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porterenaudinprogress · 4 years

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STUDIO DIARY - MAY 2020

Friday 8th May 2020

The last month, I've decided to write my studio diary in English. Maybe, this decision can seem to be a pretension to look like more ''international''. But, over and above the fact that I feel my work can be better welcomed in Anglo-Saxon countries than in France, it's for me a challenge to try to create my language. I don't want to write like a native speaker -I can't- but I want to write as somebody feeling free -by ignorance of course- to organize words and sentences as he wants. For sure, any native never writes really as a native because as Deleuze said, the writer always tries to stutter the language. And as a closer friend of mine often says, English is more an intestine language than french, it's the language of empiricism and of experiential approach par excellence. I also think that this longing comes to render my expression much less ampoulé. Write in English will help me to cushion the fall of a living thought on the floor of words. Maybe, French remains for me a language use as a power to escape from my native social environment. With English, that I read every day -through John Dewey's work- I'm ready to construct my own English made of my french winding way of think. In English, I write better hic et nunc.

There's many months ago, I wanted to develop mural sculptural propositions inspired by cameo craft. My longing was to make portraits of women. In this framework, I was very interested in Juno Ludovisi. I don't know exactly the perfect sense of this longing. I think it was made of an accumulation of discoveries and feelings. It was difficult for me to assume this idea to make portraits of women because I always depreciate this kind of process often reinforcing sexist biases, especially when it's an initiative of a man. I just say that feminity isn't feminism and isn't a female being. I was excited by the power of a word that I have invented: FRAUEUER composed of two German words: Frau and Feuer. Anyway, I made an experimentation with red cement and white plaster because I wanted to interrogate the cameo aesthetic in using my current building materials. Then, I forget this idea, dropping out my experiment in the studio. And now, for me, it's obvious that what I'm developing with WIND OF CHANGE is enough mature to reinvest this exploration about my fake cameo craft. For me, I'm always interested to explore ''hackneyed" aesthetic. I like to develop a historical filiation with sculptural craft that doesn't participate in the big path of art history. And honestly, when I was a child, I remember that my mother was very keen on medallions with cameo and that, among a big broken cake in the form of singer loved by my parents -showcased in the living room- and other stuff I'll describe the next time, the cameo was one my first sculptural emotion, on the same level that the white antic sculptures of the art and history museum of my birthplace.

Sunday 10th May 2020

Yesterday, I had a talk with SIAM about my series in progress, WIND OF CHANGE. I told her my hanging difficulties questionings. Because, at first, I thought add kitchen fix behind each sculptural proposition to hang to the wall as a classic art set up and then I was afraid by the tension between the weight of the artwork and its fragility. Then I thought as a hanging used for NIHIL #1 but at the same time, this hanging device was included, if I can say, in the aesthetic finality of artwork. By the hazard of my web researches, I discovered the artist Richard Starbuck and his series named "Sludgegiggle" and "Dirtyscratchings" paintings which is inspiring to question deeper this essential aspect of WIND OF CHANGE. And SIAM told me she found the current hanging just perfect, id est, that each sculptural proposition is leaned against the wall. And when she told me that, I discovered that was true, not just for the reason she had given me -for her, these artworks look like between steles and paying cards- but it was consistent in my sculptural genealogy of gestures, always connected with the ground.

I'd beginning to read a book about research-creation in art, and all the day I've thought about what's my method. For a very practical description: when I arrived at the studio, my head was confusing by this new terrific technology: robot-dog in Singapore to ''help'' to keep a good social distancing at the occasion of the current health crisis. I need to draw something, it was clear. Then I've taken a paper and I've began to form a shape on the paper with my usual material: povidone-iodine, coal, and red clay. At present, all my work is invaded by a landscape made of ''uddered'' mountains. It's not automatic but I felt that it was exactly the necessary context to let emerge my trouble. And after, I've thought about this robot-dog... I was afraid to draw a dirty kitsch -very ''literal''- robot-dog. And I thought about a book which dragged in my studio about the nature representation in Ancient Egyptian art. And I was reminded of Anubis and the shape of typical Egyptian dog. In this way appeared a very interesting mythological short circuit. Furthermore, I'm sure that an idea is better when it is connected with something participating in his past. When I was between 12 and 18 I was fascinated by ancient Egypt as a kid of course but it was enough significant to settle an aesthetic layer in my grasp of the world. I've learned from 17 to 22 the ancient hieroglyphic language. When I started drawing, I made an association with the meat-grinder pattern. At the end of my work, I discovered something really interesting to develop because it proposes a new synthesis or new way which to lead me closer to the solution. You know the solution to the problem, that each of us has and for which you have, in fine, any resolution. But you're always searching for a short cut that you never found as David Vincent in ''The Invaders''! To finish, temporarily, I know my next painting work participating in my expanded sculptural practice and I make the connexion with a recovered material: disposable paper packages for food. In my work, I have always had an obsession with the relation between my height and the golden ratio... So, I've defined a format for the coming artwork (2.25 x 14.92 ft) Now, I've to categorize all these steps, maybe to define a method.

Friday 15th May 2020

A proposition for open call about Power and Invisible lines of power

Recognition #1 is a participative and immersive sounded sculptural proposition consisting of a very basic architectural layout in space, emerging as a drawing. This shape acts as a frontier in space, a delimitation very open -because without walls and roof- and closed at the same time - because very strong and hard in reason of its materiology-.

• This space is made of concrete iron bars, anti-bird spikes plaster. It remains minimalist sculptors as Toni Grand and Eva Hesse which are masters for me.

• On the floor, inside this space, there's an accumulation of little faces made in clay with a cast of my face.

• At every exterior corners of this architecture, there's a bust, hands crossed on the chest, with bird spikes in place of the head. Every bust is sounded and plays -with an inner speaker- an electronic guitar riff in a loop. They are like towers.

• Inside the space, there are three standing meat grinders.

All the described elements are inscribed in a genealogy of my work.

• From 2015, I've used anti-bird spikes to stabilize forms evoking something between the architectural waste and the animal. These forms acted like very abstract Schmerzensmann. Anti-bird spike is typically the avatar of the expression of a border between the scene and the obscene look that builds social space. Pigeon or homeless, these elements characterize a distancing of the bodies within the social body. • In this continuity in last December, in Milan, I was very impressed by old broken statues hung in height and covered in place of the head of this anti-bird spikes. In this sculptural proposition, each corner is like a guardian, that is to say, the one who fixes the invisible lines between the world which must be visible -the scene- and the one which must be hidden -the obscene-. It guards what it must be inside and outside the line of the authorized world in which the ''rights holders'' have power. These guardians ''utter'' a repetitive riff of guitar which grows back as much as it welcomes. This riff is extracted from a song I'm working on and I'll be broadcasting soon. It's named CRISIS. For me, a sculpture can become a song and vice versa. Here the sound reinforces the holist aspect of this space acting as an environment between the sacred enclosure of a temple and the scenic space for a rock band to give its show.

• While the guardians are headless, faceless; on the floor, there's an accumulation of little faces. From 2011, I've stabilized different sculptural propositions using this form. They are part of the same time in the build-becoming of the world as a sediment made of individualities and in the dust-becoming of the world which people disappear because reified by time. Memory is a struggle against the natural reification of conscious beings.

• The meat grinder made its first appearance in my work in 2016. Since then, it has come up regularly as the ambivalent symbol of the perpetual collapse of things. A kind of crossed-out God as the sociologist Bruno Latour would say (c.f. We Have Never Been Modern) and at the same time as a representation of the motor of thermo-industrial society which increases the capacity of individuals to individuate in treating all other beings as if they were inert matter. These three standing meat grinders are diffusers of sound matter.

Recognition #1 is also a performative proposition. Before the event, I will collect sound matter in the streets of Singapore, based on a question that I will ask passers-by. When would you be ready to rise up? This question is very important to me because it directly concerns power and the shadow or light it casts on the demarcations that take place between people and social groups, these invisible lines. I draw this question from a reflection by Michel Foucault - about the role of the intellectual in society- which is very precious to me as an artist and a citizen.

“The intellectual does not have to be the legislator, to make the law, does not have to say what must happen. I believe that its role is precisely to perpetually show how what seems to go without saying in what makes our daily life is arbitrary and fragile and that we can always rise up. And that there are perpetually and everywhere reasons not to accept it, reality as it is given and proposed to us.” (Michel Foucault)

To ask myself this question acts for me as a revealer of the invisible lines which enclose people in relationships of powers that consume them because they do not emancipate them. This collected sound matter will be accessible by turning the cranks of the meat grinders. Each visitor will be able to activate this mechanism. For the collection of this sound matter, I will, therefore, go to meet people, dressed in a suit on which I have been working for a few months. It is a full suit (shoe, mask, gloves, jumpsuit) bristling with anti-bird spikes. This costume, between zentei (ぜんてい) and bacteriological equipment, is being designed for the song CRISIS.

So I foresee a performance during which I will invite two people from the public to slip into costumes similar to mine, bristling with anti-bird spikes, to join me in this sculptural and sounded space to manipulate and experience -in the rapprochement and the remoteness- of all the materials by the exhaustion of the architectural and sound structure of the space.

Recognition #1 is very inspired by the book of the philosopher Axel Honneth named Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea. From the hypotheses of Lukács for whom reification “constitutes a distorting ''Stance'' or mode of behavior that is so widespread in capitalist societies that it can be described as ''second nature''” (Axel Honneth, p. 25) whom he confronts with the theories of Heidegger and John Dewey. He is interested in the question of experience which precedes knowledge and which is the essential place for all ethical or ''sympathetic'' (in the sense of empathy) relationships with the other. In short, it is a question of fighting against the processes of reification which is the process of multiplication of invisible lines through which people try to sneak. Let us have for image the jewel protected by laser beams, the thief tries to avoid them to seize the good so much coveted without giving the alarm. Here the coveted good is, let us say it naively, a better life, at the risk of which the bodies of the individuals are cut off by the multiple invisible lines which categorize and assign them, thus dispossessing them of the action and the expressiveness of the world. We suffer from the opposition too much between subject and object which is the primary cause of the reification of beings.

“Like Lukács and Heidegger, Dewey is skeptical of the traditional view according to which our primary relationship to the world is constituted by a neutral confrontation with an object to be understood. Although he neither uses the concept of reification to characterize this doctrine nor shares the pathos of Heidegger’s worldview as far as the phenomenon that he is describing is concerned, Dewey agrees with these two thinkers that the predominance of the subject-object model cannot help but leave its impression on society’s conception of itself. He asserts with Heidegger and Lukács that the longer we hold on to the traditional opposition of subject and object, the more our life practices will be damaged, since cognition and feelings, theory and practice, science and art will thereby be more and more torn apart.” (Axel Honneth, pp. 49/50)

And as such we can say that modernity is the industrial tracer of invisible lines within the experiential world from the idea that the past belongs to natural such therefore the future always promises to make us cultural, civilized:

“The asymmetry between nature and culture then becomes an asymmetry between past and future. The past was the confusion of things and men; the future is what will no longer confuse them. Modernization consists in continually exiting from an obscure age that mingled the needs of society with scientific truth, in order to enter into a new age that will finally distinguish clearly what belongs to atemporal nature and what comes from humans, what depends on things and what belongs to signs.” (Bruno Latour, p. 77)

Today we know the disasters of the invisible lines drawn by human subjects on the one hand and non-human objects on the other, we prevent ourselves from thinking as the hybrids produced by genetic and technological power.

Recognition #1 assumes the possibility of an emotional field before knowledge, this artwork acts as a presentiment, an existential mud aiming to bring us closer to each other, to mock invisible lines, to cross them ... This artwork “is concerned with arguing for the general priority enjoyed by a particular stance of engagement or recognition over all other forms of relating to the world; here I am concerned with showing that emotional receptivity comes before the transition to cognition of intersubjectively given objects in a strictly temporal sense”. (Axel Honneth, p. 45)

These invisible lines drawn by modernity that we must cross and this all the more since we save a distance from each other, that we all assume more or more consciously the role of guardian of the invisible lines which reifies us.

• Axel Honneth Reification: A New Look at an Old Idea, Oxford University Press, 2008

• Bruno Latour, We Have Never Been Modern, Harvard University Press Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1993, (original edition in 1991), translated by Catherine Porter

• Michel Foucault, « ENTRETIEN INEDIT AVEC MICHEL FOUCAULT 1979 par Farès Sassine », in le blog de Farès Sassine Assassines, le 22/08/2014

available at this address: https://fares-sassine.blogspot.com/2014/08/entretien-inedit-avec-michel-foucault.html- translated by my very own self!

Saturday 23rd may 2020

Artists have a political commitment when they make pieces of art and they want to commit, through them, an alterity process. When this reception has happened, in the approach of Dewey1, these pieces of art become artworks. This artist doesn't look for an immediate reception. The public cannot exist for the moment and maybe never. But, profoundly, this inner and intimate commitment distinguishes the a-politic-artist of the politic-artist. That's the reason why it is so difficult for people who aren't artists to comprehend why a politic-artist -submerged in the deepest of anonymity, needs to endeavor that his/her work be expected. These people think that the unknown politic-artist -implied for them who doesn't sell his/her pieces of art in the very narrow international corridor of art market- needs to continue to work to create this public. The artist doesn't create to satisfy people, it doesn't look for customers, even if S/he has them... No, S/he is perpetually looking for a face to which to address his/her interpretation of the world. The politic-artist has any specific message or dogma to propose, is looking for a hermeneutic community based on his/her world embodiment. That's the reason why the politic-artist doesn't create to have fun during a long Sunday. (S)He creates for all faces that S/he doesn't see but who already are gazing at him/her. The politic-artist is happy with one thing, to make sense with this quest. Who's the a-politic-artist? Maybe, this one in confusion between customers and the public or between something-we-want-to-affirm and affirm-that-something-wants... I believe all artists are politic, even if they don't meet anybody or they don't want to explain that moves him/her in this quest. S/he hasn't to be social or to have a concrete political view on human organization of this time. S/he is a mediator between ghosts. 99,99% of our environment is made of ghosts. Culture is the legacy of dead and the artist proposes a path between the living of the past and the ghosts of the future. That's how I'm an artist.

1. “A work of art no matter how old and classic is actually, not just potentially, a work of art when it lives in some individualized experience. As a piece of parchment, of marble, of canvas, it remains (subject to the ravages of time) self-identical throughout the ages. But as a work of art, it is recreated every time it is esthetically experienced. No one doubts this fact in the rendering of a musical score; no one supposes that the lines and dots on paper are more than the recorded means of evoking the work of art. But what is true of it is equally true of the Parthenon as a building. It is absurd to ask what an artist ‘’really’’ meant by his product: he himself would find different meanings in it at different days and hours and in different stages of his own development. If he could be articulate, he would say ‘’I meant just that, and that means whatever you or anyone can honestly, that is in virtue of your own vital experience, get out of it.’’ Any other idea makes the boasted ‘‘universality’’ of the work of art a synonym for

monotonous identity. The Parthenon, or whatever, is universal because it can continuously inspire new personal realizations in experience.”

John Dewey, Art as Experience, First Perigee Printing, 1980, (first edition in 1934), pp. 108/109

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storiesaboutflavour · 4 years

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We made Portobello Raviolis!

This is the first dish that we spent an entire afternoon making, taking almost 3 hours with two of us. Takes painstaking effort to knead the dough, roll them to 2mm thickness and cut them into beautiful oval shapes, then rolling them again to flatten them further. Aloysius cut 2 boxes of portobellos and 8 cloves of garlic, learning a new method to peel and cut. We squeezed dry the portobellos after cooking them in the pan at medium heat, then kept that bowl of umami broth for our sauce later on. Then we blended the mushrooms, half of them smooth and the other half into 2mm bits, mixed them together with ricotta cheese and sit them in the fridge to let the flavours settle and enrich itself.

Then we made brocolli soup. The flavour was based on stir fried onions and and sweetness from carrots, and the familiar and comfortable smell of brocollis. With least amount of water I’d try to cook it with, because I love a concentrated vegetable soup. Usually I’ll drop a cube of chicken stock. But thankfully this time around the portobellos were flavourful enough so this became a palatte rester.

We took out the dough from the fridge, and while Aloysius rolled them, and cut them with a cupcake maker, giving it a pretty jagged edge. I taught him how to wrap it. I guess its human nature to want to wrap more flavour within a small sheet of dough, so he made pieces that exploded in the boiling water. Hence we switched over. I wish he’d try harder too but I think he wants the best out of his effort and I’m better at my fingers. He rolled all the dough with so much might he said! At the end of the day, his foot hurt (I’m like didn’t you use your arms instead of your foot when you rolled the dough? He said yes but he did a warrior pose to exert that amount of strength. Oh my heart.) It was like his work out of the day. Thankfully we had enough flour and dough for about 42 raviolis (I’d detail the proportions below). I wish I took a photo of him.

Then we took it to the stove. Aloysius did the boiling after a demo, and passed the 8 raviolis per batch to me, while I bulk cooked the sauce for consistency and drop the boiled raviolis into the sauce for 3 mins. Then I’ll pour about 1/4 of the sauce into each serving plate.

The sauce is a rich portobello liquid for umami + pasta water (for starchiness) + 4 medium sized tomatoes for tanginess (which makes every bite refreshing) + a box of parsely leaves (including the stems) + nutmeg for some nuttiness + 4 spoonful of grated parmesan cheese for umami and saltiness+ garlic which I think is an important ingredient for stir frying goodness.

I think the sauce doesn’t have to be creamy. A light sauce would be a relief to eat so that the creaminess of the raviolis stand out. But all sauces should have umami. Another suggestion that I’d have would be vegetable stock from pumpkin/squash, etc. Or meat based chicken stock.

Flavour Experiments

Linking you to other flavour combinations here

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Tomato Cream Sauce

Personally I’ll experiment with these flavours

Mediterranean Prawn and Burrata

Smoked Salmon

Hummus and Prawns

Fennel and Anise Prawns

I took a page out of my Flavour Thesaurus and these are the flavour combinations which I took and interest to and inspired by Lobster Salad with Mango and Basil by Alain Serendens and the traditional shrimp, papaya and lemongrass Vietnamese combination. A similar recipe would be this Red prawns with lemon water and pineapple sage flowers.

Shellfish + Lemongrass + Basil + Mango -> this could be a challenging project but I’d love to taste the result.

I’m inspired by the textures from this recipe. It uses spinach, artichokes, capers and sun dried tomatoes, I wonder how that feels like on the tongue? Could there be a deep taste from the sun dried tomatoes?

Proportions for pasta dough

What I think of good pasta

Springy texture: Requires some energy to roll because of the tension formed in the flour

Observation: Does not break easily when it is 2mm thick, not too moist, feels like the face of a beautiful SKII model.

Observation: Colour - Pale yellow, 50% of the saturation of the pasta in the image below. When lifted against the light, it should be thin and clear enough to see a muted dull colour of the background.

To achieve that, this is the golden ratio I live by in hot and sunny tropical Singapore.

1 cup of plain flour to 1 large egg, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoon of olive oil.

You’re welcome!

#raviolis #flavour #tanginess #portobello #fusion food

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canayata · 5 years

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50 The Most Awesome LEGO Building Ideas Creation

New Post has been published on https://www.apegeo.com/awesome-lego-building-ideas-creation/

50 The Most Awesome LEGO Building Ideas Creation

Every one of us had a LEGO set or at least some generic building blocks while growing up, and to most of us these little plastic bricks bring back the greatest memories. Some people though, are not ready to leave the memories of when they were young behind and, to our delight, continue playing with their LEGO bricks. We here at Apegeo have rounded up some of the most creative LEGO building ideas for you to see and maybe inspire to wipe the dust off of your own LEGO bricks set, that we are sure you still keep somewhere in the attic.

Now, when it comes to LEGO ideas, the possibilities of what can be built are endless! From various kinds of oh-so-real looking dinosaurs to life-size cars, humongous cruise ships and a liveable house, these crafty LEGO building aficionados sure took it up a notch. To be fair, most of them are real artists, architects or engineers, but we are sure that with a bit of patience, loads of spare LEGO parts and some calculations anyone could build an artwork of their own.

So stretch your fingers for some scrolling, prepare your imagination to run wild and go fetch a dust rag, because after looking at these fantastic LEGO creations you are sure to feel the urge to find your forgotten LEGO set. Vote for the most incredible creation and show your LEGO building ideas masterpieces in the comments!

#1 LEGO Batcave Built From 20,000 Blocks With 4 Lights Powered From Behind

This was made by Carlyle Livingston II and Wayne Hussay and it took them more than 800 hours to build it co2pix

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#2 LEGO Elephants

jared422

#3 Real Size LEGO Giraffe

jared422

#4 There’s One Giant Creation

nathansawaya

#5 My First Creation From Coming Out Of Dark Ages A Few Months Back

Mike Doyle

#6 Art Studio Needed A Piano. About 25,000 Bricks

nathansawaya

#7 Wayne Manor And Batcave Complete

It dissembles into about 20 large modular chunks that all fit in my Rav 4. It takes about 7 hours to put back together correctly including wiring the lights back up and set up all the minifigs and about 100 bats WetWired

#8 Largest LEGO Ship Without Support That Break The Guinness World Record

If you compare the LEGO version of “World Dream” with the real “World Dream,” it’s set at 1:40 ratio. The similarity between the LEGO ship and the real ship is close to 100%. If you look from afar, it’s not instantly apparent that this is a cruise ship built from LEGOs. It’s is 8.44 meters long, 1.33 meters wide and 1.54 meters high, and is made from more than 2.5 million LEGOs. The weight of it is also quite stunning because it weighs around 2 tons, that is, about 6,100 pounds Etllor,unwire.hk

#9 My Dad Was Going Through Old Photos And Found A Picture Of A Boat We Built Together That Was The Length Of Me And Was Two And A Half Feet Tall

My aunt gave me her entire stash of LEGOs from when she was a kid for Christmas that year. She crammed it all in a mattress box. I wouldn’t have been able to build it if I didn’t have all those LEGOs from the 80s and 90s PoopintheBox16

#10 All Done With LEGOs

Alana Thevenet

#11 One Of The Favorites

sissypunch

#12 Look At The Awesome New LEGO Sculptures At The LEGO Store In Downtown Disney

harshlight

#13 Full-Size LEGO House Made By James May

Top Gear presenter James May has just built the world’s first full-size LEGO house – including a working toilet, hot shower, and a very uncomfortable bed – using 3.3 million plastic bricks

#14 In The Waiting Room Of The LEGO Office In Sydney

silamtao

#15 My Real Dog Met My LEGO Dog

nathansawaya

#16 Spotted This In Legoland California

Fiid Williams

#17 LEGO Building Ideas: The Beatles

Simon Q

#18 After Months Of Designing, Then Building, Then Designing Even More, Then Building Again, It’s Finally Done

Hogwarts in its entirety. It’s around 34×54” in size, coming in at about 25,000 pieces in total (with a bunch of those pieces coming from an additional Hogwarts set). What I am proud of most of this build is that I didn’t really have to alter the original set at all (with exception to removing a few tables from the great hall and some of the easily removed rock plates on the open side). It can be slid apart to reveal the interiors, which was crazy tricky to maintain while at the same time closing it off ryankroboth

#19 Old Singer Sewing Machine With The Full Table And Drawers

Eugene Tan

#20 Gotta Love Passing The Loch Ness At Disney Springs

orangeblossomtravels

#21 Batman LEGO Display

Loren Javier

#22 Coastersaurus – LEGO Dinosaur

jared422

#23 LEGO Homer Was My Personal Project

I’ve spent over 2 weeks designing and building the sculpture. It was the first time I had ever made a large-scale LEGO sculpture. Much of the building process was pure visualization, double-checked by a little counting and math. I started the prototype by building Homer’s eyes and then making his face outwards from there Sean Kenney

#24 LEGO A380 Plane

The A380 is one of the world’s largest passenger aircraft, and Singapore Airlines was to be the first to fly this plane. This model is the biggest plane model that has ever been built in Legoland Denmark, made in Lego bricks with a wingspan of 320cm (~10ft). It is built to a scale of 1:25. They used approximately 75000 Lego bricks Eje Gustafsson

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#25 Splish Splash

nathansawaya

#26 Tyrannosaurus Rex Made Out Of LEGO Blocks

ccho,Simon Q

#27 Beauty And The Beast LEGO Statue

Manny Hi

#28 Pizza Slice

This is one of those weird moments when the cartoon – or, in this case, LEGO pieces – looks better than the real food nobu_tary

#29 Finally Switching To LED Light Bulbs

Björn R

#30 LEGO Avengers – Iron Man Hulkbuster Vs. Hulk

Heather Paul

#31 This LEGO Man

_ice_princess

#32 Lightning McQueen Life Size LEGO Sculpture

notenoughbricks

#33 One Step At A Time

nathansawaya

#34 Life-Size X-Wing Front. This Thing Is Huge

Pascal

#35 Spotted In “The Art Of The Brick” LEGO Exhibition

Simon Q

#36 Fully Functioning Air Conditioner Out Of LEGO Bricks

When I was asked to build an air conditioner, I thought “Nathan, let’s not just make a replica of an air conditioner. No, Nathan here’s a golden opportunity to make something cool. Let’s make a functioning air conditioner. Now that would be cool!” Please note that by ‘functioning’ I just meant a spinning fan. And by ‘cool’ I meant someone who would not address themselves by their own name. Working feverishly at the 2006 Carrier Convention I built a functioning replica of Carrier’s newest air conditioner, complete with the compressor, valves and a working fan. It took every hour of both days of the convention, but in the end, I was happy with the result. And with that spinning fan, wow, what a breeze Nathan Sawaya

#37 A Good Use For Just About Every White Piece I Own

Orangeomnivore

#38 Pegasus Made For Perot Museum In Dallas

nathansawaya

#39 Logo

Soeno Eat

#40 LEGO Building Ideas: Wasp Sculpture

Scott McLeod

#41 LEGO Polar Bear Which Is On Display At The Philadelphia Zoo

This sculpture is the largest and most visually complex sculpture I have made to date. It contains over 95,000 LEGO pieces and took over 1100 hours to construct together with 5 of my assistants. I spent 2 full days creating just the facial expression. I wanted to make sure the bear didn’t look too cartoonish, but also that his expression could be readable the way we read human emotions. Since he is stuck on an ice float and his species is endangered, I wanted him to look a little frustrated, a little sad, a little confused, and overall concerned about the predicament he is in Sean Kenney

#42 LEGO Boardroom Table

This boardroom table is 4ft x 9ft. A monolithic slab made up of a random pattern of the instantly recognizable LEGO pixels, with the company’s logo built in relief into the table top, falling away under a glass surface. Architects don’t typically work as contractors, so it was hugely rewarding for us and financially efficient for our client when we decided to build the table ourselves. The table consists of 22,742 pieces clicked together with traditional LEGO construction techniques (no glue), a 136mm grommet is located in its center abgc

#43 Blood Vessel Sculpture

This gigantic LEGO sculpture of a blood vessel was built in 48 hours over five days and using just under 50,000 LEGO pieces. No computers or programs were used for the design. Everything was done by eye straight from our imaginations Mark of Falworth

#44 LEGO Building Ideas: Bison Sculpture

Scott McLeod

#45 Eiffel Tower And MGM Grand

jared422

#46 Venom Mask

Brickatecture

#47 LEGO Building Ideas Lawnmower

Scott McLeod

#48 LEGO Kids

acklee

#49 LEGO Building Ideas: Motorcycle

Nathan Sawaya

#50 Wardrobe Malfunction. Statue Of Liberty Interpretation In LEGOs

ccho

#awesome #Creation #LEGO Ideas #Art &amp; Creative

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theseaeaglelives · 5 years

Text

Round 19

THE SEA EAGLE

MAKING RUGBY LEAGUE GREAT AGAIN!!!

Round 19

Manly Sea Eagles 11

Defeated

FWRC Melbourne Storm 10

There are few things in life more satisfying that knocking of the filthy rorters from Melbourne. One would be to beat them on their own patch at AAMI Park but to top that would be to beat them in the last 30 seconds of golden point, and that is precisely what Manly did in round 19.

Let’s face it, the Storm are to rugby league what Sun Yang is to swimming, that being previously found guilty, despised, filthy cheaters who should not be allowed to compete in their chosen sport.

The Sea Eagle also notes with bewilderment a recent interview with former Storm fullback Billy Slater in which he recalled his so called “four” premierships. Obviously, Mr Slater also believes that Ben Johnson won gold in the 100m Seoul Olympics and that Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France’s, and such a degree of delusion can only be explained by the fact that Mr Slater once played reserve grade for North Sydney and in the Sea Eagle’s opinion, is infected by the stench of the Bear.

Taking on the filthy rorters in Melbourne was always going to be a tight affair and with this in mind, despite advice to the contrary from all and sundry in the Fox Commentary box, Manly wisely opted to take the easy 2 points on offer (from a penalty) after 10 minutes and opened their account. Manly 2-0.

Surprisingly for the remainder of the half Manly played with a degree of flair and employed an expansive brand of footy obviously aimed at taking advantage of their more mobile and skilful pack. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly the Storm defence held firm (let’s face it they are more than a step up from last week’s opponents – the Eels). Manly also had to do their share of defence and also proved up to the task, repelling the Storm attack with relative ease.

With only 3 minutes remaining in the half again despite advice to the contrary from all and sundry in the Fox Commentary box, Manly wisely opted to take the easy 2 points on offer (from a penalty). Manly 4-0. Seriously, some of these so-called Fox experts (including incumbent QLD Coach Kevin Walters, Brett Finch and Greg Alexander) need to take a good long look at themselves and should never ever go near a coaching box again. When playing against the Storm (as the second half was to prove) points are gold and no easy opportunity should ever be declined.

Not only did Manly get the two points from this penalty but after getting the ball back from the kick off (as is normally the case), they managed to fashion a try after some fine lead-up work from Brad Parker. The Sea Eagle has been singing the praises of young Parker for some time now as he continues to improve and justify the faith shown in him by Coach Hasler. Manly 10-0 at the break.

A 10-zip lead against most teams would provide some degree of comfort – but not the Storm who responded with two tries of their own. Thankfully only one was converted and with 15 minutes remaining scores were level.

It was also noted that the Storm turned down their own opportunity to take the easy two points from a penalty on more than one occasion, decisions they would ultimately come to regret.

Under the previous coaching regime, Manly would have hoisted the white flag, but not this year under Des Hasler. With their backs to the wall Manly held on to force the lottery that is golden point. Whilst there were plenty of defensive contributors, the Sea Eagle would like to single out Jake Trbojovec for special mention, after racking up an astonishing 67 tackles. Unfortunately, one of them was deemed to be lifting in nature, and young Jake could be consigned for a week-off.

The Sea Eagle has previously gone on record declaring what an abomination golden point is and this game did little to change that view. The only salvation in this instance was that Manly reigned supreme after what appeared to be an avalanche of field goal attempts. Finally, it was Cherry Baby who managed to ice one and with only seconds remaining in extra time Manly ran out 11-10 victors.

Full marks must also go to the free to air Broadcaster Channel 9 who continue to disregard Manly when allocating prime time games and, in this case, have starved viewers of what can only be described as one of the best games of the season.

Final Comment – Mark Coyne

The Sea Eagle reported last week that whilst holidaying in Singapore, Mr Coyne unleashed the following expletive laden tirade at local police officials "you are a f---ing stupid idiot", a "f---ing dickhead" and a "cock", "f---ing cock" and "f---ing dog", he also threatened to "sue you through your f---ing arse" and adding "if some f---ing stupid c--- sues me, I don’t f---ing care. Especially you". And then finally "you are f---ing crazy", "you must be f---ing embarrassed" and "you must be so f---ing proud of yourself"

This week a similar tirade was directed by the NRL Commission towards Mr Coyne, who has now done the only honourable thing and officially resigned from the NRL Board.

It was also reported in various media outlets that Mr Coyne was virtually irreplaceable on the NRL Commission. Notwithstanding, should he be required, The Sea Eagle stands ready to answer the call and fill this vacancy. In promoting his credentials for this role, the Sea Eagle would like to declare the following pertinent essential personal attributes;

The Sea Eagle knows who the Sharks are (and despises them nonetheless)

The Sea Eagle has never consumed his own urine or defecated in public, and now after Todd Carney’s efforts, fears the dreaded bubbler even if it is for a cool dink on a hot day.

The Sea Eagle knows the difference between the Newcastle Knights and the Barcelona Football Club.

The Sea Eagle understands it is wrong to have or simulate having sex with a dog or allowing said dog to lick food from the genital area.

The Sea Eagle understands it is wrong to have or simulate having shat in a shoe and then spread said shoe across a motel room in the presence of other players (or anyone else for that matter);

The Sea Eagle has a healthy disregard for all forms of rugby league officialdom, but in the main still loves the game;

The Sea Eagle will willingly criticise that which needs to be dealt with, and will state the bleeding obvious when it appears not to be obvious to those who should know better, but in the main still loves the game.

The Sea Eagle likes a drink, but knows when it is time to go home – and in that respect believes there is benefits in following the rule that nothing good happens after midnight;

And most importantly, the Sea Eagle has never played in the NRL and thus is immune to the inevitable brain explosions which plague former players.

AFL is Celebrating the Soft

Look, in the current era of me too!, one has to be careful about going too hard when the females start interfering in men’s affairs, in particular men’s sport.

Nevertheless, this one is too much too bear, noting as we do that it is an opinion piece, and therefore not based on any form of objective evidence or investigation:

My son is excited for Auskick. So he's taking ballet first Jamila Rizvi Columnist SMH: July 24, 2019 — 12.00am

My son turned four last month…

Whether via biology or brainwashing, AFL is in my son’s blood. He’s going to have a crack at the game, at least once, and I suspect he’ll enjoy it. However, I don’t want him to feel like some activities are more worthy of admiration than others.

Nor do I want his parents’ expectations or society’s gender norms dictating what will make him happy and fulfilled…...d to shortlist….

Footy, like most traditionally male-dominated sports, is making big strides when it comes to gender inclusivity. …..

Yet, when a little boy wants to be a hairdresser, an early childhood teacher, an aged care worker, or a stay-at-home-dad, his dreams aren’t generally celebrated in the same way………

Despite my lofty intentions, I admit that I was nervous about ballet. …..

While I knew Rafi would relish the opportunity to dance, I wasn’t sure how he’d react to being the only boy in class. Foreseeing potential disaster, I assembled my buddies. Two of my girlfriends have sons the same age as Rafi and they promptly jumped on the ballet train as well. There is safety in numbers. It would be a masculine insurgence at under 6’s ballet.

Jamila Rizvi. Jamila Rizvi is a columnist and former Labor adviser.

Sea Eagle Comment: Thank god this is an article about AFL. When the Eagle was a kiddie, he felt it was cool when he was taught how to tackle low and effectively, how to sidestep, draw and pass, make a break etc. and when he was given the greatest gift you can give to any young boy- i.e. how to exploit the blind side.

He also felt it was cool when the u14’s coach would say, “boys, it does not matter how big they are, just hit em low and hard and they will drop like trees”. Or “boys, they can’ run without legs” – and to then see it actually was true when put into action.

Time have changed, and in the Sea Eagle’s view in this example on ballet being an adequate preparation for AFL Auskick, not for the better.

That said, if a young fella wants to do ballet, in the Sea Eagle’s view more power to him. A very difficult activity of which there can be no doubt. Statistically the male to female ratio is also overwhelmingly in his favour, so that can’t be a bad thing if the young kid has aspirations on being a chick magnet. What is not clear is whether ballet and say rugby league, have any cross ferritization opportunities?

The Director of Controversy is looking at whether a 95kg 10-year-old Tongan could learn a thing or two by taking up ballet before embarking on a full-blown rugby league career. Also being investigated is how would say 4 or 5 said 95kg 10-year-old Tongans be received, if they chose to turn up to the local upper north shore ballet dance studio for a bit of fine tuning in the cultural stakes?

THE SEA EAGLE

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jeepsister72-blog · 5 years

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27 Breakfast Recipes for a Hungry Holiday Crowd

[Photographs: J. Kenji López-Alt, Daniel Shumski]

Breakfast

Everything you need to make the most important meal of the day delicious.

I grew up in a small family and have never had much practice cooking breakfast for more than a couple of people. If you come from a similar background, you may have also felt a bit lost and overwhelmed on the rare occasions that you have had to feed a large group—especially first thing in the morning, when your coffee has yet to take effect.

But the holiday season is in full swing, and with that often comes houseguests. That means this could be one of the few times a year that preparing a big, crowd-pleasing breakfast becomes a necessity in your household. Fortunately, we've got lots of dishes to help you get through the season unscathed, from scrambled and baked eggs to airy, fluffy stacks of pancakes and (crucially!) tips on how to make a ton of bacon. Keep reading for 27 of our favorite recipes for easy breakfasts to feed the whole extended family.

Eggs

[Video: Serious Eats Team]

If you like your scrambled eggs soft and moist instead of drier and fluffy, you'll want to cook them gently over low heat, and start them in a cold nonstick skillet to keep them from seizing up. Residual heat will keep cooking the eggs after you take them off the burner, so pull them a few seconds before they look completely done.

Soft-Scrambled Eggs Recipe »

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[Video: Serious Eats Team]

Prefer your eggs on the firmer side, the way they tend to be cooked in diners? Start them over medium-high heat, and stir them more sparingly so that big, light curds can form. The higher heat will start to dry out the eggs just a little, but as long as you pull them off the heat in time, they should retain enough moisture.

Fluffy Scrambled Eggs Recipe »

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

The morning after a lively holiday cocktail party, few things feel so curative as a big plate of migas. This simple Tex-Mex treat is made of warmed corn tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, chili peppers, onion, tomato, and home-fried tortilla chips. Pre-salting the eggs and salting and draining the tomatoes keep the dish from getting too soggy. Can't face the task of frying up your own chips first thing in the morning? Try our Doritos version.

Tex-Mex Migas With Scrambled Eggs, Tortilla Chips, and Chilies Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

This dish feels fancy, but it's not much more work than a standard plate of soft-scrambled eggs—all you'll do is top the eggs with sumac, parsley, pine nuts, and olive oil after they finish cooking. To make this dish even easier, try toasting the pine nuts in the microwave instead of a skillet.

Scrambled Eggs With Sumac, Pine Nuts, and Parsley Recipe »

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[Photograph: Daniel Gritzer]

Homemade biscuits don't seem like they'd belong on a list of easy breakfasts for a crowd, but trust us—these fluffy, tender drop biscuits require just five ingredients and 25 minutes. We like to serve them with scrambled eggs seasoned with dill and packed with so much mozzarella and feta, they take on a texture reminiscent of queso fundido.

Scrambled Egg and Cheese Drop-Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

North African in origin and wildly popular in Israel, this homey dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce has also become super trendy at US brunch spots of late. Part of its appeal is that it's completely customizable—we make this particular version with charred peppers and onions, paprika, and cumin. Some shakshuka recipes call for finishing the dish under the broiler; we find that that method risks overcooking the egg yolks, so we prefer to let the dish gently simmer and steam in a covered pan on the stove.

Shakshuka (North African–Style Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce) Recipe »

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[Photograph: Jennifer Olvera]

This dish is like shakshuka's Iberian cousin, made by baking eggs in a peppery tomato sauce studded with chorizo and topping them with sharp white cheddar and Parmesan cheese. With two serrano peppers added to the sauce, it's a little on the hot side—if your guests aren't big fans of spicy foods, seed the serranos, or replace them with a single jalapeño.

Portuguese Baked Eggs With Chorizo and Ricotta Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Tortilla chips softened in warm salsa and topped with fried eggs—something akin to soggy breakfast nachos—may not sound that delicious, but that's exactly what chilaquiles are, and they're a winner. It's fine to use jarred salsa instead of homemade salsa verde, but you'll want to fry the tortilla wedges fresh, for sturdier, crispier chips that won't get too soggy when soaked in the sauce.

Chilaquiles Verdes With Fried Eggs Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

If you opt for huevos rancheros instead of chilaquiles, it's really worth it to make your own salsa—it takes only a few minutes, which you'll have time for since you won't have to fry any tortillas. We like a simple red salsa here, made of canned crushed tomatoes, dried ancho chilies, and canned chipotles in adobo, which we purée using an immersion blender or countertop blender, then spoon over tortillas and sunny-side up eggs.

Quick and Easy Huevos Rancheros With Tomato-Chili Salsa Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Boiled eggs are easy to make by the dozen, so, although it may not be as familiar a concept to you as some of the other items on this list, this Singaporean breakfast of soft-cooked eggs, seasoned with dark and light soy sauce and white pepper, scales up well. Though boiling the eggs on the stovetop works just fine, a sous vide cooker is your best bet for nailing that incredibly soft, spoonable texture. In keeping with tradition, serve the eggs with toast and coconut-flavored kaya jam.

Singapore-Style Soft-Cooked Eggs With Kaya Jam and Toast Recipe »

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[Photograph: Emily and Matt Clifton]

This meaty version of chilaquiles calls for homemade tortilla chips, chicken stock, and homemade salsa verde—but in a pinch, with lots of mouths to feed, you can just as easily pick those items up at your grocery store. Even without the homemade chips, the fresh Mexican chorizo, tangy quick-pickled red onion, and sharp radish slices make this a rich, slightly spicy, and totally satisfying breakfast for a crowd.

Chorizo and Egg Chilaquiles With Salsa Verde Recipe »

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Pancakes and Waffles

[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Making pancakes from scratch isn't a super-fast project—unless, of course, you've thought ahead and made your own mix out of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar, for keeping in the pantry at all times. With the mix made ahead of time according to our instructions, all that remains is adding the wet ingredients: buttermilk, melted butter, sour cream, and eggs. There is one slightly involved step—whisking the egg whites to stiff peaks before incorporating them into the batter—but that's what makes these the tallest, fluffiest pancakes around.

Light and Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Toasted steel-cut oats are a great way to bulk up pancakes, and browning the butter used in the batter helps to reinforce the oats' earthy, nutty flavor. Because oatmeal pancakes often run the risk of being too heavy, we bump up the quantity of baking soda to keep these pancakes light and fluffy, yet hearty.

Oatmeal and Brown Butter Pancakes Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

There's no rule that says pancakes have to be sweet! This recipe takes them in a savory direction, adding diced bacon, corn, jalapeños, scallions, and cheddar. Subbing in cornmeal for some of the flour gives the pancakes even more corn flavor, and using cubed (rather than shredded) cheddar means that the pancakes wind up with delightfully gooey pockets of melted cheese.

Savory Bacon-Cheddar Pancakes With Corn and Jalapeño Recipe »

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[Photograph: Yvonne Ruperti]

Usually we think of pancake recipes as making a whole stack, with two or three individual pancakes for each person. But this single soft, custardy cake, made with an unleavened, crepe-like batter, is large enough to feed eight on its own. Serve it however you like, but our caramelized-apple topping is especially delicious.

German Apple Pancake Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Aquafaba—the liquid inside a can of cooked beans—is a pretty amazing ingredient for veganizing some recipes that call for egg whites. It's not quite the universal egg replacement that some people claim, but it does whip up into an astonishingly meringue-like foam. If there's a better way to make light, fluffy vegan pancakes, we haven't found it yet.

Vegan Pancakes Made With Aquafaba Recipe »

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

The batter for these brown butter–infused waffles comes together in just a few minutes. The only trick is that the yeast in the batter needs 12 hours in the fridge to work its magic, so be sure you're making all the batter you'll want for breakfast. But the upside is that you'll have practically no work to do in the morning—just pour the batter into your waffle iron of choice and heat until crisp and golden brown.

Overnight Brown-Butter Yeast-Raised Waffles Recipe »

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

This recipe takes only 45 minutes and makes a batch of a dozen muffins—plenty to feed a hungry extended family. And each muffin is utterly packed with blueberries, thanks to a 1:1 ratio of blueberries to flour by weight. That might make the batter seem a little thick, but it helps keep the berries from all sinking to the bottom. (Before getting started, be sure to read Stella's take on the best pan material and liners for muffins.)

Classic Blueberry Muffins Recipe »

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

This oversize blueberry "muffin" is baked in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, making it perfect for a slow, lazy, big-batch breakfast. A thick layer of jammy fruit covers a light and tender muffin base, scented with a pinch of lemon zest and a small amount of coriander, which offers its own lemony profile to highlight the blueberries' flavor. Cut it into wedges and serve it warm.

Upside-Down Blueberry Muffin Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

If you're cooking bacon for one or two people, the standard skillet method is perfectly adequate. But if you're cooking for any more people than that, the easiest route is to bake it—and whether you like yours extra crispy or a little chewier, we can help you out. Another option, for those who have the equipment and the inclination to plan ahead, is to cook the bacon sous vide. You'll still need to finish it in a pan to crisp it up, but that will take only about two minutes per piece.

Bacon, Two Ways: Baked and Sous Vide »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Perfect French toast is all about using the proper ratio of eggs to milk, and we find three eggs per cup of milk to be just right. You can use either milk or cream, depending on how rich you want the dish to be. Either way, sprinkle a little sugar on the bread after dunking it in the batter to give the French toast a crisp, caramelly crust.

Perfect Quick-and-Easy French Toast Recipe »

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[Video: Serious Eats Team]

As far as I'm concerned, hash browns should be as shatteringly crisp as possible. How to do it? Squeeze as much water as you can out of the grated potatoes, then par-cook them in the microwave. Nuking the spuds dries them out thoroughly and creates an outer layer of gelatinized starch, which helps get the hash browns even crispier.

Crispy, Crunchy, Golden Shredded Hash Browns Recipe »

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[Photograph: Daniel Shumski]

If you want hash browns that balance a creamy interior with a crisp crust, the waffle iron is the tool for you. We grate and drain the potatoes just as we would if we were making hash browns on the stovetop, but then pile them into the waffle iron, where they cook evenly and develop tons of crispy crevices. The cooking times given in this recipe are really just a starting point—the hash browns could take more or less time depending on your waffle iron and how finely you shred the potatoes.

Waffle-Iron Hash Browns Recipe »

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Whipping thick, rich Greek yogurt makes it lighter and more refreshing, ideal for topping pancakes or waffles, or layering with fruit and granola (see below!) for parfaits. A little cream added to the yogurt helps it aerate, while golden syrup or honey gives it both flavor and sweetness.

Creamy Whipped Greek Yogurt Recipe »

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Few breakfast items are better suited for a crowd than a big batch of granola. This particular granola is light and crispy, with plenty of sweet clusters—the best part of any cereal. The surprising secret ingredient is buttermilk, which we use to soak the oats and seeds before baking; its acidity tenderizes them and keeps them from browning too quickly. A unique blend of dried fruit and nuts provides an addictive mix of flavors, colors, and textures.

Crisp Homemade Granola Recipe »

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Sure, caramel sticky buns aren't exactly the healthiest breakfast. But the holidays come but once a year, and these gooey pastries are sure to please everyone at your breakfast table. Darkly toasted sugar or Belgian cassonade (a.k.a. candi sugar) is key to making a true caramel for both the filling and the topping.

Double-Caramel Sticky Buns Recipe »

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Just like pancakes, French toast can also be great when made savory. This recipe turns out spicy and funky from store-bought green curry paste, which we fortify with fresh herbs, lime juice, and fish sauce. Soaking the bread overnight ensures that the curry gets to the core, and means that most of your prep work is already done by the time your kitchen fills up with hungry family. That means all you have to do in the morning is cook the toast, sip your coffee, and relax.

Savory Green Curry French Toast Recipe »

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This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/roundups/breakfast-for-a-crowd

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billehrman · 6 years

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Only In The Sixth Inning

There is no one better to ask than Warren Buffett about investing. The same can be said for asking Jamie Dimon for his perspective on the global economy, the financial markets and politics.

We have known and worked with Jamie for nearly 35 years, since his early days as second in command and protégé of Sandy Weill, a hugely successful dealmaker and manager of some of the largest financial services companies in the world. Jamie is Chairman of JP Morgan Chase and is easily considered the best and most respected banker in the world. He probably has more information at his fingertips about the global economy, business/consumer sentiment and spending plans than anyone, including heads of state. He sees it all, has all the data, speaks to everyone, and knows how to synthesize all of it such that his bank is number one in the world. So when he says something, listen, as it means something. You can take it to the proverbial bank. Chase has long been one of our core holdings.

Last week Jamie spoke at a Bernstein conference. His key points were:

· The economy was only in the sixth inning of growth;

· Capital spending is entering a super cycle;

· Banks are entering a golden age as they are over capitalized with reduced regulations with great opportunities ahead;

· Chinese banks are becoming increasingly aggressive and competitive.

· World leaders need to work together on trade policies as the consequences of trade wars are negative for growth and business sentiment

We concur with his comments as you can glean from our past blogs. Our portfolios continue to emphasize companies that will benefit from Trump’s pro-growth, pro-business, America First policies. We strongly believed that the financial market’s counter trend rally two weeks ago was off-base; that the pundits were wrong, once again, looking through their rear view mirror. We used the market correction to add to your core holding. And kept shorting bonds!

Let’s briefly update our comments from last week on the issues in the forefront concerning investors and the pundits:

1. Russia and Saudi Arabia are under pressure from other OPEC members notto increase production such that oil falls beneath $75/barrel.

2. Global economic growth has not materially slowed despite weakness in the Eurozone and Japan. Economic performance in the U.S (#1 economy by size), China (#2), United Kingdom (#5) and India (#6) are all above expectations. Our employment numbers reported last week were sensational!

3. The United States and North Korea have set June 12thto meet in Singapore. Don’t expect a deal to conclude anytime soon but consider this meeting is a positive move.

4. Trade talks continue with China but don’t be surprised to see some skirmishes along the way before a real deal is reached. We continue to believe that one will ensue down the road.

5. We remain concerned about trade negotiations with Europe and Japan. It is very hard for them to give up on the trade benefits given after WW2. Also, the WTO is outmoded, outdated and ineffective. It was wrong that German and Japanese auto companies built plants in Mexico to benefit from NAFTA after Trump was elected as it was a slap in his face. There is nothing wrong with fair and reciprocal tariffs.

6. We remain hopeful that a trade deal can be worked out with Canada and Mexico, as the mutual benefits are clear-cut for both sides. It may turn into bilateral deals in the end.

7. Fed policy is held captive right now by what is happening overseas. Economic weakness in Europe and Japan combined with political issues in Italy have tied the hands of the BOJ an ECB. On the other hand, the Fed cannot raise rates much despite a strengthening economy for fear of a further significant move up in the dollar, which would only exacerbate our trade deficit and put downward pressure on inflation. Foreigners keep buying our debt with both hands suppressing the longer end of our yield curve. A flattening yield curve does not mean that the Fed is overly restrictive.

8. We remain convinced that Italy will not exit the Eurozone nor default on any of its debt. However, our banks are benefitting significantly from perceived financial weakness in the European banks. Score one for Jamie and the other U.S multinational banks.

A number of cross-currents occurring at the same time are certainly challenging the financial markets. Opportunities come when views are disparate such that pricing is inefficient. Now is the time to play the long ball as new investable trends are obvious and will be very rewarding for the patient investor.

We have argued for months to emphasize those companies that will benefit most from Trump’s policies and to sell/short the losers. Same goes for the new policies in China. The most obvious investable trend here is that we have entered a multi-year surge in domestic capital spending. Whether you were a domestic or foreign producer that sold in the U.S either from domestic plants or imported from abroad, where would you choose to build that next plant? Here, of course. It does not hurt that our new tax and trade policies along with reduced regulations help make the U.S destination of choice. Clear-cut winners include industrials, capital good, technology and low cost, well-financed industrial commodity companies including domestic steel and aluminum. All of these companies should be re-rated over the next few years as growth and returns easily exceed historical levels. We want to avoid the historic stable growers that can be hurt by disruptors as their volumes and margins will remain under pressure for years to come.

A second area that we continue to emphasize is the U.S large multinational financials. The banks have entered a golden area as they have had huge increases in their capital ratios and liquidity; benefit tremendously by a surge in capital spending; are gaining market share at the expense of its weakened foreign competition; have much more opportunities to profit due to decreased regulations and are benefiting from widening spreads although not as much as earlier anticipated. It does not hurt that most of the strongest banks have huge stock buybacks going along with dividend hikes. We expect financials to be re-rated higher in the years ahead.

Finally our portfolio is full of special situations where managements are making huge internal changes that will lead to higher valuations over time. M & A is extremely high too as the sum of the parts in many of our investments exceeds the whole. Patience is needed here too.

It really is very easy to create a profitable that will outperform over time by identifying new investable trends. Broadly speaking we want to emphasize companies in the U.S that will benefit from the capital spending surge and higher domestic production while emphasizing companies in China that will benefit from growth in consumption and technology. Patience is a necessity as none of this occurs over night. But the rewards will be huge for the investor.

Remember that we are only in the sixth inning with much more to come.

Review all the facts; pause, reflect and consider mindset shifts; always look at your asset allocation and risk controls; do independent research and …

Invest Accordingly!

Bill Ehrman

Paix et Prospérité LLC

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