Not a very exciting shot. I took this shot for possible inclusion on my company's revamped website. There's a little hand blur on this one. I also took a similar one from a very slightly different angle which has no blur, but I preferred this angle so sod the blur as it's only going to be scaled small.

Camera: Mamiya M645

Film: Ilford FP4

Developer: Spur Acurol-N 1+70

Okay, so I can see why the two are made for each other. These ended up being amazing! Great contrast, edge sharpness, and tonal separation. While there is some grain, it is pleasing and only adds to the images.

 

You can read the full review online

www.alexluyckx.com/blog/index.php/2021/06/14/film-review-...

 

Nikon FE - AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 - Adox Silvermax @ ASA-100

Adox Silvermax Developer (1+29) 11:00 @ 20C

Scanner: Epson V700

Editor: Adobe Photoshop CC

My Business Card

Breaking fasting gathering, at office.

Camera: Voigtlander Bessa I

Lens: Vaskar 105mm f4.5

Film: Fomapan 400

Developer: 510-Pyro 1+100

Location: Eindhoven

 

Scanned at Analog Space V.O.F.

 

Shot with f5.6, 1/100

Code Life

Apple Developer CDs from the late 1980s till the early 1990s

 

Also microcontroller engineer and aeromodelling enthusiast.

Darin

 

Strobist: 1 Canon Speedlite inside box, mirror inside box for some reflection.

Developer Economics 2013

Windows Phone still the only alternative next platform for developers

Imagination Developers Connection

tirunelveli best builders in tirunelveli.top buders in tamilnadu

best builders in top builders in tamilnadu

SPECIAL REPORT: WHAT WENT WRONG

DO BUILDERS' BUCKS BUY POLITICAL POWER?

LISA GETTER Herald Staff Writer

December 20, 1992

Page: 7SR

 

As developers transformed the landscape of Dade County in the decade before Hurricane Andrew, more and more of their money fueled Metro Commission campaigns.

In 1980, building interests contributed almost one of every four campaign dollars collected, a Miami Herald analysis of campaign contributions showed. In 1986, when construction was booming, the building industry gave at least one of every three campaign dollars.

 

"Contributions from builders helped make it easier, quicker and more profitable for them to build," said political strategist Philip Hamersmith.

 

"People don't give contributions for better government reasons. They give for greater access to the County Commission and ultimately, to get the action or position they want."

 

To study the local political clout of the building industry, The Herald created a computer database to analyze major campaign contributions to Metro Commission candidates. The

commission has the final say over zoning and revisions to the South Florida Building Code. It also appoints the Board of Rules and Appeals, the panel that oversees the code.

 

The database included contributions of $100 or more that were given to any commission candidate who collected at least $20,000 for the six elections between 1980 and 1990. The study was limited to contributions of $500 or more for the 1988 election. The final database included 17,268 contributions.

 

It showed that:

 

* Building money accounted for about 27 percent of the money collected by commission candidates during the study period.

 

* Builders contributed about $2.2 million in the six elections -- more money than was collected in any single election year by all major candidates combined.

 

* More than half of the money that came from builders throughout the study period was contributed during the 1986 and 1988 elections, years when there was increased growth in the county.

 

* Political dollars from builders peaked in 1986, when 38 percent of the money collected came from the construction industry.

 

* Contributions from builders dropped significantly in 1990 to the 20 percent level, where they had been in 1982.

 

Engineer Herbert Gopman said his tenure on the Board of Rules and Appeals illustrates the power campaign money can buy.

 

Records show that Mayor Steve Clark appointed Gopman to the board in 1984, but Gopman said he really was the appointee of the trade unions.

 

Former Commissioner Beverly Phillips said appointments to the board often were made the way Gopman described. "We used to call the building and zoning people or the unions or the building trades" for names of nominees, she said. In hindsight, she said, it was "maybe the fox going into the hen house."

 

Gopman said trade unions considered him accountable to them. The study showed trade unions contributed about $80,500 to commissioners.

 

"In a controversial matter, they will call you out and say, 'You've got to vote this way.' I didn't always meet their demands," Gopman said. "I wasn't reappointed."

 

The 1992 grand jury concluded last week that "parts of the construction industry continually exert undue influence" on the board's decisions.

 

Homeowners' representatives say they are powerless to raise the kind of money that comes from the building industry.

 

"It's very difficult. You can sit and have a party for a commissioner and maybe raise $1,000 or $2,000," said Neal Alper, an officer in the Kendall Federation of Homeowners Associations. "But a developer, who stands to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits, can just contribute $1,000 at a time."

 

Chuck Lennon, the executive director of the Builders Association of South Florida, said the 1,100-member organization's political action committee contributes money every year to commission candidates -- about $23,000 during the decade, the study showed. Before contributing money, the PAC interviews candidates and makes endorsements.

 

"The only thing it does is give you entry. It doesn't give you their vote, but it does give you an opportunity to get their ear," Lennon said.

 

Mayor Clark, who received more money from builders than any other candidate, said he thinks builders supported him because he had been a general contractor. "If builders contributed to my campaign, I thank them for that," he said. "I didn't give them special treatment."

 

Former Commissioner Phillips, who often voted against builders, said she never sought their money. But she said she would at least listen to people who contributed to her.

 

"They gave money to me just so they could have my ear on occasion," she said.

 

The Latin Builders Association also interviews candidates and makes endorsements. Although its political action committee contributed only $8,000 throughout the decade, individual members have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars more.

 

Among past and present LBA members who contributed more than $10,000 during the decade, either individually or through their firms, were homebuilder Pedro Adrian, developers Erelio Pena, Jesus Portela and Felix Lima, engineering contractor Rolando Iglesias and plumbing company owner Sergio Pino.

 

"It gives you an open door with the commissioner. You're at least able to get an appointment with a commissioner and explain your case," said LBA executive director William Delgado.

 

Once the LBA board of directors decides who it will support, the organization sends a mailing to its approximately 1,000 members. The group also holds fund-raisers. It raised $45,000 for Sherman Winn at a 1986 fund-raiser and $77,000 for Clara Oesterle at a 1988 fund-raiser.

 

Under the guidance of zoning lawyer Tom Carlos, the LBA was successful in persuading the commission in 1985 to open 2,900 acres to development in West and Southwest Dade.

 

"There was a period there when the commission was definitely dominated by pro-development views. That can best be shown by votes on Master Plan applications," said Metro Commissioner Harvey Ruvin.

 

Ruvin voted against most of the changes in the county land- use plan. "As it turns out, a lot of that development, especially in the Southwest, did experience extreme hurricane damage," he said.

 

After the 1985 hearings, Carlos told the LBA leadership it needed to financially support the commissioners who voted for the changes.

 

"These events were very important," Carlos said in a 1988 interview about the fund-

 

raisers. "I wanted the commissioners to associate faces with contributions. Later, when we go to the commission on an application, I want the commissioners to think of the individual contributors when they see me. I want them to be accountable to the person who is an applicant and my client."

 

Reginald Walters, who retired this year after 28 years as Metro planning director, said special interests contribute money "to keep in good favor with the commissioners."

 

"As long as I had been with Dade County, growth had been very rampant and very strong and the building industry had always had a great influence over the commission," Walters said.

 

ANDREW'S WINDS EXPOSED FLAWS IN INSPECTION SYSTEM

Continued from Page 6SR,

INSPECTIONS: A BREAKDOWN IN THE SYSTEM

LISA GETTER Herald Staff Writer

 

inspections, saying he had jeopardized the public's safety. The surveillance showed that he spent 64 minutes of his day making 38 inspections, approving 30.

 

"That's in the past," Varona said in a recent interview. "That's over with me."

 

The computer showed that Varona had logged five days with more than 50 inspections, including the day in 1990 he reported making 82. Varona said he did not remember ever doing that many in a day. The most, he said, was "probably 50 or 55."

 

Everett said the high number of inspections he performed is misleading because he worked long days. The computer showed 40 times since 1988 when he was sent out on more than 50 inspections in a day.

 

"The grand jury had a report. They said you can't do that many. What I would say is go to the homeowner who reported seeing me at 8:30 p.m.," he said. "I have had many people come up to me after the hurricane and say, 'Mr. Everett, you may not remember me, but you inspected my house and it's still standing.' "

 

Tucker, the inspector who did 68 inspections in one day in 1988, said it's possible to do an excellent job if all the inspections are in the same neighborhood and many are rejected. The computer database indicates on that day he rejected 13 inspections and the remainder -- mostly slab and framing inspections -- were approved. He would not comment directly.

 

The county's chief code compliance officer, Charles Danger, said he doesn't think any inspector should make more than 20 inspections in a day. The department's new goal is 18. Danger was amazed to learn that inspectors made more than 50.

 

"It's impossible for a person to do that amount of inspections and do a good job on it," Danger said. "It's humanly impossible."

 

Inspectors testified to the 1990 grand jury that their inspections had been "inadequate and falsified" in many instances. They blamed the large number of daily inspections required.

 

"While we are certain that there are many qualified and dedicated building inspectors doing an effective job, we are also certain that others are not," the grand jurors wrote.

 

Grand jury investigators caught inspectors spending part of their work day watching women bowl, reading a newspaper in a library, sleeping in a car or going home early.

 

"Prior to the grand jury, the message that I had from upper management was to be more efficient as possible. We really tried to work our tails off," said Chief Building Inspector Roberto Pineiro. "The emphasis was put on productivity. After the grand jury report, the emphasis was put on quality."

 

Pineiro said he found it hard to believe that the computer database was accurate in pinpointing so many instances of high inspection days. His theories: clerks entered the data wrong; the inspections listed on those days were canceled; the inspections on those days were all in the same neighborhood.

 

"Building and zoning supervisors appear out of touch with the actual operations of the inspection department," the 1990 grand jurors concluded.

 

Inspector Rodriguez said times have changed since the days when inspectors were asked to make more inspections in a day than they could realistically complete. The computer database showed 33 times since 1988 in which he logged more than 50 daily inspections. Once, Rodriguez said, he was given a daily route sheet calling for him to make 110 inspections.

 

"We were being demanded to do all of our inspections. We just ran right through them," he said.

 

Sometimes, other inspectors would help. And sometimes, Rodriguez said he carried over inspections to the following day -- a practice that was frowned on by the department. The days in which Rodriguez carried over his inspections were not included in the Herald computer study.

 

Joaquin Avino, who has been county manager since 1988, said it would be "unrealistic" to make 110 inspections in a day. "Needless to say, as county manager, you don't look at the number of inspections an inspector was doing," he said.

 

The 1990 surveillance caught some inspectors who never left their cars when doing inspections. To some investigators, that's worse than taking money.

 

"I really don't know if it's the giving of money that's totally corrupt. Maybe it's not getting your butt out of your car to see if something was built right that's really corrupt," Metro-Dade detective Anthony Kost said in a recent interview. Kost worked on the 1986 undercover probe of the building department.

 

In that case, contractors literally threw money into the car of a Metro detective who was posing as an inspector. Eventually, 24 contractors, developers, homeowners and one building inspector were charged -- most with giving $10 and $20 bribes.

 

Roofing contractor Ernesto Valladares pleaded no contest after he gave the undercover officer $100 to approve three roofing inspections that had been rejected. Thirty homes contracted by Valladares' firm were uninhabitable after Andrew, computer data show.

 

"There was an awful lot of bribery going on. It was a common way of doing business," said former state prosecutor David Troyer, who handled the case. "I think it would be unreasonable to assume it began and ended with that investigation."

 

But none of the 15 who pleaded guilty in the 1986 probe got a harsh sentence. Judges were not inclined to sentence a developer to jail for a $20 bribe.

 

Ten years before Troyer's investigation, a 1976 grand jury condemned county inspections.

 

"Instead of requiring thorough, proper inspections, the county gave into the pressure of the building industry," the 1976 grand jury wrote. "The county should have been prepared to adequately staff the department during peak periods of construction with trained personnel. It was not prepared."

 

Franklyn Tarbox, an inspector from 1966 until 1982, said he never had to meet a quota.

 

"In the '70s and '60s, you checked how many nails were in the boards. I don't know, I guess it might have changed," he said. "How long would it take? Sometimes a half hour, sometimes an hour."

 

The importance of a thorough inspection became apparent when dentist Jeffrey Glasser had his South Dade house built in 1976. The county stopped work on the house after a building inspector supervisor discovered code violations that another inspector had missed.

 

The construction was so bad that an engineer determined the house would be "insecure under hurricane wind loads."

 

Glasser got a new contractor. The county suspended for three days the inspector who missed the shoddy work. The house survived Andrew.

 

Dade experienced another building boom in the 1980s. Instead of learning from its mistakes, the county repeated them.

 

"We kept increasing the fees, but we never kept up with the inspection needs," said former Metro Commissioner Beverly Phillips, who was defeated in 1988. The fees from building permits finance code enforcement.

 

The county increased the number of daily inspections each inspector was supposed to make -- from 22 in 1985 to 27 in 1989 to 29 in 1990, rather than provide enough money to adequately staff the department, or attract young inspectors who want to make the job a career.

 

Because the job requires construction experience, many don't become inspectors until after they have retired from another job. Dave Bacon, for instance, didn't become an inspector until he was 65. He died in 1982 at 75 -- while still on the county payroll as an inspector. Julio Aldecocea became an inspector this year. He is 63.

 

General contractor Eduardo Roca, 36, joined the building department as an inspector in July 1991. He left after three months for a better job.

 

"In a lot of cases, they're taking the rap for no need," Roca said of the inspectors. "In my experience, what I saw, the work was being carried out in a very professional manner and they were doing everything to the best of their abilities."

 

While the county was tight with money for code enforcement, the code itself was undergoing a transformation. Builders, seeking cheaper and faster ways to construct homes, began using products not envisioned by the writers of the original 1957 code.

 

Many developers relied on letters from engineers that certified they were using building products -- like premanufactured roof trusses -- that met the code. The letters were rarely challenged by inspectors. Roof trusses failed repeatedly in the storm.

 

"There was a lot of stuff run under engineering letters. I have no idea how good they were," former inspector Kurtz said. "If an engineer certified that it was done according to code, we would accept it."

 

A major problem in the hurricane was the failure of roof tiles. Code compliance chief Danger said the problem could have been lessened had inspectors been given scales to test for wind uplift. Danger said inspectors told him they don't have the scales or know how to use them.

 

But chief inspector Pineiro, who said inspectors were given scales, said they weren't needed. "With a scale you could go fishing," he said. "It's not required. It's a gadget."

 

Retired inspector Tarbox said he became concerned when the county began allowing builders to use staples to attach shingles to roofs.

 

But inspectors are powerless to change the code. It was adopted and can be changed only by the Metro Commission. The job of interpreting the code is left to the Board of Rules and Appeals, whose members are appointed by the commission.

 

Inspector Rodriguez blamed the shoddy construction uncovered by Andrew on several factors. "I think there was a combination of a lot of things: poor design, poor workmanship, no supervision, and just maybe if we had spent more time on inspections," he said.

 

Copyright 1992 Miami Herald

Developer

Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC

2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington DC

 

Room 524

-------------------

The Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC, which opened in 1979, can trace its financial wherewithal to Léopold Dreyfus, a French man who in 1850 began trading grain for a profit. Dreyfus incorporated the world’s first international grain trading company under the name Louis-Dreyfus - being too young to use his own name he chose to operate under his father's name Louis Dreyfus. Leopold later changed his surname to Louis-Dreyfus - thus founding one of great French family dynasties. Leopold's great grandson, William Louis-Dreyfus and other family members continue to grow the privately held company.

 

William Louis-Dreyfus and his first wife Judith Bowles have a daughter, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (yes, that Elaine from Seinfeld). When Julia was asked by accesshollywood.com what her dad does she responded "He does stuff that I don’t understand with grains and energy and selling commodities. That goes in one ear and out the other".

 

Washington D.C. real estate developer Ben Jacobs (the J in JBG Associates) approached the New York based Louis Dreyfus Property Group with the idea of building a Holiday Inn style hotel and office complex on land acquired in a Georgetown neighborhood. The mixed-use project known as Georgetown Plaza would go up overlooking the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (the water transportation system built by George Washington) but also adjacent to a forlorn city heating plant and an overnight depot for city buses. Representing the "money" behind the deal, William Louis-Dreyfus had the final say on all the projects details. A significant selling point for the site was its street address - 2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW - the address of the White House is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

 

The architect, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, designed a 300-room hotel with a red brick exterior that met the historic aspects of the surrounding Georgetown neighborhood. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill were also famously known for designing Laurence Rockefeller's Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaii's Big Island (1965).

 

Before ground was broken Louis-Dreyfus determined a 5-star hotel was better suited for the site and he sent two company men to Toronto to talk with Isadore Sharp - the founder of Four Seasons Hotels. The two men were Ernest Steiner now the retired Vice Chairman and President of Louis Dreyfus Holding Company and Jeffrey I. Sussman who established Louis Dreyfus Property Group in 1971. Sharp negotiated a 75 year management contract with the group for the first hotel in the U.S. named Four Seasons.

 

According to Isadore Sharp's book "Four Seasons - the True Story of a Business Philosophy" Ben Jacobs was uneasy with the shift from a 3-star hotel to a 5 star hotel and perturbed that William Louis-Dreyfus always sided with Four Season's requirements to reconfigure the hotel. Sharp quotes Ben Jacobs asking William Louis-Dreyfus "What happens if Sharp wants to paint the building purple?" Louis-Dreyfus responded "Then we will paint it purple."

 

The footprint of the buildings remained the same but the room count was reduced from 300 to 210 and the first floor became much grander with elaborately designed lobby and lounge with beautiful flower gardens called The Garden Terrace Club & Bar. The hotel's fine dining room was located on the lower level - the Aux Beaux Champs - a French, silk napery restaurant.

 

In 1978 Isadore Sharp recruited Wolf Hengst from the Shoreham Hotel (now the Omni Shoreham Hotel) to be the Four Seasons Washington D.C. first general manager. Hengst later served as president, worldwide operations for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

 

In the mid 70's Isadore Sharp determined quality of service would be a pillar of Four Season's business platform. As employed at The Inn on the Park London - the concept of a concierge was brought from Europe to the Four Seasons Washington D.C. Wolf Hengst hired Jack Nargil, who knew Washington D.C. inside and out, as the hotel's concierge and stationed him in the lobby near the front desk.

 

Service made the hotel special – so much so that the new Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC, was featured in the introduction to Tom Peters’ book "In Search of Excellence". The success of this prompted Four Seasons to install concierge services at all of its hotels. Nargil remained with the Four Seasons Hotel for 13 years and was elected as the first president of Les Clefs d'Or in the United States.

 

Four Seasons Hotel Washington was the first hotel to fly the Four Seasons flag in the US, and the Canadian company had a challenge convincing travelers that this unknown brand was the place to stay In Washington. As a Canadian company it had a challenge convincing travelers that this unknown brand was the place to stay in Washington. Opening in 1979 the Four Seasons Washington D.C. had the opportunity to play host too many events surrounding the presidential election of 1980 between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and the Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan. Reagan's camp had asked Wolf Hengst for a donation - the hotel countered by offering Reagan free accommodations when in D.C. Reagan held a three-day fund raiser at the hotel which resulted in many of the country's most influential business leaders staying at the hotel and becoming long term customers.

 

** 1998 $20 million Expansion and Renovation **

 

In 1998 Louis Dreyfus Property Group and Four Seasons General Manager Stan Bromley embarked on a 14 month $20 million renovation and expansion of hotel suites, health club facility, and adjacent office space. In the adjacent 60,000 sq. ft. office building the upper floors were converted into 40 new hotel suites. On the first and second floors of this adjacent building, 11,000 sq. ft. were renovated to house the office of Pardoe Real Estate. The existing health club facility was expanded to fill 8,000 sq. ft. and renovations included extensive high-end millwork. A landscaped plaza was constructed to serve as a connector link between the two buildings with a pedestrian walkway. Also substantial upgrades to the back-of-house facilities included the food storage, room service, butcher shop, locker rooms, employee cafeteria, and security offices.

 

Stan Bromley was also known for his circumspection. In 1991 Marla Maples threw a ring at Donald Trump during a quarrel in the Four Seasons lobby, and the security camera caught it on tape. David Armstrong of the San Francisco Chronicle quotes Bromley " 'Hard Copy' offered $25,000 for the tape. Trump called me and I said, 'Don't worry, Mr. Trump, it's gone. I destroyed it.' "

 

In 2001 Chef Douglas McNeil retired from the Four Seasons Washington DC, a hotel he had opened in the same capacity in 1979. His successor was another Scotsman Douglas Anderson, a 14-year Four Seasons veteran, most recently the Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Seattle.

 

** 2004 Expansion and renovation ***

 

Facing stiff competition from the new 400-room Mandarin Oriental and the new 86-room Ritz-Carlton Georgetown the Louis Dreyfus Property Group and Christopher Hunsberger, the hotel's general manager embarked on a 6-month renovation to increase the size of their standard rooms from 350 to 480 square feet, dropping the total room count from 252 to 211. The larger rooms are part of the hotel's strategy to stay competitive. To minimize guest disruption during the remodel the hotel would at times deliberately over staff and were very liberal with offers of complimentary drinks because of the construction noise. According to Hunsberger guest ratings were very high during the $25 million major remodel. Hunsberger became a Four Season's Senior Vice President Operations, North America in 2008.

 

** Mobil Five Star **

 

In 2005 Mobil Travel Guide announced the only new Mobil Five-Star hotel in 2005 was the Four Seasons Hotel, Washington, D.C. The Four Seasons is the only D.C. hotel to boast the Mobil Travel Guide’s five star honor and one of only 31 in the U.S. to receive Five Stars.

 

** Four Seasons Up for Sale **

 

Following 27 years of ownership, the Louis Dreyfus Property Group put the Washington D.C. Four Seasons Hotel up for sale in January 2006. The asking price was $170 million or approximately $800,000 per room. William Louis-Dreyfus may have thought what more could they accomplish after receiving the coveted fifth Mobil star. The previous top hotel sale in the D.C. market was the former Monarch Hotel, now the Fairmont Washington, D.C. Hotel sold in December 2002 for $350,000 a room. Four Seasons would likely remain as manager - it has at least 50 years remaining on a 75-year management contract.

 

Strategic Hotel Capital, Inc. (NYSE: SLH) announced on January 23, 2006 they signed an agreement to acquire the 211-room Four Season Washington, D.C. for $168.39 million. The hotel has 160 rooms, 51 suites, 12,500 square feet of meeting space, 24,000 square feet of retail space, underground parking, and a 12,500 square foot Four Seasons fitness club and spa. Strategic agreed to pay Louis-Dreyfus an annual license fee of $50,000 for the 2,000 pieces of art throughout the hotel that is part of Louis Drefus' personal art collection including works by Thornton Dial, Raymond Mason and Nellie Mae Rowe. Strategic Hotel Capital forecasts an EBITDA between $10.4 million and $11.4 million in the first twelve months of ownership. The sale also included the transfer of a receivable in the original amount of $400,000 due from Christopher B. Hunsberger, the general manager.

 

Laurence Geller, ceo of Strategic Hotels & Resorts, commented, "The Washington, D.C. market has significant growth yet to come. We believe our physical improvements to the food and beverage and lobby areas will position this hotel to reap the benefits of the market growth while the hotel continues to lead the market for the foreseeable future."

 

In a related event LDW Resort & Hotel Development (LDW is an acronym for Louis Dreyfus and Woodbridge) was established by Property Group Partners in 2000 for the specific purpose of developing luxury resort and hotel properties in partnership with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. LDW is a joint venture of Property Group Partners and The Woodbridge Company Limited. The Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole in Wyoming opened in December 2003, and the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley opened in March 2006. Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. acquired the Four Seasons Jackson Hole and Four Seasons Silicon Valley from The Woodbridge Company Limited in 2011.

 

** Bourbon Steak **

 

In December 2008 Strategic opened Michael Min's Bourbon Steak in the space formerly occupied by The Garden Terrace Club & Bar. It is known for its complementary duck fat fries and signature dish - steak poached in butter. The designer David Rockwell is known for restaurant interior work including Bobby Flay Steak at the Borgata in Atlantic City. Strategic also has a Bourbon Steak at its Fairmont Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ. While Mina oversees the menu, David Varley serves as executive chef at the restaurant.

 

** The Royal Suite **

 

The Four Seasons Hotel unveiled its 4,000-square-foot Royal Suite -- supposedly the biggest hotel suite in D.C. - in 2009. The $12,500 per night suite includes car service and a personalized shopper. It is the hotel’s sixth suite and includes a wooden private patio, gym, library, Bang & Olufsen systems and bullet-resistant glass. The foyer has a Swarovski crystal ceiling shining down on sparkling stone mosaic tiling. The dining room, which seats 10, sits adjacent to a 1,000 square-foot outdoor patio with a fire pit that overlooks Georgetown. For entourages, the entire wing the suite resides in can be closed off to include eight bedrooms totaling 9,000 square feet.

 

** Seasons Restaurant **

 

In early 2012 Seasons Restaurant, formerly the Aux Beaux Champs (The beautiful fields), re-opened following a $1 million dollar renovation. Michael Dalton, vice president of design for Strategic Hotels, reinvented Seasons with custom made English walnut dining tables, mahogany dining chairs and signature lamps referencing the Federal Period throughout the room. For guests who simply want a cup of coffee while catching up on the morning news, a separate living room area with a flat screen TV is available. Most importantly the tables remain distant enough from each other to assure privacy. The power brokers’ favored and most visible tables are untouched. For monumental business agreements, a private dining room with a separate entrance and exit remains available. As for the tenured staff, the only change is their uniforms. They have guests’ preferences memorized and understand that timely and unobtrusive service remains the top priority. The former Aux Beaux Champs (named changed in 1993) was a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning restaurant under long-term chef Douglas MacNeil.

 

** Art Collection **

 

In 2010 Strategic Hotels replaced the 2,000 piece Louis-Dreyfus art collection. The firm Soho Myraid Gallery was contracted to create a new contemporary art collection for the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC. According to the Four Season's press release the collection is representative of American artists and is composed of more than 1,650 pieces, 400 of which are premier, blue chip and commissioned pieces for the public spaces and corridors. Among the prominent public area pieces are works by Roni Stretch, Helen Frankenthaler, Andy Warhol, Robert Mangold, Ron Richmond, Andrea Rosenberg and Andrei Petrov. These were purchased from private collections and exclusive galleries throughout the United States.

 

** Actual results 2007 through 2011 **

 

Four Seasons Hotel, Washington D.C. Results from the Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. Annual Reports:

 

YE 2011 YE 2010 YE 2009 YE 2008 YE 2007

Rooms Available 222 222 222 211 211

Total Revenue (mil) $61,736 $58,402 $57,036 $63,455 $53,670

EBITDA (mil) 14,305 12,666 11,332 7,806 10,917

Average Occupancy 71.5% 69.9% 67.9% 66.2% 71.5%

ADR 530.23 522.01 509.53 533.61 542.58

RevPAR 378.97 364.64 346.04 353.50 388.00

Total RevPAR 761.89 720.75 703.89 665.76 696.88

  

As of February 2012 Christian Clerc is the Regional Vice President and General Manager Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC. He previously served as Regional Vice President overseeing Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City and Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita and Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica.

 

Text compiled by Dick Johnson. Photos by Dick Johnson.

richardlloydjohnson@hotmail.com

212-832-0098

I will probably not like it in the morning.

 

Its the morning and I don't mind it but it looked better when all the lights were off..

Old pack I discovered in my shelves. Powder pack for 1 litre, in two parts (A and B). .

Bought in France, 1982 or late 1981 (see the label, dated 09/81, this means that it was manufactured before this date).

 

Ultra fine grain film developer, for small tanks or trays. It can process up to 10 films with 1 min time increase for each film already processed. I think however that +1 min was too much.

 

I didn't use it much, I used much more Atomal FF, another Agfa fine-grained developer that wasn't same as Atomal. That one was available in bigger professional packs for 5 litres or more.

 

I can't say if this 33+ year old pack can still be good for use. I would never throw it away without checking it. :)

 

After studies have been conducted on the specific group of users, it’s switched right into a profile or user persona that imitates a genuine customer. Basically, a persona is personified data produced from user behaviours, attitudes, discomfort points, as well as their wants and needs inside a particular product. Instead of tailoring an software developer to meet the requirements of the generic group, a persona was created having a specific number of users in your mind.

 

Personas illustrate the goals and behaviors of users while areas examine patterns in census for example age, location, sex, salary, and so forth. Both of them are essential however, personas offer lots of advantages throughout the development process.

 

1. Promote User-Focused Outcomes

 

Frequently, an application can morph in to the desires from the designer as opposed to the user. To avert this, the expansion process must focus on a person-focused goal all actions should be created using the consumer in your mind. With this to happen, they must adopt the outlook during the finish user to create an application that resonates using its users. Personas ought to be used through the development process and never as just one phase. Reinforcing the consumer persona through the entire process will be sure that the entire team remains centered on their primary goal. Without having done this, the end result from the final software developer might not match the users’ wants.

 

lady-smartphone-girl-technology

 

2. Establishes Consensus During Development

 

Raw information is frequently hard to interpret however, a persona encapsulates the study and communicates the trends to other people in a manner that they are able to understand and visualize. Inside a team of developers, you will find usually individuals with different skills and expertise that could cause a positive change of opinions. A person persona is a superb tool to prevent confusion and miscommunications through the development process. The persona communicates ideas and ideas using the team of developers, stakeholders, and users. Effectively, it helps to ensure that everybody is on a single page and understands who the prospective audience is.

 

Startup Stock Photos

 

3. Validates All Decisions

 

An application idea is made, but could it be really exactly what the user needs and wants? While it’s important to determine who the application will target, it’s more essential to understand the consumer particularly desires. Without validation, the end result won’t deliver just what the finish user needs and can ultimately be pointless. All decisions and actions which are made throughout the development process must have a person-focused reasoning. When the development process starts to stray from concentrating on meeting the users’ needs, the application will likely fail.

 

User personas are valuable for everybody throughout the development process to be able to boost the quality and efficiency of the work. A persona increases product quality since it directly addresses the finish users discomfort points and fixes issues that software developer presently experience. Understanding and meeting a particular categories of users’ needs will be sure that the application is really a success. Narrowing in on the specific group of users will yield greater download rates and most importantly, it'll keep up with the engagement from the users.

A trip to Jem at Real Camera Manchester resulted in a pack of Leicanol powder developer.

Must be dated between 1975 (HP5 introduced) and 1989 (HP5+ replaced HP5) as the times are for HP5. Made byTetenal. Not a lot on the WWW about this developer.

 

New York State Chief Digital Officer & Deputy Secretary for Technology Rachel Haot speaks during an App Quest 3.0. event sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, AT&T, Transit Wireless, and New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), to announce winners in their global competition to solicit development of new mobile solutions designed to help improve commutes for millions of subway, bus and rail riders across the five boroughs. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

Shot in #RAWDNG, taken on the #HTC One M9 Developer Edition.

Developed with Snapseed.

St. Kitts Marriott Resort and Royal St. Kitts Casino, 858 Frigate Bay Road, St. Kitts

 

Canadian Vic De Zen turned a small Woodbridge, Ontario plastics company into a worldwide empire in the 1990's known as Royal Group Technologies Ltd. He built it up over the course of 30 years into a publicly traded company with about $2 billion in annual sales and 9,000 employees around the world. While growing the plastics company Vic De Zen met another Toronto developer, Mr. Archie Zuliani, who owned a small hotel on the island of St. Kitts. Zuliani needed a source for building supplies on St. Kitts and on De Zen's first trip to St Kitts the two hit it off and immediately started plans for a resort project featuring Royal Group's products and also a retirement villa for De Zen and his family. According to Zuliani, De Zen wanted the project to be built entirely of plastics! In 1996 a joint venture agreement was signed between Vic De Zen and Archie Zuliani for a $50 million development including hotel, conference center, golf course, casino and an internet gambling operation. In short order the project costs rose to $120 million. Within a year Zuliana became uncomfortable with De Zen's ambitious project and he was happy to accept a $4 million buyout from De Zen in 1998. Mr. De Zen and his brother in law, Fortunato Bordin, who used to work at Royal Group, borrowed $114-million from Scotiabank between 1996 and 2004 to fund construction of the Caribbean resort which when built out cost upwards of $330 million.

 

On November 3, 2000 a signing ceremony was held involving St Kitts Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, Mr. Vincent Morton, Chairman of the Frigate Bay Development Corporation and Mr. Vic De Zen. The announcement stated that the world class resort was being built by Technologies Limited of Canada. Denzil Douglas was the longest-serving Prime Minister of the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis, having held the position between 1995 and 2015. He led the Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party. Douglas transformed his country’s formerly sugar-based economy into a service-oriented one driven by tourism, offshore medical education, small farm agriculture and the manufacture of electronic components. Prime Minister Douglas succeeded in establishing St. Kitts and Nevis as a tourist destination, giving as evidence his promoting of De Zen's 600-room Marriott hotel project.

 

Royal Group Technologies growth allowed De Zen vast liberties in pursuing side-bar projects and the doling out bonuses to family and friends. The line between Royal Group Business and De Zen's personal business became a complete blur. De Zen owned over 80% of the shareholders votes. With Zuliana bought out De Zen took the St Kitts project to new heights. He brought in his brother, Angelo De Zen, to head up the construction and Joey Cecchini was in charge of the design build of the Royal St. Kitts Beach Resort & Casino. The architect was Claudio Rabaglino from Toronto. According to the Toronto Mail and Globe "the resort became so important to De Zen that he turned over one of Royal Group's Boardroom - dubbed the war room - to the project. As construction progressed, 16 contractors were involved and about 3,000 shipments of products were made from Toronto. By 2000, roughly 700 workers were on site, some of them connected to Royal Group."

 

Marriott International announced a soft opening of their 471-room resort, St. Kitts Marriott Royal Beach Resort & Spa, on February 22, 2003. It is the tenth property in Marriott and Renaissance Offshore Resorts’ portfolio. John Toti was the resort's opening General Manager. Marriott said the resort is owned by Royal St. Kitts Beach Resort Ltd. Marriott's opening announcement said the resort’s five-story main building has 237 guestrooms. Between the main building and the beach, a series of three-story garden houses, surround the swimming pools, house an additional 234 rooms. Guestrooms are oversized and well-appointed with most including large, private balconies. Each bathroom of the houses will have a whirlpool bath.

For dining and entertainment, the St. Kitts Marriott Royal Beach Resort has six restaurants, two bars and a disco: La Cucina, an Italian restaurant; Royal Grill Steakhouse, offering outdoor seating; BLU, a seafood restaurant; Bohemia Beach Bar & Grill; Calypso, a family style restaurant, Golf Club House Restaurant; Lobby Bar; Keys, a cigar and rum bar; and Tigers, a disco. Recreational amenities include a 15,000 square foot spa, three swimming pools, tennis courts, retail shopping, Kids Club and a 35,000 square foot casino. A newly-designed 18-hole golf course, operated by Marriott Golf. For conferences and social events, the St. Kitts Marriott Royal Beach Resort & Spa has 12,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including a 7,100 square foot ballroom that is divisible into three sections; meeting rooms offering 5,000 square feet of space; and a board room and terraces for pre-function receptions and events.

 

In hindsight Vic De Zen gained a Caribbean luxury resort but lost his billion dollar company. In February 2004 the St Kitts development became the subject of an extensive Ontario Securities Commission and Royal Canadian Mounted Police criminal probe into whether Mr. De Zen used Royal Group money or assets on a private development project. It seems the Royal Group shareholders new virtually nothing about the massive resort project on St Kitts! Vic De Zen was ousted as board chairperson of Royal Group in 2004 after an internal investigation. Two years later, the company was sold to United States-based Georgia Gulf Corp. for $1.7 billion. The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) charged De Zen and other former executives with defrauding the company of more than $29 million.

 

The trial respecting the allegations made against Mr. De Zen and others commenced in April 2010. On December 10, 2010, at the conclusion of the five-month trial, the trial judge acquitted the defendants of the two charges they faced. The trial judge found overwhelming evidence supporting the defense that no fraud, no deceit, no dishonesty and no concealment had taken place. Indeed, the judge indicated that it would be a "travesty of justice" to wait even one day before pronouncing the verdict of not guilty.

 

Mr. De Zen formed a new company, ZZen Group, which includes the Marriott beach resort that has become the Caribbean island’s largest employer. When Mr. De Zen travels to ZZen’s resort in St. Kitts – his favorite way to relax is to work on small repairs. Joseph Sgro, an assistant to De Zen says he actually has a tool belt when he is at the resort … walking around the resort grounds and he fixes things and talks to the landscapers.

 

Georgia Gulf Corporation, a large PVC raw-material manufacturer, completed its acquisition of Royal Group on October 3, 2006 for $1.6 billion.

 

***********

 

Vic De Zen and his partners Fortunato Bordin and Domenic D’Amico have supported the people of St Kitts and Nevis since their first agreement in 1997 to build the Marriott Resort. This first initiative produced strong economic and social growth within the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis. Vic De Zen's group continues with investments that have created the following St. Kitts businesses and organizations which collectively employ more than 1,000 persons in the Federation:

 

*St. Kitts Marriott Resort;

*Marriott Vacation Club;

*Marriott Residences;

*Royal Beach Development Group;

*Royal Beach Casino;

*Royal St. Kitts Golf Club;

*Royal Utilities Limited

 

***********

 

The St. Kitts Marriott has had 4 General Managers.

 

Jacques Hamou, General Manager, ( 2012 - ) St. Kitts Marriott Resort & Royal Beach Casino appointed Jacques Hamou as General Manager in February, 2012. Hamou’s career in the hospitality industry spans 30 years. He joins the property from Montreal where he served as general manager for the Montreal Marriott Chateau Champlain for thirteen years. Previously, Hamou was at Fortis Hospitality Corporation in Sydney, Nova Scotia, where he held the position of director of operations for Delta Sydney, Holiday Inn Sydney and the Sydney Inn.

 

Flor Van Der Vaart, General Manager (2008 - 2011) - Flor van der Vaart was appointed General Manager of St. Kitts Marriott Beach Resort on July 6, 2008. Flor began his career with Marriott in 2004 as the Resident Manager of the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino. Prior to joining the Aruba Marriott Resort, Flor was the Operations Manager at the Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort & Country Club in Puerto Rico. Van der Vaart received his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from The University of Phoenix. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from The University of The Hague – Haagshe Hogeschool in Holland.

 

George Landa, General Manager (2006 - 2008) - St Kitts Marriott Resort & the Royal Beach Casino appointed Cuban-born George Landa as General Manager in April 2006. Most recently he was general manager at the Curacao Marriott Beach Resort & Emerald Casino from 2003-2006. Previously he also served as General Manager of the Intercontinental Hotel in Valencia, Venezuela.

 

John Toti, Opening General Manager ( 2002 - 2006 ) John Toti was named general manager, responsible for overseeing all aspects of operations at the new St. Kitts Marriott Resort. Most recently, Mr. Toti was the general manager at the Guatemala City Marriott. During his 25-year career with Marriott, Mr. Toti held positions in various aspects of hotel operations. In the food and beverage departments, he served as executive chef for Marriott Hotels in the Orlando World Center, Panama City and Puerto Vallarta, and was director of food and beverage at the Marriott Plaza Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mr. Toti later went on to work in the operations segment, becoming area director of operations for Marriott's Caribbean region and assisting on short and long-term projects for resorts in St. Thomas, Jamaica, Caracas & Costa Rica. He served as director of operations at the Guatemala and Lima Marriott Hotels as well. Mr. Toti was also director of groups and conventions at the Marriott in Puerto Vallarta. Toti is now retired and lives in Naples, Florida.

 

Wayne Michaelson is the current Executive Chef, (2015 - ) - Executive Chef Wayne Michaelson, previously from the Macon (Georgia) Marriott City Center, is in charge of overseeing daily operations of the resort’s eight onsite restaurants as well as catering for special events. Before his previous job in Macon, where he supervised seven kitchens, a catering facility for 2,500 people, Chef Michaelson owned and operated his own restaurant for a decade. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Michaelson began his career in hospitality at Omni Hotels & Resorts in 1984 in Alabama as an Executive Chef. He then moved to Puerto Rico in 1986 where he worked for prominent hotels such as the Caribe Hilton Hotel & Casino, the Hyatt Regency Cerromar Resort, the Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort & Golf Club, and the El San Juan Hotel & Casino, a Waldorf Astoria Collection hotel.

 

Arun Maharajh is the Vice President Operations at the resort's Royal Beach Casino. Maharajh started at the casino in 2005 as the Financial Controller. Previously he was a business analyst at the Ontario (Canada) Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

 

Compiled by Dick Johnson

February, 2016

I had a couple to rolls that were not Nikon Rf's. Mainly testing Kodak Double X and Orwo UN 54 with the extended time in Pyrocat HD. No surprise with the XX - seems to accept any developer with no problems - and it also dries flat!

. . . 10. 3. 2007 - this is the fourth day of a funeral ceremony in Bori for a High Class Woman. She died on 18. 1. 2007 at the age of 85 years. The ceremony will last for one week. Today we will see buffalo fighting, cock fighting, the killing of the buffalos, the horse and the deer. The photos of the killing might look strange to you, to the torajian they are common. The souls of the killed buffalos are the servants of the deads. The more buffalos are killed the better life for the dead.

 

If you wonder why the quality of the pictures is a little less: these are no photographs - it all are snapshots of my videos! So sorry for the less resolution, but I think, they are worth to be shown.

_____________________________________

 

The Toraja are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 1,100,000, of whom 450,000 live in the regency of Tana Toraja ("Land of Toraja"). Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk ("the way"). The Indonesian government has recognized this animist belief as Aluk To Dolo ("Way of the Ancestors").

 

The word toraja comes from the Bugis Buginese language term to riaja, meaning "people of the uplands". The Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909. Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses known as tongkonan, and colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days.

 

Before the 20th century, Torajans lived in autonomous villages, where they practised animism and were relatively untouched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries first worked to convert Torajan highlanders to Christianity. When the Tana Toraja regency was further opened to the outside world in the 1970s, it became an icon of tourism in Indonesia: it was exploited by tourism developers and studied by anthropologists. By the 1990s, when tourism peaked, Toraja society had changed significantly, from an agrarian model - in which social life and customs were outgrowths of the Aluk To Dolo - to a largely Christian society. Today, tourism and remittances from migrant Torajans have made for major changes in the Toraja highland, giving the Toraja a celebrity status within Indonesia and enhancing Toraja ethnic group pride.

 

ETHNIC IDENTITY

The Torajan people had little notion of themselves as a distinct ethnic group before the 20th century. Before Dutch colonization and Christianization, Torajans, who lived in highland areas, identified with their villages and did not share a broad sense of identity. Although complexes of rituals created linkages between highland villages, there were variations in dialects, differences in social hierarchies, and an array of ritual practices in the Sulawesi highland region. "Toraja" (from the coastal languages' to, meaning people; and riaja, uplands) was first used as a lowlander expression for highlanders. As a result, "Toraja" initially had more currency with outsiders - such as the Bugis and Makassarese, who constitute a majority of the lowland of Sulawesi - than with insiders. The Dutch missionaries' presence in the highlands gave rise to the Toraja ethnic consciousness in the Sa'dan Toraja region, and this shared identity grew with the rise of tourism in the Tana Toraja Regency. Since then, South Sulawesi has four main ethnic groups - the Bugis (the majority, including shipbuilders and seafarers), the Makassarese (lowland traders and seafarers), the Mandarese (traders and fishermen), and the Toraja (highland rice cultivators).

 

HISTORY

From the 17th century, the Dutch established trade and political control on Sulawesi through the Dutch East Indies Company. Over two centuries, they ignored the mountainous area in the central Sulawesi, where Torajans lived, because access was difficult and it had little productive agricultural land. In the late 19th century, the Dutch became increasingly concerned about the spread of Islam in the south of Sulawesi, especially among the Makassarese and Bugis peoples. The Dutch saw the animist highlanders as potential Christians. In the 1920s, the Reformed Missionary Alliance of the Dutch Reformed Church began missionary work aided by the Dutch colonial government. In addition to introducing Christianity, the Dutch abolished slavery and imposed local taxes. A line was drawn around the Sa'dan area and called Tana Toraja ("the land of Toraja"). Tana Toraja was first a subdivision of the Luwu kingdom that had claimed the area. In 1946, the Dutch granted Tana Toraja a regentschap, and it was recognized in 1957 as one of the regencies of Indonesia.

 

Early Dutch missionaries faced strong opposition among Torajans, especially among the elite, because the abolition of their profitable slave trade had angered them. Some Torajans were forcibly relocated to the lowlands by the Dutch, where they could be more easily controlled. Taxes were kept high, undermining the wealth of the elites. Ultimately, the Dutch influence did not subdue Torajan culture, and only a few Torajans were converted. In 1950, only 10% of the population had converted to Christianity.

 

In the 1930s, Muslim lowlanders attacked the Torajans, resulting in widespread Christian conversion among those who sought to align themselves with the Dutch for political protection and to form a movement against the Bugis and Makassarese Muslims. Between 1951 and 1965 (following Indonesian independence), southern Sulawesi faced a turbulent period as the Darul Islam separatist movement fought for an Islamic state in Sulawesi. The 15 years of guerrilla warfare led to massive conversions to

 

CHRISTIANITY

Alignment with the Indonesian government, however, did not guarantee safety for the Torajans. In 1965, a presidential decree required every Indonesian citizen to belong to one of five officially recognized religions: Islam, Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism), Hinduism, or Buddhism. The Torajan religious belief (aluk) was not legally recognized, and the Torajans raised their voices against the law. To make aluk accord with the law, it had to be accepted as part of one of the official religions. In 1969, Aluk To Dolo ("the way of ancestors") was legalized as a sect of Agama Hindu Dharma, the official name of Hinduism in Indonesia.

 

SOCIETY

There are three main types of affiliation in Toraja society: family, class and religion.

 

FAMILY AFFILIATION

Family is the primary social and political grouping in Torajan society. Each village is one extended family, the seat of which is the tongkonan, a traditional Torajan house. Each tongkonan has a name, which becomes the name of the village. The familial dons maintain village unity. Marriage between distant cousins (fourth cousins and beyond) is a common practice that strengthens kinship. Toraja society prohibits marriage between close cousins (up to and including the third cousin) - except for nobles, to prevent the dispersal of property. Kinship is actively reciprocal, meaning that the extended family helps each other farm, share buffalo rituals, and pay off debts.

 

Each person belongs to both the mother's and the father's families, the only bilateral family line in Indonesia. Children, therefore, inherit household affiliation from both mother and father, including land and even family debts. Children's names are given on the basis of kinship, and are usually chosen after dead relatives. Names of aunts, uncles and cousins are commonly referred to in the names of mothers, fathers and siblings.

 

Before the start of the formal administration of Toraja villages by the Tana Toraja Regency, each Toraja village was autonomous. In a more complex situation, in which one Toraja family could not handle their problems alone, several villages formed a group; sometimes, villages would unite against other villages. Relationship between families was expressed through blood, marriage, and shared ancestral houses (tongkonan), practically signed by the exchange of water buffalo and pigs on ritual occasions. Such exchanges not only built political and cultural ties between families but defined each person's place in a social hierarchy: who poured palm wine, who wrapped a corpse and prepared offerings, where each person could or could not sit, what dishes should be used or avoided, and even what piece of meat constituted one's share.

 

CLASS AFFILIATION

In early Toraja society, family relationships were tied closely to social class. There were three strata: nobles, commoners, and slaves (slavery was abolished in 1909 by the Dutch East Indies government). Class was inherited through the mother. It was taboo, therefore, to marry "down" with a woman of lower class. On the other hand, marrying a woman of higher class could improve the status of the next generation. The nobility's condescending attitude toward the commoners is still maintained today for reasons of family prestige.

 

Nobles, who were believed to be direct descendants of the descended person from heaven, lived in tongkonans, while commoners lived in less lavish houses (bamboo shacks called banua). Slaves lived in small huts, which had to be built around their owner's tongkonan. Commoners might marry anyone, but nobles preferred to marry in-family to maintain their status. Sometimes nobles married Bugis or Makassarese nobles. Commoners and slaves were prohibited from having death feasts. Despite close kinship and status inheritance, there was some social mobility, as marriage or change in wealth could affect an individuals status. Wealth was counted by the ownership of water buffaloes.

 

Slaves in Toraja society were family property. Sometimes Torajans decided to become slaves when they incurred a debt, pledging to work as payment. Slaves could be taken during wars, and slave trading was common. Slaves could buy their freedom, but their children still inherited slave status. Slaves were prohibited from wearing bronze or gold, carving their houses, eating from the same dishes as their owners, or having sex with free women - a crime punishable by death.

 

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

Toraja's indigenous belief system is polytheistic animism, called aluk, or "the way" (sometimes translated as "the law"). In the Toraja myth, the ancestors of Torajan people came down from heaven using stairs, which were then used by the Torajans as a communication medium with Puang Matua, the Creator. The cosmos, according to aluk, is divided into the upper world (heaven), the world of man (earth), and the underworld. At first, heaven and earth were married, then there was a darkness, a separation, and finally the light. Animals live in the underworld, which is represented by rectangular space enclosed by pillars, the earth is for mankind, and the heaven world is located above, covered with a saddle-shaped roof. Other Toraja gods include Pong Banggai di Rante (god of Earth), Indo' Ongon-Ongon (a goddess who can cause earthquakes), Pong Lalondong (god of death), and Indo' Belo Tumbang (goddess of medicine); there are many more.

 

The earthly authority, whose words and actions should be cleaved to both in life (agriculture) and death (funerals), is called to minaa (an aluk priest). Aluk is not just a belief system; it is a combination of law, religion, and habit. Aluk governs social life, agricultural practices, and ancestral rituals. The details of aluk may vary from one village to another. One common law is the requirement that death and life rituals be separated. Torajans believe that performing death rituals might ruin their corpses if combined with life rituals. The two rituals are equally important. During the time of the Dutch missionaries, Christian Torajans were prohibited from attending or performing life rituals, but were allowed to perform death rituals. Consequently, Toraja's death rituals are still practised today, while life rituals have diminished.

 

CULTURE

TONGKONAN

Tongkonan are the traditional Torajan ancestral houses. They stand high on wooden piles, topped with a layered split-bamboo roof shaped in a sweeping curved arc, and they are incised with red, black, and yellow detailed wood carvings on the exterior walls. The word "tongkonan" comes from the Torajan tongkon ("to sit").

 

Tongkonan are the center of Torajan social life. The rituals associated with the tongkonan are important expressions of Torajan spiritual life, and therefore all family members are impelled to participate, because symbolically the tongkonan represents links to their ancestors and to living and future kin. According to Torajan myth, the first tongkonan was built in heaven on four poles, with a roof made of Indian cloth. When the first Torajan ancestor descended to earth, he imitated the house and held a large ceremony.

 

The construction of a tongkonan is laborious work and is usually done with the help of the extended family. There are three types of tongkonan. The tongkonan layuk is the house of the highest authority, used as the "center of government". The tongkonan pekamberan belongs to the family members who have some authority in local traditions. Ordinary family members reside in the tongkonan batu. The exclusivity to the nobility of the tongkonan is diminishing as many Torajan commoners find lucrative employment in other parts of Indonesia. As they send back money to their families, they enable the construction of larger tongkonan.

 

WOOD CARVINGS

To express social and religious concepts, Torajans carve wood, calling it Pa'ssura (or "the writing"). Wood carvings are therefore Toraja's cultural manifestation.

 

Each carving receives a special name, and common motifs are animals and plants that symbolize some virtue. For example, water plants and animals, such as crabs, tadpoles and water weeds, are commonly found to symbolize fertility. In some areas noble elders claim these symbols refer to strength of noble family, but not everyone agrees. The overall meaning of groups of carved motifs on houses remains debated and tourism has further complicated these debates because some feel a uniform explanation must be presented to tourists. The image to the left shows an example of Torajan wood carving, consisting of 15 square panels. The center bottom panel represents buffalo or wealth, a wish for many buffaloes for the family. The center panel represents a knot and a box, a hope that all of the family's offspring will be happy and live in harmony, like goods kept safe in a box. The top left and top right squares represent an aquatic animal, indicating the need for fast and hard work, just like moving on the surface of water. It also represents the need for a certain skill to produce good results.

 

Regularity and order are common features in Toraja wood carving (see table below), as well as abstracts and geometrical designs. Nature is frequently used as the basis of Toraja's ornaments, because nature is full of abstractions and geometries with regularities and ordering. Toraja's ornaments have been studied in ethnomathematics to reveal their mathematical structure, but Torajans base this art only on approximations. To create an ornament, bamboo sticks are used as a geometrical tool.

 

FUNERAL RITES

In Toraja society, the funeral ritual is the most elaborate and expensive event. The richer and more powerful the individual, the more expensive is the funeral. In the aluk religion, only nobles have the right to have an extensive death feast. The death feast of a nobleman is usually attended by thousands and lasts for several days. A ceremonial site, called rante, is usually prepared in a large, grassy field where shelters for audiences, rice barns, and other ceremonial funeral structures are specially made by the deceased family. Flute music, funeral chants, songs and poems, and crying and wailing are traditional Toraja expressions of grief with the exceptions of funerals for young children, and poor, low-status adults.

 

The ceremony is often held weeks, months, or years after the death so that the deceased's family can raise the significant funds needed to cover funeral expenses. Torajans traditionally believe that death is not a sudden, abrupt event, but a gradual process toward Puya (the land of souls, or afterlife). During the waiting period, the body of the deceased is wrapped in several layers of cloth and kept under the tongkonan. The soul of the deceased is thought to linger around the village until the funeral ceremony is completed, after which it begins its journey to Puya.

 

Another component of the ritual is the slaughter of water buffalo. The more powerful the person who died, the more buffalo are slaughtered at the death feast. Buffalo carcasses, including their heads, are usually lined up on a field waiting for their owner, who is in the "sleeping stage". Torajans believe that the deceased will need the buffalo to make the journey and that they will be quicker to arrive at Puya if they have many buffalo. Slaughtering tens of water buffalo and hundreds of pigs using a machete is the climax of the elaborate death feast, with dancing and music and young boys who catch spurting blood in long bamboo tubes. Some of the slaughtered animals are given by guests as "gifts", which are carefully noted because they will be considered debts of the deceased's family. However, a cockfight, known as bulangan londong, is an integral part of the ceremony. As with the sacrifice of the buffalo and the pigs, the cockfight is considered sacred because it involves the spilling of blood on the earth. In particular, the tradition requires the sacrifice of at least three chickens. However, it is common for at least 25 pairs of chickens to be set against each other in the context of the ceremony.

 

There are three methods of burial: the coffin may be laid in a cave or in a carved stone grave, or hung on a cliff. It contains any possessions that the deceased will need in the afterlife. The wealthy are often buried in a stone grave carved out of a rocky cliff. The grave is usually expensive and takes a few months to complete. In some areas, a stone cave may be found that is large enough to accommodate a whole family. A wood-carved effigy, called Tau tau, is usually placed in the cave looking out over the land. The coffin of a baby or child may be hung from ropes on a cliff face or from a tree. This hanging grave usually lasts for years, until the ropes rot and the coffin falls to the ground.

 

In the ritual called Ma'Nene, that takes place each year in August, the bodies of the deceased are exhumed to be washed, groomed and dressed in new clothes. The mummies are then walked around the village.

 

DANCE AND MUSIC

Torajans perform dances on several occasions, most often during their elaborate funeral ceremonies. They dance to express their grief, and to honour and even cheer the deceased person because he is going to have a long journey in the afterlife. First, a group of men form a circle and sing a monotonous chant throughout the night to honour the deceased (a ritual called Ma'badong). This is considered by many Torajans to be the most important component of the funeral ceremony. On the second funeral day, the Ma'randing warrior dance is performed to praise the courage of the deceased during life. Several men perform the dance with a sword, a large shield made from buffalo skin, a helmet with a buffalo horn, and other ornamentation. The Ma'randing dance precedes a procession in which the deceased is carried from a rice barn to the rante, the site of the funeral ceremony. During the funeral, elder women perform the Ma'katia dance while singing a poetic song and wearing a long feathered costume. The Ma'akatia dance is performed to remind the audience of the generosity and loyalty of the deceased person. After the bloody ceremony of buffalo and pig slaughter, a group of boys and girls clap their hands while performing a cheerful dance called Ma'dondan.

 

As in other agricultural societies, Torajans dance and sing during harvest time. The Ma'bugi dance celebrates the thanksgiving event, and the Ma'gandangi dance is performed while Torajans are pounding rice. There are several war dances, such as the Manimbong dance performed by men, followed by the Ma'dandan dance performed by women. The aluk religion governs when and how Torajans dance. A dance called Ma'bua can be performed only once every 12 years. Ma'bua is a major Toraja ceremony in which priests wear a buffalo head and dance around a sacred tree.

 

A traditional musical instrument of the Toraja is a bamboo flute called a Pa'suling (suling is an Indonesian word for flute). This six-holed flute (not unique to the Toraja) is played at many dances, such as the thanksgiving dance Ma'bondensan, where the flute accompanies a group of shirtless, dancing men with long fingernails. The Toraja have indigenous musical instruments, such as the Pa'pelle (made from palm leaves) and the Pa'karombi (the Torajan version of a jaw harp). The Pa'pelle is played during harvest time and at house inauguration ceremonies.

 

LANGUAGE

The ethnic Toraja language is dominant in Tana Toraja with the main language as the Sa'dan Toraja. Although the national Indonesian language is the official language and is spoken in the community, all elementary schools in Tana Toraja teach Toraja language.Language varieties of Toraja, including Kalumpang, Mamasa, Tae' , Talondo' , Toala' , and Toraja-Sa'dan, belong to the Malayo-Polynesian language from the Austronesian family. At the outset, the isolated geographical nature of Tana Toraja formed many dialects between the Toraja languages themselves. After the formal administration of Tana Toraja, some Toraja dialects have been influenced by other languages through the transmigration program, introduced since the colonialism period, and it has been a major factor in the linguistic variety of Toraja languages. A prominent attribute of Toraja language is the notion of grief. The importance of death ceremony in Toraja culture has characterized their languages to express intricate degrees of grief and mourning. The Toraja language contains many terms referring to sadness, longing, depression, and mental pain. Giving a clear expression of the psychological and physical effect of loss is a catharsis and sometimes lessens the pain of grief itself.

 

ECONOMY

Prior to Suharto's "New Order" administration, the Torajan economy was based on agriculture, with cultivated wet rice in terraced fields on mountain slopes, and supplemental cassava and maize crops. Much time and energy were devoted to raising water buffalo, pigs, and chickens, primarily for ceremonial sacrifices and consumption. Coffee was the first significant cash crop produced in Toraja, and was introduced in the mid 19th century, changing the local economy towards commodity production for external markets and gaining an excellent reputation for quality in the international market .

 

With the commencement of the New Order in 1965, Indonesia's economy developed and opened to foreign investment. In Toraja, a coffee plantation and factory was established by Key Coffee of Japan, and Torajan coffee regained a reputation for quality within the growing international specialty coffee sector Multinational oil and mining companies opened new operations in Indonesia during the 1970s and 1980s. Torajans, particularly younger ones, relocated to work for the foreign companies - to Kalimantan for timber and oil, to Papua for mining, to the cities of Sulawesi and Java, and many went to Malaysia. The out-migration of Torajans was steady until 1985. and has continued since, with remittances sent back by emigre Torajans performing an important role within the contemporary economy.

 

Tourism commenced in Toraja in the 1970s, and accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s. Between 1984 and 1997, a significant number of Torajans obtained their incomes from tourism, working in and owning hotels, as tour guides, drivers, or selling souvenirs. With the rise of political and economic instability in Indonesia in the late 1990s - including religious conflicts elsewhere on Sulawesi - tourism in Tana Toraja has declined dramatically. Toraja continues to be a well known origin for Indonesian coffee, grown by both smallholders and plantation estates, although migration, remittances and off-farm income is considered far more important to most households, even those in rural areas.

 

TOURISM AND CULTURAL CHANGE

Before the 1970s, Toraja was almost unknown to Western tourism. In 1971, about 50 Europeans visited Tana Toraja. In 1972, at least 400 visitors attended the funeral ritual of Puang of Sangalla, the highest-ranking nobleman in Tana Toraja and the so-called "last pure-blooded Toraja noble." The event was documented by National Geographic and broadcast in several European countries. In 1976, about 12,000 tourists visited the regency and in 1981, Torajan sculpture was exhibited in major North American museums. "The land of the heavenly kings of Tana Toraja", as written in the exhibition brochure, embraced the outside world.

 

In 1984, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism declared Tana Toraja Regency the prima donna of South Sulawesi. Tana Toraja was heralded as "the second stop after Bali". Tourism was increasing dramatically: by 1985, a total number of 150,000 foreigners had visited the Regency (in addition to 80,000 domestic tourists), and the annual number of foreign visitors was recorded at 40,000 in 1989. Souvenir stands appeared in Rantepao, the cultural center of Toraja, roads were sealed at the most-visited tourist sites, new hotels and tourist-oriented restaurants were opened, and an airstrip was opened in the Regency in 1981.

 

Tourism developers have marketed Tana Toraja as an exotic adventure - an area rich in culture and off the beaten track. Western tourists expected to see stone-age villages and pagan funerals. Toraja is for tourists who have gone as far as Bali and are willing to see more of the wild, "untouched" islands. However, they were more likely to see a Torajan wearing a hat and denim, living in a Christian society. Tourists felt that the tongkonan and other Torajan rituals had been preconceived to make profits, and complained that the destination was too commercialized. This has resulted in several clashes between Torajans and tourism developers, whom Torajans see as outsiders.

 

A clash between local Torajan leaders and the South Sulawesi provincial government (as a tourist developer) broke out in 1985. The government designated 18 Toraja villages and burial sites as traditional tourist attractions. Consequently, zoning restrictions were applied to these areas, such that Torajans themselves were barred from changing their tongkonans and burial sites. The plan was opposed by some Torajan leaders, as they felt that their rituals and traditions were being determined by outsiders. As a result, in 1987, the Torajan village of Kété Kesú and several other designated tourist attractions closed their doors to tourists. This closure lasted only a few days, as the villagers found it too difficult to survive without the income from selling souvenirs.

 

Tourism has also transformed Toraja society. Originally, there was a ritual which allowed commoners to marry nobles (puang) and thereby gain nobility for their children. However, the image of Torajan society created for the tourists, often by "lower-ranking" guides, has eroded its traditional strict hierarchy. High status is not as esteemed in Tana Toraja as it once was. Many low-ranking men can declare themselves and their children nobles by gaining enough wealth through work outside the region and then marrying a noble woman.

 

WIKIPEDIA

GDS colleagues participated in 3 introductory sessions to coding at GDS. Students were from the Women's and BAME network. Volunteer coaches were from across the organisation, and included frontend developers, backend developers, and site reliability engineers.

 

Oil rig Maersk Developer parked in the blue waters in front of Carasbaai / Baja Beach

  

Please respect the copyright on my images. Do not use in any way without my express written consent. You can contact me by Flickrmail or through the contact page of my website www.curacaooncanvas.com

Jared Rypka-Hauer and Danilo Celic find some common ground between development platforms ... I think?

 

(If you look closely, you'll see ColdFusion product manager Tim Buntel in the background, just about to be disturbed by this scene...)

Hire Python Developers | Dedicated Python Programmers | Python development

 

Hire dedicated Python developers for Python programming, professionals in python web and mobile application development and skilled in Django Framework

 

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Test exposure with Crown Graphic 4x5 press camera. Kodak Ektar 127mm/f4.7 lens on Synchro Compur shutter. Shutter seems to be running slow based on first couple of sheets. I shot this at f/16 at 100 on TMax 100 (expired 2002). Developed as EI 50 in Rodinal 1+50 for 10 minutes @ 20 deg C. Scanned Epson V700, dusted in PS with slight curve correction (contrast).

Development details on FilmDev

Developer of Navigate accepts Honorable Mention during an App Quest 3.0. event sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, AT&T, Transit Wireless, and New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), to announce winners in their global competition to solicit development of new mobile solutions designed to help improve commutes for millions of subway, bus and rail riders across the five boroughs. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

Developer of iRideNYC accepts Large Organziation Regognition Award during an App Quest 3.0. event sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, AT&T, Transit Wireless, and New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), to announce winners in their global competition to solicit development of new mobile solutions designed to help improve commutes for millions of subway, bus and rail riders across the five boroughs. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

Developer of TravAlarm accepts Best Crowdsourcing App award during an App Quest 3.0. event sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, AT&T, Transit Wireless, and New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), to announce winners in their global competition to solicit development of new mobile solutions designed to help improve commutes for millions of subway, bus and rail riders across the five boroughs. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

Developer of ReMap accepts Best Data Visualization Award during an App Quest 3.0. event sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, AT&T, Transit Wireless, and New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), to announce winners in their global competition to solicit development of new mobile solutions designed to help improve commutes for millions of subway, bus and rail riders across the five boroughs. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

Connect Four and Jenga set up near the lounge area of the Parse Developer Day hallway

Developer of NYC Accessible accepts Runner-up Prize for Best Accessibility App for Disabled MTA Customers during an App Quest 3.0. event sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, AT&T, Transit Wireless, and New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), to announce winners in their global competition to solicit development of new mobile solutions designed to help improve commutes for millions of subway, bus and rail riders across the five boroughs. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

You’ve most likely seen a web developer such as this where it states “mobile-optimized” or “mobile-version” frequently having a link at the end that reads “view desktop version” or if you notice it offers m within the URL m.facebook.com.

 

Within our research at Atilus on top techniques by not just web-developers, but additionally affiliate marketers from around the globe we’ve discovered that a passionate mobile site, although ideal in certain large-scale applications just isn’t achievable (or necessary) for a lot of companies. Here’s a failure of a few of the benefits and drawbacks and and various applications best places toOrshould not make use of a dedicated mobile site:

 

DEDICATED MOBILE-SITE PROS DEDICATED MOBILE-SITE CONS

 

Custom(ized) Experience - a custom experience results in more happy visitors.Costly - Developing a whole separate setup for mobile users using a dedicated mobile site could be costly - as well as you’ll wish to account not only for that tiniest smartphone screens, but the largest Tablet screens too.

 

Affordable - on small scales there are several tools available to instantly give a mobile enhanced experience (Duda Mobile).Upkeep - Keeping the website up-to-date has already been challenging enough. For those who have a passionate mobile web developer it might mean creating two or more copies of all things.

 

Marketing - It’s become obvious that Google along with other search engines like google are rewarding websites that custom-tailor encounters for every audience and supply the very best encounters. You might even see a lift searching traffic by applying a mobile-enhanced experience.Marketing Complexities - Due to duplicate site issues, another site, when setup incorrectly could really heard your companies search engine marketing.Sales - supplying a totally customized experience around a specific device or display size might help make the entire process of purchasing (registering, or contacting) simpler - specifically in high volume situations.

 

Exacting - Can provide additional control for designers and developers that shouldn't cope with various screen sizes.

 

Exactly What Is A RESPONSIVE MOBILE SITE?

 

Instead of a strictly “mobile-web developer” a responsive (sometimes known as adaptive) site enables websites to become viewed on various cellular devices and screen sizes. As it would seem responsive sites “respond” towards the device they’re on shifting and scaling in line with the device display size. Responsive design may be the preferred selection of Google, and whatever the method you implement Google makes it obvious that it'll begin rewarding companies which have enhanced their websites (no matter means) with greater Internet Search Engine Result Page (SERP) rankings.

Developer of YoTrain! accepts Grand Prize award for Best Accessibility App for MTA Customers with Disabilities during an App Quest 3.0. event sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, AT&T, Transit Wireless, and New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), to announce winners in their global competition to solicit development of new mobile solutions designed to help improve commutes for millions of subway, bus and rail riders across the five boroughs. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

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Back row:

David T, James F., _, Koichi, Felix, Nanda

Front row

_, James L.?, Eryn, Michael D., _

Developer of 1-Touch NYCT accepts Popular Choice award during an App Quest 3.0. event sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, AT&T, Transit Wireless, and New York University’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP), to announce winners in their global competition to solicit development of new mobile solutions designed to help improve commutes for millions of subway, bus and rail riders across the five boroughs. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin