A multiple listing service (MLS, also multiple listing system or multiple listings service) is an organization with a suite of services that real estate brokers use to establish contractual offers of cooperation and compensation (among brokers) and accumulate and disseminate information to enable appraisals.  A multiple listing service's database and software is used by real estate brokers in real estate (or in other industries, for example, aircraft brokers), representing sellers under a listing contract to widely share information about properties with other brokers who may represent potential buyers or wish to work with a seller's broker in finding a buyer for the property or asset. The listing data stored in a multiple listing service's database is the proprietary information of the broker who has obtained a listing agreement with a property's seller.

Origin
According to the U.S. National Association of Realtors:
In the late 1800s, real estate brokers regularly gathered at the offices of their local associations to share information about properties they were trying to sell. They agreed to compensate other brokers who helped sell those properties, and the first MLS was born, based on a fundamental principle that's unique to organized real estate: Help me sell my inventory and I'll help you sell yours.

The term "MLS" is considered generic in the United States and cannot be trademarked or branded. MLSs can be owned and operated by individual realtor associations, regional multi-association conglomerates or independent cooperatives of real estate brokerages. There is no single authoritative MLS. However, there is a data standard for MLS systems. The Real Estate Standards Organization provides the Data Dictionary for common real estate terms and data structures, and the RESO Web API for data transport. A previous common data transport standard, RETS, has been deprecated.

Purpose and benefits
The primary purpose of an MLS is to provide a facility to publish a "unilateral offer of compensation" by a listing broker, to other broker participants in that MLS.  In other words, the commission rate that is offered by the listing broker is published within the MLS to other cooperating brokers. This offer of compensation is considered a contractual obligation; however, it can be negotiated at any time between the listing broker and the broker representing the buyer. Many Realtors feel commission is not negotiable after an offer is received, but the National Association of Realtors states it can be negotiated at any time. Since the commission for a transaction as well as the property features are contained in the MLS system, it is in the best interests of the brokers to maintain accurate and timely data.

The additional benefit of MLS systems is that an MLS subscriber may search an MLS and retrieve information about all homes for sale by all participating brokers. MLS systems contain hundreds of fields of information about the features of a property. These fields are determined by real estate professionals who are knowledgeable and experienced in that local marketplace.

Limitations on access and other criticisms

The MLS is a free and open service available to everyone; there are no restrictions on access. Google 'multiple listing service,' and you will receive uninhibited access to the searchable MLS database, which contains price, location, and additional filters, provided you have a stable internet connection. The MLS is automatically updated, and it also offers properties listed as pending contingent, making it a great search tool when looking for properties. For sale by owners are also listed on the MLS, and there is a filter for this option if you are looking to purchase a property without a realtor.

In response, the Federal Trade Commission investigated, found several violations of anti-trust laws, and entered into settlements with five MLSes to enable free competition for listings. One MLS, Realcomp in Michigan, refused to enter a settlement/consent agreement with the FTC, asserting it had the right to hide listings of discounters because such competition is detrimental to the revenue of its members.  In 2006, the FTC filed a lawsuit against the Realcomp MLS alleging violations of federal anti-trust laws and squelching free competition. The lawsuit went to trial in 2007 and the FTC lost, but won the case in a 4–0 unanimous ruling on appeal in 2009.

In Canada, CREA has come under scrutiny and investigation by the Competition Bureau and litigation by former CREA member and real estate brokerage Realtysellers (Ontario) Ltd., for the organization's control over the Canadian MLS system. In 2001, Realtysellers (Ontario) Ltd., a discount real-estate firm was launched that reduced the role of agents and the commissions they collect from home buyers and sellers.  The brokerage later shut down and launched a $100 million lawsuit against CREA and TREB, alleging that they breached an earlier out-of-court settlement that the parties entered into in 2003.

Asia

India
Listings of India specializing in the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) launches a platform in Dec 2015 in India, for the first time, to connect all authorized Real Estate Agents/Brokers/Agency/ Promotes/Builders through one platform; to showcase their property listings for wider exposure among the network.

Philippines

The Philippine Association of Real Estate Boards (PAREB) operates the PAREB MLS, an Multi Listing Service (MLS) which provide real time property listing exchange nationwide among PAREB Brokers.

Vietnam
The Vietnam Multiple Listing Service was started in 2010.  The MLS in Vietnam is based around the U.S. model, with some changes to accommodate different local market conditions.  In particular, the system supports open agency listings as well as MLS listings, as the current market operates mainly on the open agency model.  FSBO listings, however, are not allowed.

Australia
There is no general MLS for Australia; however, a private company Investorist operates a specialised MLS for off the plan property, which is used by some Australian developers and master agents. Investorist is also accessed by international agents.

realestate.com.au Pty. Ltd. operates Property Platform, which allows real-time reservations and eCommerce reservation fee processing.

Middle East

Bahrain
Bahrain Real Estate Multilevel Listing Solution – mlsBH is a localized and enhanced version of RETS based MLS service but still in its early stage of implementation and integration within the property sector of Bahrain. mlsBH is owned and operated by a private company since 2015 and unlike conventional MLS; is not restricted to dealing with brokers only. Via RealtorBH; a set of FSRBO classes which along with extended broker classes are facilitated to directly submit their exclusive listings, which after verification are centralized in mlsBH. Furthermore it also directly syndicates centralized listings on RealtyBH – a local comparable of US' Zillow. With the introduction of Bahrain RERA in 2018 operators of mlsBH aligned themselves with the policies of the regulator.

Israel
The MLS in Israel has been operating since 1990 only in the Jerusalem . The Israel Multiple Listing Service began in 2013 and is managed by a Multiple Listing Service LTD.

Europe

Czech Republic
There are not any MLS services in the Czech Republic. With high demand and low surplus of available properties, there is no need for agents to split commission as there is not a lack of buyers.

Italy

In Italy there are many MLSs and it is possible to choose between different software enabling real estate agencies either to manage and share their properties with others or to syndicate their listings on the web, or both the two things as it happens on MLS Agent RE and, as of 2021, it had 89,22% of market shares as stated in the "Reti e Aggregazioni Immobiliari 2021" report. Unlike the US model, in agent one there is no obligation for members to include properties in the mls.

Although many countries are lacking regulations regarding real estate transactions, lately there are attempts to align with those in developed markets, among which the only one managed directly by real estate agents is the "confederazione reti Mls". the confederation brings together a series of mls local networks that adhere to the confederation's code of ethics, and differs from other mls networks in Italy for the obligation to pre-qualify properties and the sharing of the entire list of properties. The site of the confederation for customers, who can choose the real estate agent regardless of whether he is the holder of the assignment or not, is immobilimls.

Cyprus, Turkey, Portugal and Spain
The UltraIT Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is a "Trade Only" property network of estate agents. Agents subscribed to the MLS have the ability to search this database of property sales and property rentals properties from a growing number of subscribing estate agents, providing each agent the ability to access and search the UltraIT MLS system of ten's of thousands of properties all over the world, currently including Cyprus, Turkey, Portugal and areas in Spain such as the Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Barcelona and Tenerife. All Entrepreneur Real Estate Agents (TUGEM) of Turkey has started MLS based database with its members, mainly international brands that works in Turkey. TUGEM has start working relation with www.cepi.eu/ and www.nar.realtor to amalgamate their resources. Ministry of Land Registry in Turkey has started www.yourkeyturkey.gov.tr web based portal to work with TUGEM and TUGEM GLOBAL to expend their services and their database of all listings and land registry information. TUGEM is planning to launch their full MLS system in Mid- 2021.

United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, MLS – Multiple Listing Systems do exist via some of the agents software providers, but many software providers have only designed their software to work in one company (typically for firms working across a large office footprint). One hurdle to the traditional MLS comes as a result of mixed software packages among agencies that do not allow them to cross share data between other company, so MLS in the United Kingdom is in its infancy and a cross data platform now exists via INEA.

MLS History in the United Kingdom. In the 1980s and early/mid 1990s agents did work together much like the early U.S. and Canadian realtors via paper-based forms which had tick-boxes offering a listing from one agent to sub-agents. Attached would be the property details pre-agreed with the owner for correctness, a photographic negative of photo; later a similar procedure was carried out by email and graphic computer file. Agents involved could copy and process the paper- or email-based property data. The main agent was treated as the vendor; all sales progression went through her and commission was split upon completion.

The Dark Years: In the late 1990s many of the smaller agencies were acquired by larger companies, breaking many of the MLS relationships that existed. More software options came in (all in competition) and, as the software houses did not work together, their collectives of agents became fragmented by non-collaborative out-of-group software restraints. With large property portals gaining ground in the 2000s agents in the UK started working alone as all could upload to the same portal platforms.

MLS Today: In the UK there are a number of seedling MLS systems that attempt to connect agents horizontally. INEA,  Lonres  and AgentHub.com are examples of sites that serve similar functions to US MLS counterparts, however there are insufficient data to conclude that any of these systems are used popularly across the country.

The future of MLS in the UK:  The future of the MLS in the UK is uncertain at the time of writing (2017). With most home buyers beginning property search online via nationwide property portals, it would seem that the requirement for property sharing between agencies is significantly diminished. Large UK property portals vastly improve liquidity in the residential real estate market by connecting buyers with agents in an information-rich environment. In essence, horizontal sharing of inventory between agents – formerly conducted through the MLS – is now replaced by a vertical interaction between estate agents and centralised advertising portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla.

This said, it is not entirely inconceivable that new systems will be introduced to the market that share information horizontally across the market, not only between agents (under a fee sharing arrangement), but with other participants in the transaction such as mortgagors and surveyors. Moreover, UK estate agencies have shown resistance to the inflating fees charged by large property portals. In any case, the future of MLS in the UK will most probably be shaped by changes to competition law, consumer behaviours and the rate of technological advancement.

Central America

Costa Rica
There are two main real estate organizations in Costa Rica: CRGAR (Costa Rica Global Association of Realtors), and CCCBR (Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce for Real Estate). Of these two associations only CRGAR has an MLS system in place.

CRGAR is associated with the NAR (a US based National Association of Realtors).  According to the CRGAR website, as of October 2019 they have just over 120 individual agent members and sponsors.

The actual number of real estate agents in Costa Rica is unknown. Agents are not required under the law to meet any minimal licensing standards nor are they required to join any association in order to become a realtor.  Anyone can be an agent without pre-qualification.

A few private real estate companies have set up their own MLS systems, some claiming to be the only official MLS, but these are not directly affiliated with any Costa Rica based real estate associations.

North America
In North America, the MLS systems are governed by private entities, and the rules are set by those entities with no state or federal oversight, beyond any individual state rules regarding real estate. MLS systems set their own rules for membership, access, and sharing of information. An MLS may be owned and operated by a real estate company, a county or regional real estate board of realtors or association of realtors, or by a trade association. Membership in the MLS is not required for the practice of real estate brokerage. The most current list of North American MLSs shows over 500 organizations in Canada and the United States.

Canada
In Canada, the national MLS is a cooperative system for the members of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), working through Canada's 101 real estate boards and 13 provincial/territorial associations.  Both the terms Realtor and MLS are registered trademarks for both the members and data of the CREA. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver claims to have pioneered the first MLS in Canada. A publicly accessible website allows consumers to search an aggregated subset of each participating board's MLS database of active listings, providing limited details and directing consumers to contact a real estate agent for more information.

While most real estate boards participate in the national MLS, known as the Data Distribution System, others provide listings to a Quebec-based service known as Centris. Still others, such as the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB), operate their own MLS.

In 2007, the real estate brokerage Realtysellers shut down after alleging that CREA and TRREB had modified their rules to hinder flat-fee MLS services on behalf of those selling houses themselves. In 2010, CREA settled with the Competition Bureau, and agreed to allow flat-fee listings. However, some real estate boards continued to bar the practice, citing interpretations of provincial laws requiring those trading in real estate to be licensed. Flat-free providers disputed the argument, claiming that their services were no different than posting listings on classifieds, and that they were not necessarily trading. In 2015, the Competition Bureau began a federal case against the TRREB "in hopes of breaking the real estate industry's stranglehold on the Multiple Listings Service."

Mexico
In Mexico, MLS systems have been slow to catch on, although there have been numerous attempts to create a national network. The first MLS system originated in Puerto Vallarta as www.MLSVallarta.com in 1988 and existed for a short period in the Los Cabos region as MLSCabo.com in the early 90s. They originated in these two markets as the majority of buyers are American or Canadian and familiar with the benefits of a MLS real estate system in their own home markets. MLS systems have not had as much success in other parts of Mexico.
The Cabo system went through a few structural changes before contracting with FLEX MLS software in 2010. Today, it is represents over 90 brokers in the State of Baja California Sur, and is now called MLS BCS (www.mlsinbajasur.com), which operates as a corporation in which each subscriber Broker is permitted to own one voting share. Brokers and agents subscribe through MLS BCS upon meeting requirements and committing to following a strict set of Operating Policies and Procedures, requiring each listing to be Exclusive and the broker to have a complete property records file in his office on each listing. The MLS BCS has been invited to participate on the oversight council of the new Real Estate Agent License Registry, helping to write the Code of Ethics for the 2017 State License law. MLS BCS is generally recognized to be the model for MLS operation in the country.
In Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit, MLSVallarta.com still services the region as the oldest and longest running MLS system in Mexico. MLSVallarta is a private, independent MLS system, with membership for both qualifying brokers and developers. The Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit real estate associations formed their own MLS system in 2012, known as www.VallartaNayaritMLS.com, adopting the same FLEX system used in the Los Cabos region. Rules of membership exist for both system in Vallarta systems and only legal existing real estate businesses can apply for membership. Both are well used by local brokers, developers and the buying/selling public.

United States
As of 2020, there are 580 MLSs in the US with that number decreasing due to consolidation trends. The largest MLS in the United States is currently California-Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS), representing 110,000 real estate professionals. Other notable MLSs include Bright MLS with over 109,000, Stellar MLS with over 75,000 Subscribers, First MLS in Atlanta with over 50,000 Subscribers, MetroList located in Northern California has over 22,500 Subscribers, Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) at 40,000 members serving Chicago and northern Illinois, MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN) at 37,000 subscribers serving Massachusetts and areas of New England and New York, Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) in Arizona serving 42,000 members in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and SmartMLS in Connecticut serving over 17,000 members.

New York City
Although the other boroughs and Long Island have several different MLS, MLS has never taken hold in Manhattan.  A small group of brokers formed the Manhattan Association of Realtors and operate MLSManhattan.com.  MLSManhattan has a small fraction of the total active inventory in Manhattan.  The Bronx Manhattan North MLS also offers coverage in Northern Manhattan.  It too has failed to acquire widespread adoption by brokers.

The prevalent database is operated by the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), a non-Realtor entity that seceded from the National Association of Realtors in 1994.  REBNY operates a database called RLS which stands for REBNY Listing Service.  A predecessor of RLS was marketed as R.O.L.E.X (REBNY Online Listing Exchange), before Rolex Watches claimed trademark infringement.

Like MLS, RLS has under contract, sold and days on market data, and houses rental listings as well.  There is a database, which in 2011, was slated to be converted to the more familiar RETS standard in January 2012. The RLS gateway is populated by several private databases that include RealtyMX (RMX), Online Residential (OLR) and Realplus, another proprietary database available to Manhattan Brokers.  These databases exchange data continually effectively creating several separate systems with essentially similar data.  Another vendor, Klickads, Inc D/B/A Brokers NYC, owned by Lala Wang sued in 2007 to be included in the list of firms permitted to participate in the Gateway.  REBNY also grandfathered the major brokerages including Douglas Elliman, Corcoran, Stribling, Bellmarc as participants to the Gateway.

Seriously committed Manhattan brokerages are members of REBNY, and thus one may find the vast majority of updated and valid listings in Manhattan are represented by RLS.  The REBNY RLS requires all listings to be entered and disseminated within 24 hours (Until 2007 72 Hours to accommodate agencies without weekend data entry).

Policies on sharing MLS data in the US
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has set policies that permit brokers to show limited MLS information on their websites under a system known as IDX or Internet Data Exchange.  NAR has an ownership interest in Move Inc., the company which operates a website that has been given exclusive rights to display significant MLS information.

Using IDX search tools available on most real estate brokers' websites (as well as on many individual agents' sites), potential buyers may view properties available on the market, using search features such as location, type of property (single family, lease, vacant land, duplex), property features (number of bedrooms and bathrooms), and price ranges.  In some instances photos can be viewed. Many allow for saving search criteria and for daily email updates of newly-available properties.  However, if a potential buyer finds a property, he/she will still need to contact the listing agent (or their own agent) to view the house and make an offer.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit in September 2005 against the National Association of Realtors over NAR's policy which allowed brokers to restrict access to their MLS information from appearing on the websites of certain brokers which operate solely on the web. This policy applied to commercial entities which are also licensed brokerages, such as HomeGain, which solicit clients by internet advertising and then provide referrals to local agents in return for a fee of 25% to 35% of the commission.

The DOJ's antitrust claims also include NAR rules that exclude certain kinds of brokers from membership in MLSs. NAR has revised its policies on allowing access on web sites operated by member brokers and others to what might be considered as proprietary data.

The case was settled in May 2008, with NAR agreeing that Internet brokerages would be given access to all the same listings that traditional brokerages are.

See also
Commercial Information Exchange
Pocket listing (or exclusive listing)
Real estate trends
Real Estate Transaction Standard
Realtor.com
Redfin
Trulia
Zillow

References

External links and references
 "Justice Department Sues National Association Of Realtors For Limiting Competition Among Real Estate Brokers", Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit press release, 8 September 2005

Residential real estate
Real estate in Canada
Real estate in the Philippines
Real estate in the United Kingdom
Real estate in the United States

Multiple listing service


Stefan LeFors (born June 7, 1981) is a former quarterback in American and Canadian football who is currently a high school coach. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round (121st overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at Louisville.

College career
In 2003, LeFors became the starting quarterback for the Louisville Cardinals football team. In 2004, LeFors started every game that season. LeFors ranks as the 4th all-time leading passer at the University of Louisville with 5,853 yards & first in pass completion percentage with 66%. In 2004, he narrowly missed breaking Daunte Culpepper's season-record completion percentage with 73.5 to Culpepper's 73.6. He led Louisville that season to an 11–1 season in which they finished 6th in the final AP Poll (the highest finish in school history) and won the Liberty Bowl. Louisville was the only D-1A (now FBS) university to recruit LeFors out of high school as a quarterback. LeFors was redshirted as a freshman in 2000 and served as a backup to Dave Ragone in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, he took over as a starter, throwing for 3,145 passing yards and 17 touchdowns, and was named 1st team All-Conference USA Quarterback in both 2003 and 2004. He was also named Conference Player of the Year in 2004 and named a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as a senior. LeFors participated in the East–West Shrine Game (college all-stars) and was named Offensive Player of the Game.

Professional career

LeFors was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round (121st overall pick) of the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Louisville. After serving one season in a backup role, he was released by the Panthers in September 2006. LeFors conducted workouts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, and Denver Broncos but was not offered a contract. In December 2006, LeFors was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL as an import player. He was the backup quarterback for the team's 2007 season, but had the opportunity to start 5 games at the end of the season because of Ricky Ray's shoulder injury. By the end of the 2007 CFL regular season, LeFors was placed 8th in the league in passing yardage with 1193 yards, as well as 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, while completing 60.8% of his passes. He was 7th in quarterback rushing yardage with 204 yards and 2 touchdowns. His best performance of the season came in week 18 against Saskatchewan. In a losing effort, he managed to complete 34/48 passes for 412 yards 3 touchdowns and 1 interceptions, while scrambling 6 times for 31 yards. According to head coach Danny Maciocia, LeFors shares the job as 2nd string quarterback on the Eskimo depth chart for the 2008 campaign with Jason Maas.

On January 21, 2009, LeFors was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for a second-round pick in the 2009 CFL draft and a conditional selection in 2010. Then on June 18, 2009, LeFors was named Winnipeg's starting quarterback for the start of the 2009 season. In the offseason preceding the 2010 CFL season, LeFors retired from the CFL.

Post-playing career
LeFors returned to Louisville and took a position with the U of L athletic department, also serving as a color analyst for the U of L radio network during the 2010 football season. In May 2011, he was named the new head football coach at Christian Academy of Louisville., He has led the Centurions to the Kentucky Class AA title in 2016 and 2018.  In 8 seasons, his career record as a head coach is 86–20. As of 2019, he is now head coach at Parkview Baptist High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Personal life
LeFors is a child of deaf adults; his parents (Larry and Susan), as well as his brother Eric, are deaf. As a result, LeFors is fluent in American sign language. LeFors and his wife, Joy, have two children (Luke and Ella).

See also
 List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders

References

External links

 ESPN.com college profile

1981 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
American players of Canadian football
Canadian football quarterbacks
Carolina Panthers players
Edmonton Elks players
Louisville Cardinals football players
Winnipeg Blue Bombers players
High school football coaches in Kentucky
Players of American football from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Cajun sportspeople

Stefan LeFors


Sustainable event management (also known as event greening) is event management with particular concern for environmental, economic and social issues.

Sustainability in event management incorporates socially and environmentally responsible decision making into the planning, organisation and implementation of, and participation in, an event. It involves including sustainable development principles and practices in all levels of event organisation, and aims to ensure that an event is hosted responsibly. It represents the total package of interventions at an event, and needs to be done in an integrated manner. Event greening should start at the inception of the project, and should involve all the key role players, such as clients, organisers, venues, sub-contractors and suppliers.

Sport events

Event greening is however not only limited to sports events, and other examples include the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Johannesburg 2002, and UNFCCC 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) held in Copenhagen in 2010.

Monitoring and evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation is an essential component of event greening, and should be used to make continuous improvement. A detailed plan needs to be in place to ensure that information is gathered on all aspects of the event – before, during, and also after the event. This ensures that information is available to understand the effects of greening interventions (e.g. to what extent was water used, and how did water-saving measures reduce water use), as well as the potential improvements to future event-greening initiatives.

With large events it is best to ensure an independent report, which complies with international standards, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The GRI Event Organizers Supplement provides organizations in the sector with a tailored version of GRI's Reporting Guidelines. It includes the original Guidelines, which set out the Reporting Principles, Disclosures on Management Approach and Performance Indicators for economic, environmental and social issues. The Event Organizers Supplement's capture the issues that matter most for event organizers to be reported on:
 Site selection
 Transport of attendees
 Recruiting and training of the event workforce, participants and volunteers
 Sourcing of materials, supplies and services
 Managing impacts on communities, natural environments, and local and global economies.
 Planning and managing potential legacies
 Accessibility of an event

Germany's giz gives a similar lists of the fields of activity which must be organized and monitored:
Guest management
Mobility (sustainable transport)
Event venues and accommodation
Sustainable procurement
Catering
Energy consumption and climate
Waste management

The British Standard (BS 8901) has been developed specifically for the events industry with a purpose of helping the industry to operate in a more sustainable manner. The standard defines the requirements for a sustainability event management system to ensure an enduring and balanced approach to economic activity, environmental responsibility and social progress relating to events.

It requires organizations to identify and understand the effects that their activities have on the environment, on society and on the economy both within the organization and the wider economy; and put measures in place to minimize the negative effects.  These standards will however be replaced by the International Standard (ISO 20121) for Sustainability Management Systems.

Steps to Planning A Sustainable Event
Standards for Sustainable Events

Planning a sustainable event with ease requires certain standards or barometers. ISO 202121 is one such international standard for sustainable event management. This docket provides a strategic framework for planning and executing sustainable events. These standards help organisers better understand the environmental, social and economical impact of events. This helps ensure that all events are organised without causing negative environmental impacts or effecting sustainability. ISO 202121 aims to eliminate the carbon footprint of events by reducing waste generation, promoting energy conservation, encouraging green and sustainable transportation and using sustainable materials and products. ISO 20121 guidelines are beneficial to event organisers as it allows them to increase sustainability, reduce costs, improve credibility and reputation and engage stakeholders.

See also
 Event management
 Greenwashing

References

External links
 ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management at the British Standards Institution
 Sustainable Event Alliance
 Sustainable Event Management: A Practical Guide

Event management
Event management

Sustainable event management


Strandavatnet is a lake in Hol municipality, Norway. The lake covers an area of , and lies  above sea level.'
The lake is a reservoir for the Rud hydroelectric powerstation in Hovet, Buskerud. In 1952/1953 a dam was constructed which lifted the lake level 28 meters, thus the lake varies between 950 and 978 m above sea level.

First rock filling dam in Norway
The dam in the Strandavatnet was the first rock filling (embankment) dam in Norway. You can see the dam on your left hand side from FV 50 at Myrland (the road to Raggsteindalen goes over the dam). The Hol 1 power station, in Hovet, Buskerud utilizes water from two watercourses, Urunda, where Strandavatnet, is the intake reservoir, and Votna where Varaldset is the intake reservoir. Stolsvatnet is the biggest and highest reservoir in the Votna watercourse. See figure below.

Overview of two watercourses

Photos

Sources
E-Co Energi

References

Hol
Lakes of Viken (county)
Reservoirs in Norway

Strandavatnet


Gustave Roussy (24 November 1874 – 30 September 1948) was a Swiss-French neuropathologist born in Vevey, Switzerland.

Career
As a hospital interne in Paris, Roussy worked under neurologists Pierre Marie and Joseph Jules Dejerine. In 1907 he earned his doctorate from the University of Paris, and in 1925 was appointed professor of pathological anatomy at the Faculté de Médecine. Later on, he was named dean (1933) and rector (1937) to the faculty of medicine at the university.

Roussy made several contributions in the field of neurology, in particular, his investigations on the role of the thalamus and the autonomic nervous system.

During World War I he was chief of neurology of the 7th Military Region Besançon, publishing extensively on his experiences with battle-related wounds. He was the author or co-author of a number of works on psychological and neuropsychological issues as a consequence of war.

In 1926, in collaboration with his colleague Gabrielle Charlotte Lévy, he published an article describing seven patients with hereditary areflexive dystasia, which then became known as Roussy-Lévy syndrome. It is a disease of the peripheral nervous system, caused by a mutation in one of two myelin genes. Roussy and Lévy published follow-up work on their first paper in 1934.

In 1946 he published a 1000-page monograph titled "Traité de Neuroendocronologie" in regards to his research in the field of neuroendocrinology. With Jean Camus (1872-1924) he performed important studies involving damage to the hypothalamus.

Roussy was interested in the study and treatment of cancer, becoming director of the Institut du Cancer in 1930.  Today in the Parisian suburb of Villejuif is the Institute Gustave-Roussy, a private institution devoted to oncology.

Eponyms
Along with other physicians are three eponymous disorders named after him:
 "Darier-Roussy sarcoid": an uncommon subcutaneous granuloma found in sarcoidosis. Named with Ferdinand-Jean Darier.
 "Dejerine-Roussy syndrome": a syndrome caused by lesions of the posterior thalamus. It occurs in approximately 2% of all stroke patients. Named with Joseph Jules Dejerine.
 "Roussy-Lévy disease": spinocerebellar degeneration with muscular atrophy of the lower limbs, sensory ataxia, plus other symptoms. A hereditary disease that is usually first noticed in infancy. Named with Dr. Gabrielle Lévy.

Selected writings
 Les psychonévroses de guerre, with Jacques Jean Lhermitte (1917), later translated into English.
 Travaux pratiques d'anatomie pathologique en quatorze séances de lectures de coupes microscopiques, with Ivan Bertrand (1893-1965), Preface by Pierre Marie (1917), later translated into English.
 Les blessures de la moëlle et de la queue de cheval, with Jacques Jean Lhermitte (1918).
 Traitement des psychonévroses de guerre, with J. Boisseau and M. d'Oelsnitz (1919).
 A propos de la dystasie areflexique héréditaire, with Gabrielle Lévy. Revue neurologique, Paris, 1934, 62: 763.
 Traité de Neuroendocrinologie (1946).

References

External links
 Gustave Roussy @ Who Named It

1874 births
1948 deaths
French neurologists
Members of the French Academy of Sciences
French people of Swiss descent
Academic staff of the University of Paris
Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery
People from Vevey

Gustave Roussy


The domain name .edu is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The domain was implemented in 1985 to create a domain name hierarchy for organizations with a focus on education. At the time, it was open for registration for entities from any region. Since 2001, new registrants for second-level domain names have been required to be United States–affiliated institutions of higher education.

History

The domain edu was implemented in April 1985 as a generic top-level domain. Six universities were the initial registrants that month.  UCLA was among this group of the first schools to have their URLs registered.  And while the first ARPAnet message was sent from UCLA to Stanford, Stanford did not have their URL registered until half a year after these first schools, becoming the 18th .edu site.

Until 2001, Network Solutions served as registrar for edu under an arrangement with the U.S. Department of Commerce. Domain registration was done at no cost to educational institutions. In 2001, the Commerce Department entered into a five-year agreement with Educause making that organization the registrar for the .edu domain.  The agreement with Educause was extended for an additional five-year period in 2006; at that time Educause was authorized to begin charging a yearly administrative fee to registrants.

The domain edu was originally intended for educational institutions anywhere in the world. However, most of the institutions that obtained edu registrations were in the United States, while non-U.S. educational institutions typically used country-level domains.  In 1993, a decision attributed to Jon Postel limited new registrations in the edu domain to four-year postsecondary educational institutions. This prevented new edu registrations by community colleges and other institutions offering less than four years of postsecondary schooling.

Enforcement of the restrictions in the 1990s was not entirely effective. The webmaster for the Exploratorium, a San Francisco science museum, recalled in 2006 that the museum obtained its edu domain name at a time in the early 1990s "when there were about 600 websites and only one for a museum." The museum's Internet registrar allowed it to sidestep the then-extant domain-naming rules by using edu despite not being an academic institution and by using a name with more than 12 characters. Some community colleges were reported to have registered edu second-level names after 1993. In 1999 an article in Mother Earth News quoted an authority on distance education as saying, "Anyone who has the necessary $70 can register an edu domain name and use it to archive any type of enterprise on the Internet."

In 2001, the domain was restricted to U.S.-accredited postsecondary educational institutions. Subsequent changes expanded its use beyond four-year institutions, allowing registrations by accredited community colleges as well as by university systems, community college districts, and similar entities.

Between 2004 and 2019, the number of registered names in domain edu remained relatively persistent, with more than 7,000 but fewer than 8,000 names registered at any given time.

Eligibility
Since October 29, 2001, only postsecondary institutions and organizations that are institutionally accredited by an agency on the U.S. Department of Education's list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies are eligible to apply for an  domain. To be eligible, an institution must be located in the U.S., legally organized in the U.S., or recognized by a U.S. state, territorial, or federal agency.  University system offices, community college district offices, and other entities within the United States that are organized to manage and govern multiple accredited postsecondary institutions may also register .edu domain names. Each eligible institution is limited to registering one .edu domain name, but institutions may also use names in other top-level domains.

Grandfathered uses
Domains that were already registered in edu as of October 29, 2001, were grandfathered into the system. Holders of such domain names can retain their edu domain names without regard to the current eligibility criteria.

In 2003, Educause undertook an initiative to clear the edu registry of domain names that were not accurately registered by removing names whose registrants did not respond to requests that they log into the registry and review their whois entries. Through this effort, Educause expected to eliminate a number of domains that did not appear to qualify for registration in the edu domain, such as oracle.edu, geraldine.edu, and jedi.edu. Since 2006, Educause has been authorized to implement measures to prevent edu domain name owners from transferring their domain names to other entities. These measures, together with the imposition of registration fees, were intended to reduce the number of inactive or ineligible edu domain names.

The U.S. Department of Education notes that some "suspect" or "illegitimate" educational institutions continue to use edu addresses that were registered before the stringent eligibility criteria were adopted in 2001.

Related domains
Many countries operate edu or .ac namespaces within their country code top-level domains that serve the same purpose as the edu top-level domain. In the United States, community colleges and technical and vocational schools also have the option of registering fourth-level domains under the .cc.state.us and .tec.state.us affinity namespaces, while elementary and secondary schools and school districts may register under the .k12.state.us namespace.

In September 2015, the .college top-level domain emerged as an option for organizations that do not meet edu's more stringent criteria, such as non-accredited institutions and institutions based outside the United States.

See also
.ac (second-level domain)
.edu (second-level domain)

References

External links

Sponsored top-level domains
Educational organizations based in the United States
Computer-related introductions in 1985

.edu


Bernard Ephraim Julius Pagel FRS (4 January 1930 – 14 July 2007) was a British astrophysicist who worked on the measurement and interpretation of elemental abundances in stars and galaxies.

The son of physician and medical historian Walter Pagel and grandson of German physician Julius Leopold Pagel, he was born in Berlin in 1930, but moved with his family to Britain in 1933 to avoid the growing Jewish persecution in Germany at that time. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School in Northwood and at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, from which he graduated with first-class honours in Physics in 1950. He remained in Cambridge to pursue his doctoral studies, obtaining his PhD in 1955. He was a Research Fellow at Sidney Sussex college from 1953-1956. In 1956, he moved to the Royal Greenwich Observatory at Herstmonceux Castle where he spent the greater part of his career, eventually progressing to the grade of Deputy Chief Scientific Officer. In 1967, he became a Visiting Reader (and later Visiting Professor) in Astronomy at Sussex University. Upon his retirement from the Royal Greenwich Observatory in 1990, he moved to a Chair at the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA) in Copenhagen. He retired for a second time in 1998 and moved back to Sussex, but remained scientifically active up until his death.

In 1990, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, the Society's highest award, and in 1992 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Pagel died in Ringmer, East Sussex.

References
 Edmunds, Mike. "Professor B. E. J. Pagel", "The Independent", August 22, 2007. Accessed November 10, 2007.
 Edmunds, M. G. (2020). "Bernard Ephraim Julius Pagel. 4 January 1930—14 July 2007". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 69.

1930 births
2007 deaths
20th-century British astronomers
People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fellows of the Royal Society
People from Ringmer

Bernard Pagel


Martin Paul Cohan (July 4, 1932 – May 19, 2010), credited as Marty Cohan, was an American television producer and screenwriter. He co-created the sitcom Who's the Boss?, which aired on ABC from 1984 until 1992, with business partner, Blake Hunter. Cohan is also credited with creating Silver Spoons, which ran on NBC from 1982 to 1987 and launched the career of actor Ricky Schroder.

Biography

Early life
Cohan was born in San Francisco, California, on July 4, 1932.  He graduated from Lowell High School before attending Stanford University as a pre-law major.  He worked several jobs to put himself through school resulting in injuries that required back surgery.  After the surgery, he changed his major to drama.  He received a bachelor's degree in theater arts in 1955.

Career
Cohan began working as a stage manager and assistant director at the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) following his graduation from Stanford University. He worked in film and documentaries during this stage in his career, including for director Mike Nichols in the 1970 film, Catch-22. Cohan created a documentary called The Children of Paris before taking a position in a documentary firm owned by David L. Wolper. Cohan's work as a writer and researcher for the documentaries, Hollywood and the Stars in 1963 and Let My People Go: The Story of Israel in 1965 also led to a job working in Universal Television's documentary department.

Cohan transitioned to writing for sitcoms, including All in the Family and The Odd Couple, during the 1970s. In 1971, Cohan achieved professional recognition as an assistant director on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He was awarded the best comedy episode award from the Writers Guild of America for his screenwriting on the show in 1972. Cohan was also the recipient of an NAACP award for furthering interracial understanding during the 1970s. After leaving The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cohan directed, produced, and wrote for The Bob Newhart Show and was co-producer of The Ted Knight Show.

Martin Cohan was the co-producer/co-executive producer from 1979 to 1985 on Diff'rent Strokes. In the early 1980s, Cohan co-created Who's the Boss? with business partner Blake Hunter. The sitcom, starring Tony Danza, Judith Light, Alyssa Milano, Danny Pintauro and Katherine Helmond, ran from 1984 to 1992. Cohan's sister, actress Rhoda Gemignani, had a recurring role as Mrs. Rossini on the show. Cohan and Hunter also worked as creative consultants on The Upper Hand, the British version of Who's the Boss?, that debuted in 1990 and aired for seven seasons on the ITV network in the United Kingdom.

Cohan also penned scripts for episodes of numerous other television shows, including Silver Spoons and Diff'rent Strokes.

Martin Cohan died at his home in Pacific Palisades, California, of large-cell lymphoma on May 19, 2010, at the age of 77. He was survived by his wife, Dawn, a son, a daughter, two stepchildren, a step-grandson, and a sister. His memorial service was held at  Mt. Sinai's Chapel Tenach in Forest Lawn.

Cohan's longtime business partner, Blake Hunter, was quoted in Variety as saying: "Marty is the brother I wish I had, the talent I stood in awe of, and the friend I can never replace."

References

External links

Martin Cohan at Find a Grave

1932 births
2010 deaths
American television writers
American male television writers
Television producers from California
American television directors
Stanford University alumni
People from Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles
Deaths from lymphoma
Deaths from cancer in California
Jewish American writers
Writers from San Francisco
Screenwriters from California
Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery
21st-century American Jews
Writers Guild of America Award winners

Martin Cohan


Haakon Ericsson (Old Norse: Hákon Eiríksson; ; died c. 1029–1030) was the last Earl of Lade and governor of Norway from 1012 to 1015 and again from 1028 to 1029 as a vassal under Danish King Knut the Great.

Biography
Håkon Eiriksson was from a dynasty of Norwegian rulers in the eastern part of Trondheim, bordering the Trondheimsfjord. He was the son of Eirik Håkonson, ruler of Norway and earl of Northumbria. His mother is commonly believed to have been Gytha, a daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard and Sigrid the Haughty of Denmark and half-sister of King Knut. After the Battle of Svolder, Eirik Håkonson, with his brother Sveinn Hákonarson, became kings of Norway under Sweyn Forkbeard. In 1014 or 1015 Eirik Håkonson left Norway and joined Knut for his campaign in England. The north English earldom of Northumbria was given by Knut to Eirik after he won control of the north. Eirik remained as earl of Northumbria until his death between 1023 and 1033.

As his father's successor in Norway, Håkon Eiriksson ruled as a Danish vassal from 1012 to 1015, with Einar Tambarskjelve as his aide and his uncle, Sveinn Hákonarson, holding some areas as a Swedish vassal. After some years' absence in England fighting the Danes, Olaf Haraldsson returned to Norway in 1015 and declared himself king, obtaining the support of the petty kings of the Uplands. In 1016, Olaf defeated Sveinn Hákonarson at the Battle of Nesjar. After the victory of Olaf Haraldsson, Håkon fled to England where he was well received by King Knut and made Earl of Worcester. After the Battle of the Helgeå, Norwegian nobles rallied behind Knut.

He is recorded as being the ruler of the Sudreyar from 1016 until 1030. In 1028, Håkon Eiriksson returned as Knut's vassal ruler of Norway.

Håkon died in a shipwreck in the Pentland Firth, between the Orkney Islands and the Scottish mainland, in either late 1029 or early 1030.

Notes

References

Further reading
Forte, A. Viking Empires (Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005)
Christiansen, Eric The Norsemen in the Viking Age (Blackwell Publishing. 2002)

1029 deaths
11th-century rulers of the Kingdom of the Isles
11th-century Norwegian monarchs
Deaths due to shipwreck at sea
People from Worcester, England
Ladejarl dynasty
11th-century regents
Year of birth unknown
Norwegian exiles
Year of birth uncertain

Haakon Ericsson


Alcatraz water tower is on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay, off the coast of San Francisco, California.  It is located on the northwestern side of the island, near Tower No. 3, beyond the Morgue and Recreation Yard. The water tank is situated on six cross-braced steel legs submerged in concrete foundations.

History

As Alcatraz had no water supply of its own, it had to import it from the mainland, brought by tug and barge. During the island's military years, it was stored in ground tanks and cisterns situated on the roof of the citadel. The water tower was built in 1940–41 by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

It is the tallest building on the island, at a height of  with a volume of  of fresh water. It was used to store potable water for drinking, water for firefighting, and water for the island's service laundry facility. During the Occupation of Alcatraz, the water tower was subject to heavy graffiti by the Native Americans and has since become a cultural landmark. Graffiti included "Peace and Freedom Welcome to the home of the Free Indian Land" and "free Indian land -- Indians welcome."

The tower has been empty since 1963 and has deteriorated, rusted by the salt air and wind. From November 2011 through April 2012, the tower was given a US$1.1 million restoration to prevent "irreparable damage and loss of important historic resources". Steel components were replaced and the tower was seismically upgraded. The lead paint was sanded and the tower repainted with marine paint.  They repainted the famous graffiti.   The tower has been completely stabilized. The slope below the Warden's House has been the subject of structural remediation as it was deteriorating.

References

Water towers in California
Alcatraz Island
Towers completed in 1941
1941 establishments in California

Alcatraz water tower


Svyatoslav Semenov (; born 2 February 1962) is a retired Soviet swimmer. He competed at the 1982 World Aquatics Championships and won silver medals in the 400 m and 1500 m freestyle events. He missed the 1984 Summer Olympics, which were boycotted by the Soviet Union, and took part in the Friendship Games instead, winning two bronze medals in the same freestyle events. Between 1980 and 1984, he won four national titles in various freestyle events.

He graduated from the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine. Since 1989 he competed in the masters category.

References

1962 births
Living people
Ukrainian male swimmers
Ukrainian male freestyle swimmers
World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
Universiade medalists in swimming
Universiade silver medalists for the Soviet Union
Universiade bronze medalists for the Soviet Union
Medalists at the 1983 Summer Universiade
Swimmers from Kyiv

Svyatoslav Semenov


Halimah Yacob  (born 23 August 1954) is a Singaporean former politician and lawyer who served as the eighth president of Singapore from 2017 to 2023.  The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) announced the appointment of former president Halimah Yacob as its new chancellor from 1 October 2023.

A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Bukit Batok East division of Jurong GRC between 2001 and 2015, and the Marsiling division of Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC between 2015 and 2017.

After a constitutional amendment made in 2017, the 2017 presidential election was specifically reserved for candidates from the Malay community. Halimah resigned from the PAP and became an independent—one of the qualifications needed to run for the presidency—and ran for the 2017 presidential election which she won in an uncontested election, after the other presidential hopefuls except for her did not meet the qualifications. Prior to her presidency, she served as Speaker of Parliament between 2013 and 2017. She is the first female speaker and president in Singapore's history. She is one of the living former presidents of Singapore.

During her presidency, Halimah exercised presidential discretionary powers to approve emergency funding for Singapore's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also spoke in support of women's rights. She did not seek for a re-election in the 2023 presidential election. Her term ended & had officially retired on 13 September 2023. She was succeeded by Tharman Shanmugaratnam on the following day.

Early life and education
Halimah was born on 23 August 1954 at her family home on Queen Street in Singapore, to an Indian father and Malay mother. Her father was a watchman who died due to a heart attack when she was eight years old, leaving her and four siblings to be brought up by her mother. Her family was in poverty at the time of her father's death, and she helped her mother to sell nasi padang outside the former Singapore Polytechnic (now Bestway Building) along Prince Edward Road.

She attended Singapore Chinese Girls' School and Tanjong Katong Girls' School before graduating from the University of Singapore (now National University of Singapore) in 1978 with a Bachelor of Laws degree and was called to the Singapore Bar in 1981. She subsequently went on to complete a Master of Laws degree at the National University of Singapore in 2001.

Career
Halimah began her career working as a legal officer at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), before becoming the director of its legal services department in 1992. In 1993, Halimah was one of the six assentors appointed in that year's presidential election to eventual president-elect Ong Teng Cheong. In 1999, she was later appointed as a director of the Singapore Institute of Labour Studies (now Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute).

Political career
Halimah made her political debut in the 2001 general election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting in Jurong GRC, which was led by then-minister Lim Boon Heng, and a would-be minister who would go on to be her presidential successor Tharman Shanmugaratnam who also made his debut. She served as the member of parliament for Bukit Batok East until 2015 where she was elected at the newly-formed Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC.

As an office holder
In her first term, Halimah was appointed Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports. Following a Cabinet reshuffle in November 2012, she was appointed Minister of State for Social and Family Development. She had also served as Chairperson of the Jurong Town Council.

In January 2015, Halimah was co-opted into the PAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC), the party's highest decision-making body.

As Member of Parliament, Halimah has spoken out actively against Islamic extremism, in particular condemning and disassociating from the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.

Speaker of Parliament
On 8 January 2013, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong nominated Halimah to succeed Michael Palmer as Speaker of Parliament following Palmer's resignation after he was revealed to have had an extramarital affair. Halimah was elected Speaker on 14 January 2013, the first woman to hold the post in Singapore's history.

Trade union involvement
Halimah served at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) as Deputy Secretary-General, Director of the Legal Services Department and Director of the Women's Development Secretariat. She had also served as Executive Secretary of the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries.

Halimah was elected as the Workers' Vice-chairperson of the Standards Committee of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva from 2000 to 2002 and in 2005. Between 2003 and 2004, she was the Workers' Spokesperson for the ILC Committee on Human Resources Development and Training.

2017 presidential election

Speculation and announcement
While speaking during the debate on the Presidential Elections Amendment Bill on 6 February 2017, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing addressed Halimah as "Madam President" twice instead of "Madam Speaker", drawing laughter from the PAP MPs and leading to widespread speculation that Halimah would be the party's preferred candidate for the reserved presidential elections.

On 6 August 2017, Halimah announced that she would be stepping down as Speaker of Parliament and MP of Marsiling–Yew Tee the next day to run for the presidency in the 2017 presidential election, which was reserved for members of the Malay community. She was widely viewed as the PAP's candidate for the election, and was endorsed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

In an interview published on 11 August 2017, Halimah gave her views on the reserved presidential election. She said that it "shows we don't only talk about multiracialism, but we talk about it in the context of meritocracy or opportunities for everyone, and we actually practise it". Although some commentators have felt that the reserved election did not promote meritocracy, Halimah rejected that view, as she described, "All candidates have to qualify ... If we weaken eligibility criteria for those taking part in a reserved election, yes, then we are compromising meritocracy for representation. We are not - the same criteria apply to everybody". Regarding commentators who have questioned the lower qualifying bar for public sector candidates like herself, Halimah said, "It is an open, transparent system ... has been in place since 1991".

Campaign
On 25 August 2017, Halimah launched her official campaign website, including her campaign slogan "Do Good Do Together", which was criticised by many for being ungrammatical. She defended her slogan, explaining that it is meant to be catchy. In response to public queries whether Halimah broke election rules by campaigning ahead of the nomination day, the Elections Department clarified that its rule which forbids candidates from campaigning before close of nomination only applies to candidates who are nominated.

Halimah's campaign expenses reached only $220,875 out of the $754,982.40 legal limit. Her expenses were used for promotional material, room rental, office supplies, food, transport and phone bills. Queries were also raised regarding Halimah's long affiliation with the PAP and perceived lack of political independence as she quit the party just one month ago to campaign in the election. Halimah responded by comparing herself to former President Ong Teng Cheong, who was also a PAP member before being elected. She also cited that she had abstained from voting in an amendment for the Human Organ Transplant Act in 2007.

Former NMP Calvin Cheng suggested that Halimah does not appear to have the professional experience needed to manage the financial reserves. According to Publichouse.sg's estimate, her financial management involvement is only about $40 million, much less than the stringent $500 million shareholders' equity requirement for private sector candidates.

Election
Being the only candidate to be issued a Certificate of Eligibility, Halimah became the eighth President of Singapore. Tan Cheng Bock, a former presidential candidate, wrote that Halimah "will occupy the most controversial presidency in the history of Singapore." The Economist described her as "popular and able". She is also the nation's first female President and Southeast Asia's fourth female Head of State after Corazon Aquino and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines and Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia.

Reactions
Halimah's sudden resignation as sole minority MP in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC has sparked calls among the opposition for a by-election as the purpose of GRC is to ensure minority representation. The PAP government refused to hold a by-election, culminating in the filing of a lawsuit by Wong Souk Yee, a resident in the GRC. A hearing was set for 15 January 2018.

On 13 September 2017, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) filed a lawsuit in the High Court against the PAP government for refusing to call a by-election in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC following Halimah's resignation from her post as the sole minority MP in her constituency.

In a High Court hearing conducted on 23 January 2018, Wong's lawyer, Peter Low, argued that the Parliamentary Elections Act should be interpreted such that all MPs of the group representation constituency have to leave their spots when one or more seats are left empty, or when only one remaining MP is a minority candidate. He cited Article 49 (1) of the Constitution, which states that when "the seat of a Member… has become vacant for any reason other than a dissolution of Parliament, the vacancy shall be filled by election" to support his argument.

After the Elections Department announced that Halimah was the only possible candidate for the presidency, global media monitoring house Meltwater observed a significant increase in negative sentiment on social media surrounding the Presidential Elections from 11 to 12 September 2017. The data shows 83% of negative sentiment and 17% of positive sentiment. Following the announcement, a number of Singaporeans began using the hashtag #NotMyPresident on Facebook and Twitter to voice their disappointment. In response, The Straits Times reported that there was the use of #halimahismypresident by an "equally vocal group", urging "Singaporeans to rally round their next president".

Halimah's decision to remain staying in her public housing HDB flat at Yishun raised security concerns. On 2 October 2017, Halimah accepted the government's decision to move her out of her Yishun flat to a more secure location. The government keeps track on the residence and security arrangements for her as well.

Presidency (2017–2023)

Halimah was sworn on 14 September 2017 as the president of Singapore at The Istana. She was ex officio appointed Chancellor of the National University of Singapore  the Nanyang Technological University

Halimah made her first state visit as president to Brunei on 11 May 2018, where she witnessed the signing of a financial technology agreement and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to exchange information related to money laundering and terrorist financing between Singapore and Brunei. At the invitation of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Halimah was the first president of Singapore to visit the Netherlands since the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries on 7 December 1965. The visit took place from 20 to 24 November 2018.

In September 2019, Halimah oversaw the signing of eight memorandums with the Philippines, allowing Singaporean companies and small and medium-sized enterprises to expand in the areas of data protection, science and technology and skills training and development of human resources. Later that same year, she would be Singapore's first President to conduct a State Visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was during this visit that she would be conferred the Collar of the Order of King Abdulaziz. Prior to the visit to Saudi Arabia, she was in Kuwait for a State Visit.

In 2023, Halimah conducted several overseas visits as well. Notably to Malaysia  and Qatar , which would be her last as President. In the visit to Malaysia in particular, Halimah was accorded a tree planting ceremony which is usually  only for the rulers of each state in Malaysia when they visit Malaysia's Istana Negara.

On 29 May 2023, Halimah announced that she would not be seeking re-election in the 2023 presidential election. Her term expired
on 13 September and she was succeeded by ninth president Tharman Shanmugaratnam on 14 September.

Advocate for gender equality
In 2019, Halimah advocated for companies to embrace gender equality, noting that it will increase innovation and business profitability during her speech at the Women's Forum Asia. She had also publicly voiced her views about a local podcast, Okletsgo, for their offensive remarks against women and asked the hosts of the show for an apology for their remarks.

COVID-19 response
In April 2020, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, Halimah approved her in-principle for the government's request to draw S$21 billion from the past national reserves, aimed at subsidising wages of 1.9 million workers and preserving jobs and businesses. On 7 April 2020, the Supplementary Supply Bill was revised for the Resilience and Solidarity Budgets and the revised bill was asserted by Halimah on 9 April 2020. On 5 June 2020, the Parliament of Singapore passed the Second Supplementary Supply Bill for the Fortitude Budget, to allow for the government to draw an additional of S$31 billion from the past reserves, aimed at securing employment for those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic as the country loosens restrictions after the circuit breaker.

On 16 June 2020, Halimah assented to the Second Supplementary Supply Bill, which enacted the Second Supplementary Supply Act, to allow the government the additional requested funds to ease the effects of the pandemic. This marks the second time that the past reserves of Singapore were drawn in the financial year of 2020 and it was also the largest amount drawn from the past reserves since Singapore's independence, with the funds totalling S$52 billion. She was the 2nd president to exercise the President's discretionary powers for this purpose, after President S. R. Nathan in 2009 for the financial crisis of 2007–2008.

Personal life
Halimah is married to Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee, of Arab descent, and they have five children. Mohammed graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. It was also where he first met Halimah.

Although Halimah is categorised as an Indian Muslim due to her father's descent, she ran for the 2017 presidential election as a Malay candidate and identifies herself as a Malay Muslim.

After being sworn in as president, she was known to be the first president residing in a HDB flat. Her flat was a duplex in Yishun, consisting of one 5-room flat and one 4-room flat joined by demolishing the median wall. Halimah previously stated that she would not be moving out of her HDB flat during her term in office. On 2 October 2017, however, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced that she would be moving out of the public housing apartment, due to security threats identified by security agencies.

Honours

Foreign honours
:
 Collar of the Order of King Abdulaziz (6 November 2019).

Order of Friendship 1st class (22 May 2023).

Awards
For serving Singapore with distinction over four decades and for her lifetime of devoted and distinguished service – she was awarded the Darjah Utama Temasek (With High Distinction) on 29 October 2023.

In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded the Berita Harian Achiever of the Year Award in 2001, the Her World Woman of the Year Award in 2003, and the AWARE Heroine Award 2011.

She was also inducted into the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations' Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2014.

On 22 May 2023, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev awarded Halimah Yacob the Order of Friendship 1st class.

References

External links

Mdm Halimah Yacob at istana.gov.sg

|-

1954 births
21st-century women politicians
Living people
Members of the Parliament of Singapore
National University of Singapore alumni
People's Action Party politicians
Presidents of Singapore
Singaporean Muslims
Singaporean people of Malay descent
Singaporean politicians of Indian descent
Singaporean women in politics
Speakers of the Parliament of Singapore
Women legislative speakers
Women presidents in Asia
First women presidents

Halimah Yacob


Joseph Marie Antoine Hubert Luns   (28 August 1911 – 17 July 2002) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP), now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), diplomat, and jurist. He served as Secretary General of NATO from 1 October 1971 until 25 June 1984.

Luns attended Saint Ignatius Gymnasium in Amsterdam from April 1924 until June 1930. He was conscripted in the Coastguard of the Royal Netherlands Navy serving as a warrant officer from June 1930 until July 1931. He applied at the University of Amsterdam in July 1931 majoring in law before transferring to the Leiden University in November 1932, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws degree in June 1933 and graduating with a Master of Laws degree in July 1937. He applied at the London School of Economics of the University of London in January 1938 for a postgraduate education in economics, obtaining a Bachelor of Economics degree in June 1938. He worked as a civil servant for the Diplomatic service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from October 1938 until September 1952 as an attaché in Bern, Switzerland, from December 1939 until April 1942, as an attaché in Lisbon, Portugal, from April 1942 until November 1943, as an attaché in London, England, from November 1943 until September 1949 and as chargé d'affaires at the United Nations in New York City from September 1949 until September 1952.

After the election of 1952, Luns was appointed as Minister for Foreign Policy in the second Drees cabinet, taking office on 2 September 1952. He was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1956, taking office on 3 July 1956. Following the cabinet formation of 1956 he was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Drees III, taking office on 13 October 1956. The Cabinet Drees III fell on 11 December 1958 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 1958 when it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Beel II with Luns remaining as Minister of Foreign Affairs, taking office on 22 December 1958. After the 1959 Dutch general election, he was elected again as a Member of the House of Representatives but declined to take office. Following the cabinet formation of 1959, he continued as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet De Quay, taking office on 19 May 1959. After election of 1963, he was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives but again declined to take office. Following the cabinet formation of 1963, he remained as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Marijnen, taking office on 24 July 1963. The Cabinet Marijnen fell on 27 February 1965 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 1965 when it was replaced by the Cabinet Cals with Luns continuing as Minister of Foreign Affairs, taking office on 14 April 1965. The Cabinet Cals fell just one year later on 14 October 1966 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the cabinet formation of 1966 when it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Zijlstra with Luns remaining as Minister of Foreign Affairs, taking office on 22 November 1966. After the election of 1967, he returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 23 February 1967. Following the cabinet formation of 1967, he continued as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet De Jong, taking office on 5 April 1967. After the election of 1971, he again returned as a Member of the House of Representatives, taking office on 11 May 1971. Following the cabinet formation of 1971, per his own request, he asked not to be considered for a cabinet post in the new cabinet. The Cabinet De Jong was replaced by the Cabinet Biesheuvel I on 6 July 1971, in which Luns served as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Foreign Affairs.

In September 1971 Luns was nominated as the next Secretary General of NATO. He resigned as a Member of the House of Representatives the same day he was installed as secretary general, serving from 1 October 1971 to  25 June 1984. He retired after 31 years in national politics and became active in the public sector, where he was a diplomat and lobbyist for several economic delegations on behalf of the government and as an advocate for United States–European Union relations and European integration.

Luns was known for his abilities as a negotiator and debater. He continued to comment on political affairs as a statesman until his retirement in 1996 after suffering a stroke. He died six years later at the age of 90, and holds the distinction as the longest-serving Secretary General of NATO (), the longest-serving Minister of Foreign Affairs (), the longest-serving government minister after World War II ().

Biography

Early life
Luns was born in a Roman Catholic, Francophile and artistic family. His mother's family originated from Alsace-Lorraine but had moved to Belgium after the annexation of the region by the German Empire in 1871. His father, Huib Luns, was a versatile artist and a gifted educationalist who ended his career as professor of architectural drawing at the Delft University of Technology. Luns received his secondary education in Amsterdam and Brussels. He opted to become a commissioned officer of the Dutch Royal Navy but registered too late to be selected. Therefore, Luns decided to study law at Amsterdam University from 1932 to 1937.

Like his father, Luns demonstrated a preference for conservative and authoritarian political parties and an interest in international politics. As a young student he positioned himself on the political right, favouring a strong authority for the state and being of the opinion that socialism, because of its idealistic ideology, had fostered the rise of fascism and nazism. Luns joined the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB) in 1933 and left three years later but when questioned about it in later years, never admitted that it might have been "a youthful misjudgment".

His choice for a diplomatic career was inspired by his father. He joined the Dutch Diplomatic Service in 1938 and, after a two-year assignment at the Private Office of the Foreign Minister, was appointed as attaché in Bern (Switzerland) in 1940. In late 1941, he moved to Lisbon, Portugal. In both countries, he was involved in assistance to Dutch refugees, political espionage and counterintelligence. In 1943, he was transferred to the Dutch embassy in London. Ambassador Edgar Michiels van Verduynen discovered Luns's great affinity for the political element in international affairs and entrusted him with important files on Germany, which Luns handled with great skill.

In 1949, Luns was appointed as deputy Dutch permanent representative to the United Nations. He worked closely with his new chief, Von Balluseck, a political appointee without diplomatic experience. After the Netherlands became a member of the Security Council, he temporarily chaired the Disarmament Commission. Luns was sceptical of the importance of the United Nations for international peace, believing it at times to be more like a forum for propaganda than a centre for solving international conflicts. Still, he thought that it was worthwhile to keep the UN in shape because it was the sole international organisation which offered opportunities for discussions between all states.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (1952–1971)
Because of the tenacity of the Dutch Catholic People's Party to occupy the Foreign Ministry after the 1952 elections, Luns entered Dutch politics as the favourite of its political leader Carl Romme. His co-minister was Johan Beyen, an international banker not affiliated to any political party but the protégé of Queen Juliana. The two ministers had a completely different style of operating and clashed repeatedly on policy even before the end of 1952. However, they accommodated and avoided future conflicts by a very strict division of labour. Luns was responsible for bilateral relations, Benelux and international organisations. After the 1956 elections, Beyen left office and Luns stayed as Foreign Minister until 1971 in both centre-left and centre-right governments. Bilateral relations with Indonesia and the Federal Republic of Germany, security policy and European integration were the most important issues during his tenure.
Atlantic co-operation was a fundamental aspect of Luns's foreign policy, and Dutch foreign policy in general. Luns believed that Western Europe could not survive the Cold War without American nuclear security and so he promoted strong and intensified political and military co-operation in NATO. Luns accepted American leadership of NATO as such but expected better co-operation between the United States States and its allies since, he thought that the United States too often acted independently of its allies, particularly in decolonisation issues. Luns could also be critical of US foreign policy, and, in bilateral relations, he defended Dutch national interests strongly and expected American support in the bilateral difficulties with Indonesia.

In 1952 Luns expected to improve relations with Indonesia without transferring the disputed area of West New Guinea to the former colony. By 1956, however, this policy had proved ineffectual, but Luns and the Dutch government were still determined not to transfer West New Guinea to the Republic of Indonesia. When, in 1960, it became obvious that allied support for this policy, particularly from the United States, was waning, Luns tried to find an intermediate solution by transferring the administration of the territory to the United Nations, but that attempt to keep West New Guinea out of Indonesian hands failed as well. After difficult negotiations, the area was finally transferred to the Republic of Indonesia in 1963 after a short interim administration of the UN. Despite his personal anger over this outcome, which was considered a personal defeat by Luns, the foreign minister still worked to restore relations with Indonesia in the aftermath of the West New Guinea problem.

Luns was more successful in the normalisation of the bilateral relations with West Germany. Luns shared Dutch public opinion in demanding that Germany recognise the damage it had caused during the Second World War, and so a mea culpa required. He demanded that before any negotiations on other bilateral disputes could start, the amount of damages to be paid to Dutch war victims had to be agreed upon. During the final stages of the negotiations on bilateral disputes between the two countries, Luns decided to come to an arrangement with his German colleague on his own accord. He made concessions and so the Dutch parliament threatened not to ratify the agreement. With the full support of the government however, Luns was able to overcome the crisis.

European integration was permanently on Luns's political agenda. Beyen had introduced the concept of the European Economic Community. In March 1957, Luns signed the Treaties of Rome establishing the EEC and Euratom. Although he preferred integration of a wider group of European states he accepted the treaty and defended the supranational structure it was based on. The endeavours of French president Charles de Gaulle to subordinate the institutions of the Six to an intergovernmental political structure, could count on strong opposition from Luns: such plans would, in his view, serve only French ambitions of a Europe independent of the United States.

Initially, Luns stood alone and was afraid that Franco-German co-operation would result in anti-Atlantic and anti-American policies that harmed the interests of the West. He made British membership of the European institutions conditional for his political co-operation. Gradually his views on Gaullist foreign policies were shared by the other EEC members and they joined Luns in his objections. Two of De Gaulle's decisions stiffened the opposition: his denial of EEC membership to the United Kingdom in January 1963 and France's retreat from the integrated military structure of NATO in 1966. Luns played a vital role in the negotiations unwinding French participation and continuing its political membership of the Alliance. By then, Luns had internationally established his reputation as an able and reliable negotiator and was seen as an important asset in London and Washington. After the retreat of De Gaulle in 1968, the EEC Summit of The Hague, in December 1969, ended the long crisis of the EEC integration process, opened the way to British membership and agreed on new venues for political co-operation, a common market and monetary union.

Throughout his years as Dutch foreign minister, Luns had gained an international status uncommon for a foreign minister of a small country. He owed this to his personal style in which duress, a high level of information, political leniency and diplomatic skills were combined with wit, gallant conversation and the understanding that diplomacy was a permanent process of negotiations in which a victory should never be celebrated too exuberantly at the cost of the loser.

NATO Secretary-General (1971–1984)
In 1971, Luns was appointed as NATO secretary-general. At the time of his appointment, public protests against American policies in Vietnam were vehement throughout Western Europe and among European politicians the credibility of the American nuclear protection was in doubt. Though there were initial doubts about his skills for the job he soon proved that he was capable of managing the alliance in crisis. He regarded himself as the spokesman of the alliance and he aimed at balancing the security and political interests of the alliance as a whole.

Luns was in favour of negotiating with the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact members on the reduction of armaments if the Western defence was kept in shape during such negotiations. European members of NATO, according to Luns, should understand that the United States carried international responsibilities while the latter should understand that in-depth consultation with the European governments was conditional to forging a united front on the international stage, which could be accepted and endorsed by all members of NATO.

US-Soviet negotiations on mutual troop reductions and the strategic nuclear arsenal caused severe tensions. Luns convinced American leaders that it undermined the credibility in Western Europe of their nuclear strategy by neglecting European fears of a change of strategy which would leave Europe unprotected in case of a Soviet nuclear attack. The modernisation of the tactical nuclear forces by the introduction of the neutron bomb and cruise missiles caused deep divisions. In the end, Luns succeeded in keeping NATO together in the so-called Double-Track Decision of December 1979. The deployment of these new weapon systems was linked to success in American-Soviet arms reduction talks.

It was also the duty of the secretary-general to mediate in cause of conflicts within the alliance. He was successful in the conflict between Great Britain and Iceland, the so-called Second Cod War not by pressuring the Icelandic government to end its aggressive behaviour against British trawlers but by convincing the British government that it had to take the first step by calling back its destroyers to open the way to negotiations. Luns failed however in the conflict between Greece and Turkey over the territorial boundaries and Cyprus. Lack of co-operation on both sides made Luns unable to mediate or advise on procedures to find a way out.

Between 1964 and 1984 he participated in every annual conference of the Bilderberg Group.

Late life
Luns retired as secretary-general in 1984, staying in office for a full 13 years. Because of the changes the 1960s and 1970s had brought to Dutch society and culture, the strongly conservative Luns decided not to return to his home country but instead settled in Brussels to spend his remaining years in retirement. Luns died at 90.

Honours and awards
Luns was awarded many high-ranking awards during his lifetime, among them the Grand Cross of the Légion d'Honneur in 1954, Member of Order of the Companions of Honour by Queen Elizabeth II in 1971 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then President Ronald Reagan in 1984. In his home country, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, the highest civil decoration of the Netherlands, in 1953. In 1986, he was awarded the Atatürk International Peace Prize.

Personal life
Luns married Baroness Lia van Heemstra, who was a niece of Baroness Ella van Heemstra, the mother of actress Audrey Hepburn. The Lunses had two children − a son and a daughter.

He remained a practising Catholic throughout his life and was generally sympathetic to the traditionalist Catholic position but never affiliated himself with dissident groups. Luns visited the Tridentine Mass held by the Assumptionist priest Winand Kotte, who opposed the modernising policies of the Second Vatican Council, in St. Willibrord's Church, Utrecht in August 1971. This seems to have been something of a misunderstanding on Luns' part however, since he had never heard of Kotte's anti-Council movement and did not wish to be affiliated with it.

An avid stamp collector, his favourite reading material included classical literature, history books (Luns was an expert on the history of the Napoleonic era) and detective novels. Because of his interests in international navies, the latest edition of Jane's Fighting Ships was always within his reach in his office.

Decorations

Further reading
 Wilsford, David, ed. Political leaders of contemporary Western Europe: a biographical dictionary (Greenwood, 1995) pp. 287–94.

Notes and references

External links

Official
  Mr.Dr. J.M.A.H. (Joseph) Luns Parlement & Politiek
 NATO Declassified – Joseph Luns (biography)
 Biography on NATO

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