The state is cutting the Howard County Arts Council budget by 10.3 percent for fiscal 1992, but the group says it is lucky the cuts weren't deeper.
In nearby states, funding for arts programs is being slashed from 20 pereceent to 40 percent, said Mary Toth, executive director of the Howard County Arts Council.
"We are not seeing the demise of major art groups in this state,"said Mary Toth, executive director of the Howard County Arts Council. "Maryland has made a commitment to the arts that you are not seeingfrom other states around us. These states are looking at Maryland asan oasis for art."
The Howard County Arts Council is a private, non-profit organization that gets funding from the county, state and the community.
Preliminary figures for 1992 show the county will receive $122,012 for grants to local organizations. That includes $35,312 for a Community Arts Development Grant to finance county agencies for the performing arts, the arts council, administrative costs and the public schools' artist-in-residence program.
that would involve more Asian-Americans in the local arts program. Toth said she would like to see it become as successful as the African Arts Program.
"There's a greater involvement over the last couple of years in African-Americans participating in all art forms," she said. "We would like (Asian-Americans) to participate."
These new books focus on special areas that are gaining popularity in the marketplace, and are written by collectors and dealers who impart their enthusiasm and knowledge.
In "Samplers and Samplermakers: An American School Girl Art," by Mary Jane Edmunds (Rizzoli, $40), which accompanies an exhibition now at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the author lets each sampler tell its own story and relates sampler making to women's education in the 18th and 19th centuries.
"Buttons," by Diana Epstein and Millicent Safro (Abrams, $49.50), illustrates the comprehensive collection of buttons stashed away over the last 25 years by the owners of Tender Buttons, the store on East 62nd Street in New York where you can match the button you lost or find a whole new set. It is a visually thrilling history of the decorative arts through buttons. The photographs by John Parnell catch every detail of the most intricate micromosaics and mother-of-pearl masterpieces pierced, carved, layered and enhanced with foils and jewels.
"Victorian Jewelry," by Ginny Redington Dawes and Corinne Davidov (Abbeville, $40), shows off the non-precious gems of Victorian jewelry made of tortoise shell, cut steel, silver, Berlin iron, aluminum, gun metal, hair, agate and jet. The bangle bracelets, lockets, collars, agate brooches and safety brooches (which have patented secure padlocks), pictured in gorgeous photographs, are to die for, and the text is informative and easy to read.
"Cuff Links," by Susan Jonas and Marilyn Nissenson (Abrams, $35), showcases cuff links, which first appeared on the scene in the early 19th century and were made in every style and material, some by illustrious jewelers.
"Gems of Costume Jewelry," by Gabrielle Greindl (Abbeville, $65), translated from the German, is a short history of the art of imitation, beginning at the close of the 17th century in England and reaching new heights in 18th century France in the hands of Georges Frederic Stras, the Alsatian born goldsmith and jewelry dealer. The mass production of rhinestones, which began in Germany in the 19th century, reached enormous proportions in the 20th century when a simple dress demanded luxurious jewelry. Fine examples are pictured to size in rich color photographs, making this well-researched book a dazzling coffee table ornament.
Books often follow the market and sometimes expand it. "Lloyd Loom: Woven Fiber Furniture," by Lee J. Curtis (Rizzoli, $37.50), discusses a kind of furniture collected in England and America. The woven wired fiber was patented by Marshall B. Lloyd in 1917 and is still used for baby prams, tables, chairs, sofas, chairs, hampers and vases. The book tells how to date them, picturing all the labels and date stamps and detailing the characteristics that differentiate the American products from the Lloyd Loom "Lusty" line made in Britain.
"Navajo Pictorial Weaving 1880 to 1950: Folk Art Images of Native Americans," by Tyrone Campbell and Joel and Kate Kopp (Dutton, $32.50), is written by three dealers to show the cross-cultural influences on Navajo weavers. Grouping rugs according to designs incorporating birds, flowers, livestock, human figures, buildings, flags, trains, cars and planes and those inspired by American Indian sand painting and Kachina dolls, they document a traditional art.
"Picture Perfect Art Deco Photo Frames 1926-1946," by Steve Starr (Rizzoli, paperback, $30), presents 100 of the finest examples in this hot collectible.
"Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics: Marvel," by Les Daniels (Abrams, $45), makes a case for comic books as an art form and provides a readable history of the comic book on the eve of the first big-time comic book and comic book art auction at Sotheby's.
"Textile Designs: 200 years of Printed Fabrics, Organized by Motif, Style, Color, Layout and Period," by Susan Mellor and Joost Elffers (Abrams, $65), a coffee table swatch book with bright color pictures of 1,823 printed fabrics, is more than a short history of textile printing or a source book for designers or a key for dating quilts and costumes. It is an artful game designed by a collector and an artist which teaches us to see everyday patterns previously overlooked. The fun is in guessing when a particular print was made and guessing wrong most of the time.
For stocking stuffers: Tiny Folios of "Audubon's Birds of America," "The Great Book of Currier and Ives' America" and "Norman Rockwell, 332 Magazine Covers," first published in large-format to retail at $185, have been reduced to pocket size, 4 by 4 inches (Abbeville Press, $10.95 each).
Wrap them all up in the new "Gift Wraps by Artists," featuring patterns selected by Joost Elffers: "Roses," from designs by master flower painters, 1870 to 1920, in the collection of the Design Library in New York, and "Navajo Designs," from the collections of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe (Abrams, $14.95 each).
ATLANTA -- Kisha Ford (Bryn Mawr) scored 23 points in 37 minutes as Georgia Tech defeated Maryland, 82-59, in an Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball game last night.
Ford, a Baltimore Sun girls Player of the Year in 1992-93, went 9-for-21 from the field, including two three-pointers, for the Yellow Jackets (8-4, 1-0).
Fresh off his star turn as Indiana Jones , Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot is trying his hand at making parody videos. No, he's not joining the throngs who've recast "Call Me Maybe. " But he has reworked the popular and rather silly DirecTV "Don't Let This Happen to You" ads. To promote the state's week where people can shop without sales tax, Franchot just released a video on YouTube and to make sure people saw it, sent out a press release with this headline: Comptroller Video Encourages Marylanders to Shop Maryland Tax-Free or Face the Consequences.
Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.'s stock soared a day after it announced plans to buy 18 television stations owned by Barrington Broadcasting Group for $370 million. The Hunt Valley broadcaster's stock leapt 12.7 percent to end Friday at $15.88 a share. Thursday's announcement was Sinclair's second this week of a planned acquisition. Sinclair had said Monday it would purchase four TV stations from Cox Media Group for $99 million. The 24 Barrington stations — a mix of ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CW affiliates — are located in 15 markets ranging from upstate New York to South Carolina and as far west as Colorado.
Baltimore-based SpotCrime.com already uses the Web to deliver up-to-the-minute crime maps for communities across the United States. The company's next medium? Satellite television. The startup company said this week that it struck a deal with DirecTV to feature a SpotCrime application that the satellite service's customers can access now through their television sets. SpotCrime is one of a handful of companies in the United States that makes crime data available for free on Web-based maps.
Sinclair Broadcast Group is warning DirecTV customers in Baltimore and other markets they could lose access to Sinclair-owned stations starting March 1 because of an inability to reach agreement over the amount the satellite company pays to carry the stations and their programs. In the Baltimore market, Sinclair owns WBFF Fox 45 and has a local marketing agreement with WNUV The CW Baltimore. Sinclair's "carriage" agreement with DirecTV, which includes both stations, ends Feb. 28. "Although DirecTV and Sinclair have been negotiating for quite some time in an effort to reach a new agreement, at this time it does not appear that these efforts will be successful," Baltimore-based Sinclair said in a statement.
Tracked down by a detective for a satellite television service, a Michigan salesman was arrested yesterday at an amateur radio and computer show in Timonium on charges of selling equipment that could steal the signals -- and programming -- beamed down from space.Authorities said the salesman was offering electronic equipment designed to pick up digital satellite signals -- including pay-per-view movies -- from the company DirecTV.The arrest of Michael Paul Smeltzer resulted from a national search by the company's sleuth, James Wells of El Segundo, Calif.
AUSTRALIAN media magnate Rupert Murdoch once talked about launching a U.S. home satellite service that would be a lethal competitor to cable television. He nicknamed it Deathstar. A killer satellite service would come closer to reality under the proposed merger of the nation's two satellite television providers. It was announced recently that Mr. Murdoch abandoned his plan to acquire DirecTV, the nation's No. 1 home satellite provider. If federal regulators approve Echostar's $26 billion plan to acquire DirecTV, it would result in a monopoly serving more than 17 million subscribers.
Two years ago, DirecTV officials, backed by law enforcement officers, swooped into three warehouses in California and seized shipping records and credit-card receipts of people who bought electronic equipment commonly used to steal the beams of satellite television. The nation's leading satellite television provider, DirecTV Inc., has used those records to file thousands of piracy lawsuits across the country, including recently in federal court in Chicago. "Clearly, we're sending a message to consumers," said spokesman Robert Mercer.
DIRECTV satellite company to reimburse Md. customers About 9,000 who prepaid will get compensation for change in service
The DIRECTV satellite television company will reimburse nearly 9,000 Maryland customers as part of a national settlement after the company accepted prepayment for a year of service, then withdrew some programs last year.The agreement settled an investigation of DIRECTV involving attorneys general in 31 states, including Maryland.More than 8,800 Maryland customers who signed up for a $200 cash-back promotion paid in advance for one year of service. In April last year, the company replaced Encore movie channels in its lineup and said that anyone wishing to keep the channels would be billed an additional $4 a month.
DirecTV subscribers have lost"SpongeBob SquarePants," "The Daily Show" and "Mob Wives. " Unable to reach a deal with Viacom, parent of several popular cable channels, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and VH1, DirecTV is no longer carrying the media giant's networks. DirecTV has almost 20 million subscribers around the nation. Both sides blamed each other for the channels coming off of the satellite broadcaster on Tuesday evening. Viacom said DirecTV dropped the channels without warning.
Media companies routinely play chicken in negotiations over such issues as retransmission fees and bundling, terms that mean next to nothing to their customers until one of the companies they subscribe to lets things get out of hand. Usually, that never happens. But it did at midnight Tuesday with DirecTV and Viacom, which resulted in the satellite TV provider's 20 million customers being without such Viacom-owned channels as Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET and VH1. In all, 17 channels were lost at midnight with shows that feature such performers as Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, SpongeBob SquarePants and Snooki.
More and more these days, it seems as if the most interesting TV projects are coming from new and different places. "House of Cards," which Netflix is making in Baltimore, leads the parade. But DirecTV is getting in the game, too, and this week debuts a six-part mini-series about a transgendered contract killer played by Chloe Sevigny ("Big Love," "Boys Don't Cry"). "Hit & Miss," which premieres at 10 p.m. Wednesday on DirecTV's Audience Channel is a British import created by Paul Abbott, who is usually praised for "Shameless"and "State of Play.
Peyton Manning and Eli Manning have filmed a trailer for a fake police drama called “Football Cops” in which they disarm gun-wielding criminals with footballs. Well, I think it’s fake, but I really hope it’s not. I don’t know about you, but I would definitely watch the Manning brothers be buddy cops if DirecTV actually produced it.
The Maryland attorney general's office has settled with DirecTV Inc. over marketing and billing practices and with Dannon Co. regarding unsubstantiated health claims in its advertising. DirecTV denied wrongdoing but agreed to pay $13.25 million in restitution to Maryland in addition to dozens of other states and the District of Columbia. The settlement also requires the company to change the way it electronically debits money from customer accounts and to make it easier for customers to cancel or change service.
Bell Atlantic Corp. is trying -- again -- to get into television.The Northeast's dominant local telephone company said yesterday that it has reached marketing and distribution agreements with two major satellite-television firms, DirecTV Inc. and U.S. Satellite Broadcasting.Under the agreements, Bell Atlantic will install, maintain and bill DirecTV and USSB services for consumers. Bell Atlantic customers will be able to get their monthly telephone and satellite-television charges on a single bill.
Companies have added yet another obstacle to talking with a live person about a question or concern: fees. More businesses are subtly discouraging calls to customer service agents by charging for the conversation, as well as directing people to websites or automated phone systems. Some banks, computer companies, travel agencies and satellite television and cable companies are adopting this practice. Consumer groups worry the trend will only continue as companies look to cut costs.
Balboa Island artist will have spent about $30,000 of the $50,000 she was paid for the entire work, which honors the 40th president.
A local artist has finished sculpting a Ronald Reagan statue, which will go up in a Newport Beach park by year's end.
Miriam Baker's statue of the 40th president has been fully modeled in clay, and is now in the waxing process. After a wax mold is made, the statue will be cast in bronze.
It is slated to be dedicated in Bonita Canyon Sports Park, 1990 Ford Road, before the end of the year to honor the centennial of Reagan's birth.
The proposal to erect the statue stirred a public debate over whether and how to honor the Republican Party icon, who was born Feb. 6, 1911, in Tampico, Ill. Some residents opposed putting what they saw as a partisan statue on public grounds while others argued that Reagan's popularity transcended party lines.
Despite the controversy, Baker said she has gotten only positive reactions from city officials and friends. She said her biggest hope for the statue is that former first lady Nancy Reagan will visit it and like it.
The City Council voted 5 to 2 in February to place the statue in a city park, rather than in the originally proposed Civic Center. The project was funded by donations. Councilman Keith Curry, who first proposed making the statue, also led the effort to commission it.
Curry said in an email Monday that he was "very pleased" with the design. City Manager Dave Kiff, who chose Baker from among about a dozen artists, said the clay statue is "a remarkable likeness" of Reagan.
Baker, who has lived and worked on Balboa Island for about 15 years, said the project will cost about $30,000 for the materials and foundry, and the city is paying her about $50,000, which was raised through private donations. She said it's "not a money-making thing" for her.
This clarifies how the statue was funded. The $50,000 was raised through private donations; it's not city money.
Baker said she studied more than 50 photos of Reagan to get his face just right. She also hired a model to pose while she sculpted the body.
This is not the first time Baker has sculpted Reagan: She also has a bust of Reagan on display at Chapman University in Orange.
Her work has been showcased at the National Portrait Gallery and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, according to her website.
Annapolis - The Maryland House of Delegates tentatively approved a $22.6 billion state budget Thursday that calls for an increase in the state property tax.
Del. John P. Donoghue, D-Washington, was the only Washington County lawmaker to vote for the tax increase.
Under the plan, the state's share of the annual tax bill for property owners would go from about 8 cents to 13 cents per $100 of assessed value. That would represent an increase of about $70 on a house valued at $150,000.
Del. Herb McMillan, R-Anne Arundel, said the increase will hit retirees with a double whammy because of rapidly rising assessments.
"It's like being cut with a thousand tiny knives," he said. "We're basically pricing homeowners out of their own homes."
House leaders defended the decision, which was proposed by Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr. last week.
"This is one of those years when some tough decisions have to be made," said Del. Norman H. Conway, D-Wicomico.
Some lawmakers said they were disappointed that the budget cuts made by Ehrlich and the House leaders disproportionately target the University System of Maryland.
"These youngsters who are educated in the University System stay here and they are our future," said Del. Barbara Frush, D-Anne Arundel/Prince George's.
House budget leaders made about $200 million in cuts to Ehrlich's fiscal 2004 budget and called for abolishing 1,700 vacant positions.
Although this year's budget will be balanced, analysts predict a $900 million shortfall in next year's budget.
Delegates discussed and debated the budget for more than five hours on Thursday, rejecting numerous attempts to change it.
Strip $3 million from the budget for private school textbooks and spend it on teachers' salaries. Del. Robert A. McKee, Del. Christopher B. Shank and Del. Richard Weldon voted in favor and Del. John P. Donoghue and Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr. voted against.
Katheryn Jarrett, 11, winds up to heave a ball during a dodgeball tournament Thursday at the YMCA in Waynesboro, Pa.
CHAMBERSBURG, PA. -- Four Coldbrook Avenue houses owned by Chambersburg Hospital will be torn down this spring to make way for 109 parking spaces, but bigger plans for the hospital's future are being reassessed.
The Chambersburg Borough Council on Monday reviewed the hospital's plan to demolish the houses, at 101, 105, 109 and 135 N. Coldbrook Ave. The hospital also asked the borough to vacate a section of an alley - Goshen Court between Nelson and Duncan streets - to allow the parking area to be set farther back from the street.
Borough Planning Director Phil Wolgemuth said the hospital plans to build a decorative fence along Coldbrook Avenue as well. The subdivision and land development plan for the demolition of the buildings and construction of the parking lot will be on the consent agenda for the Monday, Feb. 11, meeting.
The council, however, will have to pass an ordinance to vacate the section of Goshen Court. A vote on that ordinance also is scheduled for Feb. 11.
Borough Secretary Tanya Mickey said no public hearing will be required for the ordinance to vacate the alley because the hospital owns the properties adjacent to the site of the proposed parking lot. The borough will need an easement from the hospital to service utilities lines that run overhead and underground along the path of the alley, she said.
Wolgemuth said he expected the hospital to submit a land development plan for an expansion early this year, but the current economic climate could delay the hospital's expansion, which was to include a six-story patient-care addition.
"Unfortunately, Summit Health is not immune to the nation's financial crisis, including significant changes in capital markets, the downgrading of bond insurers and the volatility of the bond markets on their ability to sell bonds in the short run," Summit Health President Norman Epstein said in a statement.
"Given the ripple effects, we are currently undergoing a three-month review process to reassess our needs for the next 10 years, with the potential of delaying any project decisions, as well as limiting our borrowing," Epstein said.
The parking area is expected to be completed within two or three months of the houses being demolished, according to the hospital statement.
The book is "The Viet Vet Survival Guide: How to Cut Through the Bureaucracy and Get What You Need and Are Entitled To." The Ballantine Books paperback has gone through several printings and has sold about 150,000 copies, Kubey said.
"I hope that no children growing up in the United States today will need a book like this," said Kubey, who co-wrote the book with David F. Addlestone, Richard E. O'Dell, Keith D. Snyder and Barton F. Stichman.
"I decided that clearly the area was far too complex to be mastered by someone without previous veterans' affairs experience," he said.
"What we came up with is a guidebook for Vietnam-era veterans and their families, and even for veterans from other eras, going back to World War II and earlier. It details what you're entitled to and how to get it.
"It's a realistic, easy-to-read consumer guide to cutting through the bureaucracy to get often desperately needed medical, psychological and financial assistance.
"My co-authors provided 99% of the information and I restructured it and revised it so it was shorter and easier to read and more colorful."
A sample of chapter headings gives a taste of what the book offers: "Basic Survival Information," "The Veterans Administration," "Psychological Readjustment," "Agent Orange."
Kubey says the book covers everything from prenatal care to burial benefits and will help the deserving veteran prevail against VA employees who "may be either callous or ignorant."
Kubey says his anti-war feelings began stirring as a college student in the late 1960s and were strengthened by his work on the book.
"As a Berkeley student, I was against the war, not just for self-interest, but because I felt it was a waste of the life and limb of young American men," he said. "I've never been as opposed to the Vietnam War, though, as I am now that I've seen the tremendous toll it has taken on the lives of the 3 million Vietnam veterans.
"I've seen from writing the book just how costly war can be to the individual. It's not glory; it's amputation and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). It's not fun and it's not glamorous. It involves the risk of death itself, or severe, irreversible physical and psychological ailments."
Kubey notes that the average age of America's warriors in World War II was 26, while in Vietnam it was 19.
"These people were very vulnerable to the shock of war," Kubey said. "They went over not knowing who they were and came back not knowing who they were. On top of that, they frequently had to deal with hostility when they returned, an experience no World War II veteran had to go through."
Kubey, who holds a law degree from the University of California, Davis, and has written other books, says the "Survival Guide" caused him more pain than he imagined.
"Writing this book was an agonizing and unpleasant experience," he said. "It's more fun to write about video games than amputations, but I'm glad we did the book and I'd do it again if I had to."
"You have to realize that for most Americans the Vietnam War was over in April of 1975, but for a very large percentage of Vietnam veterans, the war is not over and it will never be over."
Whatever its legal merits, Dan Rather's lawsuit against CBS -- in which he says he wasn't clued-in on the details of a 2004 report he narrated about George W. Bush's Texas Air National Guard record -- dispels the myth of the omniscient news anchor. Who knew, when Rather was giving "60 Minutes II" viewers the straight scoop on questions about Bush's service, that he was relying on the assurances of his production team as to the authenticity of damaging documents?
Actually, anyone familiar with the inner workings of TV news might have guessed that Rather's report, which the network eventually disavowed, wasn't a one-man show any more than his "CBS Evening News" broadcasts were. But for many viewers, Rather and his avuncular antecedent, Walter Cronkite, were more than mere "news readers" (the term used in Britain). They were also, even in advanced middle age, reporters and editors. Never mind that much of the reporting was done by invisible producers and researchers. The cult of the news anchor -- reconsecrated every time an anchor leaves the desk for Iraq or New Orleans -- has survived because star-struck viewers heed the injunction of the Great Oz: "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"
But now Rather himself, in suing his former employers for $70 million, has pierced the curtain. If the documents were fraudulent -- something Rather still doesn't concede -- it wasn't his fault because he wasn't really in charge. In his legal complaint, "one of the foremost broadcast journalists of our time" (if he does say so himself) alleges that CBS sought to deflect criticism from the White House by making Rather the "public face" of the National Guard story. How dare they! After all, the real work was done by others, who assured Rather that "all the documents had been vetted and were authentic."
Rather might have subjected the documents to some of that Texas-style skepticism with which he once challenged President Nixon. But at the time, his complaint notes, he was chasing down other breaking news: "former President Bill Clinton's heart surgery, Hurricane Frances and the Republican National Convention in New York." As they say in the Lone Star State, Rather's schedule was tighter than a tick.
There is more to Rather's complaint than his assertion that he was out of the loop. He also alleges that CBS kowtowed to the Bush administration in delaying a report about abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Still, the anchor (as it were) of Rather's grievance is the claim that the network pretended that he knew more than he did. Given the ridicule such a "defense" will inspire, we have one word for Rather: courage.
Art Center alumnus David Bartholomew says he created the stylized rose while a student in 1977, but he's not the credited designer. His legal appeals have failed.
Carney cited Roley versus New World Pictures, a 1994 decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, as the basis for his decision to dismiss Bartholomew's suit for failing to meet the statute of limitations. Ironically, it's the very case in which Ninth Circuit judges clearly set down the "rolling statute of limitations" concept noted by Nimmer: "In a case of continuing copyright infringements, an action may be brought for all acts that [occurred] within the three years preceding the filing of the suit."
Bartholomew filed a second suit in 2008, this time naming the tournament as the lead defendant, and Karasic as well. He tried to find a lawyer who'd take the case on contingency, but he says the ones he talked to steered clear, saying the outcome of his initial suit had created a "res judicata" — legalese for a done deal that can't be undone. Carney dismissed this case as well, citing both statute of limitations and "res judicata." There could be no case, the judge found, because the matter already had been decided in the Art Center case that had begun as a small claim.
This time Bartholomew managed to file his appeal on time. But on Oct. 13, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit upheld Carney, writing that "the district court properly dismissed Bartholomew's action as barred by the doctrine of res judicata." The appellate judges said nothing about the statute-of-limitations issue. They also affirmed Carney's decision to impose monetary sanctions because of Bartholomew's "vexatious" conduct as a litigant, and they rejected Bartholomew's claim that Carney had been biased and should have recused himself.
Bartholomew is convinced he's the victim of a conspiracy to protect the logo, involving Art Center, the Tournament of Roses and Carney. The judge was a star pass receiver for UCLA, and played in the 1983 Rose Bowl game, running back and forth across the new logo on the day of its national television debut.
Lomas, Bartholomew's former roommate and key witness, wonders why he has persisted. "He's just too focused on it. He's a really talented guy, but he seems bitter that his life hasn't turned out the way he thought. For him this is personal, that's real clear. I would have cut my losses a long time ago."
If Bartholomew had gotten his day in court, there would have been at least one obvious gap in his case: He said that Kubly, the Art Center president, had access to his drawings, and that he himself gave drawings to tournament officials. There is no evidence, however, only supposition, behind his contention that someone from Art Center or the tournament must have held onto the 1977 drawings, then fed them to Karasic four years later to copy.
Karasic said she was shocked when Bartholomew called her in 2007, demanding payment. "He said, 'This is my logo, not yours.' It made no sense to me. I still don't understand it. Had he designed something years before that was similar? It was kind of like 'The Twilight Zone.'"
The Times shared an image of Bartholomew's tracing paper drawing with her. "It looks like a tracing of my work," Karasic said. "I can't believe that it was legitimate." She said she doesn't consider Bartholomew dishonest, but believes he truly has convinced himself that her rose was his work.
Karasic said that when Bartholomew named her as a defendant in his second suit in 2008, she was eager to defend her integrity in court. But after spending $25,000, she said, she took her lawyer's advice that getting the suit dismissed on procedural grounds was the way to go — legal fees for a trial might exceed $100,000.
Could this dispute rise from an improbable coincidence? In 1983, a Chicago jury found that the Bee Gees had stolen the melody of "How Deep Is Your Love?," a hit from the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever," from an Illinois bar musician. But the judge rejected the verdict, ruling there was no evidence that the band had heard the unknown musician's song. Tapes showed the Bee Gees painstakingly crafting a melody of their own that coincidentally matched the plaintiff's.
In the design world, a famous case of duplication concerns the "N" logo the NBC television network rolled out in 1976 — only to learn that an identical one, formed by two trapezoids, already was being used by the Nebraska Educational Television Network.
Because logos need to be simple, coincidental or unconscious duplication is "something we graphic designers tremble about all the time," said Mari Hulick, head of communication design at the Cleveland Institute of Art. But she and Bill Newkirk, a dean and former head of graphic design at Rhode Island School of Design, said coincidental duplication is a very tenuous explanation when the designers worked in the same place and with the same client in mind — as in the dueling rose logo claims.
Bartholomew bitterly sums up his experience: "What happened was a booby trap. It's like somebody broke into my house and stole my property."
Karasic, too, is dissatisfied. "I wanted to defend myself, and tell my story in court. But apparently that's not the way the legal system works, if it's not financially feasible." Told that Bartholomew is chagrined he never got to present his work to a jury, Karasic said, "ironically, I feel the same."
The Northmen will play Edwardsburg in the final regular-season game on Friday, Oct. 21, at Rockford High School.
The neutral site was chosen because of the distance between the two schools. It's 287 miles from Petoskey to Edwardsburg.
Even with the game at a neutral site, it will be a pretty long road trip for both teams. It's 176 miles from Petoskey to Rockford, which is located north of Grand Rapids. It's 117 miles from Rockford to Edwardsburg, which is located southwest of Kalamazoo just a few miles from the Indiana border.
Petoskey athletic director Gary Hice said he had put out feelers seeking a ninth game last season when the series with Marquette ended after 10 years.
Petoskey opens the 2011 season at home against Sault Ste. Marie on Aug. 26. All games will be played on Friday nights. The Northmen play West Branch Ogemaw Heights in Week 2, then take on Cadillac, Traverse City Central, Cheboygan, Gaylord, T.C. West, Alpena and, finally, Edwardsburg.
The Sault, Edwardsburg and Cheboygan games are non-league. All others are Big North Conference matchups. Ogemaw Heights joins the league this season.
It's not unprecedented for Petoskey to play an opponent from the southwest part of the state, and to play that opponent at a neutral site. Over the years, the Northmen have played the likes of Sturgis, Benton Harbor and Fruitport at Ferris State University.
Hice said the Ferris State field was unavailable for Oct. 21, so he and and Edwardsburg athletic director Kevin Dean started looking for an open high school field. Rockford, one of the state's Division I powers, plays at Jenison on Oct. 21.
Hice said the matchup with Edwardsburg is strictly for one year, which will leave the Northmen looking for a game-nine opponent in 2012 and in ensuing seasons.
Edwardsburg is a Class B school with 784 students. Last year, the Eddies were second at 4-1 in the Lakeland Athletic Conference, and finished 11-2 , losing in a Division 4 state semifinal game to eventual champion Grand Rapids Catholic Central. The LAC includes Berrien Springs, Buchanan, Cassopolis, Coloma and Niles Brandywine.
The Eddies have made five playoff appearances in school history and last year's berth was their first since 2005.
Petoskey, with an enrollment of 972, is Class A, and last season shared the Big North Conference championship with Traverse City West. The Northmen lost to Cadillac in a first-round Division 3 playoff game. The Northmen have made six playoff appearances, including three straight.
Petoskey senior Kerby Tamm was named to the BCAM Best Best of the Best girls' team. Just 10 players across the state were named to the organization's top honor squad, including Miss Basketball Jasmine Hines of Central Lake and Nicole Elmblad, who led St. Ignace to the Class C state championship.
On the boys' side, Petoskey senior Cory Starkey earned a spot on the 22-member Class A BCAM Best squad, while Pellston's Chris Hass, Harbor Light Christian's Collin Hewitt, and Boyne Falls' Josh Puroll were named to the BCAM Best Class D squad.
Hewitt is a senior, while Hass and Puroll are juniors. The 'D' honor squad comprised 22 players from across the state.
Emily Veenstra of Ellsworth and Kristen Matelski of Boyne Falls received special mention on the girls' Class D team.
Petoskey native Brad Smith was among the runners with area ties who finished the 115th Boston Marathon on Monday.
Smith, 35, finished in 2 hours, 43 minutes, 20 seconds, good for 297th overall, 272nd among males, and 228th in his age group.
A pretty remarkable finish for the 1994 Petoskey graduate, who now works as an attorney in Washington, D.C.
When a girl's life there comes the exciting momentmarriage, you always want to be the most beautiful and original. First and foremost, it chooses a bride - a wedding dress. Modern designers offer a large variety of styles and decor dresses. The most unusual is considered to be a wedding dress with embroidery. The image of the bride becomes a memorable, bright.
In our time, the bride often choose modelswedding dresses, decorated with embroidered patterns or beads. Such exclusive expensive outfits for the price. Unable to create exactly the same decoration in the form of embroidery. Figure is small size, but that he is good, that discreetly adorns the bodice and hem. In short model embroidery available on all cards. Different approach to a method of decorating a wedding dress brings its own flavor.
Wedding dress with embroidery - it's stylish, fashionableand incredibly beautiful. Decor on any clothes, and even more so on the wedding decoration, gives a special glamor and splendor. There are two methods of embroidery machines and manually. It is often used surface, cross or cutwork. To decor element of contrasting with the background or other details of dress, use the wizard and white tone threads, beads or colored.
By the methods of textured finishes include dressesribbons embroidery floss or thread. Created by drawing a three-dimensional image. Used belts can be silk, satin, transparent organza and dense velvet, corduroy. The width of the strips 2 to 80 mm. Tape width 20 mm is not recommended to pass through the fabric, so as not to damage it. Large flowers or other decorations made separately and attached to the ready-made wedding dress. Ribbon Organza used to impart along lightness and volume. With a pattern of dense bands garment becomes richer.
For embroidery embroidery national motives oftenused thread floss. A striking example - Ukrainian style decoration of wedding dresses. Volume, like living flowers, branches, organically looked on a white background. Fashion ivory color in the wedding theme is also an excellent platform to create a man-made masterpieces. Embroidery looks outwardly lush, eye-catching. Bright colors of blue, yellow, red and green thread create an overall picture of the Ukrainian people symbol - poppies, viburnum branches. So there is unity of folk art and the style of the wedding.
To create a greater effect embroidered volumethe composition is often used to combine. For example, when the daisy petals are made of thin white satin ribbons and the core - by the yellow iridescent beads. The combination of tape and cross stitch also creates an interesting effect of fullness pattern. Beads, which acts as a circuit pattern, catches the eye with their shimmering details. Wedding themes can combine with each other different techniques of embroidery.
Traditional ornaments are techniquesembroidery cross. A variety of bright colors, used to create patterns, creates a festive mood. Drawing on a wedding dress with embroidery can contain two colors: blue and white, red and black or several shades, depending on the region or country where the wedding. Patterns that are used to create the pattern, have their values.
For example, branches and vegetation - "treelife ", four pieces of the divided apple - a symbol of love. The interpretation of abstract repeating geometric patterns more to do with the color value and form of figures. To embroider wedding dresses often choose white thread as a sign of tenderness, purity of the bride. Modern sewing equipment can be transferred to the fabric pattern of any complexity. But hand embroidery has been and remains the subject of admiration.
From which option is selected for the finishwedding dress, the overall impression is dependent on apparel. Type of decor chosen based on the type and density of tissue for the wedding dress and designer ideas. Brilliant iridescent material such as satin or silk, can be a bit muted matte, dull embroidery. Volume textured decor looks better on a smooth, denser tissue than lace.
The vertical arrangement of contrasting blackpattern on light background silhouette of a bride will make higher slimmer. Bright embroidery along the contour of the neckline draws attention to the bodice dress, if you want to smooth out the disadvantages of the figure at the bottom. Decor at the waist visually will remove a few centimeters at the waist. Embroidery with gold or silver thread, pearls or rhinestones decoration will make the bride dress elegant and expensive.
Sparkling gold thread embroideredwedding dress, create the effect of nobility, wealth. Lush elegant skirt, decorated with ornaments in the form of flowers or smooth lines, will allow the bride to feel like a queen of the day. When decorating the neckline is important not to overdo it. Otherwise the decoration will make the chest girls are more massive than required. Embroidery in gold is not as common. Engineering work is complicated, requires special skills. Therefore, along with gold ornaments valued much more expensive and luxurious and glamorous look.
Blekvork (black embroidery) is traditionally performedsilk thread on white fabric. To create the effect of volume, while drawing on the bride's dress, use yarn of different thicknesses. The play of light helps to create the illusion of a convex pattern. Extravagant corset black thread embroidery combined with wardrobe items, accessories are the same color. The bottom of the dress, fringed with dark pattern, looks no less beautiful, boldly and defiantly.
White pattern on the same color of the fabric requiresgreat care and skill. The fabric should be very thin or transparent, then the picture will look airy, gentle. The combination of embroidery and lace makes a bride weightless. To emphasize the beauty of the back, in the back make a deep cut, framed embroidery along the contour. Translucent fabric on which patterns are particularly well visible, attracts the eyes. That there was no surplus in the decoration of the wedding dress embroidery, trying to keep ahead of the minimum amount of decor.
Wedding dress with beautiful embroidery alwaysIt looks very impressive and unique. Even famous designers are increasingly returning to the theme of the decor. Embroidered dresses are updated every year a big hit in the fashion world. There needlewoman, who are willing to work independently on their wedding attire. Hard work rewarded by the admiring glances of others will appreciate the splendor of embroidered wedding dress.
In the context of Augmented Reality applications, the goal of Cyber-II project is to simulate, in real-time, the presence of a person (e.g. a TV presenter or a teacher) in a virtual environment. This simulation consists mainly in visualizing the combined scenario, and possibly in providing tools for interaction between the real person, the virtual environment, and the observer (e.g. TV spectator or pupil). The main overall technical requirements are thus a highly realistic visualization, which works in real time.
This project is the logical continuation of the «ACI Jeunes Chercheurs» CYBER (2001-04) and of a regional fund, DEREVE (1999-2003). These projects (2003-2006) allowed to build a first experimental platform and to kick-start research and integration activities in the modeling and rendering areas for the considered application scenario. The aim of the proposed project, CYBER-II, is to put together a larger and complementary consortium, in order to reduce current bottlenecks. We want to realize the above objectives by making scientific progress in the different domains and subtending research with the appropriate technical infrastructure. In the following, we address, in some more detail, objectives, difficulties and approaches for the first two components of the project. Nearly all of the following actions share the requirement of having to run in real-time (video frame rate), which is addressed by the third component (distributed/parallel computing).