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The Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IPA) at DLR celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012. On this occasion, a book titled 'Atmospheric Physics: Background – Methods – Trends' has been published. Editor is Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schumann who led the institute from 1992 to 2012. The book should bring a better understanding of the diverse subject areas and capabilities within the institute to a wide readership. The goal is to reach the many people who come into contact with atmospheric physics in their work, be this in science, education, a wide range of institutions or the numerous partners collaborating with the Institute of Atmospheric Physics. The book has now received its first award – on 9 January 2013, at the conference of the American Meteorological Society, Atmospheric Science Librarians International announced that the book had received an honorable mention in the Science category 'Best Books of the Year' for its outstanding topical contributions.
The subhead 'Background – Methods – Trends' reveals the three-tiered structure of the book, which benefits greatly from a clear arrangement in a total of 51 chapters and 877 pages. In the first section, the authors knowledgeably set out the status of research in atmospheric physics and chemistry. The composition of the atmosphere is described in one chapter, as are the scattering of light by air molecules, the greenhouse effect and the complex processes that occur in thunderstorms. Results obtained and discoveries made at the Institute are frequently referred to in the individual subject areas.
The second part of the book gives a multifaceted insight into the various measurement and simulation methods used at the Institute to gain a deeper understanding of the atmosphere and its processes. Here, the reader learns about exciting techniques such as taking lightning measurements during storms or detecting ice particles in clouds from space. The Institute's broad competence in simulating atmospheric processes up to the scale of the Earth system is explained as well.
Also included in this comprehensive work are the DLR Falcon and High Altitude and Long Range (HALO) research aircraft and there is a chapter on the events surrounding the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in spring 2010. These two subject areas open the third section of the book, which is about the scientific 'trends' in atmospheric research. The authors manage to describe the measurement of the ash cloud over Europe and the effects of shutting down almost the entire European air space in 2010 in a knowledgeable, gripping and generally understandable way. The interesting insights given will be accessible to lay readers as well. Other current hot topics affecting society are discussed as well. The impact of aviation and surface transport on global climate is covered, as is the future development of the ozone layer.
'Atmospheric Physics' is published by Springer as part of DLR's series of books entitled 'Research Topics in Aerospace'.
Prof. Schumann
Springer-Verlag GmbH, Heidelberg
Atmospheric Science Librarians International


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The new philosophy calls all in doubt, The element of fire is quite put out; The sun is lost and the earth, and no man's wit Can well direct him where to look for it. And freely men confess that this world's spent, When in the planets and the firmament They seek so many new; they see that this Is crumbled out again to his atomies. Have not all souls thought For many ages that our body is wrought Of air and fire and other elements? And now they think of new ingredients; And one soul thinks one, and another way Another thinks, and 'tis an even lay.
When by thy scorn, O murdress, I am dead And that thou think'st thee free From all solicitations from me, Then shall my ghost come to thy bed;
All other things to their destruction draw, Only our love hath no decay; This no to-morrow hath nor yesterday, Running it never runs from us away, But truly keeps his first, last, everlasting day;
Let not thy divining heart Forethink me any ill, Destiny may take thy part, And may thy fears fulfil; But think that we Are but turn'd aside to sleep; They who one another keep Alive ne'er parted be;
Study me then you who shall lovers be At the next world, that is, at the next Spring: For I am every dead thing In whom love wrought new Alchemy.
fat weed That rots itself in ease on Lethe wharf,
For God's sake hold your tongue and let me love: Who ever comes to shroud me do not harm Nor question much That subtle wreath of hair, which crowns my arm: I taught my silks their rustling to forbear, Even my opprest shoes dumb and silent were. I long to talk with some old lover's ghost Who died before the God of love was born; Twice or thrice had I loved thee Before I knew thy face or name, So in a voice, so in a shapeless flame, Angels affect us oft and worshipped be; And whilst our souls negotiate there We like sepulchral statues lay; All day the same our postures were And we said nothing all the day. My face and brest of haircloth, and my head With care's harsh, sudden hoariness o'er-spread.
If yet I have not all thy love, Deare, I shall never have it all, I cannot breathe one other sigh, to move, Nor can entreat one other tear to fall, And all my treasure, which should purchase thee, Sighs, tears, and oaths, and letters I have spent. Yet no more can be due to me, Than at the bargain made was meant, If then thy gift of love was partial, That some to me, some shuld to others fall, Deare, I shall never have thee all. But I am none; nor will my sunne renew. You lovers for whose sake the lesser sunne At this time to the Goat is run To fetch new lust and give it you, Enjoy your summer all; Since she enjoys her long night's festival, Let me prepare towards her, and let me call This hour her Vigil and her Eve, since this Both the years and the days deep midnight is.
Poor soul, in this thy flesh what dost thou know? Thou know'st thyself so little that thou knowst not How thou didst die, nor how thou wast begot. Thou neither know'st how thou at first camest in, Nor how thou took'st the poison of man's sin; Nor dost thou though thou know'st that thou art so By what way thou art made immortal know.
Show me dear Christ that spouse so bright and clear.
O might those sighs and tears return again Into my breast and eyes, which I have spent, That I might in this holy discontent Mourn with some fruit, as I have mourned in vain.
O might those sighs and tears return again Into my breast and eyes, which I have spent, That I might in this holy discontent Mourn with some fruit, as I have mourned in vain; In mine Idolat'ry what showers of rain Mine eyes did waste? What griefs my heart did rent? That sufferance was my sin; now I repent Cause I did suffer I must suffer pain.
Here's no more newes, then vertue, I may as well Tell you Cales or St. Michael's tale for newes, as tell That vice doth here habitually dwell. . . . . . . . But now 'tis incongruity to smile, Therefore I end; and bid farewell a while, At Court, though From Court were the better style.
The Princes favour is defused o'er all, From which all Fortunes, Names, and Natures fall. And all is warmth and light and good desire.
And for the last effect Still keep the sword erect. Besides the force it has to fright The spirits of the shady night, The same arts that did gain A power must it maintain.
Sweet day so cool, so calm, so bright, The bridal of the earth and sky, The dew shall weep thy fall to-night, For thou must die; &c.
Still is the toiling hand of Care; The panting herds repose: Yet hark how through the peopled air The busy murmur glows! The insect-youth are on the wing, Eager to taste the honied spring, And float amid the liquid noon: Some lightly o'er the current skim, Some show their gaily-gilded trim Quick-glancing to the sun.
Now you have freely given me leave to love, What will you do?
Then hate me when thou wilt; if ever, now; Now while the world is bent my deeds to cross, Join with the spite of Fortune, make me bow, And do not drop in for an after-loss; Ah, do not when my heart hath scaped this sorrow, Come in the rearward of a conquer'd woe, Give not a windy night a rainy morrow, To linger out a purpos'd overthrow. If thou wilt leave me, do not leave me last When other petty griefs have done their spite, But in the onset come; so shall I taste At first the very worst of Fortune's might; And other strains of woe which now seem woe, Compared with loss of thee will not seem so.
My love is of a birth as rare As 'tis for object strange and high; It was begotten by Despair Upon Impossibility.
Annihilating all that's made To a green thought in a green shade,
As lines, so loves oblique, may well Themselves in every angle greet: But ours so truly parallel, Though infinite, can never meet;
But at my back I always hear Time's wingèd chariot hurrying near, And yonder all before us lie Deserts of vast eternity. Thy beauty shall no more be found; Nor in thy marble vault shall sound My echoing song: then worms shall try That long preserv'd virginity; And your quaint honour turn to dust; And into ashes all my lust. The grave's a fine and private place, But none I think do there embrace.
When wearied with a world of woe,
Bid me no more to other eyes—
Launch forth, my soul, into a main of tears, Full-fraught with grief, the traffic of thy mind; Torn sails will serve, thoughts rent with guilty fears; Give care the stern, use sighs in lieu of wind: Remorse thy pilot; thy misdeeds thy card; Torment thy haven, shipwreck thy best reward.
Swear by thyself that at my death thy Son Shall shine as he shines now and heretofore; And having done that thou hast done, I fear no more.
In dressing, mistressing and compliment.
Despair behind, and death before doth cast Such terror, and my feeble flesh doth waste By sin in it, which it t'wards hell doth weigh.
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat: So I did sit and eat.
Beauty in thee takes up her place, And dates her letters from thy face, When she doth write. A fine aspect in fit array, Neither too mean, nor yet too gay, Shows who is best. . . . . . . But, dearest Mother, (what those misse) The mean, thy praise and glory is, And long may be. Blessed be God, whose love it was To double moat thee with his grace, And none but thee.
Both heav'n and earth Paid me my wages in a world of mirth.
Heaven in ordinary, man well drest, The milky way, the bird of Paradise.
Knoweth the ready way, And hath the privy key Op'ning the soul's most subtle rooms; While those, to spirits refin'd, at door attend Dispatches from their friend.
Thou dost inclose us till the day Put our amendment in our way, And give new wheels to our disorder'd clocks. Christ left his grave-clothes that we might, when grief Draws tears or blood, not want an handkerchief.
And now in age I bud again, After so many deaths I live and write; I once more smell the dew and rain, And relish versing: O my only light, It cannot be That I am he On whom thy tempests fell all night.
God's silent, searching flight; When my Lord's head is fill'd with dew, and all His locks are wet with the clear drops of night; His still, soft call; His knocking-time; the soul's dumb watch When spirits their fair kindred catch.
In Abraham's tent the winged guests —O how familiar then was heaven!— Eat, drink, discourse, sit down and rest, Until the cool and shady even;
Where no rude shade or night Shall dare approach us; we shall there no more Watch stars or pore Through melancholy clouds, and say, 'Would it were Day!' One everlasting Sabbath there shall run Without succession, and without a sun.
How should I praise thee, Lord! how should my rhymes Gladly engrave thy name in steel, If what my soul doth feel sometimes My soul might ever feel! Although there were some forty heav'ns or more, Sometimes I peer above them all; Sometimes I hardly reach a score, Sometimes to hell I fall.
Faith can believe As fast as love new laws can give. Faith is my force. Faith strength affords To keep pace with those powerful words. And words more sure, more sweet than they Love could not think, truth could not say.
Glimmering Orbs 'that' glow, Until their Lord himself bespake, and bid them go,
Earth cannot show so brave a sight As when a single soul does fence The batteries of alluring sense, And heaven views it with delight.
'Teach each hollow grove to sound his love Wearying echo with one changeless word.
passionate thoughts To their own music chanted,
Oswald in wars was worthily renowned; Though gay in Courts, coarsely in Camps could live; Judg'd danger soon, and first was in it found; Could toil to gain what he with ease did give. Yet toils and dangers through ambition lov'd; Which does in war the name of Virtue own; But quits that name when from the war remov'd, As Rivers theirs when from their Channels gone.
The Spring did, when The princess first did with her pleasure grace This house of pleasure, with soft arms embrace The Earth—his lovely mistress—clad in all The painted robes the morning's dew let fall Upon her virgin bosom; the soft breath Of Zephyrus sung calm anthems at the death Of palsy-shaken Winter, whose large grave, The earth, whilst they in fruitful tears did lave, Their pious grief turned into smiles, they throw Over the hearse a veil of flowers; the low And pregnant valleys swelled with fruit, whilst Heaven Smiled on each blessing its fair hand had given.
No need of lanterns, and in one place lay Feathers and dust, to-day and yesterday.
I like not tears in tune, nor do I prize His artificial grief who scans his eyes. Mine weep down pious beads, but why should I Confine them to the Muses' rosary? I am no poet here; my pen's the spout Where the rain-water of mine eyes run out In pity of that name, whose fate we see Thus copied out in grief's hydrography. The Muses are not mermaids, though upon His death the ocean might turn Helicon. . . . . . . . When we have filled the roundlets of our eyes We'll issue 't forth and vent such elegies As that our tears shall seem the Irish Seas, We floating islands, living Hebrides.
Where ere thy bones are hurl'd, Whether beyond the stormy Hebrides, Where thou perhaps under the whelming tide Visit'st the bottom of the monstrous world.
As unthrifts grieve in straw for their pawned beds, As women weep for their lost maidenheads (When both are without hope of remedy), Such an untimely grief have I for thee.
Like as the damask rose you see, Or like the blossom on the tree, Or like the dainty flower in May, Or like the morning of the day, Or like the sun, or like the shade, Or like the gourd which Jonas had— Even such is man: whose thread is spun, Drawn out and cut and so is done. If none can scape Death's dreadful dart, If rich and poor his beck obey, If strong, if wise, if all do smart, Then I to scape shall have no way. O grant me grace, O God, that I My life may mend since I must die.
So did this noble Empire wast, Sunk by degrees from glories past, And in the School-men's hands it perished quite at last. Then nought but words it grew, And those all barbarous too. It perish't and it vanisht there, The life and soul breath'd out, became but empty air.

subset: commoncrawl


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Monday Minute (slightly late thanks to school "break"): Why James Keeps Finding Bad Stuff On Youtube
So after James lost YouTube from his ipod for the 5th time this month, we've decided to just take the option off of the darn thing for now. Why didn't you do that sooner, you might be thinking. Well for one, James LOVES YouTube. But I also think YouTube is incredibly valuable in some ways. We often look up things we're reading about on YouTube – horse races, lego building, dance shows, etc. The kids really respond to seeing what we've been learning about at home live, as well as watching other children in action (dancing, sports, gymnastics).
We've put the parental controls as high as they go, but YouTube is no match for James's eccentric search terms. Remember Kili the parrot? The most recent offense? Belly buttons. I walked in on him watching "how to care for your belly button ring," one of a long list of mildly sketchy video options gleaned from the search term. There was also some slightly more skeevy material labeled "belly button request" that he thankfully had passed over.
In direct contrast to the strict control we are taking over YouTube, we've started to leave James alone at home for very brief periods here and there, mainly when we're taking the kids to dance class 2 blocks away and it's only for an hour. James has gone from feeling anxious about the concept of "home alone" as recently as last year to now asking if he can stay home all the time, ever since he realized that staying home really means he can play Wii uninterrupted.
So for now, YouTube is back to "in view of parents only," meaning not on his ipod. But it doesn't mean James has forgotten about it. At all. Ever.


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Analysis: More Americans Leave Parental Nest In Boost For Housing
Americans are feeling increasingly confident in the future and more and more are striking out to set up their own homes, a move that is helping propel the housing recovery.
The deep financial crisis and recession of 2007-2009 kept many Americans from leaving their parents' nests and drove others back into them, putting a sharp brake on the pace at which new households formed.
Household growth averaged about 500,000 per year from 2008 through 2010 - less than half the rate seen at the height of the housing boom in the years just before that. The pace in 2010 was the weakest since 1947.
But the rate at which individuals or families are getting their own homes picked up over the past two years, underpinned by a steady if tepid economic recovery and gradual labor market gains. In 2011, households increased 1.1 million and they grew closer to 1.2 million last year.
"The rise in household formation bodes well for the housing recovery. Instead of having too many houses, we are turning to a situation where there aren't enough," said Guy Berger a U.S. economist at RBS in Stamford, Connecticut.
Indeed, housing has turned from the economy's sorest spot to its brightest, with new building activity at 4-1/2-year highs. Housing activity in turn spurs related areas like furniture.
That is because of people like Linna Chhean. After graduating from college in May 2007, she moved back in with her parents, helping out in a family-run business.
The 27-year-old finally moved into her own one-bedroom apartment four weeks ago after she was hired as a designer in the Dallas offices of a global public relations firm.
"I wanted to get a job in my field, which is art. I was working for them in a convenience store, which is not what I wanted to do at all," said Chhean.
The worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s cost the economy 8.8 million jobs and drove the unemployment rate up to 10 percent.
Dim job prospects and growing financial stress undercut the pace of household formation - a central force behind housing demand - even though the population kept growing at a rate of about 2.7 million per year.
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan seized on the dashed hopes of young Americans in bashing President Barack Obama's policies at the Republican national convention in August.
"College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life," he said.
An analysis by economist Timothy Dunne at the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank found there was a shortfall of 2.6 million households from 2008 through 2011 compared to what pre-recession trends would have suggested.
Younger adults between the ages of 18 and 34 accounted for almost three quarters of this gap; the number of people in this age cohort living with their parents increased by 2 million between 2007 and 2011.
But the tide appears to be turning.
Last August, Edward Kennedy, 22, moved into his own apartment in Bridgeport, Connecticut, after landing a job at Sacred Heart University's undergraduate admissions office.
"I moved home after graduating in May 2012. It seemed like the best idea to save some money," said Kennedy. "I plan on getting my MBA over the next year and a half, while working at the university."
He said more and more of his peers were likewise setting out on their own.
The gains are being felt primarily in the rental market, where rising demand has spurred a sharp pick up in construction of apartment buildings. In contrast, the U.S. homeownership rate hasn't risen much from a 15-year low reached in early 2012.
"We are going to see more recovery in the rental market, in the very short run. As the market improves, people will start to face higher rents and over time, that will spill over into the owner-occupied market," said Gary Painter, a public policy professor at the University of Southern California.
New home completions have lagged the increase in household formation, leading to a tightening supply.
According to RBS' Berger, more than 1.3 million new residential structures should have been completed last year to keep pace with household growth. But only 651,400 homes were finished, the second lowest on record.
"Given that the stock of homes available for sale is already very low, inventories alone are unlikely to meet the demand presented by these new households," said Berger.
A monthly survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders shows that growing demand and tightening supply have pushed homebuilder sentiment up to a near seven-year high.
NAHB Chairman Barry Rutenberg, a home builder from Gainesville, Florida, said builders were now gearing up, unperturbed by the possibility that banks could dump an increasing number of foreclosed homes onto the market as conditions improve.
"Even if we have a wall of supply coming in, we will have a wall of demand to balance it," he said.
Rutenberg estimated 916,000 new residential projects would be started this year, compared to 780,000 in 2012. And Rutenberg expects rising demand to keep builders busy for years to come.
He said new construction would satisfy about 46 percent of the demand for single-family homes this year, and 83 percent of the demand for apartment buildings over the next 10 years.
Although home building accounts for only about 2.5 percent of U.S. gross domestic product, economists believe the turnaround in the housing market has just enough momentum to take over the baton from manufacturing as a driver of growth.
Economists estimate that for every new single family home constructed, at least three permanent jobs are created. There is also a boost through demand for items ranging from furniture to paints.
"Housing will take a leading role. We anticipate that (inflation-adjusted) residential investment will grow 22 percent this year, the fastest since the early 1980s," economists at JPMorgan wrote in a research note.
They estimate homebuilding could add around 0.5 of a percentage point to economic growth this year.


text: [i:Vibes] :: View topic - Gary K - Vivid Sound Sessions Ep. 009 (InnerVisions Radio) Guidelines FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Bookmarks Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Main Menu Frontpage News Reviews Interviews Party Reports Artist Profiles Label profiles Diaries Tutorials What is... Links Radio-info Interactive Forum User Stats Info FAQ Crew-info i:Vibes Info Site Updates Gary K - Vivid Sound Sessions Ep. 009 (InnerVisions Radio) [i:Vibes] Forum Index -> Radio Broadcasts View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message djgarykWannabe ClubberVibes: 7.91Joined: 24 Sep 2011Member #: 71,848Posts: 33 Post subject: Gary K - Vivid Sound Sessions Ep. 009 (InnerVisions Radio) Ninth episode of Vivid Sound Sessions is now available. You can stream/download it here: https://soundcloud.com/djgaryk/vivid-sound-sessions-009 Vivid Sound Sessions Episode 9 track list: 1. Eli & Fur Youre So High (Original Mix) 2. Moby A Case For Shame (Sharam Jey Remix) 3. Man Of Goodwill Turnin Round (Mog 80s Datadump Mix) 4. Nicone Why (Monte Remix) 5. Icy Sasaki, Enzo Faleiro, Yves Paquet Driving U Home (Soulful Mix) 6. Jerry Ropero, Tom Novy, Abigail Bailey Touch Me 2k13 (Ariane Blank & Albena Flores Remix) 7. The Peacemaker Project Ich Lass? Dich Nicht Zuruck (Beckwith Remix) 8. Vincenzo, Minako June Bug (Vocal Mix) 9. Kate Simko, Jem Cooke Your Love (Original Mix) 10. Yousef Float Away (Original Mix) Vivid Sound Sessions airs second Wednesday of every month only on http://innervisionsradio.co.uk/ at 4 pm pacific/7 pm eastern/12 am GMT time! Every month you will hear the latest releases in electronic dance music along with exclusive, unreleased tracks by some of the best producers from all over the world! Hope you can tune in! Keep in touch; I love hearing from you! Connect with me here: InnerVisions Radio: http://innervisionsradio.co.uk/wp/?show=gary-k-vivid-sound-sessions Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gary.kolominski Soundclound: http://soundcloud.com/djgaryk Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeejayGaryK Mixcloud: http://www.mixcloud.com/garykolominski/ E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Post rating: 0 Rate this post: Not logged in Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:42 am Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First [i:Vibes] Forum Index -> Radio Broadcasts All times are GMT Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Spam----------------Spam posts Music----------------Music discussion (trance, techno, progressive and other genres)EquipmentArtist and Label NewsRadio BroadcastsMusic Production and DJ Mix PromotionClub Listings Non-music related----------------Other discussionBuy & Sell [i:Vibes]----------------Site Feedback and Help Content Discussion----------------News DiscussionReview DiscussionInterview DiscussionTutorial DiscussionWhat is...Party ReportsArtist ProfilesLabel Profiles You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forumYou cannot attach files in this forumYou cannot download files in this forum Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group


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Amaryllus belladonna
The belladonna or March lily appears during February and March.
Ten days before this picture was taken there was bare earth where these flowers emerged.
Boophane disticha
The beautiful flower head pushes up through the dry scales of the exposed bulb.
A frilly fan of leaves appears from the top of the exposed bulb during late winter and spring. The leaves die down during the hot summer months and the flowers appear in Feb. or March.
The fan of frilly leaves which appear in spring to early summer
The frilly leaves appear in spring
Brunsvigia orientalis
Close-up of a single flower
Brightens the dry sandy veld at the end of February. The flat, leathery leaves die down in summer and the stored energy is available for use by the flowers.


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History: ESA's EuroMir astronauts, Star City, 1993
EuroMir, 1993: In the early 1990s, in anticipation of a European involvement in a future manned in-orbit infrastructure, flight opportunities for European astronauts had to be found in cooperative missions with other parties.
With this in mind, a new group of European astronauts was recruited in 1992, with the selection criteria tailored both to short-duration US Space Shuttle missions and to long-duration missions on the Russian Mir space station.
After introductory training at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, two of the astronauts recruited in 1992 joined that year's class of NASA Mission Specialists, while the others continued with basic training at EAC.
Also in 1992, a contract was signed between EAC and the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (TsPK) at 'Star City' near Moscow, when two flights aboard Mir for European astronauts were being arranged for the Columbus Precursor Flights programme, which became known as EuroMir '94 and EuroMir '95. The contract for these two Mir flights was signed with NPO Energia in July 1993.
Four ESA astronauts were chosen for the two missions, including three from the 1992 group: Ulf Merbold and Thomas Reiter were named as prime crew members for EuroMir '94 and '95 respectively, with Pedro Duque and Christer Fuglesang as back-ups.
All the astronauts began training in early 1993 at EAC, with introductory courses on Russian space operations and safety issues, and intensive instruction in the Russian language, because their future training and mission operations would be conducted in Russian.
Formal mission training began in August 1993 in Moscow. In the first phase, all four ESA astronauts went through basic training together. This included crew training in technical and biomedical subjects, and in Soyuz and Mir systems. The astronauts also gained experience in weightlesseness during sessions on a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft making parabolic flights. After basic training in May 1994, the crews began their separate mission-specific training in ground and flight programmes.
Ulf Merbold completed the EuroMir '94 mission on the Russian space station Mir between 3 October and 4 November 1994, becoming the first ESA astronaut to fly into space with Russia. On his 179-day EuroMir '95 flight, which ended on 29 February 1996, Thomas Reiter carried out two EVAs and became the first German astronaut to perform a spacewalk.
More information
ESA Bulletin No. 77, p. 116-120, ESA Bulletin No. 88, p. 6-12


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Given that this year's European Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition was the biggest ever staged, that it was held at a time when more wind power is being installed in the EU than any other generating technology, that it came just three months after the passing of a world-beating piece of European renewable energy legislation, and that wind energy is now referred to as the "number one choice" of new electricity generating installation, the mood at EWEC 2009 should have been one of unbridled celebration. Instead, the event was unable to shake off the general gloom of the global financial crisis, which permeated even the bright sunshine provided by host city Marseille, in the south of France, during March 16-19.
From wind turbine supplier Vestas, Peter Brun summed it up in a nutshell: "Looking forward we are faced with a dilemma," he said. Europe's climate change and renewables legislative packages had created a regulatory framework for renewables and wind that had never been better. "But we are in a challenging time in terms of financing."
EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs remained optimistic. He acknowledged that the wind sector had not been unaffected by the shortage of credit, low oil prices and a nervous market; these had already led to job cuts, even among the industry's big players. "And, of course, it starts by affecting the more risky segments of the market, such as offshore wind." But, he added: "If there is a sector which has the fundamentals on its side, it is the wind sector."
While there is uncertainty about many things, continued Piebalgs, two things appear fairly certain: electricity demand is likely to continue to increase in the coming decades; and the need to deal with climate change will impose ever tougher constraints on how that electricity is produced. "Wind energy addresses both of these challenges and is even among the most cost-effective options for doing so," said Piebalgs
Shared vision
For these reasons, European governments have agreed on a new EU Renewables Directive, legislation about to be made law, which individually binds each of the 27 EU states to national renewable energy targets that combined should lead to Europe getting 20% of its energy from renewables by 2020. The targets provide market certainty to the wind industry, said Piebalgs. Certainty also comes from the national action plans that are to be prepared by member states by June 2010 for reaching their targets. "These will be key instruments for investors as they will provide a transparent, shared vision for how to get to the 2020 goals, including indications of which technologies will deliver how much."
The new law also imposes strong, clear obligations on countries to bring down barriers to building new transmission lines and to dismantle administrative obstacles that are holding back renewable energy. "So binding targets and better tools to deliver them are essentially what the new directive gives us when it comes to wind energy," said Piebalgs.
The improved outlook for wind as a result of the directive has prompted the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) to revise its 2020 target for wind energy from 180 GW to 230 GW, announced EWEA president, Arthouros Zervos. The total includes 40 GW offshore. "These targets will only be met if all the member states implement the directive swiftly and effectively," he warned.
When the target is met, wind power will provide some 600 TWh of electricity each year, enough to meet 14-18% of EU electricity demand or the needs of 60% of EU households, 135 million homes. Wind energy is increasingly seen by decision-makers as a solution to the economic crisis, Zervos said. The main drivers behind wind energy have not changed and will not go away: competitive prices for electricity, emissions reductions, air quality, energy security and economic development, he continued. "Once the short-term economic crisis is over, we will see investment come back. We need certainty in uncertain times and that is what wind delivers."
Route plan needed
Yet despite winning the battle for legally binding renewables targets for all EU countries, after a decade of lobbying, and EWEA's upbeat outlook, participants were far from upbeat and the general atmosphere remained subdued. Away from the conference platforms, many delegates privately believed the targets would not be met: some thought the financial crisis too serious and others gloomily pointed out that many barriers remain, particularly providing the transmission wires to take wind power to centres of population. Some stated that the targets are just figures: what will really count are the national action plans for reaching them.
Georg Wilhelm Adamowitsch, who has been appointed by the EU Commission to co-ordinate the proposed North Sea and Baltic Sea offshore grid, agreed there was too much talk of targets and not enough about a route plan for achieving them. "We have a political target, but no stable framework for investments," he said. "We need not only a vision, we need clear ideas: where lies the potential and what are the consequences of this potential....No one is telling you how to break the vision down into a concrete investment story." Communication is essential, he added. Politicians and the industry have to explain to the 400 million people of Europe the nature of the challenge facing them -- and the scale of the action needed to meet the challenge.
There was widespread agreement that the difficulty in finding finance would be overcome, but not in the short term (previous story). The top priority of governments around the world at the moment is dealing with the immediate economic situation; this will delay the resources available to renewables in the short to medium term, commented David Jones of Allianz Specialised Investments, a wind farm owner. "Investors globally are reconsidering and re-pricing risk," he said. This is resulting in higher costs of finance than the sector has been used to. "Allianz is still investing in wind, unlike most of the [financial] sector, but we are requiring higher returns on our investment than we were a year ago. In the short term, I believe it will be the availability of capital rather than the availability of turbines that will constrain the growth of the wind sector." Nonetheless, wind remains the most economic clean energy source. "And hopefully it will emerge stronger and more competitive than it is today."
"Yes, there is a short-term glitch," agreed William Young of New Energy Finance, an information firm. "But in the long run we expect capital to be made available." Large sources of capital with a longer term view such as pension funds are looking at where to invest next, he said. "Seventy-five per cent of institutional investors expect to increase investments in environmental technologies. We are looking at a market where some of the froth from 2007 to 2008 has died down and people are going back to basics. There will be an increased focus on quality and cost over the next few years."
One of the drivers that will make renewables a more attractive investment proposition will be the price of carbon under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), said Vestas' Brun. To date, the ETS has not been effective. But from 2013 there will be 100% auctioning of allowances to emit C02. "This is really going to change the game. A EUR 30 change would make quite a difference," said Brun.
Supply Chain
A constrained component supply chain remains one of the major challenges facing the wind industry. With Europe needing to add 10-15 GW a year to meet its targets at the same time as demand is booming in China and other markets, such as Canada and Latin America, are set to ramp up, questions were raised about how the industry can supply enough turbines of the right quality at the right time. Stefan Karlsson of Sweden's SKF Group, which produces bearings, seals, lubrication systems, condition monitoring and other services, described things from a supplier's perspective. Not only has the industry tripled in the past five years, he noted, but it has also gone global, creating logistical challenges. At the same time, turbines have been increasing rapidly in size, demanding new types of components, while various technical issues also need to be dealt with, such as developing more reliable gearboxes, particularly for the offshore market, and cold-climate lubricants.
One of the most difficult tasks for a supplier is reading the future, Karlsson explained. SKF already needs to add new capacity in China because it had underestimated the growth in demand. The problem is the lead time required, since it takes at least 18 months, but more likely two-to-three years, to bring new manufacturing capacity online once a decision has been made. This means suppliers "need very precise forecasting for both the short and long term," Karlsson reminded delegates, before admonishing the industry for failing to meet this need. While Denmark's BTM Consult usually gets closest to the truth in its annual forecast of the global wind market, Karlsson noted, "all forecasts are, in general, underestimates" and need to be improved.
For turbine manufacturers, the quality of their product will become all important, said Per Hornung Pedersen of Repower. "We need to have further technological development of wind turbines, with an increased focus on quality. Even though the market will be growing substantially, we will still need to deliver that at an effectively lower cost per megawatt-hour. That is going to be driven by volume and also by technology."
Turbines of around 2 MW in size will continue to be the workhorses of the industry, Pedersen believes. "We will not see the development of ever bigger turbines continue; I do not think we will see 30 MW turbines." For offshore developers, the latest technology will not be as important as a design with a proven track record for reliability, he said.
Continuing with offshore, Bruce Valpy from government agency UK Renewables predicted that availability of turbines would not be a major constraint to the massive 30-fold increase in current EU offshore capacity required to meet Europe's 2020 targets. "The good news is that the situation has eased with more turbines likely to be available, but the growth is dependent on planned investments being made by turbine manufacturers." More installation vessels are also needed -- and soon. But the required supply chain commitment and investments will only flow if the market structure is sufficiently robust to provide secure returns. This is particularly the case in the UK, where several utilities are delaying proceeding with their projects, saying that the current level of return on investment for offshore wind is not enough. "Overall, with the right economic conditions, the supply chain will not be a barrier to delivery," said Valpy.
Transmission crunch
With wind required to supply between 12-15% of Europe's electricity if it is to meet its 2020 target, Europe will need to take rapid action to prepare its grid network and system operations for large volumes of variable energy. The renewables directive requires countries to take action to upgrade their power networks where necessary and to give renewables fair access, or priority access, to the grid network. But more is needed to be done at the EU level, the conference heard.
"Is the renewable energy directive sufficient to ensure that member states will fulfil their obligations and take appropriate steps to meet their targets by building infrastructure, or do we need to start looking at a much stronger trans-European energy network instrument?" asked Justin Wilkes of EWEA. He added: "The answer is yes, clearly we do." The EU Commission has a vital role in providing incentives for the construction of interconnectors between regional power systems in time to meet anticipated wind generation, he said.
Better interconnection between countries and regions to enable cross-border power flows would save up to EUR 1500 million every year in system operation costs, whether more wind is added to the system or not, said Wilkes. This was a key finding of EWEA's TradeWind report, launched at the conference. The TradeWind study identified 42 onshore interconnectors that are vital to Europe being able to meet its 2020 renewables targets. "Not only is there an environmental reason for integrating large amounts of wind, there is also an economic reason and a benefit to consumers," said Wilkes.
Need for urgency
From the Commission, Hans Van Steen said the need for urgency was understood. "And the political system is reacting to the urgency." A number of initiatives are underway to help renewables, he said. Legislation is being progressed to liberalise Europe's power markets. This will pave the way for more cross-border trade in energy and will separate, or "unbundle," energy production activities and transmission and distribution activities. The market power of Europe's energy companies, which frequently control both the means of production and distribution, has long been seen to impede access to the networks by independent wind power producers, who find themselves competing with utility power producers for access to transmission capacity provided by the utilities' sister companies.
The Commission is consulting stakeholders on a new policy for strengthening Europe's energy networks. It is also seeking industry opinion on its blueprint for an offshore grid and a priority interconnection plan. These policies will work hand in hand with the renewables directive. "We are actively working very fast. Everyone is aware of the need for speed and we are doing our best," he said. "In fact, passing the directive in the time we did last year is something of a record. In 20 years I can never remember doing a co-decision process in such a short time as we did with this directive."
A different age
Claude Turmes, Green party member of the European Parliament, said the EU is entering a different age, "because we have politically decided that we will have a huge amount of renewables in our electricity system." This is reflected in the legislation being progressed through the European parliament, he said. "We are working on internal market legislation where we are changing the mandate of the regulators away from being driven only by the interests of consumers to seeing the grid operated as reliably as possible while integrating renewables," he said. "We have a reasonably good compromise between the parliament, who was pushing for this, and certain governments [who were resisting it]."
One country showing the rest of Europe how to quickly integrate large volumes of wind power is Spain. Piebalgs pointed out that its grid operator, RED Eléctrica, is investing in major grid capacity expansion and expects Spain to be producing almost 25% of its electricity from renewables by the end of this year. Other countries will have to follow suit, he said, because the directive now obliges member states to prepare their grids for large-scale integration of renewable electricity.
From RED Eléctrica, Olivia Alonso explained that from the beginning of the Spanish wind boom, the network was planned and reinforced to accommodate wind power. From the system operator's point of view, wind generation performs in the market almost like conventional generation. But to integrate the wind into the market, forecasting is essential, as are technical requirements of wind farms which must comply with grid codes for operating the system, she warned.
Turmes called for a "new culture of co-operation" between all the players with an interest in renewables so that the rest of Europe can follow Spain's example. "What we need is societies for change," he said. "In each of the EU 27 countries, we have to build a societal majority," he admonished. This must incorporate industry, finance people, non-government organisations, transmission system operators and energy market regulators. "These dynamics of change can be much more important than the detail of the legislation or the detail of the action plans."


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First, a look back.
Here is the story that appeared in today's Daily Bulletin recapping the Reign's 4-3 shootout loss Wednesday in Bakersfield. And here is the game story from the Bakersfield Californian.
Looking ahead, the Reign face a very refreshed Stockton Thunder squad Friday at The Bank. The Thunder will have four days off since their last contest, a 3-1 loss to Idaho that completed a Steelhead sweep in Stockton. The Thunder haven't won in their last six; here was the reaction piece in Monday's Stockton Record.
The Reign are 1-2 against the Thunder this season, including a 7-1 blowout and a 3-0 loss in Stockton; and most recently, a 3-2 loss at The Bank on Nov. 4.


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The Customer Experience Statistics document is part of Econsultancy's Internet Statistics Database, a comprehensive compilation of internet statistics and digital market research with data, facts, charts and figures that are ideal for presentations, business cases or client pitches, RFPs and understanding the marketplace as a whole.
We have aggregated as much data, research and resources together in this one place, to help you quickly find the relevant statistics or information about customer experience and engagement that you need for your next presentation, report or client pitch. The document contains statistics divided into the following regions (where statistics from that area are available):
- Global
- North America
- Asia
- Australia and New Zealand
- Europe
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Update to all PAO Supporters
April 4, 2011
Though still unable to prepare his updates or work on Webinar 16, Sheldan is slowly recovering. He is eager to resume his work schedule as soon as his eyes and energy return to normal. Once he is ready to present Webinar 16, PAO will announce its new times.
Sheldan would like to share the following with you:
Dear Friends of PAO,
I am experiencing a spiritual renaissance – a rebirth of my original dedication to the Galactic Federation of Light and Spiritual Hierarchy that will free me to successfully take the PAO, its friends and family to the next level in our preparation for first contact and the arrival of our Spiritual Hierarchies.
With this will come the great changes and prosperity to which we all have looked forward for so long. The next milestones for PAO will mark the beginning of renewed commitments and another step forward in our consciousness awakening.
For the past week, I have been undergoing an intense spiritual, mental, emotional and physical integration that has taken its toll on my eyes and energy levels and made it virtually impossible for me to work on a computer. As a result, I have had to miss a couple of updates and reschedule my latest Webinar 16 to early April. During that Webinar, I will bring you up to date on Earth changes, such as the recent series of earthquakes and the Japanese nuclear plant catastrophe, as well as the political upheavals in the Middle East and North Africa.
First Contact is a spiritual contact – an awakening to a new consciousness. It is a time for us to see ourselves with new eyes. It is a time for us to come together in unity as one people. It is a time for us to commit ourselves to sustain and uphold each other, always.
PAO is committed to the re-dedication of our role in this unprecedented spiritual event. We can do this by re-emphasizing our inter-connection through Planetary Activation Groups (PAGs). PAGs need to become PAO's critical center. PAO seeks to encourage the formation of PAGs and their interaction within the Planetary Activation family. I will be dedicating a future Webinar to the role of PAGs and how they operate. A good information source for everyone is my book, Selamat Ja! A Guide for Galactic Humans.
I look forward to resuming the updates as soon as I can, and to serving you even more completely by means of my newly acquired understandings.
I look forward to resuming the updates as soon as I can, and to serving you even more completely by means of my newly acquired understandings.
Selamat Kasi Da! Selamat Gajun!
(Sirian for "In Loving Service~Be One!")
Sheldan Nidle
Founder, PAO


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Free Messages on the Cross of Christ
from Karisa Schlehr Apr 02, 2010 Category: Ligonier ResourcesWhy was Christ's death necessary? For whom did Christ die? What is the meaning of the cross and why is it so important? These are some of the most important questions every Christian needs to address. Take some time to listen to these free streaming past conference and teaching series that will help answer these difficult questions. Keep Reading
R.C. Sproul's Recommended Resources
from Karisa Schlehr Mar 19, 2010 Category: Ligonier ResourcesR.C. Sproul has written more than seventy books and read countless more. Out of all of these books, which would he most recommend our students have on their shelves? Read his list of recommended resources along with a brief explanation of why he recommends them. Keep Reading
Understanding the Atonement — A Special R.C. Sproul Book Offer for Easter
from Karisa Schlehr Mar 18, 2010 Category: Ligonier ResourcesEach Easter season we take time to reflect on Christ's death and celebrate His resurrection. But do we really understand the significance of the atonement? In his book The Truth of the Cross, Dr. Sproul surveys the great work accomplished by Jesus Christ through His crucifixion — the redemption of God's people — and considers the atonement from numerous angles. This is a great book to give to people, so we're offering special Spread-the-Word pricing. Keep Reading
R.C. Sproul's teaching series on Roman Catholicism
from Karisa Schlehr Mar 17, 2010 Category: Ligonier ResourcesSome of the most frequent disputes that arise amongst Christians concern the controversies between Protestantism and classical Roman Catholic christianity. But what are the differences that divide Roman Catholics and Protestants? Are they important? For the past week, Dr. Sproul has been going through the series Roman Catholicism on his radio program, Renewing Your Mind, and will conclude the series on March 19. In this series, R.C. Sproul carefully and respectfully looks at the doctrines that are at the heart of the Catholic-Protestant divide. Keep Reading
Acts of the Apostles: Great Resources to Complement Your March Tabletalk Study
from Karisa Schlehr Mar 11, 2010 Category: Ligonier ResourcesThe March 2010 issue of Tabletalk unpacks St. Luke's Acts of the Apostles through a careful, yet approachable, analysis, with hopes of encouraging readers to cherish this record of God's redemption through the work of His Spirit in the midst of His church. Here is a list of helpful resources that will complement your study through Tabletalk this month. Keep Reading
Stephen Meyer & R.C. Sproul Talk Intelligent Design, Philosophy & Education
from Karisa Schlehr Mar 08, 2010 Category: Ligonier ResourcesOne of Dr. Sproul's main goals and missions over the years is for Christians to understand who God is and be able to defend their faith by knowing what they believe and why they believe it. Several years ago, Focus on the Family introduced a very popular DVD-based small group curriculum called The Truth Project. In 2009, a new DVD-based apologetics curriculum was released called TrueU, this time geared for students ages 15-22. Dr. Stephen Meyer is the host of that new series and Dr. Sproul recently sat down with him in our studios to talk about it. Keep Reading
Get Serious about Studying Theology with Ligonier Academy's Certificate Programs
from R. Fowler White Mar 01, 2010 Category: Ligonier ResourcesWhether you are a layperson, a church leader, and a Christian educator, Ligonier Academy's Certificate Program offers you a structured way to get serious about studying Theology at your own pace, at your own level of interest, and in your own home. Sign up today by calling 1-800-435-4343. For more information, visit LigonierAcademy.org. Keep Reading
Highlights from the Ligonier Catalog (with Special Limited-Time $3.99 Shipping Rate)
from Karisa Schlehr Feb 26, 2010 Category: Ligonier ResourcesIn addition to new resources and winter sale items, we are offering a new flat rate shipping option of $3.99! Take advantage of this limited-time offer (expires March 31, 2010). Keep Reading
Are you new to Reformed theology?
from Karisa Schlehr Jan 26, 2010 Category: Ligonier ResourcesHere are three helpful teaching series to help you begin your journey in understanding the doctrines of grace. Keep Reading
Abortion: A Rational Look at an Emotional Issue
from Karisa Schlehr Jan 22, 2010 Category: Ligonier ResourcesJanuary 22, 1973 has forever shaped the abortion controversy in America. The decision in the case of Roe v. Wade has spurred heated debate in every direction, from what rights a woman has to when life actually begins. Watch or listen to Dr. R.C. Sproul as he calmly and rationally examines the number one ethical issue this nation has ever faced. He provides background, logic, and answers that will provide you with a well-reasoned defense of the unborn. Keep Reading


text: SN Magazine: March 2013 Read the March Digital Edition View Digital Edition There's only one person who can change your health status and prospects: You. If you're ready to take steps that will leave you happier, more energized and more likely to live a rich, full life, don't miss the March issue of School Nutrition, SNA's award-winning flagship publication, which explores topics in health and wellness as part of the magazine's annual personal development issue. This issue also takes a look at how operators and industry are addressing the challenges of new nutrition standards for whole grains in school meals. Meet four school nutrition professionals who are confronting America's obesity epidemic by serving as bona fide wellness role models and learn about how their personal wellness journeys have transformed their lives in One Life to Live. Bonus Web Content: Additional advice and wisdom will inspire you to create—and stick to—your own health and wellness goals. Technological tools can provide valuable assistance in your pursuit of all forms of wellness, from weight loss to physical activity to handling stress. Healthy Living: We Have an App for That! showcases a crop of wellness-related apps and websites that might be the kick-start you need to get you started on—or continuing—your wellness goals. Bonus Web Content: Websites and apps also can help you pursue other areas of wellness. Check out a list of resources designed to help in such areas as grief, anger management and addiction. Diabetes in Depth offers a look at what you need to know for your body and for your family about this increasingly prevalent medical condition. Bonus Web Content: As part of additional online-only content, you'll find a detailed list of recommended diabetes resources, as well as other fascinating diabetes-related myths and facts. The Quest for Whole Grainy Goodness explores some of the ways in which operators and industry are responding to the challenges presented by new nutrition standards for whole grains in school meals.


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Biologists have found a genetically regulated chemical pathway that influences plants response to temperature.
Via John Innes Centre
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Eve Emshwiller's curator insight, December 14, 2013 9:15 PM
Spoiler alert...
Knapco's curator insight, July 29, 2013 5:17 AM
The article well addresses a dilemma of the nowadays world: Do we dare to use the top scientific results and high-tech knowledge such as genetic engineering? How much is still ethically to interfere with basic genetic code of species? Is it right to mix genes of organisms belonging to different kingdoms? Mankind has always feared of anything that was not understood. And we are still far from understanding firstly, how related we are with plants and animals and secondly, how often we consume mixed genes/proteins with infected crops.
A global code of ethics for genetic engineering of plants would be needed, which would support the GMO technology to maintain the plant health, while limiting the use of GMOs for commercial purposes – to achieve better taste and color of the crop…
Kamoun Lab @ TSL's comment, July 29, 2013 5:36 AM
It should be noted that "mixing of genes from different kingdoms" does occur in nature, and not a man-made artifact. It's the very well known process of horizontal gene transfer, which has and continues to shape the evolution of life http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v9/n8/full/nrg2386.html http://www.pnas.org/content/101/51/17747.short
Kamoun Lab @ TSL's comment, July 29, 2013 5:40 AM
I often ponder the ethics of opposing a technology such as GMO that provides relief from the use and abuse of harmful chemicals in agriculture. If you oppose GMOs then you need to own the problem of spraying potatoes ~20 times per season etc. See http://t.co/HyW3qs7wu7
IndianBotanists's comment, April 19, 2013 2:38 PM
Human encroachment and urban dvelopment has already destroyed many species, and so it is called sensetive for the remaining landscape. This spot has been identified as world heritage.
IndianBotanists's comment, February 21, 2013 2:22 PM
Thanks for the scoop. Further study may reveal whether this is universal to all flowers or specific to carnivorous plants only.
Dorian Q Fuller's curator insight, February 20, 2013 11:21 AM
a fun botanical breakdown of the Pomegranate
Eve Emshwiller's curator insight, July 19, 2013 11:09 AM
Jorge Cham (@PHDComics) illustrates a great 2 minute summary of a PhD disseration on plant defense. Includes genetic diversity from teosinte, the wild ancestor of maize/corn. I will definitely be showing this to classes!
Abigail Rumsey's comment, July 22, 2013 4:25 AM
That looks scarily like my undergrad revision notes, except with better artwork! It must have worked because I actually remember the jasmonate and everything.
Eve Emshwiller's curator insight, April 24, 2013 1:24 PM
I hope to have time to watch this sometime soon.
Subhabrata Panda's curator insight, April 25, 2013 11:33 AM
This an in-depth studies on biological phenomena with the help of physical and chemical methods.
Marybeth Shea's curator insight, February 7, 2013 3:45 PM
Synergies and ecosystem services: wetlands provide us services, largely for free.


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- Alison Trollope, Former Chair, CSA Investor Education Committee
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Philip Palaveev, the former Fusion Advisor Network CEO and Moss Adams consultant, announced Thursday the launch of a new consulting firm—The Ensemble Practice—that will focus on long-term engagements with advisory firms that have from $1 million to $5 milion in annual revenue that have already "experienced success in attracting clients" but are looking to become better organized, grow more quickly and become more profitable.
"We tend to believe that the future of the industry is best served by small ensemble practices," said Palaveev (left) in a Wednesday interview, stressing that The Ensemble Practice's approach will mirror that of its consulting clients: a team-based, long-term relationship.
"My experience has been that no longer how brilliant your recommendations are, improvements come from implementation," Palaveev said. "Positive changes come from small incremental" steps, he continued. "We want to focus on an ongoing basis with our clients, not short-term consulting projects."
When asked what sets The Ensemble Practice apart from the many other consultants in the advisor space, Palaveev said, "We're a team, not individuals; consultants need to work in teams—each brings different expertise."
In addition to Palaveev, CEO, the principals at the new firm include Jonathan McQuade, "an expert on recruiting" who has worked with the broker-dealer National Financial Partners, and Victoria Godyn, who has expertise in marketing and spent quality time at Fusion and at Russell Investments.
(Palaveev and McQuade (right) are longtime contributors to Investment Advisor and AdvisorOne, and have provided analysis of AdvisorOne's annual Top Wealth Managers survey for several years, including the 2012 Top Wealth Managers.)
The Ensemble Practice is not starting from scratch in terms of clients. In addition to "individual engagements, based on the needs of the owner, very customized"—though again, in teams—the firm will have what Palaveev calls "strategic relationships with select broker-dealers and custodians," including National Financial Partners (NFP) and Fusion Advisor Network. Fusion, the firm founded by Stuart Silverman and formerly headed by Palaveev, was acquired by NFP in July.
While "the recipients of the services will be the advisory firm," not individual advisors, "it makes so much sense to make sure the recommendations are tied to the operations of the broker-dealer," Palaveev says. "Those BDs and custodians can become important accountability partners."
The third source of clients will be the Ensemble Practice Institute, in which teams from larger advisory firms can attend in-person classes on strategic planning, compensation, career path structures, financial management and business development over a period of three to four years. Palaveev (left) says the Institute will launch in January in Denver, and will take advantage of advisors' tendency to learn from one another as much as from the world-class experts who will be teaching at the Institute. That peer-to-peer learning, Palaveev says disarmingly, "outweighs anything I can say in a Bulgarian accent."
There's another area of expertise that The Ensemble Practice will offer: help with firms acquiring or merging with others. "in the past year, we've worked with seven firms in the middle of a merger," Palaveev says.
While most advisory firms "haven't seen what a big firm would look like, we have that knowledge and vision," he says, estimating that he and his partners have already done consulting work with close to 5,000 firms over the years. "We've literally written the book" as well on how to systematically build an ensemble practice, Palaveev points out, referring to his book, "The Ensemble Practice," which is being published Oct. 2 by Bloomberg. Advisory firm owners, by contrast, are "business owners for the first time and probably the last," he says.
But aren't there already plenty of consultants to advisors? "I believe we can't have enough high quality experts for an industry that's changing and growing," Palaveev said. "All of us are engaged in searching for the sustainable business model of the industry. There are a lot of doctors in town, that's good."
The Ensemble Practice will also take a unique approach to its own compensation. "Our fees are tied to the results—in growth, in clients—we'll be taking the same risk our clients will be making. If those goals aren't meant, we give up part of our fee." That's only fair, Palaveev says, since "if we're asking advisors to invest in their business, we should as well."
Using one of his trademark analogies, Palaveev says that "most chefs don't need to be taught how to cook, but how to manage a restaurant." Referring to advisors, he says "most of these cooks haven't managed a restaurant before, but it's a lifetime commitment—we can put them together with people who've already been there; Jonathan [McQuade] and I have been to a lot of restaurants—we witnessed the process again and again to see what works."
Based in Seattle but with a national footprint, Palaveev says his new firm moreover recognizes that there is "no such thing as an optimal business model. Every business is unique."


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|"be consistent"
comment on
|( #3333=superdoc: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
Thanks for the tip on the speed boost. Once I get the benchmarking stuff installed I'll play with it. While I do like your suggestion, I prefer the order that my method generates--all one-word combinations first, then the two-word combinations, etc.)
Re: shoddy code. Yeah, I guess so, consider me properly admonished. ++ for calling me on it and keeping me honest. When I thunk up the technique to use, I just erased the original function body and started whacking away at it. I didn't think to clarify things by using better variable names. (Of course, I just came off of a little golfing trip so my head was in "trim keystrokes" mode.</lame_excuse_mode>) Now, I guess the proper thing to do is to clean it up a little and insert your suggestion, so here goes:
In reply to Re^3: possible combinations in sequence
by roboticus


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Spring 2011 Paris Fashion Week: Louis Vuitton
Marc Jacobs Takes Louis Vuitton to New Campy Extremes for Spring 2011
Marc Jacobs Takes Louis Vuitton to New Campy Extremes for Spring 2011
>> The Susan Sontag quote on every Louis Vuitton attendee's seat was a clue: "The relation between boredom and camp taste cannot be overestimated," it
<product target="_blank" href="http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2011RTW-LVUITTON">said</product>. What followed, starting with model Kristina Salinovic — her jet-black hair and white-streaked bangs an ode to Sontag — was "total camp glamour, clothes for the extrovert; chinoiserie, the 1920s, everything that Paris stands for," in Jacobs's words. "Basically, I didn't want anything natural," he
<product target="_blank" href="http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2011RTW-LVUITTON">said</product>. "I wanted everything overly stylized. The iris prints — like the screens you'd see in a seventies apartment — but so bad!"
The runway
<product target="_blank" href="http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/S2011RTW-LVUITTON">said</product>black faux marble, the backdrop gold and black fringed curtains with three stuffed tigers in front. Jacobs freely admitted that he was inspired by the early work of Japanese designers in Paris — like Kenzo Takada: "Of course, these are my references. I love the exoticism, the way Paris embraced Orientalism." He further explained: "My first job was with Kansai Yamamoto. He did all those sequined motif sweaters. I always reference other designers and don't care if I admit it!"
Kristen McMenemy closed out the show — which featured shoes with giraffe legs as heels — in a pair of black trousers, her torso painted in black and white zebra stripes. As WWD put it, "It may not have been his most stellar or controversial outing for Vuitton, but it was playful, exuberant and glam, bam, thank-you ma'am. And a whole lot of fun."


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When Jodi Willoughby and her sister Carolyne McIntyre Jackson decided to open their own business eight years ago, they stayed close to home.
Home was just outside Calgary, then a growing city that was on the verge of reaching the one-million mark for its population.
Their bakery, Crave Cupcakes and Cookies has grown, from one location in Calgary to spots in Edmonton and Saskatoon. As cities in the West grow, so too does the sisters' business.
Willoughby said she and her sister looked at opening a store in Toronto, but decided to take the franchise to Saskatoon. They had friends there and felt the specialty bakery shop fit the feel of Saskatchewan's largest city.
"It's not like we were watching any sort of marketing trends," Willoughby said. "Edmonton was a natural trend and Saskatoon presented itself."
As if following the growing cities, the sisters have opened up stores in the three fastest growing cities in the country. According to census data released Wednesday, the Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatoon metropolitan areas were the fastest growing in Canada between 2006 and 2011.
With Calgary growing by 12.6 per cent between 2006 and 2011, Edmonton by 12.1 per cent, Saskatoon by 11.4 per cent and Kelowna, B.C., by 10.8 per cent, the four fastest growing metropolitan areas are located in the West.
Rounding out the Top 10 are: Moncton, N.B., and St. John's, N.L., Quebec City, Toronto, Oshawa, Ont., and Ottawa-Gatineau.
Census metropolitan areas are defined by Statistics Canada as areas larger than 100,000 people with an urban core of at least 50,000.
Nearly seven out of every 10 Canadians live in one of the country's 33 census metropolitan areas, or more than 23.1 million people, and that number is growing.
As the total rises, cities are trying to cope with all that accompanies population increase, including upgrades to aging water and sewer pipes, as well as providing water and electricity to potential commercial, industrial and residential land.
"It's not necessarily a problem that's unique to the largest cities. The difference is the scale," said Mark Rosenberg, a geography professor from Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. "The old inner-city infrastructure is relatively older and more difficult to replace."
Kent Smith-Windsor knows. The president of the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce said he receives calls daily from neighbouring cities trying to figure out how to manage their growing communities.
"They're experiencing things they haven't experienced before," said Smith-Windsor, a lifelong Saskatchewanian. "They're trying to catch up."
The growth in cities has occurred mainly around the edges, suggesting that urban sprawl has become the norm in the growth of Canadian cities. There is finite space in the core to increase population, while there is more space, and usually transit and rail routes, reaching outside the urban core to suburban communities.
"What happens with growing cities is as they grow . . . in essence where the city can produce housing for them. Whether you believe if it's supply driven or demand driven, it doesn't matter," said Rosenberg.
That's not the case in the territories, where growth in regions outside of CMAs and census areas is driven by fertility rates that are higher than anywhere else in Canada, according to Statistics Canada.
But in sheer numbers, it is still the country's most populous city that leads in growth among census metropolitan areas.
The Greater Toronto Area grew by 5.1 per cent between 2006 and 2011, setting its population at almost 5.6 million, according to Statistics Canada figures, an increase of more than 477,000 people. (The total population doesn't include the population of Oshawa.)
The city of Toronto itself — not including its neighbours such as Brampton, which grew by more than 20 per cent, Mississauga, Markham, Oakville, Pickering, and Vaughan — had 2.6 million people in 2011, or more than 500,000 people more than the combined population of Calgary (1,096,833) and Edmonton (812,201), according to census data.
Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver — the three largest census metropolitan areas in the country — accounted for 35 per cent of the Canadian population, according to the census.
The number of people living in census metropolitan areas continues to grow at a rate surpassing the national average. Between 2006 and 2011, census metropolitan areas grew at rate of 7.4 per cent, above the national average of 5.9 per cent.
In the West, all but two census metropolitan areas have grown at rates above the national average. In Winnipeg, the growth rate was 5.1 per cent, an increase of about 35,300 residents between 2006 and 2011, while Victoria grew at a rate of 4.4 per cent, adding about 14,500 residents.
And in Ontario, Toronto, Ottawa-Gatineau, Kingston and Brantford bucked the provincial trend that saw growth slow across census metropolitan areas. (Brantford's statistical growth is due to enumeration of a First Nations community that wasn't counted in the last census data, Statistics Canada said.)
After opening up stores in the fastest growing cities in the country, the question for Willoughby and her sister is: where to next?
"That's a good question," Willoughby said. "Last year if you had asked me that question I would have said two shops a year. But for us, growth has to be practical.
"I wouldn't say that expansion in the next couple of years isn't a possibility."


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RNA spurs melanoma development
Traditionally, RNA was mostly known as the messenger molecule that carries protein-making instructions from a cell's nucleus to the cytoplasm. But scientists now estimate that approximately 97 percent of human RNA doesn't actually code for proteins at all. A flurry of research in the past decade has revealed that some types of non-coding RNAs switch genes on and off and influence protein function. The best studied non-coding RNAs are the microRNAs. Now, researchers led by Dr. Ranjan Perera at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) in Lake Nona and collaborators at the University of Queensland in Australia, have discovered that levels of a relatively understudied group of RNAs long, non-coding RNA (lncRNA) are altered in human melanoma. Their study, published online May 10 by the journal Cancer Research, shows that one lncRNA called SPRY4-IT1 is elevated in melanoma cells, where it promotes cellular survival and invasion.
"Non-coding RNA used to be considered cellular junk. But we and others have been asking the question if it doesn't code for proteins, then what does it do in the cell?" said Dr. Perera, associate professor at Sanford-Burnham. "We're especially interested in determining what roles microRNAs and lncRNAs play in the genesis and development of human melanomas."
Melanoma is one of the rarest forms of skin cancer, but it is also the most deadly. Dr. Perera and his team compared lncRNAs in several laboratory cell-lines of melanoma and normal skin cells, as well as in 30 different human patient samples. They found that levels of one lncRNA, SPRY4-IT1, were particularly high in melanoma cells, but not in normal skin cells. To further probe the function of this lncRNA, they looked at what happens in a melanoma cell-line where SPRY4-IT1 levels are significantly reduced. Cellular growth was impaired and cell death was increased in these SPRY4-IT1-deficient melanoma cells, as compared to melanoma cells with fully functioning lncRNAs. What's more, the ability of melanoma cells to invade the extracellular matrix (an early step in cancer cell metastasis) was reduced in cells lacking SPRY4-IT1.
"The elevated expression of SPRY4-IT1 in melanoma cells, its accumulation in the cell cytoplasm and effects on cell dynamics all suggest that increased SPRY4-IT1 may play an important role in the molecular underpinnings of human melanoma," said Dr. Perera. "Based on this information, we believe SPRY4-IT1 could be an early biomarker for the detection of melanoma."
In a separate study recently published in the journal PLoS ONE, Dr. Perera's group also reported that melanoma cells have lower levels of a different non-coding RNA, called miR-211. Together, these two studies give researchers a better understanding of melanoma development, which in turn could help them design new diagnostics and therapeutics for this often fatal disease.
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Double Pom Pom Keychain - No. 20
Made in Mexico
by artisans preserving Mayan techniques
Add this playful pom pom keychain to your keys. The fun colors are sure to put a smile on your face. Each purchase supports artisans working with Macvilho in Mexico.
Double Pom Pom Keychain - No. 20
As with all handmade items, no two pieces are the same. Variations in size, color, and design will occur.
- Total length approximately 7"
- Each pom pom approximately 1"
- Actual order of colors may vary
- Includes key ring
- Materials: 100% acrylic yarn and natural dyes
- Care Instructions: Hand wash. Let air dry.
- As with all handmade items, slight variations can occur
Macvilho is an artisan group of seven women between the ages of 18 and 50 from the Mexican state of Chiapas. The women raise their own sheep and harvest the wool to make clothing, textiles, and decorative accents. The women work without machinery, weaving textiles by hand using traditional Mayan techniques. Selling their goods to a global audience gives the women more work, allowing them to lead better lives supplemented by the additional income.
Learn More
The women of Macvilho handcraft colorful pom poms from plush, hand-dyed yarn. The women raise their own sheep and harvest the wool, then spin it into yarn using traditional Mayan techniques. Once a year, they shear the animals, then clean and sort the fleece by length and texture. The wool is washed and dried, then the artisans create vibrant colors with natural dyes. The artisans use this soft yarn to create vibrant pom-poms, then string them together to form a beautiful decorative accent. All materials that are not grown by the women are locally sourced from San Cristobal de las Casas, the cultural center of the Chiapas region of Mexico. Seven women work to make the pom pom garlands, which can take up to 3 days to create, depending on the size.
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The culture of Mexico is one of the richest and most ancient in the western hemisphere. Its cultural, geographical and historical wealth is palpable and it can be appreciated through its architecture and pyramids, and traditions. Most of Mexico's art is still created through processes that have not changed since the Aztec civilization. Clay pottery, vibrant designs, embroidered cotton garments, wool shawls and outer garments with angular designs and colorful baskets and rugs are some of the common items associated with Mexican art.
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Fair Trade Products
Fair Trade is an approach to international trade centered around equitable partnerships, transparency and respect. It seeks to empower marginalized producers by providing them safe working conditions, fair pay, and a means to establish a sustainable business free from exploitation. As a member of the Fair Trade Federation, we are committed to the Fair Trade principles.
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Conservation through Education
Home | About Zoo | History
The manifestation of their deep devotion to all creatures large and small, the Cougar
Mountain Zoo was founded by Peter and Marcie Rittler in 1972. The fledging Zoo's
initial collection was comprised of 53 specimens of exotic and domestic birds, mammals
and reptiles. During the first fifteen years of operation admission was offered
free to the general public and area school children.
In 1990 the Zoological Society
of Washington, a nonprofit 501(c)3 charitable organization, became the fundraising
arm of the Zoo. The Cougar Mountain Zoo has grown into one of the major institutions
in the State in the field of wildlife conservation and education. With the passing
of years the story thus unfolds to the present day.
The following quotes have been selected in dedication to the natural world and represent
ideology professed by the Cougar Mountain Zoo since its inception:


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The Mapleson Cylinders - Program Notes
|Band 2
Gounod: ROMÉO ET JULIETTE--Act I: Juliet's Valse excerpt: "Je veux vivre"
Nellie Melba (s), Juliette
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra--Luigi Mancinelli
March 9 (matinee), 1901
This is the new transfer of the surviving part of the cylinder given complete on Side 3 from the 1941 Library of Congress transfer. Although incomplete and less "listenable" because of further deterioration of the cylinder (notably a widened crack resulting in untrackable groove skips), this version has a wider frequency response and truer hall ambience. For synopsis and text, see Side 3/Band 4.


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''In the end,'' Tony Abbott declared this week, ''leadership is about preserving national unity.'' So, to strengthen cohesion in the face of new terrorist threats, the Prime Minister junked a promise to repeal the law that makes it an offence to ''offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate'' people on the grounds of race.
''I don't want to do anything that puts our national unity at risk at this time, and so those proposals are now off the table,'' is how he explained the dumping of plans to repeal section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.
On one interpretation, the link was logical: a plan that was overwhelmingly unpopular in ethnic, indigenous and mainstream communities was being jettisoned in order to promote a rational discussion about how best to respond to the radicalisation of those who take part in terrorist activities abroad.
Here was Abbott as consensus leader, bowing to the will of the people on one divisive issue and pledging that all voices, especially those of Australian Muslims, would be heard in framing new meassures to counter the growing threat of home-grown terrorism. Had there been a post-budget epiphany?
But on another interpretation, the link was inappropriate and troubling: a plan that could unleash bigotry in the name of free speech had been dumped and, almost as a quid pro quo, those who had opposed it were being asked to accept less freedom of speech and movement to demonstrate their membership of ''Team Australia''.
As Ghaith Krayem, secretary of the Islamic Council of Victoria, expressed it: ''The effect of what the Prime Minister has done is put the Muslim community in a position where we are seen to be un-Australian by not supporting the government on the anti-terror stuff, and that they had to, in effect, buy us out by conceding on 18C. It's just an atrocious way for a prime minister to behave.''
If the sceptics were leaning towards this second interpretation immediately after Abbott made his announcement on Tuesday, they were even more uneasy by week's end. Among their ranks were Muslim community leaders, academics, free speech advocates, civil libertarians and respected authorities on counter-terrorism laws.
So how did it all go so wrong? The explanation has to do with process, presentation and politics, and begins early in the week with two well-informed leaks to Sydney's Daily Telegraph that certain government insiders believe emanated from the Prime Minister's office.
The first reported that Australians who travel to Syria or Iraq will have to prove to authorities on their return that they were not involved in terrorism, in an apparent reversal of the onus of proof. The second announced that cabinet's national security committee had decided that the phone and internet records of everyday Australians would be held for two years.
Even if the leaks did not come from the Prime Minister's office, they raised serious questions. ''It undermines everything,'' an exasperated government source said. ''Are we taking national security or the cabinet process seriously?''
Both stories were confirmed when the Prime Minister stood with Attorney-General George Brandis and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Tuesday and announced new measures to give security agencies ''the resources and legislative powers needed to combat home-grown terrorism and Australians who participate in terrorist activities overseas''.
But the lack of detail prompted criticism, with barrister Bret Walker, the former independent monitor of national security legislation, among those to express concern that the proposed Counter-Terrorism Foreign Fighters Bill held out the possibility of a ''really inappropriate piece of criminal law''.
The difficulty for those accused under the law, as Walker sees it, will be in producing the evidence to convince a judge that, ''on the balance of probabilities'', they were in the designated place for a legitimate purpose. Other concerns include the plan to toughen a preventative detention regime that has never been used and that two independent inquiries have recommended should be repealed.
Then came the promise to extend the offence of ''advocating the commission of a terrorist act to include the promotion or encouragement of terrorism'', when incitement to commit atrocities is already an offence. ''If we have to pile law on law, then I suppose that won't do much harm,'' says Walker. ''On the other hand, engagement in political discussion, including the utterance of things to which many people would be bitterly opposed, that would be extremely problematic and probably a breach of our international obligations in relation to freedom of opinion.''
But most contentious of all was the announcement by Brandis that legislation for metadata retention had been approved in principle ''and is in development from today and will be introduced in Parliament later this year''. Problem was, Brandis struggled to explain what metadata was, in a Sky News interview that quickly went viral.
It then emerged that Malcolm Turnbull, the most tech-savvy member of cabinet, had not been brought into the national security committee conversation, and only became aware of the plan when the Telegraph story was brought to his attention.
Turnbull has since tried to limit the damage, convening a meeting with Brandis of the security agencies and assuring Australians that only data that is already kept would be covered by the plan – the only difference being that security agencies want it kept for two years. Walker does not see this as problem, provided the agencies require a warrant to access information.
How the issue plays out from here depends on the consultation process and the legislation that Brandis ultimately produces, but the relief among Coalition MPs, especially those serving multicultural electorates, that 18C is secure has been replaced by nervousness that something potentially more divisive than its repeal is now in store.
It was Brandis who gave the most plausible explanation for the 18C retreat in the now infamous Sky interview with David Speers. ''I accept the Prime Minister's view that the government needs to focus on a smaller number of core priorities and that was the reason for his decision,'' he said.
The consensus of the cabinet and the entire government party room is summed up by an MP who says the 18C repeal plan was ''a dog that had to be put down''. The collective concern now is that another, more dangerous dog has been let off the leash.
Michael Gordon is political editor of The Age.
Michael Gordon was one of Australia's most respected journalists. He won many honours, including the Graham Perkin award for Australia's most outstanding journalist and the Walkley Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism. His reporting turned an unflinching spotlight on the treatment of asylum seekers and the injustices faced by many Indigenous Australians. He suffered a fatal heart attack in 2018, a week after filing his last story.


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Blog by Kirsten Jack, Acting Head of Smart Technologies, The Climate Group.
This blog post is part of a short series profiling LLGA | Cities Pilot the Future (previously the Living Labs Global Award) success stories, as well as current open challenges for LLGA 2013.
LLGA is a global initiative that brings together cities to implement solutions that will improve the lives of their citizens. The Climate Group chairs the panel of experts that assess the sustainability of each solution that is submitted. Our work with LLGA is part of the Agile Cities program, which aims to connect cities, citizens and innovators to drive accessibility, efficiency and growth.
In the blog series I explore how innovative solutions for economic development, energy efficiency, mobility and information products can each play a role in supporting cities that are at the forefront of the clean revolution.
You can submit solutions for LLGA 2013 current challenges until January 31.
LLGA has a history of information product challenges. Inspiring examples include San Francisco, Barcelona, Londonderry, Rio de Janeiro and Sant Cugat, all of which have found and are piloting smart data solutions through LLGA, as will be explored later.
Information product challenges are also crucial to our Agile Cities program:
This year there are two major challenges in LLGA with a focus on information products. Firstly London, UK, which is looking got an energy and greenhouse gas measurement solution to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Secondly, San Francisco, USA, is seeking a storm response coordination tool to triage storm-related services calls and dispatch crews.
The methodology employed by LLGA makes it a unique 'call for solutions' program. Rather than simply publishing the challenges it also tasks its multi-lingual in-house research team to explore potential niche solutions and coalitions of existing service providers.
I spoke with Abraham Jimenez, LLGA Researcher, who is currently looking into energy and greenhouse gas measurement tools for London, to find out a bit more about the solutions on offer and new ideas the city would like to see. He said: "London is looking to create a dynamic way of measuring the energy that is used in the city and the CO2 that is created, as their only source of info at the moment is via central Government which takes up to a year to reach them. There are lots of solutions that monitor the grid, but companies are focusing either on solutions for domestic or on management platforms for large systems. One company targeting the domestic market is Nest.com, that allows monitoring and control of your thermostat via your iPhone, or utilities.simpleenergy.com/, a smart metering rewards system via social media or commercial consumers that allows them to monitor and optimize usage (including wireless, and reward based products). This is currently seen mainly in the US where there is greater competition over the network. The other categories are products which are are aimed at large scale distributors and consumers of energy, mainly software products.
"But there is a gap between these two product categories, and a solution will probably require a consortium of smart metering building scale, sending information to an area hotspot, then to a city central hotspot, then on to the utilities. One of which that is now developing software to utilize this data is power.com/.
There are many LLGA Pilots, both in progress as well as completed. A number of success stories have resulted from this global program.
San Francisco, USA, is an example of a success story to come out of LLGA. Socrata, then a 12-person software start-up in Seattle with about 15 customers, was fortunate partner with one the world's most innovative cities to deliver an early roll-out of its cloud-based open data system. After San Francisco issued a call for solutions through the first edition of LLGA in 2010, it saw procurement completed within just nine months of winning the call, accelerating the spread of their Open Data Cloud Solution to 50 leading public sector organizations around the world as a result.
On March 9, 2012, Mayor Edwin Lee affirmed the city's ongoing commitment to open data through the manifestation of this plan, aptly named data.sfgov.org. Jay Nath, the City's Chief Information Officer told The San Francisco Chronicle, "Two years ago, when we launched DataSF.org, Open Data was a visionary experiment in reinventing the government of the future. Today, with increasing worldwide adoption, we view Open Data as part of our new cloud infrastructure to deliver citizen, social, and programmatic interfaces to government services, in a much more cost-effective and agile model."
Three cities that are also leading the way are Barcelona, Spain; Londonderry, UK; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Connecthings, which was the chosen winner for all three cities in the LLGA2012 edition, is a real-time information and contextual services on transport, cultural heritage, tourism and day-to-day life through NFC, QR codes and SMS, offering inexpensive smart data tools which help reduce paper use, provide audio guides, mapping and e-ticketing functions and above all, is also highly scaleable.
Another success story is in the city of Sant Cugat in Spain. Mindmixer is a web-based town hall which empowers citizens to engage, inform and collaborate with government officials anytime and any place. It was attractive as a solution due to its low annual service costs (around US $12,000), and the fact that it maximizes input from citizens regardless of time or location. It also has the potential to build valuable social capital.
So that's my insight on role of information products in the development of smarter cities. Be sure to return next week, when for part 3 and 4 of the sustainable innovation in cities blog series, I will be exploring the role of economic development, energy efficiency and mobility in supporting cities that are at the forefront of the clean revolution.
You can submit solutions for LLGA 2013 current challenges until January 31.


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Study spaces
Are you looking for a quiet place to study, with or without a computer? You can find study spaces within your faculty building, in the libraries and at Plexus Student Centre.
Student workstations
At the student workstations you can log-in using your account. Every workstation is equipped with a basic software package.
If you are experiencing technical problems with a workstation or have other ICT-related questions, go to the helpdesk portal.
Faculty buildings
Every faculty building has student workstations. You're welcome to study in any faculty building, irrespective of your study programme.
Check the available workstations:
- Africa Study Centre
- Archaeology
- Humanities
- Governance and Global Affairs
- Science
- Leiden Law School
- Social and Behavioural Sciences
- Leiden University Medical Centre
There are 1800 work stations in the libraries, with and without computers.
Student Centre
You can find both computer rooms and study rooms at Plexus Student Centre.
The Hague
You can find a study room at Beehive Student Centre.
Computer facilities
Students enrolled in the Faculty of Humanities can use the computers in rooms 123, 126a en 126b (and, in special cases, media room 127) of the Lipsius building.
You can log on to the PC using your ULCN account.
Opening hours
- Monday to Friday: 08.00 - 22.00 hours
- Saturday and Sunday: 10.00 - 22.00 hours


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The Gift of the Holy Ghost
1. I have a great gift from my father above.
This gift helps me know of His mercy and love.
I feel of its warmth when I ponder and pray.
It lightens my path as I seek to obey.
Holy Ghost can be with me each day
To comfort me, bless me, and show me the way.
He teaches me of the things that are true
And prompts me to know of the good I should do.
2. And when I was baptized a blessing was said
By strong priesthood holders with hands on my head.
The gift of the Holy Ghost, given to me,
Will help me be faithful,
God's servant to be
3. So when I have choices or answers to find,
The still, quiet voice fills my heart and my mind.
And when I am frightened or sad or in need,
Then I can feel peace when its whisp'rings I heed.
Text: Annette Dickman
Music: Annette Dickman
Artist: Dickman
Album: Music Published in the Church Magazines: Friend
Composition Date: 2012-08-05
More Info: Friend