text:
In stressing the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the shift to a global green economy, the UNEP report echoes some of the key findings of the EEA's flagship report The European Environment: State and Outlook 2010 (SOER 2010), published in November 2010.
SOER 2010 highlights the twin challenges of maintaining the structure and functions of ecosystems (ecosystem resilience) and finding ways to cut resource use in production and consumption activities and their environmental impacts (resource efficiency). It also underlines that a successful transition in Europe requires that rich and poor alike have equal access to the benefits of a green economy. Greening Europe's economy is essential for building a sustainable future globally and meeting the Millennium Development Goals and the aims of the Rio+20 agenda.
But what would such a transition involve in Europe? In several respects the region looks comparatively well positioned. It is the world's largest economic bloc, with considerable innovation skills. It maintains a social-welfare model that emphasises equitable distribution of benefits across society. It has arguably the strongest package of environmental policies globally and a record of successful integration with economic sectors using market instruments and other tools. Moreover, the EU has a long tradition of managing socioeconomic transitions from its inception in the 1950s through to recent enlargements of the EU to the East.
At the same time, Europe's reliance on natural resources from the rest of the world makes it vulnerable to external shocks. Demographic projections over coming decades indicate that more of the population will rely on a shrinking workforce for their incomes. Indeed, as EEA analysis demonstrates, a variety of global megatrends are currently unfolding, presenting many challenges for Europe as well as potential opportunities.
The EEA is going to be working hard on building up the knowledge base on the green economy for Europe in the next couple of years. The results of those activities will be made available on the EEA website on a regular basis in the form of technical studies and more accessible analysis and comment.
It is clear that such systemic challenges require comprehensive responses and long-term commitments. Some schemes to steer Europe's transition towards a low-carbon society are already underway. In its proposal for the 7th Environmental Action Programme, the European Union set its long-term vision for 2050 centred on a low-carbon society. Other initiatives, such as Europe 2020 and the Climate and Energy package, set a series of objectives by 2020, including sustainable economic growth, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, a boost in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
We, at the European Environment Agency, fully support the EU's long-term objectives and are committed in our next multi-annual programme (2014-2018) to provide utmost support to achieving them.
Thanks to our environmental information and observation network (Eionet), we are in a unique position to analyse the environmental impacts of these societal and economic transitions. Our work is based on compiling and assessing data reported by our member countries and networks. We also look at broader systemic challenges as well as European and global trends.
Throughout the new planning period, we will continue strengthening these core activities aimed at providing high-quality knowledge to our stakeholders. We will also develop further our capacity to identify emerging issues and linking them to current policy trajectories.
Clearly, these objectives can only be attained by reinforcing our cooperation, dialogue and capacity to co-create knowledge with our member countries, stakeholders and institutional partners in data provision.
By communicating this knowledge to policy makers and key stakeholders, we hope to help give a direction to on-going changes and transform them into a transition towards a low-carbon, resource efficient and resilient society.
At the European level, one of the challenges ahead will be to make our policies increasingly more effective and better implemented. Another challenge will be to avoid locking ourselves into unsustainable transport, energy, housing and food systems in the long-term. Assessing the potential impacts of different transition paths will enable us to re-adjust our course along the way if needed. A solid knowledge base is essential for both of these challenges.
The same is also true at an institutional level. Building on two decades of experience, we will need to continue building and, when needed, adjusting internal structures to match and to respond to our stakeholders' needs. The tools we use in creating and communicating environmental knowledge will also have to be increasingly reliable, flexible and innovative to ensure that we are always ready to provide the knowledge needed when it is needed.
Hans BRUYNINCKX
Executive Director
Editorial published in the issue no. 2013/1 of the EEA newsletter, October 2013
In this context, the overall objective of the European Union's 7th Environment Action Programme is in line with the SDGs: 'In 2050, we live well, within the planet's ecological limits'. A significant number of measures have been put in place in the EU to achieve this goal. However, the global nature of our economy and our environment makes it more difficult for countries or groups of countries acting together (such as the EU) to solve environmental problems on their own. For example, regardless of where they were released, greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global atmospheric concentrations, producing impacts far from the source — and potentially far into the future.
Without a global effort and transition to true sustainability, we risk undermining well-being and quality of life across the planet. Our report 'The European environment — state and outlook 2015' (SOER 2015) shows that current consumption and production patterns enhance our quality of life — and paradoxically put it at risk at the same time.
SOER 2015 also points out that there are indications that our economies are approaching the ecological limits within which they are embedded, and that we are already experiencing some of the effects of physical and environmental resource constraints. Available estimates suggest that total global consumption exceeds the planet's regenerative capacity by more than 50%. In other words, we are consuming more than what our planet can produce in a given period without weakening its production capacity.
Some global megatrends cause additional concern. Today, less than 2 billion of the global population of 7 billion are regarded as middle class consumers. By 2050, the number of people on the planet is expected to reach 9 billion, with more than 5 billion belonging to the middle class. This growth is likely to intensify global competition for resources and to exert additional demands on ecosystems.
Global materials use may double by 2030. World demand for energy and water are both projected to rise by between 30% and 40% over the next 20 years. Similarly, total demand for food, feed, and fibre is projected to grow by about 60% between now and 2050.
Escalating resource scarcities and increased competition raise concerns about security of access to supplies of key resources. Growing concerns about food, water and energy security have fuelled transnational land acquisitions in the last 5–10 years, primarily in developing countries.
The European Union is an important global player as a producer and a consumer. Most European countries' ecological footprint currently exceeds their available biologically productive area, or 'biocapacity'. Moreover, given the EU's trade with the rest of the world, a considerable share of the environmental pressures associated with consumption in the EU is felt outside the EU's territory. Furthermore, the share of the environmental footprint of EU demand that is exerted outside EU borders has increased during the past decade for land, water, and material use, as well as for air emissions.
In recent years, global environmental issues have been framed in terms of tipping points, limits, and gaps. This framing has not yet been reflected in societies, economies, finance systems, political ideologies and knowledge systems, which still do not operate with the idea of planetary boundaries or limits. However, our planet has limited amounts of key resources such as water and land.
In a global economic system bound by limited resources and faced with growing global demand and environmental degradation, a resource-efficient, green economy is the only viable option. A transition to green economy entails fundamental changes to the way we produce and consume goods and services, build cities, transport people and goods, grow food and so on.
Policies aimed at greening the economy do not need to be seen as hurdles or costly. On the contrary, they can be turned into opportunities. Many economic sectors in Europe have succeeded reducing material demand and emissions or breaking the link between economic growth and emissions. For example, the environment industry sector grew by more than 50% in size between 2000 and 2011. It is one of the few economic sectors in the EU to have flourished since the 2008 financial crisis.
Similarly, population growth and increasing competition for resources can also be seen as forces bringing about the necessary systemic change. To accommodate them, we can start by building spatially planned cities worldwide, with key systems, such as energy, mobility and transport, that do not exert pressure on natural capital and are as close to 'zero-carbon' and 'zero waste' as possible.
Hans Bruyninckx
EEA Executive Director
Editorial published in the issue no. 2015/3 of the EEA newsletter, September 2015
Environmental indicators are generally quantitative measures used to illustrate and communicate complex phenomena and trends in a simple way. The 'Digest of EEA indicators 2014' is a reference document, placing EEA indicators in the context of the wider landscape of European environmental indicators and contributions from organisations such as the OECD and Eurostat.
The report highlights the way that indicators can provide insights on progress towards environmental priorities. It gives special attention to emerging policy demands on systemic challenges such as climate change impacts, resource efficiency and ecosystem resilience. In summary, this report explains "what we have, why we have it and how it can be used".
Combining environmental and economic indicators and accounts has gained prominence in recent years, through a number of national and EU-funded European studies. 'Progress on resource efficiency and decoupling in the EU-27' demonstrates how the global environmental impact of production and consumption in the EU can be explored using environmental accounting methods. Drawing on Eurostat data for 2000-2007, and referring to specific policy goals objectives in the EU environmental legislation, the report demonstrates how "input/output-based analysis" can support policy makers in their decisions and choices.]]>
Given the apparent lack of change in 40 years, the disillusioned critics may have felt more demoralised than ever when France's President Sarkozy last week questioned the use of gross domestic product (GDP) as a measure of wellbeing. At last, however, they may have cause for optimism. As Sarkozy himself noted, the global economic crisis and fluctuating commodity prices of recent years have laid bare both the deficiencies of our accounting structures and our dependence on finite and fragile natural systems.
Citizens, businesses and governments today fret about the accumulation of huge debts, exposure to concealed liabilities and the effectiveness of huge untested rescue packages. More than ever, there is global awareness that our current tools are unreliable measures of the state and sustainability of our economies.
Importantly, this demand for better indicators is being met. Besides the Stiglitz-Fitoussi-Sen Commission launched by President Sarkozy, other activities include the European Commission's 'Beyond GDP' process and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Green Economy Initiative.
Together these elements suggest that the time may have come to move from debate to action.
In the last sixty years, GDP has come to be seen as the primary indicator of the state of national economies and social wellbeing and a key guide to policymakers and investors. Unfortunately, it wasn't designed for that purpose so doesn't perform the role particularly well.
Although a variety of criticisms can be levelled against GDP, from a sustainability perspective the key concern is that it measures what an economy produces, not the state of capital stocks that underpin that output. Such stocks include manmade capital but also other resources — natural, social and human — which together determine how much a society can produce.
At the micro level, of course, accounting practice does acknowledge the importance of capital (at least of the manmade variety). Business accounts have always included an element of depreciation to reflect the decreasing value of a firm's productive capital over time. The rationale is obvious: sustained output is only possible if a firm invests in maintaining its capital stock.
Oddly, governments and international institutions pay less attention to the underlying robustness of the economy when calculating national accounts. In GDP, 'G' stands for 'gross', which means 'before subtracting capital depreciation'.
Even when calculating net domestic product (an aggregate far less popular than GDP) the depreciation only reflects changes in manmade capital, not those public goods that are not produced but play a vital role in determining economic output — above all nature.
By focusing only on flows of outputs, GDP provides misleading signals to policymakers. Activities that maximise production in the short term need not preserve the capital stocks that are central to long-term prosperity. Indeed, focusing just on GDP actually creates incentives to deplete capital stocks because the returns are treated as income.
Ultimately, not recording the cost of reinvestments to sustain healthy ecosystems creates and conceals ecological liabilities. This distorts our perception of the future when restoring ecosystem services will demand that we repay the debts.
Decision-makers need the right indicators to ensure that policies and investments maximise wellbeing for current and future generations. Equally, citizens need access to such information to hold their governments to account: robust and transparent information is a prerequisite for public empowerment and engagement.
In practical terms this means that we must develop systems of national accounting that fully incorporate the capital stocks that determine our earnings.
Clearly, this poses conceptual and practical difficulties. From the environmental perspective, the key challenge lies in defining, quantifying and valuing natural capital. Whereas economic activity is quantified in monetary terms and recorded in business accounts, we have far fewer systems to measure the scale and cost of our impact on the environment.
To address this need, the European Environment Agency and its partners have been developing techniques consistent with national accounts methods to record the contribution of ecosystems to society's welfare. The methods, collectively known as ecosystem accounts, comprise both physical and monetary accounts of stocks, material and energy flows and services.
The EEA's basic approach entails quantifying the level of investments needed to ensure that ecosystems continue to provide the same level of services. This takes account of a variety of 'indicators of ecological potential', accounting for the state of the landscape, ecosystem production, biodiversity, water, absorption of external inputs and the capacity to support healthy populations.
Over the next 18 months, EEA will elaborate its natural capital accounting methodology further. At the same time, EEA is preparing land, carbon and water accounts that will shed light on the physical changes occurring in the European environment and their interaction with local and national economies. In addition, EEA will continue to build up its network of data sources, drawing on resources ranging from satellites to local people and organisations.
Evidently, developing a complete methodology, complemented with all necessary data collection and analysis processes will take years. EEA believes strongly, however, that simplified ecosystem accounts can and should be launched today.
In fact, the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA), which sets out the standard methodology for national accounting, provides a useful example. First published in 1953, the SNA manual totalled just 56 pages and provided a much less comprehensive approach than the 750 page version produced in 2008. The message is clear: start simple.]]>
Lars Fogh Mortensen, heading the European Environment Agency (EEA) work on sustainable consumption and production, will take part in judging the award. "This is a great opportunity for cities in Europe to benchmark their environmental performance against others, and for the greenest and most innovative to be recognised as a role model," Mortensen said.
Four out of five Europeans now live in towns and cities. Most of the environmental challenges facing our society originate from urban areas, but urban areas also foster the commitment and innovation needed to resolve these problems.
All cities across Europe with more than 200,000 inhabitants can apply for the title of European Green Capital 2014. The award is open to EU Member States, Turkey, FYROM, Croatia, Montenegro and Iceland (as candidate countries), and Norway and Liechtenstein (as European Economic Area countries). In countries where there is no city with more than 200,000 inhabitants, the largest city is eligible to apply.
Cities can apply via an online application form. The deadline for applications for the 2014 title is 14 October 2011. The winner will be announced in June 2012, after it has been judged by an international jury supported by a panel of renowned experts in different environmental fields.
Hamburg holds the Green Capital title for 2011. You can see a video about the city here.
The deadline for submitting applications for the EGCA is now closed. Some 19 cities from 14 European countries have applied for the 2014 award:
|Bursa Municipality
The applications will now be evaluated by an expert panel and this will include qualitative evaluations and a peer review of each application based on 12 indicator areas. Following these evaluations, 3-4 cities will be shortlisted for the 2014 title. The shortlisted cities will be invited to present their action plans and communication strategies to a Jury, which will deliberate and then make a final decision. The announcement of the European Green Capital for 2014 is planned to take place at a prestigious award ceremony in June 2012 in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Europe's first Green Capital in 2010 was Stockholm, Hamburg is this year's winner, the Spanish city of Vitoria-Gasteiz will inherit the title in 2012 and, in 2013, the crown will be passed to Nantes in France.
Although it may vary from person to person, economic concerns — being employed, earning a decent income, enjoying good working conditions — play an important part in our well-being. Considerations like job security or unemployment become particularly important in periods of economic crisis and can affect the morale and well-being of the society overall.
It is evident that we need a well-functioning economy that provides us not only the goods and services we need, but also jobs and income ensuring a certain living standard.
A well-functioning economy depends, among others, on an uninterrupted flow of natural resources and materials, such as timber, water, crops, fish, energy and minerals. Disruption in the supply of key materials can actually bring dependent sectors to a halt, and can force companies to lay people off or stop providing goods and services.
Having an uninterrupted flow implies that we can extract as much as we want. But can we really do that? Or, if we do, how does this impact the environment? How much can we actually extract without harming the environment?
The short answer is that we are extracting too much already, more than what our planet can produce or replenish in a given period. Some studies indicate that in the last hundred years the global per capita consumption of materials doubled, while that of primary energy tripled. In other words, every one of us is consuming on roughly three times as much energy and twice as many materials as our ancestors were consuming in 1900. And what's more, there are now over 7.2 billion of us doing so, compared with 1.6 billion back in 1900.
This extraction rate and the way we are using resources are actually reducing our planet's capacity to sustain us. Take the example of fish stocks. Overfishing, pollution and climate change have severely affected global fish stocks. Many coastal communities previously dependent on fisheries had to invest in other sectors, such as tourism. Those that have not managed to diversify their economy are struggling.
In fact, our economic activities are causing a wide range of environmental and social impacts. Air pollution, acidification of ecosystems, biodiversity loss and climate change are all environmental problems seriously affecting our well-being.
To preserve the environment and keep reaping the benefits it provides us, we need to reduce the amount of materials we are extracting. This requires changing the way we produce goods and services and consume material resources. In short, we need to green our economy.
Although the term has several definitions, 'green economy' generally refers to an economy where all production and consumption choices are made with the well-being of society and the overall health of the environment in mind. In more technical terms, it is an economy where society uses resources efficiently, enhancing human well‑being in an inclusive society, while maintaining the natural systems that sustain us.
The EU has already adopted strategic goals as well as concrete action programmes to make its economy more sustainable. The Europe 2020 strategy aims to deliver growth that is smart, sustainable and socially inclusive. It focuses on employment, education and research but also on achieving a low‑carbon economy with climate and energy targets.
The strategy identifies flagship initiatives to achieve these targets. The flagship initiative 'A resource-efficient Europe' plays a central role in the EU's policy in this area. A series of legislative packages are also adopted to implement its objectives.
But what do we need to do to make the EU economy resource efficient? In short, we need to produce and consume in a way that optimises the use of all resources involved. Doing this entails creating production systems that generate decreasing amounts of waste or that produce more with less input.
(c) Stipe Surac / EEA Waste•smART
We also need to consider entire systems, rather than sectors. A system comprises all the processes and infrastructures that exist in connection with a resource or an activity, which are essential for human activities. For example, the energy system includes the types of energy we use (coal, wind, solar, oil, natural gas, etc.), how we extract or create this energy (wind turbines, oil wells, shale gas, etc.), where we use it (industry, transport, heating homes, etc.) and how we distribute it. It would also address other issues such as the land and water resources affected by energy use and energy production.
To produce a good or a service, we need input. For example, to produce crops, in addition to their labour, farmers need land, grain, water, sun (energy), tools, and in modern agriculture, fertilisers and pesticide and more sophisticated tools. The same is more or less true of modern manufacturing. To produce electronic devices, we still need labour, as well as energy, water, land, minerals, metals, glass, plastics, rare earths, research, etc.
Most of the materials used in production in the European Union are also extracted in the EU. In 2011, 15.6 tonnes per capita of materials were used as input in the EU, of which 12.4 tonnes of consisted of materials extracted in the EU, while the remaining 3.2 tonnes were imported.
A small share of these material inputs was exported. The rest — 14.6 tonnes per capita — was used for consumption in the EU. Material consumption varies considerably between countries. For example, the Finns consumed more than 30 tonnes per capita, while the Maltese consumed 5 tonnes per capita in 2011.
In the last decade, the EU economy created more 'value added' in terms of Gross Domestic Product for each unit of material (minerals, metals, etc.) consumed. For example, using the same quantity of metal, the economy produced mobile phones or laptops, which were more 'valuable' (in simple terms, 'worth more') than their predecessors. This is known as resource productivity. In the EU, resource productivity rose by about 20 %: from EUR 1.34 to EUR 1.60 per kg of material between 2000 and 2011. The economy grew by 16.5 % in this period.
Some European countries have a relatively high resource productivity. In 2011, Switzerland, the U.K. and Luxembourg created more than EUR 3 in value added per kilogramme of materials, while Bulgaria, Romania and Latvia created less than EUR 0.5 of value per kilogramme. Resource productivity is closely linked to the economic structure of the country in question. Strong service and knowledge-technology sectors as well as high recycling rates tend to boost resource productivity.
Current production and consumption processes do not only produce goods and services. They also produce residues. These can take the form of pollutants released into the environment, unused pieces of materials (wood or metal), or food that is not consumed for one reason or another.
The same holds true for products at the end of their utility period. Some might be partly recycled or re-used, but some end up in dumps, landfills or incineration. Given that resources were used for these goods and services, any part that is not utilised actually represents a potential economic loss as well as an environmental problem.
Europeans generated on average around 4.5 tonnes of waste per capita in 2010. Approximately half of this amount feeds back into the production process.
The term 'circular economy' foresees a production and consumption system that generates as little loss as possible. In an ideal world, almost everything would get re-used, recycled or recovered to produce other outputs. Redesigning products and production processes could help minimise wastage and turn the unused portion into a resource.
The consumer and the producer are equally important players in greening our economy. The production process is geared to deliver what consumers want. But do we want to own more consumer products, or do we just want the services that the products provide?
More and more companies are adopting business approaches known as 'collaborative consumption'. This enables consumers to meet their needs leasing, product-service systems and sharing arrangements, rather than purchases. This might require a new way thinking about marketing and product design — with less focus on sales and more focus on making durable and reparable products.
The Internet and social media make such collaborative consumption products and services easier to find and use. And they do not need to be limited to borrowing tools from neighbours, booking a car from a car-sharing scheme or leasing electronic devices. Clothes libraries, where users can borrow clothes, also exist in some EU countries.
Any measure to reduce the rate of new extraction and the amount of waste, including boosting resource productivity, recycling and reusing, relieves the pressures on the environment and boosts our ecosystems' capacity to provide for us. The healthier our environment is, the better off and healthier we will be in turn.]]>
While many environmental trends are gradually improving, the EU needs a more fundamental, systemic re-orientation of its economy if is to meet some of its long-term environmental objectives, the report states. For example, the proposed EU target to cut greenhouse gases by 80-95 % of 1990 levels by 2050 will not be possible by solely relying on incremental efficiency gains.
"Innovation may be the single most important driver to change the inefficient way we currently use resources," EEA Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx said. "Environmental innovation is key to address the challenges of the 21st Century. If we want to 'live well within the ecological limits of the planet' as stated in the 7th Environmental Action Programme, we will need to rely heavily on Europe's inventiveness. This is not just about new inventions – encouraging the uptake and diffusion of new green technologies may be even more important."
Another lever for improving resource efficiency could be to reduce labour taxes such as income tax, instead taxing inefficient resource use and environmental pollution. Such environmental taxes could encourage job creation but are under-used in the EU, equivalent to only 2.4 % of GDP in 2012. There may be multiple benefits - countries with the highest environmental taxes also seem to rank very highly for eco-innovations and competitiveness.
Strong environmental regulation can give the EU a competitive advantage as an early adopter, the report argues. Other regions which want to import products into the EU are gradually adopting European norms such as vehicle emissions standards or chemical controls.
The EU aims to increase the share of manufacturing to 20 % of GDP by 2020, from 15.1 % in 2013. This could be an opportunity to boost environmentally-beneficial innovation in areas such as renewable energy, according to the report authors. However, they warn that such growth must be consistent with EU environmental priorities, otherwise it could have negative consequences including increasing greenhouse gas emissions and wasting valuable resources.
The economic crisis seems to have had an effect on some environmental issues in the EU, including partially reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and some air pollutants. Nonetheless, in most areas Europe seems to be on a similar trajectory as it was before 2008, continuing long term trends; in some other cases the crisis seems to have slowed progress.
Following the 2008 financial and economic crisis there were some expectations that additional public investment could encourage more efficient resource use in Europe. However, indicator trends suggest that these efficiency gains have not occurred.]]>
Guiding the political discussions on how to limit dangerous interference with the climate system is an internationally recognised goal to limit the global mean temperature increase since pre-industrial times to below 2 °C. The main outcome of the last United Nations climate conference (COP15) was a political agreement – known as the 'Copenhagen Accord' – which recognises this goal by committing to significant emission reductions and raising funds to help the developing world address climate change. Although it does not include legally binding reduction targets, the Accord recognises the need for considerable emission reductions in light of the IPCC assessments. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has subsequently received submissions of national intentions (pledges) to cut and limit GHG emissions by 2020 from 125 parties, which together account for more than 80 % of global emissions.
"The UN meeting in Copenhagen could prove to have been more of a success than a failure if all the commitments, intentions and funding, including fully supporting the pledges of developing economies, are met," said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director.
This is one of the key results of the new 'Emissions Gap Report', compiled by UNEP and launched in advance of the 2010 UNFCCC conference (COP16) being held in Cancun, Mexico from November 29 to December 10. Building on COP16, world leaders will discuss, and possibly agree on, future measures to mitigate climate change.
The UNEP report finds that nations still have the chance to deliver almost 60 % of the emission reductions needed to keep global temperatures under a 2 °C rise. But only if the pledges made in Copenhagen are fully met. In cold numbers, global emissions need to be cut to around 49 gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions by 2020. This would leave a gap of 5 gigatonnes that needs to be bridged over the next decade – no small amount, equal to the annual emissions of all the world's cars, buses and trucks in 2005. The report adds that the gap could be reduced substantially through a set of policy options available at the Cancun negotiations, such as higher ambition pledges from countries, or more ambitious domestic actions which could be supported by international climate finance.
In any case, "the window for cost effective action is narrowing with every year of delay," says Steiner.
On November 30, one day after talks began in Cancun, the European Environment Agency (EEA) launched its flagship assessment, The European environment – state and outlook 2010 (SOER 2010), in the European Parliament in Brussels. Unsurprisingly, it has a wealth of information related to how Europe is being impacted by, and is adapting to and managing, climate change.
Europe shares the international ambition of limiting global mean temperature increase to below 2 °C. SOER 2010 shows that, toward that end, the European Union (EU) has made progress in cutting emissions and expanding renewable energy. In 2009, greenhouse gas emissions from the 27 Member States of the EU stood 17 % below the 1990 level, and therefore very close to the bloc's target of cutting emissions 20 % by 2020. The EU is also on track to meet its international commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. At the same time, some sectoral trends are not positive – for example, EU-27 emissions from transport rose by 24 % between 1990 and 2008.
SOER 2010 finds that climate change, combined with socio-economic developments, have already had many impacts on Europe's environment. More are expected, such as an increased risk of floods, droughts, loss of biodiversity, threats to human health, and damage to economic sectors such as energy, forestry, agriculture and tourism.
"Climate change is the most visible sign of ecological instability so far," said Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the EEA. "SOER 2010 also finds that other key environmental areas are at risk, such as marine ecosystems. This is chiefly because we are consuming more resources than is ecologically stable, while European and global demand for natural resources to feed, clothe, house and transport people is accelerating. We need to do more with less."
From this perspective, SOER 2010 finds that we cannot try to tackle one environmental challenge in isolation from others. Climate change negotiators in Cancun may agree to anchor their pledges made in Copenhagen, and may even strengthen and compliment them. But in the long-term, today's European and global environmental challenges will only be resolved through a complete shift to a resource-efficient, low carbon and green economy that requires that all environmental resources – biodiversity, land, carbon, rivers, the seas and the air we breathe – are fully considered in production, consumption and global trade decisions.
Overall, SOER 2010 provides information about the current state of Europe's environment, its likely future state, what is being done and what could be done to improve it, how global developments might affect future trends, and more. SOER 2010 products with a focus on climate change include: a chapter in the 'synthesis'; three Europe-wide assessments on Understanding climate change, Mitigating climate change, and Adapting to climate change; assessments from European countries on Climate change mitigation; and 'SOER 2010 in a policy context' which links SOER 2010 to European climate change policy.]]>
Copenhagen, 26 October 2001
Summer smog levels exceed critical threshold on two days in three
Concentrations of potentially harmful ground-level ozone pollution, the main component of summer smog, exceeded a critical threshold somewhere in Europe on two out of every three days this spring and summer, according to preliminary information compiled by the European Environment Agency.
The report has been submitted to EU environment ministers for their meeting on 29 October.
Ozone can cause serious health problems in humans and damage to ecosystems, agricultural crops and materials. It forms when certain air pollutants emitted by industry and transport react with sunlight. Smog levels tend to be highest during warm, sunny weather, and are generally higher in southern Europe than in the north.
A European Union directive on air pollution by ozone requires governments to inform the public whenever monitoring stations detect ozone concentrations above a critical threshold, set at 180 micrograms of ozone per cubic metre of air (180 microgramme/m3) averaged over one hour.
A preliminary evaluation of the April-August 2001 period conducted for the European Commission shows that the public information threshold was exceeded in 11 of the 15 EU Member States and in five out of 10 other European countries that supplied data at the EEA's request (see table in annex for details). An exceedance occurred in at least one of these 25 countries on 101 of the 153 days covered.
Reflecting more frequent warm and sunny weather in summer 2001, ozone concentrations were slightly higher this year than last. An in-depth analysis of data since 1994, however, shows a mixed trend of falling peak levels but rising average concentrations.
These findings suggest, on the one hand, that reductions since 1990 in emissions of the pollutants that lead to ozone formation -- principally, oxides of nitrogen (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide -- are feeding through into lower peak concentrations and so reducing the European population's short-term exposure to ozone.
On the other hand, the increasing average concentrations of ozone, for which no unambiguous explanation exists, are increasing the public s long-term exposure to the pollutant.
The average maximum ozone concentration during exceedances of the public information threshold this year was 200 Œg/m3. Exceedances lasted on average between 1.2 hours in April and 3.0 hours in June and August.
Italy recorded the highest number of days with exceedances, 80, followed by France (58) and Spain (48). Of those countries reporting exceedances, Poland had the fewest exceedance days, with two. However, these numbers do not necessarily give a fair comparison because of wide variations in the extent of different countries' ozone monitoring networks. Belgium and France both had the highest proportion of stations reporting exceedances - 73%.
The countries that recorded no exceedances of the public information threshold this year were Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. For Ireland and Finland, 2001 marks the fourth consecutive year without exceedances.
Governments are also required under the EU directive to issue public warnings if ozone concentrations exceed 360 Œg/m3, averaged over one hour. During the summer period this level was reached, but not exceeded, at one monitoring station in Spain. However, the warning threshold was exceeded in March during an ozone "episode" near the southern French port of Marseilles.
Agreement was reached among the EU institutions this week, pending final approval by the European Parliament, on a new ozone directive that will include, among other things, the introduction of an "alert" threshold at 240 Œg/m3. When ozone concentrations exceed this threshold, governments will have to set in train action plans aimed at achieving an immediate reduction of ozone pollution where feasible.
Of the exceedances of the public information threshold recorded this year, around five per cent also exceeded the future alert threshold.
Notes to editors
About the EEA
The European Environment Agency aims to support sustainable development and to help achieve significant and measurable improvement in Europe's environment through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policy making agents and the public. Established by the European Union (EU) in 1990 by Council Regulation 1210/90 (subsequently amended by Council Regulation 933/1999), the Agency is the hub of the European environment information and observation network (EIONET), a network of some 600 environmental bodies and institutes across Europe.
Located in Copenhagen and operational since 1994, the EEA is open to all countries that share its objectives and are able to participate in its activities. The Agency currently has 24 member countries. These are the 15 EU Member States; Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, which are members of the European Economic Area; and, since 1 August 2001, six of the 13 countries in central and eastern Europe and the Mediterranen area that are seeking accession to the EU -- Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, Slovenia and the Slovak Republic. Their membership makes the EEA the first EU body to take in the candidate countries.
In recent weeks Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania and Romania have also ratified EEA membership agreements and it is anticipated that the remaining three candidate countries -- the Czech Republic, Poland and Turkey -- will do so over the next few months. This will take the Agency's membership to a total of 31 countries.
Exceedances of the EU threshold for public information on ozone pollution in spring and summer 2001, by country
Click the thumbnail above or here to view an enlarged version of the annex [46 Kb]
Download the full report from this page.]]>
Our consumption has a significant environmental impact:
The publication also includes many solutions which could 'green' the economy. Better consumer choices, more recycling and even improvements in town planning can help, according to some of the experts interviewed in Signals. Together, these ideas could effectively create a 'circular economy', where waste becomes a resource to be reused.
The publication is illustrated with pictures and cartoons from Waste•smART, a recent EEA competition on the theme of waste. It also includes several fascinating infographics. Over the coming months it will be made available in more than 25 European languages.
Signals will be launched today at Green Week, the annual European Union policy conference. Like Signals, the theme of this year's conference is also transforming the economy. The EEA will take part in many different discussions, on topics ranging from new business models to the way communication can help make a transition towards a green economy. For more details of EEA events at Green Week, see the events pages.]]>
Europe's food system is a large and complex one. The food supply chain, including agriculture and fisheries production, processing and manufacturing, through to the food and drink industry, had a turnover of €3.9 trillion in 2013. All these activities within the EU have an impact on the environment but also beyond its borders due to imports of food and feed. The system is a major consumer of energy and water and a large emitter of greenhouse gases and air pollution. The amount of energy necessary to cultivate, process, pack and bring food to our tables accounted for 17 % of the EU's gross energy consumption in 2013, equivalent to about 26 % of the EU's final energy consumption that same year.
The report argues that reducing the environmental impacts of the food system requires more efficient and sustainable use of natural resources, changes in production methods, food choices and diets, and reducing environmental risks by phasing out the use of harmful chemicals throughout the food chain. Current policies mainly target producers and consumers and focus on improving the resource efficiency of the food system and consumer awareness. This approach can improve the environmental performance of the food system, but it will not deliver the type of transformation that is needed to meet sustainability goals.
What will be key is changing mind-sets from a focus on food security and economic performance. Thinking about the different parts of the system, who is involved and relevant policies together can help to identify more effective actions. While Europe does not have a common food policy, it does have many related policies. Meeting long-term sustainability goals also depends on decisions being made today and the report identifies how current EU policy processes, objectives and targets offer opportunities to change the food system and deliver better outcomes for producers, consumers and the environment.
The report's findings were presented at the 'Harnessing Research and Innovation for FOOD 2030 Science Policy Dialogue,' in Brussels on 16 October (2017).]]>
On the proposal to make the United Nations Environment Programme a full UN organisation (in line with the World Health Organisation and others) it was instead agreed to strengthen UNEP. This includes universal membership of UNEP – meaning that all countries are now UNEP members.
Another notable step in the right direction was the adoption of the global 10-year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production. The UN failed to reach agreement in this area in 2011.
The agreement also noted the importance of 'green economy', an important objective for EU negotiators during the Rio+20 summit:
…we consider green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication as one of the important tools available for achieving sustainable development and that it could provide options for policy making but should not be a rigid set of rules (paragraph 56).
Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director said: "For the first time, governments recognised the importance of green economy as well as the need for knowledge and information. This is good news, but it is only the start – we need to turn this recognition into real environmental improvements."
During the Rio summit, the EEA successfully pushed for the meeting to recognise the importance of environmental data and information and information sharing. Access to information appears six times in the text. The EEA's ambitious information sharing network, Eye on Earth, was also mentioned in the final agreement (paragraph 274).
Eye on Earth was also named as one of the Sustainia 100 global sustainable solutions at a side event in Rio on 20 June. The Sustainia 100 solutions were presented at a ceremony attended by Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, sustainability legend Gro Harlem Brundtland, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Chair Rajendra K. Pachauri and EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard.
Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik's statement on the outcome of Rio +20]]>
Although greenhouse gas emissions have fallen within Europe, globally they have jumped by approximately a third over 20 years, and the number of tonnes of natural resources extracted has also leapt by a third in the same period. These figures mask huge inequalities – per capita resource use and emissions are many times higher in some countries compared to others.
Many critics of the current economic model point out that it is premised on ever-increasing exploitation of natural resources, while materials and the planet's capacity to absorb waste are limited.
Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director said: "The current economic model is heading toward obsolescence. Its obsolescence is even more obvious if we want to improve living conditions and opportunities for the poorest people while we continue to demand ever more stuff in the richer parts of the world. Rio +20 gives us the opportunity to start to build an inclusive green economy, which benefits both people and the environment."
In Rio, heads of state will discuss global targets for sustainability indicators, to help move towards a green economy. It is also hoped that the conference will be the starting point for new cooperation between states, the private sector, international organisations and civil society.
On Sunday 17 June, the EEA presented a new film, 'Planet RE:think', which tells the story of unsustainable resource use. The documentary shows the truly global nature of the problem, from environmentally devastating mining in Canada to recycling of electronic waste in India which damages the health of workers. The feature-length film also includes positive examples of 'green economy' policies and business models, from Ecuador to South Africa.
You can see the first edit of this exciting project below:]]>


text:
Calle Compañia 1
41004 Seville, Spain
(+34) 955 228 287
- Skype us Call us now
Tours Tours Tours, the easiest and best way to get to know a city. It may not be in a traditional horse carriage like the locals do for Feria, but enjoy our free tours here at Oasis and you will definitely get an amazing overview of our beautiful city of Seville.
What's the easiest way to get to know Seville's past? Easy, join us on our Free Historical Walking Tour.
We will take you to all the main highlights of the city so you'll see Seville up close. We promise you two entertaining hours with our fun guides! Bring your camera, walking shoes and positive attitude. We will be waiting for you everyday at 11:30 at reception.
On the Tapas and Flamenco Tour we will take you to all the spots you need to go to experience the culture of southern Spain. Enjoy some tapas in some of the best tapas bars in town and then we will take you to watch a spectacular Flamenco Show! We take you for free, you only pay for what you eat and drink! We meet every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at 8pm in reception.
If you love going out and having a good time then this is the perfect choice for you! Every Wednesday and Friday at 11pm join in on the fun on our pub-crawl. The price is 10€ per person and we take you to 4 different bars where you'll have a free shot included at each bar and the entrance to the club is included!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
At Toyota of Orlando, one of our best kept secrets is our unbeatable used car selection. You're sure to find exactly what you're looking for from our selection of used Toyotas and other makes. This week from our ultra-affordable bargain cars we are featuring the used 2004 Toyota Avalon XLS Sedan (Stk#: 7350002A). This luxury sedan has all of the features you're looking for in a car, including the price tag. Priced at only $5,995* you won't have to compromise on your dream car because of its price! So if you're looking for an upgrade, or to treat someone special, look no further than Toyota of Orlando.
See why our featured used car is Toyota brand
Don't sacrifice luxury for affordability!
It's common sense that the best new cars make the best used cars right? So you're getting peace of mind when you buy a used Toyota. And who doesn't need one less thing to worry about? Let's look a little closer at this used Toyota Avalon XLS Sedan and see the best features this used Toyota offers.
It's got great fuel economy.
You'll have even more money in your pocket because this car gets 21 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. And you'll be spending less time at gas stations and more time at Orlando attractions with its 18.5 gallon gas tank.
It's got the features you're accustomed to.
This used Toyota has all of the bells and whistles that you've come to love in a car such as cruise control, duel front A/C, automatic transmission and fully automated headlights. And you'll be able to listen to your favorite AM and FM radio stations, CD's or even cassettes on your daily commute.
Including the deluxe features you've always wanted!
You'll be riding in luxury with the preowned Toyota Avalon's sleek look, its leather interior and auto dimming mirrors.
You'll be ready for any emergency situation with its anti-roll bars, ABS brakes, security system and panic alarm.
See all of our affordable used vehicles at Toyota of Orlando
Make this affordable used Toyota yours today! We're is open seven days a week at 3575 Vineland Road, and you can call us to schedule your test drive at (888) 725-3520.


text:
Magic Mechanic Inc.
Review for Magic Mechanic Inc.
Jason T. on 04/09/2015
Jason said it was quick and easy. They did the work they were supposed to do at a fair cost.
Vehicle: Ford Mustang
Category: Service
Service Date: 04/03/2015
Review Created: 04/09/2015
This review was collected via phone interview by Customer Research Inc.


text: Locality-Awareness in a Peer-to-Peer Publish/Subscribe NetworkFatemeh Rahimian, Thinh Le Nguyen Huu, Sarunas GirdzijauskasDAIS2012Peer-to-peer publish/subscribe systems are promising solutions to provide distributed content distribution services at Internet-scale with low cost. One of the potential problems with peer-to-peer overlays, however, is the inefficient traffic and large delays, due to the mismatch between the physical network and the overlay topology. This paper introduces a… (More)


text:
Gallery > Photos flashed by worrm
Photo 6 on 77 | Close this gallery
On April 27 2014 at Slovakia 18 Views
View all photos »
528team On 01/05/2014
Gramatiq On 28/04/2014
unknown -466 PhotosSlovakia
© 2002-2017 Fotolog, Inc. Fotolog ® et Flodo™ are registered trademarks of Fotolog, Inc. All rights reserved.
Parts of this site contain the copyrighted content of members and other third parties.
Title to this content and related rights are reserved by the respective copyright owner.


text:
Foundation: 1800-1860
1803: Thomas Jefferson approves the expedition into French-held territory west of the Mississippi. Later that year, the French would sell it to the newly formed United States for $15,000,000.
1804: Lewis and Clark begin their famed expedition into the Louisiana Purchase.
1808: News begins to filter to the United States of Carthian Coffeehouses led by Francisca deGraaf.
1812: The first public members of the Carthian Movement make their appearance in the wake of the War of 1812. Many of these individuals are the disenfranchised member of the Invictus and Lancea Sanctum.
1815: The British defeat by Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans is supported by a number of Kindred, notable the new Carthian Movement and members of the Ordo Dracul.
1816: The Invictus regains a major foothold in the Americas with the re-emergence of the Federalist Party. With the Era of Good Feelings well into swing, many conflicts between the Carthians and the Invictus are on hold as the eyes of the world begin turning westward across the world.
1823: The Monroe Doctrine codified the US opinions on foreign policy, creating a major rift among the Kindred of the Old World and the Kindred of the New World.
1842: Elijah White and his party would begin their trek across the states, eventually ending up in Oregon
1843: A coterie of fifteen Kindred left Kansas with the Montrose party. The mortal ex-preacher Esau Montrose was fleeing from debts incurred and needed funding for his escape – This funding was provided by a number of young Kindred who were anxious to escape the yokes of their Sires (Ancient Bloodlines, page 110). This was the first known encounter with the Sta-Au, the Cruel Ones. Much of Wyoming is deemed uninhabitable as Kindred are warned away from the Northern United States.
1830: Congress passes the Indian Removal Act, resulting in the forcible removal of territory of the Native Americans for lands west of the Mississippi. This act of Congress caused an uproar among Native American Kindred (particularly the Circle of Crone) and many of the Lancea Sanctum who had made significant headways into the Native American populations.
In a rare few years of cooperation, the two Covenants worked together to help support the Native American populations – even though they lacked the political abilities to change the laws, they were able to provide assistance as the Native Americans were forced along the Trail of Tears.
1840: Abolition begins in full swing with the Second Great Awakening. Many of the Invictus were plantation owners, which caused a great deal of conflict among both anti-Invictus Kindred as well as anti-slavery supporters. Many anti-slavery supporters aided and supported the Abolitionism movement, pooling resources to help free slaves.
1848: Mexico cedes its territory. The conflict over slavery becomes a major issue among all of the Covenants as a number of the Kindred are slave owners beyond just the Invictus. The Seneca Falls Convention occurs, beginning the women's suffrage movement. A number of Kindred are present at this event.
1849: The discovery of gold in California sparks the great gold rush and creates a frenzy of movement across the United States.
1850: The Compromise of 1850 is brokered by Henry Clay and Stephen Douglas. California is admitted as a free state and the Fugitive Slave Act is put into place, much to the chagrin of anti-slavery activists.
1857: Dred Scott v. Sandford makes slavery legal everywhere.
1860: Abraham Lincoln wins the presidential election.
1861: Seven Southern states secede from the Union and establish the Confederate States of America. These states are joined by four more after Lincoln calls for troops to suppress the Confederacy in April of 1861. Several middle states refuse to choose sides and become Border States. This conflict would result in a suppression of the Covenant system in support of North versus South Conspiracies.


text:
Devilfish Trailer (1984)
"Sink your teeth into pure terror!" 07 September 1984 Horror, Action, Thriller 90 mins
A marine biologist, a dolphin trainer, a research scientist, and a local sheriff try to hunt down a large sea monster, a shark/octopus hybrid, that is devouring swimmers and fishermen off a south Florida coast.
Watch the official Devilfish 1984 trailer in HD below or find more Devilfish videos on Vidimovie.


text:
A man with a daring plan tries to pull off a seemingly impossible crime in this drama inspired by actual events. Walter (Jeff Pickett) is a man living in the Pacific Northwest who is unsatisfied with his going-nowhere existence and decides to finance a new life by hijacking an airliner. Boarding a flight on Christmas Eve, 1970, Walter puts on a toupee as a disguise, informs one of the flight attendants that he has a bomb, and demands the plane land and he be given $100,000 and a parachute. Hoping to buy time and prevent a catastrophe, the pilots ask one of the flight attendants, pretty Donna (Lizzy Davis), to keep an eye on Walter, and as she feeds him a steady stream of alcohol, cigarettes and mild flirtation, she begins to get a more detailed picture of the man behind the threatening exterior. The Skyjacker received its world premiere at the 2008 Rotterdam Film Festival.
Add this movie to your queue to receive more information about
The Skyjacker and we will let you know when it becomes available.


text: Just received a Discovery Cove promo from another DIS 'er. It is good for $50 off up to four people . Valid up to Dec 17, 2006. I already had mine booked and they took $100 US off for both my sone and I. This offer is for only the dolphin swim and not the twilight swim! So excited...wanted to pass it on! Charleyann


text:
Group planning buyout of Tata Steel's UK assets registers letter of intent
The group planning a management buyout of Tata Steel's UK assets has confirmed it has registered a letter of intent expressing its formal interest.
Excalibur Steel UK Limited is the vehicle founded with a view to acquiring Tata Steel Europe, including the huge plant at Port Talbot in south Wales.
Liberty House is also putting in a formal bid to buy the business.
Stuart Wilkie, chief executive of Excalibur and previously the hub director of Tata Steel's Strip Products, UK, said: "This project has made enormous advances in a very short period. It was only two weeks ago we made the decision to pursue a buyout that enables the management and staff to take a stake in the ownership and operation of a strategic British industry.
"We believe we have a large number of the pieces in place required to make this a success, including a management team with vast experience of steel making and processing. We are confident we can turn the business around and sustain profitable steel-making in the United Kingdom, including both the down-stream and up-stream operations."
Liberty House, t he commodities trading firm, headed by Sanjeev Gupta, was first to express an interest after the Indian conglomerate announced the shock decision to dispose of its loss-making UK business.
A spokesman said Liberty was planning to submit a letter of intent to Tata and has put together an internal transaction team and team of external advisers to take the bid forward.
The Government has pledged to support any buyer of the business by buying up to a quarter stake, and making hundreds of millions of pounds of finance available.
Tata has not publicly set a deadline for any deal to be finalised but has made it clear it cannot sustain the £1 million-a-day losses indefinitely.
Alan Hooper, 52, who works in the control room at Port Talbot's Blast Furnace 5, described the events of the past few weeks as tough.
"We've all been a bit nervy," he said.
"I've worked here for over 25 years and there's nowhere else for me to go. There's plenty of others in the same boat as me.
"I'm still optimistic they will find a buyer. We're hard working and highly skilled and make the best steel in the world. That's got to be worth something."
Martin Brunnock, technical director at Port Talbot, said ensuring the works was a money-making operation was a big challenge but an achievable one.
"We've had our bridging plan in place for some time now, which is about hitting specific targets as well as creating value down-stream.
"The plan is working and we are hitting our targets every week and every month.
"I think that can give confidence to prospective buyers.
"Yes the heavy end is important but it's also important for our customers that we have an undisrupted supply chain."
Plaid Cymru shadow finance minister Adam Price said: "An employee and management buyout is the best hope to secure the steel industry's future in the long term and deliver a stable future for the Port Talbot plant.
"I hope that all political parties will get behind this bid now as we fight for the future of this crucial core industry, and fight for Welsh jobs."
Liberty House Group later confirmed it had formally submitted the required letter of intent to Tata Steel Europe containing its indicative bid for the entire issued share capital of Tata Steel UK.
A statement said: "The document, which was sent from Liberty's international headquarters in London, states the company's intention to bid for all of Tata Steel's UK assets, excluding its Long Products division which is in the process of being sold separately, and the Scottish Plate Assets that Liberty already acquired from Tata.
"The bid is based on Liberty's greensteel business model and would involve a transition from steelmaking in blast furnaces to recycling steel in electric arc furnaces over time, while ensuring the company continues to meet key customers' quality requirements. Steelmaking would be ultimately powered by renewable energy sources.
"Liberty believes the UK steel industry can achieve long-term viability if based on an agile, sustainable, non-cyclical model which integrates liquid steel-making from recycling with down-stream production and the manufacture of advanced engineering products.
"In order to take the bid forward Liberty has appointed an internal project team and a panel of leading external advisers to work on this acquisition, dubbed Project Greensteel Pluto.
"The 12-strong team will be led by Liberty executive chairman Sanjeev Gupta, who will be working closely with Jay Hambro, group chief investment officer of the GFG Alliance and chief executive of the Simec Group, and Jon Bolton, chief executive of Liberty Steel UK Plates and UK Steel Development.
"Mr Bolton, former director of Tata Steel, is also chair of the trade body UK Steel and co-chair with Secretary of State Sajid Javid of the UK Steel Council.
"The internal team includes senior executives with extensive experience in the global and UK steel industry, as well as specialists in the legal, environmental, finance and human resource fields. Five of the team have previously worked at senior level within Tata.
"Liberty is being supported by a panel of financial advisers led by international investment bankers Macquarie Capital (Europe) Limited, with the State Bank of India Capital Markets as co-financial advisers. "


text:
Report: Channing Tatum is PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive
Queue the mad fangirls of <insert male celebrity here>, because PEOPLE has reportedly chosen 2012′s Sexist Man Alive. For Ryan Gosling, it's like always being a bridesmaid and never a bride. And will we ever see Matt Bomer get the love he deserves?
However, I can't say I disagree with PEOPLE'S reported selection of Channing Tatum for the coveted title, though my BFF Nikkeh vehemently disagrees with me. (She can't get past his Herp-Derp face. I argue that's why lights have an 'off' switch.") Channing had a stellar year with three break out movies: The Vow, 21 Jump Street (hilarious) and Magic Mike (where we all decided plots are for losers).
Anyhoo, I don't really care one way or another if Channing is PEOPLE"s Sexiest Man Alive, I just wanted an excuse to post this. Happy Election Day, guys!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0r8qyUDilo]


text:
olivepenguin's Profile
Welcome to my Etsy shop! Your place for unique handmade beaded jewelry, bookmarks, stress relief keychains, and fun crocheted ladder ribbon eyeglass holders. This shop also includes crocheted jewelry and headbands from sari silk ribbon or ladder ribbon that also make unique gifts . I handcraft each piece with joy, care, inspiration, creative twists, and love. There's sure to be a something for anybody-whether you keep it for yourself or give it as a gift. I make unique, fun, quirky, whimsical, as well as traditional designs that are affordable and handmade.
The shipping costs are approximate, therefore, I will refund shipping costs if the difference is $1.25 or more.
I am a scientist (geologist) who enjoys creating all sorts of handmade items. I like to experiment with different materials and to mix and match different elements in my designs…
- Female
- Joined March 21, 2012
Favorite materials
brass, copper, Czech glass, sari silk ribbon, ribbon, semiprecious stones, glass beads, polymer clay beads bought or handmade by me, natural material beads such as wood, tagua nut, shells, etc, recycled or repurposed materials
- olivepenguin
- Kalamazoo, MI, United States


text:
VideoHive Company Percentages With Typography 2744920
After Effects Project \ Openers \ Corporate
After Effects Project - Company Percentages With Typography 2744920 by ellis20462 @ VideoHive
After Effects Project \ Openers \ Corporate
After Effects Version: CS5, CS5.5; File Size: 3mb; Requires Plugins: No.
Clear and simple company percentages typography video, great for presentations. Very easy to customize
1920×1080 Full HD
16:9 Square Pixels
25 Frames Per Second
After Effects CS5 , CS5 .5 and CS6 compatible
100% After Effects. No plug-ins, no prerenders!
Easy to customize
Not included in the download.
Typeface: Helvetica Regular and Helvetic C5 Thin
Music: Audiojungle.com
Keywords: corporate, easy, marketing, percent. business, product, typography.


text:
Use VA Educational Benefits
The VA process has been updated for Summer and Fall 2017. Instead of completing multiple forms, you will choose one of the two below. You need to use your KU Online ID and Password to submit these forms. This process replaces the need for multiple forms (information sheet, anticipated aid, certification worksheets).
Spring 2017
For students that still need to complete Spring 2017 certification, please use the following original forms:


text:
Debugging 101 in Visual Studio with Andrew Hall
This is an awesome introduction to Visual Studio debugging by the master Andrew Hall. Even though it is a 101 type video (and I've been using Visual Studio for, well, forever) there are still some gold in there that I had never seen. Enjoy!
Download this episode
- Low Quality MP4 (30.5 MB)
- High Quality MP4 (108.7 MB)
- Mid Quality MP4 (72.1 MB)
More episodes in this series
Shadow Properties in Entity Framework 7
Related episodes
OzCode: a Roslyn-powered magical debugging experience
Quick Dev: Debugging using VorlonJS
Episode 408: Kevin Griffin on Improving ASP.NET Performance
Episode 406: Josh Varty and Amadeusz Wieczorek on Alive Visual Studio Plug-In
BreakPoint: De-stress with Debugging and Diagnostics
VS Team Services Extension - Debugging
Getting Started with Debugging U-SQL
IntelliTrace Experience
IntelliTrace in Visual Studio 2015
GoingNative 27: Improvements to Visual Studio Graphics Diagnostics
The Discussion
Great video. I'm with Seth, I didn't know you could drag the execution pointer back during debug.
Again an awesome introduction to Visual Studio debugging thanks guys........
Excellent video. However, as in most of Microsoft's documentions, you don't consider that a lot of your viewer are not residents and perfect English speaker. From m point of view, the lecturer should slow down their language and also use a clear simple wording.


text:
Results 1 to 3 of 3
Thread: workaround for a subquery
01-05-07, 16:20 #1Registered User
- Join Date
- Mar 2004
- Posts
- 51
Unanswered: workaround for a subquery
I'm connecting to a mySQL database that doesn't support subqueries (version 4.0.)...
The following is the short version of what I initially attempted to do:
B.`Booking Number`,
B.`Offender ID`,
Select `Arrest Date` from Arrest
Where B.`Offender ID` = `Offender ID`
Order By `Arrest Date` desc
) as `Arrest Date`
FROM Booking B
where B.`Custody Status` = 'In Custody'
As you can see, I want to return the respective arrest date per booking (most recent arrest date for each booking that has the person still in custody).
The problem is that the Booking and Arrest table DO NOT relate by "Booking Number", which is the unique identifier for the Booking table. Trying to do a regular join through `Offender ID` would return too many records which would repeat the "Booking Number".
(I want only one/unique "Booking Number" per record returned and avoid the growth of the recordset through joining)
How can I accomplish that without using a subquery?
I would appreciate any pointers.
01-05-07, 19:24 #2SQL Consultant
- Join Date
- Apr 2002
- Location
- Toronto, Canada
- Posts
- 20,002
select B.`Booking Number` , B.`Offender ID` , X.`Arrest Date` from Booking as B inner join Arrest as X on X.`Offender ID` = B.`Offender ID` inner join Arrest as Y on Y.`Offender ID` = B.`Offender ID` where B.`Custody Status` = 'In Custody' group by B.`Booking Number` , B.`Offender ID` , X.`Arrest Date` having X.`Arrest Date` = max(Y.`Arrest Date`) order By X.`Arrest Date` descrudy.ca | @rudydotca
Buy my SitePoint book: Simply SQL
01-08-07, 10:13 #3Registered User
- Join Date
- Mar 2004
- Posts
- 51
Exactly what I was looking for, thanks. I appreciate your help.


text:
Apostol is a Holiday Villa in Pollensa, Mallorca with a Private Swimming Pool
Ref: 1823
5 Bedroom, 5 Bathroom Villa with Mountain View and a Private Swimming Pool , Air Conditioning, WiFi, Satellite TV, near Golf, Sleeps a maximum of 10 people.
250 year old converted farmhouse with private pool and air conditioning in a peaceful area of the Colonya Valley, close to Pollensa`s famous golf course and only 3km away from the Old Town of Pollensa.
Decorated with both traditional and modern features, white walls and cool terracotta tiled floors. The entrance leads to a bright and airy lounge/dining room with comfortable sofas around an open fire, Satellite TV (limited channels), DVD/CD player, dining table which seats up to 10 people. French doors open out onto the pool terrace. Large and bright fully equipped kitchen which opens out onto the terrace which is perfect for dining alfresco. Dishwasher, microwave and external utility room with washing machine. On the ground floor there is a twin bedroom and a separate bathroom with a bath and a shower. On the first floor a large gallery landing overlooks the hall and leads to 4 beautiful twin bedrooms all with en-suite full bathrooms and air-conditioning. In the garden there are many relaxing and shady places with lovely views over the Pollensa countryside to the Puig Maria mountain.
Large swimming pool 10m x 5m (depth: 1.1m to 1.9m) with curved Roman steps surrounded by sun terraces. Lawned garden area with tall palms, olive trees and Mediterranean flowers and plants. Vine covered dining terrace with a covered fully equipped barbecue area overlooks the garden. Pool shower, hot tub and table tennis. Pollensa and the golf course are just a 5 minute drive from the villa and the beaches and resort of Puerto Pollensa are 10 minutes away by car.


text:
Our Mission:
Women in Technology (WIT) formed at the University of Minnesota in 2016 as a community that provides a forum for women to share experiences and resources in a supportive network.
Women who work with technology and students interested in working in technology will grow their professional network, knowledge share with peers, and develop a support system to empower their future careers. We strive to increase diversity in technology on campus at all levels.
Who Should Join?
Women in Technology is open to those who would like to participate in, and support our mission. Please join our Google group to receive updates about upcoming events, and to share resources with the community


text: Happy birthday! Billie Joe Armstrong turns 45 today By Lori MacateeWashingtonLast updated on February 17, 2017TranslationsFrançaisEspañolDeutschItalianoPortuguês Tweeter The iconic and legendary singer turns 45 on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017.Billie Joe Armstrong »See more news, pictures and video. Hot newsBuzz November 20, 2017Billie Joe Armstrong goes 'Gangnam Style'Pets November 14, 2017Billie Joe Armstrong's Dog Recovering from SurgeryGreen Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is celebrating his 45th birthday today. As a number of online tributes attest, he is one of the most acclaimed singers of his generation.Popular singer-musician-songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong has always liked to keep a bit of himself hidden from view. At 45th birthday, he remains a man of many facets.Armstrong, a cultural iconBorn in Oakland on February 17, 1972, Billie Joe Armstrong's career spans an arc over many different eras and tastes in American history. Armstrong's not just a great singer, he's an inspiration, an icon and a successful business man. At this point in his career, there seems to be little Billie Joe hasn't done.And we've got a feeling the next 12 months are going to be even bigger and better for Billie Joe Armstrong as he promises more to come. After all, he's only 45.Happy Birthday, Billie Joe, you're the best!Billie Joe Armstrong career in picturesThis Is 40 (2012)© 2017 MediaMass All rights reserved. Do not reproduce (even with permission).Billie Joe Armstrong: Recent NewsMoney November 19, 2017Billie Joe Armstrong is Highest-Paid Singer in the WorldBreaking Up November 12, 2017Billie Joe Armstrong Single Again?Shocker November 20, 2017Billie Joe Armstrong Nude Photos Leaked OnlineCelebrity CentralABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ


text:
Kevin Macdonald's documentary/ docudrama juxtaposes stunningly beautiful scenery and the nearly unbelievable true story of a mountain-climbing expedition gone awry to chilling effect. Macdonald's unusual narrative approach combines recent interviews with real-life climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, and dramatic recreations of their harrowing experience on Siula Grande, a previously unconquered peak in the Peruvian Andes. In 1985, the young but experienced mountain climbers set out to scale Siula Grande's 21,000-foot summit. Yates, 21, and Simpson, 25, were climbing Alpine style, tied together with thin ropes and ascending rapidly, carrying all their belongings instead of establishing base camps to which they could retreat in case of trouble. This technique leaves little room for error, and leaves climbers unable to communicate with a rescue team in case of an accident. After reaching the summit with relative ease, they tried to walk across a narrow, snow-covered ridge covered with deceptively stable-looking swaths of powdered snow before starting their descent. Misfortune struck suddenly: Simpson slid over a precarious ledge and shattered several bones in his leg. His tibia was forced up through his knee, leaving him unable to walk. The situation could easily have meant a death sentence for both adventurers. Yates attempted to lower his partner down from the mountaintop using their available rope, a precarious process made worse by their inability to sink anchors into the ice-covered mountainside. And another disaster soon followed: Inching along in the dark, Yates accidentally lowered Simpson over a ledge; Simpson now dangled over an 80-foot drop into a deep, dark crevasse (a glacial fissure), and fierce winds made conversation impossible. Faced with a terrible choice cutting the rope and almost certainly condemning his partner or hanging on to the thin piece of nylon with frostbitten fingers until his strength gave out, dooming them both Yates cut the rope. The next morning, Yates searched fruitlessly for Simpson, then climbed down to their original campsite at the mountain's base, presuming Simpson was dead. He wasn't: After falling nearly 150 feet, Simpson awoke in the depths of the crevasse and was forced to rely on his own inner strength and ingenuity to stay alive despite his injuries, lack of supplies and the imminent danger of dehydration. Many members of the climbing community shunned Yates after the incident but Simpson himself voices support for his friend's choices and Macdonald avoids assigning blame to concentrate on evoking vividly both climbers' experiences.
Cast & Details See all »
- Released: 2004
- Rating: NR
- Review: Kevin Macdonald's documentary/ docudrama juxtaposes stunningly beautiful scenery and the nearly unbelievable true story of a mountain-climbing expedition gone awry to chilling effect. Macdonald's unusual narrative approach combines recent interviews with r… (more)
Trending TonightSee all »
Dancing With the Stars9:00 pm | ABCI'll Watch697 Watching
The Middle8:00 pm | ABCI'll Watch363 Watching
The Flash8:00 pm | CWI'll Watch358 Watching
Popular Shows
Popular Movies
- 1. War Dogs
- 2. Pete's Dragon
- 3. Sausage Party
- 4. Suicide Squad
- 5. Star Trek Beyond
- 6. Jason Bourne
- 7. Captain America: Civil War
Popular Celebrities
- 1. Rami Malek
- 2. Taylor Schilling
- 3. Constance Zimmer
- 4. Emilia Clarke
- 5. Tom Hiddleston
- 6. Kit Harington
- 7. Gina Rodriguez


text:
Ready to heat things up during your next workout?
Nothing motivates me to go for a run or work up a serious sweat in the gym like a killer playlist packed with upbeat, energizing music.
Here is the latest playlist I've been listening to on mornings when I need a little somethin' extra to help my workout along.
Heat Things Up Workout Playlist
- HumanJive Remix (Whitney Houston) – How Will I Know
- Avicii – Addicted To You
- DVBBS & Borgeous – Tsunami
- Pitbull feat. Ke$ha – Timber
- Little Mix – Move
- Usher – Scream
- Pentatonix – Can't Hold Us
- Rudimental (feat. John Newman) – Feel the Love <— I know this was on my last playlist, but I am still in love with this song!
- Martin Garrix – Animal
- Shy Kidx – Orion
- Pitch Perfect Soundtrack – Bellas Finals
- Michael Jackson – Bad
- John Newman – Love Me Again
- Martin Solveig – Big In Japan
- Timeflies – All The Way
- Pitch Perfect Soundtrack – Trebelmakers Finals
- Amy Winehouse – Valerie
- Zedd feat. Hayley Williams – Stay The Night
Some of the songs are several years old, but they never fail to pump me up. I love an eclectic mix of music, that's for sure!
I hope this playlist adds some energy to your next workout!
More Workout Playlists
- High Energy Workout Playlist
- Triathlon Playlist
- Rockin' Playlist
- Disney Playlist
- '90s Playlist
- Oldies But Goodies Playlist
- Run, Run, Run Playlist
- Spring 2012 Playlist
- Summer 2011 Playlist
- Spring 2011 Playlist
- Workout Playlist Trifecta
- ZOOMA Half Marathon Playlist
- Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Playlist
- Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Playlist


text:
Beatriz Trailer (1976)
06 December 1976 Drama 85 mins
A child is witness to an assault on a monk by the gang of Lorenzo the Fifth. The monk escapes and takes refuge in the estate of Doña Carlota, a countess who lives with her son Juan and daughter Beatriz. Basilisa, the maid, conjures the devil to free her son from an irreversible illness, but to do so the evil must be transmitted to an innocent soul, and for that she chooses Beatriz. The child begins to be the victim of a possession, for which everyone blames the monk.
Watch the official Beatriz 1976 trailer in HD below or find more Beatriz videos on Vidimovie.


text:
Hello all,
I´ve just registered here and on the jetphotos.net website. I really would like to share my photos with you, but there is a problem: my pictures are too big. 2880x 1920 is the resolution. What can I do to upload the pictures?
Would really be happy about some helpful answers.
Your MUC Spotter


text:
Expanding Performance
For detailed product information, please give us a call at 800.477.8501 or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com for more information.
Vi-Chem reports are formatted in Adobe Acrobat (PDF). Download Reader here.
Click on compound to view Product Data Report.
Range of Soft Styrenic Block Copolymer Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPEs) from 35 Shore A to 90 Shore A Durometer
Sevrene 4000-35A
Sevrene 4000-40A
Sevrene 4000-50A
Sevrene 4000-65A
Sevrene 4000-70A
Sevrene 4000-75A
Sevrene 4000-80A
Sevrene 4000-90A
Styrenic Block Copolymer (SBC) TPEs with Higher Temperature Compression Set Performance
Sevrene 2000-40A
Sevrene 2000-50A
Sevrene 2000-60A
Less-Filled (0.91-0.95 Specific Gravity) Styrenic Block Copolymer (SBC) TPEs
Sevrene 4120-64A
Sevrene 4500-70A
Surface-Modified (lubricity, slip) Styrenic Block Copolymer (SBC) TPEs
Sevrene 3582-65A
Sevrene 3582-70A
Sevrene 3582-80A
Sevrene 4582-90A
Vi-Chem's quality oriented, consistent and versatile services and products can add value and improve your bottom line. Give us a call or email us to see how we can help you with an ideal solution for your plastic compound needs.
Engineered compounds customized for injection
molding, extrusion & blow molding applications.
Purchase Order General Terms & Conditions
Terms & Conditions of Sale


text:
- Please select a date to see the proper prices!
Description of the accommodation:
Rooms, services MICROTEL WEST FARGO West Fargo is offering 88 comfortable rooms to guests looking for accommodation in West Fargo. The exact list of services available at MICROTEL WEST FARGO West Fargo (including those for an extra fee) and the exact list of equipment in a room can be found on the information sheet below.
Payment Depeding on the selected room, date and price, you may be asked to provide credit card guarantee or to pay by credit card in advance.
Arrival, opening hours The earliest time to check in at the hotel is 15:00, the latest time to check out is 12:00. You will be able to speak with the personnel in English.
MICROTEL WEST FARGO West Fargo rooms Rooms
- Please select a date to see the proper prices!
Accommodation services
- Jacuzzi
- Pool (Outdoor - seasonally open)


text:
Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays!
I find myself whisteling this through the hallway at work. I believe I've subconsciously fixated on this song because I am indeed going home for Christmas this year. And, with Christmas fully invading the Yellow Submarine now, despite myself, I'm one hundred percent in the red and green spirit. Santas are on the piano. Snowmen are in the bathroom. Twinkling star lights are running across our front porch. And…candy canes fence in the carport.
Ho, ho, hoooooooo! Meeeeerrrrry Christmas!
One of the first sweet items I buy for the this time of year are candy canes. Peppermint candy canes (although I bought some cherry rainbow ones, too, just for the kids, you know, honestly, pinky-swear). When I wrap my first Christmas presents, I can't wait to open up a candy cane and let it sit in my mouth as I cut, tape, bow-tie, and gift bag the items. The peppermint juices barely stay in as I adjust the cane back and forth in a delicate balancing act while my hands are in action. Along with candy canes I now have peppermint Milky Way squares and peppermint candy cane white chocolate Hershey's Kisses. I make myself a wonderful, warm cup of peppermint coffee each morning by breaking a piece of candy cane and putting it squarely in my coffee filter amidst the dry roast to melt perfectly into my cup. Right now, as I write, I'm drinking a cup of tea I made with….you guessed it…candy canes, sugar, and creamer, to blend the most spectacular homemade Candy Cane Tea Latte, probably only costing me a mere few cents, rather than $4.00. SWM tasty-tight-budget-tidbit of the week! Not that I'd deny a peppermint mocha from any one number of fine establishments either when offered by my fabulous boyfriend, or while I'm out and about picking up additional loot.
This week I plan to make what assumes to be the most delectible of delights: the peppermint candy cheesecake. Maycee has even posed the suggestion of adding candy canes to brownies. It's a catching disease…the candy cane…it truly is.
Candy canes, of course, mean more to me now than just a sweet pepperminty treat. I've been taught the story of the red and white symbol, and tonight, Maycee told me the story once again, as she learned it in Bible class after school. Her version went like this:
Mom, did you know there was a candy maker, I think from Germany, or something, and he decided he was going to make a plain, white stick of candy? Later, another guy decided he was going to add red stripes to represent the blood Jesus shed for us, and he also made the stick into a "J" to represent the "J" in Jesus. But, it also is called a candy cane because it is shaped like an actual cane. Isn't that cool?"
Yes, it is very cool, and hearing her tell the story to me in her own words is just another way to stay close to the reason for the season. And, when it comes to either meaning, I just can't get enough.
A side note…I'm posting this many days after it's writing. My computer is so slow, I think I might just throw it over the back fence into the barranca later. Perhaps, even though I've taken Maycee to visit Santa already I should go hit up the Jolly Ol' Elf myself. Number one on my blogging wish list? Yoooooou guessed it!
Have a terrific week, Readers. I have more in store, more stored up, and as my ancient device allows, it'll make its way to your email boxes-more than likely-just as it is needed. Life is too short to get upset for very long, though; whether this time of year or any. With that in mind: be happy and give a chuckle! Eh-hem, rather, give a Ho, Ho, Hooooooooooo, Merrrrrry Christmas!


text: if I know I'm gonna be in the woods for a while, I load up on B vitamin and Iron supplements..they thicken your blood and make you less appatizing. I only use Deet products on ankles (socks and pant bottoms), elbow pits, just behind arms on shoulder blades and back of neck....the areas most targeted by biting savages. After Rocky Mtn. Spotted Fever I give no quarter to blood suckers.


text:
This popular and easy-to-use one-stop photo toolkit for managing, editing and sharing photos now benefits from many features new to Zoner Photo Studio 13.
Take full control of your digital photos, using software Zoner Photo Studio. Get photos from your camera, scanner, or just the screen has never been so easy yet. Have fun organizing, sorting and search your digital photos.With the program, you can change and make more personal your photos with special effects. Amaze your family and friends with 3D photos and impressive panoramas!
Key features:
• Powerful photo management and archiving.
• 64-bit version
• Direct upload to Facebook, Flickr and Picassa Web Albums
• Get photos from camera, scanner, memory card or screen
• Quick fix photos with the help of "Quick fix"
• Save time with easy batch operations
• Easily create 3D panoramas and photos
• A set of editing tools, and additional effects
• Add photos to the GPS coordinates of their creation and display location on the map
• Helps to quickly and easily publish images on the site
• Templates for calendars, greeting cards, etc.
Download: Zoner Photo Studio 13
Other link :


text: Beauty Beat: Douglas Takes New Tack: Hair Salons NUREMBERG, Germany — Douglas entered new beauty territory last month with the opening of the chain's first hair salon in its renovated superstore here.Under the name Douglas Hairdesign by Oliver Schmidt, Douglas premiered the first... By Melissa Drier on January 6, 2005 NUREMBERG, Germany — Douglas entered new beauty territory last month with the opening of the chain's first hair salon in its renovated superstore here.Under the name Douglas Hairdesign by Oliver Schmidt, Douglas premiered the first of what the company's deputy chairman Claus Mingers said could become a fixture in the chain's larger, 5,000- to 6,500-square-foot doors, as well as a freestanding concept.The full-service salon is located on the third floor of the 20,000-square-foot House of Beauty, adjacent to a hair care area now offering both consumer and professional hair care products. The professional lines, which include L'Oréal, Kérastase, Redken, Wella, Tigi, Osis and Paul Mitchell, must be rung up at the salon's register, but this marks the first time perfumery customers have in-store access to professional products. Douglas moved fast to get this concept off the ground. Impressed with the new salon designs he saw presented in Bologna, Italy, last summer, Mingers went to Paris to talk to L'Oréal's Kérastase division. "I asked if they knew a professional who could help us, and they suggested Oliver Schmidt in Düsseldorf," he recalled. Next stop, Düsseldorf, where Mingers showed up unannounced at Schmidt's salon in the Kö Gallery, one of the stylist's five doors.In November, "this whole thing would have been unimaginable," Schmidt said in Nuremberg. "I was in the middle of cutting hair when [Mingers] asked to see me. He explained the idea in 15 minutes over a coffee, and I was in a daze. Three days later, we finalized the concept in Hagen." All in all, it took Douglas less than six months to realize the project.The most directional aspect, according to Mingers and executives like L'Oréal Professional's German director Eric Royer, is that Douglas installed a full salon with real hairdressers who can advise about styles. It's not just about offering professional products."We supported this project because it's a real salon," Royer commented. "What's particularly interesting about bringing a salon into a perfumery like Douglas is that it allows Douglas to considerably improve the quality of service to its customers, which clearly demonstrates the added value of a hairdresser salon in a beauty world."The salon's services also break new ground. Douglas Hairdesign offers a free, introductory five-minute "Hair Refresh" — which creates a new look without washing or cutting. There's also "New Styling-New Me," offering a scissorless new hairstyle for 20 euros, or $26.60 at current exchange rates, and "My Hairdresser-My Trainer," a 39 euros, or $51.85, short training session that primes consumers to get more volume and hold out of their hairstyles at home. Appointments are not required, but may soon become necessary, as the 2,150-square-foot salon has been packed since opening in December. Haircuts go for 29 to 42 euros, or $38.60 to $55.80, color touch-ups cost 20 euros, or $26.60, and full color or highlights go for 30 to 60 euros, or $39.90 to $79.80.Mingers would not talk numbers, pointing out Douglas is currently in a mandatory six week period of silence prior to the Group's financial press conference in mid-January. But he was more than eager to discuss the new directions Germany's leading perfumery chain is taking, and said he is "incredibly optimistic" for the year ahead.Although some industry heavyweights have complained that Douglas is going "more mass than class," the chain not only refutes the claim, but is launching a new luxury or premium format. Mingers said Douglas plans to open five luxury perfumeries in Düsseldorf, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen in the first quarter of 2005, with a total of 20 luxury houses to be in operation by the end of the year. Existing Douglas doors in prime locations will be redesigned, will be serviced by additional and more qualified personnel and will feature brands that are currently found only in exclusive, privately owned perfumeries, he said. Final details, including the brands involved, are currently being worked out. The premium stores will operate under the Douglas Perfumery name.The head-to-toe beauty thinking behind the new Douglas Hairdesign concept will also be rolled out in the form of day, nail and foot spas in selected doors. Mingers said the perfumeries will operate cabines both with and without brand affiliation, so that consumers can choose the brand with which they wish to be treated. "We're taking a consciously neutral position here," he commented."Service and quality is in the forefront of everything we're doing," he emphasized. "We're currently developing a Douglas Face of the Year competition for 2005 or 2006." Three age categories are planned: 16- to 24-year-old women, 24- to 35-year-old women and women 35 and up. The casting "will be lavishly set up and accompanied by media coverage, at the end of which the winners will be awarded a fitting prize like a modeling contract at a huge final gala," a Douglas spokesman said.Right now, Douglas' face of the year is undoubtedly Heidi Klum, who's taken to the screen in what is probably the chain's most expensive TV advertising campaign to date. Shot in Paris at the Ritz by Michel Comte, the Christmas ad "has gotten sensational reaction. Editorially, we've achieved a lot," Mingers reported. Again, Mingers would not talk euros and cents, other than to say "we have a very strong advertising budget."The Klum ad represents more than just a new dose of supermodel glamour. It marks a new phase in Douglas' media image and the inauguration of a new company slogan. "Our whole presentation has gotten younger and livelier. We've changed the [Douglas] magazine," said Mingers. The publication now has both a fresher and more sophisticated aesthetic. The 78-page December issue mixes black-and-white and color model shoots, playful illustrations, graphic still-life layouts and feature stories.While the retailer's English language slogan, "Come in and find out," ranked number six in German consumer recognition surveys, it's been shelved in favor of "Douglas macht das leben schöner" or "Douglas makes life more beautiful." Mingers said, "It's a big deal to change our slogan, but we ran both in October, and got such a positive response to the new phrase, we decided to run with it." Douglas' international network is growing. "Who invests more in distribution than Douglas?" Mingers asked. The 798-door chain, which operates more than 380 doors outside of Germany, recently opened new stores in Slovenia and Denmark. "We're going to Prague, Greece and Turkey, plus we're carefully considering the possibilities in China.""But," he added, "we know our key market is Europe." He said Douglas has been "very successful in Russia, though we're not pushing to grow too quickly. We have 20 stores on a very high level, and the same holds for Eastern Europe," where Douglas expects to set up a separate division in the not-too-distant future. As for the U.S., where Douglas has 12 doors, "sales and earnings are developing well. We have no problems, but we have no new plans," Mingers said. "Still, it's important to keep a foot in the door." To access this article, click here to subscribe or click here to log in. load comments blog comments powered by Disqus


text:
This little cute spot was all we needed for our weekend in New Orleans. Nancy was such a nice host and accommodated all the requests we had. The house in itself is just beyond beautiful, and the rooms was located nicely and we felt that we had more privacy that you would normally expect. The walk to the French Quarter was very easy and enjoyable too.
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- Auld Sweet Olive Bed & Breakfast is a charming 1850s Creole home nestled in New Orleans' Faubourg Marigny - right next to the French Quarter. Our guest bedrooms and suites, each with their own private bath, have been lovingly hand-painted by a local artist. Enjoy the gardens, the private courtyard, and our complimentary breakfast featuring coffee, juice, fresh fruit, yogurt, fresh-baked goodies and more! Think of us as your pied-a-terre in New Orleans ... a peaceful and romantic hideaway right by all the fantastic music, dining, and fun of the Quarter and Frenchmen Street. ... more less
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Priceline and Hotwire so you can book your Auld Sweet Olive Bed and Breakfast reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Auld Sweet Olive Hotel New Orleans
- Auld Sweet Olive b&b


text:
View other listings in Hoppers Crossing, Wyndham Vale, Werribee.
Online about 1 year ago
Rent budget
Preferred stay length
Move date
i am pretty good in the kitchen. a little bit of an alternative kind of person. i am quite clean and very experienced in the garden. i play in a band, we rehearse once a week in a space in spotswood so it wont affect any housemates. not really a drinker or partier. prefer to go fishing or watch movies.