text:
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Britain: More training but less cycling
The new figures shows again how the rates of children cycling to school remain extraordinarily low in the UK. The change over the period of 2006 to 2011 is given as -0.01% for 5-10 year olds and +0.06% for 11-15 year olds. This is also presented as a change of 0% for all ages combined.
I have no doubt at all that those who train child cyclists in the UK do so with the best possible motives. However, effort shouldn't be confused with success. Sadly, the effort of the people doing the training is being squandered on something which looks good in press releases ("More money for school cycle training" !) but doesn't actually make any real difference. While British children are being trained in large numbers, this does not lead to them cycling. Conditions on the streets of the UK simply remain too unpleasant and too dangerous for more than a very small proportion of parents to allow their children to cycle.
Both these sets of figures come from a time when many people in the UK have spoken of growth in cycling. While growth is often reported in the UK, those reports are often not based in fact. There's a long history of unsubstantiated claims.
This is not real progress. Real growth can be measured and would appear in these figures. All that we've been able to see for many years in the UK is a change in the least significant digit of a small number, and these new figures again show a continuation of the same statistical noise as I wrote about in 2010.
For comparison, the Dutch population makes on average about 0.8 trips by bike per day, which is equivalent to about 220 trips per person per year. The UK's figures are far lower and as you can plainly see, it's not only children who rarely cycle in the UK, but adults also find the conditions for cycling unpleasant. In the UK, "cyclists" continue to cycle, while the majority of the population continues to think it is too dangerous to cycle.
When even many campaigners in Britain continue not to ask for enough and don't aim at the right people to make a real difference, it's hardly surprising that the government doesn't do so either. To know what is really going on, campaigners need to become less easily satisfied and more critical of claims that cycling is growing.
If you look at the figures for cycling over time, it is very easy to see that the UK has not developed a set of policies which have led to a real increase. It is important to recognize this truth, not to imagine that a non-existant cycling revolution is taking place, not to believe deliberately confusing hype and not to look in the wrong direction for solutions. Rather, it is important to acknowledge the facts for what they are. Yes, it's unfortunate that cycling has stagnated at a very low level. However, by acknowledging this fact, there is a base to work from. What's more, by accepting properly gathered statistics, there is a yard-stick against which any future progress can be measured.
For cycling to grow, real change is needed. An emphasis on "soft measures" such as training has failed in the past and will continue to fail in the future. Cycle training and marketing of cycling are but a small part of what is required. These measures do not work in isolation from changing the streets for the simple reason that they do not solve the problems that people face when they try to cycle.
There will be no real increase in cycling in Britain until real funding is provided, excuses stop being made, and the country starts to copy the best parts of the best examples without misunderstanding the intent. This is the only way in which the conditions which can result in real mass cycling can be created.
My attention has been drawn to a very interesting graphic from Joe Dunckley showing the impact of cycle training on the frequency of cycling in the UK.
The data came from Transport for London's Attitudes to cycling report and shows that after they've had cycle training people are as likely to cycle less as they are to cycle more.
More on exaggeration and broken promises. And as for cycling to school, even pre-schoolers can be seen riding their own bikes to day-care in the Netherlands. From an average age of 8.6, very nearly every Dutch child rides independently. See also the Cyclists in the City blog for another view of the same figures, while Joe Dunckley provides a humourous take by pointing out that "press releases announcing the annual funding for cycling training that they've been funding for decades now outnumber actual cyclists".
28 comments:
" . . . the average of 16 bicycle trips per person per year . . ."
The fallacy of suppressing absolute numbers.
This is a favorite among the PR based social planning class, as it is quite easy to make noise look like a substantial signal. A "1000% in risk" may, in fact, mean no measurable increase in risk at all. 10 times nothin' is still nothin'.
Looked at in raw form this is a 999,999 chance of things turning out OK vs. a 999,990 chance in things turning out OK.
This is why you will see such emphasis placed on "if it works for/saves just" one. On an annual basis they may not be talking about even that many.
As I have pointed out before, in the case of the US "bike boom" the per capita numbers are being used to produce it, whereas in reality the absolute number of riders has been in steady decline for decades.
The choir is singing louder to disguise the fact that it has fewer members in the hopes that sheer volume will attract more actual new members to the congregation; rather than patching the church's leaky roof that is driving people away.
- 11 April 2012 at 17:22
- Kevin Love said...
More male bovine effluent from the UK. Here in Ontario, all forms of car driving instruction were dropped from secondary schools over 15 years ago as a much-ballyhooed "green" initiative and as a cost-saving measure.
This immediately resulted in the next generation of young adults stopping driving cars, right?
Not so much. They seem to have gone out and got the training on their own. Seems that if people want to do something they will even pay for training in that activity. What a surprise!
All sarcasm aside, there is one and only one thing that results in mass cycling: Infrastructure that makes cycling the fastest, easiest and most convenient means of getting from A to B for all the destinations in people's lives.
Guess what! If driving cars is the slowest, hardest and most inconvenient mode of travel, people will not drive cars, no matter how much training they have.
- 12 April 2012 at 00:44
When my dad started work in the fifties in England at the of start of british car production, the factories were surrounded by bicycle parking. When cars started to become mass produced the parking spaces were full of cars and many people gave up cycling.
There were no campaigns like in the Netherlands during the seventies at the height of road fatalies to encourage cycling. So generations have been lost. Infrastructurte is certainly the key but creating a cycling culture is important too. Something that doesn't happen overnight.
- 12 April 2012 at 03:45
- artur said...
I've been following your blog with great interest. I've learned quite a lot about the reasoning behind cycling infrastrucure.
Now I must say I disagree with this bashing on cycling education. I've seen one post akin to this - but a lot less polite - on Copenhagenize and was quite dismayed too.
Why should education/training and infrastructure be viewed and treated as opposite concepts? Why should we pick one of the two and give up on the other?
Perhaps you can enlighten me, but so far this doesn't seem to make any sense - sorry.
I know the Netherlands invest a LOT on cycling infrastructure, with excelent results. But I also know the Netherlands invest a LOT on traffic/cycling/whatever education from a very early age too. That would indicate that Dutch authorities don't support the infrastructure-education dichotomy. Which makes a lot of sense to me.
- 12 April 2012 at 04:41
- David Hembrow said...
Artur: I'm not "bashing" training. My position is clear: those who work on training work very hard at it, and it may well be done to a high standard. However, it is important not to confuse effort with results. For sixty years, Britain has emphasized soft measures such as training over hard measures such as building infrastructure which makes cycling safer. The result has been a relentless decline in cycling, not because of the training, but because of the lack of other measures.
Cycling campaigners cheer loudly each time that the government makes repetitive announcements about how much funding is given to training, but this simply makes it easier for government to do nothing.
- 12 April 2012 at 08:43
- Paul Martin said...
We have the same problem here in Australia, David. Lots of noise about 'cycling booming' when what is really occurring is a small increase in cycling for sport and no change in cycling for any other reason.
While the absolute figures are indeed increasing over the years, it has not increased at the same rate as population growth... so, in fact, cycling has been stagnating and even decreasing!
Cycling Advocacy organisations just don't get it and they trumpet how wonderful things are when they're thrown scraps of spending or vaguely positive figures. Sadly they're not critical and don't really look at what the figures mean. Just because a number is bigger today than it was 20 years ago is rather meaningless without putting it into context.
As long as this continues, cycling will not change at all...
- 12 April 2012 at 09:01
Oh if Britain just had cycling provisions like over here in the Netherlands! I would love to explore London or the British countryside on my bike.... or any other city in Europe, for that matter, but as it is, I think I'll forego for another decade just now.
So I guess cycling provisions could stimulate tourism as well. Any thoughts on this?
- 12 April 2012 at 12:02
- David Hembrow said...
Koen: Yes, there are definite tourism benefits. In fact, the last post on this blog touched on this. Also, two years ago I wrote about how the knooppuntennetwerk generates a profit.
- 12 April 2012 at 12:08
- christhebull said...
have you ever read Ben Goldacre's book Bad Science? Although it primarily concentrates on statistics in the context of clinical trials, there are several points that are relevant to the cycling revulsion - whoops - revolution.
For example, he says that in a clinical trial, if one wants a favourable result for a new drug (but doesn't care much for medical ethics), no attempt whatsoever should be made to chase up those who drop out, as they will nearly always be suffering worse side effects or may even have died. Likewise, if one was conducting a sociological study of new commuter cyclist's satisfaction levels over time along with any incidents, those that drop out of the trial are far more likely to have given up cycling and will be driving or taking the bus instead.
(Freewheeler has written previously about the "churn rate" of cycling, it being, in the UK, the transportational equivalent of a part time job at McDonalds for most people who try it)
Goldacre also says that if you torture the data and do lots of tricks in spreadsheets, even if the overall result of a clinical trial is that a new drug performs worse, you can nearly always get something positive out of it, such as that a cancer drug gives improved results for a particular age group / ethnicity / etc. With cycling, you might find that a certain ethnic group had seen a "massive increase" in cycling. This would be in line, of course, with an increase of that ethnic group's population. You could probably say more university students cycle now than 50 years ago for the same reason.
Something you have pointed out before is that cycling appears to be booming every single year and yet modal share is still about 2% in the UK, because of simple seasonal variation. Saying cycling is booming because of a seasonal trend when no year on year rise exists is as silly as looking at the sales of a supermarket and thinking that sales of Pimms were booming and that one day it would overtake every other drink, simply because you were selling several times as much in June than in January. One would then project sales of Pimms upwards exponentially to, say, 20% of total off licence sales, wait a few years, and then wonder why it was still less popular than Smirnoff.
Also, we have to remember that if the risk of developing a medical problem doubles from naff all, it is still naff all. The same applies to cycling modal share.
Finally, can I just say that the Cycling Proficiency test I did at junior school would NOT prepare one to cycle in the Netherlands, let alone the UK. It consisted of signalling and manoeuvring at a minor T junction, and nothing else - no roundabouts, no traffic lights. See this video from markenlei to show the far more comprehensive solution in the Netherlands where the funding of cycle training is not just a way for Whitehall to fob cycle campaigners off under the pretence that something is being done.
- 12 April 2012 at 14:20
- christhebull said...
Oops - I didn't manage to add the link. Here's markenlei's video of cycle training in the Netherlands.
- 12 April 2012 at 14:33
- David Hembrow said...
Chris: I've not read the book, but it sounds interesting.
As it happens, I featured Mark's video (and another one) in a blog post from a couple of years ago. It's one of several posts tagged "training".
- 12 April 2012 at 14:46
- artur said...
Hi again David, and thanks for reacting.
"Artur: I'm not "bashing" training."
I'm glad you're not! It did sounded like that to me, perhaps because I'm not a native speaker.
"The result has been a relentless decline in cycling, not because of the training, but because of the lack of other measures."
Thanks again for making this point a lot clearer, at least to me.
Could you some day please write something on the role of Dutch cycling education and traffic education in general? Since I saw this video (link below) I got the impression that the Dutch take education just as seriously as they take infrastructure. And I feel education on this high level MUST make a positive and powerful impact in the way these youngsters are going to drive later on too. You must know better, since you are an expert AND you live there.
- 13 April 2012 at 00:27
- David Hembrow said...
Artur, I don't cover training often because it is simply not nearly so important as infrastructure. When countries like Britain prioritize training over safe infrastructure the result is always a very low rate of cycling. On the other hand, the Dutch have very much prioritized infrastructure over training, and the result is the highest cycling modal share in the world.
Training in schools is not funded from the cycling budget, but is part of the curriculum in schools and is funded by the education budget (it also relies on volunteers to help with the practical lessons). What you see in the video is the cycling part of what is not really specifically cycle training, but general traffic education.
There is no adult cycle training in the Netherlands at all, except for that offered to immigrants from places where people don't cycle. This is regarded as help with integration, and again does not come from the cycling budget.
However, I have written several posts about cycling education, including one post which embedded that same video and included more details.
Unfortunately, I think Mark's video has taken on a life of its own, and is being used out of context in some quarters as "evidence" that the Dutch "take training seriously". However, this is largely a matter of people trying hard to see what they want to see, and what supports their existing point of view, in a video which was actually made simply to be descriptive of the process.
Videos can be hugely popular, but they are prone to this sort of misunderstanding.
- 13 April 2012 at 07:49
- christhebull said...
@David - obviously the Dutch aim for, and are generally achieving, the highest standards in regards to cycling, and the standard of education is part of this.
I think much of the appeal to politicians is that training is an easy top down decision - department splits £x million between local authorities to provide training, and as a result xxx,xxx children are trained. The input is money and the output is a measurable amount of training, which seems worthwile as it fits into the whole (traditional) road safety agenda without forcing politicians to think about awkward stuff like peak oil and the need to reduce car dependency.
I have just realised that cycle training is a bit like giving aid to poor African or Asian countries where government aid of £x million will provide xxx,xxx children with mosquito nets; in the sense that both cycle training and aid are worthy activities undertaken by well meaning people, and they will provide some noticeable benefit to the children involved, they are useless as a long term plan without being part of a far more comprehensive plan to improve conditions for cycling; or in the aid example the economy as a whole. In both cases, the amount actually spent sounds impressive but is triumphed by spending on motorised transport or the military.
In both cases it is necessary to both work to improve conditions on the ground, and challenge the power structures themselves, whether it is the car industry and its lobbying power that leads to huge spending on roads and a piffling amount left over for shared use pavements; or the World Bank and other financial institutions.
- 13 April 2012 at 17:40
Perhaps the situation would be even worse without Bikeability. Another way of looking at it is that Bikeability is holding the line at an, albeit, low level.
The report does actually say in para 1.2 that:
"with the existing data , it is not possible to present in a statistically meaningful way the impact of Bikeability cycle training on levels of cycling to school due to the absence of a robust comparison group".
I would conclude from that that we should all be wary of reading too much into the figures.
What is clear is that there is a demand for Bikeability. My daughter will get her training next week at school and I'm sure that the sessions will be well attended. Will this translate into more cycling to her school? The evidence of the past leads me to doubt it. All the children in the years above her have been trained but very few cycle to school. Probably less than 0.1%. The reason? Parents will not let their children cycle on the roads.
So we have a clear demand for training will implies a demand to cycle but the infrastructure is not capable of meeting that demand.
Will my daughter cycle to school? Well possibly if she is accompanied since about 2/3 of the route is off road and it will save time.
Now I just need to work out how to fit a rack to her bike to carry all the stuff children need to take to school.
To sum up I think that demand for Bikebability expresses an unmet demand to be able to cycle around the towns where we live. This may not be great but is a whole lot better than there being no demand at all.
- 15 April 2012 at 14:43
- artur said...
Hi David, and thanks again.
I'm willing to believe that infrastructure IS actually much more important than education for the specific purpose of making cycling as transportation appeal to the masses - one of the main reasons being the concept of "subjective safety" you described on that excelent article I've been recomending o friends.
I've been learning a lot from your blog and I'd like to sincerely thank you for that.
I stil get the impression that you express some need do deny the relative value/importance of education/training. I'll elaborate.
You implied that the Dutch don't take training as seriously as some people (me included) think. As proof of that, you say traffic education is not funded from cycling budget. Further you say there is no adult training but for outlanders.
As I see it, those would be the very clear signs that Dutch take education SUPER seriously. Of course they don't need to train adults - everybody has been already trained in school, that training was very good, and it has been payed from the education budget, so that the cycling budget can be channeled to physical facilities! Then they go further and offer training to the adult foreigners - beacause they are the only adults that actually need it.
The fact that it's traffic education and not only cycling education is a plus point to me. It certainly leads to children becoming better drivers (even better citizens) of whatever vehicle they eventually choose to drive when they grow up - with or whithout a motor.
- 16 April 2012 at 04:10
- Peter Clinch said...
The usefulness of training, from my perspective as a Cycling Scotland accredited trainer who's actually Out There Doing It...
David is, IMHO, pretty much right. That's not the same as "training is no good", because it's (again IMHO) useful for that small proportion who will go on to join people like me as cycling enthusiasts, who are quite willing to cycle on roads in motor traffic. As well as giving that rather select group a better start it may even increase its size a little, but it's not going to revolutionise cycling in the UK because it's not going to show lots of people that cycling is a safe, normal, easy path of least transport resistance.
It's not going to do the above anyway, but it really doesn't stand a chance of even making a start while so much of the training literature (and in many cases, the efforts of instructors) indirectly emphasizes how dangerous cycling apparently is. After all, you need to dress up like the Yellow Power Ranger to do it, don't you?
Training is useful in the current UK situation because with no choice but sharing the road with motor traffic you do need to know what you're at if you do it. But only a very small number will make the choice to do it. Training serves these people well, but it will not create a mass cycling culture.
A telling point is my Dutch wife cycled regularly for transport for about 30 years before moving to the UK. In all that time she never saw herself as "a cyclist"; some distinct class. But in the UK being "a cyclist" means being a slightly eccentric enthusiast, not someone who just wants to get from A to B. Training folk means the enthusiasts will do better at getting from A to B, but not that lots of "normal" people will be joining them.
- 17 April 2012 at 14:32
- Matt Tempest said...
David - my experience of cycling in Berlin (three years) Paris (one year) and on holidays across the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden is that the reverse is also true, ie if you invest in infrastructure, you simply don't need "training", leafletting (of HGV drivers), promotion, and cycle "maps" of safe routes, as people simply see how safe, easy and "normal" cycling is from the sheer numbers of other people doing it, on segregated cycle lanes, and locking up their bikes in huge numbers on the street outside shops and cinemas, and need no further encouragement.
Training, advertising et al is a a huge (although not hugely expensive, naturally) red herring, in my opinion.
- 17 April 2012 at 15:34
- Kim said...
As a qualified cycle trainer, I agree whole heartedly, it is pointless increasing the amount of training for children if we are not going to make the roads safe for them to cycle on. You can train them all you like, but if they and/or their parents don't feel it is safer to ride on the roads, they are not going to cycle.
Sadly this is something which the avid cyclist who dominate many of Britain's cycle campaign groups fail to understand. Thankfully there is a glimmer of light in the darkness with the emergence of grass roots campaign groups such as Cycling Embassy of Great Britain and Pedal on Parliament in Scotland, which give hope for the future.
- 17 April 2012 at 17:06
I think cycle training IS important, to complement infrastructure. I'm sure you'll all agree. It would generate a lot of protests if the budgets for traffic training on Dutch schools were suddenly canceled. But yes, it's useless of course without proper infrastructure. My guess is that good infrastructure accounts for 90 to 95% of cycling safety, and the training and skill for the rest of it. So I agree with David's point that promoting cycle skills and traffic training is useless if not backed by solid investments in infrastructure. When will city planners finally understand that investing seriously in cycling infrastructure actually SAVES a lot of money because of less congestion, better health, livable cities etc etc...? It won't help if cyclists are content with small measures, either. In Dutch they call that 'een zoethoudertje': something to keep the kids sweet/calm.
- 19 April 2012 at 13:00
- Peter Clinch said...
"My guess is that good infrastructure accounts for 90 to 95% of cycling safety"
I don't think it's that simple. To an enthusiast steeped in the mysteries of vehicular cycling (which you can get in part through training), infrastructure is often an impediment to progress, but the point is that enthusiasts are relatively thin on the ground and until the perception of danger changes you will not get many more cycling.
And it's a lot more people cycling that really gets you the safety increase, as well as congestion reduction, quieter urban spaces etc. etc.
In the UK the actual dangers of cycling (in terms of serious accidents per distance traveled) are slightly lower on average than being a pedestrian: it's actually pretty safe, even though there's a way to go to catch NL. However, the public perception (backed by research at Univ. of Lancaster IIRC) of cycling safety is it's very poor.
Infrastructure safety boosts will at least sometimes be largely indirect. Ride in a rural spot in NL with no infrastructure (say, like this) and your encounters with cars will, I suspect be very different to many similar encounters in the UK where it is the driver being used to bikes that appears to make the difference. Another part of the problem is that unless you do it properly the perception of safety goes up while the actual safety goes down...
- 19 April 2012 at 14:05
- David Hembrow said...
Peter: Koen's guess was quite accurate. In reality, according to a presentation yesterday, 97% of cycling funding in NL is spent on infrastructure.
As for your example rural spot, you clearly don't understand why it is so different in feel to what you think is a "similar" road in the UK. However, it is different. Very different. And this difference comes from deliberate policy and planning which keeps cars off such roads and which has no equivalent in the UK. It is often impossible to make direct journeys on minor roads in the countryside.
As for your conclusions - given that you based them on a misunderstanding of priorities in funding and policy and an error of observation in understanding what the roads you were riding on actually were, it's hardly surprising that your conclusions are also wrong.
The Dutch are very clear. Cycling safety comes from segregating cyclists from safety. The principles of sustainable safety are designed to minimise conflicts between different modes, and that is the route to not only the best safety figures in the world, but also to the degree of subjective safety required to make everyone into a cyclist.
- 19 April 2012 at 15:25
- Peter Clinch said...
"Koen's guess was quite accurate"
Koen's guess was about accounting for safety, your figure is about cost of infrastructure. The two are not the same but your comments suggest they are.
There may be a policy that keeps cars off those roads, but I still met cars on those roads, "impossible" or not (in fact it was the case that I'd assumed I was on a fietspad until I started meeting cars...). And when I did the way the motorist typically behaved was different (and pleasantly surprising) to what I'd have expected from my UK background.
"Cycling safety comes from segregating cyclists from safety". Well, maybe they think that, but when I have to mix it with cars in NL (and I often do when fietspads cross motor roads) I am (a) clearly not separated and (b) am clearly treated quite differently to the UK. Such as routinely being given way to even when the car is clearly given the right of way by the road markings. That is not segregation on my side, but a side effect of segregation that has made cycling popular enough that I am noticed when I am /not/ segregated.
- 19 April 2012 at 16:03
- David Hembrow said...
Peter, many people form misconceptions about the Netherlands when they've only been here on holiday, and I'm afraid you're one of them.
A holiday can easily give a wrong impression of any place for a lot of reasons, including that when on holiday you tend to avoid peak times and that most places you might visit on holiday are not where there are most cars. People have a tendency to extrapolate from holiday experiences and to think that they understand countries as a result.
Dutch people often express an opinion that British drivers are better than Dutch drivers. They include in their observations that British drivers obey the law better and sometimes even conclude that this is due to the laws being more strictly enforced in the UK than they are in the Netherlands.
You probably see it otherwise, but in both cases such opinions are the result of people having had a nice time on a short holiday and thinking that the country they visited matches the impressions that they made.
Spend just a few days in the UK, cycling around on rural roads in Northumberland or the very North of Scotland, for instance, and you'll probably not notice that drivers behave aggressively. In such places, I've had many British drivers give way to me when they don't have to, or pull into passing areas on narrow roads rather than try to skim past me.
I lived most of my life in the UK and have now lived in the Netherlands for nearly five years. That's plenty of time to lose any rose-coloured spectacles that one might have owned. My impression now is that British and Dutch drivers are in fact very similar. Both groups try to get away with breaking some laws, and both groups adhere quite well to some other laws. When we visited the UK for a week last year (driving, not cycling), we had no problems at all with the behaviour of British drivers.
The main difference when cycling is that the indiscretions of Dutch drivers very rarely impinge on cyclists. This is for the very simple reason that in the Netherlands, drivers are almost always segregated from cyclists. Were this not so, then the experience would be very similar, as would the cycling modal shares.
Rural roads in the Netherlands are not the same as rural roads in the UK for one reason, and that is that conflict has largely been engineered out of them. This has mainly been achieved by removing cars - that's why you thought you were on a cycle-path. Rural roads here are pretty much empty, while the motorways are full. There's a reason. Low speed limits and restrictions on possible routes make driving on the rural roads slow compared with the motorways. Of course you can meet some cars, as these roads do still provide for access to those properties which lie on them. However, these aren't people who are using the roads to quickly get between two other completely unrelated places. That makes a difference. Please read all of the posts which explain how this works.
One difference I will give you. Due to the fact that Dutch drivers are almost all cyclists as well, and due to all forms of sport cycling being extremely popular here not only as participatory events but also for spectating, the average Dutch driver has some idea that stopping and starting is not something that cyclists like to do. As a result, they may well cheer you on if you're going at a good pace, and they'll probably try not to slow you down even if you're not going so quickly. This, combined with drivers often not being sure in advance which way the priority on a junction lies, is the reason why there is a tendency to give way when they should not.
Personally, I find this hinders about as often as it helps, because when I've adjusted my speed so that I'll pass safely behind a car, and the car driver sees me coming and slows down further to let me pass in front, as often as not we both end up coming to a near standstill.
- 19 April 2012 at 16:57
- Peter Clinch said...
My first reality check on NL cycling was an article in an early VeloVision (#9, "the land of bikes") written by a NL resident Dutchman pointing out that the degree of segregation was not as high as many outsiders assumed (and that it's not all good where you have it)... When I've been over I've not seen anything that really contradicts what he had to say
"Rural roads here are pretty much empty, while the motorways are full...". Same as here, if you're looking at roads as small as the one I took my picture of, which is why NCN routes tend to follow back roads like that: they're quiet. But they're not deserted, because (as you say) motorways don't serve e.g. farms, just like they don't in rural NL. But they're quiet in the UK for just the same reasons: they're a lousy way to get fast from A to B unless A and B are very small and not on many other roads. You get problems in places like Highlands because there aren't many roads except the major ones, but elsewhere the small stuff remains small and quiet.
Segregation without big numbers doesn't do much: things like the MK Redways and Stevenage cycle paths show that. CTC info shows that, irrespective of infrastructure, accident rate inversely correlates well with numbers.
Infrastructure is, I agree, going to be a major player in getting numbers up, but all the while you have right of way conflicts between the two systems you've got potential problems. MK Redways show that if the drivers aren't expecting the bikes they'll still be hitting them where the two inevitably cross.
Also, remember my experiences of NL are informed when I'm there by a native guide, my wife, who spent 30+ years riding around the place as her basic transport before coming to Scotland. So it's not just a couple of holidays, and because my family provide other agendas than being a tourist I'll sometimes be riding at times and places that typical tourists won't (my first trip, around suburban Amsterdam in the early evening to call on pals of my wife, for example, later testing 'bents in all the circumstances my wife could find within a few hours of Ligfietscentrum). Does that give me a perfect understanding? Of course not, but that doesn't mean all the numerous cars I've met on Dutch roads were figments of my misunderstanding!
- 19 April 2012 at 17:37
- David Hembrow said...
Peter, you clearly have formed an opinion about the Netherlands and clearly you're sticking to it. I am quite sure you are wrong in many aspects of this, but I beginning to think you're not open to reasoned argument. It's rather tedious to have to continue to point out the same things, and to continue to get replies which suggest you've not taken the time to check the links that I've provided.
Stevenage, and even more so Milton Keynes, are really not such great comparisons. As I've pointed out before, Melvin M. Webber, famous for his car centric designs, was referred to as "the father of the city" for a reason. Milton Keynes is a very car oriented city, and it should be no surprise that the car is the mode of choice for people who live there. I've cycled in MK, and didn't much enjoy it. Bad maintenance, bad signing, almost no consideration of social safety, too many blind corners, un-necessarily steep slopes and badly designed junctions with far too many reasons to give way to motor vehicles, not to mention at least one cycle-path which ended with steps.
Milton Keynes is a complete red-herring. Worse than irrelevant. It has nothing to do with why cycling in the Netherlands is popular and safe while cycling in the UK is unpopular and comparatively unsafe.
Right of way conflicts can be reduced, and are reduced in the Netherlands. This is achieved by making routes for cyclists different to those for drivers.
This is why cyclists meet fewer traffic lights than do drivers.
When drivers and cyclists take different routes, numbers don't matter much. When there is little conflict, there is little chance for crashes to occur.
Where routes are not separated, there are ways of creating junctions which remove conflict. For example, underpasses and simultaneous green junctions.
Finally, just because someone is Dutch, that doesn't mean they understand all of this any more than because someone is British they will understand everything about technical aspects of things in the UK. In fact, most people have never thought about it.
- 19 April 2012 at 18:13
Oh but David, I think Peter does have a point in stating that there is safety in numbers. Obviously, as can be seen in the Netherlands and in Copenhagen for instance, in places where there are many cyclists, drivers get used to take care around them, when driving and when opening car doors. If only to protect their precious metal, for they know one of them could pop up any second. It's just how do you get these high numbers of cyclists? I see no other way than investing money and making roads safe. Perhaps by starting with connecting back roads and designing out the rat-running. Or a pilot project somewhere. You cannot order thousands of cyclists on the road to make it safe, Peter...
So perhaps safety can be ascribed to:
1: Infrastructure
2-7: infrastructure
8: masses of cyclists and drivers getting used to them
9: cycle training
and 10 all other factors i forgot.
How about that, Peter dan David? I think you both have a point, and that we need an all-inclusive view rather than exclusive. Cheers!
- 19 April 2012 at 23:29
- Michel from Norway said...
First, it all start with the children, just take a trip to the Netherland and visit the schools, preschools, primary, secondary, high school, that is what we did through our study tour with David in March, this year, with a group of students from Norway.
Down there, you get a kind of "reality check", no need for PowerPoint at all!
Thousands and thousands of kids enjoying cycling in their daily life.
Nowhere are children right to mobility so high as it is in the Netherlands, children can embrace and integrate cycling in their daily life as a norm, it is just common.
Some years ago, EU-project TAPESTRY showed that 70 % of the pupils in age 9-13 answered the bicycle was their favourite mode of transport, their wishes are very clear and have to been taken seriously, but despite The Netherlands and Denmark, none of the countries around is working in the right direction.
So, does infrastructure play a major role, of course it is obvious.
Cycling education in the Netherlands? Mostly they just get the right habits by being followed with their parents when cycling to the kindergarten.
Can cycling education help to get kids on the bike, yes but this doesn't work without sufficient cycling provisions.
With our program "All Kids Cycle" in Norway we experimented that by pointing out the positive side of cycling, the children experience the joy and the freedom of biking and they are biking more and more often.
Within five years, in some of the school, the average of children cycling to the primary schools have been increasing up to 100 %
- Case in schools where 37 % of children in age 9-12 where cycling regularly before and now up to 75 %, but once again either cycling provisions (bike paths, cycling storage) were already in place or they have been considerably improved while we were operating in schools.
In countries like Norway, where the scaremongering propaganda is still getting too much attention (cycling is dangerous, helmet campaign), it's possible to obtain good results by addressing on the right direction to children, parents and schools but the results will of course be minors where there is a lack of cycling provision.
Back to England, using huge amount to cycling education is just a non-sense when average of kids cycling is 2 %, money just serve organization which employ cycling instructors!
As pointed by David "What not to do!"
- 22 April 2012 at 18:15


text:
Transcendence (2014)
Transcendence SynopsisDr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him. However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeedto be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can...but if they should. Their worst fears are realized as Wills thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.
Transcendence Release Date
In Theaters April 18, 2014
Transcendence Credits
Starring: Johnny Depp Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Clifton Collins, Jr., and Morgan Freeman
Written by: Jack Paglen
Directed by: Wally Pfister
Produced by: Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, David Valdes, Kate Cohen, Marisa Polvino, Annie Marter, and Aaron Ryder
MPAA Rating: [ PG-13 ]
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
External Info: Transcendence Official Website
Subscribe To Transcendence Updates
if you're excited for Transcendence
Watch The Worst Movies Of The Year Review Themselves In This Hilarious Video
Here on Cinema Blend, we've spent a good chunk of the past month celebrating the best in cinema that 2014 had to offer, but now we're going to switch gears and talk about the opposite side of the quality scale. But rather than slamming these titles ourselves, the following video allows those less-than-great features to slam themselves.
by Eric Eisenberg December 31, 2014 comments
The 10 Biggest Movie Disappointments Of 2014
Much like a pair of socks under the tree, these 10 films are those wonderful gifts that never started giving. Read on and see which 2014 movies from which we'd love to get our money back.
by Mike Reyes December 23, 2014 comments
This Week In Home Entertainment: Transcendence, Heaven Is For Real And More
With numerous high profile actors, a script that made the Blacklist in 2012 and a pretty high budget, Transcendence had all of the makings of a blockbuster success story. In fact, due to director Wally Pfisters prominent past working on Christopher Nolans well-received films, Nolan even signed on to executive produce the story.
by Jessica Rawden July 22, 2014 comments
Transcendence Director Explains The Twist Ending
The new science-fiction thriller Transcendence asks a lot of big questions. Is it morally right to upload a consciousness into a computer? Does something define its own sentience? Given the power of a god, would human nature reveal itself to be a positive force, or Hobbesian-esque evil?
by Eric Eisenberg April 21, 2014 comments
Monday Movie Memo: Johnny Depp's Movie-Star Days Are Done
We got up this morning and crunched the numbers. This isnt a blip for Depp. Its the new norm. American audiences are largely tuning out Depps movies, from The Lone Ranger to The Tourist.
by Sean O'Connell April 21, 2014 comments
Weekend Box Office: Captain America Holds At Number One, Transcendence Tanks
Captain America continued his heroic run this weekend. The Winter Soldier held on to number one for a third weekend in a row, adding $26 million to its domestic total and pushing past the $200 million mark. Rio 2 also held strong, continuing in second place with $22 million, just edging out the new competition.
by Scott Gwin April 20, 2014 comments
After Wally Pfister's Transcendence, 13 More Artists Who Should Shift To Directing
The fact is, Hollywood is just brimming with directing talent that has yet to be discovered. The industry is peppered by people who have the talent, the vision, and the mileage to be the primary storytelling force behind the scenes. All they're lacking is an opportunity
by Gabe Toro April 17, 2014 comments
Transcendence's Johnny Depp Shares A Weird Story About Chinese Quadruplets And 3 Other Gems
As part of promoting the release of Transcendence, Depp along with the rest of the cast and filmmakers behind the film participated in a press conference in Los Angeles, CA earlier this month, and the actor had the chance to answer journalists questions both about his newest movie and more. Read on to find out what he had to say!
by Eric Eisenberg April 16, 2014 comments
This Rotten Week: Predicting Transcendence, A Haunted House 2, Bears And Heaven Is for Real Reviews
Coming off a disaster of a prediction week last time around, Im looking for a little comeback. Weve got plenty of opportunities for redemption with artificial Depp-telligence, haunted houses, bears and Heaven.
by Doug Norrie April 13, 2014 comments
Transcendence Clips Spell Out The Dangers Of Artificial Intelligence
Transcendence tackles how the evolution of Artificial Intelligence might lead to a form of immortality for mankind. This possibility is a lot to take in. And so Warner Bros is attempting to acclimate audiences with a pair of featurettes that diligently answer "What is transcendence?"
by Kristy Puchko April 9, 2014 comments
April Movie Preview: Captain America, Johnny Depp And Nicolas Cage's Beard Save Cinema
No fooling, cinema-goers, April is the first month of 2014 that is absolutely stocked to the gills with (hopefully) quality movies in every genre imaginable. I mean, we know some of these movies are going to stink, but the ratio of success to failure will likely be in our favor.
by Nick Venable April 1, 2014 comments
Johnny Depp's Transcendence Will Be In 3D, But Only In China
Transcendence, a sci-fi drama starring Johnny Depp, will be getting a 3D and Imax 3D release that will only be shown in China. That's right, no 3D option will hit Stateside.
by Kristy Puchko March 24, 2014 comments
Johnny Depp Isn't Quite Human In Latest Transcendence Poster And Pics
Depp plays Dr. Will Caster, whom the studio describes as the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions.
by Sean O'Connell March 13, 2014 comments
Johnny Depp Prepares To Take Over The World In Newest Transcendence Trailer
The film stars Depp as Dr. Will Caster, one of the world's leading researches in the study of Artificial Intelligence. It is his dream to create a computer that is able to achieve what is known as the singularity: the moment where a piece of technology attains the ability to learn, operate and evolve without a human user.
by Eric Eisenberg February 11, 2014 comments
Our 14 Most Anticipated Movies Of 2014
There should be a little something for everyone in the coming year. And to help you plan out your movie-watching year, we singled out 14 titles were looking forward to in 2014, as well as a list of additional cant-miss movies.
by Sean, Eric, Kristy, Kelly, Gabe, Mack and Nick January 2, 2014 comments
Johnny Depp Gets Uploaded In First Full Transcendence Trailer
In the movie Depp stars as Dr. Will Caster, a researcher who has gained fame and infamy due to his radical work in the subject of Artificial Intelligence and what's commonly referred to as The Singularity. His work is so controversial that it makes him the target of an assassination attempt.
by Eric Eisenberg December 20, 2013 comments
Morgan Freeman Narrates The Second Kick-Ass Teaser For Transcendence
In this trailer Freeman is hitting on a lot of the same points that Depp did in the preview from this morning. He surmises that perhaps the next step in our million year evolution perhaps won't be into another biological form, but rather a technological one.
by Eric Eisenberg December 19, 2013 comments
This Transcendence Teaser Trailer Is A Wet Dream For Science Fans
For the longest time, noted cinematographer Wally Pfisters upcoming artificial intelligence movie Transcendence almost seemed like a myth. We knew it would star Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany and Morgan Freeman, but we didnt have a lengthy plot description or even any footage. Over the past few weeks, however, the curtain has finally started sliding back enough to generate some real excitement.
by Mack Rawden December 19, 2013 comments
Johnny Depp's Transcendence Reveals Some Of Its Secrets
First and foremost, Im thrilled that Depp is challenging himself in a project that exists far outside his two comfort zones: Pirates of the Caribbean movies and Tim Burton collaborations. You have to go all the way back to Terry Gilliams The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus to find an example of Depp stepping into uncomfortable skin to develop a character that isnt 90% cartoon.
by Sean O'Connell December 10, 2013 comments
Star Wars, Marvel And The 5 Films Gravity Is Forcing To Step Up Their Game
No matter what happens, at least in the short term, movies set in or around outer space are going to be compared to Gravity. Sure, it looks OK, but its not Gravity. Unfair? Maybe. But its reality. So what are the five upcoming sci-fi projects that should be a little bit concerned by the success of Cuarons Gravity?
by Sean O'Connell October 9, 2013 comments
Johnny Depp's Transcendence Gets A Plot Synopsis, New Behind The Scenes Image
The general rule for Christopher Nolan movies is that audiences won't actually know what the film is about until they are watching it play out on the big screen, and it seems that philosophy has rubbed off on his cinematographer, Wally Pfister. The latter has spent the last few months making his directorial debut, the sci-fi thriller Transcendence, and while we have heard a few details about the story, the whole thing is being kept rather mysterious.
by Eric Eisenberg July 29, 2013 comments
Johnny Depp's Transcendence Reveals Behind-The-Scenes Footage And Major Chinese Influence
Why is this first look behind the scenes of Wally Pfister's directorial debut in Chinese? The answer is right there in the middle of the only English-language words you hear. Rebecca Hall had a pretty small role in Iron Man 3, but that movie-- specifically tailored to Chinese audiences-- was a big enough hit in China to make her a star.
by Katey Rich July 12, 2013 comments
Cole Hauser Joins The Ensemble Cast of Wally Pfister's Transcendence
With all of the star power that is already behind former Christopher Nolan cinematographer Wally Pfisters directorial debut Transcendence, it seems like all that would be left to cast would just be the extras. Especially after dropping some major coin on leading man Johnny Depp. But the pocketbooks have opened once more.
by Nick Venable April 24, 2013 comments
Sandler And Barrymore's Blended To Square Off Against Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
The romantic comedy pairing of Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore has a solid history of success at the box office, with both 1998's The Wedding Singer and 2004's 50 First Dates considered big hits in theaters, but will the idea of their third time working together be enough for them to outshine a movie about apes taking over the Earth?
by Eric Eisenberg April 24, 2013 comments
Clifton Collins Jr. Joins Johnny Depp In Wally Pfister's Transcendence
Pfisters taking a page out of Nolans playbook by keeping most details about his movie under tight wraps. We basically understand that Depp will be playing a tech pioneer trying to merge his consciousness with a supercomputer. Bettany will be playing a rival scientist, with Hall and Mara as the female leads.
by Sean O'Connell April 17, 2013 comments
Cillian Murphy Joins Johnny Depp And Morgan Freeman In Transcendence
As Katey noted in her editorial, it's getting difficult to tell Wally Pfister's Transcendence and Christopher Nolan's Interstellar apart. Not only did the director of the former work as the latter's director of photography for years, they've even begun to show a similar taste in actors...
by Eric Eisenberg April 15, 2013 comments
Christopher Nolan's Interstellar vs. Wally Pfister's Transcendence: How To Tell Them Apart
After working side by side for more than a decade, Christopher Nolan and Wally Pfister are going their separate ways-- for now, at least. Pfister is embarking on his directorial debut, assembling the cast for the secretive sci-fi project Transcendence, while Nolan is moving on to his first post-Batman project the secretive sci-fi project Interstellar. We would expect Pfister to have pretty similar taste to Nolan after working together for so long
by Katey Rich April 12, 2013 comments
Morgan Freeman Will Give Sage Advice To Johnny Depp's Supercomputer In Transcendence
Morgan Freeman, who lends his unmistakable voice and gravitas to next weekend's Oblivion, is ready to head back for science fiction, and for a reunion with the Batman trilogy cinematographer Wally Pfister. Variety reports he's the latest actor to go into negotiations to join Transcendence, the sci-fi film starring Johnny Depp that will mark Pfister's directorial debut
by Katey Rich April 11, 2013 comments
Kate Mara Joins Johnny Depp In Transcendence
Maybe Kate Mara is getting closer to her House of Cards character than we thought. After more than 10 years of taking small roles in big films like Brokeback Mountain, Iron Man 2 and 127 Hours, Mara has finally broken out playing the venal reporter Zoe Barnes on the Netflix original series-- and clearly some of Zoe's ambition has rubbed off. According to Deadline Mara is preparing to take on her biggest role yet, starring opposite Johnny Depp in Transcendence, the super-secret directorial debut of longtime Christopher Nolan collaborator Wally Pfister
by Katey Rich March 27, 2013 comments
Rebecca Hall Signs On For Transcendence With Johnny Depp
It came down to three names on a list. There was Emily Blunt, last seen in Rian Johnson's Looper; Rooney Mara, who was just featured in Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects and Rebecca Hall, who will soon be seen alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow in Iron Man 3.
by Eric Eisenberg March 4, 2013 comments
Paul Bettany Joins Johnny Depp In Wally Pfister's Transcendence
Having voiced Jarvis in both Iron Man films as well as The Avengers, Paul Bettany already has quite a bit of experience working with the idea of intelligent technology, but now he's set to take it to a whole new level.
by Eric Eisenberg February 28, 2013 comments
Johnny Depp Confirmed For Both Transcendence And Black Mass
The A-list star signed on to play legendary gangster James Whitey Bulger in Barry Levinson's Black Mass, but the deal left the movie world wondering if it would mean that he would no longer be able to star in the sci-fi thriller Transcendence ...
by Eric Eisenberg February 27, 2013 comments
Emily Blunt, Rebecca Hall, Rooney Mara Final Contenders To Join Johnny Depp In Transcendence
There are many, many reasons to get excited about Transcendence, starting with the fact that it's the directorial debut of Christopher Nolan's longtime director of photography Wally Pfister, and he's already got Johnny Depp on board to star in a film with a very secret plot. Add that to recent rumors that that story has Johnny Depp's character turning into a supercomputer
by Katey Rich December 13, 2012 comments
Johnny Depp To Become A Supercomputer In Wally Pfister's Transcendence?
If you're a science-fiction fan, chances are that you've heard of something called the singularity. Known more accurately as the "technological singularity," the term refers to a theory that it's possible for technology to acquire intelligence greater than that of a human. This, in turn, would lead to what some refer to as "an intelligence explosion" where the tech would begin taking in information at a pace that no human could possibly keep up with.
by Eric Eisenberg December 11, 2012 comments
Christian Bale Could Also Join Wally Pfister's Transcendence
Christian Bale has worked with Christopher Nolan four times in the last decade, on three Batman movies and The Prestige, and every time Wally Pfister has been right there with them. Pfister has been Nolan's go-to cinematographer since Memento, and surely Pfister and Bale have had plenty of time to bond on their own over the course of shooting four giant movies
by Katey Rich October 26, 2012 comments
Johnny Depp Could Be Paid A Small Fortune To Star In Wally Pfister's Directorial Debut
Most of what we know of Wally Pfister's work comes from the films he's made with Christopher Nolan-- as Nolan's go-to cinematographer since Memento, Pfister has given Nolan's films their distinctive, crisp look, and has created some of the most arresting images in studio films of the last 10 years. Now it's Pfister's turn to step behind the camera of his own film
by Katey Rich October 24, 2012 comments
Hot Topics

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Vina del Mar, Chile (Sports Network) - Former finalist Santiago Giraldo posted
a first-round victory Monday at the $410,000 VTR Open.
The Colombian Giraldo came from behind to beat Argentine Martin Alund, 4-6,
7-5, 6-3, in just over two hours on the red clay at Club Naval de Campo Las
Giraldo was the runner-up at this event two years ago in Santiago.
The top seeds here are former world No. 1 star Rafael Nadal and reigning
champion Juan Monaco, who is Nadal's doubles partner this week. Both players
received opening-round byes.
Nadal will play his first tennis since last June after being sidelined with a
knee injury. The Spanish great, who owns 11 Grand Slam titles, including a
record seven French Open championships in the Open Era, will appear in a South
American tournament for the first time since 2005, when he won a title in
Brazil as a spry 18-year-old.
Monaco beat Carlos Berlocq in last year's all-Argentine Vina del Mar finale
and was the runner-up at this event in 2008 and 2010.
Vina del Mar kicks off the "Golden Swing" portion of the ATP calendar in Latin
This week's winner will collect $74,000.
The Sports Network


text:
Already taken.
I'm currently working on a novel based in a light-fantasy setting in the Dark Ages, although in a different world altogether.
What I need is a total of 7 crests with animals in specific positions, although I leave to the artist the freedom to do the rest as it pleases him. I should also note that these 7 crests are just the beginning.
Quality & Size
I don't know what a regular size for a Crest is, but I don't plan on printing it.
Commercial use.
Contact Details
Last edited by Korash; 07-09-2013 at 05:53 PM.
Already taken.


text: Please contact me directly if you have experience migrating Zimbra. Specifically, i want to create a split domain controller. (one domain name but two Zimbra servers). Send me an email. firstname.lastname@example.com. Be ready to supply references before taking on this project. Hopefully, this will not be your first implementation. The project is based out of San Jose, CA.


text:
SPRINGDALE, Md. (WUSA9) -- Lt. John Boesman is out of the hospital after suffering second degree burns to his hands and right side of his face while attempting to rescue a driver trapped in a burning car, officials say.
The 21-year veteran was the first on the scene when police got a call on Monday afternoon about an accident on Martin Luther King Ave. and Whitfield Chapel Rd. in Springdale, Md. Prince George's County Police said.
The 70-year-old driver, Rodwell McNeil, died inside the vehicle, police said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Lt. Boesman read through messages of gratitude from the community posted on Prince George's County Police Facebook page and twitter.


text:
anyone have any good or bad info about a j104. i was told it was the pack that was the j34 protocall. i am looking at one online used .
anyone have any good or bad info about a j104. i was told it was the pack that was the j34 protocall. i am looking at one online used .
I have one, and it has worked well for me, but heavy loads are uncomfortable due to the lack of functional load lifters. Fit, finish, and durability are unquestionable. It will haul whatever you can lift off the ground.
I LOVE the gunscabbard feature.
thank you sir i will give it a shot . looks like a nice pack
The older version's are not able to adjust for Torso length (at least mine does not). That may or may not be a problem. When I wear the j104 or my new jp9 they feel weird at first (much different than my 4500), but I don't get any pain in my neck, back, or shoulders carrying loads in them or just carrying it around on my back all day. If the J104 fits you when you get it, it is a nice pack to have.
I'm 6 ft tall and have this very pack and love it, I have packed as much as 100 pounds with this pack many times. However with the new packs you can adjust the torso length to fit your body. If you want max. comfort cough up the extra cash and buy one with the adjustable torso length, you definitely won't be disappointed. If you have a shorter torso the j104 will serve you greatly. It is a light pack that can carry a lot of weight.


text:
Here are a couple of videos of the world's top baller, Rafael Nadal, that circulated last week that you may or may not have seen.
The first one shows the Mallorcan Matador fit-testing some of the new Nike kicks for the 2009 season.
In the video he's wearing the Men's Bold Stripe Polo Shirt from the sport brand's Holiday Collection and wear-testing the new Air Max Courtballistecs from the 2009 Spring Collection which he'll be wearing at the Aussie Open next month.
It's great to see Rafa actually wearing some of this new gear and it looks really good so far. I can't wait to see the rest of the collection on him. Still...must...buy.
The second video was taken from a 4-hour Christmas special on Rafa which featured a 1 1/2 hour interview followed by 2 1/2 documentary about his life all in Catalan. Here's the first of five videos from the special:
Click here to see the rest of the videos.
PS - Seriously, am I the only one out there who can't wait for the 2009 season to begin?
Monday, December 29, 2008
VIDEO VAULT: Rafa shows off new Nike kicks, sits for documentary special
Here are a couple of videos of the world's top baller, Rafael Nadal, that circulated last week that you may or may not have seen.
Labels: fashion, Nike, Rafael Nadal, tennis, video
10 comments:
- uvijek argenDecember 29, 2008 at 8:19 AM
Nope Rich, you are not the only one ; ) One thing that Im looking forward to see its the Wimbledon roof done, and no more rain suspensions during that tournament.ReplyDelete
wimby with a roof will be truly jarring but i won't miss all of the rain delays...ReplyDelete
No, Rich, you're not thee only one who can't wait for theese game to begin!! Contessa ChiChi has been patiently waiting for theese day to come; Rafa can't wait to begin the year off with a win and Contessa ChiChi will be there to cheer my Ruffie on towards victory>, too! Let's all propel rafa on to another victorious year, si!ReplyDelete
Ces't si Bon!
Contessa ChiChi
Haha! Love it Contessa ChiChi and love the blog BTW. Good stuff.ReplyDelete
Yes, I think tennis fans everywhere are anxiously awaiting for the first balls to be struck *sigh*
I can't agree with you on Rafa's new clothing, Rich. I firmly believe Mr. Nadal needs to be showing more skin, not less. It's important for the sport!ReplyDelete
Happy almost-new year!
Libby: LOL! Hey I'm the one who's been pushing for a shirts vs. skins policy on the newly-named ATP World Tour. Whaddya think? *imagines shirtless, muddies Rafa sliding around Phillipe Chatrier and faints*ReplyDelete
You're definitely not the only one! I just posted a comment on another post (before I saw this post) saying how impatient I am for the new season to start. Still, not long to go now really, although Melbourne will probably be my best real opportunity to see any matches. Grr!ReplyDelete
Rich, you wrote, "Yes, I think tennis fans everywhere are anxiously awaiting for the first balls to be struck" and Ruffie just said "..and I hope they're not mine first off." He said one has to bee careful how one words enthusiasmy for theese game to begin.. weeth an added "ouch" just for emphaseeses, ok, now? *wink*ReplyDelete
Contessa ChiChi: Yes, one must always be wary of ball striking - even on court. 1 Ruffie, 0 RiCHReplyDelete
I didn't like the shoes in photos, but seeing them in motion i LOVE them. I think he looks so young. :)ReplyDelete


text:
Many global pharmaceutical companies say their futures hinge on finding success in the world's emerging markets, particularly China. In 2011, the top 10 multinational pharmaceuticals selling in China generated well over $20 billion in local sales. Growth rates for the 10 ranged from 15 percent to 32 percent. Chris Lee, former managing director of Bayer HealthCare China, has been quoted as saying that China will overtake the United States as Bayer's largest pharmaceuticals market in the next seven to eight years.
Multinationals have also been adding global businesses and development functions to their China operations, which traditionally acted simply as commercial hubs with sales and marketing responsibilities. Many are building fully integrated operations in China. Against this backdrop, Bayer HealthCare relocated its general medicine headquarters to Beijing in 2011, considered by Industry watchers to be a ground-breaking move among international drugmakers. General Electric Co. has also announced that it is transferring its X-ray business headquarters to Beijing.
GE's move included the relocation of the unit's chief executive and members of its executive team to Beijing. They won't be the only foreign executives to be parachuted into China. Pfizer, Roche, and GSK have all relocated global leaders to China, particularly to Beijing and Shanghai.But behind closed doors, international pharma company executives express concerns about the costs and benefits of operating in emerging markets like China, with issues ranging from intense competition to government efforts to promote domestic drug makers. In a white paper by PricewaterhouseCoopers that included interviews with decision-makers in nine Asian countries, both multinational and local pharma corporations feel that issues like intellectual property rights, corruption and price fixing are not being adequately addressed in Asian pharma markets.
Fueling these worries are recent patent rulings that have spooked international companies. China has revamped some of its intellectual property laws to allow Chinese pharma competitors to obtain compulsory licenses and make cheap copies of medicines still under patent protection. Recent policy changes have meant that differential pricing on approximately 100 drugs that multinationals have sold into China have evaporated.
Risk of tissue rejection
While China is a source of talent in terms of its research and technical capabilities, there is still a significant gap in the number of qualified Chinese executives further up the organization with the capabilities to run complex pharmaceutical or healthcare operations. It is for this reason that many expatriates are still to be found at the top of corporate pyramid structures within Chinese businesses.
Local culture has a significant impact on how business leaders manage, communicate, coach, and lead their organizations on the ground. For this, foreign expatriates working in China require significant onboarding support on issues ranging from how to hand out name cards or address local officials, to identifying key competitors and the nuances of interacting with local managers. The ever-present danger of bringing in foreign managers is that they (and their families) are unable to adapt. There are a hundred different reasons why any overseas posting may fail and not all can be foreseen or controlled by the board or top management. Overall, the risk of failure tends to be higher in China.
Furthermore, there are signs that multinationals' perceived competitive advantages as "preferred employers" among local talent in China are already eroding. Three-quarters of the largest companies with global revenues of over $5 billion now feel that they do not have superior technology or a stronger brand in China, compared to their local competitors, according to a 2011 study by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
We have noticed that executive talent in China who do not get a clear sense of their career paths at their current employers will not hesitate to look for opportunities elsewhere—and new job offers will come swiftly. So while employee retention efforts such as offering competitive compensation, actively managing employees' career path, and providing development programs are important anywhere in the world, it is all the more critical in China.
Companies that are best at recruiting talent in China are also the best at retaining them. Such organizations make investments in their talent a top priority and move the quickest on people-related decisions and implementation of localized policies. This nimbleness is something global organizations with numerous reporting lines and global standards still find challenging in China's fast-paced talent market.
Already, there are signs that multinational are losing their top talent to local companies. Chinese start-ups realize that they need to recruit highly skilled and globally oriented general managers from foreign multinationals when they reach a critical size. And they are willing to pay competitive rates.
One example is Lifetech Scientific Corporation, a local developer, manufacturer and vendor of advanced minimally invasive medical devices. Founded in 1999, it has become the second largest provider of congenital heart defect occluders in the world, the largest provider to BRIC countries and the leading developer and manufacturer of minimally invasive medical devices in China. It is headed by CEO Michael Zhao, who previously held several senior management positions at J&J Medical's Cordis Corporation, including senior positions in the United States, Belgium, Australia, and China.
With so much hiring and demand in China, compensation levels have increased significantly in the last three years. Annual salary increases for executives hover between 12 percent and 15 percent each year. As a result, China's market has seen close to a 50 percent increase in the salaries for the same positions at the senior executive level in the last three years. Competitors, both multinational and local alike, are willing to pay attractive salary increases for senior managers willing to jump ship. Many multinationals are having to rethink their compensation cultures in order to continue to be attractive employers in China.


text:
Bolle Copperhead Sunglass - Choose Color
|Eligible for Free Shipping on Orders $39 or More! (see promotion details)
|Members of The League get 5% back when you spend $100! (see promotion details)
Product Details
The Bolle® Copperhead sunglasses feature the technology to stand up to the most substantial tests the day can throw at you, while helping you maintain a style all your own. Thermogrip hydrophilic nose pads and temple tips maintain your focus on the task at hand, not on keeping your glasses on your face.
- b88 Frames: High-grade nylon is lightweight, durable and flexible
- b20.3 Polycarbonate lenses: Made from a premium-grade resin, resulting in a lens that is 20 times more impact-resistant than glass and 3 times lighter, with unrivaled optical precision and clarity
- Carbo Glas® Coating: An armor shell on both sides of the lens to protect against scratches
- Thermogrip&153;: Comfortable hydrophilic nose pads and temple tips keep your sunglasses firmly in place
- Fit: Small/Medium
- Lens/Frame Measurement: 57/32/60/16/130
Lens Options
- Polarized A-14: Amber lens; enhanced contrast
- Polarized TNS: Gray lens; neutral contrast
- TLB Dark: Dark brown lens; enhanced contrast
- TNS: Gray lens; neutral contrast
Product Recommendations
Product Reviews
Reviewed by 1 customer
- Adequate Tint
- Attractive Design
- Comfortable
- Durable
- Good Polarization
- Good Protection
- Lightweight
- Scratch Resistant
Best Uses
- Athletics
- At The Beach
Comments about Bolle Copperhead Sunglass - Choose Color:
I wear these mostly for hiking up in the mountains of Northern Arizona.
As described, these glasses do not slip due to the rubber nose bridge which is also very comfortable.
There is also nothing flimsy about the glasses despite the plastic construction.
I expect these will do well on bright beaches or at water to cut glare as I have worn them in very bright, snowy areas and they cut glare considerably.
This was a very good choice for me and I look forward to being happy with this pair for a long while!
- Sizing:
- Feels true to size
- Was this a gift?:
- No


text:
Today, Ad-ID, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Adobe announced the Ad-ID Digital Slate for XMP Version 1.0. Ad-ID is an advertising industry coding standard for advertising assets across all media platforms. The Ad-ID Digital Slate is based on XMP (the Extensible Metadata Platform), an open, international standard (ISO 16684-1) originally developed by Adobe, to create a consistent format for embedding metadata directly into all types of assets, such as the ones used by the digital advertising industry, including video, display, print and radio advertising assets.
The Ad-ID Digital Slate for XMP enables improved interoperability by allowing the advertising assets to identify on which platforms (e.g., radio, print, online, mobile, over the top, place based) they should run.
Embedding this identification information directly into assets makes for more efficient and accurate tracking and measurement of key assets throughout their cross-platform life cycle. The Ad-ID Digital Slate also helps simplify work flows for everyone in the marketing supply chain through a consistent digital identification standard that all platforms can recognize.
The goal of the open XMP standard is to enable metadata to travel across different file formats and systems. The Ad-ID Digital Ad Slate perfectly illustrates this idea and underscores Adobe's dedication to help support the interoperability of systems to solve real customer problems.
Leonard Rosenthol, Principal Scientist
Frank Biederich, Director Engineering


text:
Hunted hard and the dogs did awesome.
Hunted hard and the dogs did awesome.
That's a big bear!!!! Great job on getting him!!
2013 spyder turbo, 70lbs black out and 2013 pse omen max 60# stormy hardwoods green
Limbdriver Pro V, Tight spot quiver, Single pin Hogg Father, Fuse carbon blade.
Scott longhorn 3, Easton FMJ's
AKA: Velvet Feather
That's awesome. That bear has been a long time coming.
I wrote up the story in the NV thread. Your absolutely correct, a long time coming!
Congrats bro! You had us all on our tip toes on this whole hunt! Well done!!
I don't Break the rules, I Modify them.
Awesome finish to a great story! Thanks for taking us along on your journey. That is one hell of a bear! After all you went through to get it I am very happy to see all the hard work paid off!
What a stud! Glad to see all your hard work payed off. Congrats Jason!!
Congrats! You earned it for sure!


text:
Roger Federer's recent slope became even more slippery on the red clay of Monte Carlo today.
Last year's finalist (and for the third consecutive time) was booted from the tourney's third round by good friend Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 7-5 after taking a last-minute wild card to get in. I guess he'll also be taking a big hit in the points tally after this disastrous performance, leaving his World No.2 status on very shaky ground (though I'm positive there are two ballers just waiting to take his place, eh?).
In other news, Fed is also starring in a new ad for Gillette along side Tiger Woods and the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter. The spot is a take-off on John Travolta's iconic walk down a Brooklyn sidewalk in the classic film Saturday Night Fever.
In the ad, Fed is shown wearing straight-up 70's silver platform shoes and the mandatory spread collar and gold chain looking all kinds of awkward.
It ends with the tagline "Here's to Confidence". Uh, weren't we talking about Fed here?
(video via gillette)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
VIDEO VAULT: Rog stunned by Stan in Monte Carlo, gets awkward for Gillette
Labels: advertising, Monte Carlo Masters, Roger Federer, sports marketing, tennis, TV, video
31 comments:
- johanneApril 16, 2009 at 10:10 AM
AGH I'm cringing! No no no no NO NO NO!!! Just NO.ReplyDelete
*still cringing*
- AnonymousApril 16, 2009 at 10:21 AM
that is painful to watch!!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 16, 2009 at 10:37 AM
wtf was Fed thinking agreeing to that ad concept?ReplyDelete
Cringe inducing!
- AnonymousApril 16, 2009 at 10:38 AM
yea weird choice on gillettes part, but i dont think its fair to say that roger and the word confidence dont go together. just because the guy hasnt been winning 95% of the matches he plays like he did before, he still is holding up a great record, especially considering the number of years hes managed to keep it up. lets give the guy some credit..i wish i was as good at what i do as he is at what he does.ReplyDelete
OMG.This is so going like we all predicted, I'm now officialy afraid what the next tournaments would be like.Better to say how much painful, cause this is oh sooo akward to watch.ReplyDelete
BUT, no more satin Mirka rolling on the ring in the stands, well that's good news!
Federer needs to like ...do we need to send him a message?Or what?Strike a court naked with message "wake up" written all over....Desperate times needs...but how can he get that?God, it's killing me.
- AnonymousApril 16, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Funny ads are Djokovics thing, Federer is too preppy for thisReplyDelete
Oh, this is just tooo silly! Thanks for posting Rich! (Of course, I'm gonna have to "steal")ReplyDelete
FF: as I always lurve to say - SHARING IS CARING. Steal away my friend!!!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 16, 2009 at 11:46 AM
more about the Roddick/Decker wedding :)ReplyDelete
About his loss in Monte Carlo. I'm really thinking it's kind off the end of Fed. His game doesn't get any better, and it hasn't been good in the last year. He will win a few times but I don't think he will be as dominant as he was, and I doubt if he will get the number 1 position back.ReplyDelete
Well we all doubt that, and it would be easier to accept it if you know he gives his f*ing best, dies out there and just the opponent is better, and that is why he lost.But this is not the lose of Fed's magic and game,like his tennis is not good enough, this is MENTAL!ReplyDelete
He still knows to play beautiful tennis, but is having a mental blockade, and that is some serious s*t he needs but refuses to work on.
He's far from done, but is also questionable will he get out of this crisis and get his head clear?It's some kind of "tennis identity crisis" and I blame it on the stupid records, god, they put great pressure on him...Hate records, the longest match, the longest this, the highest that...just stop that s*t.That is distracting them from the real deal, and that is JUST THEIR career, and right now.Not chasing some era and players years ago.
- adivivelerockApril 16, 2009 at 12:07 PM
Oh man, what a hilarious ad. Although I question Gillette's idea, its great to see these legends have fun and not take themselves too serious.ReplyDelete
I think it's hysterical. Why do you guys hate on Fed so much? Show a little respect for a guy on the backslide of an amazing career.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 16, 2009 at 1:09 PM
I don't think this is the kind of commercial you do if you're looking for respect, LOL! C'mon it's terrible. Doesn't matter what point of his career he's in.ReplyDelete
Tiger and Jeter are totally awesone!
Fed is... well he's still running for GOAT in tennis, right?
- AnonymousApril 16, 2009 at 1:43 PM
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who LOVED it. Yes, the timing isn't perfect with Fed's confidence waning, but it's not like it's a total word misassociation since he dominated for years.ReplyDelete
Plus, it's so unFedererlike that it just kills me to see him, TMF, doing this. H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!
- AnonymousApril 16, 2009 at 2:25 PM
OMG and doesn't Fed look like he's either in the process of getting the giggles or just had the giggles?ReplyDelete
How does Fed manage to mess with my emotions so much in a day? First I was depressed about the loss, now I'm killing myself laughing at the advert.
- AnonymousApril 16, 2009 at 2:27 PM
What's with the silver "Tin-Man" platform shoes?
I loved his expression, smiling like a geek. FUNNY as hell!
This ad to me kind of taints his image in terms of his fashion style. How can anyone look at him the same way again? What happened? It's one thing to poke fun of oneself, but c'mon! It'll take more than just a secure man to pull off those puppies.
- mercedes20April 16, 2009 at 4:01 PM
LAME, LAME, LAME!ReplyDelete
Oh no, Roger! NOOOOOOO! I can picture Derek Jeter in that get-up strutting down the street that way, but Roger and Tiger look like fish out of water. Wow, total fail for Gillette on this one. I hope Mirka finds that shiny silver shoe and beats Roger upside the head with it!ReplyDelete
I was on DTL for 20 minutes before I summoned the courage to watch the clip.ReplyDelete
WTF? How did Gillette manage to mess up having 3 of the world's best athletes? However, I think Thierry Henry would have made it work better than these three guys. They should have left him in the American line up.
I feel violated
- AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 12:17 AM
- Tennis ObserverApril 17, 2009 at 4:30 AM
Mirka is just a cover up, I always knew.ReplyDelete
Seeing as how the LAST Gilette ad was voted worst of the year, one would think they would have made more of an effort this time around, but no, of course they don't. Sigh. :)ReplyDelete
Well, I hope he knew it was lame. :)
Like how do you convince smart, extremely rich and talented champion to wear THESE shoes?ReplyDelete
Why on Earth did he say yes I'll do it...god, awful.Do these marketing "experts" actually go to school or where do they find them?
And it took me a day to dare to watch.Regret it.Now you can mock ROg all the way, silver high heels shoes and cry-baby, someone make it stop!
- AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 8:21 AM
Could Federer act any more ridiculous and embarrassing?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 8:38 AM
I love it! I'm so happy it's Rog who got to sport these shoes, he got a great sense of humor, he doesn't take himself seriously, no way rafa can do that, novak yes but the boring snoozefest rafa can't.ReplyDelete
Good job Fed, have fun! life is good, you're still very young!
- AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Rafa a boring snoozefest?! If this is what it takes for someone to strike you as "exciting" then I'll take "dull" Rafa anyday!! HA!!ReplyDelete
Antony, Rafa has done really silly commercials as well. I don't get the snoozefest at all.ReplyDelete
As for this commercial: awkward. I'm sure Rog would be great in funny commercials, but this one's plot is just LAME.
I'd prefer having him strutting down the street, not only standing there looking awkward. LOL
- AnonymousApril 18, 2009 at 10:24 PM
When it comes to being a natural funny showman, Federer sure ain't no Djokovic.ReplyDelete


text:
Dear Zimbra Developers:
I have read in this Zimbra Mobility Forum that there seems to be some possibility of a native App for iPhone. Is this in the official development plans or just under consideration?
Lastly, is there any plans to offer an App that is optimized for the larger screen of the iPad as well?
I am considering the mobile options for my company and would be interested in what the long terms plans would be for native Zimbra mobile Apps for these Apple products. This is actually part of a larger plan to migrate to Apple desktop/laptop computers in general in our company.
As I am not familiar with the mobile programming API, would they be similar to the Zimbra Desktop type implementation or an all together different code that is written from scratch?
Thank you for your consideration of my question.
Best Regards,
Thomas Patko


text:
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Blake Wheeler scored twice and Andrew Ladd
once in a three-goal third period which lifted Winnipeg over Chicago, 3-1, at
United Center.
Al Montoya kept his club in the contest, making 34 saves for the Jets, who
have reeled off six wins in their last seven outings.
Brandon Bollig tallied for the Blackhawks, who failed to produce a win in
their final home game before the Olympic break. The defending Cup champions
embark on a seven-game road trip on Tuesday in Calgary.
Corey Crawford stopped only 18 shots in defeat.
The Sports Network


text:
I would conquer the ****in world.
In fact that was what i was doing, that is, until hair loss came....it ain't a good look to be the ruler of earth and BALD. is it?
I would conquer the ****in world.
In fact that was what i was doing, that is, until hair loss came....it ain't a good look to be the ruler of earth and BALD. is it?
In my case, it would be a new life, a new me, an improved me. I haven't reached the "vietnam experience of a norwood 5" yet but i am heading there, even if I did I think getting all my hair back will make me conquer the world way faster than if it never hit me.Originally Posted by Exodus2011
That is of course, if the cure came within the next 5 years.
Anything more than that = Im ****ed
nw 3. it happened so fast i havent even updated my profile lol .
no i would never forget this.
but a cure would be a life saver for me.
Well thats a very negative outlook, I'd like to think that after all this I would have a new found appreciation of life, something that non sufferers could'nt have.Originally Posted by Exodus2011
We all take many things for granted everyday, we can all walk and see imagine if you were blind or in a wheelchair and got those things back even if you were also bald you would still be the happiest guy on earth.
I think it matters alot more in your 20's, for me the only difference now would be not having to worry about certain situations like the weather ect. And it would be alot easier to not have to use concealers or worry about what other people think of my hair.
*Voice of reason on HLT since 2007*
Originally Posted by CCS
whis guy would disagree ...Originally Posted by maradona
"our greatest glory is not in never falling, but rising each time we fall"
My thread
Yeah and I've still got them, I do socialise but I'm abit of a loner and I'm fine with it now it does'nt bother me.Originally Posted by Exodus2011
Like I said I have no desire to be in a relationship or anything like that but if I had'nt been affected by baldness I would likely have been married in my 20's.
I also wonder if I'd have gotten into working out if I had'nt lost my hair. Also I'd probably have pi55ed alot of money away going out.
I definatley believe that with women the biggest problem is not losing your hair its losing your confidence and as we all know it can alter a persons character making them abit weird, guys on here tend to worry about everything not just hair whereas if the had hair they would probably be able to overlook most of their other issues.
The biggest difference with getting my hair back in terms of women was that I actually started socialising again.
A bald guy who goes out and makes the effort will get more women than a NW1 who sits at home.
I think there are some on here who if they got their hair back would just replace the obbsession with some other 'fault'.
*Voice of reason on HLT since 2007*
Originally Posted by CCS
nothing really comes close to mpb. if i got my hair back i'd know better than to obsess over some meaningless little faults. for example i've got a slightly crooked nose, but could i compare it to mpb? no way in hellOriginally Posted by s.a.f
Neither would I but look on that other thread, there are plenty of guys who have a list of a dozen 'faults'. It seems there are plenty of CCS' on here.Originally Posted by slipy
*Voice of reason on HLT since 2007*
Originally Posted by CCS
when it comes to list of faults, i could probably exceed 95% of guys over here.
but if i could get rid of either mpb or all the rest of them i would pick the former


text:
BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:1.0 BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20130306T000000 DTEND:20130306T010000 LOCATION;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:The Carnegie (1028 Scott Blvd. , Covington, Kentucky) DESCRIPTION;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:
This exhibition brings together artists and chefs from across the Tri-state to explore the ways in which food is a complete sensory experience. <i>The Art of Food</i> will feature culinary inspired works of art by artists such as Kelly Romer Armstrong, Eric Brass, Dorie Guthrie, Carla Morales, Karen Saunders, Tom Towhey and more.SUMMARY;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:The Carnegie Galleries Present: The Seventh Annual Art of Food PRIORITY:3END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR


text:
|Residents to sign up cell phones for alerts
|Written by Darci Tomky
Phillips County residents can now self-register cell phones and email addresses to receive emergency notifications, announced Kenny Gaskill, director of Phillips County Communications Center.
About a year ago, the county purchased WENS, a Wireless Emergency Notification System. Gaskill said they use it to quickly dispatch first responders and other groups who may need to be aware of an emergency situation. In the past year, dispatchers have become comfortable using the system with first responders.
Now the county is ready to use WENS to notify the general public of emergency situations within the county, like weather emergencies or missing children.
The nearly 3,000 public landline numbers with "854" and "774" prefixes have been provided by PC Telcom and Haxtun Telephone Company and are automatically enrolled in the database.
Gaskill said they are now looking for those who wish to get alerts on their cell phones or emails to self-enroll in the system.
An online link is easily accessible on the Phillips County website www.colorado.gov/phillipscounty under the County Spotlight section on the home page. After clicking on the link, a registration page will appear where people can fill out their information, including their address.
To unsubscribe from alerts, go to the same link and follow the "unsubscribe" directions at the bottom of the page. If a resident wants to modify their account with a new address or different alert preferences, they must unsubscribe and then set up a new account.
The county website also has a question and answer section for assistance with the WENS sign-up.
To go directly to the registration page, type in http://entry.inspironlogistics.com/phillips_county_co/wens.cfm for English or http://entry.inspironlogistics.com/phil lips_spanish/wens.cfm for Spanish.
Anyone without Internet access can call the Phillips County administration office at 970-854-3778 for assistance.
County personnel will also provide assistance for emergency alert sign-ups at the next Mobile Food Pantry in Holyoke Wednesday, Feb. 6 from 9:30-11 a.m. at Phillips County Event Center and in Haxtun Wednesday, April 3 at Haxtun Community Center.
The County said emergency messages will be sent in English and translated for dispatch in Spanish as needed, the determination to be made on a case-by-case basis. All landline numbers already in the system are set to English by default.
Unlisted numbers must be self-enrolled in the database as they have not yet been entered.
When registering, residents have the option to sign up for various alerts. The local Communications Center will be sending out significant public health and safety alerts, such as a fire in one's neighborhood, a missing child in one's area, a shooting incident or a chemical spill. Other opt-ins include utilities (power outages and gas leaks), county road closures and traffic alerts.
The rest of the options are notifications from the National Weather Service about tornadoes, blizzards, floods, high winds, etc.
Those land lines already in the system by default will receive notification of significant public health and safety events or hazards. If a resident wishes to receive additional alerts, they will have to follow the "unsubscribe" steps on the website or call the administration office to modify the account.
When setting up a new account for a cell phone, residents can sign up for text, voice or email alerts. They can choose all three, if desired. To sign up for both text and voice alerts, enter the phone number twice, selecting text on one and voice on the other.
Residents can also enter as many numbers as they need to for all the members of their family. Each account can have five phone numbers and two email addresses, so an additional account might need to be set up for the same household.
Residents must provide the name of their cell phone carrier, and if choosing the text option, will be subject to payment for that text according to the cell phone contract.
Gaskill said they know Viaero, Verizon and Sprint cell phones are working just fine. Other carriers or some pre-paid cell phones may block the text, in which case the resident should contact their carrier with questions.
When an alert is sent out, residents will receive a call from the number 970-854-2735. If they answer, they will hear a recorded message for the emergency notification. They can also follow the prompts to relisten to the message or acknowledge they received it.
Gaskill said the program records data about how many devices received the message and how many people replied to acknowledge they received it.
If the phone line is busy, the alerts will continue to send for a period of time. If the phone goes to voice mail, the recorded alert will be left as a message. Phones with complicated voice mail messages may not receive the alert (i.e. Press 1 for the operator, etc.).
Text messages will come from the number 69310.
Gaskill said he can select a certain geographic area using an online map, and only the addresses registered within that area will receive the alert, or he can send one to all registered users, depending on the situation. That is why it is so important to make sure the address is registered correctly.
People outside of Phillips County can also register and, for instance, sign up the address of their business located in the county or the address of an elderly relative so they can be aware of emergencies.
Phillips County reminds the public that no communication system is infallible. WENS is Internet-based, so there may be times an alert cannot be sent, but backup systems are in place, making it a dependable tool overall. Redundant systems of emergency notification including the outdoor siren system, telephone, email, text messages and external systems on commercial radio and TV stations or weather radios may be used to send out alerts as well.
Testing will take place the week of Jan. 21. Certain geographical areas will be chosen to be tested, such as Amherst, and the test will be clearly identified as such to those in the testing area.
For questions about this new emergency notification system, please call the Phillips County administration office at 854-3778.
Holyoke Enterprise January 17, 2013


text:
Robert Coover
Robert Coover, 60, of Le Mars passed away suddenly Saturday, December 15, 2012 at Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars.
Services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at Grace Lutheran Church in Le Mars with Reverend Tim Geitz officiating. Interment will be at Resthaven Memory Gardens Cemetery. Visitation with the family present will be after 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at the Carlsen Funeral Home in Le Mars with a 7:00 p.m. Prayer Service Tuesday evening at the funeral home. Visitation will continue Wednesday morning at the church from 9:30 a.m. until service time. Expressions of sympathy can be extended to the family through www.carlsenfuneralhome.com.
|< Prev
|Next >


text:
Your daily dose of true beauty advice…
Jesus did not die on the cross to improve our self-esteem. He died to atone for our sin. And yet the cross does teach us a crucial lesson about our worth: We are each worthy of the wrath of God. As a manifestation of God's unmerited mercy, the cross reveals the depth and seriousness of our sin.
Anthony Hoekema points this out:
In today's world there is little emphasis on the biblical doctrine of sin. But a person with a shallow sense of sin and of the wrath of God against our sin will neither feel the need for nor understand the biblical doctrine of justification. When sin is ignored, minimized or redefined we no longer live aware of our desperate need for Jesus Christ nor appreciative of what he accomplished on the cross for us.
Unless we understand the nature of sin and how offensive it is to God, we'll never understand why the cross was necessary. We'll never be amazed by grace.
~Robin Boisvert & C.J. Mahaney in How Can I Change?
Photo: OBMonkey