Micro Post; This months quote

"His smile can win even the hearts of little children, his anger can make a tiger crouch in fear. This succintly decribes the true martial artist" - Gichin Funakoshi, Karate-Do Nyumon 1943

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My Talented Friend : Sarah Chapman

Spent the day at the Spring One-Of-A-Kind Show with “My Talented Friend” Sarah Chapman. Wonderful metalsmithing and designs… like this beauty made of copper & silver. I’ll be there tomorrow helping her out again. If you want to see some amazing art, and her incredible jewelry, c’mon down to the Merchandise Mart tomorrow!

A better close-up shows better details of Sarah Chapman’s incredible handiwork. Oxidized sterling silver with a roller-printed “embossed” pattern and iolite points protruding from the side. Gorgeous!

Here’s the “other” side of the twosome necklace by Sarah Chapman. This side is roller-print “embossed” copper and “stitched” with beads of iolite, labradorite & chalcedony

For more about Sarah’s amazing metal works, click here for her website.

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3 Tips to Avoid Locksmith Scams

Locksmith scams are common all over the country. Thus, it is important to be aware of the potential locksmith scams around. Here are some tips that will help you avoid locksmith scams, such as: checking locksmith ID and licensure, asking question and watching out the fluctuation bids.

 

Below are 3 tips to avoid locksmith scams:

Check Locksmith ID and Licensure
Before even contacting them, check their ad and website for an address. Look for accreditation such as from ALOA (though a lot of genuine locksmiths are not members). Then check Google and directory listings for customer reviews.
When you phone them, ask where they or their technicians are based (again, checking the address), whether they are licensed and what the registered name of the business is. End it here if you’re not satisfied with the replies. Source: Scambusters.org

Ask Questions
Most consumer complaints concern fees that were not disclosed when they called the locksmith.  Ask about the cost of a service call, mileage and parts before you agree to have the work performed.  Get an estimate before any work begins, including emergency service.  If the on-site estimate doesn’t match the price quoted on the telephone, have the job done by someone else.Source: BBB.org

Watch Out for Fluctuating Bids
If the locksmith’s on-site price doesn’t match the phone estimate, don’t allow the work to be performed.
Some locksmiths may demand payment after doing shoddy work or inflating the bill, and threaten to call the police or file a lawsuit if you don’t comply.
If that happens, call their bluff. Let them call the police, or offer to call for them. A reputable company won’t drastically change a quoted price, Colorado Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman says.
“The people who are making those threats generally have the most to lose, because they’re not operating within the law, and their actions are not ethical. They’re bullying,” Coffman says. Source:Angieslist.

The post 3 Tips to Avoid Locksmith Scams appeared first on Mr Locksmith Calgary.

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Tools Of The Trade

Dirty… but still doing their duty!

from Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery http://ift.tt/1Un3pGs

Berry Bowls & Plates

With just a month left before art fair season, it’s time to buckle down and produce some more pots! Tonight I focused on throwing some more bowls… that will be trimmed & drilled to become berry bowls.

And some small plates that will go under the berry bowls.

from Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery http://ift.tt/1SE6H3y

Forrest Middleton : Screen Print Patterns Inside A Pot

Here’s a pretty amazing technique to decorate the inside of a bowl. Always an awkward place to get into without altering the pattern or the bowl. Well, here’s a way to alter BOTH that looks so perfect you’d have no idea of what it went through to get to this point. My students know I’m not a big fan of the heat gun… but for this technique it might just be worth it?! File this one under “Things I Definitely Need To Try.”

Click here for Forrest Middleton’s video clip courtesy of Ceramic Arts Daily.

from Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery http://ift.tt/1SQjdiB

Summer Art Fair Schedule 2016

We’re exactly one month away from the kick-off of my Summer Art Fair schedule. I start off on Memorial Day weekend and continue through the summer. Mark your calendars for the list of shows below. I’ve been making a lot of new work. Lots of bisque piling up in my studio… gotta start glazing & firing soon! And then it’s time to pull out the tent and dust it off. It will be fun to get out there again to see all the smiling faces of my wonderful customers!

Schaumburg Prairie Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, May 28th, 2016 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, May 29th, 2016 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center
201 Schaumburg Court in Schaumburg, Illinois

Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, June 11th, 2016 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, June 12th, 2016 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Burlington Park on Chicago Avenue between Washington & Garfield Streets
in Hinsdale, Illinois

Evanston Lakeshore Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, August 6th, 2016 – 11:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, August 7th, 2016 – 11:00am-6:00pm
Along Lake Michigan’s shores at Dawes Park on Sheridan Road at Clark Street
in Evanston, Illinois

Art In The Garden : A Grassroots Art Fair
Saturday, September 1oth, 2016 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Sunday, September 11th, 2016 – 10:00am-5:00pm
1205 Hutchings Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025
One block west of Waukegan Road, between Lake Street and Glenview Road.
It’s a special weekend to play with some of My Talented Friends!!!
We’re at the home of metalsmith Amy Taylor, with our other artist friends…
including wonderful & whimsical paperclay artistry of Cory McCrory, glass bead jewelry by Donna Sauers, metal jewelry by Carole Axium, paintings & sculptures by Martin Chadwick, stained glass by Retta Hentschel and ice-dyed scarves by Jill Wheeler.

Art In The Barn
Saturday, September 24th, 2016 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Sunday, September 25th, 2016 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Located on the grounds (and in the barns) of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
on Route 22 in Barrington, Illinois – Lower Barn E4 & E6

__________________________________________________

And then it’s never too soon to start thinking about the holidays, right???

“My Home For The Holidays” Home Show
Saturday, November 19th, 2016 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, November 20th, 2016 – 10:00am-6:00pm

“Mud & Metal” : A Collaborative Holiday Home Show
A second Holiday Home Show for those who need some last-minute gifts!
Saturday, December 10th, 2016 – 10:00am-6:00pm

 

 

from Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery http://ift.tt/1UmYq8P

Ex-Minneapolis mayor prods Portland region to rethink transportation

Mayor R.T. Rybak challenged Portland-area leaders in an address at the Oregon Convention Center on April 22, 2016.
(Photo: Metro)

This article was originally submitted by Metro as a subscriber post.

Former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak praised and provoked Portland-area leaders at a forum last Friday, challenging them to work together to address growing transportation dilemmas facing Portland and metropolitan regions around the country.

Rybak, a three-term mayor from 2002 to 2014, spoke with humor, humility and bluntness at a regional leadership forum at the Oregon Convention Center, kicking off Metro’s 2018 update of its regional transportation plan.

Attendees included state legislators, local elected officials who sit on the Metro Policy Advisory Committee and Joint Policy Advisory Commmittee on Transportation, public agency staff, transportation advocates, community members and business leaders from throughout the Portland region.

Rybak’s tenure in Minneapolis was a time of great change in the city, which has 400,000 residents and co-anchors the Twin Cities metropolitan region, with a population of around 3 million.

His administration launched a comprehensive 10-year transportation plan called Access Minneapolis, identifying and completing new investments in transit, sidewalks, bikeways and updating transportation design guidelines. Rybak also played a key role in advancing several major bus and light rail projects in Minneapolis and its region. And, he slyly noted, Minneapolis briefly overtook Portland as the best bicycling city in the country according to Bicycling magazine.

But Rybak is intimately familiar with a hard truth about the country’s transportation system: It’s falling apart, and the consequences are real. His mayoral tenure included one of the country’s most terrible transportation tragedies. The collapse of the Interstate 35W Mississippi River bridge during an evening rush hour in 2007 killed 13 people and injured 145.

Reflecting on the lessons he’d learned, Rybak had a clear warning for local leaders: Despite the Portland region’s celebrated accomplishments, emerging trends and festering challenges both require rethinking how we approach transportation planning.

“All of us in the country and literally in the world count on Portland to lead,” Rybak said. “And it is time, I think, for you to challenge some basic assumptions.”

See highlights and watch a video of Rybak’s address at OregonMetro.gov.

[Note from Publisher: I know it might seem odd to some readers that we’ve published a post written by a government agency. Metro is a paid subscriber ($30 per month, just like 32 other businesses and organizations) and one of the perks in our subscription program is the opportunity to publish “Subscriber Posts.” When these posts come in I reserve the right to publish them here on the Front Page when and if appropriate. Just like all the other people, organizations, and businesses that support us financially, Metro’s BikePortland subscription will have no negative impact on our editorial coverage. If you have questions, please email me at jonathan@bikeportland.org.]

The post Ex-Minneapolis mayor prods Portland region to rethink transportation appeared first on BikePortland.org.

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State Parks: Do you want a new bike/walk only bridge on the Banks-Vernonia State Trail?

The Tophill Trestle above Highway 47 south of Vernonia.
(Image: State of Oregon)

The 21-mile Banks-Vernonia State Trail is a gem. This former railway route makes a vital connection in our regional bikeway network and the path has become a huge success, drawing thousands of adventure seekers and weekend warriors on sunny weekends. But if there’s one thing about it that could be improved, it’s the crossings — especially where it crosses Highway 47.

Now Oregon State Parks is embarking on a project that could make one key crossing better — and possibly lay the groundwork for a new biking/walking bridge over the highway.

The old Tophill Trestle sits just east of where the B-V Trail crosses Highway 47 about nine miles south of Vernonia at the Tophill parking lot and trailhead. It’s at mile 12 or about the half-way point of the path. On either side of the highway crossing the path descends and then climbs very steeply through a series of switchbacks. It’s easy to see why the railroad’s original route avoided this canyon by making a gradual and level turn high above where the highway runs today. The graphic below shows the two routes. The railway trestle is in yellow and the B-V Trail is blue.

The existing path is blue, the old railroad route is in yellow.
(Graphic: Google Maps/BikePortland)

The reason State Parks detours away from the old railroad route at this spot is because the trestle has been irreparably damaged by fire and old age. The pilings and supports are so rotten that the state says it must be demolished and removed in the next 1-2 years.

Chris Havel, associate director of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, contacted us last week to share a new online survey about what they should do at this crossing. In the short-term, Havel said they will focus efforts on making the highway crossing safer; but in the long-term they just might consider going back to the old route. There are no solid plans to build a new bridge, but Havel says, “If people really want a bike/ped bridge over the highway, we could do some design work as part of the project to demolish the old one.”

From the survey.

Once the old bridge is removed, Oregon Parks, the City of Vernonia, Columbia and Washington counties, and the Oregon Department of Transportation will come up with a set of proposals for how to improve the crossing. The online survey will be the first step in developing those proposals.

If you bike on the Banks-Vernonia Trail, make sure to fill out the short survey and let the State of Oregon know what you think. Who knows, if enough people speak up in support of a new bridge we could end up with another one of these wonderful wooden bridges, like the Buxton Trestle over Mendenhall Creek:

(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org

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The post State Parks: Do you want a new bike/walk only bridge on the Banks-Vernonia State Trail? appeared first on BikePortland.org.

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A vision for traffic diverters at every neighborhood greenway crossing of a major street

Northeast Portland reimagined.
(Image: Terry Dublinski-Milton)

Let no one say that Terry Dublinski-Milton lacks vision.

The advocate for better neighborhood greenways — back in 2012, before he teamed up with BikeLoudPDX, the Southeast Uplift neighborhood coalition and other groups, he founded a niche greenway advocacy campaign called C.O.P.I.N.G. with Bikes — unveiled a map yesterday of what it’d look like if traffic diversion were required “at or near every greenway crossing of a neighborhood collector, corridor or civic corridor” in inner northeast Portland.

Neighborhood greenways are low-traffic, low-stress side streets, mostly developed in Vancouver BC and Portland, that have become the backbone of Portland’s biking network. The city has long used diverters to reduce auto traffic on a a street; last year it created formal guidlines for determining when to install a diverter to keep auto traffic on a neighborhood greenway below 2,000.

Dublinski-Milton — a man whose initials of “TDM” happen to stand for the well-known concept of transportation demand management, “the application of strategies and policies to reduce travel demand, specifically that of single-occupancy private vehicles” — isn’t a fan of those guidelines. He feels they’ve given the city a rationale for not installing diverters when it could.

Mr. TDM
(Photo: J Maus/BikePortland)

Here’s how he explained the map on a Facebook post Thursday:

Key: Green=Greenways Yellow=Collector streets Purple=Neighborhood commercial corridors and Blue are the BIG corridors like Sandy or MLK.

The Solid green circles are built diverters or paths that act like ones. The open circles are diverters that would be built as part of the policy I was presenting on last night.

I am not only proud of my presentation….but look at the fucking cool map I made! It is only about a total of 100 diverters throughout the NE Coalition, but I think it would be a great start to building out a safe, and robust greenway system.

It’s a provocative concept for sure. Back in 2010, when the city started investing in neighborhood greenways in a big way, they were seen as the best way to start building the Bicycle Plan for 2030 because they were so noncontroversial. Once a greenway network was built, the theory went, there would be more people riding, and that would create the political support necessary to put protected bike lanes on major commercial streets, connecting the rest of the network.

Six years later, building out the neighborhood greenway network has stalled, though it could get a new boost of energy if next month’s gas tax passes. Recent bike counts suggest that (after several years’ delay) the greenway network may have finally started creating new bike users.

Dublinski-Milton definitely doesn’t oppose protected bike lanes on major commercial streets (which hasn’t made significant progress either) but he’s chosen to focus his activism on further improving the greenway network. If he could win supporters for that plan in city government and other institutions, that’d be an interesting and unexpected strategic shift for local bike advocacy — but not the first.

— Michael Andersen, (503) 333-7824 – michael@bikeportland.org

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The post A vision for traffic diverters at every neighborhood greenway crossing of a major street appeared first on BikePortland.org.

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Candy Scoops

Apparently the Easter Bunny left far too much candy for my cousin’s kids in Minnesota?! They still have a LOT of sugar going on up there. Luckily, they have a great bowl and a few spoons to help scoop up some sweets! Because you know that jelly beans always taste better when eaten off a handmade ceramic spoon… or five!

from Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery http://ift.tt/24pfC0l

Sweet Morning Scilla

Possibly the only bright spot in an otherwise gloomy Chicago morning.

from Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery http://ift.tt/1O0akPn

April fun and Keeping up with life!

Its hard to believe April is already done! I've been busy traveling and learning all sorts of wonderful things that I am so excited to share with you in the coming months on OMF. 


This month we've had a month of spring themed posts including gardening, traveling and spring cleaning.  If you missed anything you can find it here.

Things have been so busy around here that I have renewed my zeal for organization every day in order to simply keep up with life. I wanted to take the time to share 6 quick tips that help me keep my home in order in the midst of a busy month like I've just had.

Read more »

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