some attachment to some career paths for them to be a success when they come out that gate,” said Baxley.Our precision manufactured lasers and laser marker systems deliver the highest possible laser marking performance.
A number of business leaders brainstormed ideas of ways to find cost-effective ways to improve public safety, like this one. They call themselves Florida Smart Justice Alliance.
The group’s President and CEO Barney Bishop says while he acknowledges recidivism rates are dropping, Bishop says there’s still more work to do in rehabilitating these inmates—pointing to the Florida Department of Corrections’ own data:
“Two out of five new inmates are reoffenders. Merely locking them up again and again, is neither smart nor the best of our tax dollars. Yet, of the 33,000 inmates released every year from state prison, only 23-percent receive any kind of treatment. That’s fewer than one out of four,” said Bishop.
Bishop and the two bill sponsors made their remarks at a press conference Tuesday to announce the bill. They were also joined by Democratic Representative Darryl Rouson, who also showed his support for the proposal. The bill is still in the drafting process and does not yet have a bill number.
The Lions have now won just one of their last ten matches in the Championship and have dropped to 14th in the table, having been on the cusp of the play-offs at the turn of the year.
Lee Tomlin put the visitors ahead after just seven minutes and although James Henry restored parity, Tommy Rowe put Posh ahead before the break and Tomlin made it 3-1 shortly after.Willkommen im virtuellen Zuhause der Lercher Werkzeugbau GmbH.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing put the result beyond doubt with a fine solo effort before Shane Lowry was shown a second yellow card and Boyd tapped in a late fifth.
Winger Boyd had the first effort on target of the match but his cross-shot never looked like troubling David Forde at his near post.
But the deadlock was broken in the seventh minute when Boyd was given time and space to pick out the onrushing Tomlin, who smashed the ball into the top corner of the net.
A minute later and Peterborough could have doubled their lead when left-back Rowe swept in a cross which Dwight Gayle mis-hit just wide.
The Lions' first real chance came in the eleventh minute when Bobby Olejnik's poor goal-kick fell to Liam Trotter, who played the ball to Henry but the winger's cross narrowly evaded Rob Hulse.
Trotter was involved again three minutes later when he picked the ball up on the edge of the box and shifted the ball out of his feet before seeing his placed shot kept out by Olejnik.
But there was nothing Olejnik could do to prevent Henry from drawing Millwall level with a superb lob with the outside of his foot after Hulse's clever dummy in the 13th minute.
Within moments of the restart, Henry bamboozled Mendez-Laing before crossing for Afobe, whose left-footed shot flew straight into Olejnik's arms.
Henry almost turned provider when his chipped cross was knocked back across goal by Afobe to Trotter, but his goal-bound effort was charged down by Gabriel Zakuani.Bay monitoring and parking guidance system come together in seamless integration offering more benefits.
Trotter then found space on the edge of the area before attempting to place his shot when he perhaps should have gone for power.
When an inmate gets released from prison, the general assumption is they normally get $50 and a bus ticket and are thrown out into society. But, under a new proposal, lawmakers are aiming to change that for eligible non-violent offenders serving the last few years of their sentence.
Essentially it would allow released inmates to have an official ID card with the state, making it a bit easier for them to find a job.
But, Republican Senator Thad Altman says that’s only after they complete treatment at a re-entry facility created by the Florida Department of Corrections.
“We have a separate facility designed specifically for re-entry back into society where these inmates after being released from hardened prisons where many times they come out a more hardened criminal than when they went in, are going to be going to a different facility, a facility specifically designed to support them and help them re-enter society,” said Altman.
And, that’s what “Smart Justice” is about, helping to reduce the recidivism rate, which is just keeping ex-inmates from committing more crimes. Altman, the bill’s Senator sponsor,Polypropylene and polythene can be used in a process called plastic injection mould. has been working on the “Smart Justice” proposal with Republican Representative Dennis Baxley, the bill’s House sponsor.Browse our huge selection of Safety goggles from the best brands.
“There’s a nexus of opportunity here, whether you’re trying to save the state a billion dollars in Corrections cost, whether you’re trying to prevent victims of crime from reoccurring, or you see that somebody in this system needs some drug treatment or some attachment to some career paths for them to be a success when they come out that gate,” said Baxley.Our precision manufactured lasers and laser marker systems deliver the highest possible laser marking performance.
A number of business leaders brainstormed ideas of ways to find cost-effective ways to improve public safety, like this one. They call themselves Florida Smart Justice Alliance.
The group’s President and CEO Barney Bishop says while he acknowledges recidivism rates are dropping, Bishop says there’s still more work to do in rehabilitating these inmates—pointing to the Florida Department of Corrections’ own data:
“Two out of five new inmates are reoffenders. Merely locking them up again and again, is neither smart nor the best of our tax dollars. Yet, of the 33,000 inmates released every year from state prison, only 23-percent receive any kind of treatment. That’s fewer than one out of four,” said Bishop.
Bishop and the two bill sponsors made their remarks at a press conference Tuesday to announce the bill. They were also joined by Democratic Representative Darryl Rouson, who also showed his support for the proposal. The bill is still in the drafting process and does not yet have a bill number.
The Lions have now won just one of their last ten matches in the Championship and have dropped to 14th in the table, having been on the cusp of the play-offs at the turn of the year.
Lee Tomlin put the visitors ahead after just seven minutes and although James Henry restored parity, Tommy Rowe put Posh ahead before the break and Tomlin made it 3-1 shortly after.Willkommen im virtuellen Zuhause der Lercher Werkzeugbau GmbH.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing put the result beyond doubt with a fine solo effort before Shane Lowry was shown a second yellow card and Boyd tapped in a late fifth.
Winger Boyd had the first effort on target of the match but his cross-shot never looked like troubling David Forde at his near post.
But the deadlock was broken in the seventh minute when Boyd was given time and space to pick out the onrushing Tomlin, who smashed the ball into the top corner of the net.
A minute later and Peterborough could have doubled their lead when left-back Rowe swept in a cross which Dwight Gayle mis-hit just wide.
The Lions' first real chance came in the eleventh minute when Bobby Olejnik's poor goal-kick fell to Liam Trotter, who played the ball to Henry but the winger's cross narrowly evaded Rob Hulse.
Trotter was involved again three minutes later when he picked the ball up on the edge of the box and shifted the ball out of his feet before seeing his placed shot kept out by Olejnik.
But there was nothing Olejnik could do to prevent Henry from drawing Millwall level with a superb lob with the outside of his foot after Hulse's clever dummy in the 13th minute.
Within moments of the restart, Henry bamboozled Mendez-Laing before crossing for Afobe, whose left-footed shot flew straight into Olejnik's arms.
Henry almost turned provider when his chipped cross was knocked back across goal by Afobe to Trotter, but his goal-bound effort was charged down by Gabriel Zakuani.Bay monitoring and parking guidance system come together in seamless integration offering more benefits.
Trotter then found space on the edge of the area before attempting to place his shot when he perhaps should have gone for power.
Teen clerk's heroics put felon in prison
Thanks to a courageous teenager’s willingness to fight back and a
dropped check card, a habitual violent criminal is just beginning to
serve a long prison sentence for a Carver County convenience store
robbery.
Demetrius Derden, 28, of Blaine, was sentenced in federal court in St. Paul to 14 years and two months in prison for the armed robbery in December 2011 of the Mayer Oil Company station on Ash Avenue.
Court documents reveal that Derden had all he could bargain for when he confronted the clerk over a forgotten safe combination, at one point forcing the teen to his knees and putting to the high school senior’s head the barrel of a weapon that turned out to be a BB gun.
“You’d better remember [the combination],” Derden demanded. “Your life depends on it.Bay monitoring and parking guidance system come together in seamless integration offering more benefits.”
The clerk begged for his life and then heard the gun click but not fire. It was then that the teen challenged the robber, tearing off his mask and suffering a bitten finger in the confrontation.
Derden grabbed the money and took off and left behind an empty bottle of rum — as well as a check card with his name on it. Authorities needed just hours to arrest Derden at his home.
“The clerk ... believed he was about to be shot dead,Our precision manufactured lasers and laser marker systems deliver the highest possible laser marking performance.” the Carver County attorney’s office said in a statement Tuesday announcing the sentencing. “The clerk then stood and began the fight of his life.”
While authorities have not said how much money Derden came away with, his sentence includes making restitution of more than $9,000. The clerk’s identity has also not been disclosed.
Derden, wearing a mask, entered the store and pointed the gun at the clerk standing behind the cash register. The teen followed orders and put all the money, more than $2,000, from the register into a plastic bag.
The clerk was then ordered to a backroom and told to empty the store’s two safes. The teen told Derden he didn’t know the combination to the second safe. That’s when Derden had the teen kneeling and pleading for mercy.
Upon hearing the gun’s click, the clerk “seized this as an opportunity” to try and stand up, prosecutors wrote in one court filing. Derden pushed him back down and struck him on the head with the gun.
They began fighting, with Derden hitting the teen again with the gun and biting the clerk’s finger.
The teen wrestled the gun from Derden, and pulled off his mask and jacket before being pushed to the floor. Derden grabbed the bag of money and fled.
Police, armed with Derden’s check card,Willkommen im virtuellen Zuhause der Lercher Werkzeugbau GmbH. arrested him several hours later.
The clerk was treated at a hospital for injuries to his scalp, face, finger and elsewhere. “To this day, [the teen] has several permanent scars on his head and face,” the prosecution wrote.
In arguing for nearly 16 years in prison, prosecutors called Derden “a dangerous repeat offender who had committed crime after crime for the past 10 years, regardless of whether he was on probation, supervised release or had just been released from prison.”
Marci D. Gill, 35,Polypropylene and polythene can be used in a process called plastic injection mould. of the 16300 block of S. Lawndale Avenue, Markham, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, four counts of possession of a controlled substance,Browse our huge selection of Safety goggles from the best brands. speeding and other violations, following a traffic stop in the 15700 block of Cicero Avenue.
Gill was stopped after police clocked him doing 54 mph in a 35 mph zone.
During the stop, Gill appeared shaky, while continually reaching for a bag in the front passenger seat of the car, according to the report. Gill told officers that he was transporting a 'water bong' used for smoking meth to a friend's house, according to the report.
Gill also told officers that the bong was his, but that he no longer used drugs and that was why he was transporting it to the friend's house, according to the report.
Also in the car, police found another bag containing hundreds of small, plastic baggies commonly used for distributing narcotics.
Inside one bag, police found another bag that was locked. Officers believed the bag contained more pipes and narcotics, according to the report.
Officers cut open the bag and discovered two clear plastic baggies containing suspected crystal meth, one plastic bag containing three pills of suspected Xanax, one purple bill of suspected Aderol, two vials containing suspected Rohypnol and one glass pipe used for ingesting meth.
Demetrius Derden, 28, of Blaine, was sentenced in federal court in St. Paul to 14 years and two months in prison for the armed robbery in December 2011 of the Mayer Oil Company station on Ash Avenue.
Court documents reveal that Derden had all he could bargain for when he confronted the clerk over a forgotten safe combination, at one point forcing the teen to his knees and putting to the high school senior’s head the barrel of a weapon that turned out to be a BB gun.
“You’d better remember [the combination],” Derden demanded. “Your life depends on it.Bay monitoring and parking guidance system come together in seamless integration offering more benefits.”
The clerk begged for his life and then heard the gun click but not fire. It was then that the teen challenged the robber, tearing off his mask and suffering a bitten finger in the confrontation.
Derden grabbed the money and took off and left behind an empty bottle of rum — as well as a check card with his name on it. Authorities needed just hours to arrest Derden at his home.
“The clerk ... believed he was about to be shot dead,Our precision manufactured lasers and laser marker systems deliver the highest possible laser marking performance.” the Carver County attorney’s office said in a statement Tuesday announcing the sentencing. “The clerk then stood and began the fight of his life.”
While authorities have not said how much money Derden came away with, his sentence includes making restitution of more than $9,000. The clerk’s identity has also not been disclosed.
Derden, wearing a mask, entered the store and pointed the gun at the clerk standing behind the cash register. The teen followed orders and put all the money, more than $2,000, from the register into a plastic bag.
The clerk was then ordered to a backroom and told to empty the store’s two safes. The teen told Derden he didn’t know the combination to the second safe. That’s when Derden had the teen kneeling and pleading for mercy.
Upon hearing the gun’s click, the clerk “seized this as an opportunity” to try and stand up, prosecutors wrote in one court filing. Derden pushed him back down and struck him on the head with the gun.
They began fighting, with Derden hitting the teen again with the gun and biting the clerk’s finger.
The teen wrestled the gun from Derden, and pulled off his mask and jacket before being pushed to the floor. Derden grabbed the bag of money and fled.
Police, armed with Derden’s check card,Willkommen im virtuellen Zuhause der Lercher Werkzeugbau GmbH. arrested him several hours later.
The clerk was treated at a hospital for injuries to his scalp, face, finger and elsewhere. “To this day, [the teen] has several permanent scars on his head and face,” the prosecution wrote.
In arguing for nearly 16 years in prison, prosecutors called Derden “a dangerous repeat offender who had committed crime after crime for the past 10 years, regardless of whether he was on probation, supervised release or had just been released from prison.”
Marci D. Gill, 35,Polypropylene and polythene can be used in a process called plastic injection mould. of the 16300 block of S. Lawndale Avenue, Markham, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, four counts of possession of a controlled substance,Browse our huge selection of Safety goggles from the best brands. speeding and other violations, following a traffic stop in the 15700 block of Cicero Avenue.
Gill was stopped after police clocked him doing 54 mph in a 35 mph zone.
During the stop, Gill appeared shaky, while continually reaching for a bag in the front passenger seat of the car, according to the report. Gill told officers that he was transporting a 'water bong' used for smoking meth to a friend's house, according to the report.
Gill also told officers that the bong was his, but that he no longer used drugs and that was why he was transporting it to the friend's house, according to the report.
Also in the car, police found another bag containing hundreds of small, plastic baggies commonly used for distributing narcotics.
Inside one bag, police found another bag that was locked. Officers believed the bag contained more pipes and narcotics, according to the report.
Officers cut open the bag and discovered two clear plastic baggies containing suspected crystal meth, one plastic bag containing three pills of suspected Xanax, one purple bill of suspected Aderol, two vials containing suspected Rohypnol and one glass pipe used for ingesting meth.
Other countries court skilled immigrants
The contraption sits in a basement lab at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, a mish-mash of hoses, wires, whirring pumps
and a 12-foot high plastic tower filled with dripping water,Welcome to
Find the right laser Engraver or Laser engraver machines. all set on plastic milk crates.
It looks like a high school science project, but it was developed by two post-doctoral mechanical engineers at MIT. And it just might be a breakthrough that creates wealth and jobs in the United States and transforms the white-hot industry of oil and natural gas hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
That is, as long as the foreign-born inventors aren't forced to leave the country.
Anurag Bajpayee and Prakash Narayan Govindan, both from India, have started a company to sell the system to oil companies that are desperate for a cheaper, cleaner way to dispose of the billions of gallons of contaminated water produced by fracking.
Oil companies have flown them to Texas and North Dakota. They say they are about to close on millions of dollars in financing, and they anticipate hiring 100 employees in the next couple of years. Scientific American magazine called water-decontamination technology developed by Bajpayee one of the top ten "world-changing ideas" of 2012.
But their student visas expire soon, both before July, and because of the restrictive U.S. visa system, they may have to move their company to India or another country. "We love it here," said Bajpayee, a cheerful 27-year-old in an argyle sweater and jeans.Find the best selection of high-quality collectible bobblehead available anywhere. "But there are so many hoops you have to jump through. And you risk getting deported while you are creating jobs."
Much of the current immigration debate in Washington has centered on the 11 million undocumented migrants in the country. But, from the halls of MIT to the boardrooms of Silicon Valley, business and academic leaders are more focused on what they call an even greater threat to the U.S. economy: immigration laws that chase away highly skilled foreigners educated in U.S. universities, often with degrees funded by U.S. taxpayers.
While other countries are actively recruiting foreign-born U.S. graduates, the United States has strict limits on visas for highly skilled workers that often lead to waiting lists of many years. And unlike Canada and other countries, the U.S. offers no specific visa for young entrepreneurs like Bajpayee and Narayan who want to start a new business in America.
"These are bright people who want to stay and make this country more competitive, and we treat them like dirt and drive them away," said Vivek Wadhwa, an entrepreneur and academic who writes frequently about immigration and the "reverse brain drain."
President Barack Obama supports making it easier for foreigners who earn master's degrees or Ph.Ds at U.S. universities to get green cards, and so does a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators who recently announced their immigration reform proposals. The idea has wide support, but it is stuck in partisan infighting over how to craft comprehensive reforms that address both skilled and unskilled immigrants.
Republicans have proposed increasing the number of visas for skilled immigrants by cutting the number available for unskilled immigrants--a trade-off that Democrats oppose. The situation is an emblem of Washington gridlock: Even when both sides agree on something, they can't agree on how to make it happen.
Obama and some in Congress have also proposed creating a new "start-up visa" for foreign entrepreneurs. Many applaud this plan, but not all.
"It's a stupid idea," said Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, who supports tighter immigration controls. "What is an entrepreneur? Businesses come and go."
That kind of talk is heresy in Silicon Valley, where business leaders have begged the government for more welcoming immigration laws. The biggest obstacle to growth in America's tech industry,Looking for the Best Air purifier? they say, is a desperately acute shortage of highly skilled workers in the STEM fields: science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
"No matter how many visas they gave out, those people would all get jobs and we would still need more," said Margit Wennmachers, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, a major venture capital firm in Silicon Valley.Willkommen im virtuellen Zuhause der Lercher Werkzeugbau GmbH. "It's not like we need 10,000. I think we could do with a million and still be hungry."
According to a study by the Brookings Institution, about half of all Ph.It's not hard to see why outdoor solar light is all the rage.Ds working in science and technology are foreign-born. And about 40 percent of all MIT graduate students are from other countries.
Leon Sandler, executive director of MIT's Deshpande Center for Technical Innovation, said it costs about $250,000 to educate a single Ph.D student and the U.S. government pays for at least 80 percent of all MIT's graduate research.
"Essentially we are funding their research, spending a quarter-million dollars in taxpayer money, then we make it hard for these people to stay here," said Sandler, whose group helps start up and provided nearly $150,000 to support Bajpayee and Narayan. "If you want more innovation in this country, fix the visa situation."
Countries from Canada to Germany to Australia to Singapore are enthusiastically courting foreign entrepreneurs with relatively easy visas. Some countries offer cash.
China has given bonuses of up to $150,000 to thousands of highly skilled expatriates who have come home to work or start businesses. Chile is luring top talent with $40,000 in capital, free office space and a quick visa through its "Start-up Chile" program.
It looks like a high school science project, but it was developed by two post-doctoral mechanical engineers at MIT. And it just might be a breakthrough that creates wealth and jobs in the United States and transforms the white-hot industry of oil and natural gas hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
That is, as long as the foreign-born inventors aren't forced to leave the country.
Anurag Bajpayee and Prakash Narayan Govindan, both from India, have started a company to sell the system to oil companies that are desperate for a cheaper, cleaner way to dispose of the billions of gallons of contaminated water produced by fracking.
Oil companies have flown them to Texas and North Dakota. They say they are about to close on millions of dollars in financing, and they anticipate hiring 100 employees in the next couple of years. Scientific American magazine called water-decontamination technology developed by Bajpayee one of the top ten "world-changing ideas" of 2012.
But their student visas expire soon, both before July, and because of the restrictive U.S. visa system, they may have to move their company to India or another country. "We love it here," said Bajpayee, a cheerful 27-year-old in an argyle sweater and jeans.Find the best selection of high-quality collectible bobblehead available anywhere. "But there are so many hoops you have to jump through. And you risk getting deported while you are creating jobs."
Much of the current immigration debate in Washington has centered on the 11 million undocumented migrants in the country. But, from the halls of MIT to the boardrooms of Silicon Valley, business and academic leaders are more focused on what they call an even greater threat to the U.S. economy: immigration laws that chase away highly skilled foreigners educated in U.S. universities, often with degrees funded by U.S. taxpayers.
While other countries are actively recruiting foreign-born U.S. graduates, the United States has strict limits on visas for highly skilled workers that often lead to waiting lists of many years. And unlike Canada and other countries, the U.S. offers no specific visa for young entrepreneurs like Bajpayee and Narayan who want to start a new business in America.
"These are bright people who want to stay and make this country more competitive, and we treat them like dirt and drive them away," said Vivek Wadhwa, an entrepreneur and academic who writes frequently about immigration and the "reverse brain drain."
President Barack Obama supports making it easier for foreigners who earn master's degrees or Ph.Ds at U.S. universities to get green cards, and so does a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators who recently announced their immigration reform proposals. The idea has wide support, but it is stuck in partisan infighting over how to craft comprehensive reforms that address both skilled and unskilled immigrants.
Republicans have proposed increasing the number of visas for skilled immigrants by cutting the number available for unskilled immigrants--a trade-off that Democrats oppose. The situation is an emblem of Washington gridlock: Even when both sides agree on something, they can't agree on how to make it happen.
Obama and some in Congress have also proposed creating a new "start-up visa" for foreign entrepreneurs. Many applaud this plan, but not all.
"It's a stupid idea," said Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, who supports tighter immigration controls. "What is an entrepreneur? Businesses come and go."
That kind of talk is heresy in Silicon Valley, where business leaders have begged the government for more welcoming immigration laws. The biggest obstacle to growth in America's tech industry,Looking for the Best Air purifier? they say, is a desperately acute shortage of highly skilled workers in the STEM fields: science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
"No matter how many visas they gave out, those people would all get jobs and we would still need more," said Margit Wennmachers, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, a major venture capital firm in Silicon Valley.Willkommen im virtuellen Zuhause der Lercher Werkzeugbau GmbH. "It's not like we need 10,000. I think we could do with a million and still be hungry."
According to a study by the Brookings Institution, about half of all Ph.It's not hard to see why outdoor solar light is all the rage.Ds working in science and technology are foreign-born. And about 40 percent of all MIT graduate students are from other countries.
Leon Sandler, executive director of MIT's Deshpande Center for Technical Innovation, said it costs about $250,000 to educate a single Ph.D student and the U.S. government pays for at least 80 percent of all MIT's graduate research.
"Essentially we are funding their research, spending a quarter-million dollars in taxpayer money, then we make it hard for these people to stay here," said Sandler, whose group helps start up and provided nearly $150,000 to support Bajpayee and Narayan. "If you want more innovation in this country, fix the visa situation."
Countries from Canada to Germany to Australia to Singapore are enthusiastically courting foreign entrepreneurs with relatively easy visas. Some countries offer cash.
China has given bonuses of up to $150,000 to thousands of highly skilled expatriates who have come home to work or start businesses. Chile is luring top talent with $40,000 in capital, free office space and a quick visa through its "Start-up Chile" program.
2013年2月18日 星期一
Escalating tax credit proposed to boost WNY film production
Angelina Jolie almost filmed an elaborate fight scene in Buffalo for
the action thriller “Salt,” using the Skyway, the I-190 ramp and the
railroad tracks below as a backdrop.
A location scout wanted it to happen, but it was just too costly to film here.
So the production went to another city.
It’s a problem that has kept many film studios away, despite the enticement of Buffalo’s picture-perfect settings, according to film promoters here.
“The things we have that always blow these filmmakers away – and it’s probably a testament to the preservationists here – is that our architecture is so preserved and so pristine. They see our grain mills,Online shopping for luggage tag from a great selection of Clothing. the grittiness of the First Ward, the Cobblestone District with real cobblestone streets,” said Tim Clark, head of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission.
It is just the costs that stop movie crews from coming here.
Big productions must bring in crews from New York City, and that means paying additional costs for transportation, rental vehicles, hotel rooms and per diems.
“The experts tell me it’s close to a 45 percent difference between shooting a movie in Buffalo versus shooting a movie in Staten Island,” Clark said.
Now State Sen. Patrick Gallivan has proposed legislation that he feels could level the playing field and make Buffalo much more competitive with other cities. His bill calls for raising the state’s 30 percent film production tax credit – the amount of expenses a film studio can deduct in taxes – on an escalating scale upstate. For Western New York, it would be 45 percent.
“The farther you get from New York City, the more expensive it is to bring films to Buffalo,” the Elma Republican said. “But over time, we can build the industry and workforce, and the costs will naturally go down.”
His proposal follows a change last year that boosted the state’s tax credit for post-production work – such as titling, color correcting and special effects – from 10 to 30 percent, with an additional 5 percent bump for upstate and Western New York.
“We have a very good number of small-budget films being made in and around this area.A lanyard may refer to a rope or cord worn around the neck or wrist to carry an object. But we’re relegated to the non-union, smaller-budget movies,” Clark said. “They are good bread-and-butter kinds of projects for us, but we’re likely not to see the bigger stuff until we get some sort of relief in the tax credits here.”
For example, a little over a week ago, director Ivan Reitman and a location scout were in town to consider making “Draft Day,” which would star Kevin Costner as a fictitious Buffalo Bills general manager.
But Lionsgate studio also is considering Cleveland for the movie because it offers a variety of incentives not available in Buffalo.Find the best iPhone headset for you Another example: Producer Don Carmody, whose credits include “Good Will Hunting” and “Chicago,” set his latest film, “The Factory,” which came out direct-to-video on Tuesday, in Buffalo.
But the movie, which stars John Cusack, was filmed in Montreal.
“There is huge competition with the tax credits all over the place, and when we made ‘The Factory,’ even the New York State rebates weren’t that big a deal. It was just better for us to shoot the thing in Montreal and take advantage of their tax credits,” Carmody said.
Gallivan said he is hopeful fellow lawmakers will support the four-tiered film production tax credit boost – from 30 to 45 percent – that would give upstate and Western New York the maximum boost.
It’s the only way, he said, that regions outside New York City can have a level playing field.
“I don’t know if we need four or three tiers, but the general concept essentially is to level the costs so every region can compete equally to bring film production to upstate and Western New York,” Gallivan said.
His bill has the support of John Ford, president and business manager of Motion Picture Studio Mechanics Local 52, based in New York City. More than 100 members are between Buffalo and Rochester in the various locals and he would welcome the chance to add more, he said.
“You need the employers to bring the work here. Once the shows start coming, then you get as many local people on as you can and they learn over time,” Ford said.
Clark said the legislation to provide equity is overdue.
“In 2006, ‘The Savages’ shot here two or three days and went to Staten Island, where it was made to look like Buffalo,” Clark said, referring to the film that co-starred Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney.
Clark said representatives from several major movie studios have assured him that they would shoot more pictures throughout New York State if the production tax credit went up.
Other upstate movie promoters agree.
Based on conversations with line producers who budget movies, “the magic tax credit number is 42 percent,” said Nora Brown, who heads Rochester’s film commission.
That would help Rochester retain films she said have been lost lately to Massachusetts. Some other states, for instance, allow a portion of salaries paid to the director, writer and leading cast members to be deducted from taxes.
Downtown Rochester is slated for 10 days of shooting this spring for “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” according to John Scardino, regional representative for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees 52. But the amount of film, which reprises Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, being shot there was cut in half due to added costs.
Efforts also are under way to increase critical post-production work in parts of the state outside of New York City.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last July signed legislation that raised the state post-production tax credit for upstate and Western New York to 35 percent – 5 percent higher than for New York City, where most of the industry is located.
The governor announced his support in January for extending the tax credit five years, something the Legislature still has to approve.
Increasing the post-production tax credit is working,A chip card is a plastic card that has a computer chip implanted into it that enables the card to perform certain. said Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of Empire State Development Corp.
“For the first couple of years that the post-production credit existed, there were 17 projects that sought support. In the six or seven months since, we’ve had 34 projects sign up for the credit, indicating there is strong interest,” Adams said.
Later this year, the school plans to begin a visual-effects certificate training program to train students to work in the post-production industry.
Sam Hoyt, a member of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council, said there have been “advanced discussions” about how to support what Daemen is doing.
“We think Daemen has something that is very unique based on our discussions and our due diligence, and we’re in discussions with the team there as to how we can make it become a reality,” Hoyt said.
Adams said the growing industry could help retain a highly skilled and well-trained technical workforce in Buffalo.
“If this works, it’s another strategy in keeping young people in Western New York. It’s a very cool industry,” Adams said.
Ben Porcari, who operates IBC Digital, a production company in Buffalo specializing in post-animation and digital effects, said the post-production tax credit makes Buffalo much more competitive.
“Companies can benefit from the low cost of operation in Buffalo and take advantage of the extra 5 percent tax credit. On a $1 million job, that’s a decent amount of money,” Porcari said.
With possible changes to production tax credits along with the change last year in the post-production credit, Buffalo and Western New York’s film industry could be turning a corner, said Clark of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission.
“I truly believe we are on the cusp of something really big here,” Clark said. “It’s also really sexy. You have movie stars in town, you have lights,Our premium collection of quality personalized keychains generously offers affordability in a custom keychain. camera, action. It’s a great way to boost the economy.”
A location scout wanted it to happen, but it was just too costly to film here.
So the production went to another city.
It’s a problem that has kept many film studios away, despite the enticement of Buffalo’s picture-perfect settings, according to film promoters here.
“The things we have that always blow these filmmakers away – and it’s probably a testament to the preservationists here – is that our architecture is so preserved and so pristine. They see our grain mills,Online shopping for luggage tag from a great selection of Clothing. the grittiness of the First Ward, the Cobblestone District with real cobblestone streets,” said Tim Clark, head of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission.
It is just the costs that stop movie crews from coming here.
Big productions must bring in crews from New York City, and that means paying additional costs for transportation, rental vehicles, hotel rooms and per diems.
“The experts tell me it’s close to a 45 percent difference between shooting a movie in Buffalo versus shooting a movie in Staten Island,” Clark said.
Now State Sen. Patrick Gallivan has proposed legislation that he feels could level the playing field and make Buffalo much more competitive with other cities. His bill calls for raising the state’s 30 percent film production tax credit – the amount of expenses a film studio can deduct in taxes – on an escalating scale upstate. For Western New York, it would be 45 percent.
“The farther you get from New York City, the more expensive it is to bring films to Buffalo,” the Elma Republican said. “But over time, we can build the industry and workforce, and the costs will naturally go down.”
His proposal follows a change last year that boosted the state’s tax credit for post-production work – such as titling, color correcting and special effects – from 10 to 30 percent, with an additional 5 percent bump for upstate and Western New York.
“We have a very good number of small-budget films being made in and around this area.A lanyard may refer to a rope or cord worn around the neck or wrist to carry an object. But we’re relegated to the non-union, smaller-budget movies,” Clark said. “They are good bread-and-butter kinds of projects for us, but we’re likely not to see the bigger stuff until we get some sort of relief in the tax credits here.”
For example, a little over a week ago, director Ivan Reitman and a location scout were in town to consider making “Draft Day,” which would star Kevin Costner as a fictitious Buffalo Bills general manager.
But Lionsgate studio also is considering Cleveland for the movie because it offers a variety of incentives not available in Buffalo.Find the best iPhone headset for you Another example: Producer Don Carmody, whose credits include “Good Will Hunting” and “Chicago,” set his latest film, “The Factory,” which came out direct-to-video on Tuesday, in Buffalo.
But the movie, which stars John Cusack, was filmed in Montreal.
“There is huge competition with the tax credits all over the place, and when we made ‘The Factory,’ even the New York State rebates weren’t that big a deal. It was just better for us to shoot the thing in Montreal and take advantage of their tax credits,” Carmody said.
Gallivan said he is hopeful fellow lawmakers will support the four-tiered film production tax credit boost – from 30 to 45 percent – that would give upstate and Western New York the maximum boost.
It’s the only way, he said, that regions outside New York City can have a level playing field.
“I don’t know if we need four or three tiers, but the general concept essentially is to level the costs so every region can compete equally to bring film production to upstate and Western New York,” Gallivan said.
His bill has the support of John Ford, president and business manager of Motion Picture Studio Mechanics Local 52, based in New York City. More than 100 members are between Buffalo and Rochester in the various locals and he would welcome the chance to add more, he said.
“You need the employers to bring the work here. Once the shows start coming, then you get as many local people on as you can and they learn over time,” Ford said.
Clark said the legislation to provide equity is overdue.
“In 2006, ‘The Savages’ shot here two or three days and went to Staten Island, where it was made to look like Buffalo,” Clark said, referring to the film that co-starred Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney.
Clark said representatives from several major movie studios have assured him that they would shoot more pictures throughout New York State if the production tax credit went up.
Other upstate movie promoters agree.
Based on conversations with line producers who budget movies, “the magic tax credit number is 42 percent,” said Nora Brown, who heads Rochester’s film commission.
That would help Rochester retain films she said have been lost lately to Massachusetts. Some other states, for instance, allow a portion of salaries paid to the director, writer and leading cast members to be deducted from taxes.
Downtown Rochester is slated for 10 days of shooting this spring for “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” according to John Scardino, regional representative for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees 52. But the amount of film, which reprises Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, being shot there was cut in half due to added costs.
Efforts also are under way to increase critical post-production work in parts of the state outside of New York City.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last July signed legislation that raised the state post-production tax credit for upstate and Western New York to 35 percent – 5 percent higher than for New York City, where most of the industry is located.
The governor announced his support in January for extending the tax credit five years, something the Legislature still has to approve.
Increasing the post-production tax credit is working,A chip card is a plastic card that has a computer chip implanted into it that enables the card to perform certain. said Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of Empire State Development Corp.
“For the first couple of years that the post-production credit existed, there were 17 projects that sought support. In the six or seven months since, we’ve had 34 projects sign up for the credit, indicating there is strong interest,” Adams said.
Later this year, the school plans to begin a visual-effects certificate training program to train students to work in the post-production industry.
Sam Hoyt, a member of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council, said there have been “advanced discussions” about how to support what Daemen is doing.
“We think Daemen has something that is very unique based on our discussions and our due diligence, and we’re in discussions with the team there as to how we can make it become a reality,” Hoyt said.
Adams said the growing industry could help retain a highly skilled and well-trained technical workforce in Buffalo.
“If this works, it’s another strategy in keeping young people in Western New York. It’s a very cool industry,” Adams said.
Ben Porcari, who operates IBC Digital, a production company in Buffalo specializing in post-animation and digital effects, said the post-production tax credit makes Buffalo much more competitive.
“Companies can benefit from the low cost of operation in Buffalo and take advantage of the extra 5 percent tax credit. On a $1 million job, that’s a decent amount of money,” Porcari said.
With possible changes to production tax credits along with the change last year in the post-production credit, Buffalo and Western New York’s film industry could be turning a corner, said Clark of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission.
“I truly believe we are on the cusp of something really big here,” Clark said. “It’s also really sexy. You have movie stars in town, you have lights,Our premium collection of quality personalized keychains generously offers affordability in a custom keychain. camera, action. It’s a great way to boost the economy.”
Tiepolo and the Art of Perfection
On the eve of his departure from Venice for the royal court in Spain
in 1762, at the age of 66, Giambattista Tiepolo told a reporter from a
local newspaper, the Nuova Veneta Gazzetta: “Painters should strive to
succeed in creating great works, that is those that can please noble
lords and the rich — because these make the fortunes of masters — and
not other people, who cannot buy pictures of great value. So the
painter’s mind must always aim at the sublime, the heroic and for
perfection.”
This was a rare spoken record of Tiepolo’s artistic credo, but it was one that had guided his whole life and made it possible for him to realize masterpieces on a stupendous scale.
Much earlier in his long and amazingly industrious career, he had given visual expression to his grand ambitions — and not without a disarming dash of wit and self-deprecation — in a memorable painting: In “Alexander and Campaspe in the Studio of Apelles” of 1725-27, Tiepolo cast himself as the most famous artist in antiquity in the act of painting the portrait of Alexander’s mistress, the beautiful Campaspe.
According to the story, so pleased was the world-conquering hero with the painted nude that he rewarded the artist with the gift of the model, with whom Apelles had fallen in love. In his playful illustration of the legend,A chip card is a plastic card that has a computer chip implanted into it that enables the card to perform certain. Tiepolo’s young wife, Cecilia Guardi, posed as Campaspe (Apelles-Tiepolo gazing on her with mesmerized, pop-eyed concentration), while placed behind Apelles’s easel for good measure, advertising his wares, are two of Tiepolo’s own canvases, one on a classical and another on a religious theme. Thus did the artist declare his abiding intention to emulate the most famous painters of the past and to find patrons among the great.
“Alexander and Campaspe,” on loan from Montreal, is the first painting in a remarkable gathering at Villa Manin in Passariano of 125 paintings, drawings and prints from more than 40 collections — the works span the artist’s production from his first commissions to his last canvases in Spain — for “Giambattista Tiepolo,” curated by Giuseppe Bergamini, Alberto Craievich and Filippo Pedrocco.
Villa Manin is near Udine, where Tiepolo found the noble patron for his first great cycle of frescoes in the Patriarch’s (now Archbishop’s) Palazzo and today home of the Diocesan Museum. Udine is also the venue for a second, smaller but revealing study exhibition, “Giambattista Tiepolo and Paolo Veronese,” at the city’s Castello.
Tiepolo was born in Venice in 1696 and studied under Gregorio Lazzarini, the most respected teacher of the day. He was accepted into the confraternity of artists in 1717 and rapidly made a name for himself. His early works manifest the influence of the dark “tenebrist” chiaroscuros of the older local artists Piazzetta, Bencovich, Pittoni and Giulia Lama, and of a common inspiration to them all, Tintoretto.
But by the time Tiepolo went to Udine in 1725, he had fallen under the spell of another 16th-century Venetian artist, Paolo Veronese. The noble, colorful, luminous world of Veronese, with its dramatic illusionistic effects, was the ideal model for Tiepolo’s frescoes, commissioned by the Venetian patriarch Dionisio Dolfin for his official residence. The reputation of Veronese was probably higher among Venetian connoisseurs than that even of Titian,Our premium collection of quality personalized keychains generously offers affordability in a custom keychain. and Tiepolo’s references to this earlier master would have been appreciated by Dolfin. The evocation of Veronese’s paintings also pleasingly conjured up images of the era when Venice was at the height of its power and glory.
The principal figures of these frescoes are the Old Testament patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the divinely appointed forerunners of Dolfin, whose appointment as patriarch was under attack, so their depiction, affirming his credentials as it were, carried a strong political message of topical relevance. But in the long term, the most striking aspect of the cycle was that it contained all the fertile imagination, mastery of light and color, theatrical panache and bravura skill in composition and execution that was to characterize Tiepolo’s subsequent oeuvre.A lanyard may refer to a rope or cord worn around the neck or wrist to carry an object.
Tiepolo was not the only artist at this time to return to Veronese as a source of inspiration, but while others imitated, Tiepolo absorbed his lessons, integrating them into his own artistic vision.
Despite the importance of the earlier master in Tiepolo’s development, “Giambattista Tiepolo and Paolo Veronese,” curated by Linda Borean and William L. Barcham at Udine’s Castello, is the first exhibition to investigate this fascinating and complex relationship, brought alive by an absorbing line-up of 40 paintings, drawings and engravings by the two artists.Find the best iPhone headset for you The centerpiece of the show is Tiepolo’s “Finding of Moses,” from Edinburgh,Online shopping for luggage tag from a great selection of Clothing. temporarily reunited with a sizable section of the picture sliced off nearly two centuries ago and now in Turin, shown here together with Veronese’s version of the subject, from Dijon.
In the Villa Manin exhibition, after the first room on an upper floor displaying “Alexander and Campaspe,” six rooms are devoted to a number of oil sketches and a wide and varied selection — from figures, drapery and portraits to vases, trees and farm buildings — of the some 2,000 surviving drawings by Tiepolo’s virtuoso hand.
The spacious, high-ceilinged rooms on Villa Manin’s ground floor provide an ideal setting for the canvases, some of large proportions, and many of them treasured masterpieces, loaned from both sides of the Atlantic.
In 1715-16, the artist received his first significant commission to paint a series of apostles and prophets on canvases to be placed over the high arches within the Ospedaletto Church in Venice. All but one were saved from a fire in 2010 with only superficial damage and were then removed for cleaning. In their usual position at a height of around eight meters, or more than 25 feet, above the ground, they are hard to see in detail, so this temporary showing offers a welcome opportunity to study at close quarters these images justly praised at the time for being “all spirit and fire.”
The artist’s glorious airborne allegories are represented by such compositions as “Time Discovers Truth” from Vicenza and “Zephyr and Flora” from Venice. But here are also some of his most serious and powerful religious works, such as “The Communion of St. Lucy” and “Agar and Ishmael,” with its pathetic depiction of the seemingly dead child Ishmael.
One of most entertaining pieces is “Danae,” taken to Stockholm by Carl Gustaf Tessin in 1736 after he had failed to persuade Tiepolo to travel to Sweden to work for his royal master. In this irreverent version, Danae is depicted as a sleepy, overweight courtesan, being pimped by Cupid, who lifts her dress to display “the goods,” as her minuscule lap dog rushes yapping at Zeus’s eagle.
In the Villa’s ballroom is the gigantic canvas of “St. Tecla Liberates Este from the Plague” (along with the original oil sketch for it from New York), temporarily removed for conservation work while building repairs are carried out on Este’s duomo. This astonishing late work, completed in 1759, depicts a moving scene of devastation on the ground with an exhilarating vision of God descending with angels from the heavens to banish the pestilence at the entreaty of the kneeling saint.
This was a rare spoken record of Tiepolo’s artistic credo, but it was one that had guided his whole life and made it possible for him to realize masterpieces on a stupendous scale.
Much earlier in his long and amazingly industrious career, he had given visual expression to his grand ambitions — and not without a disarming dash of wit and self-deprecation — in a memorable painting: In “Alexander and Campaspe in the Studio of Apelles” of 1725-27, Tiepolo cast himself as the most famous artist in antiquity in the act of painting the portrait of Alexander’s mistress, the beautiful Campaspe.
According to the story, so pleased was the world-conquering hero with the painted nude that he rewarded the artist with the gift of the model, with whom Apelles had fallen in love. In his playful illustration of the legend,A chip card is a plastic card that has a computer chip implanted into it that enables the card to perform certain. Tiepolo’s young wife, Cecilia Guardi, posed as Campaspe (Apelles-Tiepolo gazing on her with mesmerized, pop-eyed concentration), while placed behind Apelles’s easel for good measure, advertising his wares, are two of Tiepolo’s own canvases, one on a classical and another on a religious theme. Thus did the artist declare his abiding intention to emulate the most famous painters of the past and to find patrons among the great.
“Alexander and Campaspe,” on loan from Montreal, is the first painting in a remarkable gathering at Villa Manin in Passariano of 125 paintings, drawings and prints from more than 40 collections — the works span the artist’s production from his first commissions to his last canvases in Spain — for “Giambattista Tiepolo,” curated by Giuseppe Bergamini, Alberto Craievich and Filippo Pedrocco.
Villa Manin is near Udine, where Tiepolo found the noble patron for his first great cycle of frescoes in the Patriarch’s (now Archbishop’s) Palazzo and today home of the Diocesan Museum. Udine is also the venue for a second, smaller but revealing study exhibition, “Giambattista Tiepolo and Paolo Veronese,” at the city’s Castello.
Tiepolo was born in Venice in 1696 and studied under Gregorio Lazzarini, the most respected teacher of the day. He was accepted into the confraternity of artists in 1717 and rapidly made a name for himself. His early works manifest the influence of the dark “tenebrist” chiaroscuros of the older local artists Piazzetta, Bencovich, Pittoni and Giulia Lama, and of a common inspiration to them all, Tintoretto.
But by the time Tiepolo went to Udine in 1725, he had fallen under the spell of another 16th-century Venetian artist, Paolo Veronese. The noble, colorful, luminous world of Veronese, with its dramatic illusionistic effects, was the ideal model for Tiepolo’s frescoes, commissioned by the Venetian patriarch Dionisio Dolfin for his official residence. The reputation of Veronese was probably higher among Venetian connoisseurs than that even of Titian,Our premium collection of quality personalized keychains generously offers affordability in a custom keychain. and Tiepolo’s references to this earlier master would have been appreciated by Dolfin. The evocation of Veronese’s paintings also pleasingly conjured up images of the era when Venice was at the height of its power and glory.
The principal figures of these frescoes are the Old Testament patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the divinely appointed forerunners of Dolfin, whose appointment as patriarch was under attack, so their depiction, affirming his credentials as it were, carried a strong political message of topical relevance. But in the long term, the most striking aspect of the cycle was that it contained all the fertile imagination, mastery of light and color, theatrical panache and bravura skill in composition and execution that was to characterize Tiepolo’s subsequent oeuvre.A lanyard may refer to a rope or cord worn around the neck or wrist to carry an object.
Tiepolo was not the only artist at this time to return to Veronese as a source of inspiration, but while others imitated, Tiepolo absorbed his lessons, integrating them into his own artistic vision.
Despite the importance of the earlier master in Tiepolo’s development, “Giambattista Tiepolo and Paolo Veronese,” curated by Linda Borean and William L. Barcham at Udine’s Castello, is the first exhibition to investigate this fascinating and complex relationship, brought alive by an absorbing line-up of 40 paintings, drawings and engravings by the two artists.Find the best iPhone headset for you The centerpiece of the show is Tiepolo’s “Finding of Moses,” from Edinburgh,Online shopping for luggage tag from a great selection of Clothing. temporarily reunited with a sizable section of the picture sliced off nearly two centuries ago and now in Turin, shown here together with Veronese’s version of the subject, from Dijon.
In the Villa Manin exhibition, after the first room on an upper floor displaying “Alexander and Campaspe,” six rooms are devoted to a number of oil sketches and a wide and varied selection — from figures, drapery and portraits to vases, trees and farm buildings — of the some 2,000 surviving drawings by Tiepolo’s virtuoso hand.
The spacious, high-ceilinged rooms on Villa Manin’s ground floor provide an ideal setting for the canvases, some of large proportions, and many of them treasured masterpieces, loaned from both sides of the Atlantic.
In 1715-16, the artist received his first significant commission to paint a series of apostles and prophets on canvases to be placed over the high arches within the Ospedaletto Church in Venice. All but one were saved from a fire in 2010 with only superficial damage and were then removed for cleaning. In their usual position at a height of around eight meters, or more than 25 feet, above the ground, they are hard to see in detail, so this temporary showing offers a welcome opportunity to study at close quarters these images justly praised at the time for being “all spirit and fire.”
The artist’s glorious airborne allegories are represented by such compositions as “Time Discovers Truth” from Vicenza and “Zephyr and Flora” from Venice. But here are also some of his most serious and powerful religious works, such as “The Communion of St. Lucy” and “Agar and Ishmael,” with its pathetic depiction of the seemingly dead child Ishmael.
One of most entertaining pieces is “Danae,” taken to Stockholm by Carl Gustaf Tessin in 1736 after he had failed to persuade Tiepolo to travel to Sweden to work for his royal master. In this irreverent version, Danae is depicted as a sleepy, overweight courtesan, being pimped by Cupid, who lifts her dress to display “the goods,” as her minuscule lap dog rushes yapping at Zeus’s eagle.
In the Villa’s ballroom is the gigantic canvas of “St. Tecla Liberates Este from the Plague” (along with the original oil sketch for it from New York), temporarily removed for conservation work while building repairs are carried out on Este’s duomo. This astonishing late work, completed in 1759, depicts a moving scene of devastation on the ground with an exhilarating vision of God descending with angels from the heavens to banish the pestilence at the entreaty of the kneeling saint.
Northeast commuters struggle with icy roads
The workweek opened with a white-knuckle ride Monday in the
snow-clobbered Northeast as drivers encountered unplowed streets,
two-lane roads reduced to a single channel and snowbanks so high it was
impossible see around corners.
Schools remained closed across much of New England and New York, and more than 80,000 homes and businesses were still waiting for the electricity to come back on after the epic storm swept through on Friday and Saturday with 1 to 3 feet of snow that entombed cars and sealed up driveways.
The storm was blamed for at least 18 deaths in the U.S. and Canada, and officials warned of a new danger as rain and higher temperatures set in: roof collapses.Online shopping for luggage tag from a great selection of Clothing.
In hard-hit Connecticut, where some places were buried in more than 3 feet of snow, the National Guard used heavy equipment to clear roads in the state's three biggest cities.
"This is awful," said Fernando Colon, of South Windsor, Conn., who was driving to work at Bradley International Airport near Hartford on a two-lane highway that was down to one lane because of high snowbanks.
Most major highways were cleared by Monday,A lanyard may refer to a rope or cord worn around the neck or wrist to carry an object. but the volume of snow was just too much to handle on many secondary roads. A mix of sleet and rain also created new headaches. A 10-mile stretch of Interstate 91 just north of Hartford to Massachusetts was closed briefly because of ice and accidents.
In New York, where hundreds of cars became stuck on the Long Island Expressway on Friday night and early Saturday morning, some motorists vented their anger at Gov. Andrew Cuomo for not acting more quickly to shut down major roads, as other governors did, and for not plowing more aggressively.
"There were cars scattered all over the place. They should have just told people in the morning, 'Don't bother going in because we're going to close the roads by 3 o'clock.' I think Boston and Connecticut had the right idea telling everybody to stay off the roads and we got a better chance of clearing it up," said George Kiriakos, an investment consultant from Bohemia, N.Y.
On Monday morning, he said, conditions were still miserable: "It's just as slick as can be. You've got cars stuck all over like it's an obstacle course."
Cuomo has defended his handling of the crisis and said that more than one-third of all the state's snow-removal equipment had been sent to the area. He said he also wanted to allow people the chance to get home from work.
"People need to act responsibly in these situations," the governor said.
The number of homes and businesses without power was down from a peak at 650,000. More than 70,000 of those still waiting were in Massachusetts.
Jim and Brenda Stewart, of Marshfield,A chip card is a plastic card that has a computer chip implanted into it that enables the card to perform certain. Mass., were using their fireplace to stay warm. Brenda, a nurse, said that they were getting a little bit bored but that she was reading and painting snow scenes to pass the time.
"When you're a New Englander,Find the best iPhone headset for you you kind of hunker down and just do it," she said.
In Scituate, Mass., Richard and Ann Brown were among about 50 people at a shelter set up at a high school. The couple, married 65 years, spent the previous three nights sleeping on side-by-side cots.
"It's disrupting when you're older," said Ann Brown, 88. "You've got to be careful to keep your spirits up."
Flights resumed at major airports in the region. Boston's transit system resumed full service Monday but told commuters to expect delays. The Metro-North Railroad was mostly up and running in suburban New York City, while the Long Island Rail Road said riders could expect a nearly normal schedule.
In the long weather history of the Northeast, the snowstorm wasn't that bad — it ranked 16th on one scale and 25th on another, according to initial data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The measuring systems take into account the size of the snowstorm, the amount of snow and how many people were in its path.
The weekend storm ranked a 3, or a "major" storm, on a 1-5 scale, with 4 being "crippling" and 5 "extreme."
While many people tried to resume their workweek routines, others remained hopelessly stranded.
In Hamden, Conn., which received 40 inches of snow, nurse Sandy Benoit said she could not leave the house because her driveway had not been plowed. She didn't think her street was plowed either, but she couldn't be sure because she had to turn back after walking part of the way in knee-deep snow.
Across the region, big piles of snow blocked sight lines at intersections and highway ramps, making turning and merging hazardous. Some drivers decided the safe thing to do was to stay in the tracks cut by the cars ahead of them.
Peter Starkel, chief of the volunteer fire department in Columbia, Conn., said was difficult to maneuver emergency vehicles on the snow-narrowed roads. During one emergency medical call, "we physically could not turn the vehicles around," he said. "So we had to back about a half-mile down the road to the closest intersection just to get out."
In North Haven, Conn., First Selectman Michael Freda said that with many driveways still to be cleared, people were running out of heating oil and prescription medication.
"What this is creating, particularly in the senior citizen sector, is a bit of psychological anxiety with is creating a lot of emotion," he said.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said there have been about six roof collapses involving barns and other structures.
Officials said people should try to clear flat or gently sloped roofs to relieve the weight — but only if they can do so safely.
"We don't recommend that people, unless they're young and experienced, go up on roofs," said Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.Our premium collection of quality personalized keychains generously offers affordability in a custom keychain.
Officials also warned of the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.
In Boston, two people died Saturday after being overcome by fumes while sitting in running cars, including a teenager who was trying to stay warm while his father shoveled. The vehicles' tailpipes had become clogged with snow.
Schools remained closed across much of New England and New York, and more than 80,000 homes and businesses were still waiting for the electricity to come back on after the epic storm swept through on Friday and Saturday with 1 to 3 feet of snow that entombed cars and sealed up driveways.
The storm was blamed for at least 18 deaths in the U.S. and Canada, and officials warned of a new danger as rain and higher temperatures set in: roof collapses.Online shopping for luggage tag from a great selection of Clothing.
In hard-hit Connecticut, where some places were buried in more than 3 feet of snow, the National Guard used heavy equipment to clear roads in the state's three biggest cities.
"This is awful," said Fernando Colon, of South Windsor, Conn., who was driving to work at Bradley International Airport near Hartford on a two-lane highway that was down to one lane because of high snowbanks.
Most major highways were cleared by Monday,A lanyard may refer to a rope or cord worn around the neck or wrist to carry an object. but the volume of snow was just too much to handle on many secondary roads. A mix of sleet and rain also created new headaches. A 10-mile stretch of Interstate 91 just north of Hartford to Massachusetts was closed briefly because of ice and accidents.
In New York, where hundreds of cars became stuck on the Long Island Expressway on Friday night and early Saturday morning, some motorists vented their anger at Gov. Andrew Cuomo for not acting more quickly to shut down major roads, as other governors did, and for not plowing more aggressively.
"There were cars scattered all over the place. They should have just told people in the morning, 'Don't bother going in because we're going to close the roads by 3 o'clock.' I think Boston and Connecticut had the right idea telling everybody to stay off the roads and we got a better chance of clearing it up," said George Kiriakos, an investment consultant from Bohemia, N.Y.
On Monday morning, he said, conditions were still miserable: "It's just as slick as can be. You've got cars stuck all over like it's an obstacle course."
Cuomo has defended his handling of the crisis and said that more than one-third of all the state's snow-removal equipment had been sent to the area. He said he also wanted to allow people the chance to get home from work.
"People need to act responsibly in these situations," the governor said.
The number of homes and businesses without power was down from a peak at 650,000. More than 70,000 of those still waiting were in Massachusetts.
Jim and Brenda Stewart, of Marshfield,A chip card is a plastic card that has a computer chip implanted into it that enables the card to perform certain. Mass., were using their fireplace to stay warm. Brenda, a nurse, said that they were getting a little bit bored but that she was reading and painting snow scenes to pass the time.
"When you're a New Englander,Find the best iPhone headset for you you kind of hunker down and just do it," she said.
In Scituate, Mass., Richard and Ann Brown were among about 50 people at a shelter set up at a high school. The couple, married 65 years, spent the previous three nights sleeping on side-by-side cots.
"It's disrupting when you're older," said Ann Brown, 88. "You've got to be careful to keep your spirits up."
Flights resumed at major airports in the region. Boston's transit system resumed full service Monday but told commuters to expect delays. The Metro-North Railroad was mostly up and running in suburban New York City, while the Long Island Rail Road said riders could expect a nearly normal schedule.
In the long weather history of the Northeast, the snowstorm wasn't that bad — it ranked 16th on one scale and 25th on another, according to initial data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The measuring systems take into account the size of the snowstorm, the amount of snow and how many people were in its path.
The weekend storm ranked a 3, or a "major" storm, on a 1-5 scale, with 4 being "crippling" and 5 "extreme."
While many people tried to resume their workweek routines, others remained hopelessly stranded.
In Hamden, Conn., which received 40 inches of snow, nurse Sandy Benoit said she could not leave the house because her driveway had not been plowed. She didn't think her street was plowed either, but she couldn't be sure because she had to turn back after walking part of the way in knee-deep snow.
Across the region, big piles of snow blocked sight lines at intersections and highway ramps, making turning and merging hazardous. Some drivers decided the safe thing to do was to stay in the tracks cut by the cars ahead of them.
Peter Starkel, chief of the volunteer fire department in Columbia, Conn., said was difficult to maneuver emergency vehicles on the snow-narrowed roads. During one emergency medical call, "we physically could not turn the vehicles around," he said. "So we had to back about a half-mile down the road to the closest intersection just to get out."
In North Haven, Conn., First Selectman Michael Freda said that with many driveways still to be cleared, people were running out of heating oil and prescription medication.
"What this is creating, particularly in the senior citizen sector, is a bit of psychological anxiety with is creating a lot of emotion," he said.
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said there have been about six roof collapses involving barns and other structures.
Officials said people should try to clear flat or gently sloped roofs to relieve the weight — but only if they can do so safely.
"We don't recommend that people, unless they're young and experienced, go up on roofs," said Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.Our premium collection of quality personalized keychains generously offers affordability in a custom keychain.
Officials also warned of the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.
In Boston, two people died Saturday after being overcome by fumes while sitting in running cars, including a teenager who was trying to stay warm while his father shoveled. The vehicles' tailpipes had become clogged with snow.
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