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In the context of its Adaptation Strategy, the European Commission has launched an initiative to examine which European (CEN) standards will need to be revised or developed in order for Europe to adapt to the effects of climate change. An analysis of the standards is being undertaken in three areas: energy, buildings and transport. In the area of transport, a workshop with standardisation experts and stakeholders was held on 18 January 2016 in Madrid.
A presentation was given on behalf of EUPAVE by Cesar Bartolome of IECA. In his presentation, Mr. Bartolome outlined the effects that a changing climate will have on roads, and provided EUPAVE's view on the way forward. EUPAVE believes it is relevant to make general (horizontal) standards sufficiently demanding to ensure roads built today will be future-proof for tomorrow. This will set a level of performance to be reached - without, however, necessitating a change in product standards. Concrete pavements, thanks to their durability and robustness, are apt to meet the challenges posed by the future climate. EUPAVE is convinced that acting to make Europe's road network more resilient should be done sooner rather than later: in continuing to rely on short-term fixes, Europe will find its road network less resilient in the face of the climate challenges of the future.
Click here to download the presentation "ADAPTATION OF ROAD NETWORK TO CLIMATE CHANGE", Mr. Bartolome
On 3 December 2015, EUPAVE held its traditional Christmas dinner debate themed Circular Economy and Transport Infrastructure in the restaurant Les Brigittines, Brussels. The event, which gathered members and partners of the association, had as special guest the European Commission, represented by DG Environment's Director General Mr. Daniel Calleja.
Mr. Daniel Calleja, Director General DG Environment, the European Commission
EUPAVE President Stéphane Nicoud thanked participants for attending and praised the outstanding achievements of the association in 2015. As the European Commission had launched its new Circular Economy package the day before, President Nicoud emphasised how roads built using cement and concrete solutions embody circular economy principles due to their durability and recyclability, thereby enhancing resource efficiency.
But in order to fully capitalise on these benefits, he insisted on the need to take a whole-life approach when planning transport infrastructure and tendering the related public contracts. Thus, President Nicoud encouraged the Commission to make the most of Green Public Procurement in general and in particular for road construction. He suggested working together to invite Member States to take a more innovative approach in public procurement, and avoid focusing on lowest initial costs so that public spending efficiency is increased.
Acknowledging that life-cycle costs and durability are essential aspects for the Circular Economy, Director-General Daniel Calleja had also some words of appreciation regarding EUPAVE's pro-activeness and excellent input to the dossiers under the competence of DG Environment. He praised EUPAVE for putting sustainability at the core of its aims. You cannot conduct a business in a durable way without being sustainable; otherwise you do not deliver, he noted. Mr. Calleja explained that his priorities for EU environment policy are to create green growth, to improve the quality of life of citizens and to have real enforcement and smart compliance of the existing rules.
Mr. Calleja also presented the Circular Economy package and highlighted that the Commission had quantified the benefits of a circular economy in terms of savings, jobs, emissions and turnover in comparison with the business-as-usual scenario. Director-General Daniel Calleja agreed on the importance of Green Public Procurement for the Circular Economy and announced than an action will be launched in 2016 to support Member States to effectively implement Green Public Procurement.
Mr. Daniel Calleja, Director General DG Environment, the European Commission (left)Mr. Stéphane Nicoud, EUPAVE President (right)
Mr. Calleja agreed that our industry embodies circular economy principles and that, furthermore, concrete pavements have all the attributes to be a flagship and a leading sector in the Circular Economy. We have a great opportunity to work with your industry to generate green growth. It is a challenge for Europe. Let's do it together, he concluded.
Members of EUPAVE contributed to the debate and enjoyed a friendly evening which served to put an end to another prosperous and promising year for EUPAVE.
Mr. Daniel Calleja, Director General DG Environment, the European Commission and EUPAVE Members
In 2011 the European Commission adopted the White Paper: "Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area - Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system" in the framework of the Union's 2020 growth strategy. The Commission has now consulted stakeholders on the progress since 2011. EUPAVE responded to the consultation on 2 June 2015, highlighting priorities in the areas of competitiveness, long-term thinking and sustainability. In particular, when it comes to designing road infrastructure, priority should be given to long-life solutions, thus minimising both maintenance (and therefore life-cycle costs) and also environmental impacts. Tools such as objective Green Public Procurement criteria should be used to boost competitiveness and ensure healthy competition between industries.
(The full response is available to EUPAVE members on the extranet.)
On 25 March 2015, EUPAVE organised a successful debate on upgrading Europe's road network. The event took place at CEMBUREAU premises in Brussels and gathered around 35 stakeholders interested in road transport. The event highlighted the importance of road infrastructure for the internal market, mobility and cohesion and discussed how to address challenges such as traffic congestion, road safety and greenhouse gas emissions.
EUPAVE's President Stéphane Nicoud welcomed the participants and highlighted that concrete pavements can help tackle serious transport problems.
Mr. Nicoud reminded that infrastructure is one of the four main parts of the strategy for the future of EU Transport Policy contained in the European Commission's 2011 White Paper, which strives for safer road infrastructure and an effective use of existing infrastructure. While respecting the EU's technology-neutrality principle, President Nicoud expressed the hope that the Commission would take greater account of the role that road infrastructure and certain solutions may play in achieving sustainability objectives and confirmed that EUPAVE will pass on such messages in the context of the mid-term review of the White Paper.
André Burger, Vice-President of EUPAVE, presented the association and invited participants to work together with EUPAVE in promoting sustainable transport infrastructure.
Wim Kramer from Cement&BetonCentrum presented two solutions for upgrading roads: concrete inlays and road widening. He explained that these two technologies benefit from the advantage of concrete pavements in terms of durability under heavy traffic. As forecasts say that road traffic volumes will increase, but given public budget limitations and the current high congestion levels, Mr. Kramer emphasised that these two solutions offer a real sustainable solution by extending the service life of the road network in line with European targets for transport.
A debate moderated by Vice-President Mr. Burger then took place with participants discussing the potential contribution of road infrastructure in general, and concrete roads in particular, to reducing traffic congestion, achieving CO2 emissions reductions and enhancing road safety with concrete barriers.
Closing remarks were made by Cristóbal Millán de la Lastra, Head of unit dealing with Transport issues of Connecting Europe Facility for some Member States in the European Commission's Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA). Mr. Millán showed the audience that the EU institutions are active on road infrastructure via funding programmes such as Horizon 2020 and the regional funds. He acknowledged that road transport is already very efficient in comparison with other transport modes and that is why the Commission provides less funding for road construction under the Connecting Europe Facility.
Cristóbal Millán de la Lastra, Head of unit, INEA (left)André Burger, Vice President, EUPAVE (right)
EUPAVE Vice-President André Burger concluded the event by thanking all participants for their contributions to an interesting and positive debate.
Cristóbal Millán de la Lastra, Head of unit, INEA, and EUPAVE Members
Stéphane Nicoud making his presentation to the audience
On the 17th of December, EUPAVE held its traditional Christmas dinner in the restaurant Aux Armes de Bruxelles. The event, which gathered members and partners of the association, had as special guest the European Commission, represented by DG MOVE's Head of Unit on Research and Innovative Transport Systems, Mr Keir Fitch.
Mr. Keir Fitch, Head of Unit on Research and Innovative Transport Systems, DG MOVE, The European Commission
Welcoming the participants, EUPAVE President Mr Stéphane Nicoud outlined the main achievements of EUPAVE in 2014. From a successful 12th International Symposium on Concrete Roads to the publication of several brochures and position papers as well as continuing to promoting the industry's interests, Mr Nicoud thanked members and staff for their engagement and efforts to complete a successful year for the association.
Mr. Stéphane Nicoud, EUPAVE President
President Nicoud also shared his vision on the quality of transport in the EU. Since congestion and maintenance are considered by European citizens as the most serious problems about roads in Europe, he highlighted that concrete roads are a real solution because of their low maintenance, which also means less congestion by having fewer road works, fewer interventions and fewer inconveniences to road users.
Despite changes in the European Commission, Mr Fitch assured EUPAVE that the 2011 White Paper on Transport would continue to inspire EU transport policy. He also acknowledged that infrastructure is now part of the Commission's reflection on the way to go whereas in the past it only focused on vehicles, fuels and other technologies. Challenges will include adaptation to the effects of climate change, and how to encourage take-up of innovations in infrastructure. Looking into the future, innovations such as self-guided vehicles could require road infrastructure to change radically from what we know today. As the Commission wants the transport infrastructure industry to get more involved than before in the discussions, Mr Fitch recognised that EUPAVE must and has to play a leading role in this debate.
While noting that the Commission is technology-neutral, Mr Fitch also appreciated EUPAVE's efforts in promoting sustainable transport infrastructure and was interested in knowing more about long-life cycle assessment of concrete pavements. He also explained to EUPAVE that the Commission lacks a harmonised mechanism to evaluate the sustainability of infrastructure solutions. For that reason, he insisted on maintaining close links with EUPAVE and to work together to overcome challenges.
Members of EUPAVE contributed to the debate and enjoyed a friendly evening which served to put an end to another successful year for EUPAVE.
On 10 December 2014, the European Environment Agency (EEA) released a report entitled Adaptation of transport to climate change in Europe.
The report outlines the upcoming challenges and opportunities associated with the changing climate and showcases some adaptation measures already put in place across Europe. Adapting Europe's transport system is essential to the smooth functioning of society and the economy. The report points out in particular the potential pressures climate change will put on road and urban infrastructure, such as higher temperatures and extreme precipitation. Concrete pavements are well suited to respond to these effects, thanks to their durability, low maintenance and albedo (reducing the heat island effect).
Hosted by MEP Pablo Arias Echeverría, EUPAVE organized on 18 March a breakfast-debate on "Smart infrastructure: new technologies & pavements" in the European Parliament.
Opening the event, MEP Arias Echeverría welcomed a group of fifty representatives from the EU institutions (European Parliament, European Commission) and European associations and companies while highlighting the need to go for the greening of transport infrastructure. He also mentioned his interest to see how the industry could provide for good and innovative solutions for urban mobility in order to have smarter cities. As things are changing worldwide, we need to be innovative he added.
Stéphane Nicoud, President of EUPAVE, pointed out that concrete pavements provide sustainable solutions for society. By referring to the forthcoming presentations as a good example, he refused to consider the road construction sector as not innovative. Nicoud thanked EUPAVE for working hard in the last years to reinvent the sector and to show that concrete pavements can help to meet transport challenges and needs while at the same time contributing to achieve important goals set at EU level.
Professor Anne Beeldens (KU Leuven) presented relevant projects demonstrating the role of concrete pavements in air purification and inductive charging of vehicles. She explained that it is possible to achieve an air-purifying effect by using TiO2 (titanium dioxide) on the concrete pavement surface and help tackling air pollution in densely populated areas and towns. She also displayed the results of a project focused on the inductive charging system of electric vehicles embedded in a pavement, while illustrating that concrete is the best material for doing that.
Professor Nele De Belie (Ghent University) presented research results on self-healing concrete. She explained the different methods and mechanisms to have concrete pavements which can heal themselves from road cracks. The self-healing of cracks in concrete would contribute to a longer service life of the structure and it would make concrete not only more durable but also more sustainable.
Keir Fitch (DG MOVE, European Commission) reminded about EU transport funding opportunities like Horizon 2020 or Connecting Europe Facility to help "laboratory research projects to become demonstrated in a larger scale". He also agreed on the importance on using public procurement to deploy innovation in the transport infrastructure.
Afterwards, there was a debate animated by EUPAVE's Vice-president André Burger with interesting contributions from the audience. Participants agreed that smart, green, low-maintenance and climate-resilient road infrastructure can help transforming the European transport system into a sustainable and competitive one.
The European Union has finally approved the new Directives for modernising public procurement. The new rules include: a reform of Directive 20014/17 on public procurement in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors; a reform of Directive 2004/18 on public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts, and; a new Directive on concessions. They seek to ensure greater inclusion of common societal goals in the procurement process. These goals include environmental protection, social responsibility, innovation, combatting climate change, employment, public health and other social and environmental considerations.
On 22 January, the European Commission adopted two packages of initiatives concerning a long-term vision for EU climate & energy policies and a new industrial policy. Amongst all the initiatives composing such climate & energy package, the Commission has proposed to set a GHG emission reduction target for domestic EU emissions of 40% in 2030 relative to emissions in 1990 within the communication entitled "A policy framework for climate and energy in the period from 2020 to 2030". The new EU industrial policy package contains a communication "For a European Industrial Renaissance" where the Commission urges Member States to recognise the central importance of industry for creating jobs and growth and to mainstream industry-related competitiveness concerns across all policy areas.
See all the initiatives of the EU climate & energy package here:http://ec.europa.eu/energy/2030_en.htm See all the initiatives of the new EU industrial policy package here: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/initiatives/mission-growth/index_en.htm
EUPAVE held a successful dinner debate with the European Commission. The association found a friend in Dominique Ristori -Director-General of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre-, who acknowledged that the EU institutions should further recognize the importance and contribution to the society's economic wellbeing of key sectors such as the concrete paving one.
Mr. Dominique Ristori, Director-General of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (left) and Mr. Andre Burger, EUPAVE Vice-President (right)
On the 5th of December EUPAVE held its traditional annual dinner at Louise Avenue Brasserie& Restaurant in Brussels. The event had a very high-level representative from the European Union.
European Commission's Director-General for the Joint Research Centre, Mr Dominique Ristori, honoured with his presence the debate entitled "How to provide EU policies with independent, evidence-based scientific and technical support?".
Mr. Pierre Nicolas, the European Commission Joint Research Centre (right) and Mr. Andre Jasienski, EUPAVE Board Member
Welcoming the participants and opening the debate, Mr Andre Burger, Vice-President of EUPAVE, explained that 2013 had been an important year for the association. In addition to the achievements of EUPAVE throughout 2013 (publications, organisation of workshops, greater visibility before the EU and the preparation of the 12th International Symposium on Concrete Roads), institutional changes in the association have led to a new President and Vice-President. However, Vice-President Burger insisted that business continue as usual and that the aim of EUPAVE is still the same: to defend the benefits that concrete transport infrastructure may bring for the economy, environment and society.
Mr Ristori briefly explained the role of the Joint Research Centre. He also called for the EU to have a better recognition of those sectors that, as the concrete paving industry, turn out to be essential for economic growth and the creation of jobs. He acknowledged that the future EU budget for the period 2014-2020 gives more importance to infrastructure in general and transport one in particular.
Notwithstanding, Mr Ristori said that competitiveness must be stressed since the aim should be to shift from a low-carbon economy to a competitive one. In this sense, he claimed that political decisions should be based in solid economic analysis. Furthermore, "you cannot talk about the relaunching of the economy without recognizing your sector as a priority", he added. Considering the coming institutional changes to face by the EU in 2014, Mr Ristori expected all the EU institutions to be aligned in order to work together in favour of competitiveness.
Members of EUPAVE actively contributed to the debate and addressed relevant issues such as industrial competitiveness, research, internal market, standards and market competition with third countries and emerging economies.
To read the press release click here.
The European Union has approved the Connecting Europe Facility. This financial instrument will fund transport infrastructure projects which are considered a priority for the EU between 2014 and 2020. The total budget for financing transport infrastructure accounts to 26.3 billion.
Moreover, the EU has also approved the new core Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The new core network includes 9 multi-modal, cross-border and transnational corridors. It will also help to connect 94 main European ports with rail and road links and 38 key airports with rail connections into major cities. Moreover, it will help to upgrade 15,000 km of railway lines to high-speed and to facilitate 35 cross border projects to reduce bottlenecks. For more information about the core network of the TEN-T and the maps of new infrastructure corridors in all Member States, please visit the following link:
Are EU Cohesion Policy funds well spent on roads? is a report released by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) assessing whether co-financed road infrastructure projects in Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain -all of them accounting for 62% of all EU road co-financing- have achieved their objectives at a reasonable cost.
ECA calculated the total cost, total construction cost and roadway construction costs per 1000 m2 of road surface and found that there were significant differences between the EU co-financed road projects (Germany had the lowest cost per 1000 m2 in all three categories). All the road projects examined delivered savings in travel-time and improved road safety but they found that insufficient attention was paid to ensuring cost-effectiveness. Most of the audited projects were affected by inaccurate traffic forecasts and the result was that the type of road chosen was often not best suited to the traffic it carried. Compared to initial plans, the average cost increase was 23 % and time overruns averaged 9 months or 41 % when compared to the deadlines agreed at the outset.
For EUPAVE, it is surprising that ECA is only looking at the lowest bid and does not take into account the life cycle cost.
The European Commission adopted on 6 May 2013 a new strategy for encouraging the use of green infrastructure. The strategy focuses on promoting green infrastructure in the main policy areas, transport included. For EUPAVE, it is clear that concrete pavements must be included within those green transport infrastructures due to its important contribution to reduce road transport's carbon footprint thanks to the uptake of CO2 in the hardened concrete, the light reflectivity of a concrete surface which contributes to the cooling of our planet, and the reduced fuel consumption of heavy vehicles riding on a non-deformable pavement.
Moreover, the Commission announces that by the end of this year, it will develop guidance to show how green infrastructure can be integrated into the implementation of these policies from 2014 to 2020. The Commission also asseverates that it will set up an EU financing facility by 2014 together with the European Investment Bank to support green infrastructure projects and will carry out a study to assess the opportunities for developing an EU-wide network of green infrastructure.
January '13EUPAVE participates in the High Level Strategic Forum on the Strategy for the sustainable competitiveness of the construction sector and its enterprises
Upon invitation by the European Commission, EUPAVE's President Aniceto Zaragoza participated on 29th of January 2013 in the kick-off meeting of the European Commission's High Level Forum on construction.
The High Level Forum has been set up in the context of the European Commission's strategy for the sustainable competitiveness of the construction sector and its enterprises which was adopted in July 2012. The main scope of the meeting was to discuss the priorities for the thematic groups to be established reflecting the 5 key areas of the Commission's strategy and to set a tentative calendar for their work.
The 5 thematic groups are:
Stimulating investment in renovation and innovation;
Skills and qualifications;
Sustainable use of resources;
Internal market for both products and services, and;
International competitiveness.
EUPAVE hold a successful dinner debate on the future of the European construction sector. EUPAVE and the European Commission agreed to move faster, far, and together to make the construction sector a driver of growth and jobs.
On the 11th of December EUPAVE held its traditional Christmas dinner debate at Hotel Le Plaza in Brussels. The event, which coincided with the celebration of EUPAVE's fifth anniversary, had a very high-level representative from the EU. European Commission's Director-General for Enterprise & Industry, Mr Daniel Calleja, honoured with his presence the debate entitled "Sustainability in the EU Industrial policy and in the European Construction sector".
Welcoming the participants and opening the debate, Mr Aniceto Zaragoza, President of EUPAVE, congratulated the association for its fifth anniversary as well as for the important achievements and for contributing to increase the sector's visibility and representation in the EU. But despite all this success, Mr Zaragoza was sure that "EUPAVE can still do more".
"As representatives of the industry of the most frequently used material in construction, we are big defenders of sustainability. Indeed, concrete is everywhere (roads, sidewalks, buildings, bridges,...) and contributes to climate change, energy efficiency, economy, society added Mr Zaragoza.
Mr Daniel Calleja stated that the European Commission considers construction as a crucial sector for the European economy and acknowledged that Europe needs policies which stimulate industry. Europe cannot neglect manufacturers said Mr Calleja. According to him, the European construction industry needs investments, standardisation and better legislation, more support to the opening of markets in third countries, better use of the internal market and sustainability.
He also explained that the European Commission is creating a high-level group about construction with representatives from the industry, public sector and other related stakeholders. The idea is that participants of that group propose policy options for the European Commission. Inviting EUPAVE to be part of that group , Mr Calleja declared we have to work together to make the construction industry one of the leading sectors of our economy. We need to go fast, far and together.
Members of EUPAVE contributed to the debate by pointing out some of the main problems that companies face: financing, skills, excessive regulatory burden, enforcement, unfair competition for the imports.
The debate was closed with greetings for Christmas and a successful New Year.
On the 8th of November, Brian Simpson and EUPAVE held a successful debate on the contribution of infrastructure to road safety in the EU. Participants agreed that concrete, both in-situ cast and precast, offers solutions in order to make European roads safer.
Organised at the European Parliament in Brussels and hosted by Brian Simpson, MEP and Chair of the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee, EUPAVE held a roundtable breakfast debate on the role of infrastructure in achieving the prevention of all road deaths by 2050, the so-called VISION ZERO.
The debate congregated more than 60 people from the European Commission, Members of the European Parliament and a large representation of road transport and construction related stakeholders.
The event focused on how road infrastructure can help to achieve this objective set by the EU and make European roads safer. Specific emphasis was placed on concrete safety barriers and the contribution of concrete products and applications to minimise work zones, increase fire safety at tunnels and obtaining safe and comfortable roads. The event was moderated by EUPAVE Vice-President, David Jones.
Opening the event, MEP and Chair of the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee, Brian Simpson stated that Road safety is a very important issue where safety barriers really matter. I remember going to the UK Highways Agency and I saw lots of very impressive videos of vehicles crashing. And that happens every day on European roads. What would happen if other transport modes had the same safety records as roads? I am glad that EUPAVE is raising this issue.
There is no single solution for avoiding road fatalities and injuries. However, EUPAVE believes that infrastructure can help to make European roads safer thanks to a wide range of cement and concrete products. In this sense, it is very important to encourage authorities to make good quality and sensible investments on safe and comfortable roads added Aniceto Zaragoza, President of EUPAVE.
James Charlesworth, Director of Extrudakerb, focused his intervention on concrete safety barriers. James Charlesworth declared not all road barriers are the same. As a contractor, I work with both steel and concrete barriers. If you ask me which one is safer, I would go for concrete ones. But I am not the only one saying this. The UK Highways Agency publicly agrees that concrete barriers are proven to virtually eliminate crossover accidents, virtually eliminate maintenance and improve safety. The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) becomes mandatory from 1st July 2013 and will establish a European certificate of performance and safety for all road restraint systems. The Parliament, the Commission and National Authorities must work together to enforce this Regulation.
Tappani Mikkeli, European Commission's DG ENTR Head of sector for construction, admitted that the Commission will pursue Member States to enforce CPR and exhaust all means of actions for them to do it.
Managing Director of EUPAVE, Luc Rens, delivered a presentation about the contribution of concrete pavements to road safety focusing on some of its best aspects such as surface characteristics, low maintenance and other societal and social benefits.
Luc Rens said that the European Parliament already expressed in its last resolution on road safety a need for adequate road surfaces which enhance skid resistance, climatic and meteorological performance and visibility and which require low maintenance, thereby increasing user safety. For those who do not know what a concrete road is, that is the definition of a concrete road.
Olivier Onidi, European Commission's DG MOVE Director for Innovative and Sustainable Mobility, concluded by acknowledging that we have done a lot of work on vehicles and technologies but we have perhaps left infrastructure out."
Mr. Onidi also added "We already have a Directive on road infrastructure safety management which only applies to roads belonging to TEN. But we should probably go beyond the TEN. If the European Parliament supports the new financial instruments proposed by the Commission, we can also make sure that stringent conditions are attached to the funding and that there will be more opportunities to funding infrastructure which complies with those conditions.
October' 12The European Commission wants to put sustainable construction at the heart of the EU economy
The European Commission has recently released a communication entitled A stronger European Industry for Growth and Economic Recovery. The communication's aim is to show that industry can make a major contribution to take the EU economy out of crisis. In the communication, the European Commission states that the pillars for a reinforced industrial policy are: investment in innovation; better market conditions; access to capital, and; human capital and skills.
The European Commission also proposes to focus investment and innovation on six priority action lines: advanced manufacturing technologies; key enabling technologies; bio-based products; clean vehicles; smart grids, and; sustainable industrial and construction policy and raw materials. Before the end of 2012, the European Commission will create dedicated task forces to define roadmaps for each one of these six action lines.
The European Commission is convinced that reducing costs, increasing energy efficiency and resource efficiency and reducing waste will boost the competitiveness of the construction sector. Thus, it proposes that a significant share of the EU Structural and Cohesion Funds support new investments in energy efficiency in residential and public buildings and infrastructure to make a shift towards a low-carbon economy.
Besides, the European Commission states that new European standards will be developed for sustainability criteria related to construction products and processes; as well as it announces the launch of a communication on sustainable buildings for next year and invites Member States to draw up strategies to develop low-energy buildings.
Please find the communication on this link.http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0582:FIN:EN:PDF
September '12Concrete roads acknowledged as a solution for a competitive and affordable EU transport system.
EUPAVE welcomes the adoption on 18th of September of the European Commission's communication Research and innovation for Europe's future mobility - Developing a European transport-technology strategy. The communication's aim is to speed up the deployment of new transport means and solutions to achieve a competitive and affordable European transport system.
The communication lists ten different fields of interest for which the Commission would like to focus transport research and innovation further. Smart, green, low-maintenance and climate-resilient infrastructure is one of those ten fields. The communication foresees that new infrastructure (in the EU) will be characterised by climate-resilience, shorter downtime and low maintenance costs.
For EUPAVE, it is clear that concrete roads can help the EU to achieve its sustainability goals and make benefits for the environment, economy and society.
Environment benefitsConcrete roads can help to reduce road transport's carbon footprint thanks to the uptake of CO2 in the hardened concrete, the light reflectivity of a concrete surface which contributes to the cooling of our planet, and the reduced fuel consumption of heavy vehicles riding on a non-deformable pavement.
Economic benefitsInvesting in concrete roads is not so expensive in the long term. Even though concrete roads have a slightly more expensive initial cost than other types of roads, they last longer, require minimal maintenance and offer high level of availability over the longest possible lifetime. Moreover, they can stand up to the worst that the seasons, weather and climate can throw at it; and due to concrete's lighter surface, its superior reflectivity makes possible to achieve savings in the costs of lighting streets and motorways. Needless to say that cement's price is more stable than other materials used in road construction.
Social benefitsPeople do not want to be delayed by road works during the construction, repair or maintenance of roads. Thus, concrete roads can help to reduce congestion as they need low maintenance, which means fewer road works, fewer interventions and fewer nuisances to road users. Besides, they offer smooth surfaces to drive on and enhance road safety thanks to some of their best characteristics such as skid resistance, aquaplaning and visibility.
September '12The competitiveness of the European construction sector is a political priority for the EU
On 31st of July 2012, the European Commission adopted a Communication on a strategy for the sustainable competitiveness of the construction sector and its enterprises. The communication is a non-legislative document which acknowledges construction as a crucial sector for the European economy, generating almost 10% of EU GDP and providing 20 million jobs. The European Commission believes that competitiveness in the construction sector can significantly influence the development of the overall economy. Thus, the competitiveness of construction companies is an important issue, not only for growth and employment in general but also to ensure the sector's sustainability. The strategy is based on the following five areas: stimulating investment conditions, improving workers' qualifications, improving environmental performance, strengthening the functioning of the single market and promoting European businesses on a globalised market.
With this communication, the European Commission wishes to place emphasis on support for growth and jobs in the short term and to restructure the sector by providing an appropriate regulatory framework for a transition to a low-carbon economy in the longer term. The strategy also provides the creation of a High Level Forum which would bring together the European Commission, Member States and industry representatives to oversee the implementation of the strategy and make recommendations on any necessary adjustments or new initiatives to be launched.
In December's EUPAVE Christmas dinner, EUPAVE will have the opportunity to discuss this strategy and other EU issues of interest with Mr Daniel Calleja Crespo, European Commission's Director-General for Enterprise, responsible for the construction sector. The traditional Christmas dinner is unique opportunity to contact European decision-makers in person, and is restricted to EUPAVE members.
March '12Successful debate on Concrete pavements contribute to decarbonising of transport with the European Parliament and the European Commission
EUPAVE held a successful debate on Concrete pavements contribute to decarbonising of transport on 21st of March 2012 at the Renaissance Brussels Hotel with participants from EUPAVE members and stakeholders. The event focused on the potential contribution of concrete roads to reduce GHG emissions from road freight transport.
Mr. David Jones, Vice-President of EUPAVE, welcomed the participants and officially handed out the latest EUPAVE Brochure Concrete pavements contribute to decarbonising of transport to MEP Philippe De Backer (ALDE, Belgium), from the European Parliament's Committee on Transport & Tourism.
MEP Philippe De Backer opened the debate with a speech strengthening the role that road transport plays in the transport system and emphasizing the importance of transport infrastructure for the well-functioning of the internal market and economy in Europe.
Mrs. Charlotte Milachowski, from the Centre for Building Materials, Technische Universität München- Germany, delivered a presentation on the life cycle assessment for road construction and use. According to Mrs. Milachowski, the potential environmental impact due to the service period on the motorways is 100 times more than due to the construction process. Moreover, Mrs. Milachowski emphasised the effect of pavement surface structure on fuel consumption.
Mr. Luc Rens, Managing Director of EUPAVE, presented EUPAVE's latest brochure Concrete pavements contribute to decarbonising of transport. Mr. Rens highlighted the joint conclusion that fuel consumption is lower on concrete pavements compared to other type of pavements in a range of about 1 to 6 %. In this sense, Rens insisted that concrete pavements are the most favourable option in terms of life-cycle cost and defended that they also constitute an easy and effective solution in the decarbonising of freight road transport.
Finally, Mr. Jan Szulczyk, from the Land Transport Unit in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Mobility & Transport, outlined the European Commission's vision and strategy for the future of transport. That strategy, which is defined in the European Commission's 2011 White Paper, intends to build a competitive transport system and cut carbon emissions in transport by 60% by 2050. From what Mr. Szulczyk explained, it is clear that concrete roads can effectively help the European Commission to achieve its targets on road transport decarbonisation.
After the presentations and discussion, Mr. David Jones, Vice-President of EUPAVE, concluded the event by stating that sustainable infrastructure in general and concrete pavements in particular can already make a difference when addressing some of the current and future transport challenges and needs.
The programme closed with a networking cocktail.
On December 13, 2011, Mr. Helmut Morsi, European Commission Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, Deputy Head of Unit Trans European Networks and Investment Strategy and Head of Sector OMC TENtec & Innovation, honoured the EUPAVE Christmas dinner debate at Hotel Metropole in Brussels.
Mr. Aniceto Zaragoza, President of EUPAVE, opened the debate with a short speech on EUPAVE's activities and substantive intention for active cooperation. He concluded his speech by appreciating the European Commission's support for the sustainable and climate resilient infrastructure.
Mr. Helmut Morsi gave a speech on Trans European Networks and Investment Strategy. He pointed out that the Connecting Europe Facility will invest 31.7 billion to upgrade Europe's transport infrastructure.
He also explained that Trans-European Transport (TEN-T) Network consists of two layers: a core network to be completed by 2030 and a comprehensive network to be completed by 2050. The new core TEN-T network will close the missing links and remove bottlenecks. The core network will be supported by a comprehensive network of routes, feeding into the core network at regional and national level.
Mr.Morsi drew particular attention to the application of New technologies and innovation (TEN-T guidelines Article 39) in the comprehensive network. This network must keep up with the state-of-the-art technological developments and deployments, aiming to, amongst others:
enable the decarbonisation of transport,
improve resilience to climate change.
It is clear that concrete has an answer to these challenges.
A major innovation on the new TEN-T guidelines is the introduction of 10 corridors on the core network. These corridors will be governed through corridor platforms, which bring all relevant stakeholders and the Member States concerned together.
As Mr. Morsi finished, he invoked EUPAVE's contribution to European Commission's forthcoming projects.
Afterwards, a lively discussion took place with questions and statements by several EUPAVE members and reactions from Mr. Morsi.The Christmas dinner debate was closed with greetings for Christmas and a successful New Year.
The European Commission unveiled its plans for 2012 on the 15th of November of 2011. With the adoption of its work programme for 2012, the Commission establishes which legislative and non-legislative initiatives are planned to be adopted for the next year. Within all the initiatives, there are some which are potentially interesting for Eupave. The work programme and its annex can be found on the Commission's website.
Thus, the Commission plans a framework directive for the European Research Area (ERA), whose adoption is foreseen by June 2012. This would be the basis for achieving strategic policy coherence and coordination between EU and Member States, with the aim to increase the efficiency of the European research system through better exploiting the potential for cross-border synergies and complementarities (e.g. research infrastructures).
In an EU critical infrastructures package foreseen by the fourth quarter of 2012, the review of the European Programme on Critical infrastructure and the identification and designation of European critical infrastructures are included. According to the current Council directive 2008/114/EC, critical infrastructure means an asset, system or part thereof located in Member States which is essential for the maintenance of vital societal functions, health, safety, security, economic or social well-being of people, and the disruption or destruction of which would have a significant impact in a Member State as a result of the failure to maintain those functions.
A European Accessibility Act to improve the accessibility of goods and services is expected to be adopted by September 2012. The initiative will include binding measures to promote procurement and harmonisation of accessibility standards to the physical environment, transportation, information and communications technologies and systems (ICT), and other facilities and services.
Since the new White Paper on transport -adopted in March 2011- emphasises the need to break the transport system's dependency on oil, a legislative/non-legislative initiative called Clean power for transport: An alternative fuel strategy is expected in 2012. It would identify possible EU actions to stimulate the use of EU alternative fuels and provide the industry, public sector and consumers with a clear and coherent vision on the market developments of alternative fuel transport systems.
For 2013, a Strategy for reducing Heavy Duty - Vehicles' CO2 emissions is expected. The aim is to address the problem of the growing CO2 emissions from heavy duty vehicles. Finally, an Internal Market Road package is foreseen for 2013. The initiative consists of four measures. One of them is called " Charging systems for road vehicles " and its aim is to promote a more systematic use of distance related road charging reflecting infrastructure and external costs based on the polluter-pays and user-pays principle.
The European Parliament has recently approved a resolution on European road safety 2011-2020. In that resolution, passed on Tuesday 27 September, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) proposed over one hundred measures to improve road safety in the European Union. Within all the measures, recommendations and actions that the resolution asks for, there are several ones which benefit concrete.
Thus, the resolution considers infrastructure as an important part in the EU strategy to halve road accidents by 2020 because it reiterates that a well-preserved road infrastructure contributes to reducing fatalities and injuries of road users. Besides, the European Parliament acknowledges the benefits of concrete roads since it emphasises the need for adequate road surfaces which enhance skid resistance, climatic and meteorological performance, and visibility and which require low maintenance, thereby increasing infrastructure user safety. Concrete roads totally fit all those requirements.
The resolution also calls on the Commission to identify, and on the Member States to implement, suitable measures to prevent accidents in tunnels and to reduce the damage they cause. As EUPAVE has always been defending, concrete is the best solution in tunnels due to fire safety reasons. Concrete safety barriers would also be favoured in this text since the European Parliament recommends the use of road safety barriers with smooth surfaces, which is one of the concrete safety barriers' best characteristics.
Last but not least, the European Parliament has included road maintenance workers within the category of vulnerable road users which need to be better protected. For EUPAVE, investing in roads which require low maintenance such as concrete ones is the best way to protect road maintenance workers. Therefore, the resolution is definitely good news for EUPAVE and it is a huge success in our strategy outlining and defending the benefits of concrete in the EU.
DG MOVE recently published a report about the results of the public consultation on the Strategic Transport Technology Plan (STPP) in which EUPAVE submitted its comments on May 2011. Please find hereby attached the report.In Annex II of the report (page 24), EUPAVE appears as one of the organisations which participated on this public consultation.
Besides, EUPAVE Brochure Concrete roads: a smart and sustainable choice has been included as an additional contribution together with other contributions by other important European associations. You can check all additional contributions by downloading the Additional contributions file (23 MB) on DG MOVE's website (here).
The Plenary Meeting of ERTRAC approved EUPAVE's application for membership.
ERTRAC, the European Road Transport Research Advisory Council, was established to mobilise all stakeholders, develop a shared vision, and ensure timely, co-ordinated and efficient application of research resources to meet the continuing challenges of road transport and European competitiveness.www.ertrac.org
On June 17th, 2009, the European Commission has adopted a communication on the future of transport with a view to promote a more accessible, integrated and environmental friendly transport system. Within this context, cement and concrete applications on transport infrastructures, as they offer relevant advantages fitting the main objectives of the communication (road safety, fuel consumption, durability, and congestion relief) will be in a privileged position to contribute to achieve EU transport goals over the next decade. A public consultation for stakeholders is open until the end of September 2009. Afterwards, the Commission will put forward proposals in a new White Paper due in 2010.
The new communication suggests operational objectives in seven main areas as described below. According to the Commission's communication, these are the structural axes that will allow the EU to face the main transport challenges such as population ageing, scarcity of fossil fuels, migratory flows and climate change.
Safe and secure transport: improving the overall quality of transport with special attention to the reduction of accidents, personal security, accessibility and passenger's rights. Infrastructure has to be built, maintained and upgraded on the principle of accessibility to all.
Better maintenance and integration: coordination of transport network must be ensured from infrastructures (such as rail and road), to administrative procedures, information and communication technologies. Infrastructure should be well maintained, and improvement works coordinated in order to reduce accidents, operating costs, congestion, pollution and noise. New infrastructure should be planned with a view to maximising account socio-economic benefits taking into account externalities and effects on the total network.
Improving environmental performance: transport should tend towards lower consumption of non-renewable fuels, reduction of air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and noise. In the longer term, all elements should be taken into account for operation of transport means and infrastructure (land occupancy, bio-diversity, etc).
Better services and innovation: technological innovation will be the main contributor to resolving the challenges shaping up in the transport sector, such as increasing security and safety, reduce the sector's impact on the environment, or making the best use of existing infrastructure. To meet such needs, it is important for the EU to step up productivity, mainly by investing more in research and development.
Protecting human capital: to avoid losing jobs because of adjustments to be made due to the current energy and economic context. The crisis must be managed in a way that new value-added work posts can be created in the sector.
Intelligent prices: introduction of differentiated and incentive tariffs depending on the use of less polluting modes of transport or infrastructure outside peak hours. New tariffs should allow citizens to choose the mode of transport that suits them best, being the most competitive and affordable.
Improving accessibility: passengers should benefit from easier access to transport means thanks to better planning of ground space, decentralisation and greater account taken of their needs during the planning process.
In a context of financial and economic crisis, the Commission recommends a self-financing system for the sector, with additional revenue expected through better tax collection on energy (fuel taxes) or on vehicles (i.e. charges for heavy vehicles). The same strategy could be implemented for infrastructure, mainly through application of levies for congestion.
On Tuesday 3 June '08, EUPAVE organised in collaboration with Alonso Asociados a lunch meeting in the European Parliament.Introducing EUPAVE as newborn association to such a distinguished audience which included representatives from the main EU institutions was the principal reason to organise this meeting.
Short speeches were given by:
Mr. Aniceto Zaragoza, President of EUPAVE,
Mr. Jean-Pierre Jacobs, Managing Director of EUPAVE and
Mrs. Inés Ayala Sender, member of the Commission Transport & Tourism in the European Parliament.
The lunch meeting took place in a very friendly and convivial ambience...
EUPAVE became member of the ERF - IRF BPC only a few months after its constitution.
The European Union Road Federation (ERF), the Brussels Programm Centre (BPC) of the International Road Federation (IRF), is a non-profit association which coordinates the views and concerns of Europe's road sector.www.irfnet.eu


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2014 Alwan for the Arts Auction and Exhibition Set for Shirin Gallery, 6/26
Alwan for the Arts, the premier organization promoting the contemporary arts and cultures of the Middle East in the United States, is pleased to present the 2014 Alwan Art Auction. The exhibition and reception will take place on Thursday, June 26, 2014, from 5 pm to 9 pm at Shirin Gallery, located at 511 West 25th Street, Suite 507, New York, New York, 10001. Alwan has partnered with online auction house Paddle8 to allow a global collecting community to participate in this benefit auction. The Paddle8 Benefit Auction will be live for bidding from Monday, June 16 to Monday, June 30 at paddle8.com/auctions/alwan.
The 2014 Alwan for the Arts Auction will feature artwork by over 30 world-renowned and emerging Middle Eastern artists, providing an opportunity for established and new collectors to acquire works, while supporting the mission of Alwan for the Arts.
Artists featured in the auction include:
SAMIRA ABBASSY, JAISHRI ABICHANDANI, ETEL ADNAN, ALI AHMAD SA'ID (ADONIS), AMINA AHMED, MOUNIRA AL SOLH, DIANA AL-HADID, SAMA ALSHAIBI, HAIG ALVAZIAN, AMBREEN BUTT, ALI CHERRI, RUBY CHISHTI, ALI CHITSAZ, LINDA CUMMINGS, ROYA FARASSAT, MARIAM GHANI, SERGE HAMAD, MAHMOUD HAMADANI, AIDA IZADPANAH, PAYAM MOFIDI, NAEEM MOHAIEMEN, KEVORK MOURAD, DENISE NASSAR, FARIDEH SAKHAEIFAR, SADRA SHAHAB, NEGIN SHARIFZADEH, KAMRAN TAHERIMOGHADDAM, KATHERINE TOUKHY, KATAYOUN VAZIRI, SHADI YOUSEFIAN, and more...
"There were two central organizing principles for the work selected for the auction. First, a majority of the artists are from the Middle East or its Diaspora," says Negin Sharifzadeh, curator of the auction. "Some have lived outside of their native country for many decades, while others are much newer to navigating the creation of art in a new cultural context."
The works by the artists selected for the 2014 Alwan Art Auction embody the essential between-ness of being in the Diaspora, or even being in exile at home. Their work wrestles with universal themes, avoiding the obsessive recreation of native themes. Yet their roots still imbue their works, in ways both subtle and obvious.
"I have also chosen to include two video works in the show. It is a medium still under-represented within shows of artists from the region," Sharifzadeh says. "I am hoping to help integrate this no longer new medium into the context of the art gallery and as work to be collected, either as video editions or prints made from the work."
"The art included in this auction means to be politically engaged," says Ahmed Issawi, Artistic Director of Alwan for the Arts, citing the work of Marwan Rechmaoui, a Palestinian artist residing in Lebanon, who will be featured in an exhibit at the New Museum in July, 2014. "Artists Ali Cherri, Mounira Al Solh, and Maya Chami, also Lebanon-based, share the same sentiment, in their own ways, of trying to work out norms, habits, and ways of communication in a society that is plagued by perpetual conflict and instability."
Issawi continues: "Diana Al-Hadid was born in Aleppo, Syria, and her architectural work is layered with discrete civilizational references. It is as if to replicate the city of her birth, now engulfed in ruins of many past histories and civilizations, artifacts, and present conflicts. Al-Hadid's work is at once constructed and transparent but has an imaginary or "dream-like" quality. As such, it embodies material labor and a sense of weightlessness. In her sculptures, panels, and drawings there are always a room for the ghost to walk in and breathe, whereas Mahmoud Hamadani, from Iran, uses simple lines and traces in a perpetual search for form."
The Shirin Gallery NY is located at 511 West 25th Street, Suite 507, New York, NY 10001. Call 212 242 4684 for more information.

subset: commoncrawl


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Police are investigating the death of an infant found in a washing machine inside a Bald Hills home.
The baby was found dead by police on January 26 but they had not publicly released any information about the death until late last night.
Detective Senior Sergeant Tod Reid, the officer in charge of the North Brisbane Child Protection Unit, said police came forward with the information after test results came back this week confirming the child's death was suspicious.
''We have been treating the death as suspicious since the incident took place, however due to some post-mortem results and forensic testing we are only now able to confirm that it is a suspicious death,'' he said.
''Hence we are now appealing to the public for any information that they may have.''
He said no one had been charged in relation to the incident.
Police have not been authorised to reveal the age or gender of the child due to fears it may identify the child or other children involved in the case.
A Major Incident Room was set up at Boondall Police Station the day after the baby's body was discovered.
Police have asked anyone with further information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.


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Search Penn Medicine
Peter Mattei, MD, FAAP, FACS
Pediatric Surgery
Administrative Office:
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Department of General Surgery
34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Administrative Assistant: Joan J. Leahy
Administrative Telephone: 215-590-4981
Administrative Fax: 215-386-4036
Clinical Offices:
Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia
Department of Pediatric General Surgery
34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Clinical Telephone: 215-590-4981
Clinical Fax: 215-386-4036
Patient Appointments: 215-590-4981
Link to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Dr. Mattei is Assistant Professor of Surgery at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Attending Physician in the Division of General, Thoracic and Fetal Surgery at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery and Pediatric Surgery. He specializes in all aspects of pediatric general and thoracic surgery, newborn surgery, and hernia surgery, with special expertise in pediatric surgical oncology, surgical treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, and minimally invasive surgery, including daVinci robotic-assisted laparoscopy and thoracoscopy.
Dr. Mattei attended the University of Pennsylvania and earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed General Surgery training at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Pediatric Surgery fellowship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. He was voted one of the Top Docs for Kids in Philadelphia Magazine in 2001 and one of the Best Doctors in America on multiple occasions.
Dr. Mattei is a fellow of several major surgical and pediatric surgical associations including the American College of Surgeons, the American Pediatric Surgical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the College of Physicians in Philadelphia. He has authored many peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and has published a major textbook of pediatric surgery, Surgical Directives: Pediatric Surgery.


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Born to legendary Nat King Cole in the halcyon days of the 1950s, Natalie Cole grew up to become a versatile singer with Grammy Award status. But that success came with a price, where she was dragged down by depression and drugs. This is her story.
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
On Sale: November 1st 2005


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Wireless Body Monitors
How they work: Think of them as upgraded pedometers: They track steps, calories, and weight.
How they help: The numbers don't lie. "People often under- or overestimate their caloric intake and expenditure," says Steven N. Blair, a professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina, in Columbia. In a study that Blair and his colleagues conducted, published in 2011, people who used a wireless device lost twice as much weight as people who didn't, possibly because they saw how their choices affected their weight daily.
Check out: The BodyMedia Fit Core Armband ($99, with three months of free website access, bodymedia.com) reports calorie burn with nearly 100 percent accuracy. The Fitbit Ultra clip-on tracker ($100, fitbit.com) syncs its data with your computer wirelessly.


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Anyone who has seen Anne Hathaway's face, streaming with tears, as she sings I Dreamed a Dream in the movie Les Miserables will know the power of the close-up and its ability to convey devastating emotion.
This kind of close-up isn't usually on offer for opera stars on stage. But on Saturday, audiences will be able to zoom in on each wink, kiss and trembling sigh in Opera Australia's acclaimed production of Puccini's great love story La Boheme, staged in The Domain, with two enormous screens on each side of the stage magnifying every emotion.
''The cameras can capture so much more than what people see when they come to the Opera House,'' says Nicole Car, who will play tragic young Mimi. ''Even though there will be 30,000 people in The Domain, it will feel more intimate than the theatre because of those close-ups.''
One of the world's most popular romantic operas, Puccini's La Boheme was originally set in the Latin Quarter of Paris. In this version, directed by Andy Morton and based on a production by Gale Edwards, Weimar Berlin provides the lavish background to the love story of penniless philosopher Rodolfo and Mimi, a poor seamstress. When Mimi falls in love with Rodolfo, she is a lively, bright young woman. Just a few months later she is dying of tuberculosis.
''I absolutely love the death scene,'' Car says. ''Mimi is so full of love and so vulnerable. She lives each day to the fullest. She is a gift of a role.
''When I look around at all the other singers, their reaction just gets me. They are all my friends in real life and they are all caring about me as the character, too. It is devastating but beautiful.''
Lorina Gore, who plays flirtatious party girl Musetta, is beside Mimi as she takes her final breaths. ''I'm sure the audience will be able to see me crying at the end,'' she says. ''It's wonderful to be filmed and for everyone to see our expressions up close, and really feel a part of it.''
The singers will also be miked so every word will be heard in The Domain, and the orchestra will be in front of the stage, allowing audiences to see the musicians and the conductor at work. It is not possible to use the production's lavish sets for the Domain performance but the singers will be in full costume, including Musetta's evening gown, which blazes with Swarovski crystals.
''The audience will see the same level of performance as they would in the Opera House,'' Car says. ''We just want to tell this beautiful story to the best of our ability.''
Car says the new film adaptation of Les Miserables has shown potential opera audiences how emotionally affecting and accessible operatic singing can be.
''In that film you can see how much the performers are putting in and how real the emotions are,'' she says. ''It wouldn't surprise me if we get a lot more people along this year after they've seen Les Mis in the cinemas.''
Gore agrees. ''This opera is perfect for newcomers to come and get a taste of what opera is like. It's a very young cast, the music is beautiful, the story is easy to understand and so romantic, and we're singing under the stars. The vibe will be amazing.''
La Boheme plays on February 2, 8pm, in The Domain. Free.


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4 Min Read
* Front month at highest mark since late November * Nuclear outages still running above normal * Cold weather back on tap on longer-term outlooks * Coming Up: Baker Hughes gas drilling rig data on Friday By Eileen Houlihan NEW YORK, March 15 (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas futures rose more than 2 percent early Friday to a 3-1/2-month spot chart high amid continued follow-through from Thursday's supportive weekly storage data and forecasts for more cold weather in consuming regions next week. In addition, above-average nuclear power plant outages also help keep momentum to the upside. Most traders agreed the chart picture remained supportive after the front-month contract broke through several key resistance levels on its 25-percent run up from a five-week low of $3.125 per million British thermal units hit in mid-February. But some cautioned that the impending end of winter could provide resistance to higher prices. As of 9:23 a.m. EDT (1323 GMT), front-month April natural gas futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange were at $3.881 per mmBtu, up 6.9 cents, or nearly 2 percent. The front-month rose as high as $3.897 in electronic trade, the highest mark for a spot contract since late November, according to Reuters data. Forecaster MDA Weather Services called for cold weather in northern-tier states in its one to five-day outlook. The latest National Weather Service six to 10-day forecast issued on Thursday called for below-normal temperatures for much of the United States, with above-normal readings in the Southeast stretching into south Texas. Nuclear outages totaled 18,300 megawatts, or 18 percent of U.S. capacity, up from 17,400 MW out on Thursday and a five-year average outage rate of about 16,700 MW, but down from 19,600 MW out a year ago. ANOTHER ABOVE-AVERAGE STORAGE DRAW U.S. Energy Information Administration data on Thursday showed storage fell 145 billion cubic feet last week, above Reuters poll expectations for a 134 bcf draw, the year-ago drop of 66 bcf and the five-year average decline for that week of 74 bcf. It was the fourth straight larger-than-expected drawdown from inventories. The data showed domestic gas inventories are now at 1.938 trillion cubic feet, nearly 19 percent below last year's record high levels for this time of year, but about 11 percent above the five-year average level. A string of strong weekly withdrawals has prompted analysts to sharply lower estimates for end-winter storage, with some expecting inventories to drop to as low as 1.8 tcf, or about 4 percent above average. A Reuters poll in mid-January showed most analysts had expected stocks to finish the heating season at about 2 tcf. Early withdrawal estimates for next week's EIA storage report range from 48 bcf to 69 bcf, versus a flat year-ago week and a five-year average withdrawal of 26 bcf for that week. Traders were waiting for the next Baker Hughes gas drilling rig report to be released later on Friday. Data last week showed the gas-directed rig count fell 13 to a nearly 14-year low of 407. It was the fifth drop in six weeks, but production has not slowed much, if at all, from the record high posted last year. While the EIA on Tuesday lowered its growth forecast for 2013, it still expects marketed gas production to hit a record high for the third straight year.


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Sources tell Green Car Reports that Ford (F) officials have been discussing a hybrid version of its 2015 Ford Focus Energi line with its fleet managers. The hybrid model would have fleet-pricing starting around $27,000. The hybrid would offer a range of 25 miles on a battery charge.
Consumers, who would pay a lot more than the fleet-price for hybrid 2015 Ford Focus Energi, could take advantage of tax credits, including a $3,750 Federal income-tax credit and a $1,500 California purchase rebate, to lower the total cost of the car.
Ford has seen rising sales of its existing plug-in Energi models — the Ford C-Max Energi and the Ford Fusion Energi. Ford says that more than 13,000 Energi models were sold in 2013.
The gasoline version of the Ford Focus starts at under $17,000 and can climb as high as $23,575 with premium trim and options.
Shares of Ford stock fell more than 1% in Monday morning trading. F stock has gained more than 14% over the past year.


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Royan Beach in Royan
Thinking of planning a city break to Royan. Expedia have a great range of hotels and accomodation in Royan near Royan Beach that will help make your stay that little bit more special. But before you go make sure to check out the Expedia travel guide on Royan Beach first, so you can find out everything you need to know before you go away.


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Digimech Clock
Scrolling digital clock displays time in an innovative new way. The sliders are gradually cranked up in accurate time. Upon reaching the last number (i.e. the 9th minute) the same servo disengages the ratchets 'stopper' and the slider then falls to the first number again.
this is a rad clock! when lounging i'm way too lazy to sit up to check the time. these are great gifts for the ultimately lazy. all this laziness can be yours for only $22.Added 9 Years Ago from Uncommon Goods


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Unlike DNA or a propensity to yell at the TV, hair color is a trait over which people can assert their control. Get a grip on your hair with this Groupon.
Choose from Four Options
- $49 for a haircut, deep-conditioning treatment, and blow-dry (a $120 value)
- $59 for a single-process color and blow-dry (a $120 value)
- $69 for partial highlights and blow-dry (a $155 value)
- $89 for full highlights and blow-dry (a $215 value)

Customers can add glaze to their services for an additional $25 (a $50 value).

Setsuko at Jean Claude
When she isn't working for magazines and high-profile films, Setsuko Hosomi uses her hairstyling and makeup skills to embellish her clients. She and her team indwell a stylishly simple space, which opens every day save Sunday. Setsuko also helps brides-to-be plan for their weddings with consultations and war-room-style schematics.


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© 2017 Clayton Bozard Photography LLC. All rights reserved.
Owen Beverly
John Wesley Satterfield
We Light The Night
Bryson Jennings
Bryan Gibson
Shelby Raye
AGCO Corporation
Tyler Boone
Elli Perry
J. Allen Graham
Haley Dreis
Sequoyah Prep School
Sequoyah Prep School
Hannah Miller
Warren Stone & Midway Blue
Karla Davis
Carmen Keigans - I Nine


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Tornados finish second in the Glen Cannon InvitationalOctober 12, 2009
Parker Lewis cards even par to finish one stroke back for the tournament
Brevard, N.C. - The Tornados faced off with Mars Hill College at Glen Cannon this past Friday as Coach Bayne's men's golf team continued their fall season play.
The SAC opponents played each other close, but the Lions were able to squeak out the win, 298-300.
Parker Lewis led the Tornados, finishing second on the day, one stroke behind medalist Chad Skinner, with a 72, even par.
Thomas Bush carded a 74, two-over to finish in third, while Joshua Davis finished two strokes behind Bush with a 76, shooting a 36-40 over the round.
Thomas Rennie and Mike Jones rounded out the top ten, shooting rounds of 78 and 88 respectively.
Individually the Tornados placed five golfers in the field, with Zack Christy and Penn Thompkins leading the way with matching 92s.
Andrew Hall, Quint Dohrer and Chris Dixon also suited up for Brevard for the day, finishing in 15th, 16th and 17th to round out the group.
Brevard will head back to the links on Monday, October 19th, as the team finishes up the fall season at the Woodlake Golf Club in Tazewell, Tenn. as they participate in the Lincoln Memorial University Invitational.


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Founded in 1989, Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International has a vast library developed over 25 years, of quality articles, newsletters, blogs, videos, podcasts and webinars available for free from our central library.
The Kidpower training methodology has long been endorsed by such subject matter experts on the field of personal safety as Ellen Bass and Gavin de Becker. Our methods have also been subject to independent studies and reviews, showing that Kidpower:
"uses best practices in victimization risk-reduction and prevention"
"significantly increases children's safety skills knowledge"
Bulk resources, in the form of our Teaching Kits, are also available for schools and other large organisations.


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Alba de Tormes Vacation Packages
Alba de Tormes is near a diverse collection of Salamanca's more popular attractions. Two destinations that should be at the top of every visitor's list is the fabulous Santa Clara Convent and the iconic San Esteban Convent. If you have time, don't miss the Las Duenas Convent and the Art Nouveau and Art Deco Museum.
Be sure to visit some of the nearby museums and galleries, which help make the area such a rewarding holiday destination. Spend a while discovering the exhibits at Salamanca Museum.
If the weather is good head outside and enjoy the nearby parks and reserves. Watch as the birds wheel overhead, play catch with the kids and catch some sunshine at nearby Plaza Mayor.
Some of Salamanca's best-loved attractions are in and around the Alba de Tormes area, such as the Cathedral of Salamanca, the Pontifical University of Salamanca and the Archbishop Fonseca College. The Salamanca area features some evocative reminders of the past; be sure not to miss Monterrey Palace and the Palacio de Congresos Conference Center. The La Purisima Church and the Church of Our Lady of Monviedro in Salvatierra de Tormes offer visitors to Salamanca the opportunity to better understand the part religion has played in the area.
After spending the day enjoying Alba de Tormes, relax for the night in one of the area's popular hotels or serviced apartments. The Abba Fonseca Hotel, the Eurostars Las Claras and the Hotel Palacio de San Esteban are just three of the best places to stay while you are enjoying this special area.


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Target: Wings of Rescue
Goal: To say thank you to this organization for flying animals from high-kill shelters to their new homes
A large problem that most shelter animals face is being able to find a good home. While there are always individuals willing to provide shelter animals with a home, sometimes the distance between the animals and rescue organizations or potential adopters makes it extremely difficult to save these animals. Thankfully, one organization is willing to change that in order to rescue several animals from high-kill shelters.
Wings of Rescue is an all-volunteer organization that transports shelter animals by air to their new lives. Animals are rescued from high-kill shelters and flown to rescue organizations or their future homes; they are generally flown to areas where adoptable pets are in high demand.
By providing an alternate method of pet transportation, Wings of Rescue is saving the lives of countless animals. Prior to transporting shelter animals by air, the animals were transported by road. Most found this to be extremely inconvenient given the length of time it generally took to transport an animal from coast to coast by driving. Also, if animals were to be transported by air, they would find themselves in the cargo portion of the airplane. This was unsafe, especially during seasons of extreme weather. Animals traveling with Wings of Rescue ride in the main cabin of the airplane, not in the cargo. Thanks to Wings of Rescue, shelter animals can reach their destinations safely and at a much quicker rate.
This organization comprises several individuals who are extremely passionate about saving animals from euthanasia. Those involved with Wings of Rescue range from event coordinators to donors and pilots. All of these individuals are volunteers; they willingly contribute their time, skills, and aircrafts in order to improve the lives of several animals. In addition, most of the volunteers pay out of pocket; the pilots who fly the animals are using their own money and aircrafts to ensure that these animals get to safety.
Wings of Rescue is continuing to expand thanks to several volunteers who have shown interest in helping the cause. Yehuda Natanel, co-founder of the organization, states that they will not stop what they are doing until there are no more animals in need of rescue in kill shelters. Sign the petition below to thank this wonderful organization for all the time and effort they have contributed to helping shelter animals escape death.
Dear Wings of Rescue,
I would like to thank your organization for the compassion and care you are continuously showing shelter animals. Your organization is doing an extremely wonderful thing by transporting animals from high-kill shelters to areas of safety where they can find a good home. What's even more amazing is that you all do this willingly from the kindness of your hearts. As an all-volunteer organization, it is commendable that you would selflessly donate your time, efforts, skills, money, and aircrafts to ensure that the lives of these animals will be spared.
You have given countless animals a second chance at life. Thank you once again for everything your organization does to help these animals.
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: "Wings of Rescue" Facebook page


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My Daguerreotype Boyfriend2012-11-13 2 14 Share Tweet
When early photography meets extreme hotness… and because having a crush on a living and breathing person is so mainstream.
Presenting My Daguerreotype Boyfriend, a blog that features portraits of handsome* young men taken back in the day when photography wasn't just a simple point and click process. Notable boyfriends so far include a young Pierre Curie, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Robert Cornelius.
While not all photos are actual daguerreotypes per se, they all possess an old-world charm that reaffirms a girl's fantasy that her dream guy is a gentleman from another place, another time. Romantic, right?
Nevertheless, we can all agree that men back then knew how to dress sharp eh?
On a similar note, a blog called My Daguerreotype Girlfriend exists, but it has seen far less action than its male counterpart.
So, how about it boys? Shall we do something to remedy the situation?
*your mileage may vary
written by geegraphy on 2012-11-13 #lifestyle #history #blog #analogue-photography #portaits #analogue-lifestyle #daguerreotype #louis-daguerre #my-daguerreotype-boyfriend


text: Ian Robinson wrote: > Testing PCBSD 7.1-RC1 (i386) > > 1. Runports failed. > > "The runports command is just a small shell script which unsets some > variables, and changes the PATH in order to ensure that your port builds > don't conflict with apps in /PCBSD/local incorrectly. " > > Although I updated both source and ports tree, the make command in runports > failed at compiling orbit-idl-2 2.14.17: > > ==============Begin Error Messages============================ > orbit-idl-2 2.14.17 compiling mode, show preprocessor errors, passes: > common > > > Processing file > ../../../include/orbit/orb-core/../../../src/orb/orb-core/orbit-interface.idl > ../../../include/orbit/orb-core/../../../src/orb/orb-core/orbit-interface.idl:15: > Error: `TTypeCode' undeclared identifier > > ** (orbit-idl-2:5778): WARNING **: > ../../../include/orbit/orb-core/../../../src/orb/orb-core/orbit-interface.idl > compilation failed > gmake[4]: *** [../../../include/orbit/orb-core/orbit-interface.h] Error 1 This error looks like a bug in the orbit port, if it doesn't get fixed soon, you may want to contact the maintainer about it. Ports tend to break often, which is a pain I know. > I'll keep updating ports each day and try again until I get it to > complete. Even though I was on a fast computer (dual Xeon 3.4 MHz w/ 4 Gb > RAM & fast scsi disk) I spent 1 hour running "make clean" and six hours > running "make" to the point where it failed. Older computers will compile > slower. > > While I am not daunted by this (I am a runports-breaks-survivor), and know > that whatever is out of sync in the ports tree will get fixed, the whole > runports process may be off-putting to users if the installation changes > from a 20-30 minute install to a more than six hour process. This will be > especially true if they spend six-plus hours waiting to get to failure. > Hopefully, PCBSD could offer an installation option that includes loading up > the PCBSD ports. The runports option is not intended for "regular" users, I.E casual desktop users. I wouldn't expect a desktop user to figure out how to compile firefox, or wait 8 hours for it to finish. Users like that should stick to PBI's or packages. The more advanced users who like using ports, will have to expect to run into bugs like this, since thats the nature of the FreeBSD ports tree, especially when you are using a current version of it. > 2. System Manager displays negative amount of memory. This is a trivial > bug. After entering the System Manager, the display window with the PCBSD > Logo and the option tabs displays the system memory as -805351424B. > > dmesg reports real memory = 3489615872 (3327 MB), avail memory = 3401822208 > (3244 MB) Thats weird! Can you run this: # sysctl hw.realmem Thats what the system manager is using to pull the available memory on the system. Maybe our function is failing to read that int properly. -- Kris Moore PC-BSD Software http://www.pcbsd.com


text: Now that we have Ports Console, will System Manager still be used to Fetch Ports? I just tried on the latest ISO and it didn't get installed to the jail. Is this a work in progress or will there be another utility that will be used to add /usr/ports to the jail? Cheers, Dru -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.pcbsd.org/pipermail/testing/attachments/20091102/748e287c/attachment.html>


text:
A new war memorial will be dedicated by Merton Council next week to honour past and present servicemen.
The service for the new memorial will take place outside the civic centre in Morden at 9.45am on June 30 – Armed Forces Day.
A parade will then pass along London Road in Morden to St Lawrence's Church in St Helier where a multi-faith service will be held at 11am.
Members of the Royal British Legion, Army Cadets from Wimbledon College, Air Training Corps, the Scouts, Police Cadets, Territorial Army, the City of London Fusiliers, and other organisations will be taking part.
Councillor Maxi Martin, cabinet member for children's services who is organising the event, said: "This year's theme is "Honouring the Living" where we can help celebrate and recognise those brave people who do so much to keep us safe at home and abroad."
For more information visit www.merton.gov.uk


text:
Interestingly, Restore Our Future went from Aug. 23 to Sept. 21 without spending any money on ADS, according to OpenSecrets.org.
The run to Election Day is getting uglier by the day—just look at the ADS on television so far.
Not surprisingly, the ADS were shamelessly parodied, by everyone from E!
Roberta has appeared in ADS, given interviews, and spoken at events for the McCain campaign.
By the next month, though, Emanuel responded to the ADS with an obscenity.
You go on airily: 'I'm pretty sure I can bring twenty thousand pounds' worth of ADS.
Inconsistent punctuation in the ADS section has been retained as printed.
And in what the ADS called a "responsible position" that she had never so much as dreamed he could fill.
Pages four and five, filled with local news and ADS, were on the press.
Indeed, the people who hand out the Clio awards for advertising were so taken in as to award Mobil a first prize for these ADS.
1841, shortened form of advertisement. Long resisted by those in the trade, and denounced 1918 by the president of a national advertising association as "the language of bootblacks, ... beneath the dignity of men of the advertising profession."
AD abbr.
Latin auris dextra (right ear)


text: Akord offers you odor free and hygienic disposal of incontinence products in stylish and discreet pails that will match the decor of any room in your home. The Akord Disposal System makes disposing of briefs, pads, and other items simple and hygienic using a truly hands free system. Simply Step on the ergonomic pedal to open the lid and then Drop the items through the trap doors and you are done! A double sealing system, in combination with a strong, powder-scented refill liner contains odor within the pail. It offers you the odor protection you expect in an incontinence disposal system. The Akord pails use continuous refill liners that you simply cut and tie whenever you choose to empty.


text:
Liberty ups and downs: Carnival Liberty Cruise Review by TJ&TJ
Overall Member Rating
Liberty ups and downs
Destination: Eastern Caribbean
Embarkation: Miami
The trip started off with a flight from Baltimore to Ft. Lauderdale. On the way, I dozed off while holding a hot cup of coffee. The second degree burn on my tummy woke me up much better than drinking the cup of coffee would have. This was bad thing #1 -- obviously this wasn't Carnivals fault, but it set the stage for the next bad thing.
The transfer from the Ft. Lauderdale airport to the port of Miami went without a hitch. We arrived in the port at about 10:30 and as we pulled in we noticed the line for embarkment went out the door and down the block with nearly 1000 people waiting in it (I didn't count, but it was a whole lot of people). It took us over 3 hours to actually get on the ship. Carnival blamed it on customs, but we found out later More that the liberty was late returning to port, the customs agents had moved on to check in another cruise ship, and the people on the previous cruise could not debark until the customs people could clear the boat. With a burnt belly, my tolerance at having to wait in line and in a big room with no air-conditioning, before finally getting on the boat, was really low. This was bad thing #2 (and I noted something similar happened to an earlier cruise in a previous review).
Because we had to wait so long to get on the ship, our cabin was ready for us. Since all we do is sleep, change clothes, and shower in the cabin, we always take an inside, mid-ship, cabin, and this time was no exception. This is where our first good thing happened -- wet met our cabin steward (Wayan). He greeted us by name, gave us a tour of the cabin (it didn't take too long). Throughout the cruise, he made sure that everything we needed (as far as the room went) was perfect. We had room service delivered one afternoon (BLT with extra chips) and the next time we saw him, he asked if the room service was satisfactory, even asking specifically about the sandwich.
After dropping our stuff off in the cabin, we went up to the lido deck to grab something to eat (the last time we ate was in Baltimore) where we discovered good thing number 2... Guy's Burgers. WOW!!! Perfectly done, a condiment bar with every possible topping for a burger. My only complaint is that it was open only for a couple of hours every afternoon -- A late night burger would have been a nice treat. (Carnival -- if you're reading this - hint hint).
Now we get to the completely unacceptable experience. At dinner that evening we met our server -- Robert -- He was rude, ignored us, and food took forever to get to us. The first evening we were at our table precisely at 6:00, we were seated, and 15 minutes later our order was taken. At 6:45 we got our appetizers, and at 7:30 we got our dinner. Dessert came at 8:00 and we had to leave the table before the 8:15 seating. We skipped dinner the next evening, but tried one more time (everyone deserves a bad day). If possible, this dinner was much worse. I don't expect 5-star service, but I expect at least the same level of service I would expect at any Denny's. We didn't eat in the dining room for the rest of the cruise and we visited the pursers desk and adjusted our tips accordingly.
The rest of the cruise went pretty well. The high point for us was visiting the Bacardi factory in San Juan. Our guide (Marko) was a gem. His love for Puerto Rico, knowledge of its history and culture, and sense of humor made the entire tour one worth repeating -- we came away with an appreciation for Puerto Rico and its people.
Debarkation was quick and easy. Our Transfer bus broke down on the way back to the airport, but another bus was sent to pick us up with only a minimal delay.
We've already booked our next Carnival Cruise on the new Carnival ship -- the Breeze, leaving out of Miami on December 8th. Hope to see some of you there. Less
Published 05/12/12
Cabin review: 4C Interior
We found that a Mid-Ship inside cabin with nothing but cabins above or below are quiet, easy to get to, and just perfect for our needs. We were on the empress deck (deck 7).Read All Interior (4C) Reviews >>
Port and Shore Excursions
Read Cruise Critic's Carnival Liberty Review >>
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text:
Welcome! You are browsing as a guestWould you like to see projects made from this yarn and much more? create a free account What am I missing?
yarns FuzzbeeYarns Cocoon
© Cassie Warholm-Wohlenhaus
Cocoon is a line of unique handspun wool yarns in a light fingering weight. Typical color for this yarn is a pale pink, but other colors are available at various times and upon request.
Gauge and yardage will vary slightly with each skein. Purchase skeins at my Etsy shop:


text:
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text:
The federal government will attempt to boost Australian jobs by making it more difficult for miners to win tariff concessions to use imported manufactured products on large resource projects.
Resource companies will have to reveal on a new public website what local suppliers they use for major projects, as the government tries to "name and shame" those that fail to encourage Australian participation.
The government will also make $6 billion in federal grants – including to the states – contingent on publicly specifying what domestic contractors are used.
While business groups welcomed the measures unveiled after the jobs forum in Canberra, the oil and gas industry feared they faced more red tape and miners branded the rationale "devoid of facts" because the industry already uses mostly local suppliers.
Following the two-day tax forum, the jobs summit heard from Dow Chemical Company chief executive Andrew Liveris of the importance of greater government support for high value-added manufacturing and from UTS Sydney professor Roy Green of the necessity to lift innovation to spur productivity.
Prime Minister
At the conclusion of the forum, Ms Gillard announced resource companies seeking exemptions from the general tariff on manufactured imports to construct mining projects worth more than $2 billion would have to comply with more rigorous public disclosure requirements on a public website to be monitored by the government. In addition, federal and state government contracts worth more than $20 million will be required, for the first time, to publicly list participation by local suppliers. These grants were worth $6 billion in 2010-2011.
At present, resource companies can gain approval for the tariff exemption on a "tick and flick" basis and are not required to provide detailed public information on what local contractors have been used.
The Business Council of Australia and Australian Industry Group welcomed the initiatives, but the Minerals Council of Australia's deputy chief executive, Brendan Pearson, warned the government against "hasty adoption of measures without meaningful resort to the evidence".
"The simple fact is that the Reserve Bank has pointed to the substantial domestic content in mining sector purchasing," Mr Pearson said.
"A recent RBA paper noted: 'Over the life of a project, the domestically contracted share of mining investment averages about 70 to 80 per cent for iron ore projects and noted that similar percentages apply for coal projects.' "
Steel Institute industry development manager Ian Cairns said the government plan went some of the way towards measures the industry had called for to encourage resources companies to spend more on local materials.
"It remains to be seen whether it provides more work, but I think it will," he said.
But there were concerns last night that the changes could weigh companies down with more red tape.
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association said it wanted to work with the government to better understand the new expectations.
"We're very keen to be part of the process to be sure it doesn't turn into a bureaucratic process that adds little value, imposes significant costs or delays projects decisions," an APPEA spokesman said last night.
"The industry is comfortable with working with the government to show the initiatives in place deliver full, fair and reasonable opportunities."
The general tariff applying to imported goods is 5 per cent.
Ms Gillard said the assistance measures would be consistent with Australia's World Trade Organisation's obligations.
But she warned that the government would also "ramp up monitoring of the scheme".
"This will create more opportunities for Australian businesses to compete for lucrative contracts in the resources sector and across the economy more generally," she said.
The government will appoint a working group comprising business, state government and trade union representatives to advise on implementation of the measures.
The government will also establish a Resources Sector Supplier Advisory Forum next month to examine claims Australian companies have been excluded unfairly for opportunities in the coal, iron ore, liquified natural gas, steel and mining technology industries.
New assistance will be extended to the tourism sector by allowing operators to apply for grants under the Industry department's Enterprise Connect program.
The government has been under pressure from some of its own caucus, trade unions and some manufacturers to help the non-resource sectors, with claims that global mining companies are sourcing products from favoured overseas suppliers rather than domestic contractors.
Trade unions and some Labor MPs have called on the government to change the rules to force resource companies to use local products - such as steel. But the government has decided against such a move and instead is opting for greater transparency in the Australian Industry Participation plans required by companies seeking access to tariff duty concessions.
The jobs summit included about 80 representatives from business, trade unions, universities and community groups for closed session discussions.
It included Dow Chemical (Australia) managing director Ken Miram, Lend Lease Australia chief executive officer
"Australia has a huge opportunity to be part of the Asian growth story. But participants from different sectors recognised that we need to pull out all stops to make the economy as competitive and diverse as possible".
She called for a renewed emphasis on skills and innovation to lift productivity.
Australian Industry Group chief executive
But she warned it would take time for the measures to have an impact.
The Steel Institute of Australia, Australian Industry Group and steelmakers
Ms Gillard told the forum despite the latest International Monetary Fund warning about downside risks for the global economy, Australia was in a rapidly growing region.
Australia had already experienced rapid growth in employment in mining, which grew by 14 per cent to about 200,000 over the last 12 months.
She said construction was expected to grow as mining projects came on stream.
The Australian Financial Review