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Hon. Mike Rann, Visiting Senior Research Fellow in Political Studies, speaks to the University of Auckland about revitalizing cities to be more liveable, productive and sustainable, on Thursday August 16, 2012.
In giving this lecture I will be telling the story of moves to revitalise Adelaide, a city with a population of 1.2 million and explaining how we embraced changes to planning and governance, with a much bigger investment in both infrastructure and public transport, and a comprehensive greening strategy to improve South Australia's capital and commercial hub to help it become more liveable, more productive and more sustainable.
In doing so I am not laying down a blueprint for Auckland or any other city. To do so would be presumptive but my experience with states, regions and cities is that we can all learn from each other and that 'ideas that work' can be adapted, if not adopted, by other jurisdictions.
I am aware, for instance, of debate about an additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing, City Rail Link and consideration of building central city rail tunnels from Britomart to Mount Eden, Penlink, rail to the airport and the East-West Link. I have also read about funding constraints – the reported
$10-15 billion funding gap given Auckland's future transport needs, its growing population and what rates and taxes can realistically cover. I am also aware of discussion about controversial issues such as tolls to fund new roads (which I rejected in South Australia unlike other states), regional fuel taxes, congestion charging and higher car parking fees.
I should also tell you that in 1993, the then South Australian Cabinet received a submission from the Chamber of Commerce urging us to adopt for Adelaide the 'Auckland solution' which involved building a giant North-South Motorway. A vast aerial photo of the Auckland motorway was rolled out on the Cabinet table. We rejected the proposal and I expressed concerns about the impact it would have on the character of Adelaide's beautiful inner suburbs.
I will talk about roads, rail and planning later. But first let me tell you what we have been doing to further green a city famous for its design and the parklands that surround central Adelaide.
I wanted South Australia to become a leader in its embrace of renewable energy and in reducing our carbon footprint.
Advised by environmentalist Professor Tim Flannery, we first embraced public education about the importance of renewables. We installed highly visible arrays of solar panels on the roofs of our most visible and historic public buildings; the Museum, Art Gallery, State Library, Parliament, a million dollars worth on the roof of Adelaide Airport, $8 million worth on the roof of the Showgrounds' new pavilion plus installations on the roofs of hundreds of schools.
This educative approach paid dividends and led to our introducing solar feed-in legislation that rewards people for the power put into the grid from their rooftops. We now have the highest per capita take up of solar power in Australia and derived more electricity from wind than we do from coal, putting us in a world leadership position.
Back in 2003, I established our Urban Forests Program which aimed to plant 1 million native trees and shrubs across the Adelaide metro area in a series of urban forests. This target was achieved in 2006 with the help of local government, schools, industry and volunteers.
So with the advice of one of our international Thinkers in Residence, Herbert Giradet, we extended the program and raised our target to plant 3 million native trees and plants by 2014 across 300 project sites. More than ten thousand people have participated including thousands of children and adults who have attended well publicised community planting days. We are delighted that twenty one local government councils have partnered with the State Government on this project.
We believe our Urban Forests Program, strongly embraced by local residents, will result in a more beautiful, cooler and more liveable city. It will improve air and water quality and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 600,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents.
Significantly, our Urban Forests Program is also creating and conserving habitat for precious wildlife. A report published in 2001 revealed that 97.3% of Adelaide's original vegetation has been cleared since European settlement in 1836. Land clearance and urban development have had a most damaging impact on native flora and fauna, with many species now locally extinct or threatened.
Only indigenous trees and shrubs, native to the local area, are planted. This also helps reduce water use because exotic plants often require greater watering to survive our searing hot summers.
The program is on track to reach the 3 million target on time with 2,370,000 trees and shrubs already planted.
There are other things we have done to improve our city's environment. We have now achieved a recycling rate of nearly 80%. Last year 4.3 million tonnes of materials were diverted from landfill to recycling. On a per capita basis this was the best result in the country, the equivalent of taking about 300,000 cars off the road.
Back in the 1970s we were the first state to introduce container deposit legislation. Today consumers are paid a 10 cent rebate on each can, bottle or drink container they return for recycling rather than throw away into the rubbish. This has stimulated a strong recycling industry and provided a popular fundraising tool for clubs and charities. Most importantly these incentives have resulted in a cleaner city, roadsides and waterways.
In 2009 South Australia became the first state to ban non reusable plastic bags used in supermarket checkouts. Around Australia, 3.93 billion plastic bags are used and discarded every year. Our share was about 400 million. These bags can take hundreds of years to break down. They are also an ugly blight within communities. When I announced our ban, retail interests protested. We were told it would be a real problem for shoppers, shops and shop assistants. We went ahead with the legislation even though all other Australian States caved in to retail pressure. I was warned that there would be a backlash from voters. In fact the ban proved immensely popular. People were proud to do the right thing for the environment. Polling shows 80% of South Australians support the ban.
But today my principal focus is on the importance of cities in the 21st century revitalising themselves by having a plan drawn from its citizens but delivered through strong leadership.
In Australia there is renewed national interest in cities, in better planning and infrastructure, after years of neglect. Under the leadership of the Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, the current Australian Government is investing more in urban public transport than all previous national governments combined since Federation in 1901. It has also doubled its road budget to record levels during difficult economic times. This renewed national engagement with urban policy is both timely and appropriate and I am pleased to be a member of the Gillard Government's national Urban Policy Forum.
Australia, despite its outback image and the importance of its agricultural production and mineral wealth, is one of the world's most urbanised nations. Just over half the world's population lives in cities. In Australia it's 75%. 85% of Australians live within 50km of the coastline. Cities are also our biggest economic generators accounting for 80% of GDP and three out of every four of our workers.
And while four of Australia's cities - Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Sydney - routinely rank in the top ten of the world's most liveable cities, they are under increasing strain with growing but ageing populations, housing affordability issues, increasing congestion, urban sprawl and other challenges. Congestion problems, if not addressed, will cost our economy some $20 billion a year in lost productivity by 2020. That's not surprising given that freight movements alone will double by 2030 and triple by 2050.
So Australian governments, through COAG, have committed to a reform process where planning systems must meet nine nationally agreed criteria. For instance, they must show how they are providing for nationally significant economic infrastructure such as transport corridors, airports and ports, intermodal connectors and utilities. They must show how they are providing for an appropriate balance between infill and greenfield development. And they must demonstrate how they are planning for population growth, housing affordability and climate change mitigation. They must also show how they can better connect people to jobs given that working closer to home is better for everyone; more productive, less congestion, cleaner air, more time with families.
There is a significant carrot for States and their capital cities to improve their planning. Future federal infrastructure funding will be guided by where the reform process has been successfully embraced.
So what was our approach for Adelaide and why is it regarded by the Federal Government as best practice in Australia?
Ultimately it was about embracing a plan and then showing strong resolve in implementing that plan.
In Adelaide, we have a Capital City Committee where the Premier, senior ministers and bureaucrats meet regularly with the Lord Mayor, councillors and staff to discuss issues. We also had a Minister for the City of Adelaide who was herself a former reformist Lord Mayor, Dr Jane Lomax-Smith.
In planning and transport I was strongly influenced by a visit to Portland, Oregon early in my Premiership. From that visit and from looking at the 'Oregon Shines' initiative we developed the South Australian Strategic Plan which lays down, following an extensive community consultation process, close to a hundred ten year targets across the economy, health, education, social inclusion, environment and many other areas of public policy to improve our state.
Our progress in meeting these targets is measured every two years by an independent group of experts, with the results being published. It became a deliberate 'rod to our back' in getting things done and in turning around a state whose future looked bleak. The Plan became the Government's 'bible' and compliance with it was driven by the Executive Committee of Cabinet, chaired by me and including senior ministers plus the Chair of our Economic Development Board and our Social Inclusion Commissioner.
Another idea that came from that trip to Oregon was to significantly improve public transport and to roll it out in a way designed to encourage economic regeneration. In Portland we met with Fred Hansen, for nearly 12 years the head of its acclaimed Trimet public transport system. I was particularly impressed with how the extension of its streetcar and fast, clean light rail system had generated $10 billion worth of private investment within 3 blocks of the line, helping to create new neighbourhoods and arts precincts, often in previously degraded areas.
Fred's approach is all about an investment in transformational infrastructure rather than spending money in a more ad hoc way to fix a particular local transport problem. He encouraged us to make strategic not reactive investments. Fred strongly influenced the government as we decided to invest several billion dollars to extend and modernise our tram system, electrify and extend our suburban rail network, modernise our bus fleet and embrace the strongest cycling culture with hundreds of kilometres of new, designated bike paths separated from traffic.
Fred Hansen's influence became even greater than this. He eventually came to Adelaide, as one of our international Thinkers in Residence, to work with the government on transport and urban development policy. His report "All On Board" recommended that we substantially change our thinking to consult with the public better, earlier and in an ongoing way. He recommended that proposers of projects should be required to engage the community to resolve issues before they move into the formal government and council approval process. He recommended that we must put pedestrians - with cyclists not far behind - at the centre of a new transport master plan.
Some of Fred's recommendations were big in terms of financial commitment and policy change. For instance, he recommended further extensions to the tram system including a city loop and an increase in the frequency of public transport scheduling, including on weekends, public holidays and at night. He also recommended a greater investment in empowering passengers with real time information that people can obtain on line, using the latest technologies such as smart phones. This way rather than just giving passengers the established timetable it would provide a countdown in minutes of when the bus, train or tram would arrive.
Very importantly Fred recommended that a firm, non porous urban growth boundary for metro Adelaide be established in statute. This recommendation would complement our moves to protect through legislation the unique heritage of historic wine areas, the Barossa Valley to the north of Adelaide and McLaren Vale to the south.
Some of Fred's recommendations were small but important, like suggesting we widen our footpaths to make them more pedestrian friendly and that the timing for a 'Walk' signal must be increased and should be part of normal traffic light sequencing - not requiring activation. He also said that the pedestrian must be given the right of way over a vehicle not just in law but in practice. He recommended that on wider streets pedestrian safe havens should be created.
For cyclists Fred argues that no transport infrastructure investment, such as new roads, should be made without a corresponding investment in bike or pedestrian infrastructure in the same corridor or area. He also recommended that current bike lanes be retrofitted to make them wider, and that laws surrounding driving and parking in bike lanes need to be enforced.
In terms of governance Fred proposed we establish a new Urban Development Authority that would acquire and consolidate land holdings to ensure all developments and redevelopments are of the highest quality, having choices suitable for different lifestyles and life stages, including affordable housing for people on moderate to low incomes.
I am pleased that my successors have recently established an Urban Renewal Authority with Fred Hansen moving to Adelaide as its head.
One of the most significant moves we made as a government, that has been applauded by our Federal Government, local councils and the private sector, is the development of a 30 year Plan for Greater Adelaide driven by former Planning Minister Paul Holloway. Again this was designed to be a much more strategic approach to the future development of our city.
Most people, in Adelaide as in Auckland, are concerned about the impact of urban sprawl. Having left Auckland in 1977 with fond memories of rural Albany and Silverdale, I have been shocked at how far Auckland has spread. In Australia and New Zealand we have seen a pattern of development that has gobbled up more green space in a so called effort to make housing more affordable. But this has too often proven to be fool's gold as residents in the outer suburbs of vast metropolitan areas become more dependent on cars, and expensive single occupancy travel . A more strategic, longer term approach to planning and development offers people greater choice on how they want to live.
The 30 year Plan for Greater Adelaide is being used by the State Government to guide the planning and delivery of services and infrastructure, such as transport, health, schools and community facilities. The main aim of the Plan is to better balance population and economic growth with the preservation of our environment and the protection of the heritage and character of our city.
The Plan wants Adelaide to be more vibrant, liveable and inclusive and to grow in a managed way that doesn't threaten key primary production land. Between November 2008 and May 2009 there was extensive consultation to produce a draft Plan, involving local government, state government agencies, industry and private sector providers. The draft was then released and exhibited for some months, during which the government held extensive briefings with citizens, community groups, local government and professional organisations. A big commitment to consultation generated debate - some of it heated - but this was crucial to getting the Plan right and enabling government to better appreciate how people wanted Greater Adelaide to grow and adapt during the next 30 years.
As a result of the consultation a series of changes were made to the draft including a commitment to ongoing community engagement and variations in the population targets for specific areas of Greater Adelaide. A principal challenge of the Plan was how we could cope with an estimated population increase of 560,000 over the next 30 years and in doing so how we would underpin the creation of at least 280,000 new jobs. So much of the debate arising from the consultation process centred on the proposed distribution of people, housing and jobs. For instance 11,000 people were added to the growth target for the city centre. But there was a reduction of 29,000 people in the target for the Barossa Valley region, given concerns about the impact on its unique character. This was offset by an increase of 29,000 in the nearby northern suburbs.
Policies concerning climate change were also strengthened. Additional safeguards and policies were added to address the impact of population growth on primary production in peri-urban areas and close to townships. Even though 560,000 is a relatively modest population increase - around 350 people a week - compared to estimates for other Australian cities, the make-up of our city will be transformed. There will be a greater proportion of people over 65, and a significant increase in households with one person or couples without children. This requires early action to ensure there will be a sufficient supply of a range of accommodation close to shops, services and public transport. The big growth in over 65s will also require long term planning for the expansion of health services and aged care facilities.
Perhaps the key recommendation of the Plan was that there was an urgent need to create a more compact and efficient urban form that takes advantage of existing, as well as our planned extensions and improvements to transport networks and infrastructure. We want to design Greater Adelaide to reduce car reliance and create more liveable, accessible and connected communities. This means a major rethink of how we plan and design new housing, new neighbourhoods, new suburbs - to break the nexus between growth and unsustainable resource consumption. Unless we do so we will risk our competitive advantage through inefficient land supply and inefficient and costly infrastructure requirements.
To achieve our goals we must move from the existing 50/50 ratio of infill development to fringe development to a ratio of about 70/30 in the last years of the Plan period. This will involve the much greater location of new housing along designated transit corridors to promote easier access to jobs and services and reduce our reliance on cars.
New transit oriented developments along transport corridors are at the heart of the 30 Year Plan. We want the vast majority of new dwellings to be within walking distance of public transport. To achieve this we will collocate medium and high density residential housing, major retail and service outlets and major employers around railway and tram stations and bus interchanges. This approach will revitalise urban areas, maintain village integrity and provide the critical mass of population needed to make the upgrading of infrastructure cost effective over the life of the plan.
For greenfield developments a different approach will be adopted in order to create more mixed use communities, higher densities, more efficient land use, walkable neighbourhoods, a greater mixture of housing types and new suburbs that are contiguous to main transport corridors. It will also involve the creation of greenways and open space precincts in transit corridors.
The Plan will support the achievement of a 25 year rolling supply of land for residential, industrial and commercial purposes. There will be a 15 year supply of land zoned at any given time. This will ensure that the supply of land and housing will contribute to keeping housing affordable. There will also be 5,300 hectares of new and regenerated employment land set aside to foster the creation of jobs.
The Plan will also support a more efficient planning system that will underpin economic performance and competitiveness. The introduction of Precinct Requirements and Structure Plans will reduce development times from the existing 5-7 years to a maximum of 3 years. This approach will also give investors greater certainty by making it clear what development can occur in key locations.
I cannot, in the time available, cover the entire 30 Year Plan but I'm pleased at its reception both locally and nationally. I'm also thrilled to see work well underway on the outstanding $1 billion Bowden Village development being built close to the CBD on the edge of our stunning parklands, within walking distance of the city centre. It is being built on a 16 hectare former industrial site next to the railway, our new tram extension, bus routes, bike and pedestrian paths alongside the River Torrens.
Bowden Village, now attracting national attention, will be our first showcase of highly attractive higher density living with three storey apartment complexes, town houses and terraced homes, and the highest standard of design. Fred Hansen, the head of our new Urban Renewal Authority, is heavily involved in its roll out. More than 2,400 homes will be built housing 3,500 residents. Retail and commercial buildings are part of the mix.
Bowden Village is at the western end of a multi billion dollar River Torrens precinct redevelopment running through the heart of the Adelaide CBD. 'Riverbank' is part of our plan to revitalise the heart of the central city to make it a destination that people will flock to, rather than retreat back to the suburbs. The redevelopment includes a new $2 billion plus central hospital being built on the site of unsightly railway yards. We chose this option rather than an expensive, disruptive and piecemeal redevelopment of the existing Royal Adelaide Hospital. It will be the biggest hospital development in Australian history and probably the biggest ground up building ever, anywhere in Australia. Patients will have a room and en-suite of their own and most with a view of the river. A state of the art medical research centre is under construction next door.
We have also embarked on a big redevelopment of our Convention Centre, again on the banks of the Torrens and there is planning for future revamp of the adjacent Adelaide Festival Centre.
On the opposite bank of the river the State Government is investing $530 million to redevelop the famous and beautiful Adelaide Oval cricket ground to enable it to host AFL football, other sports and performances. AFL has for decades been played in a stadium in the western suburbs posing real problems for transport and parking. I know there was a big debate here in New Zealand about shifting Eden Park to the Auckland waterfront. For us, bringing 'footy' to the city will bring tens of thousands of people to a central location close to every form of public transport from north, south, east and west with city car parks close by. The Oval will be linked by footbridge to the arts and entertainment precinct on the other side of the Torrens.
Further south, in the suburbs at the 61 hectare site of the former Mitsubishi motor vehicle plant - also purchased by the State Government - another $1 billion development is underway adjacent to key transport corridors. This Tonsley Park redevelopment will become a vibrant and integrated mixed use employment precinct. It is designed to be a major hub for innovative companies in sustainable technologies, including advanced manufacturing. It will be Australia's first designated, clean-tech industry hub.
A cornerstone of Tonsley Park will be a $125 million Sustainable Industries Education Centre delivered through TAFE which will host 8,000 students and teaching staff. Last week Flinders University announced it will establish a teaching and research centre at Tonsley concentrating on computer science, engineering and maths undergraduate programs as well as research programs in nanotechnology, medical devices and clean technology. This $120 million centre will bring 2,000 students and 150 staff to Tonsley Park.
Across the board our annual infrastructure expenditure has increased fivefold in ten years, with record road and transport as well as public transport investments. Our Transport and Infrastructure Minister Pat Conlon deserves great credit for this commitment to the future. We have also, as an insurance policy against future droughts, built a $2 billion desalination plant, powered entirely by renewable energy, capable of providing 50% of Adelaide's water needs. This is an essential underpinning of what we are doing with our 30 year Plan to make planned growth sustainable.
There is also now a much sharper focus on design excellence. Here we again greatly appreciated the advice of one of our Thinkers in Residence, Professor Laura Lee, formerly head of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University, now based in Antwerp. For decades in South Australia, and in Adelaide in particular, buildings and developments were considered and approved in a singular and fairly ad hoc manner. Even government projects closely located to each other were initiated and steered through by different Ministers and departments in an uncoordinated way. Local debate about projects and developments had for years been depicted as developers versus the heritage and environmental lobbies. No-one seemed to be talking about creating new heritage that future generations would be proud of. That's where Laura Lee played a most useful role in encouraging us to think bigger.
Professor Lee, who has closely collaborated with Fred Hansen, is a forceful exponent of the need for integrated design, not just better design for buildings and the spaces in between, but for precincts and the entire city. Her residency, which recommended the establishment of an Integrated Design Commission and the appointment of a government architect, was all about fostering a greater design culture in Adelaide.
Essentially integrated design is a model for longer term thinking and 'intelligent investment' based on the clear interdependence of design, planning and development activities to achieve mutually beneficial, long term outcomes. Integrated design takes into account economic, social and environmental values. The decision making process is designed to drive innovation and creativity and focuses on what's really important: the 'user experience' of the city.
City councils, planners and architects around Australia are very interested in Laura's work. So is the Federal Government which has given financial backing for an integrated design pilot project involving the SA Government, Adelaide City Council and seven inner city councils. Again there is a strong community involvement asking residents to re-imagine and re-invent Adelaide. It involved 12 months of briefings with 25 industry groups, 1,000 experts drawn from a variety of disciplines and 180,000 on-line contributions.
People were asked to see their city not as it is but how it could be. As the Integrated Design Commission argues: "While vision without execution is daydreaming, execution without vision is chaos. We need both. Design can imagine. Governance can implement". Significantly the overwhelming response was that people want more integrated decision making, explained better at the start.
For years 80% of the planning work for developments and projects happened first in-house, within governmental processes. Only 20% occurred in the public domain, usually later. This is no longer acceptable. People are saying this is their city and they want to be more involved in decisions that affect their lives from the very start.
Integrated Design, if properly embraced, is really about a new style of urban governance that takes a longer and wider view, but gets better results along the way. In Laura's words, "The very best of design is a research process that seeks to understand all the elements at play at any given situation. Defining problems correctly is the most powerful way to find the best solutions. Design is both analytical, creative and synthetic in its methods. To these ends design is collaborative, creative decision making about the problems and solutions needed to enhance our capacities to be in the world".
Finally I want to commend to you a small but important project. Following the work of another Thinker in Residence on social inclusion policy, Geoff Mulgan, we established The Centre for Social Innovation, TACSI. One of TACSI's first and most successful projects has been Renew Adelaide, an urban renewal project involving young people. With the support of government, council, local business and property owners, young, creative entrepreneurs and artists are using abandoned, unused and underutilised spaces - buildings, warehouses, lofts, lane ways - to establish small businesses ranging from art galleries, performance venues, coffee shops, bike repair and redesign, fashion design, web design and multi-media studios. The project has terrific employment, skills and confidence benefits for the young people involved. It is also helping to revitalise the CBD, enrich our culture and very importantly retain talented young people in our city and state rather than going to Sydney, Melbourne or overseas. Their experiences and contagious enthusiasm is also forcing the South Australian Government and the Adelaide City Council to review planning and building regulations, many of them petty, which impede rather than invite the participation of young people and smaller enterprises in our city.
So what is my overriding message here today.
In the 21st century cities can no longer either be neglected or be allowed to grow in a way that is destructive to their culture, character, liveability and environment. People are at the heart of cities and their needs should be paramount.
Sustainable, vibrant cities don't just grow organically. To improve our cities requires a plan that demonstrates that strong economic, social and environmental outcomes are not mutually exclusive.
Laura Lee showed us that integrated design incorporating all these values, and actively involving citizens in re-imagining their communities is the key to success. Fred Hansen puts the pedestrian and the cyclist before the car. He also places better public transport that drives economic and social development at the centre of urban renewal.
South Australia's Strategic Plan and 30 year Plan for Greater Adelaide tells us that while targets are important those targets must be supported by plans that are implemented, evaluated and measured.
Ultimately revitalising our cities for citizens and businesses alike will require strong leadership and a planning and decision making framework that goes beyond normal electoral timetables.
But ultimately great cities need strong leadership, backed by a plan.


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The Rays Confidence Graph will appear every Wednesday and is a look at how much confidence Rays fans have in the Tampa Bay Rays. The graph is designed to give us a look at how our emotional bias as Rays fans fluctuates through time. The "confidence" in the team is an inexact measure of how fans feel about the team's current strength as well as how much confidence fans have in the franchise for the next 3-4 years. Notes on this weeks agida-level can be found after the graph..
Notes on the RI Confidence Graph…
- The most common response for "Confidence in 2008 Rays" was 7 (If things break right, they could be in race for playoffs) with 31.0%.
- The most common response for "Confidence in future of franchise" was 8 and 9 equally with 30.3%.
- Confidence in the 2008 Rays ranged from 1 (The Rays will lose 120 games) to 10 (The Rays are built/playing like a World Series contender).
- Confidence in the future ranged from 3-10.
- 33.4% of respondents feel the Rays have a shot at the playoffs in 2008. That number is down from 57.3% a week ago.
- 84.5% of respondents feel the Rays should be at least a .500 team in 2008. Last week that number was 92.1%.

subset: commoncrawl


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Gitana in the wake of passion
By creating Gitana Team in 2000, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild has transformed into a school of excellence what is a family passion first etched out by his forebears in 1876 on the shores of Lake Geneva. Due to celebrate its 140th anniversary in 2016, the Gitana legend is a reflection of its creators: innovative, modern and resolutely geared towards the future.Reading + Play the Saga in video
Gitana, a legendary saga
For nearly 140 years, "Gitana" has conjured up images of a line of boats, which tell of a family passion that has constantly been nourished by a taste for excellence. The Rothschilds are continuing a maritime tradition of life management skills and innovation, performance and daring.
Once upon a time… in 1876
The history of the Gitana fleet began on the shores of Lake Geneva with Baroness Julie Caroline de
Rothschild. This woman certainly boasted a sturdy character, but most of all she was known for her
immoderate taste for speed, provided it was in the wake of a boat. In 1876, she commissioned a boat
at the Thornycroft yard in Chiswick. Built in England then, on the banks of the River Thames, this first
craft would be dismantled, put into crates then definitively assembled near Lausanne. At the helm of
Gitana, the first of that name, a very chic 24-metre auxiliary schooner, Baron Benjamin de
Rothschild's great-great-aunt was the first to exceed the 20-knot barrier and in so doing secured the
title of fastest Yachting Lady on the water: it's 3 April 1879. The industrial revolution is underway and
innovation at that time is combined with the powerful inspiration of steam engines. In the fabulous
alpine setting, Gustave Eiffel himself is racing against the Gitanas aboard his famous Walkyrie.
Reputed to be very fast, French destroyers soon put paid to Baroness de Rothschild's record. That's
just too bad… she launches Gitana II, which is bigger and above all faster. Aboard this latest creation,
"Gitane" secures a new record, just over 26 knots or nearly 50 kilometres an hour. The Gitana saga
has begun and soon it is to enjoy a taste of the saltwater as suddenly the bluish setting of Lake
Geneva is no longer enough.
The Gitana saga is born of an incredible passion for speed across the water
Much more than fine living
At the tail end of the 19th century, the 'first' Baron Edmond de Rothschild played a decisive role in the
development of the Yacht Club de France alongside his cousin, Baron Arthur, the President of the
Republic Félix Faure and the explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot.
In the 60s, the 'second' Baron Edmond, his grandson, revived the family's keen interest in boats by transforming it into a genuine passion for sailing. He traded motorboats for sailboats and demonstrated a penchant for monohulls. Edmond de Rothschild was to give rise to some of the best craft of his day. From Gitana III to Gitana VIII, designed by the most prominent firms of naval architects, his boats scoured the English Channel, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, making a clean sweep of the prizes: RORC races, Giraglia, Nioulargue (Les Voiles de St Tropez) and the legendary Fastnet Race, on which in 1965 Gitana IV broke the 26-year old event record!
Baron Edmond de Rothschild developed a real passion for these big boats, where the crew takes on its true meaning and it was in this spirit that he launched the A Class or "Maxi" in 1984, of which he was the founder and first president. However, his taste for beautiful boats also led him towards the international 6-metre class (6mJI), genuine jewels of elegance and rapidity. Gitana Senior, nicknamed the Piano, was to be the first of this line, whilst Benjamin de Rothschild also launched himself into the adventure aboard Gitana Junior I, II and III, particularly during the Régates Royales in Cannes. The story wouldn't be complete without referring to Gitana Sixty, an 8mJI launched in 1986 to compete in the World Cup for the series in Cannes and so christened to celebrate Baron Edmond de Rothschild's 60th birthday that same year. The crew put together around Benjamin de Rothschild and helmsman Philippe Durr went on to win the event hands down, the son offering the prestigious title to his father.
Each generation carries on the maritime tradition and leaves a singular imprint
When professionalisation rhymes with passion
Edmond de Rothschild passed on the sailing bug to his son. A loyal member of the crew aboard his
father's yachts, sailing and what is more sailing competitions are an integral part of Baron Benjamin
de Rothschild's genes. However his preference very quickly focused on multihulls, fabulous machines
that combine technology and speed and which, very early on, he perceived as the future of sailing.
After several years sailing aboard Force Cash, a 40-foot catamaran, on the waters of Lake Geneva, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild couldn't resist the call of the open ocean. He purchased the ex-Elf- Aquitaine, a 60-foot trimaran, which was to go by the name of Gitana IX. The adventure is very much on and the owner of the five-arrow team opens a chapter on multihulls in his family's prestigious maritime history.
From 2000, Gitana X, Gitana 11 and also Gitana 12 rank among the major protagonists from the golden age of the Orma class. However, this notoriety is soon to stretch beyond France's borders with the maxi-catamaran Gitana 13's record campaign on all the globe's seas, and, in another style entirely, by the Extreme40 Edmond de Rothschild's 4-year campaign on the international Extreme Sailing Series circuit. In 2010, with the Route du Rhum opening its doors to multihulls in the Ultime class, the links with craft of gigantic proportions are renewed. Gitana 11, the trimaran that became legendary after her dazzling victory in the Route du Rhum 2006, would be extended to 77-feet (compared with the original 60) to integrate this category. It was during this same period that construction began on the MOD70 Edmond de Rothschild, rechristened as a Multi70 since the demise of the Multi One Design. In 2013, it was the turn of the flying boats to put in an appearance in the watersports arena; a technological turning point that the team founded by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild would not miss for all the world. This approach is reflected in the modifications made to the Multi70 Edmond de Rothschild, as well as the acquisition of a GC32, a small 32-foot flying catamaran, which perfectly encapsulates the revolution that is underway.
From the unfailing support of passionate boat owners and the relentless work of a team are born a series of unforgettable human adventures and resounding victories: Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabre, Transpac, New York - San Francisco Record, Tea Route and also the legendary OSTAR (The Transat)… An historic multihull protagonist on a global scale for the past 15 years, Baron Benjamin de Rothschild has transformed a family passion into a school of excellence.
Though the multihull remains the stable's favourite craft, a selection of monohulls has found a place for itself here. An agreed 'departure' from its course comes about for the sheer beauty of a race that goes by the nickname of the Everest of the Seas and the human and sporting challenge it represents: the Vendée Globe. In this way, over the course of the winter 2006-2007, a 60-foot Imoca class is built with the utmost discretion in New Zealand. Launched in July 2007, the yacht is to be christened Gitana Eighty in tribute to Baron Benjamin de Rothschild's father, Edmond de Rothschild, who would have celebrated his 80th birthday during her launch. This year, a brand new monohull designed by naval architect Guillaume Verdier and built by the Multiplast yard in Vannes, is also making its appearance in the Gitana fleet. It's at the helm of this latest generation yacht that Sébastien Josse will defend the colours of the Edmond de Rothschild Group during the next round the world race via the three capes without stopovers and without assistance, the start of which is scheduled for 6 November 2016.
In 2016, the Gitana Saga will celebrate the 140th anniversary of its incredible history.
The Legend
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
- 2004
- 2003
- 2002
- Vendée Globe
- Route du Rhum
- Transat Jacques Vabre
- The Transat
- Bol d'Or
- ArMen Race
- Cap Istanbul
- Mondial Assistance Challenge
- ORMA championship
- European Tour
- Extreme Sailing Series
- Petit Navire Grand Prix
- Krys Ocean Race
- Multi Cup Cafe Ambassador
- Record SNSM
- Records
- Rolex Fastnet Race
- Route des Princes
- Solitaire du Figaro
- Tour de Belle-Ile
- Transat B to B
- Transat Québec - Saint Malo
- Azimut Trophy
- Trophée BPE
- Misc
- Boats
- 2020


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Students Build Award-Winning Robot Exoskeleton
The Titan Arm is a robotic upper body exoskeleton that could be applied to rehabilitation and extra lifting power. Nick McGill, one of the four team members who won the Cornell Cup USA for the Titan Arm, joins digits. Photo: Titan Arm.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... why it's graduation season and if you think your kids OS mom made maybe so but nothing like as much as those that won ... the Cornell cop while commit Digits I'm Simon Constable we have one of the team members who won the cause of this it is of Nick Mikhail Univeristy Pennsylvania graduate just graduated earlier this week the areas ... next thanks for joining us congratulations on winning the Cornell cough ... why did you when I thing as something to do with the parade to show wear and ... it takes time and ... yet so I'm part of the teen Titan from the University of Pennsylvania ... um I see members of this is that the nectar of an eagle a law to narrow ... supported us the entire project and we developed the power to upper body exoskeletons sea can see right here morning ... this apparatus ... that goes along with bone structure ... and ... friends here ... that was used for in a cash and in and looks very fancy and it's it's really impress the judges ... but full full full to the merino that enables of it how would this be used ... that so ... I'll what we envision the Sprott project we wanted to do something that will be a flick of all of this to an upper body injuries ... so we develop the project that has a motor at the elbow joint ... so right here on it actually is for physical therapy and ... healthcare applications ... aam you'll see that we got our join me Elmo see can imagine using this to rehabilitate your muscles ... and on each of the joints we have all Texans does is allow us to attract a range of motion of each of the joints ... how did you come out with the IDF of that is that something possibly thought I'd give this this is something that's not Lebanese debate ... I guess I actually ... really interested in ... ideas health care and electronics last year I took ... of Professor Mondrian scores in embedded systems I worked on ... a project using the Micra soft connect ... I'd to develop an ad whom physical therapy system ... I'll what to get involved in that I started realizing that ... they're a lot of free applications in all of my team members had created but on nine different sorts of healthcare applications ... and that had some good stories is well known in this town is a very large heavyweight just fell off camera night yet again and I demonstrate for us how this might walk ... to think he can command the wind ... Sir re Shira I needed to send me a ... funny family so basically what it allows me to do ... this seat ... is the extra strength so that I can ... now add on to my additional strength and also ... buy put on a rash of breaking its a gives you the ability to hold the weekend place they can imagine in a warehouse and we are looking a lot of ... heavy boxes or weights on your gonna be walking with that with the big box and one on hold in place or state has the capability ... to hold its weight in um don't have much fatigue at all ... so I if I wanted to be a muscle and there is still hope for me what is the maximum amount that back on the left ... yes so um ... this time we found that we can add forty pounds on the way here I am lifting capability is in existence now ... I we were trying to max out the weightlifting capability for my fourteen for the system lifting and that reducing fatigue ... as well say Apple applications in the physical therapy ... the new unit in the event of this you could you call the prize he got ten thousand books that we knew what he gonna do with this project magnetic commercialize and get this old often times and stuff ... well hopefully will aam were looking at AG continuing development ... I were all coming back for grad school the University of Pennsylvania ... and though ... we had all the streets of four from Cornell Cup and Intel so with this money on ... we might say continue working on if an application still see right now we've got a joystick for input ... ALM so this allows me to go up and down ... and control the break however we're love to have ... a lecture latter fee using your muscles instead to control the excess skeletons ... so we're looking out rate now to ... work through the summer and next school year I it's the continuing development on this project ... so when you go back to grad school and my selections on getting into grad school as well as from graduating pay on what we adopted that you think the thing you know Donna assigned to Statman scientists to be like old though and beyond ... well as ... I'd like to say hello but about things ... at this point we found a lot of great success with other projects we've been working on so ... I think we've all been inspired to continue to work on our own projects maybe developer and companies ... to thank you very much an active McGill ... member of the team that just one of the Cornell cost us I thank you be a time so ... thank you very much time and have a good one ... I'm Simon Qassam on and that was digits


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CAR: Fresh fighting displaces thousands in capital
GENEVA, Switzerland, September 18, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Recent outbreaks of fighting in the northern suburbs of Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, have displaced thousands of people and highlighted once again the continued insecurity that has plagued the country since the end of 2012.
Between 20 and 27 August, Séléka militia entered the Bangui suburbs of Boeing and Boy-Rabe. The fighters – part of the group that overthrew the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) in March – used gunfire and heavy weapons to enter homes, sending hundreds of people fleeing in search of safety and reportedly killing more than10 people.
Some found temporary refuge in the corridors of the Amity hospital in Bangui, too afraid to return home due to reports of arbitrary killings and looting. Valerie*, a 45-year-old widow and mother of five children, recounted her ordeal.
"My children and I heard gun fire and the sound of heavy weapons. We were scared and immediately started packing our belongings," she said.
Valerie said the incident triggered vivid memories of a previous violent attack by Séléka forces in April, when three men raped her and her 18-year-old daughter.
"I had sworn never to go through the same trauma again," she said, sobbing uncontrollably.
In December 2012, rebel forces in the north began to march on Bangui. The group came to be known as Séléka, which means "coalition" in the local Sango language, and eventually overthrew the government of former President Francois Bozize in March 2013. Insecurity and violence has continued almost unabated in the months since, and all of country's 4.6 million people have been affected by this crisis.
"What do they want? Do they want to kill us all?"
More than 310,000 people have been forced from their homes since the crisis began, with about 60,000 of these having fled to neighboring countries.
"The breakdown in law and order in CAR is absolute and is of deep concern to the humanitarian community," said Kaarina Immonen, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the country. "This continued crisis is having a severe impact on the civilian population which is targeted, with persistent violations of human dignity and international humanitarian law.
"I urge the transitional government to take actions to ensure that civilians are protected."
Twenty-eight year old Sylvain, a divorced father of two, was among those who escaped Boy-Rabe for the safety of the hospital. He recalls the terror he felt when Séléka fighters entered his community on 26 August.
"We heard armed fighters screaming on the streets, saying that they will kill all the men living in Boy-Rabe," he said. "It has been six months since the Séléka came to power. What do they want? Do they want to kill us all?
About 500 people like Valerie, Sylvain and their families found refuge at the Amity hospital. On 28 August, a joint OCHA and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) assessment found that the people there were in need of basic humanitarian support – health, food, water and sanitation, and protection.
In nearby Boeing, an estimated 5,000 people – mainly women and children – sought refuge from the fighting at Bangui International Airport, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
On 29 August, the people at the airport were dispersed. Those at the Amity hospital have also returned home. These neighborhoods are now patrolled by a Multinational Force of Central Africa troops that was deployed to CAR by the Economic Community of Central African States.
Violence not contained to Bangui
Violent clashes in north-western CAR were also reported throughout August and into September. On the weekend of 8-9 September, two staff members of the NGO ACTED were killed in Bossangoa, about 300 km north of the capital.
"It is shocking that aid workers have been targeted and these killings must be condemned in the strongest terms," said UN Humanitarian Coordinator Kaarina Immonen in a statement issued on 11 September. "I urge the authorities and all parties to the conflict to respect humanitarian personnel and assets and to bring to justice those responsible for unacceptable acts."
*All names have been changed


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Singer Katy Perry was supposed to make her first public appearance since her sudden divorce from husband Russell Brand at the People's Choice Awards tomorrow night...but it seems as though she isn't ready to surface just yet.
The 27-year-old recently returned to Twitter to thank her fans for making her "heart happy," but then returned to the social network site to announce that she was pulling out of the upcoming event.
"Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend," wrote Perry, before once again expressing her gratitude for her fans' support. "I want to thank u all for voting for Selected Reading:me, fingers crossed! #KATYCATS."
U.S. & World
The announcement comes as Perry has had to clear the air around comments being made on her behalf about her recent split - most notably several inflammatory remarks made by her parents, Keith and Mary Hudson.
The Hudsons, who are pastors at an Ohio church called Church on the Rise, called the divorce a "gift from God," which prompted Perry to tweet: ""Concerning the gossip, I want to be clear that NO ONE speaks for me. Not a blog, magazine, 'close sources' or my family."
The star-studded People's Choice Awards will air live tomorrow night on CBS at 9 PM ET.
Selected Reading: People, New York Post, Daily Mail


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SCE Liverpool
Wipeout developer returns as Firesprite
Core members of Sony Liverpool have formed a new studio called Firesprite, keeping the Psygnosis torch alight.
SCE Liverpool headlines
Memory lane: the breadth of Psygnosis's back catalogue
Does Sony have any idea the treasure it's sitting on since it acquired – and shut down – Psygnosis? The familiar owl logo graced many a PSOne-era favourite; let's highlight a few particularly shining gems.
Studio Liverpool's Fall of the Artificer uncovered
Studio Liverpool, once known as Psygnosis, is no more, but Siliconera has dug up a long lost treasure: Fall of the Artificer. This steampunk PS2 game was in the works for Sony between 2000 and 2001 but never saw the light of day; hit the link to see some concept art taken from a former […]


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Imagine a certain Joe, who loves to blow up different objects. Be a friend - help him in this. Each new level is different nuances jobs. Spend fewer resources - the better.
© free online game Joe Grenadier ().
Play online flash game Joe Grenadier for free. Do not forget to rate this game Joe Grenadier and share this game with your best friends.
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Online Safety
Online Safety Tips for Teens
Sportuso is committed to making its community safe for all of its members. While Sportuso can increase your circle of friends, it can also increase the possibility that you may be exposed to people with inappropriate intentions.
The following is designed to help you learn how to stay safe online. It contains useful safety information, tips and resources to guide you through social networks and to help teach your friends to do the same. Sportuso wants you to stay safe and have fun online!
Report harassment and inappropriate content
Please send a message to Sportuso's Safety Squad if you are harassed or exposed to inappropriate content. Don't be afraid to tell your parents and teachers, as their biggest concern is your safety. Explain to them that you understand online safety is important and that is why you are telling them about your experience. Remember, a crime online is still a crime and law enforcement personnel have sophisticated tools used to investigate online crimes. Click here to find additional authorities and groups you should also consider contacting.
Don't post your full name, address, phone number, or family information — and don't post other people's information. Be aware of posting information that could be used to identify you or locate you offline.
Do not post inappropriate content that could expose you to danger
Please remember that your parents, teachers and potential employers may view your profile. Post only information that you are comfortable with others seeing- and knowing- about you.
Be wary of in-person meetings
Do some research before you decide to meet someone in person from the Internet. Ask your friends whether they know the person and see what you can find out about them through online search engines. If you decide to meet them, tell an adult where you are going, and when you expect to be back. Also meet during the day in a public place, and with people you trust.
Remember that once you post information online, it's very difficult to remove it entirely
Even if you delete the information from a site, older versions exist on other people's computers.
Protect your privacy and adjust your profile and privacy settings to Friends Only
Only accept friend invitations from people you trust.
Beware of phishing scams
Phishing is a method used by fraudsters to access your personal information by pretending to be a site you trust. Read more about phishing to avoid being scammed on Sportuso.
For more safety tips, review the Federal Trade Commission's social networking tips here.


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A three-month-old baby girl who died after her father was charged with causing her grievous bodily harm has been named by police in Northern Ireland.
A post-mortem medical examination will investigate how Caragh Walsh, of Glasvey Drive in Twinbrook in West Belfast, died, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said.
She was brought to Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital on Wednesday night and remained in a critical condition. Last night police announced her death.
Her 23-year-old father appeared before a judge in Craigavon Magistrates' Court in Co Armagh yesterday morning.
The accused has not named for legal reasons but a judge allowed the identity of the baby to be released.
A spokesman from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said: "Following the court appearance of a 23-year-old man in Craigavon this morning detectives from Serious Crime Branch will be consulting with the Public Prosecution Service in relation to this case."


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At WakeMed, we are always committed to the health and wellbeing of our patients. We are taking additional measures to keep you safe. Please read our current visitor information.
WakeMed Children's Hospital is proud to be the only pediatric inpatient care provider in Wake County, caring for thousands of babies and children each year and always providing the highest level of care and caring to our youngest patients.
WakeMed Children's Hospital unites pediatric specialists, and the specialized services they offer, under one roof to ensure area families have access to the care they need and deserve.
Setting us apart from the rest is our team of specially trained health care professionals. Learn more about the highly skilled pediatric hospitalists and intensivists who provide outstanding care to our young patients.
Specifically designed to meet the emergency care needs of children, the Children's Emergency Department offers cheerful atmosphere, bright murals, and doctors and staff who know how to treat kids even in the scariest situations.
The only one of its kind in Wake County, our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) provides expert treatment for life-threatening childhood diseases, respiratory and heart problems, injuries and critical illnesses.
Our Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) provides the highest level of care available to premature and critically ill infants.
Learn more about the staff who will care for your child and what to expect while you are in the hospital.
Our dedicated Minor Procedure Room allows patients to have minor procedures done right on the unit, instead of going to the operating room.
Our Ronald McDonald House & Family Room offer private, relaxing space for family members of Children's Hospital patients. We sincerely thank the individuals and organizations that helped make this room a reality.
Bright colors, a fish tank and a stocked playroom make this a unique place for kids. Our 25 inpatient rooms and 12 observation rooms are kid-friendly. Plus, each private room has a full bathroom, fold-out couch, and a glider or recliner for visitors. Take a virtual tour of our facility to see and learn more!
Our child life specialists provide parents and kids with support, advice and coping skills during the hospital experience.
Figure out where to park and the best route by which to reach us using our parking and campus maps and learn more about visiting WakeMed Raleigh Campus.
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With the Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-133 launch delayed for the time being, this poor humanoid gets thrown back into storage. Though I gotta admit, the foaminess of his storage crate looks makes it a pretty solid resting place.
Robonaut 2 was set to become the first humanoid in space so I wonder if he's sad. Humanoids do get disappointed when shuttle launches get delayed, right? [Pop Sci]


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Bob Kane (1915 - 1998)
Writer Miscellaneous Crew Art Department
- Born:Robert Kahn
- 10-24,1915 in New York City, New York, USA
- IMDB:nm0004170
- Bob Kane was born on October 24, 1915 in New York City, New York, USA as Robert Kahn. He is known for his work on The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Batman Begins (2005). He was married to Elizabeth Sanders. He died on November 3, 1998 in Los Angeles, California, USA. »


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With 2010's Love Letter, R. Kelly dove headfirst into soul music of the '50s and '60s. It was a weird turn for a guy who made his name singing about hotel after-parties and thongs, but it worked. The record went gold and received overwhelmingly positive critical reviews, most of which praised Kelly's singing and songwriting. Plus, given Kelly's legal troubles at the time, it took a little of the heat off the singer's personal life.
R. Kelly's new record, Write Me Back, once again treads those soulful boards, though it moves the timeline up a few years, sounding more Teddy Pendergrass than Otis Redding. It's a solid, sensible move, one that makes for some charming songs, albeit tame ones by R. Kelly's recent standards. These are songs suitable for church-going moms and backyard family reunions. Even the most stoic aunt wouldn't object to a song like "Share My Love," which, while ostensibly about sex, uses words like "populate" rather than other, seedier options.
When R. Kelly's not singing about sex—or "populating," as it were—he's singing about love. As always, his messages aren't subtle or all that romantic, but they're effective. Kelly's strength has never been epic metaphor or great, poetic lyrics. Instead, he thrives on simplicity, a little bit of humor, and the occasional clever turn of phrase. Nothing's changed on Write Me Back. On "Believe In Me," he—shocker—wants his woman to believe in him. "When A Man Lies" is about—duh—a man who lies to his lover, killing "every reason she ever had for loving him." "Lady Sunday" is full of awkward rhymes ("better" and "weather," for one), but R. Kelly's delivery is so silky smooth that even the clunkiest couplets swing.
There are some duds on Write Me Back. The hideous "Party Jumpin'" sounds like it was yanked straight out of High School Musical: The "Let's Take Shots" Edition. "Believe In Me" is a solid ballad, but sounds out of place on this record. It's too modern, too sharp. "Clipped Wings," on the other hand, sounds almost too dated, like a deep cut off a Boyz II Men record from the early '90s. When Kelly hits, though, like on "Share My Love" or "Feelin' Single," he hits hard. Like "Step In The Name Of Love," off the singer's 2003 album Chocolate Factory, these are happy, fun songs, perfect for sing-alongs and end-of-concert balloon drops, mini-celebrations of life and love.
Write Me Back isn't groundbreaking, even for Kelly, but the territory it does cover is glossy and confetti-strewn. While it's certainly more entertaining, in a musical car-crash sense, for the wacked-out Kelly to churn out record after record of down-and-dirty club grinders and chapters of Trapped In The Closet—13 of which are due out later this year—Write Me Back offers his accomplished take on classic, traditional R&B, and that's more than enough for now.


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Woman Finds Picture of Fiance Cheating on a Google Map
What are the odds of this? A woman in Russia suspected her fiance of cheating so she typed in an address on a Russian version of Google Maps and caught him red handed!A picture popped up of the cheater with his arm around another woman!
Unlike Google, Yandex does not automatically blur the faces of people who in the street view pictures.
The woman confronted her boyfriend and he admitted he had been cheating. To bad there isn't a street view of her kicking him to the curb!
Have you ever snooped on a significant other using modern technology? Did you snoop emails or text messages?
via Woman Breaks Up with Fiancé After Finding Him with Another Girl on Russian Google Maps.


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Lindenwood University will host the St. Charles Optimist Club's Third Annual 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk on Saturday, Sept. 25, to raise money for cancer research. All proceeds will locally benefit St. Louis Children's Hospital, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the Optimist International Childhood Cancer Campaign.
Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m., the competitive run will begin at 9:30 a.m., and the fun run/walk will begin at 9:45 a.m. on the University track. The top three finishers of the race will receive awards and the top benefactors of the event will receive special recognition.
The cost to participate is a minimum individual donation fee of $15 on or before Saturday, Sept. 5, or $20 after Saturday, Sept. 5. For families, defined as residents of the same household, the fee is $30 on or before Saturday, Sept. 5 or $50 after Sept. 5.
Registration, sponsorship, and pledge forms can be accessed here. For more information, contact Shelly Reuther at 314-960-1069 or email@example.com.


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Clarion Hotel Seatac Intl. Airport your Northwest Destination
Welcome to the APEX Award winning Clarion Hotel for Excellence in Customer service and community support , a full service experience designed to make your stay comfortable, convenient and affordable. Whether you are here on business or for fun and relaxation, the Clarion Hotel, amenities and our staff's warm hospitality will make your visit comfortable and memorable.
Conveniently located next to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with 24 hour courtesy transportation, and adjacent to the Light Link Rail to downtown Seattle, Safeco and Century Link Fields and just minutes from Westfield Shopping Center with a wide variety of restaurants, Theaters and tourist attractions.


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May 30, 2013
By KENNETH D. MILLER
Entertainment Editor
It's been almost 50 years since the late Ted Watkins put the city of Watts on the map developing it as a treasured African American culture base that today is known throughout the world.
It's his son Tim Watkins, who is carrying the might of his legacy as President and CEO of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, but ultimately rising pop diva Mali Nicole might be brightest star in the family tree. Nicole is the great grand- daughter of Ted Watkins and is Tim Watkins granddaughter.
The tiny city of Watts is no stranger to celebrities in both music and sports.
Tyrese Gibson catapulted to fame after performing a soda pop jingle and is now a star in both music and film.
The late 'At Last' vocalist Etta James resided in Watts, Olympic gold medalist and world record holder the late Florence Griffith-Joyner grew up there, and rapper Jay Rock who fought to make a name for himself is from Watts.
However, none of them symbolizes what teen sensation Mali Nicole does.
In a new age of social media and transforming generations, Nicole is a teenage rising pop and R&B singer approaching who at 16 has captured the imagination of the entertainment industry with a voice that's a cross between Whitney Houston and Beyoncé.
With glowing light hazel eyes, a caramel skin coat that melts your heart and shoulder length blonde hair as the flavor of the day, Nicole appears to be on her way.
She has embraced her family heritage, but is bold and gifted enough to be singularly focused on following her own unique path to success.
"I know that my great grand father was a famous developer in Watts who did many wonderful things," said Nicole in her soft voice.
Tim influenced Nicole and his other grandchildren to follow their dreams, while he continues to be the caretaker of his father's.
For Nicole, the daughter of Tim's son Robert, it was music and entertainment.
"I just love music. It's something that I want to do all the time," she told the Sentinel.
Her singing career when she joined her other siblings as part of a group.
Their act Statik Express led them to an audition and a nice run on the talent reality show X-Factor where they rocketed to top 30 list of performers, but Mali Nicole really stood out.
During an impromptu interview for the show, the group was ask to sing the national anthem and while all sang admirably, it was Nicole's voice which dominated the song.
Many management companies took notice, but their ears really perked up when Nicole sold 30,000 CDs out of the family garage.
The red hot smash hit 'Krush' elevated her to a new stratosphere and then another subsequent video 'A Thousand Years', a joint dedicated to her parents on their wedding anniversary lit up on the Internet, and 'Sweet 16' a single about her 16th birthday put icing on the cake.
Booming managing firm Stampede Management rushed to sign her to a roster that includes the likes of Snoop, DJ Quik, Mystikal and YG among others, banking that Mali Nicole is a star.
Now, Stampede Management may have their new franchise player.
After trying her hand at acting at the age of seven, tagging along with her father to acting classes, Mali Nicole transformed into someone special when they put microphone in her hand at the age of 10.
Having performed on numerous mix tapes with super stars such as Chris Brown, Omarion and Justin Beiber, Nicole still distinguished herself with a voice that is effortless and powerful, signing each note with her teenage signature.
Nicole credits her parents as her greatest inspiration, but also admires the stage presence of Beyoncé and sites influence of 'Pop King' Michael Jackson as to why she works day in and out on her craft.
"I know there is no substitute for hard work and I know that Beyoncé works harder and most people in this business which is why she's so successful. I want to be like that," Nicole said.
Nicole has the support of her family and hometown and is already prepping for her first CD expected to come out later this year.
"I have been singing all my life and I can't stop. Its something I have always wanted to do and I'm ready to do big things."
In years to come, she visions herself with a Grammy and touring the world.
Obviously she will carry the family heritage with her every step of the way, but this diva is a developer of a serenading music aimed at enticing a 'Krush'.
Follow Mali Nicole on twitter and Facebook at malinicolemusic.


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Film Noir File: Classic so-good sleepers 'The Narrow Margin,' 'The Locket' and 'Angel Face'
By Mr E Man and Mark Harrington
The Film Noir File is FNB's guide to classic film noir, neo-noir and pre-noir on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). The times are Eastern Standard and (Pacific Standard). All films without a new review have been covered previously in Mr E Man and can be searched in the FNB archives (at right).
Pick of the Week: TCM's Summer of Darkness continues to delight
Friday, July 24
The next-to-last chapter of TCM's deluxe film-noir binge-a-thon Summer of Darkness commences today. It's another feast for film noir buffs. As we know by now, Turner Classic Movies has been sharing its great shadowy treasure trove of classic film noir on Friday nights.
This week's dark list includes Richard Fleischer's terrific low-budget death-rides-the-train sleeper, "The Narrow Margin," starring Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor — one of director Billy Friedkin's faves. You'll also see Hollywood expressionist John Brahm's stylish triple-flashback thriller, "The Locket" with Robert Mitchum. And don't even think about missing Otto Preminger's French critical favorite "Angel Face" (one of Jean-Luc Godard's picks for his all-time Best American Talkies list). This time Mitchum is smitten with Jean Simmons. Bitch-slap trivia: "Angel Face" is the movie where Mitchum punched Preminger for being mean to Jean.
Also on Friday's all-day bill of noir: highlights with ace actors like Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Mitchum, Barbara Stanwyck, Mickey Rooney, Evelyn Keyes, Jane Russell, Jeanne Moreau, Vincent Price, John Payne and Raymond Burr, and directors like Nick Ray, Josef von Sternberg (on the same show), Louis Malle, Phil Karlson and Fritz Lang.
Curated and hosted in the evening by the Czar of Noir himself, Eddie Muller of the Film Noir Foundation and the Noir City film festivals, TCM's Summer of Darkness is a standout fest of classic killings, broken dreams and movie nightmares. All that and Marilyn Monroe (in "Clash by Night") too.
We don't want this summer to end!
6:45 a.m. (3:45 a.m.): "Roadblock" (1950, Harold Daniels). Charles McGraw and Joan Dixon in a poor man's "Double Indemnity."
8 a.m. (5 a.m.): "The Strip" (1951, Leslie Kardos). Mickey Rooney is a luckless jazz drummer who gets in a bad fix trying to help Hollywood hopeful Sally Forrest. The great guest musical stars here include Louis Armstrong, and Satchmo's longtime friends and sidemen Jack Teagarden and Earl Hines.
9:30 a.m. (6:30 a.m.): "Beware, My Lovely" (1952, Harry Horner). Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan strike sparks in an icy domestic suspenser.
11:15 a.m. (8:15 a.m.): "Clash by Night" (1953, Fritz Lang). Barbara Stanwyck is an independent woman in 1950s America. Trouble, here we come! She can't keep a man, but then who'd want to when edgy Robert Ryan is around to get in trouble with? Marilyn Monroe is splendid as a small-town factory girl.
1:15 p.m. (10:15 a.m.): "Kansas City Confidential" (1952, Phi Karlson). A good crisp Karlson heist, pulled off by a mob that includes Preston Foster and Colleen Gray.
3 p.m. (12 p.m.): "Macao" (1952, Josef von Sternberg & Nicholas Ray).
4:45 p.m. (1:45 p.m.): "Talk About a Stranger" (1952, David Bradley). Gossipers wreak havoc in a talky small town. A look at U. S. Senator George Murphy and First Lady Nancy Davis (Reagan) in their movie days.
6:15 p.m. (3:15 p.m.): "Split Second" (1953, Dick Powell). In this nerve-racking thriller, outlaw Stephen McNally and hostages Alexis Smith, Jan Sterling and others are trapped together in a desert nuclear bomb testing site.
8 p.m. (5 p.m.): "The Narrow Margin" (1952, Richard Fleischer).
9:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m.): "His Kind of Woman" (1951, John Farrow).
11:45 p.m. (8:45 p.m.): "The Locket" (1946, John Brahm).
1:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m.): "Angel Face" (1953, Otto Preminger).
3:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m.): "Elevator to the Gallows" (1958, Louis Malle).


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A Fantastic Window
Viktor Shatunov
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"A fantastic window" - it is a real window with a frame, though it you can see fantastic mountains and a castle. Near are flying beautiful colourful angels.
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Mahlstedt Gallery is very pleased to offer limited edition prints on Fine Art Paper of our represented contemporary works of art. Most of the beautiful original work that we show through the gallery can be yours in a choice print, available in a wide range of sizes to fit in your space. Our diverse line of original artwork is professionally printed on museum grade Fine Art Paper that won't fade or yellow. Mahlstedt Gallery limited edition Fine Art Paper prints are produced on our state-of-the-art professional color printer that replicates the finest detail. Our expert printers hand-number and seal every print with the Mahlstedt Gallery seal of authenticity. We roll and package each piece with care and include white gloves, to make it easy for you to maintain and enjoy your beautiful limited edition fine art!
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Mahlstedt Gallery takes great pride in the craftsmanship of our artisan canvases, hand-stretched to perfection in the USA. Our gallery canvases are stretched on North American basswood, known for its stability and the wood of choice used in museum exhibitions. Mahlstedt's professional crafters stretch all canvases meticulously, with close attention to symmetry and seamless edges. Each canvas is measured in proportion to the original artworks, to produce highly detailed editions that are both classic and contemporary. Our canvas prints come equipped with a sawtooth hanger and white gloves, making it easy for you to install and enjoy your beautiful limited edition fine art right out of the package!
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Viktor Shatunov
Viktor Shatunov is an illustrator and painter who creates realist images of fantasy scene. He is inspired by the possibility of self-expression through the creation of images.
Viktor Shatunov was born in 1952 in Vilnius, Lithuania. He graduated from the art school of Venozinskis in Vilnius and graduated as a graphic designer from the Byelorussia Academy of Fine Arts in Minsk. To further his training, he went to the Leningrad Academy of Fine Arts (now St. Petersburg, Russia).
Viktor has been active in book graphics since 1975, basically illustrating the classical works of art. In addition to this he works as a painter. Since 1978 he has been a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, later Lithaunia.
Since 1985 he has specialized in illustrating books for children. He showed his talents in more than 150 books, with a circulation of more than 20.000.000 copies in many countries, such as: USA, Japan, Russia, Republic of South Africa, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Yugoslavia, Poland, Byelorussia and Lithuania.
He holds many diplomas in book graphic art design.
Viktor earned different prizes at international exhibitions and competitions.
Since 1990, he has not only illustrated books for children, but has written them as well.
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Viktor Shatunov
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Viktor Shatunov
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The Elves and a Shoemaker 2
Viktor Shatunov
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"The elves and a shoemaker 2" depicts a scene with elves. They have done their work and flew away. It is an illustration to the book.
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In the early nineteenth century Newcastle-upon-Tyne was a hotbed of intellectual and scientific enquiry, centred around the Literary and Philosophical Society. Into this environment William George Armstrong (1810-1900) was born, the son of a merchant's clerk and a coal-owner's daughter. His fascination with water and his aptitude for experimentation was to propel him onwards and upwards in the world of Victorian engineering.
Armstrong demonstrated a model of his new hydraulic crane at the 'Lit & Phil' in 1845. Two years later he was using them at his works at Elswick on the Tyne.
Armstrong went on to build a huge shipbuilding, hydraulic machinery and armaments business, employing a workforce of 25,000 at Elswick. His company created the Japanese navy as well as helping to quench the thirst for armaments of the British Empire. He was the first engineer to be raised to the peerage.
Henrietta Heald has recently published the first full-scale biography of Armstrong, entitled William Armstrong, Magician of the North. Heald argues that his reputation as an arms manufaturer has, in recent times, overshadowed his other achievements.
But Armstrong's inventions were also put to pacific ends. The hydraulic mechnanisms he created still move Tower Bridge in London and the Swing Bridge in Newcastle. His country house, Cragside, in Northumberland, was the first to be lit by hydro-electricity. Armstrong was also a pioneer in the investigation of solar power.
More about Armstrong can be found on this dedicated website. His taste in art can be sampled in the Cragside pictures and sculpture list.


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Belgrade Police Make Arrest on Kidnapping Charges
An 18-year-old Belgrade man faces felony kidnapping and criminal endangerment charges after prosecutors say he deprived an intoxicated juvenile of medical attention after a traumatic fall and forced her into the trunk of a car.
Cameron James Alverson was arrested Thursday night north of Belgrade. His bail was set at $10,000 during an initial appearance in Justice Court on Friday.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested and cited with the same felony charges.
Prosecutors say the girl told investigators she was riding around with Alverson and was arguing with the 16-year-old. She jumped out of the car while it was moving, injuring her side. The girl said Alverson then put her in the trunk of the car and drove around for about 10 minutes before taking her home.
Anyone with information about the identity of this witness or who may have witnessed any part of this incident please contact the Belgrade Police Department at 406-388-4262. All evidence indicates that this was an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat to the community.


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Not My Will
1. As the Savior in Gethsemane knelt down in solemn prayer,
In the anguish of his soul he sought his Father's loving care.
"If possible, let this cup pass," but then the fight he won.
"Oh Father, let not my will, but thy will be done."
2. As I wander through this world I see the vice of men displayed.
There are many bypaths tempting me; how oft my feet have strayed.
My Savior to my aid will come, if ere the race is run,
My soul can say, "Not my will, but thy will be done."
3. As I know I have been richly blessed, my footsteps gently led,
All my anxious heartaches laid at rest, my hungry spirit fed.
In gratitude I'll bow before the Father and the Son,
And say to them "Not my will, but thy will be done."
4. And when these mortal days are past, or when the Lord has come,
My heav'nly home I'll find at last, if by my works I've shown
that I desire to do his will. In this is vict'ry won.
Dear Father, then shall thy will, not my will be done.
Text: Julia Sorensen
Music: Julia Sorensen
Artist: Sorensen
Album: Music Published in the Church Magazines: New Era
Composition Date: 1988-04-01
More Info: New Era
Jesus Christ-Savior, trust, will, temptation, repentance, peace, gratitude, guidance, Holy Ghost


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Netflix Bill Passes Congress Without Email Privacy Protections
A new bill that will allow you to automatically share your Netflix viewing history with your Facebook friends cleared Congress just before the holiday break, but only after being stripped of email privacy provisions added by the Senate last month.
The bill serves as an update to the decades-old Video Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits sharing someone's video rental history without their express approval or a police warrant. Under the new bill, social media users would be allowed to opt-in to a system wherein their Netflix watching habits are automatically shared on Facebook and other platforms — almost like a social reader for video.
Social video sharing under the new bill will come with two stipulations: Netflix and similar companies will be required to give users a "clear and conspicuous" option to stop automatically sharing their views, and customers must be asked once every two years if they would like to continue sharing their views.
However, Congress passed the bill after removing language that would require police to obtain a search warrant to access citizens' emails and other digital messages dating more than six months.
That stipulation was added in November by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was considering the email privacy language as an amendment to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and ultimately added it to the so-called Netflix bill before later being cut. Currently, police only need search warrants for emails younger than six months.
The bill, sans email privacy, now heads to President Obama's desk for his signature before becoming law.
It's possible Congress stripped the email language to avoid a late-term fight over the bill and will re-introduce it when the next Congress begins in January. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, indeed said last week he would push to pass email privacy next year.
The idea of requiring police to obtain a warrant for all emails was supported by many Congresspeople and outside privacy groups, but faced opposition from law enforcement and some members of Congress who argued it would slow police investigations.
Netflix, which began its own Political Action Committee this past April, has been lobbying hard for the video privacy changes. It spent $555,000 lobbying Washington on the issue and a few others, including net neutrality, according to The Hill.
Will you choose to automatically share your Netflix activity on Facebook? Should police need a warrant before reading your emails? Share in the comments.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, mphillips007


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We believe the Insights Discovery® Profile is the most accurate and dynamic personal profile in the world and forms the foundation of all our people development work. It enables teams and individuals to better understand more about their own behavioural and communication style as well as identify the styles of others.
Insights Discovery is a powerful preference-based learning system with foundations in the work of Carl Jung. Discovery helps individuals better understand themselves and others, and enables more effective interactions with others. Using colour as a common language for self-understanding, effective interaction and organisational growth, Discovery represents the unique thread running through our entire portfolio.
As its entry point, the Insights Discovery learning system identifies four colour-energies Cool Blue, Earth Green, Sunshine Yellow and Fiery Red and presents these on a wheel we call the Insights Discovery Wheel.
Each of us uses these colour energies to varying degrees, though it is our unique ordering of the energies that will shape our personal style, and it will be our preference for one colour energy that will indicate our dominant or preferred style of thinking, working and communicating.
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STS-92, Mission
Control Center
Awakened to the sounds of "Déjŕ vu" by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Commander Brian Duffy advised Mission Control that he and his crew knew what they'd be doing today and hoped to see everyone on the ground soon.
Discovery is targeting a landing later today, after poor weather conditions in Florida and California kept the crew in space two days longer than originally planned. Duffy and his crew mates – Pilot Pam Melroy and Mission Specialists Leroy Chiao, Bill McArthur, Jeff Wisoff, Mike Lopez-Alegria and NASDA Astronaut Koichi Wakata – will begin their preparations for a return trip to Earth about 8:30 this morning, in anticipation of a landing at either the Kennedy Space Center or Edwards Air Force Base later today.
With continuing strong winds, cloud cover and rain at the Florida landing site, a landing there today remains unlikely. However, there is one opportunity for the crew to land in Florida if weather conditions improve significantly. That opportunity would see a deorbit burn at 1:21 p.m. with landing to follow at 2:28 p.m. An opportunity to return to KSC one orbit earlier, on Orbit 200, has already been ruled out due to the crew's activity timeline
On the west coast, improving weather conditions at Edwards Air Force Base hold promise for Discovery's return. Entry Flight Director LeRoy Cain and his team will watch over the weather this morning and likely will adjust the crew's deorbit timeline to focus on the Edwards opportunities today.
On the first of two opportunities to land at Edwards today, Discovery's orbital maneuvering system engines would fire in a deorbit burn at 2:52 p.m. as it passes over the Indian Ocean, just north of Madagascar and east of Kenya, and land at 3:59 p.m. Discovery would encounter the first traces of the atmosphere while flying over the South Pacific, just south of the Tropic of Capricorn and east of Australia and continue its flight over the Pacific, passing well South of the Hawaiian Islands before arriving on the west coast of the United States. As it heads into Edwards Air Force Base, Discovery will pass just south of the Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands before crossing the California coastline over Los Angeles.
There is a second opportunity to Edwards with a deorbit burn starting the descent at 4:29 p.m. and landing at 5:35 p.m. A landing today brings to a close the 100th mission in Shuttle program history on a mission that paved the way for the first residents of the orbiting International Space Station.
NASA Johnson Space Center Mission Status Reports and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to email@example.com. In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type "subscribe hsfnews" (no quotes). This will add the e-mail address that sent the subscribe message to the news release distribution list. The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription. Once you have subscribed you will receive future news releases via e-mail.


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WMI Provider for Configuration Management Concepts
The WMI provider is a published layer that is used with the SQL Server Configuration Manager snap-in for Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and the Microsoft SQL Server Configuration Manager. It provides a unified way for interfacing with the API calls that manage the registry operations requested by SQL Server Configuration Manager and provides enhanced control and manipulation over the selected SQL Server services.
The SQL Server WMI Provider is a DLL and a MOF file, which are compiled automatically by SQL Server Setup.
The SQL Server WMI Provider contains a set of object classes used to control the SQL Server services using the following methods:
A script language such as VBScript, JScript, or Perl, in which Windows Query Language (WQL) can be embedded.
The ManagedComputer object in an SMO managed code program.
The SQL Server Configuration Manager or MMC with the SQL Server WMI provider snap-in.
Using a Script Language
The advantages of using a script language include the following:
A development environment is not required.
The files that support the script language are widely available.
The script can also work with other WMI Providers in addition to the SQL Server WMI Provider. A domain administrator can use a script to set up the services, network settings, and alias settings on multiple computers on a network.
This section deals with accessing the WMI Provider for Configuration Management from scripts in further detail.
Using the SMO ManagedComputer Object
The ManagedComputer object is a managed SMO object that provides access to the WMI Provider for Configuration Management. By using an SMO program, the ManagedComputer object can be used to view and modify SQL Server services, network settings, and alias settings. For more information, see Managing Services and Network Settings by Using WMI Provider.
Using the Microsoft Management Console or SQL Server Configuration Manager
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) provides an interface to manage SQL Server services, as opposed to a scripting language or managed code program. The SQL Server Management MMC snap-in can be used to stop and start services, and to change service accounts.
The SQL Server Configuration Manager can also be used to manage SQL Server services, client and server protocols, and server aliases