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a cookie setting to disable the tv per user request would be the best solution.
How about Sykes, fastest bike by a mile, wonder if he will have to sit behind everyone else like Monza. His pace at Assen was insane though, like those tires were made for him or something, anyways, Eugene should manage well here.
Rea, Melandri and Sykes look pretty good. Melandri would have to be the favorite, if he can get a good setup, Chaz looking dangerous?


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No meandering in learning
Because of his academic diligence and thirst for learning, Kettering University graduate William Sommerville '05 produced what his co-op advisors describe as a Ph.D. level senior thesis project in just a few short years. The result? Possibly the world's smallest radio.
After road trips totaling 17,000 miles, he still drives his father's old GMC pickup.
Over the past few years, the truck has performed its share of hard driving transporting Sommerville from point A to point B with few issues. In his case, point A (Kettering University) is approximately 1,700 miles one-way to point B (Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico), where he is credited with remarkable work as a Kettering engineering co-op student.
He doesn't reveal any melancholy when describing how he came to own the truck. His father, William '64, died of encephalitis during the young Sommerville's junior year of high school, a moment in a young man's life that would leave many spinning and bewildered as their future lingers before them. Instead, he threw himself into his studies, teaching himself calculus and electronics.
While at Lapeer West High School in Michigan, he achieved a 3.9 grade point average, won several awards in Math, Chemistry, Physics and French, and in his senior year began taking courses at Kettering. This kind of dedication is the sort of engagement all fathers would be proud of.
What makes Sommerville's story so unique is that his connection to Kettering/GMI extends back several generations. "My dad met my mom at a GMI dance in the old gym," he explained. "My mom's brother, who also graduated from the school, brought her to the dance and I guess the rest is history."
Sommerville also said that his grandfather on his mother's side taught at Kettering/GMI in the 1940s, and the year before he started at the institution in 2002 his sister, Angela, graduated with a degree in Management.
Thus, by his account, he has known about Kettering since before he was born.
Another distinctive connection for Sommerville to Kettering is the level of success as both a student and professional co-op that he achieved. For example, his first co-op work term took place at a laser development firm in Ann Arbor. While there, he took the initiative and read a book on fiber optics, even though he was not required to do so. Before too long, he was working in the firm's lab, building laser test systems and by his second work term, he was building femotosecond lasers, which are used for high precision machining applications. What is most significant about this particular work term is that he was also charged with training newly minted Ph.D staff members on how to build these lasers.
"Since it was a Japanese-owned company, I also began learning Japanese," he said. "But then I was laid off along with several other students."
This lost opportunity proved to be a good omen. Sommerville had previously taught himself Calculus and electronics in his junior year, then designed and built a guitar amplifier with 19 circuit boards in his senior year. Dr. Douglas Melton of Kettering's Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept. (ECE) mentored Sommerville during this project, which caught the eye of Dr. Jim Gover of ECE. Gover was an engineering manager and senior scientist at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico for more than 25 years, and served as a science and technology policy adviser to Congress and policy offices in the Executive branch of the Federal Government for five years prior to joining Kettering.
The two developed a friendship and Gover made several calls to his contacts at Sandia, arranging for Sommerville to interview with the organization. Sandia, impressed with Sommerville's work at Kettering, soon hired him and once his academic term was over, he drove his father's truck to New Mexico, settled into an apartment and began working. "At work I faced armed guards at the gate and a sign that read, 'No radioactive disposal in this sink' in the men's room," he said.
Within days he began the scientific work of a young engineer at this prominent government facility, which "Aviation Week and Space Technology" magazine ranked no. 1 in their Sept. 5 issue for attracting the most intelligent scientific and engineering minds. Initially, he worked on a carbon nanotube alignment project and cryogenically-cooled quantum cascade laser experimentation automation project. For most people, this stuff sounds like something one might see and hear about in the movie The Incredible Hulk. "I got to basically play with liquid nitrogen and liquid helium," Sommerville said.
The project involved the development of lasers that operate in almost unexplored regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, an area between microwaves and infrared. They have applications in sensing and high-speed communications. At school the next term, he took six classes-a heavy load for any student-then returned to Sandia for his next co-op rotation, at which time he finally received his high level security clearance. He also began work on what many feel is the world's smallest radio, one that processed electrical signals.
"I spent that work term learning about micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) and comparing MEMS resonators to existing filter technologies," he said. But what does all this mean to the general reader?
MEMS are microscopic mechanical devices built on a chip manufacturing line. Gover explained that perhaps the best way to understand how these devices operate is to imagine tiny MEMS rotor-rooters that can travel through arteries pulling a waste tube, removing the plaque from artery walls and depositing this plaque into the waste tube. The automotive and medical industries use these tiny devices extensively to measure such things as the rotational speed of moving parts, accelerometers for triggering air bags and in miniature medical devices. Gover also said that MEMS devices are a major part of Sandia's research portfolio.
Once Sommerville completed another academic term, he returned to Sandia, re-engaged himself in his engineering work, finishing design efforts on his radio project. The device, he said, "is based on MEMS and the special metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETS) developed at Sandia and tested by me and another Kettering co-op, Matt Burns."
MOSFETS are a specific type of semiconductor technology upon which all microprocessors, memories and most power electronics switches are based and manufactured. Originally invented in the 1920s, it wasn't until the 1970s that engineers "could figure out how to make a sufficiently pure form of silicon dioxide needed to manufacture MOSFETS," Gover said.
Working with this sort of technology has made it difficult for others not to notice Sommerville's work. His thesis, titled "Integrated MEMS Single Chip AM Receiver," describes the design of the world's smallest radio. It has connections for an antenna, batteries and an ear piece, and uses a micromechanical tuning fork that vibrates at radio frequencies. The device uses less power and has better filter characteristics than other current technologies. Sommerville said that when describing this radio to people, "I have them think first of an actual radio. Then I take a pen and make a tiny black dot on a napkin. Finally I ask them what they would do with a radio that small."
Some, like ECE Professor James C. McLaughlin, Sommerville's thesis advisor, thinks one answer is to send hundreds of thousands of these tiny radios to Iraq or Afghanistan so that people can listen to information sent by the U.S. or international aid agencies.
Dr. Gover said that the young engineer's 250-page thesis, "is Ph.D. level work. I am confident that Will is the brightest and most capable person I have ever met. Very few students or engineering graduates would even attempt the things he has done in his co-op assignments, because most would be intimidated by the magnitude of learning required. But Will has no fear whatsoever." Currently, Sommerville's thesis is undergoing review.
Others agree. Dr. David R. Sandison, manager of MEMS Devices and Reliability Physics at the lab, said of Sommerville that his work "is outstanding as evidenced by his undergraduate thesis, which received only editorial comments and technical consulting. I had a departmental goal to grow this into a technology area and Will helped advance new integrated MEMS/IC technologies by providing a target deliverable against which performance could be measured. I have worked with many undergraduates at Sandia and during my time at Cornell University. Will's overall engineering skills are in the top 10 percent."
Other Sandia engineering executives echoed Sandison's comments. Mark W. Jenkins, a senior member of the technical staff at Sandia, oversaw Sommerville's work and believes his efforts "resulted in one of the few MEMS fabricated devices that worked first time through the fab and was the first MEMS radio on a chip component produced for this project. He proved to be able to battle politics and technology issues to deliver a working product on time."
But all work and no play leads to a hollow life. During his academic career and work rotations at Sandia, Sommerville enrolled in an Egyptian belly dancing class with a former girlfriend in New Mexico, learned to ride a 1,700 pound bull named Valentino, learned rudimentary Arabic and German languages, and participated in Kettering's exchange program at a German university. "I went to 24 countries during that term," he said, adding, "I partied with the Danish ambassador in Serbia, kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland and made friends with Romanians in Spain."
Today, he works at DaimlerChrysler in the Audio and Telematics Group on such projects as satellite radio systems and hands-free cell phone modules. Recently, he, Dr. Gover and two Sandia employees presented two papers at the Electrical Insulation Conference/Electrical Manufacturing Expo '05 in Indianapolis. They plan to work together to extend this research for the submission of a paper to the 2006 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Vehicular Power and Propulsion Conference in England.
And although young Sommerville felt "a little creeped out driving my dad's old truck, going to his old school, having his name and being told I look a lot like him," these things have also given him the motivation to succeed.
"My dad had to go through a lot then during his academic career," Sommerville said. "He almost failed until a professor helped him out and all of his belongings were stolen from his car the day before he graduated from school. Things like these make me think twice about complaining."
Through all of these academic and personal activities, after all the meandering miles driven across the country and the engineering work he has encountered at Sandia and DaimlerChrysler, one thing remains the same: "I still drive my dad's old truck," he said.
Written by Gary J. Erwin
(810) 762-9538

subset: commoncrawl


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While many will be rocking jerseys this weekend, we figured you may want a little more stylish inspiration. So here are a few perfect tailgating outfits to get you excited for the game!
Photos c/o Pinterest.
In case you want some color-specific style inspiration, check out our How to: Dress for a Super Bowl Party post!


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- Artists Haig & Raffi, Manuel Rocca, Wayne Fontaine
- Release Date 2011-12-12
- Labels D.Max Recordings
- Catalog DMAX031
Wayne Fontaine is not a unknown Name to our Imprint.Already got a Single Release called Evolution some Month ago.It made very good Damage on Feedback and Support.Now he's back with another Uplifting Beauty with his own unique Sounds and Style.We're sure u'll like it!
Original Mix - Starting with Drums and Percussions.Growing Step by Step with more and more Melodical Sounds to get u slowly inside of the "Evolution" of this Track.Inside the Break it's Time to Relax.Just listen to the beautiful Sounds Wayne delivers here on his Work.The incoming Melody tells to you that u are Home.
Haig & Raffi Remix - Direct uplifting Start.Arp and Mainmelody are already used in the Intropart.The Backroundpads support the Mainmelodysounds very good to create a good Feeling here on the Remix.Drivin u through the Break with a own Way by using the Melodical Sounds of the Original u'll get that good Feeling again.
Manuel Rocca Remix - Full Trancy Sounds right from the Start.This is the World of the Sounds by Manuel Rocca.U can hear his Passion and Love to create something Special here on the Remix.All Sounds are working very good together and the Break got his own Touch too.
Release Date: 12.12.2011


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Sheila Nevins, president of HBO Documentary Films, will be honored with a Gotham Award Tribute at the IFP's 18th Annual Gotham Awards on Tuesday, December 2nd in New York. "Sheila has unquestionably been one of the most influential forces in documentary filmmaking," said IFP's Michelle Byrd, in a statement. "She is almost singlehandedly responsible for bringing documentaries into mainstream popular culture. Her work has not only changed the documentary landscape, it's opened minds and spurred change." Over the summer, Nevins spoke about her life and career at a special "Evening with Sheila Nevins" event at the Los Angeles Film Festival. [Eugene Hernandez]
By Indiewire | Indiewire September 22, 2008 at 7:15AM


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President Gillette's "Current Topics" Economics Class
Students in Dr. Lynn Gillette's senior level economics course on Current Topics, engage with guest speakers who bring their experience with business issues and entrepreneurial challenges into the classroom. Students learn through asking questions based on their advance review of case materials and other readings.
Stephen Edelmann, the co-founder and former President of RONCO Consulting Corporation (now retired), built an international services firm that provided training, implementation and management services to developing countries throughout the world.
Under Edelmann's leadership, RONCO applied entrepreneurial know-how to humanitarian relief efforts and economic growth programs often working closely with U.S. Agency for International Development. Edelmann's conversation with students drew from the experiences of over 300 company projects including development of agribusiness in Egypt and management of a massive land privatization effort in the post-Soviet era Ukraine.
Edelmann's firm led the way in mine-detection programs in Afghanistan and subsequently in Mozambique, Rwanda and elsewhere. In Afghanistan, RONCO successfully built a business infrastructure and trained local residents in mine-detection. Edelmann expressed pride in essentially putting RONCO out of the job through the company's commitment to developing local capacity; RONCO left the country with a fully functioning program in place including 92 trained dogs and over 300 highly trained local employees. This local company subsequently grew to become the largest civilian employer in Afghanistan.
Students questioned Edelmann on the origins of his commitment to entrepreneurship and his interest in other cultures, sought advice on working in economic development outside of the U.S., and probed the notion of delivering humanitarian relief through a for-profit business.
Edelmann pointed to the strengths of an entrepreneurial mindset that allowed RONCO to rebuild thousands of kilometers of roads in formerly war-torn areas at $.31 per square meter, substantially below the UN standard of $1.50 per square meter. He shared growing up in environment surrounded by family members who were entrepreneurs, but indicated that he launched his own business only after working for someone else and coming to believe that he had what it took. He noted that in his experience, entrepreneurs were to be found across all cultures and around the world – all shared a common ability to see opportunities and tenaciously pursue their vision.
John Sherriff, former CEO of Enron Europe and currently Owner, Lake Tahoe Financial, made two guest appearances during the semester. The first time around, he focused on the details of Enron's business model, its operations, and its spectacular rise and fall. In his second appearance, he answered detailed questions from students on his own decade-long business creating a capital financing network for plaintiffs in commercial lawsuits; thereby providing working capital during the often lengthy litigation process. He explained his analytical framework for assessing opportunities and how he has created a unique niche for his business that positions him to secure projects that meet his overall criteria and appetite for risk.
Rick Mears, Vice President of Guest Services for the San Francisco Giants outlined how the Giants have built a unique fan-centered culture that pervades daily operations at AT&T Park and all aspects of the franchise. Mears talked about the practical aspects of instilling this focus on the fan experience from the top to the bottom of the organization and involved SNC students in a mock new hire orientation to bring the point home. Mears emphasized that "excellence is a choice" in business and personal life, and encouraged students to make that commitment.


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Ullrich Lorenz & Sylvia Veenhoff
Office of Sustainability Strategies and Scenarios, Federal Environment Agency, Wörlitzer Platz, Dessau, 06844 Germany (email: firstname.lastname@example.com; firstname.lastname@example.com)
Abstract: Making food production and consumption more sustainable is a highly complex venture, requiring varied policy instruments. While finding an integrated and coherent approach is difficult, the use of strategic foresight might help to fill the gap. This article presents the results of an extensive scenario-building process in which we searched for sustainable solutions regarding food production and consumption in various possible future contexts in Germany. First, so-called context scenarios were formulated to describe different developments beyond the control of the relevant players, but that might have a significant impact on food production and consumption. Second, strategic food scenarios were developed to examine a wide range of sustainable solutions. Finally, the context and strategic food scenarios were merged and assessed to provide policy makers with a helpful "reality check" on different strategy options and guidance in prioritization. We explain the underlying methodology and, after a brief discussion of the main advantages and limitations of our approach, we draw some conclusions for sustainable food-consumption policy, highlighting the important role of society.
Keyword: food consumption, sustainability, strategy, public policy
Citation: Lorenz U. & Veenhoff S. 2013. Integrated scenarios of sustainable food production and consumption in Germany. Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy 9(2):92-104. Published online Jul 29, 2013. http:///archives/vol9iss2/1206-026.lorenz.html
Making food production and consumption more sustainable is a highly complex venture. On a global scale, with 800 million people starving, food security is the key issue (Knickel, 2002; Wiegmann et al. 2005; Reisch et al. 2010; EEA, 2011; UNCSD, 2011). In Germany, where food is more abundant than ever before, and the variety is immense while prices are low, food security is not the problem. At the same time, consumers evince increasing unease about the ecological integrity of food. Pesticides in drinking water and wine, hormones and antibiotics in meat, salmonellae and nicotine in eggs, and preservatives and additives in food head the list of consumer concerns (Umweltbundesamt, 1998; 2010; Kessner, 2007; Du, 2012). It is the entire food-supply chain—from the field to the processor to the retailer to consumption to waste treatment and disposal—that creates huge environmental pressures and is far from being effectively addressed (Umweltbundesamt, 2002;Collins & Fairchild 2007; Virtanen et al. 2011). Wiegmann et al. (2005) show, for example, that in 2004 the stages and operations pertaining to food accounted for 16% of German greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, the same share as for mobility.
Food production and consumption have also been linked with negative health effects. Currently, no one can rule out a direct or indirect correlation between the increase in nutrition-related diseases (especially allergies and cardiovascular diseases) and pollutant residues in food, artificial food additives, and the high degree to which food is processed today (Kearney, 2010; Weiss, 2011; Zessner et al. 2011; Hermanussen et al. 2012; Lindeberg, 2012). Therefore, comprehensive action toward sustainable food production and consumption requires an understanding of the entire food-supply chain—and not only of agricultural structures and practices, but of trade and transportation systems (including global equity), the retailing and marketing of products, and finally, the complexities that motivate consumer demand, and the ways in which food is treated, processed, and disposed. In other words, in addition to the ecological, social, and economic aspects of food production and consumption, public health is an important part of enhancing the sustainability of the food sector (see Reisch et al. 2010).
As complex as the topic of sustainable food production and consumption is, just as varied are the available policy instruments to steer the food system toward more sustainable outcomes. Instruments typically applied are information-based, market-based, and regulatory (Lorek et al. 2008). Nevertheless, despite growing interest in sustainable food policies on the part of policy makers, an integrated and coherent approach has thus far been difficult to find. Many of the instruments are designed one-dimensionally for specific policy domains and do not recognize environmental and health tradeoffs (Reisch et al. 2011). Additionally, measures might lose their effectiveness or be postponed, when unexpected developments such as the collapse of global trade or weather catastrophes due to the onset of climate change shift political priorities (WEF, 2012). Strategic foresight can help to address this problem by providing an integrated vision of what a sustainable food system could look like in the future when shaped by different measures (Reisch et al. 2011).
This article presents the results of an extensive scenario-building process in which we searched for integrated solutions for sustainable food production and consumption in various possible future contexts. We refer to "integrated" here as the act of considering the entire food-supply chain in the scenario process and providing an overview of the full range of relevant technical and social innovations and ideas as well as stakeholder effects. As a first step in this project, we generated so-called context scenarios to describe possible developments beyond the control of the relevant players, but which might have a significant impact on food production and consumption. Second, we developed strategic food scenarios, which are scenarios that are shaped by the different players. The aim of the strategic food scenarios is to examine a wide range of sustainable solutions for food production and consumption. Sustainable solutions are those that move current patterns of food production and consumption toward being environmental friendly, healthy, accessible to all (also in a global perspective) and embedded in a stable economic system.
Obviously, not all possible options for sustainable food production and consumption would equally meet all criteria in the same way. This enables the representation of all potential sustainable solutions without a preselected and normative judgment about the optimal intervention, which can vary from player to player. And, finally, we evaluated the viability of "strategic food scenarios" under different context scenarios. As a result, we provide policy makers with an assessment regarding both the realization and robustness of each option. Reviewing strategic options against context scenarios has two objectives: to identify the robustness of each option (can a strategy option be realized in a particular context scenario?) and to evaluate its strategic significance (how important is a strategic option in a particular context scenario?). Hence, this method provides policy makers with a valuable "reality check" and supports them in prioritizing strategy options (van der Heijden 2003; Rhydderch & Alexander, 2009).
Project Design
Various authors divide studies of the future into three scenario categories: explorative (what can happen in the future?), predictive (what will happen?) and normative (how can a specific target be reached?) (Amara, 1981; Dreborg, 2004; Börjeson et al. 2006). This national case study applied the scenario-management approach developed by Fink & Siebe (2011), which is a type of exploratory scenario category that holds promise as a tool for policy development.
We selected the exploratory scenario option because our aim was to find out how the external environment around "sustainable food production and consumption" (the "context") might develop in the future. The same exploratory approach was applied to investigatepossible alternative solutions that move toward sustainable food production and consumption. Börjeson et al. (2006) use the terms "external scenarios" and "strategy scenarios" for these two types of exploratory undertakings, which, in our project, correspond with notions of "context scenarios" and "strategic food scenarios." We therefore divided the project into three phases: the development of context scenarios, the design of strategic food scenarios, and the implementation of an evaluation phase in which the strategic food scenarios were reviewed against the context scenarios.
Volkery et al. (2008) state that integrating multiple perspectives and different types of expertise in scenario processes helps to create well-founded, provocative scenarios that represent a wide range of possible futures. On the basis of this observation, the work in all three phases was done in a participatory way during a series of workshops. For both scenario types (context scenarios and strategic food scenarios), we assembled groups of experts who represented a broad range of expertise and viewpoints. The aim here was to increase the legitimacy of the scenario studies by extending the sources of information and knowledge and creating an environment conducive to organizational learning and change.
The context scenarios in the first instance were developed during two 1½-day workshops. Approximately thirty participants from politics, science, nongovernmental organizations, and business attended. The strategic food scenarios were then separately elaborated during two additional 1½-day workshops involving approximately twenty experts. Participants were chosen with expertise in agriculture, food processing, and retailing, as well as backgrounds in environmental, social, and health issues. Care was taken to include a balanced mix of innovative and alternative lifestyle representatives of civil society in addition to experts from business, academia, and politics. For the third stage, all of the participants from both previous scenario phases were invited to jointly discuss the implications of the merged scenarios.
Scenario Building
Many attempts to classify and streamline scenario-building methodologies can be found in the literature and there are several comprehensive overviews by Alcamo (2001), Börjeson et al. (2006), and Kosow & Gassner (2008). This article does not attempt to categorize the different approaches or discuss their merits or limitations. Instead, we focus on highlighting some general principles of scenario building and outline the methodology that we applied, the STEEP process, as we explain in Figure 1. This is based on the four-step approach described in Fink & Siebe (2011).
Figure 1 General scenario process in four steps (adapted from Fink & Siebe, 2011).
Step 1: System Analysis
All scenario projects must begin by scoping the scenario field, which means defining what exactly the subject of the scenario process is and where the boundaries of the system lie. After that, all aspects that have a certain influence on the scenario field—called influencing factors—are collected in a brainstorming phase. To achieve sufficiently broad consideration of all relevant aspects, the scenario field is systematically structured into different search spheres. The search process typically handles spheres on different system levels—global, national, and subject specific—and refers to different content-related spheres in society, technology, ecology, economy, and policy (STEEP) (e.g., Maack, 2001). The various influencing factors are selected partly by desktop research and partly through a participatory process in a multidisciplinary workshop. Using all of the influencing factors that are identified for developing scenarios, however, would be too complex and dilute the scenario story. Therefore, for this project, the aim was to select close to twenty influencing factors that were deemed to have the highest impact on the subject. To select these major influencing factors, called key factors, we employed a cross-impact matrix (CIM) in which all influencing factors were checked against each other with regard to causal relation (on a scale between 0 and 3). In a simple algorithm, we classified active (row-wise sum), passive (column-wise sum), and interconnected (active sum and passive sum combined) (Figure 2). Between 15 and 22 of the active and interconnected factors were chosen to be key factors after discussions in a workshop (Gausemeier et al. 1998; Godet, 2000; Villacorta et al. 2011.
Figure 2 Example of a simple cross-impact matrix and the corresponding graphical representation. The matrix is read from left to right: Factor A has no impact on Factor B, a small impact on Factor C and a relatively strong impact on Factor D. This kind of assessment is done for all factors considered. The result is shown on the right-hand side. The location of each factor depends on its active and passive sum (x-value/y-value) (Fink & Siebe, 2011).
Step 2: Development of Future Options
For each of the key factors, possible developments into the future—so-called future options based on the uncertainty of the factors—were identified, using a procedure analogous to that in Ogilvy & Schwartz (2004). First, relevant aspects for each key factor were collected and discussed in a participatory process with the aim of identifying the two most important ones. For both aspects, two different possible future developments were jointly defined; for example, "The importance of self-sufficiency could be either high or low in society and the share of individual contribution to the food supply could also be high or low." The crossing of two aspects with two developments at each end resulted in a portfolio with four different fields (see Figure 3).
Figure 3 Example of a portfolio of future options. "Importance of self-sufficiency in society" can be either low or high. The same applies to the share of individual contribution to food supply. Four combinations are built and described.
Each field is given an illustrative name and is called a future option. In cases where participants wanted to have a fifth future option in the portfolio, this was discussed and added. In the rare case that one of the portfolio fields was not plausible at all, only three future options were chosen. Finally, for each of the key factors, between three and five future options were available. Importantly, at that stage, the key factors were discussed individually and not in combination with other factors as occurs in scenario planning described by Ogilvy & Schwartz (2004). This procedure ensures that more imaginable or thinkable future options will be identified in a creative process (Fink & Siebe, 2011).Step 3: Scenario Development
To build credible and coherent scenarios, a consistency analysis was applied: optional future states of each key factor were checked pairwise with all other optional future states, applying a scale from –2 (these two developments cannot occur at the same time), –1 (can occur, but do not really make sense), 0 (mutual coexistence), +1 (makes sense), to +2 (mutual support, synergy). All scenario-workshop participants carried out this pairwise check for consistency. Ideally, this judgment should be made by consensus after deliberations within the group. Such discussions are often very time consuming, so that, alternatively, participants filled in a consistency matrix at home and deviations were discussed afterward among members of the group.
Having 22 key factors with four options each would mean over one trillion possible scenarios (422 combinations). A scenario is typically built on the basis of one option for each key factor and the aim is to identify those scenarios that are widely consistent. A software tool helps to identify all consistent combinations of options.1 Combinations classified as inconsistent (-2) are not further considered in the calculations, which substantially reduces the number of plausible scenarios, though a few thousand possible scenarios still remain. Some of them will only differ in one or two factors, while others will differ greatly. It is then possible to group these remaining scenarios in clusters according to their similarity (expressed as distances), which can be visualized by multidimensional scaling. With the help of this kind of automatic visualization, scenario clusters can be identified. The idea is to select the clusters most removed from each other so as to open up the scenario space as wide as possible. Every cluster (along with its characteristics) represents one scenario.Step 4: Analysis, Mapping, and Interpretation of Scenarios
In the fourth step, the scenarios were supplemented with descriptions. To ensure that we analyzed each scenario in more detail, we first asked the following questions: What are the main characteristics of the scenario? How does the scenario differ from the others? Who are the winners and losers? In a second step, the workshop participants evaluated all scenarios and we posited the following questions: Which of the scenarios were the "most similar to today"? Which of the scenarios are the ones we would like to see? Which scenario do we expect to actually happen?
The Resulting Scenarios
Context Scenarios
Context scenarios explore possible external settings in which sustainable food production and consumption must take place and that players and performers of sustainability policy cannot influence directly. A set of 22 key factors was chosen in a workshop (see Appendix A). For each of these elements, participants identified up to five options and checked for consistency. After calculation of all possible combinations, four consistent clusters of all plausible scenarios were finally selected and graphically represented. In Figure 4, we have grouped these four clusters in a cross, spanned by the dimensions "social inclusion/exclusion" and "economic stagnation/ growth" to reduce the complexity of the project results.
Figure 4 A simplified multidimensional scaling of context scenarios. The four scenarios are organized in a cross along the dimensions "social inclusion/exclusion" and "economic stagnation/growth."
Very short descriptions based on the plausible and coherent option bundles of each cluster follow. The workshop participants considered all of these scenarios to be possible options for future developments through 2040. It is important to note that these kinds of scenarios are not meant to be a prognosis (Fink & Siebe, 2011).Scenario 1: Sustainable Lifestyle
Health and sustainability are the predominant values in society. The economy is prospering and social cohesion is high, developments made possible by a culture of openness and responsibility. Materialistic values are no longer in the foreground. People are predominantly oriented around LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) and consume with a notable sense of responsibility (the concept of LOHAS was developed by Ray & Anderson, 2001). These values are reflected in global network policies: there is intensive international cooperation. Climate change is occurring, but the national consequences are manageable.2
Scenario 2: Regional Togetherness
People in Germany take responsibility for themselves. Groups and communities organize their lives on their own in a crisis-like environment. Globally, people are poor and face environmental threats. Economic growth as a goal has become irrelevant. People act locally and regionally while materialistic values are of minor interest. Technological innovations operate in the background and environmental protection is mainly driven by sufficiency and partly by consistency strategies (for a definition of "sufficiency" and "consistency strategies," see e.g., Huber (2000)). Efficiency plays a minor role in this scenario.
Scenario 3: Alone Against the World
All circumstances point to a serious crisis: environmental degradation is progressing and international cohesion is weak. This leads to a national and individual reorientation with a quest for maximum profit. The state takes care of its people at a very low level, adopting a dominant and authoritarian role. Profit maximization endangers global society. In such a setting, sustainability plays a minor role. People are acting as individuals in a setting of low social cohesion warding off a dominant state.
Scenario 4: Two-class Society
A materialistic and economic orientation dominates society. Solidarity plays no role—productivity and efficiency are the guiding principles. Society is divided into poor and affluent classes. The economy is widely based on manufacturing finished goods (second sector) and exports. Both the primary sector (production of raw material and basic foods) and the tertiary sector (service industry) play a minor role in Germany. Global policy is oriented toward access to necessary resources. The whole setting is dominated by strong economic and political forces. Environmental protection is not important at all.
Evaluation of the Context Scenarios
All workshop participants assessed which of the scenarios were the "most similar to today, which they would like to see, and which they expected to witness. The result is visualized in Figure 5. In the view of the participants, conditions in Germany today—in the light of the financial crisis—are most similar to Scenario 3 (Alone Against the World). Pessimists expected that we would dive deeper into this scenario, while optimists expected Germany to move toward a healthy and sustainable lifestyle (Scenario 1). Interestingly, none of the participants expected to see regional togetherness or a two-class society (Scenarios 2 and 4). The desired future, though, is mainly shown in Scenarios 1 (Sustainable Lifestyles) and Scenario 2 (Regional Togetherness)—so it stands in contrast to the current situation in terms of social cohesion. However, all of these scenarios were considered plausible futures in which sustainable food production and consumption "must" take place.
Figure 5 Visualization of context scenarios. "Today" is seen to be similar to Scenario 3. Two scenarios are expected: a positive future with economic growth and more social cohesion and a more negative future with even greater social exclusion and a stagnant economy.
Strategic Food Scenarios
To build strategic food scenarios for sustainable food production and consumption, eighteen key factors (see Appendix B) were identified in a workshop with eighteen participants from universities, business, agriculture, nongovernmental organizations, and the state environmental agency. These participants had expertise in public health, food production and retailing, urban farming, permaculture, food waste, slow food, consumer advice, sociology, and ecology.
As was the case for the context scenarios, for each of these key factors, the participants worked out possible—but only sustainable—future developments. Each of the alternatives is thought to be more sustainable than the situation today, but of course the degree can differ from option to option. The results were also clustered and graphically represented after multidimensional scaling (Figure 6). Seven clusters of strategic food scenarios representing possible alternatives for future sustainable food production and consumption were chosen.
Figure 6 Multidimensional scaling of sustainable food scenarios. This representation has been slightly modified and simplified from the original output to make it more illustrative.
To better understand the differences, the seven strategic food scenarios are grouped as ranging from global orientation to local focus (vertical axes). We can also distinguish who the central players are in designing sustainability: in the upper half of the illustration, it is the customer who demands more sustainable food production, trading, and consumption (who is actively aware about health and sustainable food options). In the lower part of the illustration, the drivers of sustainable development are either the economy (agriculture, the food industry, and the retailers) or public authorities. In the following sections, we describe the seven strategic food scenarios in more detail.
Scenario 1: Public Sector Takes Care of You
A clear division of labor and responsibility is established in this scenario. Hardly anyone prepares food or eats at home. Public cafeterias, bistros, and cafes are widely available and public authorities ensure that food production is healthy and efficient with respect to the use of resources. Where possible, regional and seasonal food is prepared in a sustainable way (e.g., closed resource cycles, socially friendly). Agricultural production is mainly organic, and diets include only small proportions of meat. Trade plays a minor role and only takes place between regions, not internationally. Smaller-scaled agriculture is therefore established, supervised, and managed by public authorities. Indeed, the main driver for sustainability is the public authority.
Scenario 2: Self-sufficiency or Back to the Roots—Only on a Higher Level
The food industry is marginalized. Food production and preparation is in the hands of the consumer. Agricultural production is organized in small units, even in houses and/or urban gardens, and depends on intensive social communication and networking. However, basic products like cereals are still produced on a larger scale outside of metropolitan areas. The entire production of food and agricultural goods is oriented toward regional and local consumption rather than global trade. The main driver for sustainability is the autonomous and self-sufficient society. Efficiency is not the dominant principle, but instead development is guided by sufficiency and ecological principles. Slower turnover and the closure of resource cycles reduce environmental pressures.
Scenario 3: Think Global, Act Local
The food industry has been required to adapt. The consumer is competent and aware, and demands healthy and sustainable (e.g., fair, regional, organic) products. Preparing meals at home is an important part of daily life; therefore, regional production and markets experience a renaissance. People accept regionally available food, while convenience and prepared food is less in demand than today. Agriculture has a regional focus, with innovations accepted and applied insofar as they support organic farming. Transboundary import/export, especially over long distances, does not take place on any major scale. The main driver for sustainability is the orientation and knowledge of consumers, whose informed purchasing decisions create regional markets.
Scenarios 4/5: Organic Products Made in Germany and It's My Choice
The food industry, distributors, and consumers share responsibility for sustainability in these two scenarios. Consumers are conscious about nutrition and food quality and are highly ecologically sensitive. For this reason, higher prices are widely accepted. Self-sufficiency plays no role in food production—mainly because there is no time and no need for it. Food producers must comply with sustainability standards to succeed in the market. Organic fast food and organic convenience food are the choice in "Organic Products Made in Germany," while in "It's My Choice" people take time to cook and eat at home, which is the main difference between these two scenarios. Agriculture is innovative in both cases and organic farming is standard practice, even on a large scale. Technology and renewable energy help make organic food available all year round, with imports limited to the necessary minimum. The main drivers for sustainability are both the demand for and the supply of sustainable products. Economy and society are the main players.
Scenario 6: Innovations
The food industry implements radical innovations in food production and distribution so that energy consumption and GHG emissions are low. Public health and animal welfare issues are no longer concerns. Consumers are trustful of controls and of the self-commitment of the food-production chain. They enjoy inexpensive convenience food and having meals with family and friends is an important part of everyday life. Elements of self-sufficiency do not play a role in this scenario. Agriculture is very efficient in terms of energy consumption and operates with a high level of productivity. The main driver for sustainability is efficiency due to (technological) innovations and the main player is industry in general.
Scenario 7: Global Economy Sets the Framework
The food industry is booming. Consumers prefer convenience food and one of the main criteria is price. Products are imported from wherever they are inexpensive. Due to this particular priority, all kinds of food are available all year round. Time and cost are the key issues for both producers and consumers. Labeling and state control ensure that health and sustainability standards are fully met. Agricultural production in other countries is far more efficient than in Germany, so German farmers focus on energy and fiber crops and food is mainly imported. In economic terms, this is the most beneficial division of labor. The main driver for sustainability is efficiency due to the highly effective division of labor and optimization supported by incentivizing policies and strong economic interests.
Evaluation of the Scenarios by the Scenario Development Group
All of the participants in the scenario workshops were again asked to evaluate the scenarios' probability, desirability, and similarity to today's situation. Resemblance to contemporary conditions does not imply that the current system is already sustainable, but it illuminates which strategic food scenario already exists in rudimentary form. This evaluation was visualized on a map of the future (Figure 7).
Figure 7 Mapping of "similar to today," "expected" (orange area), and "desired" (green area) strategic food scenarios. The circled numbers show the strategic food scenarios described above.
The expected future and the current situation nearly align while the desired future is rather distant. The experts who were part of the consultation envision a current orientation toward a global economy and little consumer autonomy. They do not expect this to change, but they would like consumers to be more empowered and to desire a stronger regional and local orientation.
Sustainable Solutions in Different Contexts
After the expert participants developed context scenarios and strategic food scenarios, the two were reviewed against each other. The objective of this exercise was to learn how the strategic food scenarios might work in each context scenario. In practical terms, this meant first looking at the portfolio of the four context scenarios along their dimensions "social inclusion/exclusion" and "economic growth/ stagnation" (see Figure 4).
As shown in Figure 8, we then allocated, in a discursive process, the strategic food scenarios into this portfolio. "Social exclusion" plays a major role in Scenarios 1, 5, 6, and 7 while "Social inclusion" is prominent in Scenarios 2, 3, and 4.
Figure 8 Merged context scenario crossed with strategic food scenarios along the dimensions "economic growth/stagnation" and "social inclusion/exclusion."
The allocation of strategic food scenarios to economic development (steady state vs. growth) opens up room for more discussion and insight. "Economic development" is not an explicit factor in the strategic food scenarios. Trade, retailing, source of resources, and innovations, however, are implicitly connected to the economic system. In that light, some of the strategic food scenarios "require" economic growth while others might also work under conditions of crisis, though the interpretation is different. In the following two subsections, we discuss how a given strategic food scenario could be interpreted in a particular economic setting. We also reflect on which players will be the main drivers for sustainability.
Solutions in a Context of Economic Stagnation/ Recession
Strategic Food Scenarios 4 (It's My Choice), 5 (Organic Products Made in Germany), 6 (Innovation), and 7 (Global Economy Sets the Framework) require a high level of economic activity and consumption. A sustainable food strategy mainly based on trade, innovation, and technology would not be a realistic option under uncertain economic conditions. Scenario 6 might fit when innovation is used as an engine for triggering economic development (by increasing debt, most probably).
Scenario 1 (Public Sector Takes Care of You) could be a solution that fits exactly to the negative conditions described in Context Scenario 3 (Social Inclusion/Economic Crisis). The public sector is the last anchor for civil society and national industry. This solution tries to maintain the structures needed in the food sector to guarantee the population a basic food supply. When the economy is down and people become destitute, the state takes care of them as a social measure, using what we know today as soup kitchens and food pantries. Environmental relief comes mainly from the low production and consumption volumes. People have little interest in sustainability values, although the footprint of poorer people is significantly smaller (Borgstedt et al. 2011). It would be very expensive, though, if the public sector "took care." This scenario does not therefore seem to be very stable because it means a vicious circle of debt both for the people and the state. Social order would be endangered and the reactions of the state could be authoritarian or the state could even collapse leading to anarchistic conditions. Both alternatives have a high potential for violence and are the basic ideas of sustainability. In light of the financial crisis, one can get a small sense of this scenario by looking at countries like Greece, where such conditions are already manifest.
If, in an extreme variant, the public sector is not able to guarantee social welfare anymore (due to a lack of public money, dissolving institutional structures, or the like), no other option seems available—except for people to start to work together and help themselves as described in Scenario 2 (Self-sufficiency). This scenario, however, would require a different context of social inclusion and economic stagnation. We would be moving from Context 3 (Alone Against the Rest of the World) and Context 4 (Two-class Society) to Context 2 (Regionally Together). Here, civil society takes a leading role, people are forming small groups and in general social cohesion is high. This is a natural process of human adaptive capabilities and will to survive as experienced, for example, after the Second World War when there was hardly any formal economic activity and people had to develop their capacity for self-sufficiency.
While this is an extreme example, it does map out a pathway. When the economy becomes unstable or is stagnant, people start fending for themselves, including producing their own food, a process than can create conditions for social solidarity, mechanisms of simple exchange trade, and closer cooperation. Such effects can often be seen in regions where industries break down completely. People start taking matters into their own hands by building gardens, forming communities, and reorienting themselves to regional and local markets, as has been visible in Detroit in recent years (see also Conner et al. 2008; Dubuisson-Quellier & Lamine, 2008; Hemphill & Leskowitz, 2012).
Solutions in a Context of Economic Growth
Strategic Food Scenarios 4 (It's My Choice) and 5 (Organic Products Made in Germany) certainly require a positive economic setting, because industry and trade are very "active," balanced by the power of the consumer. Economic growth is not explicitly needed, but then again economic stagnation or recession would make these scenarios impossible. Additionally, society is neither divided nor community-based.
Strategic Food Scenarios 6 (Innovation) and 7 (Global Economy Sets the Framework) have a strong focus on economic growth and global expansion. Interestingly, the German government seems to favor this strategy, most notably in the report National Research Strategy Bioeconomy 2030 that has the aim of securing the global food supply (Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 2011). Additionally, workshop participants rated this scenario as being "similar to today" (see Figure 5). This setting requires stable global political conditions and no trade barriers or comparable obstacles. Comparable circumstances are described in Chambers et al. (2007), Brunner (2009),and Belz & Schmidt-Riediger (2010).
We already described Strategic Food Scenario 2 (Self-sufficiency) in a context of economic stagnation. But it can also be thought to take place in favorable economic conditions, under which this scenario reflects the free will to "do it yourself" and to "take care of yourself." Evidence of such a development can be found in, for example, Hemphill & Leskowitz (2012) who interviewed ten "do it yourself activists." Recent work by Van Timmeren et al. (2004), Hirsch et al. (2010), and Aiken (2012) supports this idea of developments toward self-sufficiency. In the long run, we will see how the food industry reacts. It is likely that such a huge sector will conduct very strong campaigns against self-sufficiency because of the potential loss of market share. In the best case—from the point of view of sustainability—a strong demand for sustainable products might stimulate a change of production methods and product portfolio. Currently, there is no clear picture or vision of how society might function if the majority of people tried to be independent of an efficient division of labor. The question remains if such a scenario could ever be mainstreamed.
Strategic Food Scenario 3 (Think Global, Act Local), described as a regional option, is based on strong communities. Therefore, we consider it to be relatively stable and resilient. We do not see in this case neoliberal economic growth or economic recession in extreme forms. This strategic food scenario will "work" in different economic settings and will stabilize society with a regional or local focus.
The use of scenarios should be advantageous to stakeholders for two reasons: they open the mind (of a group) to possible future developments and enable thinking about topics in all their complexity in a systematic fashion. In the scenario-management approach, these two benefits are achieved as follows: options are built out of all key factors with no limitation or condition in mind, and consistencies are checked between two factors at once pairwise, which reduces complexity for the stakeholder (see also Halford et al. 2005). Computer software helps to develop scenarios with maximum consistency and plausibility. An expert panel analyzes the interdependencies of the factors and crystallizes them into a concise scenario story. Lively and, to a certain extent, controversial discussions in the workshop situations prepare the ground for creative solutions and outcomes.
Of course, the scenario-management approach also has some limitations. One lies in the need for software to help formulate the scenarios consistently. Moreover, filling in the relevant matrices is a very time-consuming and demanding process. The overall time commitment of scenario management is greater than in scenario planning or other normative methods, because one needs to fill in, calculate, evaluate, and interpret the consistencies. One major drawback is common to all scenario methodologies: the scenarios always belong to the group that worked them out. The quality of any scenario process is thus determined by the preparation of the content, the selection of participants, and the transparency and reproducibility of the outcomes (Maack, 2001).
Differentiation between context scenarios and strategic food scenarios enables parts of the work to be reused. In our project, the context scenarios will also be applied to different strategic scenarios in other topic areas, such as sustainable housing or sustainable leisure activities. In the future, additional themes might be evaluated and assessed against these contexts, which will give a rather consistent picture and will enable the context scenarios to serve as a more generic tool.
This process of differentiation also helps to identify and classify strategies as either relatively robust or focused. By definition, robust strategies are less sensitive to uncertainty about the future, while focused strategies might be more effective reaching the underlying goals but are sensitive to changes in the future. For risk-averse policy makers, robust strategies can be expected to perform reasonably well, at least compared to the alternatives, even if society and policy are confronted with surprises or catastrophes. Robust strategies may also offer a more solid basis for consensus on political action among stakeholders with different views of the future, because such strategies can provide reasonable outcomes no matter whose view proves correct (Rhydderch & Alexander, 2009). A conclusion of this study is that current political strategy is exclusively dependent on economic prosperity and that there is no robust strategy which performs well in all context scenarios. We discovered, however, that more solidarity and empowerment of consumers are the most robust elements in the strategic food scenarios, which might lead to more sustainability under both favorable and unfavorable economic conditions.
In recent work, Reisch et al. (2011) stated that a coherent framework bringing together policy instruments (e.g., information-based, market-based, regulatory, self-commitment) and environmental, economic, and societal contexts is still lacking. Our approach might contribute to filling exactly this gap. Scenarios exploring the relevant context and merging these with strategic options has proven to be a useful instrument supporting the development and evaluation of political strategies, especially in the highly complex field of sustainability.
The project was funded by the German Federal Environment Ministry, Contract Number FKZ-3710 11 162. The full German report is available at http://www. umweltdaten.de/publikationen/fpdf-l/4425.pdf. We would like to thank Andreas Fink and Hannah Rammig from SCMI AG for conducting the project and Gunilla Zedigh for proofreading during the editing process. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the German Federal Environment Agency.
Notes1 Scenario Manager™ developed and maintained by ScMI AG.
2 It must be acknowledged that this scenario is not really sustainable from a global perspective as climate change would have severe consequences globally and also the LOHAS strategy is disputable in terms of its effectiveness. The participants named the scenario.
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Provided by Simeon Lawrence
SALT LAKE CITY — You may know them as the artists and producers of "Teach Me How to Jimmer," a hip-hop song that generated more than 1 million views on YouTube a year ago.
Feel Good Music Coalition, the independent label that released the song, has officially been on the Utah music scene since May 2010, appearing unofficially four years before that.
Like many other indie labels, Feel Good Music Coalition uses the Internet as its primary promotional tool, but the music it produces demonstrates a unique philosophy on media.
"We really stress no vulgar or explicit content," said Simeon Lawrence, the creator of Feel Good Music Coalition.
All artists associated with the label that were interviewed agreed: The label's chief goal is to create "real life" music that connects with people and leaves them better than they were before. Part of fulfilling that mission means following the rules against vulgarity and sexually explicit content. But mostly, it means writing about things people can relate to and benefit from.
"Kristy (Uzelac) is a cancer survivor. Definit (Sean Curran) was addicted to drugs and is clean now," Lawrence said, referring to two artists in Feel Good Music, "They have amazing stories people need to hear."
St. Louis-native Kristy Uzelac was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2000, when she was only 20 years old. Although she had been involved in music all her life, it wasn't until then that Uzelac started to learn guitar.
"It opened my eyes. I asked myself, 'Am I really doing what I want to do? Why wait?'" Uzelac said. "I got a guitar for Christmas from my brother who knew I wanted to play. It's what helped me get through the emotional battle of dealing with cancer and I knew this was my outlet for getting through anything in life. "
After Uzelac beat the cancer, she kept up the music. She met Lawrence years later when she was practicing a song with his roommate. Lawrence heard her singing and was impressed, so Uzelac invited him to her upcoming performance. Shortly thereafter he asked her to sing with him on his own CD. She's been a part of Feel Good Music ever since.
"I have an emotional attachment (to music). If I'm sad, I grab my guitar. If I'm happy, I grab my guitar," Uzelac said. "It's really about expressing myself. I want listeners to feel (my music). I'm putting my heart, everything, on paper."
When Sean Curran, whose stage name is "Definit," writes music, he is very candid about what his life was like when he was suffering from drug addiction and how he got clean.
"Originally when I started writing, it was about overcoming that kind of stuff and a lot of stories about the life I used to live and the life I changed into. Not from a point of glamorizing that life, because there was no glamor," Curran said. "It was painful, it was deadly; I hurt a lot of people. When I talk about it in my songs, it's not, 'Oh, that was fun,' it's 'I'm glad I'm not there anymore because it almost killed me.'"
Curran grew up in Orem, Utah, and got addicted to drugs in high school. He struggled with his addiction for years until finally overcoming it in 2004. He's now happily married and studying psychology at Utah Valley University with plans to work with youths or adults struggling with drug addiction. Because he is so open about his prior addiction, he's met people looking for help or advice in their own struggles that he may not have met otherwise.
He has a special perspective on media values and the power of music, having been on both sides of the music influence.
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Introduction to emergency management
by Michael K. Lindell
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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0471772607, Paperback)The recent devastation caused by tsunamis, hurricanes and wildfires highlights the need for highly trained professionals who can develop effective strategies in response to these disasters. This invaluable resource arms readers with the tools to address all phases of emergency management. It covers everything from the social and environmental processes that generate hazards to vulnerability analysis, hazard mitigation, emergency response, and disaster recovery.
(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:13:19 -0400)
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While mingling at a party for incoming faculty in 2007, English professor George Edmondson and German studies professor Klaus Mladek got to talking about melancholy. Seven years later, that conversation has grown into an idea for their forthcoming book, "A Politics of Melancholia," and earned them a prestigious award and thousands of dollars in funding. Last week, the American Council of Learned Societies announced that the pair had been selected as one of eight teams of 2014 collaborative research fellows.
"We just thought about what figure annoys the left and the right the most," Mladek said. "That figure is the melancholic because it doesn't like to enlist in movements, is not hopeful, is not an activist and he annoys pretty much everyone."
The fellowship is designed to support small groups of humanities scholars collaborating on research projects, though Mladek said it is unusual for the council to select recipients from the same institution. Of the eight pairs selected as 2014 fellows, Edmondson and Mladek were one of only two groups of scholars chosen from the same institution.
Edmondson and Mladek also applied for the fellowship last year but were not selected. The professors said reading the feedback on their first application helped them revise their proposal.
"It forced us to go back to the drawing board, revise, make things a little tighter and work out the relationship between melancholia and how it manifests in contemporary America," Edmondson said.
The professors began work in their shared office where, after many back-and-forth discussions, they wrote together on one computer.
After hours of writing, Edmondson would revise their work, he said. Mladek would then "deepen" the argument, and the manuscript would go back to Edmondson to craft and mold the arguments.
Edmondson joked that the project will be "worth reading" because of Mladek and "readable" because of him.
This initial process, Edmondson said, was unproductive, exhausting and occasionally demoralizing. They now meet twice a week to discuss ideas, but either Edmondson or Mladek is in charge of writing each chapter.
Increasing efficiency will allow them to finish the project within the fellowship's yearlong duration, they said.
Edmondson and Mladek said that the political and economic aspects of their work have led them to ask colleagues in different departments for feedback.
"They have very different methodologies, they have certain protocols, professional standards and very different ways to answer the same question," Edmondson said.
This type of close cross-departmental collaboration is not uncommon at Dartmouth, he said, noting that faculty pursue their research interests by establishing strong ties with colleagues in other fields. Though these collaborations often involve links between similar disciplines like government and history or economics, they have also brought together professionals from seemingly disparate fields like government and computer science.
Government professor Yusaku Horiuchi said he strongly supports cross-departmental collaboration, which he believes is fostered by the College's small size. Horiuchi recently worked with history professor Jennifer Miller on a research paper about Japan's rapid economic growth from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Government department chair John Carey said he has worked with economists at the London School of Economics and a Dartmouth computer scientist from the Neukom Institute of Computational Science on research projects.
Carey added, however, that he believes that interdisciplinary work often becomes "fetishized."
"As soon as you get institutions in place there is something romantic about not being constrained by those institutions," he said. "So we like to think about ourselves as rebels against the system."
Although interdisciplinary collaboration can be constructive, Carey said he does not agree that disciplines are inherently constraining.
"A Politics of Melancholia" will be published by the end of winter 2017, Edmondson said.


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Racing reindeer in Sweden didn't quite pan out for our pros, so when the "Nitro Circus Live" crew hits the Austrian Alps on the next episode, they favor some man-made machinery in lieu of Santa's furry friends in hopes it'll yield better — and faster — results. Always ready for competition, the adventurous gang decides to drag race in a mad dash to the finish, but this ain't your grandma's "Grease"-style race, and it's not RuPaul's kind of "Drag Race" either. We've got ourselves a "Nitro" original!
In the sneak peek below, the teams of three have one man on a snowmobile, one skiing behind and one poor sucker at the end, holding on for dear life. The hangers-on do their best to remain upright, but within seconds, Jolene Van Vugt and "Special" Greg wipe out and disappear into the powdery abyss. Jo gives a quick fist-pump to signal she's fine, and Gregg Godrey's team wins. Man, "Nitro" girl just can't catch a break!
Check out the
competition and tune in to new episodes of "Nitro Circus Live" Tuesdays at 11/10c on MTV2!
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Though they live in Washington D.C., Courtney and Blair both grew up in California, so a San Francisco wedding made perfect sense. Says Courtney (a Snippet & Ink bride!), "We were enamored with the idea of inviting our friends to San Francisco for Labor Day weekend so they could get a chance to experience the city. With that in mind, we felt the Presidio was the perfect way to reflect San Francisco and California history."
200 guests joined the couple to celebrate their nuptials, and Matt from Our Labor of Love captured the day beautifully…
Says Courtney: One of the more difficult aspects of planning a San Francisco wedding is just how unpredictable the weather is. We chose Labor Day weekend because it tends to be one of the driest times of year. We were even more excited when the entire week was sunny and warm! But, like it does in San Francisco, the fog and wind rolled in on our wedding day. And I have to say, once we got our pictures back, I was so happy it did, because the pictures of the fog covered Golden Gate Bridge and of my bridesmaids and me being blown about in Pacific Heights are some of my favorites.
As a surprise to Blair, his mom arranged to have a bagpiper play our recessional as we walked out of the church. I was watching his face the whole way down the aisle to see when he'd realize what was going on!
I think one of the great things about weddings is that sometimes the unplanned aspects can be the most special or memorable. We had arranged for a mariachi band to play for our entrance, but there was a miscommunication and they left too early. Our amazing DJ was quick on his feet and picked out the Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" for our entrance. Then, at the end of the night he played it as our last song and all the guests formed a circle around us and slowly closed in on us until we were all in a huge group hug. It definitely wasn't planned but it was one of the most memorable moments!
I love that Courtney and Blair let their venues direct style choices, without being too theme-y. Courtney says, "We loved the mission-style architecture of the chapel and the surrounding buildings and tried to reflect its style in our invitations, music (mariachis), cuisine (our midnight snack was churros and jamon sliders), and decor. Also, I chose a dress with a lot of lace to sort of echo the Spanish feel."
Photography: Matt Miller for Our Labor of Love
Ceremony venue: Main Post Chapel in the Presidio, San Francisco
Reception venue: Golden Gate Club in San Francisco
Bride's dress: Monique Lhuillier purchased at Carine's Bridal in Washington D.C.
Bridesmaid dresses: J.Crew and Bella Bridesmaid
Groom's suit: Brooklyn Tailors
Stationery: Kathleen Designs (From the bride: "I first saw Kathleen's own invitations on A Cup of Jo and thought they were some of the coolest invites I'd ever seen. I am so happy I contacted her because she created custom letterpress invites for us that perfectly captured the mood of the whole event and were so affordable that we ended up asking her to create menus, programs, and even thank you cards.")
Flowers: Grace Street Florals
Catering: Grace Street Catering
DJ: Ron Grandia
Congratulations Courtney and Blair! Thanks so much for sharing all of the wonderful details of your wedding, and thank you to Our Labor of Love for sending over these beautiful photos.
Bella Bridesmaid is a sponsor of Snippet & Ink.
jacin {lovely little details} /
ellen /
ArticulateArt /
The ring and dresses are lovely, and the bouquet looks very special compared to the other more common ones! Really nice pictures!
artdecodiamonds /
i LOVE YOUR PICS.. AND LOVE THE ANTIQUE RING.. THANKS FOR SHARING.
Plum Pretty Sugar Loungerie /
Love how this seems to naturally flow!
Kamie /
So pretty! I love her dress and the blue bridesmaid dresses!!
Suzanne /
It was such a special time — for all of us! Love these photos and Courtney's commentary!
Emma /
Every detail is absolutely stunning. Now that's a wedding with a lot of beauty AND soul!
artdecodiamonds /
I love the sapphire ring… just lovely!
Amy /
Unforgettable and joyous — a magnificent day!!
Rachel – theWeddingVine /
The bride looks beautiful! Gorgeous wedding!
Ron Grandia /
Wow! The photos are STUNNING! Now I can't wait to see some video. Thanks again, Courtney and Blair.
(By the way, I made a time-lapse of the dancefloor. The group-hug at the end is really cool. http://bit.ly/icgtTr )
Jenna /
What a beautiful SF wedding. I especially love the Mariachi Band! I've been looking for one as well, who did you hire?
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Add-on:Movie Quiz
From Kodi
|Movie Quiz
|Movie Quiz
Test your wit and skill against all the information on your movie and TV-shows stored inside XBMC.
- Can you tell which movie is playing from a ten seconds clip?
- Do you know the actors by appearance?
- Any idea when your favorite TV show was first aired?
You will get these questions, and a lot more, all presented nicely with movie clips, actor photos, cover art, etc.
More information, comments, support on the forums:
To install this add-on you must do so from the Add-on manager from within Kodi by going to:
- Settings
- Add-ons
- Install from repository (v15/v16) / Get add-ons (v14)
- Kodi add-on repository
- Program Add-ons
- Movie Quiz
- Install


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Henry Baughman Sr. once built his family a tennis court on their farm in Stanford. Now, 60 years later, one was built in his son's name.
Lindsey Wilson College officially opened the Henry Baughman Tennis Complex with a ceremony on Oct. 8. The $425,000 project included expanding the courts from three to six, and adding lights, bleachers and a new playing surface.
Baughman made the lead gift to help fund the huge upgrade, and with his legendary tennis career was given the naming rights of the complex.
After 20 grueling weeks of high school football in Kentucky, including 15 weeks of Friday night games, the finals of the state playoffs are set for this weekend.
When the Eminence High School football players were dropping like flies with all the late-season injuries, Eminence basketball coach Chris Nethery was clenching his teeth.
Secretly, I was too.
More than half of the football players finished the year injured, and with most of those players playing both sports, Nethery is left trying to put the pieces back together.
It's typical at a school the size of Eminence, but is worse this year. Nethery described the scene as the most injuries he has had to start a basketball season.
Henry County Middle School eighth-grader Mason Fish was cleared to play from a shoulder blade injury he suffered in October, and was a late addition to the East roster of the Kentucky Middle School Football Association All-Star Classic on Sunday, giving Henry County three total players.
Fish joined Eminence teammates Austin Jones and Justin Mitchell in the second annual all-star game for the best middle school footballers in Kentucky. This marked the first time HCMS had a representative, while Corey Roberts represented EMS in the inaugural game last year.
Wednesday, December 1
Eastern Elementary SBDM Council will meet at 4:30 p.m. in the school library.
Thursday, December 2
Free adult scrapbooking offered at the Eminence Community Life Center from 10 a.m. until noon on Thursdays.
If you visited our Website over the weekend, you may have noticed something different.
It was a brief, unintentional unveiling of our new platform. As the platform wasn't supposed to debut until Dec. 4, the old website was put back up almost as soon as we noticed the faux pas.
There's no denying that our soon-to-be old website left quite a bit to be desired. In fact, we were more than a little embarrassed by it. It was not the professional product we wanted to deliver to you.
Sheriff's Department Arrests
Barbara C. Tipton, failure to appear, arrested by Rick Nelson on 11/19.
Jonathan Harris, 2nd degree burglary, 2nd degree PFO, arrested by Rick Nelson on 11/19.
Ricky A. Carter, 2 counts of 1st degree possession of a controlled substance, possession drug paraphernalia, operating under the influence, 3rd degree criminal trespass, 1st degree persistent felony offender, arrested by Rick Nelson on 11/19.
We just celebrated the Thanksgiving season, and I've heard many folks talking about the good visits they had with family and friends. Personally, that's what I'm most thankful for. Here in Henry County, we were thankful for the abundant rains which fell last Wednesday and Thursday. More on that rain in a moment.
It's pretty easy to gain 5-10 pounds from Thanksgiving through New Year's. Big holiday meals, parties and open houses, and candies, cookies and rolls are more available at home, work and school. All promote weight gain, and pair that with less time for exercise... well, you see the problem.
Underage drinking plagues our communities with property damage, an increase in crime, personal injury, and even death. The youth who engage in underage drinking generally do not set out to create mayhem. They believe drinking just means a good time. They don't' think about the future or fully understand the chance of negative consequences with their actions.
Copyright © 2016
The Henry County Local is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Eminence, KY and the surrounding area.


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Product Information
Important Sizing Note: The following measurements are the dimensions of the actual product, not of the pet they fit. After measuring your pet, make sure all measurements fit within the following dimensions (with a little room to spare in the chest and neck).X-Small
Very cute, fit is great .
Winston loves his tank and likes to high 5 everyone when he wears it.
Perfect, we love it :-)
This tank is great for any American Holiday!
Cute and well made. Makes a perfect shirt for my Therapy Dog to wear to the War Vets Home on Memorial Day.
just right for 4th of july. made well and fits great.
Adorable way for my pup to show her patriotism. Very well made. Soft and well fitting.
love everything american
Excellent, well made shirt that holds up after many washes. The large size fits well on my American Hairless Terrier who has a big chest and it is perfect protection against the sun as it covers his back from neck to tail!


text: Thank you for stopping by Christos Marketplace - Your source for Greek Specialty Foods and other European foods. We carry the largest selection of fine Greek foods and the most popular foods and brands from other countries in Europe. Wherever you are located, Let us be your local Greek & Euro Market available anywhere in the US or Canada.


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Greetings everyone !
I hope I'm posting in the right section. If not, a word and I'll move my post to a more appropriate place
I'm submitting for your appreciation a personal project I'm working on for the paintball players community I practice with (LARP/Milsim type paintball games), intended to become both a referencing tool for teams wishing to meet other teams and communities, experiment new fields, and fot organizers to help set up large scale campaings.
_ All based on a hexagon-shaped grid, I've isolated eleven field types, from Wasteland (junkyards, or recycled scraps obstacles) to deep forest, and even indoor or caves (yep, we have that type of fields to play in !!).
_ Each paintball field, wether kindly lent/rented by the owner, or professionnal field, would be described as a cluster of hexagons, based on a rough size estimate, and on its variety, each hexagon showing the type of ground the field has to offer.
_ All these clusters (I intend to reference as many fields as possible) are then to be gathered on a main grid, showing both said fields, and teams location (by its logo/patch or other means).
_ Once this is done, the map, main grid in itself would have to become kind of interactive (still working on a how/what with a computer engineer friend of mine), so any member could click and get intel on the team he wishes to challenge (number of players, type of favourite ground, special characters and so on), and propose a field for said challenge.
I can conceive the amount of work this project involves, but I've been in the paintball playing game since around 4/5 years ago, and organizing scene since about the same time (got the virus right away I might add ...) and I feel now that my knowledge of different fields and people I was led to meet allows me to either do it on my own, or invite organizers friends of mine in the journey, provided all the tools are in place. It's an ambitious project, but don't we need that to drive us ?
So here's what I got so far :
_ In terms of field classifications :
Let's note that all types aren't complete yet, the white doodles are just sketches I drew in my pocket notebook and scanned to fill in blanks. Anyways, it gives a general idea of how the layout would be. Also, I'm thinking of dropping the "field limit" entry, maybe switching it to something else, or making it white, given the dark background. Not sure yet ...
I just realized that forest and deep forest don't look that different when cropped down to a low resolution. I've been working too close to the details and didn't seem to pay enough attention to the overall readability of the tiles. I'll have to fix that ...
So far, just two types of field have been done, regular/mixed forest (and its twin, deep forest) and pinetrees forest (again, with its dense twin) :
Plain, regular forest :
Dense, deep forest :
Fairly spaced pinetrees (often encountered) :
Denser pinetrees
_ What the full grid looks like once all tiles would be assembled :
_ And a rough preview of what the map would look like in the end (not quite sure yet, it is bound to have subtle and/or main changes during the process) :
So, what do you guys think ?
I hope the function/goal of the map itself is clear, although it's still a work in progress, currently submitted to only a few people. It is also still to be cleared by my fellow "coding expert", who has been a great help with this. It will take some time, data gathering, actual mapmaking, glitches fixing and so on, so here is just the embryo of the whole thing. I also intend to add special features in terms of game rules, like special players/team abilities, typical to a field type, and specific to its "controller" during the game, or between games, so lots left to write, sketch and brainstorm on ...
Thanks for any comments ! Cheers !