Subscribe toNewscastStudio's newsletter for the latest in broadcast design and engineering delivered to your inbox.

Just like the city it calls home, the new studio of NBC News Meet the Press explores the dichotomy of modern versus classical in a town that still leans heavily on storied traditions while coexisting in a world thats constantly hitting refresh on the flow of information and conservation.

Set Design

NBC News Studio N1

View more images of this project...

After over 60 years broadcasting from the studios of WRC, the networks owned station in Washington, D.C., NBC execs made the pivotal decision to move Meet the Press and the networks bureau closer to the heart of the city paying credence to the mantra of location, location, location.

In the district, location is important but so is access, access, access so the network opted to start exploring ways to expand its downtown presence even before a January 2019 fire that heavily damaged its ancillary studios on the upper floors of an office building.

The debut of Meet the Press from the space culminates a months long process of moving both on camera and behind the scenes areas across town.

Once the decision was made to create a new hub in the heart of the district and NBC secured the additional space, the network turned to the design team at HD Studio to fill the newly acquired real estate with multiple broadcast and work environments including this ground-level studio for Meet the Press.

Advertisement

While Studio N5 on the eighth floor and the bureau newsroom on seven embrace clean lines and LED video walls, so popular in broadcast studios today, the first floor is decidedly different.

We wanted to create a space that speaks to NBCU News Groups commitment to Washington-based coverage. It was important to us to balance the federal-style architecture with the unique modern finishes and latest technologies to break from the generic feel of many modern workspaces. Plus, creating expansive windows across the first floor studios and newsroom also reflects the importance of journalistic transparency, said Marc Greenstein, SVP of design and production at NBC News and MSNBC.

To facilitate that concept, HD Studios team created a bit of a backstory about the new home for Meet the Press it was a found space that had been expanded and modernized over time, noted Bryan Higgason.

We always looked for ways to pit something very modern against something very classical, he noted in an interview with NewscastStudio.

The roundtable area most of the LED video walls in the archways can be moved to reveal real windows. Photos courtesy of Niel Galen and NBC News.

The main roundtable area for Meet the Press was enclosed with paneled walls and archways painted in a colonial blue discovered through research into historic architecture dating back to the founding of the country.

This gives it the basic structure of a traditional colonial room complete with framed pictures and faux marble and wood floors.

In many ways, its sort of opposite the open concept thats become all the rage in both home and office designs of today but also a reflection of the design sensibilities of another era.

Not only does this go a long way in creating a perfect area for pointed questioning and interviews, but its a recognizable, consistent space viewers can expect to see each week.

These chats take place around a simple circular table with flared based sits on a circular custom carpet with the Meet the Press logo ringing it somewhat reminiscent of another famous (albeit oval-shaped) area rug found elsewhere in the city namely at the White House.

Though the pandemic will likely mean MTP has to rely on social distancing and remote interviews for the time being, the table is designed to sit up to four guests in addition to Chuck Todd and can be shot in the round.

HD Studio nixed the idea of using traditional hidden camera ports (disguised through open-backed bookshelves or dark corners of the studio) that are often mainstays of roundtable setups and instead paid close attention to blocking the camera positions as well as the evolving nature of the shows format.

Cameras will still show up on air from time to time, but thats also a nod to the connection to be old and new and the flow of conversation from around that table out into the world, noted Higgason.

Meanwhile, the gently curving archways that box in this area are decidedly traditional but have the very modern option to be filled with seamless 1.56mm UHD LED panels from Neoti that can be used to showcase stylized imagery of D.C. landmarks or be used for remote interviews.

Whats not immediately visible, according to Higgason, is that all of these panels can be moved around behind the blue walls to reveal the real glass windows beyond as well as combined with an oversized, gold web-like sculptural gold map of Washingtons highly recognizable spoke street layout.

This configuration was inspired by Studio 1A in Rockefeller Center, which has its home base between two perpendicular walls of glass, giving the network a high profile billboard of its presence while also giving passersby a peek into the process of newsgathering.

Just off this area is a more open, modern feeling glass box space with two perpendicular walls of glass overlooking the 45-workstation newsroom beyond, perhaps another nod to 1A.

The main desk in this space is another blend of old and new its basic shape is that of a colonial or federalist style desk with its gracefully bowed legs and other carved details.

However, its been finished in a bold bright red thats found throughout the new D.C. facility as well as the networks New York headquarters (and decidedly not very traditional).

It also includes integrated glass panels with color-changing LED edge lighting effects and frosted bars another motif common found, for example, in the header element in the seventh-floor newsroom and throughout Studio N5 on eight.

While a truly antique piece could be emblazoned with a gold seal and leafing, this desk has custom, internal lit reveal lines and an NBC peacock in the center.

Shooting the red desk through one wall of windows gives viewers a dramatic view of an intricate barrel-vaulted ceiling with dark coffers that runs down the center of the newsroom, also inspired by neoclassical and federal architecture a shot that started to show up during NBC and MSNBC coverage of the inauguration.

The rear wall of the newsroom is finished in the same bright red as the desk and equipped, directly behind the studio window, a 22 video panel array that providesa prominent digital canvas for branded or topical graphics on both one and multi-shot setups from the desk.

Interestingly, the designers didnt set out with a red, white and blue color palette in mind for the space, said Higgason.

The team initially was more focused on integrating visual continuity to other NBC studios, but quickly discovered red went a long way in warming up the look and it ended up being a great way to blend in a bit of that modern take on design with otherwise traditional looks.

A more traditional anchor desk layout situated with glass on both sides and a dramatic barrel vault above.

Meanwhile, on either side of the central barrel vault is a more modern interpretation of that architectural element suspended, internally lit rectangular frames arranged in grids, another example Higgason points out as a bridge between old and new.

The team also tucked thousands of LEDs in the coffers, cornices of columns and in other architectural details throughout the space, giving NBC the ability to create a multitude of moods and looks that spreads beyond just studio lighting cues.

Getting these ceiling elements installed involved detailed work with HVAC and electrical contractors to get all of these systems as close to the structural ceiling as possible giving the space the most possible using ceiling height (about 14 feet), said Higgason.

HD Studio also had to work around numerous structural columns that hold the building up spaced about every 20 feet or so in a grid pattern throughout the space. One also, located in the studio area, also had to be relocated to create a larger footprint.

Of course, columns are no stranger to neoclassical, federal-style architecture, so they were ultimately worked into the design.

To refine the look, however, the columns were clad with a stone-like finish and etched with symbolic words such as Honesty, Truth, Wisdom and Tenacity all meant to stand for, both literally and figuratively, the foundations on which journalism is based on.

It felt important to provide reminders for what the people in that room do and speak to the qualities of the people delivering the news, explained Higgason.

Staffers will also be able to look down for other reminders of their mission to facilitate conversation between the public and elected officials numerous quotes about the free press and its relationship with the government are adhered to the floor.

One of the most obvious things about this text, however, is that it doesnt line up with the rather grid-like layout of the rest of the space instead, theyve been aligned to roughly form spokes reaching out from the Capitol grounds.

The idea is that the people in that are listening to what is emanating from that buildings, said Higgason.

Also outside the studio is an open space that includes a combination of green room and gathering spaces for guests and workers alike.

An open area outside the studio includes a green room and large NBC peacock bench installation.

Rather than just rely on traditional seating, HD Studio came up with the idea to use a top-down view of the NBC peacock logo as a multifaceted seating area complete with faux marble bases.

Each feather is a separate segment of the installation and topped with one of the corresponding six colors found in the iconic logo.

Although COVID-19 likely means gathering in the area (as well as the other planned communal meeting areas throughout the newsroom) might not be leveraged right away, Higgason says it will be interesting to see how staffers and guests end up gravitating to it and sparking additional conversations.

Set Design

NBC News Studio N1

View more images of this project...

For more than seventy years, Meet the Press has been the place where presidents, policymakers, foreign leaders, and those in power have come to speak directly to American viewers, said Todd. This year, we will continue to be the gold standard of Sunday public affairs programming with the same sensibilities and mission, only now from a 21st-century studio with the latest technologies and broadcast capabilities.

Set Design Bryan Higgason, Paul Benson and Sid Wichienkuer of HD StudioLighting Design Niel Galen of The Lighting Design GroupLED Displays NeotiFabrication blackwalnutSystems Integrator BeckTV

Go here to see the original:
New 'Meet the Press' studio pays tribute to heart of democracy, free exchange of ideas - NewscastStudio

The bishop of a Chattanooga church has died one day apart from his wife and longtime fellow church worker, and they will be remembered in a joint funeral service on Monday at 11 a.m.

Prior to that, Bishop James M. Scott, Sr., 87, and Mother Virginia Scott, 83, both will lie in state on Sunday from 1-5 p.m. at the church where they long labored together - Holy Temple Church of God in Christ on Bliss Avenue.

Mother Scott died Sunday and Bishop Scott passed away the next day.

He was born in Pickens County, Mississippi on November 29, 1933 to the union of the Elder Matthew and Melissa Reed Scott. The sixth of 10 children, he was saved at a very young age. At the age of 14, he lost his father and pastor, but shortly after, he was called into the ministry. A born leader, his life was exemplary for others even in his youth, it was stated.

As a young adult, he remained at home with his mother and younger siblings in an effort to assist her with the family farm. This decision did not allow him to go to college, but he was able to train the younger siblings to safely operate the necessary farm equipment. He would work his mothers land and then work his land.

In 1954, he married his beautiful bride, Virginia Washington.They met when she was 15 and were married two years later.

Shortly after marrying, "God led the young couple to Chattanooga in 1956 where they joined Holy Temple Church of God in Christ. This move was clearly ordained by God, and in 1957, he was appointed pastor of the Holy Temple Church by Bishop Audley King. He worked 10 years for Preserving Wood for $40 a week, but was able to take care of his family, the church and even build his first home. He told his children, 'Your money will do whatever you tell it to do.' Eventually he was able to get his GED and become a contractor. Meanwhile, God also blessed this union, and added four childrenthe late Elder James, Jr., Zenobia Norman, Elder Mark Scott and Lotneice Hinton, along with seven grandchildren and four great- grandchildren.

"Bishop Scott has remained committed to God, and served his family, his church and his leaders faithfully. He has held various positions in the jurisdiction including President of the State Sunday School Department, Chairman of the Ordination Board, Member of the Finance Committee and District Superintendent. And in 1996, God elevated him to Bishop of the Tennessee Eastern Second Jurisdiction.

"As a gifted leader, Bishop Scott knows how to reach and serve the youth, the elderly and all of those in between. He was a great teacher for young men, often telling them how to be effective husbands and fathers. He used his gifts to shepherd Gods people and his talent and vision to edify the church. He has been credited with the construction and renovation of countless churches throughout the eastern part of Tennessee where he has left his footprints. He was also responsible for the former and most recent construction of The New Holy Temple Cathedral COGIC at 2311 Bliss Ave. It is a beautiful edifice that also functions as the State Temple.

"A kind-hearted and generous person, his leadership style allowed all people an opportunity to blossom. His commitment to Christ and deep love for Gods people has thus sustained him as pastor of The New Holy Temple Cathedral Church of God in Christ for nearly 64 years. And it is there where he leaves his legacy through the many lives he touched, leaders he groomed and the family he enriched."

Mother Virginia Scott, was born Virginia Washington to the union of Elder Frank and Zenobia Washington in Teoc, Mississippi.She was the second oldest of 10 children. "She was saved at an early and filled with the Holy Spirit at the tender age of 10.Even from her youth, she was a witness for her family, friends and classmates.She often told of being teased for being saved, but later those that teased her would watch her and later accept Christ. Being the eldest daughter, she was often needed to help take care of her younger siblings.She often talked about helping her mom and the nurse midwife with the delivery of her younger siblings."

A short time after she was married, "the Lord led this young couple to Chattanooga, Tennessee.She and Bishop joined Holy Temple Church of God in Christ in 1956 under the leadership of Elder Pinkard. The following year in June of 1957 and at the young age of 19, she became a First Lady after God elevated her husband to the position of Pastor.

"Mother Scott began working in the church in her youth, where she could often be found singing, working with the youth, teaching Sunday School, selling dinners and even playing her drum for the outreach street ministry.She has worn many hats in the local church, district and even state where she held several positions over the years.When her husband was away, she picked up many of the saints for church and carried them home as well, sometimes not getting home until after midnight with four children in tow! A great example in the home, she taught her children the scriptures and often made them sing gospel songs while she hit a tune on the piano.She served her husband with joy, raised her children with purpose and loved on all of Gods children.When asked for advice on how to be an effective Pastors Wife, she would always say, 'Just love all of the people the same.'

"Outside of the home, she worked and took care of Carl and Nancy Fischer.Since the couple had no children, they were very dependent on her and she was the trustworthy and gentle spirit they needed.She remained with them for nearly 19 years until both passed away.

"Over the years, Mother Scott was the sweet and steady fragrance at Holy Temple. She remained faithful to God, her family and the church.She always had a kind word and often reached out to the saints via phone when they needed encouraging.Her signature song was and remains 'Will You Reach Me A Hand of Kindness!' "

The funeral service will be at the church with Elder Mark Scott as the eulogist.Burial will be in Hamilton Memorial Gardens.Arrangements are by Taylor Funeral Home of Chattanooga, Inc.

View post:
Man And Wife Who Long Pastored Chattanooga Church To Lie In State Together, Have Joint Funeral - The Chattanoogan

The Arlington County Board is slated to review plans for two residential towers at 1820 N. Fort Myer Drive that include substantial affordable housing contributions.

The proposal from Arlington-based Snell Properties would replace the Ames Center office building across from the Rosslyn Metro station. A south tower will abut the Hyatt Centric hotel and a north tower will surround the existing Arlington Temple United Methodist Church and Sunoco gas station, dubbed Our Lady of Exxon.

Although the church and gas station will be redeveloped in place, the skywalks which provide an elevated pedestrian connection to the Metro station will be demolished, according to the County.

Along with plans for the Holiday Inn and the RCA building, the proposal from Snell will further change Rosslyns skyline, demolishing the existing building, formerly occupied by the Art Institute of Washington.

The proposed towers, 30 and 31 stories tall, include 740 multifamily units and about 10,146 square feet of retail space. Up to 225 of the residential units may devoted to an interim hotel use, while the apartments are leased.

In a report, staff highlighted the affordable housing units in the building, committed as such for the next 30 years.

The Rosslyn Coordinated Redevelopment District area, where this project is located, is one of the most expensive rental markets in the County, staff said. There are currently no [committed affordable units] within the RCRD.

Twenty-four one- and two-bedroom units will be reserved for households making up to 80% of the Area Median Income.

Typically, such units are reserved for those who make up to 60% AMI, but staff said Rosslyn is so expensive that reserving units for up to 80% AMI will better leverage the community benefits value while providing much-needed affordability directly in this area.

Snell Properties is also committing nearly $2.5 million in cash toward affordable housing. The County said this sum could create about 29 units in future developments that are affordable for households earning up to 60% of the Area Median Income.

The project additionally includes a $5 million cash contribution for the Fort Myer Drive tunnel project, which includes plans to convert the road into a two-way street, remove the tunnel, widen sidewalks and add protected bike lanes.

A cement plaza will separate the two towers and form one segment of a planned pedestrian pathway that County planners call the 18th Street Corridor. This street-level walkway will replace the existing, elevated passages. Mid-block crosswalks will join the plaza to 18th Street N.

Those who participated in community engagement from July and September were universally in support of [the] removal of both skywalks, staff said.

The towers will share four levels of below-grade parking and the south tower will have four levels of above-grade parking 574 parking spaces in total.

The County said there are no outstanding community issues but the mechanical penthouse roof and elevators may block or hurt the view of D.C. from the Central Place Observation Deck.

The south building will be built in phase one, along with an interim open space and other streetscape improvements. The second phase will see more activity: construction of the north tower, the plaza and remaining streetscape improvements, as well as the removal of the skywalks.

The County Board is expected to review the project at its Saturday meeting.

View post:
County Board to Review Rosslyn Residential Development That Preserves Church and Gas Station - ARLnow

As one who frequents the Hixson and Red Bank areas more than other parts of town, I have followed the new construction and new businesses just by being in my car.

And because of an inner pull to document places for historical purposes, I decided amid Saturdays sunny blue skies to take pictures of some of the completed sites. I did that, even though under-construction photos are the more interesting to look at as time goes by!

I did not take pictures of every new business or development, as I think some residential developments are underway off the side roads near South Dayton Boulevard.

The ones I went by were mainly places seen from Hixson Pike and Dayton Boulevard.

I started Saturday morning by going past the Webb Family Orthodontics building at Hixson Pike by Williams Road. It was probably completed about a year ago, and I had been meaning to get a picture of it. It is nice and stands out among some older and lower-quality, metal-siding buildings on that stretch of the street, although there are other good-looking buildings, including even some fast-food structures.

Speaking of fast food, I then went by the Jacks in Red Bank by Ashland Terrace and Dayton Boulevard, which has been open only a few weeks.

It seems to be well received in its few weeks of operating.

I then stopped again at the large lawn/meadow amid suburbia that is uniquely the old Red Bank Middle/High School site a little farther south on Dayton Boulevard. Proposals are being sought for mixed-use development there including park space. Red Bank and other entities will likely get going on some kind of plans soon, even though some people have hoped it would all become park space.

It still has the old New Deal-era constructed wall and steps along Dayton Boulevard.

I next took a picture of the old Shoneys a little farther south and across the street, which is slowly being remodeled into a future Mojo Burrito. Pre-pandemic plans called for opening this restaurant and using the current one near the intersection with Signal Mountain Road as a catering kitchen.

For the record, I love their ground beef burritos!

While I was there, I also took a picture of the convenience store across Dayton Boulevard that has been selling Union 76 or 76 gas for several months. Since I had not seen an orange 76 ball for a number of years, the view of the business has been a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

What next, the old Red Bank Lion and Texaco stations will reappear farther north on Dayton Boulevard, and the convenience store on Ashland Terrace across from the Coulter Chapel of Lane Funeral Home will start selling DX gasoline as an ode to the late John Browns station?

Keeping in mind when the sun was illuminating the front of many of these new places, I then drove over to Northpoint Boulevard and Executive Drive to see the outside of the new Everlan by Dominion independent living community for those 55 and older.

Although it sits at an unspectacular location near Northgate Mall, the numerous medically focused office buildings and some railroad tracks, hats off to the architect and builder. It looks a little like a Western lodge or vintage Wyoming hotel or at least a classic Eastern golf and country club clubhouse. Views of pretty Signal Mountain in the distance can be seen from the slightly elevated location as well.

I then took a picture of the nicely constructed building on the outside of Northgate Mall that now houses Buddys BBQ and Buff City Soap.

After a nice lunch and, yes, a brief nap, I broke away from the seemingly dozens of college basketball games on TV at mid-afternoon to finish my tour. I first went to see the Chicken Salad Chick restaurant that has opened in recent weeks in the old Karls Family Restaurant building.

In my opinion, they did a great job of reusing an old building and giving it an eye-catching, modern and refurbished look. Hopefully business will continue to be good for them.

I then stopped in the Publix shopping center parking lot farther out Hixson Pike and took a picture of Jacks across Hixson Pike in between countless cars zooming by. Both Jacks have a nice architectural look for a fast-food restaurant.

I also realized that you will probably not hear anytime soon many residents of Hixson or Red Bank say that they wish they had a Jacks closer to them.

I concluded my tour by stopping at the Valleybrook Presbyterian Church parking lot and taking pictures again across Hixson Pike at the new Lullwater at Big Ridge apartment complex. And yes, I once again tried to click my shutter in between passing automobiles.

More of a typically modern Chattanooga suburban apartment complex, it is not quite as eye catching as the Everlan complex to me. But it still had an appealing look, with balconies, a good-sized clubhouse and a runoff retention pond that should add a nice aesthetic for residents.

After I headed south on Hixson Pike and back home, I started thinking that it would sure be nice for the old Earth Fare store north of Northgate Mall and the railroad tracks to be converted into a Fresh Market or Trader Joes grocery. After all, does every really popular chain business have to be built only on Gunbarrel Road?

And while you are at it, could we have a Krispy-Kreme doughnut shop a little closer than Brainerd Road?

If that occurred, it would certainly be sweet music to my ears and taste buds!

Jcsheaer2@comcast.net

Go here to see the original:
John Shearer: Checking Out The New - And News-Making - Places In Hixson And Red Bank - The Chattanoogan

January 22, 2021

LUMBERTON A local faith-based group of ministers has begun to include law enforcement in its mission to promote peace, and offer healing and justice for all people.

Members of the Ministers for Justice group met Tuesday with Lumberton police Chief Mike McNeill to offer resources to officers and to victims of crimes, said Brianna Goodwin, executive director of the Robeson County Church and Community Center, whose vision helped lead to the groups formation. The meeting also was used to discuss negative police perception by some members of the public across the nation and how it translates locally.

Chief McNeill said the police department has worked with local pastors before and welcomes the collaboration.

The meeting went real well, he said. I think its gonna benefit the community with support groups like that praying for the officers and the community here. I think its a good thing. Its a good thing for us.

The police chief said he looks forward to meeting again with members of the group.

I just want to be a part of the healing in our community when it comes to law enforcement and the perception of law enforcement and the way that people interact with them, and you know, that involves recognizing the good things they do and connecting them with resources so that they can do some of that, that other work, that community work, Goodwin said.

The group and RCCCC are willing to partner with officers to give items like clothing or comfort items to children in Child Protective Services situations when a social worker is not available immediately. Goodwin also said pastors will provide guidance, prayer and support to police officers when needed, especially in situations when force is used or trauma is involved.

Part of our mission is to actively pursue justice for all citizens of our county. We decided to start by building relationships with our city and county leaders. We chose to start with our law enforcement officers first since its the one area where injustice can result in deadly consequences. It is our desire to be proactive rather than reactive to potential tragedies, said Rev. Leslie Sessoms, minister of youth at Godwin Heights Baptist Church and group member.

The group advocates for all victims of injustice, including victims of police brutality and police officers on the receiving end of injustice in other situations, Goodwin said.

Rev. Derek McNair, pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church in Red Springs, described the meeting with Chief McNeill as wonderful, informative and inspiring.

It was our hope and goal to create a relationship with Chief McNeill and staff to let them know that they do not stand alone, McNair said.

It was encouraging to hear what he and his officers are doing in the city to build positive connections between his officers and the people they serve. Our hope is that this meeting will be the beginning of a relationship built on mutual respect, one in which we can celebrate the positive contributions made by our law enforcement officers and one in which we can work hand-in-hand to resolve any negative issues that currently exist or should arise, Sessoms said.

I think he has a wonderful philosophy on community policing, Goodwin said of the police chief.

The meeting is the first of many to come with law enforcement agencies across the county, she said. The group will also branch out to meet with and serve organizations like the countys public school system.

One of our goals is to meet with every police chief in Robeson County as well as our sheriff, Burnis Wilkins, Sessoms said.

The Ministers for Justice group began holding meetings at RCCCC in July 2020 to discuss racial issues and promote unity in the county. The pastors who attended were to take a better understanding from discussions with others of different races and spread the message of unity to decrease racial tension in the county, McNair told The Robesonian in October.

I believe we are called to be a voice for the voiceless, Sessoms said. If we remain silent in the face of injustice then we are complicit in it.

The group of ministers continues to meet every fourth Thursday of each month. The December meeting was held via Zoom video conference with 11 ministers in attendance, Goodwin said.

For information on how to get involved, contact Sessoms by email at lhsessoms@nc.rr.com.

Read the rest here:
Construction work on Fayetteville Outer Loop to cause detours off I-95 - The Robesonian

Charles Winokoor|The Herald News

FALL RIVER The sight of his cancer-stricken mother-in-law sleeping on a floor in Vietnam motivatedDavid Nguyen to go into the bedding business.

That was three decades ago, and since then the owner of US Bedding in Fall River has positioned himself to be one of the major bedding manufacturers on the East Coast.

Nguyen was born in 1962 in Hanoi, capital city of the former North Vietnam.

Nearly 18 years later, in late 1979, after his mother had bribed local police officials to get him phony Chinese identification documents so that Nguyen could board a small boat bound for Hong Kong with 100 other people he had only one thought in mind: making his way to the United States.

It didnt matter that it was less than five years since the last remaining U.S. troops left what was then known as Saigon in South Vietnam after a decade-long military conflict that led to the deaths of 58,000 American soldiers and as many as an estimated 600,000 North and South Vietnamese civilians.

Nguyen, now 58, says he had just graduated high school and planned to go to college.

His father died when he was two years old leaving his mother, who ran a small market, to support him and his six siblings, all of whom helped her run the business after school.

His college plans were dashed after he got word that he would have to serve in the Vietnamese army either in Cambodia where Vietnamese troops were fighting to oust Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge regime -- or on the northern border where Chinese and Vietnamese troops were clashing in what is known as the last Sino-Vietnamese War.

Nguyen says he didnt hesitate to leave Vietnam, despite the fact that he was leaving behind his mother and siblings.

I didnt like the government, he said. It was too dangerous for me to stay there, and anywhere is better than living in the communist country.

Nguyen says that he and his future wife survived their 43-day sea journey to Hong Kong, which at the time was under British control, from the capital city of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam where he had grown up.

It would only take 45 minutes to fly there, he said. But we couldnt go on the open sea. We had to stay close to shore. And we hit the rocks two times.

After living for more than a year in two refugee camps, the young couple, who were allowed to live together and had plans to marry, qualified to travel to the United States.

Nguyen said they had earlier been offered safe passage to other Western nations such as Britain, Australia and Holland. But he said they waited until it became possible to travel by ship to America.

During his time in Hong Kong, Nguyen says he searched for his older brother who had also planned to escape from Hanoi. But he says his sibling was grabbed by police before he could leave and ended up spending a year in a Vietnamese prison.

Nguyen says his two brothers and four sisters all survived and went on to lead what is be considered normal lives in Vietnam.

He attributes the improvement in the quality of life to the communist government adopting a more lenient attitude in regard to free-market capitalism.

After a total of two weeks of English language classes in the second of two Hong Kong refugee camps, Nguyen and his now-pregnant wife arrived in Boston where they were sponsored by an organization affiliated with a Catholic church.

Nguyen says their first residency was a one-bedroom apartment on Main Street in Charlestown where the couple shared space with six other Vietnamese refugees, all of whom were single men.

He said they all slept on pieces of foam mattress. After two months Nguyen and his wife and another couple moved into a two-bedroom multi-family house in Everett.

It was while living there that his wife gave birth to a daughter, the first of five children.

While his wife stayed at home with the baby, Nguyen found a job cleaning a wholesale marketplace where other workers had spent the day cleaning vegetables.

I spoke no English, but I did a great job, he said. The owner offered me another job, so now I have two jobs, and Im working 16, 17 hours a day, six days a week.

After two years, Nguyen says he began renting a three-family house in a Dorchester neighborhood with a sizable Vietnamese population.

He began learning how to do construction work and repairs and became adept at installing hardwood floors.

Within two years Nguyen had started his own construction company. By then his wife had given birth to her second child.

One day while working a job on Beacon Hill Nguyen says he spotted a full-service laundry business for sale complete with dry cleaning services and clothing alterations.

Not long after buying the business from the elderly female owner who wanted to retire, Nguyen sold his construction firm to a friend and eventually opened five more laundry and dry cleaning locations. He called his new business American Dry Cleaning.

Nguyen says he was able to buy a piece of land in West Roxbury where he built a house for his growing family.

The trajectory of his business life, however, took a detour after he made a return visit to Vietnam in 1989.

Nguyen says it was the first time he had met his mother-in-law, who by then was dying of cancer.

She was a very skinny lady, he said. And she slept on the wooden floor without a mattress like a lot of Vietnamese.

I felt terrible, Nguyen said. I tried to get her a mattress, but I cannot find it anywhere. People dont even know what it is.

He said he finally found a piece of foam in a store.

Nguyen said he paid the equivalent of $150 American dollars for that item, which struck him as absurd: My sister was a doctor, and she made $17 a month. No wonder no one had anything like that, he said.

Returning to Boston, Nguyen says he couldnt stop thinking about that beautiful mattress.

In my spare time I would ask around, Where do they make mattresses in Boston?

One day Nguyen walked into a mattress manufacturing company in Chelsea and asked the general manager for a tour.

I just showed up at the front desk and said, I want to learn how to make the mattresses, because I want to make them in Vietnam, Nguyen said.

The manager declined his request and suggested that Nguyen pick up a copy of Bed Times Magazine.

One of the ads he spotted in the trade magazine was for a Webster company called Jeffco Fibres, Inc. Nguyen said he asked for the founder and owner Alfred Lonstein, who referred him to his son Jeffrey.

Jeff shows me around so I can see fabric panel and quilting. Step by step the whole process, Nguyen said.

During a recent interview in his US Bedding office in Fall River, Nguyen answered a phone call from Jeffrey Lonsteins son Eric, who now works in hisfamily business and sells bedding material to Nguyen.

Returning to his story, Nguyen said, I bought a machine and material and put it in a container and shipped it to Vietnam.

The year was 1994, and he enlisted a brother in Vietnam to help him open what would not only be Nguyens first bedding business, but also what he says was probably the first bedding manufacturing business in the country.

But I got into the market too early, he said.

Three years later, after his wife underwent open heart surgery, and with five kids in high school, Nguyen said he sold his share of the business to his brother in Vietnam.

Nguyen said by the time his brother sold it in 2005 the business had proven to be very successful.

It was amazing to people, he said, adding that there are many others now. If I had hung around I could be a billionaire.

Nguyen said the first mattress made in the Hanoi factory went to his mother, who has since passed away.

She was sleeping on that mattress when she died, he said.

Nguyen, meanwhile, in 2000 sold all six of his dry cleaning stores to his employees in order to open US Bedding.

He began by buying a 25,000-square-foot warehouse in Canton. Five years later Nguyen relocated after purchasing an old mill building on Quarry Street in Fall River.

He recently paid Walmart $5.25 million for the former Sams Club building less than a mile from his Quarry Street site.

Nguyen says the relocation move will allow his business to grow by leaps and bounds and eventually will result in his hiring an additional 100 workers.

He and his wife also plan to move from West Roxbury to Tiverton where Nguyen says he'll build a house on farm land he bought.

Nguyen says despite the recent political turmoil in the country he has no intention of altering the name of his company.

America is the best country in the world, hesaid.

I always tell my friends and kids that if they work hard and are honest they basically can do whatever they want, Nguyensaid.

Originally posted here:
How this Fall River business owner went from Vietnamese refugee to successful entrepreneur - Fall River Herald News

CNA Staff, Jan 24, 2021 / 06:01 am MT (CNA).- A group of Christian leaders who advocate for the Holy Land this week reiterated a call for Israeli and Palestinian authorities to negotiate directly for the sake of peace in the region. They also encouraged Israel to make COVID-19 vaccines accessible to Palestinians.

The Holy Land Coordination group, which was founded by the Catholic BishopsConference of England and Wales, is comprised of bishops from the U.S. and Europe, as well as a bishop of the Church of England. Since 2000, the group has taken an annual trip to the Holy Land, and promotes awareness, action, and prayer for the region.

During the bishops January 2020 trip, they visited Christians in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Ramallah. The bishops met virtually in January 2021 with Christians in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel.

Due to the pandemic, this year is the first since the groups founding that the bishops have not been able to meet in the Holy Land.

The Christian community, though small, is an important guarantor of social cohesion and a bearer of hope for a better future. We eagerly await a time when Christians from across the world can once again make pilgrimages to the Holy Land to witness and support this first-hand. Until that point, we encourage our communities to provide any assistance that may be possible and hold all the regions peoples in our prayers, the group wrote in a Jan. 22 communiqu.

The delegation included Bishop David Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace.

The delegation noted that the absence of pilgrims to the Holy Land in the past year has exacerbated unemployment and poverty.

The bishops concluded that these factors, along with continuing political conflict, culminate to mean, there is today less cause for optimism than at any time in recent history.

Security borders have impaired Palestinians ability to work and travel, including travel to Muslim and Christian holy places, while Jewish settlements in the West Bank are a continuing source of tension.

Israel suspended the annexation of some parts of the West Bank during August 2020 as part of its normalization of relations with the United Arab Emirates, but tensions remain.

The lack of political progress, along with relentless expansion of illegal settlements and the impact of Israels Nation-State law, continues to erode any prospect of a peaceful two-state solution, the bishops wrote.

The nation-state law refers to a 2018 measure which defined Israel as the historic homeland of the Jewish people who have a singular right to national self-determination within it. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has criticized the law as discriminatory against Israels Christians.

The bishops also encouraged Israel to make COVID-19 vaccines accessible for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel has one of the highest per-capita rates of COVID-19 vaccination in the world, but until this week was not allowing vaccines into Gaza or the West Bank.

The Vatican recognized the state of Palestine during May 2015. During May 2020, the Holy See reaffirmed its support of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, and respect for the borders internationally recognized before 1967.

In a July 2020 statement, released in response to possible Israeli action to annex Palestinian territories, the Holy See reiterated that Israel and the State of Palestine have the right to exist and to live in peace and security, within internationally recognized borders.

Then-US president Donald Trump and Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu in January 2020 proposed a two-state peace plan for Israel and Palestine, which included an independent Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem.

Trump insisted that Jerusalem would also remain Israels undivided very important undivided capital. The United States moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in 2017.

Under the plan, none of Jerusalems Old City or territory within the current security wall would be ceded to the Palestinian state. The agreement also preserves the status quo policy regarding control of various religious sites, including the site of the Temple Mount and Al Aqsa Mosque, and, under the proposal, Muslims would still have access to the site.

Trump's proposal for peace called for the creation of a Palestinian state, but gave Israel sovereignty over 30% of the West Bank. The Palestinians reject this.

Palestinian leaders, the United Nations, and European and Arab countries oppose unilateral action from Israel and consider Israeli settlements on land captured in 1967 to be illegal, Reuters reports. Israelis who back annexation cite biblical, historical, and political roots in the West Bank territory.

The plan also proposes the construction of a West Bank-Gaza Tunnel to connect the two halves of Palestine, and that a third of the Gaza Strip be designated as a high-tech manufacturing industrial zone.

As part of the plan, Trump also pledged money to the Palestinian state for job creation and poverty reduction. Trump said that if Abbas and the Palestinian Authority choose the path to peace, that the United States and other countries will be there, we will be there to help you in so many different ways.

Newly-inaugurated President Joe Biden is likely to reverse some of Trumps policies in the Middle East, pledging as a candidate to restore humanitarian aid to Palestinians and opposing Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, NPR reports.

Read the original post:
Bishops reiterate need for direct Israel-Palestine negotiations if there is to be peace - Catholic News Agency

New years bring new opportunities in life and in the life of your garden. What will you do this year? Plant a vegetable garden? Add fruit trees? You can create the landscape of your dreams.

When theres rain, be sure your irrigation system is on pause. Theres no need to water when the soil is already saturated. Leave the water off until the soil is dry at least to your second knuckle when you stick your finger into the soil.

Treat newly planted water-wise gardens the same way. For established water-wise gardens, wait until the soil is dry about 4 inches deep.

If theres been no rain, continue irrigating on a reduced winter schedule.

In January, the new crop of bare root fruit trees, vines and shrubs arrives in the nursery. They look like scraggly sticks with a wad of roots at the base, but they are the best way to buy deciduous fruiting plants (the ones that drop their leaves for winter).

This is the best time to shop for:

Now is the ideal time to buy stone fruit trees, such as plum trees.

(Getty Images)

How to select the best fruiting plant for your garden:

How to plant a bare root plant:

Prune and spray established fruit trees:

Harvest citrus:

All native and non-native drought-tolerant plants are best planted now in the cool (and maybe wet) weather.

Add beautiful flowering shrubs to your garden: Grevillea from Australia, conebush from South Africa, native Ceanothus (California lilac), native lemonade berry.

A honeybee collects pollen from blue Ceanothus flowers (California lilac).

(Getty Images)

Heating houses dries out the air, and thats hard on many houseplants. So give your plants a spa day in the bathroom. Fill the tub with a few inches of water. Prop your houseplants on top of empty plant pots (upside down) or other props set in the tub. Allow the houseplants to enjoy the humidity but not sit in water. Leave them for a day or so.

Have your pothos vines grown very long and leggy? Encourage side branches by cutting back long stems to a branching point.

Check houseplants for aphids, mealy bugs or scale. Use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to kill the critters.

Nan Sterman is a water-wise garden designer and writer and the host of A Growing Passion on KPBS television. More information is at AGrowingPassion.com and waterwisegardener.com.

Link:
Start turning garden dreams into reality with these January tasks - La Jolla Light

Beautiful Botanicals by Joanne Howdle

Early to blossom, blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is a deciduous shrub or small tree which has clouds of snowy-white flowers in early spring.

Blackthorn belongs to the same genus (Prunus) as almond, cherry and plum trees. The specific epithetspinosarefers to the sharp spines or thorns that are characteristic of this botanical, which is best known for its rich, inky, dark and waxy berries that are used to make a favourite winter tipple sloe gin.

Blackthorn is widespread across temperate Europe and also occurs in the Near East and Northern Africa. It is also naturalised in New Zealand, and eastern North America. Blackthorn often grows in hedgerows or thickets. Mature blackthorn shrubs can grow to a height of around 6-7m and live for up to 100 years.

It is an important plant for wildlife, its spring flowers providing nectar for early emerging insects. The foliage of this botanical is a food plant for the caterpillars of many moths, while birds nest among its dense, thorny thickets, eating caterpillars and other insects from the leaves, and feasting on its fruit in the autumn.

In the past, Highlanders believed that blackthorn was associated with evil spirits. It is said that witches' wands and staffs were made using blackthorn wood and children stolen by the faerie folk were said to have been left under blackthorn shrubs and would grow up to become changelings.

Pricking oneself on a thorn of this botanical was thought to be able to bestow a curse.

Blackthorn wood is very hard and in the past was often used to make the teeth of agricultural implements. Suitable branches were used for making walking sticks and were highly valued for this purpose because of their twisted and interesting shapes.

The bark, leaves and fruits were often used in the Highlands to make dye for clothes and food. The juice from blackthorn bark was used to produce a bright red dye, while the leaves of the shrub produced a green dye. With the addition of vitriol or copperas, the juice from the bark and fruit was used to make blue and black dyes and an excellent ink.

Traditionally, blackthorn flowers and fruit were used in a wealth of remedies including tonics and syrups that cleansed the blood, aided digestive complaints and eased rheumatism.

Blackthorn fruits, known as sloe berries or sloes, made into a jelly was a popular treatment in Scotland for throat problems, while blackthorn flowers were used as a laxative or infused and then applied to the skin to kill off scabies. Today, the pulp of ripened sloe berries is combined with other ingredients to make commercially available face masks said to maintain skin elasticity for younger looking skin.

Sloe berries are astringent when fresh and are therefore not eaten in the same way as those of many otherPrunusspecies (such as cherries and plums). The archaeological remains of sloes have been found on Neolithic dwelling sites and traditionally in Scotland sloe berries were used to make jellies and preserves and as a flavouring for gin, whisky and other drinks.

In the 1820s, sloe berries were often used to adulterate port wine and when tea was a very expensive product, the young leaves of blackthorn were dried and used as a replacement for, or addition to, the more expensive tea.

In modern gin manufacture, sloes are best picked after a frost, as this reduces the tannin content of the fruit. When distilled, sloe berries add a complexity to the gin, imparting a sweet yet tart taste with earthy undertones.

Sign up today and get 50% off a six-month subscription with promo code '50OFF'.

Read more here:
Witches and faeries give blackthorn a prickly name in the north - JohnOGroat Journal

New York, Jan. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global market for smart irrigation has been foreseen to rise with a 17.1% CAGR, touching a valuation of USD 3,147.29 Million in the year 2027. These systems aid in monitoring soil conditions, weather, water used for plants, and evaporation to adjust the schedule of watering automatically to the actual sites conditions. The market is witnessing a steadfast growth, owing to the farmers and agriculturalists demand towards automating the agricultural process for reducing the water usage. Rapid emergence of renowned institutional farms and the rising popularity of gardens with irrigating landscape are the two major factors fueling the industrys growth.

Conventional methods of watering lead to the waste of 50% of water used because of the inefficiencies in evaporation, irrigation, and overwatering. Moreover, they operate on the basis of a timer, not responding to different weather conditions or the water amount required for a plant. All these factors have elevated the need for smart irrigation, sensors for historical or real-time data for informing routines of watering along with modifying watering schedules in order to enhance efficiency. However, less technical knowledge and the high cost of sensors and controllers of smart irrigation systems are hindering the markets growth. Several farmers in various developing countries are deficient in the skills required for operating these smart systems. Get FREE Sample Copy with TOC of the Report to understand the structure of the complete report@ https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/2359

Further key findings from the report suggest

Buy Your Copy Now (Customized Report Delivered as per Your Specific Requirement)@ https://www.reportsanddata.com/checkout-form/2359

For the purpose of this report, Reports and Data has segmented the smart irrigation market on the basis of type, component, application, and region:

Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 20172027)

Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 20172027)

Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 20172027)

Click on the link to read key highlights of the report and look at projected trends for years to come: https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/smart-irrigation-market

Regional Outlook (Revenue in USD Million; 20172027)

Take a Look at our Related Reports:

Agricultural Biostimulants Market Analysis By Type (Acid-based, Extract-based, Others), By Application (Soil, Foliar, Seed and Others) And Segment Forecasts, 2017-2026

Potash Fertilizers Market Share, Size & Analysis, By Product Type (Potassium Chloride, Potassium Nitrate, Sulfate of Potash), By Mode of Application (Foliar, Broadcasting, Fertigation), By Crop Type (Cereals & Grains, Fruits & Vegetables, Oilseeds & Pulses), 2017-2027

Seed Treatment Market Size, Share & Demand, By Type (Chemical Seed Treatment, Biological Seed Treatment), By Crop Type, By Application Technique, By Function And By Region, Forecasts To 2027

Biopesticides Market Size, Share & Analysis, By Product Type (Bioherbicides, Bioinsecticides, Bionematicides), By Crop Type, By Mode of Application, By Source, By Formulation, And By Region, Forecasts To 2027

Phosphate Fertilizer Market Demand, Share & Outlook, By Product Type (Superphosphate, Monoammonium Phosphate, Diammonium Phosphate), By Application, By Distribution Channel And By Region, Forecasts To 2027

About Reports and Data

Reports and Data is a market research and consulting company that provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. Our solutions purely focus on your purpose to locate, target and analyze consumer behavior shifts across demographics, across industries and help clients make a smarter business decision. We offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a multiple industries including Healthcare, Technology, Chemicals, Power, and Energy. We consistently update our research offerings to ensure our clients are aware about the latest trends existent in the market. Reports and Data has a strong base of experienced analysts from varied areas of expertise.

Contact Us:

John W

Head of Business Development

Reports And Data | Web: http://www.reportsanddata.com

Direct Line: +1-212-710-1370

E-mail: sales@reportsanddata.com

LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs

Read Full Press Release@ https://www.reportsanddata.com/press-release/global-smart-irrigation-market

Read the rest here:
Smart Irrigation Market To Reach USD 3147.29 Million By 2027 | Rise in Awareness about Conservation of Water and an Increase in Investment for R&D...