Heule Precision Tools’ GH-K tooling provides precision chatter-free countersinks in a wide range of materials Engineered with a positive geometry for high-shear cutting action it features carbide blades for machining cast iron with optional HSS-Cobalt coated blades for steel and stainless-steel applications Three-bladed tools are supplied for manual or CNC applications; single-bladed tools for all machining centers the blades start cutting once the tip contacts the material The operator continues to feed the tool until the desired countersink size is achieved The GH-K’s shallow radial clearance is said to ensure precision and chatter-free operation although controlled feed rates may be necessary Shims can be added to adjust the tool’s performance for more aggressive feed rates regrindable blades make GH-K an economical choice for many machining operations All inserts are ground as a set to minimize deviation so they cut at the same time and minimize chatter These specialized tools are well suited for conventional milling of chamfers around the perimeter of larger holes or entire parts GH-K tooling is available from stock in sizes from 3-45 mm (0.118"-1.771") at 60 Heule Precision Tools’ GH-K tooling provides precision Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInTRENTON. (KCTV) - An Iowa man has been charged with attempted robbery after holding two victims at knife-point at a gas station in rural North-Central Missouri Grundy County Circuit Court records indicate that on Friday was charged in connection to an attempted armed robbery he had been arrested for the night before Heule has been charged with attempted robbery in the first degree assault in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child Court documents noted that just after 8:10 p.m. on Thursday the Trenton, Missouri, Police Department was called to the parking lot of 7th Heaven Convenience Store at 1419 E they said they found two victims who reported an unknown man had come up to the driver’s side door and threatened them with a knife he brandished a folding pocket knife with the blade extended and asked again Heule allegedly went to both sides of the vehicle and threatened the driver and passenger with the knife as he again asked for drugs and money He ordered the passenger to exit the vehicle as he held the knife toward the victim The victim got out of the car and walked away until Heule told him to stop and return to the vehicle Court records indicated that one of the victims recorded the incident on their phone while a game camera in the vehicle took photos of Huele during the ordeal As the two victims spoke with law enforcement officials Huele exited a Subway and walked through the parking lot where he was stopped and searched Police said they did find a pocket knife on Huele at the time of the stop He was arrested and booked into the Grundy County Jail An initial appearance has been set for 9 a.m HEULE Precision Tools | www.heuletool.com Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of Canadian Metalworking Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of Canadian Fabricating & Welding Terms of Use Privacy Policy Contact Us Forgot password? Not yet registered? Sign up Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Team up with professors on cutting-edge research Fearlessly pursue excellence on the field and the court; in the gym and the crowd Our vibrant community embraces your curiosity and supports you as you grow into the life that God wants for you Paul Heule ’85 was a teenager when his parents emigrated from the Netherlands and built a family home in Caledonia “We hosted visitors from the Netherlands all the time in our home,” remembered Heule “It was like a little Dutch colony there.” partly because of the decisions of Paul’s older siblings to attend Calvin His parents were concerned about the religious and political climate in Europe and did not want to separate the family “I had a year and a half of high school to complete before college He attended Calvin and stormed through the curriculum noting that he has been brought back to roots through an appointment as the Honorary Consul for the Netherlands in west Michigan “This has turned out to be a blessing for me,” he said and I am using the things I learned being a citizen of both countries to try to bring them closer together.” Heule graduated with a mathematics major and computer science minor He got his first job out of college by walking into a business with his résumé and complimenting the owners on their “cool” business card But having a very close relationship with his father So in 1988 they purchased a 23-unit apartment complex that ultimately developed into Eenhoorn The younger Heule did the “sweat equity” work while the elder Heule contributed the co-signing of a loan and business coaching and it means ‘unicorn’ in Dutch,” said Heule “There was—and still is—much symbolism in the name.” Eenhoorn has grown into a multinational business with holdings on three continents It employs more than 200 people in nine states and two countries Heule attributes this growth to a reputation for excellent management and a willingness to take on challenging projects “We generally land where God wants us to be,” he said “I now have the perspective to look back and see how almost all of us find our niche I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life while at Calvin Paul and Rosemary have five daughters; two are Calvin graduates two are current Calvin students and one is in middle school “There have been many studies on what makes for true happiness and it is all about relationships,” he said “There is always more work and more money to be made letting him guide you to your niche—that’s where I think you find happiness.” His position as Honorary Dutch Consul came in 2010 when the current consul retired from the post and nominated Heule That five-year appointment has recently been renewed by the Netherlands Heule’s focus in that position has been to encourage inter-country partnerships in business and the arts through the West Michigan Global Initiative He was also instrumental in getting the king and queen of the Netherlands to visit Grand Rapids last year He wants to dispel misperceptions on the part of both countries about the other “Some think people in the Netherlands are too progressive and that people in west Michigan are too conservative,” said Heule “Neither stereotype is true; the truth is in the middle and there are great opportunities for collaboration.” © 2025 Calvin University. All rights reserved CEO of Grand Rapids-based real estate company Eenhoorn LLC was recently knighted for his decades-long efforts to make cultural and economic connections between the U.S Heule received the personal decoration of knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau from Andre Haspels The official knighting ceremony was held at the Dutch ambassador residence in Washington “It was a very cool experience,” Heule said “They decided the work I’ve done for Dutch and American relations was noteworthy I want to continue to develop these ties further.” Keep up with all things West Michigan business. Sign up for our free newsletters today Heule’s work builds on a rich history of Dutch immigration to West Michigan that started in the mid-19th century A subsequent wave of immigrants and refugees post World War II sought economic opportunity in the region “A lot of Dutch people moved here in the 1950s and ’60s Things have really evolved in West Michigan and in the Netherlands since then,” Heule said “It would be super beneficial to bring the younger generations from the Netherlands here together because I think we have a lot in common.” Heule was recommended for knighthood by several dignitaries who served as prime minister of the Netherlands from 2002 to 2010 Heule also underwent a complete background check and screening before being presented with a medal that is only permitted to be worn on specific occasions Knighting ceremonies in the Netherlands are comparatively more pragmatic and practical but with a different cultural approach,” Heule said Heule has served as honorary consul of the Netherlands in West Michigan since 2010 He also co-founded the West Michigan Global Initiative a group designed to promote economic and cultural ties with the Netherlands and coordinated the first official trade mission to the Netherlands led by former Lt Heule hosted the king and queen of the Netherlands in 2015 when they visited Grand Rapids Huele helped lead a fundraising effort to restore the Netherlands Carillon — a gift from the Netherlands to thank the U.S for its aid during World War II — located in the Arlington Cemetery in Virginia the Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima visited the Van Andel Institute and signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on Parkinson’s disease research They also met with Priority Health officials to see if they could work together on researching the disease Heule believes people from the Netherlands and West Michigan are more aligned than other regions in the U.S “I think Dutch companies will do well here and I think it’s important to make people aware of that,” Heule said He is a first-generation Dutch American and emigrated with his family to Grand Rapids in the early 1980s Heule founded Eenhoorn with his father in 1988 The real estate firm operates across the U.S though its main focus is on senior housing communities Heule works to take a “best of both worlds” approach when operating Eenhoorn in different countries “If we could be a model and pick up some of the things from the Netherlands in terms of how we do things in West Michigan I think we could have a competitive advantage,” Heule said “There are some really good things to borrow from the Netherlands.” The power dynamic between employees and employers is “vastly different” in the Netherlands compared to the U.S. and employees have contracts in the Netherlands that make it harder for employers to terminate staff compared to the U.S it makes it challenging to right-size your business but it’s a more stable workforce because there is more loyalty to employers,” Heule said Real estate firms like Eenhoorn also have to comply with much stricter rent control policies in the Netherlands that do not exist in the U.S. “That limits your profit potential and makes the barrier of entry for new people getting into the market much more difficult,” he said it’s easier to start from scratch because there is not all this regulation but once you are established in Europe it’s easier to maintain the status quo there.” Commercial cleaner building new Grand Rapids office with spec industrial space Longtime Association for Corporate Growth Western Michigan exec to retire West Michigan family business leaders discuss transitions, values, culture Staying current is easy with Crain's Grand Rapids Business news delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge. Click below to see everything we have to offer. Cher was preceded in death by her dad, Fred “Sonny” Mohr and Dennis Burch. Cher was a free spirit that loved life and lived it to the fullest. Her ability to light up the room with her smile will be missed by many. VideoLIVECBC News CalgaryVideo1:11 Get the latest top stories from Calgary in your inbox every weekday SubscribeCurrent TimeIgnore this field. If any data is entered for this field, you will not be subscribed to this newsletter....The next issue of CBC Calgary newsletter will soon be in your inbox.Discover all CBC newsletters in the Subscription Centre. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service apply. nowFeatured Video - 10 videosVideo5:43 Canadians retrace their fathers’ footsteps in the NetherlandsThe National |9 hours agoVideo1:59 Trump repeats 51st state taunt as Carney prepares for White House visitThe National |27 minutes agoVideo10:02 How GM job cuts could impact OshawaCBC News |May 4Video2:23 Air Canada flight credit stolen, used for stranger’s luxury trip | Go PublicThe National |35 minutes agoVideo2:31 Crowds line streets to thank Canadian veterans in NetherlandsCBC News |May 3Video2:05 Gaza faces starvation crisis as Israel blockade enters third monthThe National |9 hours agoVideo2:01 Adidas launches new shoe tailored for people with Down syndromeThe National |8 hours agoVideo11:28 It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.comCourtesy photoFriedrich Frans Carel âCarlâ Heule GRAND RAPIDS –Friedrich Frans Carel “Carl” Heule preached that “if you want to be successful in business it is crucial to earn the trust of people.” demonstrated that principle as co-founder of Eenhoorn LLC a privately held real estate firm that owns and operates residential and commercial property on three continents The Dutch banker immigrated to West Michigan from his native Netherlands in 1979 to be close to his children and because he was drawn to West Michigan’s religious climate Mr. Heule co-founded Eenhoorn with his son, Paulus in 1988. "He co-signed my first loan because I only had $800 to my name," said Paulus Heule, who was named honorary consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Western Michigan in 2010 "Our company has been a great success, I believe, because we have never forgotten the value of honesty," said Mr. Heule in video he and his son posted on their company web site in 2008 Heule suffered from congestive heart failure in recent years “his mind was crystal clear to the very end,” when he returned to West Michigan from Arizona and told family members “I am ready to go to my Lord,” Paulus Heule said Monday Eenhoorn officials said their offices will be closed Wednesday in memory of their co-founder A memorial service will be held at Dutton United Reformed Church A private burial will take place at Woodlawn Cemetery In West Michigan, Eenhoorn's holdings include the Plaza Towers in downtown Grand Rapids and the Airport Tech Center on 36th Street SE The firm owns and manages nine residential apartment complexes in the Grand Rapids area plus properties in Lansing the firm manages residential properties in Texas Heule’s career in real estate began after his graduation from Upsula University in Sweden in 1949 He specialized in real estate acquisitions and management in the greater Amsterdam area he succeeded his father as president of “Vereniging tot Verspreiding der Heilige Schrift,” a non-profit publisher created to promote Christian-based materials the organization grew to be the second largest publisher of Christian literature in The Netherlands Heule was invited to join the Raffeisenbank board of directors He subsequently was elected as chairman of the board and was heavily involved in the merger of the Raffeisen and Boeren Leen Banks now one of the largest banks in The Netherlands Heule continued as a Rabobank chairman of the board until 1980 He continued to be an honorary member of the Rabobank Board of Directors ; his daughter Trudy Heule-Roer and husband Terry; his son Rinck Heule and his wife Marianna; his daughter Nandy Heule-Overduin and her husband Nick; his son Paulus Heule and his wife Rosemary; his grandchildren and family members and friends in the Netherlands and many other countries E-mail Jim Harger: jharger@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JHHarger Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices “What if somebody hacked Instagram and it disappeared overnight?” a 22-year-old Canadian skier known for his fancy mustache and love of analog photography often ponders this question because they wouldn’t know what to do with their lives,” he says Heule started skiing at age 2 in Fernie eventually taking a serious interest in pipe skiing in the late 2000s But after finding enjoyment in making season edits allowing for more creative expression and less pressure on serious progression His style today is peculiar and intriguing; his videos are packed with nose butters and the few shots that make it past the hardcopy and onto the internet embody the notion that skiing is is what led to his recruitment for Level 1’s new movie Watch the trailer for Pleasure right here in the Trailer Park. Heule spends the summer near his home in Calgary and stacks surfboards atop his GMC Safari to go river surfing enjoying random interactions with strangers along the way “When you’re traveling alone you want to have those conversations and learn about the area you’re in I find a lot of enjoyment in that,” says Heule Rob Heule has road tripped all over Canada Heule gave POWDER an inside look at his life SWEET: Let’s start by talking about transportation Are you the owner of all of these vehicles HEULE: That is a very good question (laughs) The RVs don’t belong to me personally; they were used to ski throughout Canada to make a couple little road trip movies There are definitely some ups and downs to road-tripping through Canada in the winter But the RVs are nice because they have furnaces It’s pretty amazing to know a hill so well and know where every hit on the mountain is I’d love to find somewhere else like that someday The van and the motorcycle are personal possessions and then bomb around on the bike in the spring I haven’t had to put too much money into it other than a lift kit Right now I’m building a wood gear slide that will come out of the back of the van It’ll be equipped for all activities Level 1's Freedle Coty pointed his lens on Heule last winter bringing Heule into the Level 1 family with their film this year "Pleasure." PHOTO: Dane Ulsifer What are you going to do when the van inevitably dies you’d probably turn around and buy another one initially you’re thinking about planning trips that revolve around activities in general Your road trips are so much easier because all of your gear is with you all the time you end up going back and spending more time there You can’t only ski a place once and really feel like you know it Right now I’m looking out my front window at the hill I grew up skiing in Fernie How do you make the money for all of this travel I hang Christmas lights for a couple of months That’s a good little chunk of change right before ski season starts I do that until Christmastime and then start my ski season My mom taught me how to sew at age 12 because I wanted to make sweatshirts. I used to get so frustrated and my mom would have to finish making them. But as I got older, I got a little more patient and started doing everything on my own. I’ve been sewing RAD Packs for four years now, and it’s definitely a hobby-slash-project but it can’t be one without putting all of my time and energy into it I like focusing on it when I’m not skiing and I like being able to sell some bags that people are stoked on Not your average hockey-playing Canadian river surfing is one of Heule's many eccentric hobbies off the mountain [the Red Bull Canada run] were some of the last ones I made out of denim RAD was originally an acronym for “Recycled All Denim,” but no longer I’ve kind of moved into working more with wax canvas and some newer materials It’s a lot nicer than taking apart donated or thrift store pants and putting them back together into backpacks you eliminate that ‘taking apart’ step So you’re in Level 1’s new movie Pleasure which means you’re now involved with a major ski production company What was it like working with Josh Berman and the crew I actually only know Josh Berman via email I mostly worked with Freedle Coty—he was the main reason I was able to get involved I was on a trip with Sämi Ortlieb and we were both cruising around BC skiing some powder Freedle was nice enough to point the camera at me and press record because he’s seen so much skiing history and progression He’s very selective about what he likes to shoot so it was obviously a real honor to have him stoked on my skiing It’s good that he has a camera pack that he skis with because it slows him down Otherwise we can’t keep up with him Hopefully I’ll shoot with Level 1 again because that was definitely a highlight last winter One of Heule's biggest influencers was Anthony Boronowski who asked Heule to join the team for his company Would you say the urge to ski is inescapable but my brain doesn’t revolve around skiing 100 percent of the time It’s amazing to see that dedication to skiing from guys like Tanner and Henrik but that’s just not how my brain works I’ve found other things in life that I enjoy; those other things provide a bit of balance and it’s pretty hard to have something you love more But I like to have a reset and a refresh to come back stoked on winter And it's well worth four minutes of your time along with a selection of our favorite stills featured the film You don’t even need to surf or ski to enjoy this one—a healthy interest in exploration and appreciation of creativity will do Overstimulate your senses in the perpetual hustle of Tokyo Feel the slightest resistance as the powder eases your decent through Nagano's deciduous forests Feel the salty spray and push of the ocean's energy while gliding along a glassy aquamarine Miyazaki peeler Jimoto Inu shares the search for the thrill of gliding all over Japan.” Ever wanted to ski Japan yourself? Check out our First Timer's Guide to Japanuary Kodak Portra 400 Switzerland: Zurich-based serviced apartment provider City Pop has appointed former YAYS CEO Peter Heule as expansion manager Heule is tasked with growing the brand, which won the Best Operator 51 to 200 units at the 2021 Serviced Apartment Awards “With an extensive knowledge of the serviced apartment and traditional hotel sectors Peter is well equipped to strengthen the City Pop’s European footprint and to help us welcome you soon to Amsterdam Eindhoven and Nijmegen,” said City Pop in a statement Urban Living Festival 2025 The Serviced Apartment Awards 2025 It’s too bad nobody really follows up their adolescent jamming in their parents’ basement with its natural conclusion: professionally jamming in their own basement (or in any other residential room) to an extent that would clearly belie a seething hatred for sound traps and other studio frivolities Obviously, Bill Orcutt and Jacob Felix Heule (of Sult and numerous other percussionist ventures) are exceptions to this claim they’re formally acknowledging their homespun preference with the release of Colonial Donuts their first album together after spending three years contributing to the Bay Area live scene The album was recorded in Orcutt’s living room and and all of the furniture that vibrationally migrated against the walls as a result of all that (I’m guessing) improvisational noise Clearly these two were and are on the same musical wavelength Curious about the sound of it now? Check out the track “Labor and Enchantment” below, right after I disabuse you of your doubtless curiosity surrounding the album name: an actual Bay Area donut chain All of the tracks are of the savory hole variety More about: Bill Orcutt, Harry Pussy, Jacob Felix Heule The veteran musicians talk their studio debut .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Vande Bunte | mvandebu@mlive.comEmily Zoladz | The Grand Rapids PressPaulus Heule has been named Dutch Consul for West Michigan by the Queen of Holland GRAND RAPIDS -- As a Calvin College alum and Christian Reformed churchman Paulus Heule claims the cultural pedigree characteristic of Dutch West Michigan sporting a stylish scarf and speaking with the hint of an accent the native Hollander exudes a cosmopolitan flair Of the paintings hanging in the lobby of his trendy office along the Grand River "I sometimes get frustrated with all the misperceptions about who we are," said Heule a real estate investor who came to Grand Rapids as a teenager "Just because we're conservative and believe in certain things does not mean we can't be state-of-the-art and have an appreciation for the arts "Too many people tend to write us off They think we're kind of stuck (in the 1950s)." Hence, the top priority for the Eenhoorn LLC president as he takes over as new honorary consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Western Michigan: promote Grand Rapids as a place where conservative Dutch values create a productive workforce grounded in stable family life tout the area as a hub of world-class innovation in medicine Heule on Wednesday at Van Andel Institute will be inaugurated as the region's Dutch consul at a private ceremony unpaid but an official appointment of the Dutch and government for the past two decades had been filled by Witte Travel & Tours CEO Henk Witte who was appointed by Queen Beatrix on July 16 A Dutch flag and consulate sign is being posted at the Eenhoorn headquarters "(Heule) embodies what we recognize as the 'new Dutch' in Michigan," said Hans Heinsbroek, consul general of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Chicago Heule immigrated to the United States with his parents to live nearer his older siblings who were attending Calvin College with a degree in math and computer science Heule later bought Highland Place Apartments in Heritage Hill beginning a real-estate investment and management venture that bears his mother's maiden name Plaza Towers and other apartment complexes in Grand Rapids are among Eenhoorn's current holdings which translates as "unicorn," in 1998 made an unsuccessful attempt to buy the assets of IRM Corp. a failed California real estate firm that had attracted investors affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church The firm previously acquired several of its West Michigan apartments in bankruptcy sales a federal agency created to clean up the savings and loan debacle of the 1980s The current real estate market offers similar prospects "We ended up seeing opportunities out there (in the late 1980s)," he said "I do believe the market (today) in certain areas has hit bottom." Contact Paulus Heule, new honorary Dutch counsel for West Michigan: 616-855-3358 or HC@HC-MI-West.org To contact Chicago consul Hans Heinsbroek, consul general of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Chicago: chicago.the-netherlands.org A married father of five daughters and member of Cascade Fellowship Christian Reformed Church Heule as consul will be a liaison for Dutch companies looking to do business in West Michigan and for U.S In that role he hopes to communicate a clearer message about 21st Century Dutch-Americans in Grand Rapids is symbolic of how Dutch heritage and business ethics spark economic growth and cultural enrichment "The Van Andels are known to be pretty conservative we're doing some pretty amazing research," Heule said "Often the Dutchness is viewed incorrectly It does not mean that we're not progressive E-mail the author of this story: localnews@grpress.com recently celebrated its 30th anniversary serving manufacturers in North America The company was established in 1988 in Balgach and was first located in North America in West Plymouth Heule has continued to increase sales of its automated deburring “Our customers in North America appreciate the high-quality product that the Swiss make,” said President Gary Brown who has led the company for 29 of the 30 years who invented the first automated deburring tool in 1961 and launched the company It celebrated its anniversary on April 25 by inviting local sales agents Heule and Brown also planted a tree on the grounds to commemorate 30 years of growth in North America SAUGATUCK — Developer Dune Ridge is taking the city of Saugatuck to court over the city's efforts to stop it mooring floating homes at its 443 Park St Dune Ridge filed suit in Allegan County's 48th Circuit Court earlier this month alleging the city had breached an agreement with the developer Dune Ridge is also appealing a zoning board's denial of several parts of its project "This is a case about local politics gone bad," the complaint against the city begins is suing members of the Saugatuck City Council as it was composed in July 2019 alleging the city reneged on the terms of a land swap agreement with Dune Ridge Those terms included Dune Ridge building a "privacy screen" between the Saugatuck Chain Ferry landing on Park Street and its docks an understanding that the city would not regulate any structures built on the water.  More: Saugatuck approves 'floating home' zoning regulations The ordinance banned floating residences from all areas of the city save for the zoning district called the Neighborhood Marine District said his client had invested $1-$2 million in the project to design and build the "five-star floating hotel rooms" now prohibited by local code.  we had neighbors that didn't like it and complained," Afendoulis said.  Though there have been legal struggles between Dune Ridge and neighbors ever since Heule's 2014 purchase of the 130-acre former Saugatuck Presbyterian Camps the most recent outcry began with the 8-foot wood fence between the docks and the chain ferry landing.  Neighbors saw it as an eyesore and a safety concern and brought to the city's attention that the fence did not comply with city code.  "There's a lot of traffic coming down Park Street with tourists going to Oval Beach and Mt "As pedestrian traffic comes off of the chain ferry they just stream out onto the street because there's no sidewalk or shoulder there The fence blocks the visibility of drivers heading down that street."  The city first directed Dune Ridge to apply for the proper permits and approvals from the Zoning Board of Appeals for the fencing the city held off on any enforcement action against Dune Ridge but after the ZBA denial of Dune Ridge's plans the city sent a warning letter outlining several code violations in late August promising enforcement action to come if Dune Ridge didn't comply.  Dune Ridge filed its lawsuit and appeal of the ZBA decision Sept the houseboats have been moved to the Dune Ridge docks Afendoulis said the boats were moved as part of his client's legal obligation to minimize damages now that a lawsuit has been filed Were the boats to remain in storage elsewhere Dune Ridge would continue to incur storage fees which it would claim as damages against the city of Saugatuck.  His client has pledged not to rent out the floating homes while the litigation is pending Neighbors are not so pleased with what Broeker called "blatant violation" of the city's ordinances Broeker had been thankful for the city's "proactive" course of action in enacting the floating home ordinance and hoped it would prevent the development.  "I think most of us thought that was going to be the end of the story," Broeker said "The ordinance is very clear that floating homes can only be located in one part of the city."  She said she and others in the neighborhood are continuing to communicate their concerns with the city.  The Saugatuck City Council meets Monday and will discuss the Dune Ridge litigation in closed session.  — Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at cmuyskens@hollandsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens.  It is suitable for counterbores up to 2.3 times diameter in sizes from 0.256 to 0.807 in The tool works without an antirotation device allowing components to be spot-faced in the same direction as the bore is drilled This eliminates the need to turn the workpiece while allowing the spot-facing of difficult-to-reach areas such as yoke forks and screw-head countersinks www.heuletool.com Create a reading list by clicking the Read Later icon next to the articles you wish to save How many numbers do you need to fill an infinite grid so that the distance between each occurrence of the same number is greater than the number itself As an undergraduate at the University of Chile, Bernardo Subercaseaux took a dim view of using computers to do math It seemed antithetical to real intellectual discovery “There’s some instinct or gut reaction against using computers to solve your problems like it goes against the ideal beauty or elegance of a fantastic argument,” he said But then in 2020 Subercaseaux fell in love The object of his obsession was a question he saw on an online forum “The first thing I did was to like the post in the Facebook group hoping to get a notification later when somebody else posted a solution,” he said The question was about filling an infinite grid with numbers Subercaseaux had to leave Chile for graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University There, in August 2021, he had a fortuitous encounter with Marijn Heule, a computer scientist who uses massive computing power to solve hard math questions. Subercaseaux asked Heule if he wanted to attempt the problem, kicking off a collaboration that culminated this January in a proof that can be summed up with a single number: 15 In 2002, Wayne Goddard of Clemson University and some like-minded mathematicians were spitballing problems in combinatorics trying to come up with new twists on the field’s mainstay questions about coloring maps given certain constraints Eventually they landed on a problem that starts with a grid like a sheet of graph paper that goes on forever There’s just one constraint: The distance between each occurrence of the same number must be greater than the number itself (Distance is measured by adding together the vertical and horizontal separation a metric known as “taxicab” distance for the way it resembles moving on gridded urban streets.) A pair of 1s cannot occupy adjoining cells but they can be placed in directly diagonal cells Bernardo Subercaseaux had a friend make a Minesweeper-like game that let him quickly test possible solutions Initially, Goddard and his collaborators wanted to know whether it was even possible to fill an infinite grid with a finite set of numbers. But by the time he and his four collaborators published this “packing coloring” problem in the journal Ars Combinatoria in 2008 they had proved that it can be solved using 22 numbers They also knew that there was no way it could be solved with only five numbers That meant the actual answer to the problem — the minimum number of numbers needed — lay somewhere in between The researchers didn’t actually fill an infinite grid it’s enough to take a small subset of the grid — say a 10-by-10 square — fill that with numbers then show that copies of the filled subset can be placed next to each other the way you’d cover a floor with copies of a tile When Subercaseaux first learned of the problem he started looking for tiles using pen and paper and he asked a friend to design a web-based tool that resembled the game Minesweeper and allowed him to test combinations faster After a few more weeks of work he’d convinced himself there was no way to pack a grid with eight numbers but he couldn’t get any further than that — there were just too many potential shapes the tiles could take and too many different ways they could be filled with numbers is that it’s vastly more difficult to show that the grid can’t be covered by a certain set of numbers than to show that it can “It isn’t just showing that one way doesn’t work it’s showing that every possible way doesn’t work,” Goddard said After Subercaseaux started at CMU and convinced Heule to work with him they quickly found a way to cover the grid with 15 numbers They were also able to rule out the possibility of solving the problem with only 12 numbers But their feelings of triumph were short-lived as they realized that they’d merely reproduced results that had been around for a long time: As far back as 2017 researchers had known the answer wasn’t less than 13 or greater than 15 Marijn Heule specializes in leveraging computer power to make progress on difficult questions in math For a first-year grad student who’d roped a big-time professor into working on his pet problem, it was an unsettling discovery. “I was horrified. I had basically been working for several months on a problem without realizing this, and even worse, I had made Marijn waste his time on it!” Subercaseaux wrote in a blog post recapping their work found the discovery of past results invigorating It demonstrated that other researchers found the problem important enough to work on and confirmed for him that the only result worth obtaining was to solve the problem completely “Once we figured out there had been 20 years of work on the problem that completely changed the picture,” he said Heule had made a career out of finding efficient ways to search among vast possible combinations His approach is called SAT solving — short for “satisfiability.” It involves constructing a long formula that can have two possible results: 0 or 1 each variable in the formula might represent whether a given cell is occupied by a given number A computer looks for ways of assigning variables in order to satisfy the formula you know it’s possible to pack the grid under the conditions you’ve set a straightforward encoding of the packing coloring problem as a Boolean formula could stretch to many millions of terms — a computer could run forever testing all the different ways of assigning variables within it “Trying to do this brute force would take until the universe finishes if you did it naïvely,” Goddard said “So you need some cool simplifications to bring it down to something that’s even possible.” every time you add a number to the packing coloring problem due to the way the possible combinations multiply This means that if a bank of computers working in parallel could rule out 12 in a single day of computation they’d need 100 days of computation time to rule out 13 Heule and Subercaseaux regarded scaling up a brute-force computational approach as vulgar so we took the mindset of ‘Let’s try to optimize our approach until we can solve this problem in less than 48 hours of computation on the cluster,’” Subercaseaux said they had to come up with ways of limiting the number of combinations the computing cluster had to try “[They] want not just to solve it, but to solve it in an impressive way,” said Alexander Soifer of the University of Colorado Heule and Subercaseaux recognized that many combinations are essentially the same If you’re trying to fill a diamond-shaped tile with eight different numbers it doesn’t matter if the first number you place is one up and one to the right of the center square or one down and one to the left of the center square The two placements are symmetric with each other and constrain your next move in exactly the same way If every packing problem could be solved with a chessboard pattern where a diagonal grid of 1s covers the entire space (like the dark spaces on a chessboard) as in this example of a finite tile packed with 14 numbers The chessboard pattern must be broken in a few places toward the upper left Heule and Subercaseaux added rules that allowed the computer to treat symmetric combinations as equivalent reducing the total search time by a factor of eight They also employed a technique Heule had developed in previous work called cube and conquer which allowed them to test more combinations in parallel with each other If you know a given cell has to contain either 3 you can split the problem and test each of the three possibilities simultaneously on different sets of computers By January 2022 these improvements allowed Heule and Subercaseaux to rule out 13 as the answer to the packing coloring problem in an experiment that required less than two days of computing time This left them with two possible answers: 14 or 15 To rule out 14 — and solve the problem — Heule and Subercaseaux had to find additional ways to speed the computer search they had written a Boolean formula that assigned variables to each individual cell in the grid they realized that they did not need to proceed on a cell-by-cell basis they discovered that it was more effective to consider small regions comprised of five cells in the shape of a plus sign They rewrote their Boolean formula so that several variables represented questions such as: Is there a 7 somewhere within this plus-shaped region The computer did not need to identify exactly where in the region the 7 might be It just needed to determine whether it was in there or not — a question which requires significantly fewer computational resources to answer “Having variables that talk about only pluses instead of specific locations turned out to be way better than talking about them in specific cells,” Heule said Aided by the efficiency of the plus search Heule and Subercaseaux ruled out 14 in a computer experiment in November 2022 that ended up taking less time to run than the one they’d used to rule out 13 They spent the next four months verifying that the computer’s conclusion was correct — almost as much time as they’d spent enabling the computer to arrive at that conclusion in the first place “It was gratifying to think that what we’d spawned as a sort of side question in some random journal had caused groups of people to spend months of their time trying to work out how to solve it,” Goddard said it was the first real triumph of his research career And while it may not have been the type of discovery he’d idealized when he first contemplated working in mathematics “It’s not understanding of the form where you give me a blackboard and I can show you why it’s 15,” he said “But we have gained understanding of how the constraints of the problem operate how much better it is to have a 6 here or a 7 there We have gained a lot of intuitive understanding.” Quanta Magazine moderates comments to facilitate an informed incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (New York time) and can only accept comments written in English We’ll email you instructions to reset your password 2015 at 5:10 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The following obituary is courtesy of Donnellan Family Funeral Services Nancy Jean Van Heule age 80 of Wilmette died September 6 1934.Beloved wife of Thomas Joseph Van Heule Patricia Ann “Holly” (the late Daniel) Specht and the late Robert Frederick Van Heule; proud grandmother of Thomas III (Lea) Linda (Jonathon) Felter and Jack and Peter Specht; great grandmother of Jacob Van Heule.Visitation Wednesday September 9 Interment private.In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Sheil Catholic Center Funeral info (847) 675-1990 or www.donnellanfuneral.com Wednesday September 9, 2015, 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Donnellan Family Funeral Services, 10045 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie, Illinois 60077 Click for Map and Directions Thursday September 10, 2015, 10:00 AM at Sheil Catholic Center, 2110 North Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60201 Click for Map and Directions Click for Map and Directions Memorial donations may be made to:Sheil Catholic Centerhttp://www.adriandominicans.org/ Share your thoughts and memories in the guestbook Sign the guestbookRead the guestbook Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Denk bloß nicht, ich heule | Just Don’t Think I’ll Cry by Frank Vogel DCP: DEFA Film Distribution in the Deutsche Kinemathek Image: Courtesy Emmalee Legler The commercial construction firm Jon F. Swift Construction recently hired Matt Heule as a project manager Heule brings more than 10 years of construction management experience to the role; he will be responsible for managing projects from start to finish estimating and fostering client relationships He is a New Jersey native with extensive experience building in downtown Manhattan This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page HEULE PRECISION TOOLS will launch their latest development at IMTS 2014 The new BSF tool extends their range for automated high volume production of back spotfacing and counterboring a counter bore ratio of up to 2.3xd is possible The tool is used for diameters from 6.5 to 20 mm without needing to turn over the workpiece The productive efficiency is distinguished by its process capability proper functioning and high cost effectiveness thanks to fast process cycles and a minimum of secondary time As the most innovative provider of tools for processing both bore edges in a single pass HEULE presents another first class solution for back spot facing Since the machining is done from the same side as the bore is drilled it is also possible to apply spot faces or counter bores in areas that are difficult to access such as bores between the forks of yokes or screw head counter sinks The goal of this development was to assure the crucial process capability for large volume production of diameters of up to 2.3xd The BSF is specifically designed for CNC machining and is immediately ready for production This highly competitive tool has a lot to offer with its compact and simple design concept and function principle since it does not need any adjustments HEULE succeeded in merging the advantages of a simple folding mechanism with the required process capability of series production the long tool life of its blade accounts for a minimum of machine downtime The design concept of the BSF tool system is complex The blade unfolds by activating the spindle with an initial rpm and by the gravity of its own weight An impulse of the internal coolant folds the blade back on demand This means that the tool requires a machine equipped with an internal coolant of approximately 20 bar working pressure the tool and the specifically coated blade can work a large variety of materials If the tool needs to be serviced due to wear Stop by IMTS Booth W-1352 to see this tool For more information, visit www.heuletool.com Heule has been inaugurated as honorary consul of the Netherlands for Western Michigan consul general of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Chicago inaugurated Heule Wednesday to the official appointment by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix approved by the State Department of the United States Heule’s appointment is the first time in 20 years that the Netherlands has appointed a new honorary consul in the Grand Rapids area “We are especially delighted to appoint Paulus Heule to this position because he embodies what we recognize as the ‘new Dutch’ in Michigan,” Heinsbroek said a privately  owned real estate investment and management company with headquarters in Grand Rapids He has numerous other national and international business interests He has been involved in many charitable activities including his successful effort earlier this year to set up a private air charter to fly supplies to Haiti during that country’s recent earthquake disaster Western Michigan’s Dutch heritage traces back to the 1800s with many other immigrants  arriving after World War II there are many people who think that Western Michigan is still stuck in the ’50s,” Heule said “Nothing could be further from the truth and that is the message I hope to spread in my capacity as honorary consul.” .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Shandra Martinez | smartinez@mlive.comGRAND RAPIDS Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima shared some thoughts about their Michigan visit with the man who worked behind the scenes to make it happen During their whirlwind trip to Grand Rapids the king and queen visited Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Parks DeVos Children's Hospital and Van Andel Institute facilities funded by the region's Dutch-American billionaires "I think they were impressed by the genuine interest in the Netherlands and how our region flourishes and the sophistication of our region," said Paul Heule about his conversation with the royal couple on Tuesday evening "I don't think they expected that before they arrived." talks with Queen Maxima during her visit to the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture park on June 2 The Dutch-born Ada resident didn't realize he would be preparing for a rare royal visit when he was appointed Honorary Dutch Consul for the Netherlands in West Michigan in 2010 But Heule did know he wanted to deepen cultural and economic ties between his native Netherlands and Michigan where he now lives with his wife and five daughters he handed out orange extension cords to those in attendance to illustrate the way his office would be an extension between Dutch businesses and cultural organizations and their counterparts in West Michigan The Dutch first settled West Michigan in the mid-1800s and the region's roots are still evident in the names of towns and the families Heule built on those long ties with the West Michigan Global Initiative a group he co-founded to promote economic and cultural ties between the two regions The group organized the first formal trade mission to the Netherlands in 2013 led by Lt Brian Calley and hosted two Netherlands delegations of business leaders and dignitaries including the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in 2011 I think it is hard to understand how dynamic this small town in the Midwest really is," Heule said He compares WMGI's work to the planting of many seeds that helped Grand Rapids make the itinerary for Willem-Alexander's first official visit to the United States since ascending the throne in 2013 "I can tell you that folks in Washington and Chicago felt Grand Rapids was an important place to stop," Heule said Willem-Alexander has focused his attention on economic development was accompanied by trade mission of more than 50 companies most in the agriculture and health care sectors the king said he had wanted to see Michigan for several years had spoken fondly of her 1982 visit during her reign as queen He said his family cherishes its relationships with Dutch-Americans who remain connected to their European roots The arts have also benefited from the Dutch delegations resulting in an exhibit of well-known Dutch artists coming to Grand Valley State University this fall and interest in bringing a version of Grand Rapids' acclaimed ArtPrize to the Netherlands there are some pretty measurable results in a real exchange of ideas," Heule said The king's visit highlighted the country's interest in life sciences Healthy aging is a major topic of discussion in the life science/health area while healthy eating and a local farm-to-table approach are the focus in agriculture Lakeshore Advantage and the Michigan Economic Development Corp collaborated on one-on-one matching between companies during the Dutch delegation's short visit in West Michigan Heule says he would like to build on the success of the royal visit and the Dutch trade mission by organizing another group of Michigan business leaders and dignitaries to visit the Netherlands he would like to encourage the connections that were made this week "I think it is a matter of building on the relationship of all of those people who were here in the last couple of days," he said Heule balances his consul duties with running the international real estate investment firm Eenhoorn LLC The consul post is unpaid but an official appointment of the Dutch and government A Dutch flag and consulate sign is posted at Eenhoorn headquarters Heule was seen as someone who embodies the "new Dutch" in Michigan He immigrated to the United States with his parents to live nearer his older siblings who were attending Calvin College and started his career as a computer programmer Heule began real-estate investment and management venture that bears his mother's maiden name \n m_gallery = \"20_images_from_the_dutch_royal\";\n m_gallery_id = \"17987117\";\n m_gallery_title = \"20 images from the Dutch Royal visit to Grand Rapids\";\n m_gallery_blog_id = \"4469\";\n m_gallery_creation_date = \"Tuesday 7:10 PM\";\n m_gallery_permalink = \"http://photos.mlive.com/4469/gallery/20_images_from_the_dutch_royal/index.html\";\n m_gallery_json = \"https://blog.mlive.com/photogallery/4469/17987117.json\";\n m_gallery_pagetype = \"embed\";\n m_gallery_type = \"photo\";\n <\/script>\n Gallery: 20 images from the Dutch Royal visit to Grand Rapids MI -- Grand Rapids will be one of the stops when Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima make their whirlwind visit to the United States in early June The official visit marks the first time the royal couple will travel to the United States as king and queen King Willem-Alexander succeeded his mother The royal couple also will meet President Obama in Washington and travel to Chicago during the June 1-3 visit "We are honored and excited to be able to welcome his Majesty King Willem-Alexander and her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands to West Michigan," said Paulus Heule, honorary Dutch Consul for West Michigan. "West Michigan was chosen not only because of our strong Dutch heritage but because of our ongoing business and cultural ties," said Heule "We are emphasizing to the people of the Netherlands not only our rich heritage but also the great human and economic resources West Michigan has to offer to strengthen the global ties between our two countries." said the royal couple's visit to Grand Rapids will include a tree planting at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park The royal couple will also be accompanied by a delegation representing 50 Netherlands businesses The King and Queen will celebrate strong economic cultural and political ties between their country and the United States that date back 400 years The Netherlands is one of the top five foreign investors in the United States and is the No 1 destination for American foreign investments economic relationship also supports 685,000 American jobs "It's my pleasure to welcome the Royal Couple on their first visit to the U.S "Their visit underscores the strong friendship between our two countries." The announcement made by the Royal Household on Tuesday afternoon set off a wave of excitement especially among those with Dutch heritage "It's kind of a once in a lifetime thing," Huizenga said Shandra Martinez covers business for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez \n m_gallery = \"dutch_royal_couple_to_make_fir\";\n m_gallery_id = \"17401577\";\n m_gallery_title = \"Dutch Royal couple to make first U.S visit\";\n m_gallery_blog_id = \"4469\";\n m_gallery_creation_date = \"Tuesday 3:07 PM\";\n m_gallery_permalink = \"http://photos.mlive.com/4469/gallery/dutch_royal_couple_to_make_fir/index.html\";\n m_gallery_json = \"https://blog.mlive.com/photogallery/4469/17401577.json\";\n m_gallery_pagetype = \"embed\";\n m_gallery_type = \"photo\";\n <\/script>\n Gallery: Dutch Royal couple to make first U.S • Tell us about your career in hospitality/property and how you came in to the serviced apartment sector “I am a graduate of the Hotel School The Hague During my studies I did traineeships for IHG and Marriot and decided that I wanted to become a hotel owner but Taking it step by step I decided to move from Shanghai to Amsterdam and learn about Dutch law and hotel operations in Europe 200+ room hotel in Amsterdam because it was on the urge of going bankrupt “After this project I was requested to develop Expedia in the Dutch market In my opinion it is key for a hotel manager or owner to understand the online travel industry From Amsterdam I managed The Netherlands focusing on expansion in number of hotels and getting demand for regional destinations 2008-2012 was a great period for online travel Amsterdam was a great place to be as the battle between Expedia and Booking.com started there and in that period (like Coca Cola versus Pepsi) A short four years later I was asked to become general manager for one of the iconic properties in Amsterdam which had just become a franchisee of Wyndham and belonged to the Dutch hotel chain Apollo Hotels & Resorts After a short period I also became responsible for e-commerce for the whole group Maybe too soon I was contacted by the owner of Short Stay Group asking me to join him and the team to bring Short Stay Group to the next level and decided to have a chat six months later and only a few weeks after that I started as managing director of Short Stay Group.” • How well known are serviced apartments in the Netherlands and what is the split between leisure and business use “Serviced apartments are not really known in The Netherlands In Amsterdam we talk about apartment hotels Apartment hotels (or aparthotels) are officially hotel licenced short stay is housing which has a licence to be rented out from seven nights (the licence has an expiry date of 10 years) and holiday homes are privately owned homes that can be rented out from one night Short Stay Group does not work with holiday homes only with aparthotels and short stay.” “The serviced apartment industry is still in development in Amsterdam Business use of the apartments is mainly driven by location Overall we now have around 40 per cent of business use and 60 per cent of leisure use More and more we see the trend of ‘bleisure,’ where businessmen are staying longer and have their families come over during the weekend to enjoy the city We also see more and more families travelling to the city to celebrate a holiday for 7-14 days We expect this to happen more and more as demand is there and this type of booker prefers and apartment over a standard hotel room.” • Can you give us a brief history of the Short Stay Group “In 2005 the owner of Short Stay Group started the company with just one apartment It was only in 2009 official licences for short stay were created At that time Short Stay Group had around 50 apartments In 2010 we started to create or own PMS (called Proboss) as we could not find a proper system fulfilling our needs Around 2011 we had a huge development period In 2014 when I started we decided to focus on the three main cities: Amsterdam In early 2015 we started to create the base of our brand: Yays This month we officially launch Yays with three buildings in Amsterdam with just over 100 apartments in total.” • What was the thinking behind the launch of the Yays brand and how has it been received by your customers “During the last three years we have seen an increase in demand from both families and businessmen in the specific demand for apartments Families prefer apartments over hotels as they can have their own pace during their holidays For people traveling for business we see that if they stay longer they prefer an apartment especially if the family is coming over during the weekend Average hotel length of stay in Amsterdam is 1.7 days at Yays it is over six days (and we just started) We also see that there is a lot of pressure in the touristic city centre of the bigger cities across Europe For that reason we focussed on the outskirts of the centre therefore we partner up with local entrepreneurs “The buildings that we obtain through lease should be buildings with character in a neighbourhood with a rich history We make sure this history is reflected in the apartments At Yays we want to make sure that visitors feel like residents of a real Amsterdam neighbourhood In everything we do we have a strong focus on four brand pillars: local The first comments so far on our three Yays buildings in Amsterdam are great Reviews on the familiar OTAs trend above 8.5 (on a scale of 10) People love the fact that the apartments are self-serviced with the addition of having a 24/7 concierge desk where they can go to for help.” • How will the decision by the Amsterdam authorities to only grant approvals to apart hotels rather than serviced apartments affect your company and the wider industry  over the next few years “The local rules and regulations considering serviced apartments will change in the upcoming 10 years At this moment in time the aparthotel structure is in favour nevertheless there is high demand for short term rental of (serviced) apartments overall Short stay (serviced apartments) is a great concept but with a minimum length of stay restriction of seven nights there is false competition versus holiday homes (which have no minimum length of stay restriction) It could be that the short stay licences are extended or that only the licences for whole buildings will be extended (not for single units) As there is some guessing we go for the sure thing in Amsterdam • What plans do you have for the growth of Short Stay Group/YAYS “We now have around 500 apartments in three cities – in the next five years we aim to have 2000 apartments in five cities Especially with Yays we aim to be in at least three cities in five years Our focus will remain on expansion in Amsterdam But if we find an investor or real estate partner willing to open a Yays in another European city Modern-day players find new uses for a traditional instrument On the last Friday and Saturday nights of most months you can hear Steve Meisner play traditional accordion polka music at the Essen Haus on East Wilson Street But if you happened to stumble into the Frequency on a recent Friday night you would have seen the accordion played in a very different way lead guitar and drums in the Madison indie rock band Sleeping in the Aviary and the accordion's presence here dates back to the folk traditions of the state's 19th-century European immigrants The instrument has been embraced by leading national indie rock and indie folk bands local pop acts have likewise begun to incorporate the accordion with youthful glee The new generation of local players includes Celeste Heule of the Kissers (the Irish rock band that formally broke up last year but performed here as recently as last month); Rick Burkhardt is the son of the late Milwaukee accordion legend Verne Meisner who was inducted into the International Polka Association's Hall of Fame in 1989 the Meisners have been playing accordion in Wisconsin for 60 years The area's other accordion icon is Lou Berryman have been playing their droll folk music around the country since 1977 Recently I asked all seven of these local squeezebox players some instrumental questions: What inspired you to start playing Do you perceive the accordion as being suddenly popular among young musicians My dad bought an accordion at a rummage sale when I was younger It lay around our house until one Christmas Eve a few years back when my family decided to learn how to play "Silent Night" for the Christmas gathering the next day my dad hung some rusty metal pieces on a hanger to hit my mom had some blocks of wood and my sister had the oven rack When I think of accordions I think of that scene in the Herzog film Stroszek where the main character wet little dead-end alleyway to drunkenly relax the accordion gets ripped apart by some pimps and it's this really significantly scary scene Accordions can feel both really pretty and powerful in that way and maybe that is what indie rock has embraced called me back in December of 2006 and asked if I'd be interested in trying out for the Kissers' accordion spot From that point I was playing the accordion every week up until we disbanded in June 2008 The single biggest difference an accordion makes for any "keyboard" player is the mobility factor This is evident in the over-animated accordionists you see in bands like the Dropkick Murphys Guys who are anchored behind a keyboard instrument or forced to sit and play are all of a sudden a moving rock star with the accordion I can't quite explain why the sight of an accordion makes so many people excited What can look more odd than a guy standing there pumping air through a box covered in buttons I grew up in Wisconsin during the time when traveling salesmen went around selling accordion and lesson packages to families the thing they played would have squashed me flat I went out and bought a $100 accordion at the ripe old age of 30 when Peter and I had already been playing with two other musicians in a little acoustic group we called the Kitchen Band Though I'd played guitar and banjo in other bands in the past I was looking for something new to add to our foursome when Peter and I were living in British Columbia we'd met a charming and talented Danish guy who played the accordion and sang and I thought it might be a cool thing if I learned a couple of accordion songs and played them in our group Our two other musical pals suddenly weren't so interested in playing with us anymore About six months later we landed the gig at the Club de Wash I have loved the gradual popularization of the accordion But I'm pretty sure that all these folks that picked up the accordion I think the concept of orchestral rock is the perfect environment for the accordion because it can easily switch between melody and chords which other portable reed instruments can't necessarily accomplish For a fair amount of the songs that I play with a full band Many of the songs that I wrote initially were very much influenced by Latin and Eastern European folk music fun flair to otherwise nontraditional accordion songs I really like just handing a piano player an accordion for the first time and watching them fall in love as well I think once you hear one that is not playing polka the downturn of the accordion was mostly due to the electric guitar's popularity with youths for the last several generations The accordion became an iconic instrument identified with parents and grandparents and looked upon as a skunk contrary to popular belief driven by the U.S I believe that this false taboo is part of what drives the indie interest as artists look for something different to bring freshness to their music polka music or any accordion-based music is not accepted by the U.S masses due to the population's narrow vision of music I'd love to see a rock artist make the accordion the staple of their music instead of a guitar I think it could work if the artist was proficient and understood the accordion as a rock artist understands his guitar I think the accordion is being used by today's artists as more of a novelty than a staple I use to do a lot of antique mall shopping and after I got tired of buying Star Wars figures I finally bought the small old-school accordion that had been sitting in the same spot for months - and kept dropping in price while the Star Wars figure prices continued to climb I have always been a keyboard player and always have been quite curious about the funny little squeezebox I'm pretty sure the first time I became aware of the squeezebox was in some old Disney cartoon It always looked like a very comical instrument to me Not as serious as the classical grand piano and just something more associated with carnivals People always seem to start laughing as soon as I pick up the thing And the smiles usually last despite the awkward Prince Myshkins (satirical political cabaret folk) I've always thought that if I'm going to write topical songs about war and greed and the insane economic system we live in I'd better write music that sounds fundamentally askew somehow to express how twisted the topics themselves are Three-chord songs are great and everything but to me they always have a tendency to make the stuff you're singing about sound beautiful and right If you look at a picture of a union rally or a street protest from the 1930s you'll almost inevitably see that someone amidst all those serious faces is holding an accordion I don't think there are necessarily more young accordionists now but I think there are more people looking around in the shadowy parts of music history for traces of musical cultures that got lost in the shuffle-play of the 20th-century hit-making market and I think people are looking for alternatives to music that only comes through wires Once you start seeking out music like that please send an email with the following information to calendar@isthmus.com Here's the information we need to include your event in our calendar: * event date; RSVP/ticket deadline if there is one email or website we can publish (REQUIRED) Optional info:* bios/press releases for posting with the online listing