Willis Knuckles Has Died
The death is announced of Mr. Willis D. Knuckles, former Minister of Public Works and former Minister of Presidential Affairs, Republic of Liberia.He died in Accra, Ghana this morning, following a brief illness. He held both positions during the administration of Liberia’s current President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.Mr. Knuckles was widely known for his extraordinary organizing skills, which he put to great use during the two presidential campaigns of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in 2005 and 2011. These political initiatives led her to victory on both occasions.A staunch, lifelong Methodist, Mr. Knuckles also organized fund raising drives for the rebuilding of the Seys United Methodist Church of Careysburg, Montserrado County, first in the the mid-2000s from devastation during the war, and a few years when the newly renovated church was destroyed by a mysterious fire.Following his graduation from Cuttington College and Divinity School in the 1967, Willis, though he graduated in Chemistry, began working for the State Department under Secretary of State J. Rudolph Grimes. Secretary Grimes immediately saw promise in Willis’ intellectual and diplomatic skills and sent him to Columbia University, where both Grimes and his Deputy, Ernest Eastman, had studied, to pursue the Master’s in International Relations. But Willis left Columbia after a semester and returned home.In the early 1970s he became the Chief of Staff to Vice President James E. Green, President W.R. Tolbert’s first Vice President.Mr. Knuckles later became Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, under Minister Estrada Bernard–a post Knuckles held until the 1980 coup d’etat, when he and his family sought exile in the United States.Upon his return home in 1982, Willis, an excellent writer in the English language, became managing editor of the Daily Observer newspaper, as well as Liberia correspondent of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).He reported forthrightly on many of the troubles which the Daily Observer and others encountered during the regime of Head of State Samuel K. Doe and the People’s Redemption Council. When in 1984 the Daily Observer was closed down for the fourth time, Willis flashed a detailed story to the BBC, which was immediately aired. Willis was immediately arrested and imprisoned at the Post Stockade, the maximum security prison.Following his release months later, Willis, an avid sports enthusiast and energetic individual, took the leadership in reorganizing the Liberia Football Association (LFA).He is a lifelong member and key organizer of the Old Timers Football Club, with whom he played every Sunday until his recent illness.He is survived by his loving wife, Mrs. Hawa Sherman Knuckles, two daughters, Hawa Ellen and Ethel Virginia, a son, Willis III, grand children, several brothers, including Gabriel Knuckles, a sister, Bushin Knuckles and many other relatives.(For the latest news and updates, follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Liberian-Observer-Online/42279623238.)Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Organizing your projects is a quick way to make your workflow easier.Keeping your projects organized is one of the most important skills you can learn as an aspiring motion graphic designer. You may be saving time by importing assets from all over your computer but over time it makes it all too easy to delete a project file.In the following video by Motion Revolver, Tyson Frantz shows us how he organizes his project files and gives us some good insights into how to better organize AE projects. The video covers:Organizing folders in the finderOrganizing folder in the project panelImporting foldersAuto-creating folders If you ever plan on working with a team or simply want to make your work more streamlined, organizing your projects is an essential first step. This video was posted on Motion Revolver’s YouTube channel. Thanks for sharing guys!Have any tips for keeping your projects organized? Share in the comments below.
Lower thirds can add a level of slick professionalism to any video project. Here are a few ways to get them for FREE.Top image via ShutterstockWhile lower thirds are an easy way to reinforce your brand and up the production value of your video project, there’s no need to spend an arm and a leg on graphics. Not only are there lots of high-quality free resources available, you can also find plenty of DIY tutorials to guide you through the process of creating your own lower thirds from scratch. Let’s take a look at a few free resources for video editors.24 Free Lower Thirds for After Effects via RocketStockThis FREE pack from our pals at RocketStock is loaded with 24 unique lower thirds, each with customizable text. Plus, you can add your logo to the graphics. This lower-thirds pack includes a few video clips and some free light leaks to really make your project pop. You can download the whole thing here.Pro Tip: RocketStock gives away a new freebie every month, so be sure to give them a bookmark and check in every once and a while. While you’re over there, explore their library of video assets, like lens flares, digital distortion, and, yes, lower thirds.How to Create a Lower Third in After Effects via Mac SquareMac Square offers a tutorial on creating basic lower thirds in After Effects in which he takes a minimalist design approach to adding graphics to video. You’ll notice his end result doesn’t include a lot of movement. For more on motion, keep reading below.Intro to Animation Curves in After Effects via School of MotionLower thirds can draw the wrong kind of attention to themselves if the graphics move in a choppy, sloppy fashion. The best way to eradicate the issue is to get good at using the Curve Editor, which Joey Korenman explains in the video above. Understanding the Curve Editor won’t just make your lower thirds better — it will make all of your After Effects animation efforts look more pro.Creating your own lower thirds is easier than you think, and doing so is a fantastic way to further hone your skills in motion graphics. For more information on creating your own lower-thirds, check out Shutterstock’s excellent article, “How to Make Lower Thirds Like a Pro.”Just remember — with lower thirds, simplicity is everything. Keep your text readable, your colors minimal, and your motion smooth.What approach do you take when creating lower thirds? Share your tips and techniques in the comments below.
Mumbai: Hiranandani Group’s energy arm H-Energy Gateway Private Ltd. launched India’s first floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU)-based LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal at Jaigarh port in the State.The FSRU, inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis earlier this week will be operational by end of 2018 and will supply re-gasified LNG to customers through a 60 km pipeline which will be connected to national gas grid at Dhabol.Highlighting India’s growing need for LNG, Mr. Fadnavis said, “I am confident that the availability of LNG will spur industrialisation. It will bring in more industries, and the fact that the JSW port is operational for all 12 months (as opposed to the Dhabol port that is open only for 6 months) will help in cutting losses.”The company has received approval to lay and operate a 635 km natural gas pipeline from Jaigarh to Mangalore and will be connected to the demand centres of Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Goa, Karwar, Udupi, and Mangalore. The pipeline is expected to be commissioned by 2019.The 4 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) LNG terminal will offer storage, re-gasification, re-loading, fuel bunkering and truck loading facilities to cater to the growing energy demand of Indian industries. The company also has plans to set up a second FSRU at the Digha region, Bay of Bengal, scheduled for 2020, said a company statement. Mr. Darshan Hiranandani, CEO, H-Energy said, “The terminal will help strengthen the transport infrastructure within Ratnagiri. So far the local gas distributor Unison hasn’t built a single CNG pump as the gas used to be so expensive.” H-Energy said it would also be supplementing Unison’s efforts to provide gas connections to over 1.5 lakh homes in Ratnagiri district in the next three years.The Jaigarh Port is owned and operated by JSW Infrastructure (the maritime infrastructure development arm of the $ 12 billion JSW Group).“In the near future, Jaigarh Port is getting ready for a giant leap to handle 80 mtpa of cargo and is aiming for direct berthing of next generation vessels i.e. large dry bulk carrier (Vale Max), LNG carrier (Q-Max), large container vessels (EEE Series) and very large crude carriers. This LNG terminal will enable development of local port-based industries in Maharashtra region,” said Capt. BVJK Sharma, Joint Managing Director & CEO, JSW Infrastructure.