Art Chennai gets an intriguing twist with installations and cartoons

On the fourth day of Art Chennai, the sessions get intriguing. At Expresss Avenue, the entrance and atrium are crowded with curious passersby and art lovers. There are dubbas hanging from metal bars, microphones stacked on a red table, and a large screen that showcases a lovely mustard field. Of course, this is just at first glance. Meanwhile, at Burgundy's, everyone is having a hearty laugh at Biswajit's witty cartoons.

Biswajit Balasubramanian

At Burgundy's, everyone is having a light evening, wine glasses in hand and wide smiles on their faces. The reason? Biswajit's witty cartoons of everyday situations. There are a few from his Malini series for The Hindu's Retail Plus, some from the music season, and others from a film magazine he contributed to.

In Biswajit's cartoons, it's often not the main character that delivers the punch. Three dancers at a performance hold out boards of their sponsors, standing in various dance poses. The sponsors vary from banks to cellphone service providers. At one corner of the stage, a Natraja statue (the main sponsor being Lord Shiva Dance University!) laments: I say, don't you think they are carrying this sponsorship thing a bit too far? In a few others, the accompanying artistes are bored and the lead performer is too busy posing for cameras to concentrate on the performance. The art gallery series shows a family munching on the food rather than being interested in the art, while other art lovers look on scornfully.

Sometimes it's nice to have a character on the periphery saying things, says the artiste. It's often these people who see the joke while the actual performers don't. He also has a few strips for a technology series. Sample this a newborn, lifted out of his mother's stomach comes with a USB cord rather than an umbilical cord. Inspiration can come from anywhere or anyone. Wherever you go and whatever you observe can be an idea for a cartoon. I visit art galleries a lot, and make cartoons out of what I see. There is a cartoon on how art lovers decipher a work, coming up with ideas that even the artist wouldn't have thought of. These are just observations, he says.

(Biswajit's cartoons are on display till March 18)

Bose Krishnamachari and Sheba Chhachhi

I peep across the escalator near Express Avenue's atrium, and notice the fringes of a red carpet, with a large, red table in the centre. Move a little ahead, and you're blown away. Thirteen regal white chairs whose top half end in geometric post-modern buildings surround the table on three sides. And the table itself is covered by microphones as if the purpose is to call for a conference of world leaders, their chairs patiently awaiting them.

Bose Krishnamachari's minimalistic design on a larger-than-life installation creates quite an impact. In the installation White Builders and the Red Carpets', there are allusions to the media's role in the global economy is everything news? Or, are we just pawns in a bigger plan? The 13 chairs also talk of religion's influence in the world; alluding to The Last Supper. Wires from the 100-odd microphones end in a pile on the carpet, reminiscent of the chaos in this world.

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Of wit and wisdom

Everyone hates higher gas prices. But rising prices at the pump hit small businesses especially hard. A hefty percentage of small companies depend on their truck, van, SUV or car to operate their business: construction workers, on-site service providers, salespeople, realtors, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and many more.

For these one-person and small businesses, their vehicle serves as their office. To save money, you cant just tell them to drive less. Driving less means making less money. And vehicle costs including gas take a big chunk out of their total income.

They cant just pass rising gas prices on to their customers, either. While gas prices rose by more than 10 percent in in the last year, the overall consumer price index rose only 2.9 percent (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics).

So, if youre running a carpet installation business, or a landscaping company, you arent going to feel confident about raising your prices.

That means shrinking profit margins. You cant just complain about gas prices, its critical for your business survival that you do everything you can to keep your gas costs under control.

What can you do? Ive come up with seven tips to help you lower gas costs in your mobile business:

Lose weight: When you work from your truck, SUV or car, Im guessing you carry a lot of stuff. Youve got equipment, supplies, catalogs, tools and more. All that weight means less fuel efficiency. Lighter loads use less gas. If possible, load your vehicle with only what you need for the day. Now, of course, you have to be sensible. You dont want to get to a job site only to discover that you do need that ladder after all.

Get an app: Do you have a smartphone? If so, youll find a number of apps that can help you save money on gas whether its finding gas stations with lower prices, plotting gas-saving routes for multiple destinations or just avoiding traffic to save time idling in traffic jams. Heres a link to a list of gas apps: http://blog.truecar.com/2011/03/14/ten-apps-for-saving-money-on-gas/.

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Schedule smarter: If you have more than one destination a day, try as much as possible to bunch appointments so you stay in the same neighborhood. Yes, I know you already try to do this, but you might need to be a bit more forceful with customers Ill be in your neighborhood on Tuesday; can I come then instead of Wednesday? Always plan your route to minimize driving. This not only saves you money on gas, it saves you time. And time, as you know, is money.

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Rhonda Abrams: Start at pump to reduce business expenses

After being closed since late December, the Ocean Beach library celebrated its grand reopening on March 10, sporting a new roof along with fresh carpet and interior paint.

The 83-year-old library, situated in a city historically-designated building, had originally been approved for roofing through an infrastructure bond in 2008; it has since been targeted for closure multiple times by mayor Jerry Sanders, each time meeting fierce community opposition.

Library staff greeted returning patrons and passed out chocolates to children, though in the early afternoon the number of users was noticeably lower than usual.

Despite a call for volunteers to drop in and help prepare for the reopening, many shelves were still empty. Staff also said that while the recent updates did not include the installation of a self-checkout kiosk, they were expecting one to be installed within the coming months.

The branchs first day back in operation also marked the last day on the job for popular local librarian Bob Cronk, who was promoted and will move to the Scripps Ranch library. Throughout the day, Cronk received bittersweet farewells from local library patrons sorry to lose his service.

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Ocean Beach Library Reopens

St. Lazare Mayor Pierre Kary and MNA Lucie Charlebois show their Stallion jerseys after announcing plans for new field.

St. Lazare will be rolling out a green carpet for its soccer and football players next year.

The town announced Thursday that, thanks to a Quebec government subsidy covering half of the estimated $1. 7-million cost, a synthetic sports field will be installed in Westwood Park, just behind the Westwood Junior High School.

This will extend the sport season and allow youngsters to enjoy their sports on a safer playing surface, Mayor Pierre Kary said, adding that the synthetic field will be installed in time for the 2013 playing season.

A couple of young football players, members of the St. Lazare Stallions, who were present for the announcement, said they were looking forward to playing on artificial turf.

I like the feel of a natural field but it gets so muddy so often that we cant play, said Kevin Turcsik, 12.

His friend, 13-year-old Emile Guilbeault, agreed. This will extend our playing season, he said.

Indeed, Soulanges MNA Lucie Charlebois said that synthetic turf will allow for an early April-to-first-snow season.

And an end to the mud, she said, noting that the synthetic turf will be used by more than 2,200 kids who play in the football league or in the recently renamed St. Lazare/Hudson Soccer Club.

Lucie Tremblay, president of the St. Lazare/Hudson Soccer Club, welcomed the prospect of a synthetic field.

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West Island: St. Lazare to get new synthetic sports field

by Eric HagenStaff Writer

A 30-year-old St. Paul man has been accused in Anoka County District Court of separate thefts and burglaries in Andover over an eight-day period.

Christopher Michael Krolick has been charged with five different felonies including theft, second-degree burglary and three charges of fifth-degree controlled substance possession.

According to the criminal complaints, an Andover resident on the 15000 block of Thrush Street N.W. called police at 7:56 a.m. Feb. 23 to report a theft that had occurred at her residence. She told police that she recently moved into the home and was having new carpet installed. After the project was completed, she discovered that several pieces of jewelry and an envelope containing $1,500 in case were missing.

The owner of the carpet installation company called police at 8:05 a.m. that same day to report that one of his employees named Krolick had confessed to the theft, according to the complaint.

Deputies responded to this owners home where Krolick was taken into custody. He allegedly admitted to police in a post-Miranda statement that he stole the $1,500 in cash and two pairs of earrings. The estimated aggregate value of the stolen items is between $2,000 and $2,100.

Eight days later on March 2, the sheriffs office received a call that a man was using a ladder to climb into the upper level window of an Andover home on the 14500 block of Bluebird Street.

Deputies allegedly caught Krolick carrying a full can of gasoline out of the garage.

After Krolick was arrested, deputies found a large quantity of Oxycodone, Diazepam and Ritalin pills in his pants pockets, according to the complaint. Some of the Ritalin pills were taken from a prescription bottle from inside the house.

In a post-Miranda statement, Krolick allegedly admitted that he did not have permission to enter the home and that he took gasoline and pills from the home.

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St. Paul man accused of burglaries in Andover

An announcement today from Empire Today, a full-service provider of quality flooring, carpet and window treatment products for the commercial and residential segments, is now serving the Kansas City area. Empire, commonly known as Empire Carpet, services over 50 metropolitan markets across the United States.

Northlake, IL (PRWEB) March 08, 2012

We are excited to begin providing service in the Kansas City area with our quality flooring, carpet and window treatment products, said Steve Silvers chief executive officer for Empire Today. Empire makes updating our customers homes or businesses convenient by offering free estimates, shop at-home or on-site consultations, quality products at great prices and professional, next day installation on many of our products.

Empire Today also offers quality products from leading manufacturers, a Low Price Guarantee and one year financing options with approved credit. All of Empires products come with a manufacturer product warranty and an Empire service warranty.

In 2011 and 2010, Empire Today was a finalist for the prestigious national awards for Best Customer Service Organization and Best Overall Company from the American Business Awards. As a Better Business Bureau accredited organization, Empire has an A+ rating.

About Empire Today

Empire Today, LLC, also commonly known as Empire Carpet, has been a leading provider of installed home improvements and home furnishings for Over 50 Years. Empire provides services to residential and business customers with a wide selection of products suitable for homes, small businesses, organizations and commercial applications. Our line of quality, name-brand products includes: Carpet, Hardwood, Laminate, Ceramic, Vinyl Flooring and Window Treatments. The company provides shop-at-home or on-site consultations, next day professional installation on many products, quality products at great prices and world-class service to more than 50 metropolitan areas in the United States. Empire Today for a greener tomorrow a leader in floor covering recycling. For more information, call 800-588-2300, visit empiretoday.com or follow us: @Empire Today twitter.

Also, visit the following sites for more information:

Empire Carpet Man

Empire Carpet Stories

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Empire Today® Expands Next Day, Carpet, Flooring and Window Treatments Service in the Midwest.

Michael Woods Staff Reporter

Toronto FC is covering new ground Wednesday night: their match against the Los Angeles Galaxy is their first at the Rogers Centre.

The actual ground theyre covering not the stadiums usual baseball turf is also newly-installed: this time last week, the pitch was mere concrete.

It took 25 workers about 36 hours to lay down the soccer playing surface late last week. The temporary lines demarcating the field were painted on Sunday, just in time for Toronto FCs first practice there on Monday.

The whirlwind installation seems like a daunting task. But for Frank Grespan, whos been the director of conversions at the dome since before the stadium was built, its all part of the job.

It takes months and months of planning, actually, he said. The average fan out there doesnt understand the work that goes in.

Rogers Centre has nine full-time workers who operate the hydraulically-powered equipment needed to convert the stadium between sports.

Especially for this match, 16 more temporary workers were brought in to first tape down granulated rubber to the concrete, to soften the playing surface.

(Toronto FCs) coaching staff probably felt that the turf itself was a little bit too hard on the concrete, so they wanted to soften it up a little bit, Grespan said. The surface also features silica sand, which gives the rubber its weight.

Stadium staff then put a stiff layer of plastic on top of the rubber so that they could slide turf rolls on top together perfectly, without any seams between them. The turf surface is made up of 50 separate rolls, which weigh between 8,000 and 11,000 pounds depending on the length.

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Rogers Centre rolls out green carpet for Toronto FC

The public was initially able to walk over the 1,000 square metre (10,700 square feet) carpet of seeds when they went on show, but the work was later cordoned off when dust created by the porcelain raised health fears.

"The 10 tonnes of seeds can be displayed in the form of a one-and-a-half metre (five feet) high conical sculpture, stretching five metres in diameter, or as a 10 centimetre-deep square or rectangle," the Tate said in a statement.

Ai, whose activism has made him a thorn in the side of China's communist authorities, was held in custody for 81 days last year as police rounded up dissidents amid online calls for Arab Spring-style protests in China.

Upon his release in June, the 54-year-old was charged with tax evasion, charges he maintains are politically motivated attempts to silence him.

The gallery said the seeds, which were individually hand-made by artisans in Jingdezhen, eastern China, carried associations of the Cultural Revolution, the chaotic period of Chinese politics between 1966 and 1976.

"Propaganda images depicted Chairman Mao as the sun with the mass of people as sunflowers turning towards him," the Tate said.

Sunflower seeds are a popular street snack in China, while porcelain has traditionally been one of the country's most prized exports.

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Tate Gallery buys Ai Weiwei's 'Sunflower Seeds'

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has sold part of his "Sunflower Seeds" installation to Britain's Tate Gallery, it said on Monday.

The London gallery has bought around eight million of the 100 million porcelain seeds, which covered the floor of the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall in 2010, for an undisclosed figure.

The public was initially able to walk over the 1,000 square metre (10,700 square feet) carpet of seeds when they went on show, but the work was later cordoned off when dust created by the porcelain raised health fears.

"The 10 tonnes of seeds can be displayed in the form of a one-and-a-half metre (five feet) high conical sculpture, stretching five metres in diameter, or as a 10 centimetre-deep square or rectangle," the Tate said in a statement.

The Tate Modern displayed the eight million seeds in the cone shape from June until last month.

Ai, whose activism has made him a thorn in the side of China's communist authorities, was held in custody for 81 days last year as police rounded up dissidents amid online calls for Arab Spring-style protests in China.

Upon his release in June, the 54-year-old was charged with tax evasion, charges he maintains are politically motivated attempts to silence him.

The gallery said the seeds, which were individually hand-made by artisans in Jingdezhen, eastern China, carried associations of the Cultural Revolution, the chaotic period of Chinese politics between 1966 and 1976.

"Propaganda images depicted Chairman Mao as the sun with the mass of people as sunflowers turning towards him," the Tate said.

Sunflower seeds are a popular street snack in China, while porcelain has traditionally been one of the country's most prized exports.

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Britain's Tate Gallery buys Ai Weiwei's 'Sunflower Seeds'

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute Awards First Cradle to Cradle Product Certifications to Shaw Industries

Dalton, GA (PRWEB) March 05, 2012

The products are among the first in the world to achieve certification through the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, which independently operates and audits the certification process. Based in San Francisco, California, the Institute was formed in March 2010 by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The Institutes objective is to make the rigorous Cradle to Cradle product certification program (originally founded in 2005 by McDonough and Braungart) more accessible and available to a larger public.

In 2005, Shaw Industries became the first flooring company in the world to introduce fully certified Cradle to Cradle flooring products. Today, nearly 75 percent of the companys sales come from Cradle to Cradle certified product, including residential and commercial carpet, carpet tile, rugs, and hardwood. In addition, the company recently introduced LokDots, the worlds first Silver level Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM installation system, for use with the companys EcoWorx carpet tile.

According to Shaw Vice President of Sustainability Paul Murray, certifying EcoWorx through the new Cradle to Cradle Institute process is a fitting next step for the company that pioneered flooring designed according to Cradle to Cradle principles.

A dedication to Cradle to Cradle principles is an integral part of our commitment to Sustainability through Innovation the Shaw Green Edge, Murray said. Our introduction of EcoWorx carpet tile with Eco Solution Q fiber more than a decade ago changed the definition of sustainable flooring for our industry. Becoming the first flooring manufacturer in the world to earn Cradle to Cradle certification for these products, and subsequently embracing Cradle to Cradle principles across the spectrum of product design, manufacturing, reclamation and reuse continues to help us push the envelope of innovation for both our organization and our industry.

We are proud that the flagship Cradle to Cradle certified flooring product has come full circle and is now among the first products in the world to receive certification via the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institutes new certification process, Murray added.

As the new manager of the Cradle to Cradle certification program, the Institute works with leaders from academia, the NGO environmental community, government, and industry to further Cradle to Cradle as a comprehensive quality rating system for the assessment and continuous improvement of products based on five categories:

Products that meet the criteria of this rating system receive the Cradle to Cradle certified mark. To date, more than 90 companies worldwide have engaged in the Cradle to Cradle certification process through McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), working with assessors MBDC in the United States, and the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) in Germany.

From the worlds first Cradle to Cradle designed flooring products to their continued development of new Cradle to Cradle products and collections, Shaws commitment to sustainability through innovation is one that clearly embraces and integrates the tenets of Cradle to Cradle design through every aspect of their business, said designer and architect William McDonough. Mr. McDonough and Dr. Michael Braungart co-authored the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, now a seminal text within the sustainable design and business movement.

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Shaw among first to garner Cradle to Cradle Certification via new institute