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The world's urban population is growing rapidly, and this population will present significant challenges for global cities in the coming decades. While 54 percent of the world's population lives in urban areas today, that number is projected to jump to 66 percent by 2050. So how can our cities keep pace? How can they expand sustainably to absorb this massive population increase? For our annual roundup of expert voices this year, we asked a panel of urban experts to weigh in on how cities factor into global efforts to make the world a more sustainable place. In particular, we asked our experts to consider this question of sustainability in the context of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), universally applicable goals that will drive the implementation of sustainable development on a global scale.
Within a year, the UN General Assembly will adopt a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The working group tasked with formulating the SDGs has proposed potential goals, and of particular note for urbanists is the one that reads: "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable," accompanied by seven targets related to spatial issues and assembled to present an integrated (not sectorial) approach to building or rebuilding communities: planning, housing, transport, public space, environmental impact (air pollution and solid waste), cultural heritage and disaster preparedness. Some people think that a stand-alone goal on cities and human settlements is not necessary as other goals will cover the matter while others say the other goals neither pay attention to integrating the elements like housing, transportation and environment nor consider the physical or spatial design of cities and human settlements.
In light of this, we asked our experts:
As we look ahead to 2015 and beyond, in your opinion, how important are these urban-related targets for the broader goal of urban sustainability? Choose a target or targets, or feel free to comment on the overall process of finding a place for cities in the UN's SDGs or the overall issue of urban sustainability. Do you think the battle for sustainability be won or lost in cities?
Eugenie Birch and Susan Wachter | How Should We Think About the SDG's…Especially the One on Cities?
Solly Angel and Alex Blei | A Need for Systematic Evidence on the Quality of Urban Expansion
Robert Buckley| Little Hope for an Urban-Focused SDG in 2015
Marc L. Imhoff | Sustainability Goals and the Urban Enterprise
Stephen Malpezzi | Highly Imperfect Goals, But Important Tools for Reform
Susan Parnell | Dedicated Emphasis on Cities is Itself Huge Progress
Andrew Rudd | Cities are an Integral Part of the Solution
Karen C. Seto | The Time is Now for Leadership from the UN
Christopher Small | Goals and Outcomes
Marilyn S. Sommers | Global Traffic Risks for Women and Children: The City is the Key
How Should We Think About the SDG's…Especially the One on Cities?
Eugenie Birch and Susan Wachter are Co-Directors of the Penn Institute for Urban Research. Birch is Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research and Education and Chair of the Graduate Group in City and Regional Planning. Wachter is Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate and Professor of Finance at the Wharton School.
Through their signatures on the 49th page of The Future We Want, the Rio+20 outcome document, 192 nations offered global agreement to create SDG goals aimed at two objectives: "to eradicate poverty" and "to achieve development within planetary boundaries." The nations concurred that such goals would be universal and, at the same time, aspirational and achievable, a seemingly impossible quest in the face of greatly varying stages of worldwide development. Likely, they believed that they were either forging an approach that would promote shared interests or one that would avoid common risks or misfortunes or some combination of the two.
We propose that one way of making sense of the directives, especially the mandate to forge Sustainable Development Goals for urban-focused researchers is to base their understanding on the following two assumptions: 1. The SDGs can offer a coherent structure for framing approaches and identifying critical drivers of the desired outcomes of the two purposes but they cannot prescribe in detail solutions best left to individual nations; and 2. The SDGs can offer a platform for experimentation and learning to shape implementation strategies based on multi-scalar public and private decision-making that will play out in physical space –in other words, place matters.
While we did not specify these considerations when we asked a range of experts to gauge the potential effects of the proposed SDG goal on cities and human settlements, the reader will see that responses point in these directions. They demonstrate each respondent's disciplinary and experiential background. Taken together this dialogue not only illuminates the complex policy issues related to sustainable development but also underlines the necessity of engaging many disciplines in addressing them and the need to find a simple common theme to organize productive and action-oriented thinking (in this case cities and human settlements).
Here, we suggest that cities and human settlements, with their demographic, economic and environmental heft and impacts, serve as the crucible for sustainable development. In particular, we call for a focus on land and its treatment at multiple scales to serve as a critical organizing principle for crafting implementation strategies that will, at a very minimum, create the needed conditions that permit individuals to live healthy, economically-viable and socially-inclusive lives, as well as permit the earth to offer the underlying natural resources that will make this aspiration possible.
Framing urban issues around land and its disposition shouts out for engaging in dialogue with many of the disciplines represented in the contributions below. With the economists, we can discuss how to inject issues of institutional, financial and regulatory capacity and the delivery of public goods. With the designers we can discuss what arrangements within and outside of urban boundaries will offer the provision of a range of public goods from space for safe streets to room for ecosystem services. With the physical scientists, we can explore planetary sustainability – a world in which all people have access to water, food and energy. In this manner, urban researchers can contribute to adding coherence and new knowledge to the grand objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals.
A Need for Systematic Evidence on the Quality of Urban Expansion
Solly Angel is Senior Research Scholar, NYU Stern Urbanization Project and Alex Blei is Non-resident Research Scholar, NYU Stern Urbanization Project, New York University.
Between 2000 and 2050, the urban population in developed countries will increase by 160 million. The urban population of developing countries is expected to increase by 2.5 billion, 16 times that of developed countries. Urbanization is now a developing-country issue. One-third of the 4,000+ cities that had 100,000 people or more in 2010 are now growing at 3% per annum or more. These cities—all in developing countries—are likely to triple their populations by 2050. We can do very little to curb urban population growth, but we can certainly prepare adequate lands in these cities to accommodate that growth.
Stated as a broad policy goal, rapidly-growing cities need adequate lands to accommodate their growing populations, and these lands need to be properly serviced and yet affordable to be of optimum use to their inhabitants. Cities that can consistently meet this goal become more efficient, more productive, more equitable, more sustainable, and more resilient. And to meet this goal they need concerted public action, action that must precede and guide the operations of the free market on the urban fringe. In the absence of concerted public action—action that can secure adequate lands for public works, public open spaces, and public facilities in advance of development—land and housing markets, efficient as they may be in theory, will fail to perform properly in practice.
We have the beginning of a scientific understanding of the quantitative aspect of global urban expansion. However, there is only anecdotal evidence regarding the quality of global urban expansion. Systematic evidence on the quality of urban expansion is now needed to make the case for cities the world over to become proactive in making adequate preparations for their inevitable expansion.
Little Hope for an Urban-Focused SDG in 2015
Robert Buckley is Senior Fellow, International Affairs, Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy, The New School.
In principle an urban-related goal or goals is an excellent idea. It is one that is likely to inevitably be adopted. However, it will almost certainly not take place in 2015. We will probably need an "urban crisis" of some sort before adequate attention is paid to the effects cities have on development processes. I take this pessimistic view for three reasons:
Without better urban governance, provided by if not democratic then at least competitively accountable governance – as in China – cities will not be able to provide the networks that have always been the bases for innovation and hence are the wellspring of growth. The world is already more than half urbanized. As this share continues its relentless increase, it will finally be understood that the effectiveness with which this extremely productive share of the population is governed is essential. The discussions of an urban goal so far have unfortunately missed this point.
Sustainability Goals and the Urban Enterprise
Marc L. Imhoff, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland.
As we begin to define our goals for a sustainable human enterprise (see UN SDG's 2015-2030) it is inevitable that we turn our attention to the development, maintenance, and livability of our cities. The energy, food, water, and materials required to sustain the scale of our urban places require that we consider a suite of interconnected ecological, biophysical, and socio-economic factors that operate over different spatial and temporal scales and reach far beyond the urbanized footprint. In addition, other factors such as technology, policy, and changes in weather regimes, and other extreme events natural or otherwise, are powerful modulators in the performance of built environments.
In order to look forward and assess the possible responses to decisions we make now, an approach is required that connects the urban metabolism more directly with the sustaining suite of biophysical and socio-economic processes. Integrated assessment (IA) modeling, where the human and natural systems are fully coupled in a single model, represents one potential avenue to do this. However, most IA models currently do not define urbanization specifically, but rather obliquely through sectors that contain the various elements found there (e.g., energy and energy technology, transportation types, population, GDP, etc.). As a result, while the global drivers affecting local conditions are maintained, it is difficult to interrogate the models for potential outcomes from an urban-centric viewpoint.
This is an important debate in modeling human-natural systems. Overlap in the sectoral representation within a model does not necessarily mean they can be readily adapted to address issues of direct relevance to urban sustainability. One worthwhile goal for the urban modeling community therefore is the development of IA models that are able to capture the spatial components of "clusters of sectors" that, in this case, represent urbanization. Such a "spatialization" effort if correctly embedded in the models would allow the flexibility of the IA approach retaining the global drivers across all sectors while enabling focused inquiry for studying outcomes on urban places explicitly. If successful, this approach would provide a valuable tool for scientists, planners, and investors to test approaches for creating sustainable cities and the urban sustainability targets described by the community.
Highly Imperfect Goals, But Important Tools for Reform
Stephen Malpezzi is Professor, Graaksamp Center for Real Estate, Wisconsin School of Business.
In 2000, 189 countries agreed to support a set of objectives called Millennium Development Goals with the aim of developing a set of goals with corresponding indicators. A year later, the UN Secretary General unveiled a set of specific goals, The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 2000-2015.
Over half the world's population lives in cities; about 70 percent of global GDP is created there. It's also true that perhaps 80 percent of greenhouse gases are connected to cities; but improving the design and efficiency of cities presents some of the best opportunities to improve environmental outcomes (Birch 2014). In a world with over half the world's population living in cities, many of the goals, and their associated indicators have implications for and are affected by conditions in cities. With respect to the MDGs, the explicit urban goal was Target 11, namely, "By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers."
The MDG's urban goals have been criticized on several grounds, including on the definition of "slums" (Angel 2005) and on the lack of sufficient ambition, given the scale of urbanization, and its contributions to development (Cohen 2014). The broader sets of MDGs, and their implementation, have, of course, been criticized as well. See Easterly (2007), Fehlingha (2013) Friedman (2013), and Fukuda-Parr (2014). Perhaps the most important critique is based on some good news. Despite many qualifications and caveats that can be made, the past two decades has seen, on balance, a combination of policy reforms, institutional development, and resurgent markets in a number of countries (including but not limited to India and China, with almost 30 percent of the world's population between them) that have yielded powerful growth in GDP, concomitant reductions in extreme poverty, and greater access to water, sanitation, health care, and other correlates of quality of life (Chen and Ravallion 2010). The MDGs may have made some marginal contribution (see Friedman 2013 for a careful study that fails to find any significant effects), but I know of no serious claim that the MDG is the prime mover in these impressive improvements.
As of this writing a follow-on set of "Sustainable Development Goals" are under debate and discussion.What, exactly, is meant by "sustainable?" I think economists can contribute to the understanding of this oft-cited, rarely well-defined term. A sustainable development path is one that, in Robert Solow's phrase, preserves "our generalized capacity to create well-being."
Solow also notes what sustainability is not. It is not conditional on a perceived supply of "any particular thing or any particular resource." That's because economists focus, inter alia, on our ability to substitute one good or service for another, in response to changes in relative prices; that the feasible sets of production and consumption possibilities grow over time as incomes rise and technology evolves and spreads; and finally, that technological progress itself does not (often) fall out of the sky, but is usually itself endogenous. That is, when relative prices rise, signaling the increasing scarcity of a good or service, consumption adjusts; but incentives are also put into play that drives more R&D and entrepreneurial energy in that direction.
Currently, the Sustainable Development Goals are draft goals, and there are a lot of them. They will no doubt be revised over the coming year. More broadly, does creating a new set of Sustainable Development Goals have value, in general or for cities? They'll be highly imperfect, as their predecessor Millennium Development Goals were. It can be argued that they will facilitate a conversation and provide a focal point. Perhaps there's a Hawthorne Effect at work. By focusing on even highly imperfect goals, with even less perfect implementation, it can be argued that the increased attention of a wide range of actors could be salutary. These issues have long interested aid agencies, NGOs, some governments, and some academics; but now we find new actors interested, including broader participation by the private sector. One thing I've learned in a business school is that marketing does indeed matter.
The new SDGs will differ in several ways from the MDGs. In addition to their broader scope, SDGs will apply, in principle, to all countries, not just developing countries/emerging markets that were the focus of the MDGs.
My own view is that the biggest shortcomings of the MDGs and the SDGs are that they focus so much on external aid and expertise. This external aid and expertise can, I think, have positive effects on certain margins;but in the end, progress in development must come from within. A wide range of literature discusses this, both broadly (Acemoglu and Robinson; Easterly) and with respect to housing and urban development (Mayo, Malpezzi and Gross 1987; Malpezzi 1993). Perhaps the most important contribution of the next round, of the "Sustainable Development Goals," would be to foster debates and discussions that would get more countries, and the governments, firms, and citizens that comprise them, to buy into the continued policy reforms and development of institutions that will build on the progress of the past 30 years both in the countries that have been succeeding in important governance reform and those that have not yet done so.
Acemoglu, Daren, and James Robinson. Why Nations Fail.
Angel, Shlomo. Defining and Monitoring Target 11: A Policy Note. Mimeo, 2005.
Birch, Eugenie. Sustainable Development Goals Should Aim to Make Cities Inclusive, Resilient, Safe and Livable. October 2014.
Chen, Shaohua and Martin Ravallion. The Developing World is Poorer Than We Thought, But No Less Successful in the Fight Against Poverty. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2010.
Cohen, Michael A. The City is missing in the Millennium Development Goals. Paper prepared for The Power of Numbers: A Critical Review of MDG Targets for Human Development and Human Rights, 2013.
Easterly, William. Can Foreign Aid Buy Growth? Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2003.
Easterly, William. How the Millennium Development Goals are Unfair to Africa. Brookings Institution, 2007.
Fehlinga, Maya, Brett D. Nelson and Sridhar Venkatapuramd. Limitations of the Millennium Development Goals: a Literature Review. Global Public Health, 2013, 8(10), 1109–1122
Friedman, Howard Steven. Causal Inference and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Assessing Whether There Was an Acceleration in MDG Development Indicators Following the MDG Declaration. Brookings Institution, 2013.
Fukuda-Parr, Sakiko, Alicia Ely Yamin and Joshua Greenstein. The Power of Numbers: A Critical Review of Millennium Development Goal Targets for Human Development and Human Rights, Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 2014
Malpezzi, Stephen. Getting the Incentives Right: A Reply to Baken and Van Der Linden. Third World Planning Review, 1993.
Mayo, Stephen K., Stephen Malpezzi and David J. Gross. Shelter Strategies for the Urban Poor. World Bank Research Observer, 1986.
McKinsey Global Institute. Urban World: The Shifting Global Business Landscape. 2013.
McKinsey Global Institute. Tackling the World's Affordable Housing Challenge. 2014.
Merrett, Frank. Reflections on the Hawthorne Effect. Educational Psychology, 26(1), 2006.
Prahalad, C.K. The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid.
Solow, Robert M. Sustainability: An Economist's Perspective. J. Seward Johnson Lecture to the Marine Policy Center, woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, woods Hole, MA, June 14, 1991.
World Bank. Urban Policy and Economic Development: An Agenda for the 1990s. Washington, D.C., 1991.
World Bank (1993). Housing: Enabling Markets to Work. Washington D.C., World Bank. Principal authors Stephen K. Mayo and Shlomo Angel.
Dedicated Emphasis on Cities is Itself Huge Progress
Susan Parnell is Professor, African Center for Cities, University of Cape Town.
Cities are simultaneously the most important new sites of development (already acting as host to more than half of the world's population) and the most important hubs of social, ecological and environmental activity, where the impacts of new construction and urban consumption are always felt beyond the boundaries of the settlement. Because cities are the key drivers of global environmental change it follows that they must also be the focus of sustainable development intervention. Because cities have been shown to be the pathways to social, economic and ecological development it is appropriate that the global community endorse a dedicated urban goal in addition reporting on spatially differentiated progress on other sustainable development targets.
Making Goal 11 (the stand alone urban goal) a meaningful force in the push for sustainable development will not be easy. The goal and its targets are very ambitious. The dedicated focus on cities requires action from multiple scales of government and multidimensional interventions. Implicitly, Goal 11 introduces a sub national scale of intervention not hitherto an explicit part of the UN's developmental focus. The goal is likely to generate both political and operational difficulty because, especially in the developing world, the necessary data is going to be very hard to identify and/or to relate in a causal manner to development interventions. Proposed targets will need critical assessment before they are accepted. The fact that cites (unlike health or education) is a new area of intervention, along with the complexity of forces that determine urban development outcomes, mean that Goal 11 is unlikely to meet all expectations. But, the fact that there will be a dedicated emphasis on cites is huge progress and this victory puts the onus on the urban community to maintain their involvement in the UN process and critically engage the post 2015 agenda.
Cities are an Integral Part of the Solution
Andrew Rudd is Urban Environment Officer, Urban Planning and Design Branch, UN-Habitat.
The battle for sustainable development will indeed be won or lost in cities. So will the achievement of the SDGs. In response to the 1968 riots in Paris, Henri Lefebvre essentially coined the phrase 'the right to the city' claiming that all social relations are mere hypotheses until they are spatialized. If that is true, then no social aspect of the SDGs will be realized without a focus on place and space. (And there are massive economic and environmental co-benefits as well.) For me the most critical targets are 11.3 (which addresses urban planning) and 11.7 (which addresses safe public space). These are the sine qua non of sustainable development in the 21st century. First, without spatial planning we will not manage to preserve periurban agricultural land and we will not win the battle for food security. Moreover, cities will not meet the minimum density thresholds required to sustain public transport and the battle for sustainable transport will also be lost.
Second, without public space we will lose the battle to extend basic services to all, because without rights-of-way there can be no streets, no pipes and no sewers. Third, without aligning the two—planning at the metropolitan scale, design at the scale of the neighborhood—we will not get the home-work-services triangle right so that people occupy housing within a reasonable commute of decent employment. Nor will we be able to build the kind of shared infrastructure that lowers per capita rates of resource use and builds resilience against future shocks. We desperately need to win each of these battles. And victory is within reach— but only if we see cities as an integral part of the solution.
The Time is Now for Leadership from the UN
Karen C. Seto is Associate Dean of Research; Professor of Geography and Urbanization; Director of Doctoral Studies, Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
One of the primary objectives of the UN is to achieve "international cooperation in solving international problems of economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character." Urbanization is fundamental to these and to the all-important issue of the future of Earth's environment. Over the next forty years, the global urban population is expected to increase by 1.3 million every week. Between 2005 and 2050, the global urban population is estimated to increase by 2.7 to 3.2 billion. Put into a historical context, the global urban population reached 1 billion only after more than 10,000 years of human history; however, today, the global urban population increases by 1 billion about every 17 years. The task of designing new and redesigning existing urban centers to accommodate the growing urban humanity is and will continue to be enormous.
Urban form and infrastructures "lock-in" patterns of behavior and consumption. Once in place, urban form and infrastructure have long life and are not easily changed. Therefore, the kinds of towns and cities that ultimately transpire over the first half of this century will have significant implications for all aspects of life on Earth: the resources required to construct the built environment will transform rural hinterlands from where these natural resources will be extracted; the water, energy and power required to operate and maintain urban structures has the potential to exacerbate global climate change; urbanization will transform societies and economies within and outside of cities.
We know a "good" city when we are in one: they enable individual and collective creativity and innovation; they are safe; they foster community and urban citizenship; they are engines of economic growth and help to eradicate extreme poverty, improve access to education, and help to promote gender equality through access to education and employment opportunities; and they are highly functional with effective urban institutions and governance. Because urbanization is one of the megatrends of the twentieth century that will affect multiple aspects of human and environmental well-being, it is imperative that the UN SDGs provide guidance for what constitutes urban sustainability.
Can the goals of urban sustainability be achieved through sectoral-level SDGs? Unlikely. Many of the opportunities and challenges of urbanization are at the intersection of several sectors that operate at different spatial and temporal scales. Cities are natural hubs for integrating across systems to find unique solutions not possible through one sector alone. There is an enormous window of opportunity to shape urbanization and humanity towards sustainability. Solving urbanization challenges will result in numerous co-benefits and positive windfalls. This requires leadership and guidance that can be achieved through the UN SDGs.
Goals and Outcomes
Christopher Small is Lamont Research Professor, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University.
Consider a map of the world. The map is a concise spatial depiction of our world. A two-dimensional projection of a more complex reality. The words on the map typically represent three things: cities, countries and features of the physical environment like oceans, rivers and mountains. The physical environment preceded the cities and countries. Countries were preceded by kingdoms. For at least as long as there have been countries and kingdoms, there have been cities. Over the course of recorded history, most countries are temporary. Cities typically persist and grow, while countries come and go. Over the course of recorded history, cities have proven to be more sustainable entities than countries. Cities are the emergent consequence of human interaction beyond the scale of families and tribes. Cities are the engines of human progress, where individuals congregate and cooperate to achieve outcomes.
The success of the city as the incubator of progress is, in part, the emergent result of a feedback between circumstance and intention. Circumstance enables intention and intention creates circumstance. Goals are manifestations of intention. Outcomes are determined by circumstance. Goals and outcomes have been central to the success of every city. As global networks of cities evolve more rapidly, goals and outcomes will need to extend beyond individual cities to the network as a whole. Goals must be explicit and outcomes must be measurable. This will require accurate, systematic mapping and monitoring of the network – from interconnected megacities to small isolated settlements. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals could provide a basis for outcomes that increase the sustainability needed for long-term success. In order to achieve the desired outcomes, the goals must acknowledge the roles and needs of cities explicitly. In order to verify success, the desired outcomes must be measurable, and they will need to be measured.
Global Traffic Risks for Women and Children: The City is the Key
Marilyn S. Sommers is Lillian S. Brunner Professor of Medical-Surgical Nursing, University of Pennsylvania.
As the global health book Women's Health and the World's Cities, and Penn's recent conference, Urban Women's Health in the United Nation's Post-2015 Agenda, point out, there are many intersections between women's health outcomes and urbanization. Progress on these need to be monitored to focus the world's attention. Here I discuss one—the reduction of road traffic fatalities and injuries—an important focus of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. The need to emphasize traffic injury prevention for the transportation, urban planning, law enforcement, and health sectors is critical. The risk of traffic injury for women and youth is growing globally and is a serious cause of death and disability.
Urbanization and congested traffic patterns compound the health risks. In low- and middle-income countries, passengers on bicycles, motorcycles, and three-wheeled vehicles (often women and children) do not wear helmets or safety restraints even though drivers wear safety protection. Urban crowding creates treacherous roadways for multiple vehicles. Pedestrians (again, often women and children) are at risk on streets without sidewalks, crosswalks, or traffic signals. Speeding is an international problem both on city streets and rural roads. The UN notes that around the world, speed limits are routinely flaunted, placing both passengers and pedestrians at significant risk for injury.
To complicate the problem, traffic safety laws in many countries do not account for the huge increase in vehicular traffic over the past two decades. The Sustainable Development Goals set the standard for 2030, to reduce road traffic injuries and fatalities globally by 50 percent. Safe and sustainable transportation in cities is critical for long term health, with coordination between transportation, urban planning, law enforcement, and health sectors an essential part of injury prevention. Only with a focus on urban traffic patterns can the Sustainable Development Goal for traffic injury be met.
Richard Weller is Professor and Chair, Landscape Architecture, School of Design, University of Pennsylvania.
Herbert Girardet is right when he says there "will be no sustainable world without sustainable cities." He is right because cities can no longer be conceived as cultural objects distinct from nature's benign backdrop. Rather, cities now form a global network that is co-extensive with and woven into the world's ecosystem at every point. Cities are best now understood as intensifications, confluences and bottlenecks in larger global flows.
The practical manifestation of this conceptual evolution of the city from machine to metabolism is the redesign of buildings, open spaces and infrastructure. But as that evolution takes place it is important to also note that this is more than just a green optimization of the city of bricks and mortar, it must also include the broader landscapes upon which our cities ultimately depend.
Emerging goals and targets such as the Sustainable Development Goals are an important expression of the gradual translation of theory into practice. They serve as points of orientation and agreement and encourage healthy competition as cities everywhere to improve their ecological and economic relationships. To that end, emerging Sustainable Development Goals should also look to the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi Targets and ask the question: "How can cities now positively contribute to global biodiversity?" For it will be in answers to that question that the emerging conception of the city that Girardet gives voice to will really take shape.
In some U.S. cities, sidewalks are cleared by public agencies after heavy snowfall rather than by property owners,… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…


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Beef producers and manufacturers are putting a move on innovative chicken marketers. For the past eight years, they've worked to break down the barriers created by tradition, creating new and interesting retail products and re-establishing beef as the meat consumers love.
For example, new cuts from the beef chuck, created and marketed through efforts supported by the $1/head beef checkoff program, have extraordinarily impacted beef carcass value. Cattle-Fax analysis shows the increase in value of the chuck primal since 1998 has meant $75 more to each animal sold.
"It's difficult to isolate just one part of the animal," says Cattle-Fax analyst Mike Miller. "But the chuck is 29% of the carcass by weight. It would be hard to argue new products from the chuck haven't had an impact."
Miller notes Choice chuck value was at a record high in 2006, having increased 60% since 1998. That compares with a 45% increase for the rest of the carcass.
Valued value cuts
Isolation and development of the Flat Iron Steak and the Ranch Cut, among other new single-muscle chuck cuts, is one reason for this success, Miller believes. These and other Beef Value Cuts are available in more than 20,000 foodservice outlets and 5,000 retail stores nationwide.
Increasing recognition of these cuts by shoppers across the country is pulling demand through the system, says Kari Underly of Range, Inc., a Chicago-based, meat marketing consulting firm.
"That's why manufacturers are continuing to invest (in new product development) — because they're getting the requests," she says.
Underly says retailers are asking their suppliers for the current Value Cuts — and more.
"They're now talking about other single-muscle cuts" besides the Flat Iron and Ranch Cut, she says. Because existing Value Cuts are becoming increasingly scarce, those requests come up at almost all presentations she makes to retailers, she adds.
Items now being studied through the beef checkoff for their potential are the chuck roll and the knuckle, according to Ellen Gibson, National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) executive director of new product initiatives, which manages the checkoff's new product development on behalf of the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB). Research into these muscles includes product evaluation and methods for cut enhancement.
But focusing solely on these products isn't enough, Gibson says. The industry must work harder to lead the pack when it comes to new product creation.
"New products have to be unique and superior," Gibson says. "That's not easy."
Gibson says looking at what other beef companies are doing and emulating their products won't take the industry far enough.
"'Me too' products compete on price, and then become a commodity," she adds. "So then, consumers purchase the cheapest product. If a company delivers unique benefits and product value to consumers, it's a win-win for both."
Make it snappy
Convenience has been the primary cry over the past eight years, says Underly, who worked her way through college as a meat cutter.
"The convenience side isn't going away," she says. "Companies are also getting better at upgrading the quality of (convenience) products getting to the retail counter."
Some retail convenience, Underly says, is presented through the frozen meat case.
"With the success of the chicken IQF (individually quick frozen) program, retailers are starting to welcome the new beef items," she says. "It goes back to that convenience factor again."
Underly says frozen staples such as steaks and kabobs — and other pre-packaged beef products, such as flank steak pinwheels, which are prepared before shipping to retailers — are evidence that convenience remains paramount. And it isn't just convenience that's being well received.
"Retailers today are labor-conscious," Underly says. "They're trying to take that step out of their own process" and have manufacturers do the work.
Another new-product niche, Underly says, is natural and organic meats. Retail continues to see growth in these areas — as well as in niche outlets for these meats, such as Whole Foods Markets and others. In fact, Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, announced in early March its intention to double its organic product selection.
Jack Allen, Michigan State University emeritus professor of food marketing, agrees there's a growing natural and organic foods segment, and it's creating new opportunities for beef producers. He also sees packers doing more of the work through case-ready products. The impetus for these changes, however, isn't all in consumer demand. It's also in competition.
The Wal-Mart effect
"The dominant role of Wal-Mart has increased the incentive for other retailers to differentiate themselves," says Allen, who closely follows meat retail trends. "Wal-Mart is setting the pace, reducing prices and saying 'this is the way we (as an industry) will be.'
"The idea for other retailers is 'change or I don't survive.' That's strong motivation," he says.
Allen adds there's a "quicker pace of change" in the retail meat industry today. And there are significant opportunities for the meat industry to create a stronger presence at retail (see sidebar).
One way a stronger presence will be created is through a long-range plan for creating new products, Gibson says. In June, NCBA, through its checkoff contract with the CBB, will begin development of a "roadmap" to guide checkoff-funded new product development efforts over the next three to five years. The roadmap will have input by producers, packers and processors, as well as retail, foodservice and packaging experts, and look at new products from an industry-wide perspective.
Also instituted will be a product-development process to create a more effective and efficient procedure for conducting new product efforts, Gibson says.
"It will help us use resources wisely and guide us in working on the right products for the industry," she says.
Walt Barnhart is president of Carnivore Communications LLC, Littleton, CO, and has worked with the livestock and meat industry for more than 30 years.
Steps for demand growth
Jack Allen, Michigan State University emeritus professor of food marketing, believes the beef industry — to take advantage of growing opportunities at retail — must take things to the next level. That requires at least two steps, he says.
The first is "there's still far too much external fat in beef marketed at retail," Allen says. He says producers and retailers have made good strides in this area, reducing fat by about 20% at retail since the 1970s. That's thanks primarily to a bold industry campaign to call for greater trim of external fat at retail, from ½-in., to ¼-in., to ⅛-in.
But consumers are still confronted by more fat than they want, Allen says, especially in premium cuts. It represents a perception and economic challenge producers must address, he adds.
The second step is retailers' adoption of a "meal approach" in their produce and meat departments.
"The meat and produce industries need to blend products at retail to have a more complete, seamless weave," Allen says. What's critically needed is a strategic alliance between the meat and produce industries to develop a plan for encouraging implementation at retail.
Allen suggests checkoff leaders help lead a charge for improved store design and promotion in the meat and produce departments, making them more shopper- and meal-oriented, and gaining more attention from customers looking to purchase their perishables conveniently and logically.
"Looking to the future, we need to determine what can move the needle up in demand for beef," Allen says. "So far, we've taken some evolutionary steps, and that's terrific. The next steps will need to be more revolutionary."


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Guess what?
Junk is starting to roll over and do you know what that (might) mean? That might mean that we're not too far away from that underlying liquidity mismatch in the high yield ETFs getting a stress test.
As we noted on multiple occasions this week, HYG and JNK are looking mighty shaky:
Just to be clear, HYG had its worst day in more than a year on Thursday and if things don't improve, Friday is going to be even worse. Not helping matters is crude, which is in a dive and has fallen back below $60 for the first time since December:
The outflows from HY funds are starting to pile up. "Outflows from high yield have accelerated in response to the weak secondary environment, with retail funds and ETFs losing $2.4bn over the last week alone (-$1bn HY ETFs, -$1.4bn open-end)," BofAML writes, in a note dated Friday. "On a trailing 4 week basis, US HY funds have lost $5.6bn (- 2.4%), the most since March 2017," the bank continues.
Long story short, this is starting to spill over into credit and as we wrote in "Harry", that is not a good sign. Have a look at CDX spreads:
So for right now, this is being expressed in CDX and HYG/JNK – i.e. where the liquidity is.
But remember, at some point people will start selling the underlying and that's when shit gets really messy, especially if that selling ends up being prompted by massive outflows from the ETFs whose holders have no conception whatsoever of the underlying liquidity mismatch.
"It's all ETF-driven — it doesn't feel like real money is selling, but it's not buying either," one portfolio manager told Bloomberg for a piece out Thursday. He added: "You could get into a short-term liquidity crunch and could see some disorder in our market. But until that happens, it's not panic time."
Right. So if you see the underlying bonds getting dumped, well then things will start to get interesting in hurry.


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GTUL & Magazine Brush Combo for Glock 9mm / .40S&W
The technique for these magazines can be slightly different than hi caps. The design makes it difficult to push the reinforcement plate into the mag body more than a quarter of an inch. To start, place GTUL on the mag, then push the punch down and forward of the retaining pin. Squeeze GTUL while keeping downward pressure with the punch. Use the punch and leverage it against the front edge of the retaining pin to slide the floorplate off. I have found some ten round magazines where the punch can be moved side to side and worked down in front of the reinforcement plate. This allows you to disassemble these magazines like a hi cap.
The GTUL Glock Magazine Disassembly Tool removes the floorplate of 9MM/40S&W magazines while preventing wear on the locking tabs and damage to the metal liner. The tool helps keep your magazines clean and help prevent loose fitting floorplates. The GTUL will withstand thousands of cycles.The magazine cleaning brush is designed for use with the Magazine Disassembly Tool. The handle has a metal punch which can be used to depress the retaining pin on Glock magazines. The brush is used to clean away dirt, grime, and powder residue from inside the magazine tube and other parts. A qualified gunsmith can use the punch to disassemble a Glock pistol. This brush can be used with any Glock magazine, as well as Para, SVI, STI mags, BHP and Beretta magazines.


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High Route Chamonix - Zermatt Glacier Touroffered by supplier M14290 (read about supplier)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 7 day(s)
Group Size: 6 - 8 people
Destination(s): Switzerland France
Specialty Categories: Glacier Tours Hiking & Trekking
Season: June - September
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
Minimum Per Person Price: 1090 Euro (EUR)
Maximum Per Person Price: 1090 Euro (EUR)
From 4600 feet to 12218 feet above sea level, from the huge Swiss glaciers to the mountain pastures of Champex and Zmutt, Chamonix - Zermatt High Route offers a superb tour, close to the most famous summits of the Alps: Chardonnet, Mont-Blanc, Argentière Peak, Hérens Peak, Matterhorn.
Seven days within a wild environment, in full harmony with nature, to appreciate the authenticity of the mountaineers' welcome and of the Swiss mountain huts. The two last stages of the tour, linking Arolla glaciers to Zermatt glaciers, are known worldwide as the most beautiful stages of all the Swiss Glacier treks.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Meeting point at MontRoc train station, valley of Chamonix, on the railway linking Chamonix (France) to Martigny (Switzerland), at 1:30 p.m. A few minutes walking, and then we catch the cable-car plus chair-lift going up from the village of Le Tour, the highest village of the valley of Chamonix, to Balme pass, 7152 feet.
From there, a pleasant path crosses the mountain pastures, providing a fantastic view on the "seracs" of the "glacier du Tour". Following the ridge of a moraine, the footpath will finally reach "Albert 1er" hut, height 8865 feet. Night in the hut. Duration of walking is 3 hours. Length - 4 miles. Difference of level is 1713 feet up.
Day 2: At dawn, a short footpath will quickly bring us up to the glacier. You will rope on, adjust your crampons, and easily acquire the techniques of walking with crampons, linked to other members of your roped party, on the way up to the pass of Le Tour, 10768 feet, on the Swiss border. By this pass, we will not find any customs officer, but a magnificent view on the glacier of Trient, the "Aiguilles Dorées", and all the summits of the Swiss Valais, including Matterhorn.
The easy crossing through Trient plateau will bring us to Orny pass, 10164 feet, a perfect place for picnic. In the afternoon, we will follow the footpath of Orny till the Breya chairlift (7178 feet) which will bring us down to Champex village (4724 feet). We will sleep by the Alpine Club lodge, on the shore of Champex lake (this lodge has hot showers!). Duration of walking is 6 hours. Length - 10 miles. Difference of level is 1902 feet up, 3596 feet down.
In order to avoid an extra descent of 2400 feet of variation of height on a uninteresting and stony ski run joining the top of Breya chairlift to Arpette lodge, we have chosen to go down by chairlift right to Champex village, built on the shores of a very nice lake. Champex offers many small shops where to buy food for the next picnics, and most of all, a warm welcome by the family De Rivaz which manages the Alpine Club lodge.
Day 3: In the morning, a private minibus will bring us to the height 6443 feet, on top of Mauvoisin dam. Following the footpaths of Paturau and Pierracarro, we will walk through the mountain pastures of Mauvoisin lake, and we may have the chance to see marmots, chamois or ibexs. Far above us, the peaks of Grand Combin (14153 feet) tear the clouds of the end of afternoon. Night by Chanrion hut (8077 feet). Duration of walking is 3 hours and a half. Length - 6 miles. Difference of level is 2218 feet up, 584 feet down.
Day 4: A splendid stage on Otemma glacier, immense river of ice which moves down of nearly one foot per day, due to the persistent thrust of the glaciers of its basin. We leave Chanrion hut by a easy descent, and then reach Otemma glacier by its downstream side. Just a few crevasses on this wide glacier which makes its way through the sharp-edged peaks of the Italian border (Singla - 12185 feet, Grand Blanchen - 12067 feet) and the easiest Swiss mountain group of Portons.
After four hours walking easily up on Otemma glacier, we will reach the wide snowy pass of Chermotane, and close to it the Vignettes hut (10,361 feet) which looks like an eagle nest built on the top of a vertical wall. Duration of walking is 6 hours. Length - 9 miles. Difference of level is 2776 feet up, 492 feet down.
Day 5: From the hut, ascent of the Evêque pass (11128 feet), on the Italian border. A beautiful descent on the High Glacier of Arolla, near the Bouquetins hut, will lead us to Plans Bertol (8,30 feet). This descent, close to the Blessed Virgin summit (10604 feet) and to the Bishop peak (12191 feet), has a little taste of Mountaineer's Paradise. From Plans Bertol, a good footpath goes up, following old moraines ridges, till a small glacier, and to the fixed ladders which give access to Bertol hut (10863 feet) one of the most beautiful hut of the Alps. Duration of walking is 7 hours. Length - 10 miles. Difference of level is 3770 feet up, 3268 feet down.
Day 6: Through the high plateau of Mount-Miné glacier, the tracks lead us to the highest point of this tour, Tête Blanche (12218 feet). The immense west face of Matterhorn, the giant piles of seracs of Dent d'Hérens north face fill the horizon, while, soon far behind us, the Mont-Blanc group waves us goodbye. The magnificent descent of Stöcki glacier may offer us a few jumps over small crevasses. Further down, the moraine footpath will bring us up to Schönbiel hut (8838 feet) from which the view on Matterhorn North face is an extraordinary scene. Duration of walking is 6 to 7 hours. Length - 9 miles. Difference of level is 1991 feet up, 4016 feet down.
Day 7: Following the moraine of Zmuttgletscher, our footpath goes through many small mountain pastures, rich with numerous small chalets with slate roofs, decorated with flowers. Our tour will end right in the center of Zermatt, facing Matterhorn and all the 13000 feet high summits on its left: Breithorn, Castor, Pollux, Lyskamm, Monte Rosa. Duration of walking is 3 to 4 hours. Length - 6 miles. Difference of level is 3570 feet down. End of the course by mid-day, in Zermatt. Easy return by train to Visp, Lausanne, Paris or Chamonix valley.
Note: To go back from Zermatt to Montroc, we use to reserve, only for clients interested, a private minibus which is allowed to pick us right in the center of Zermatt. A minibus transfer is faster than a train transfer (2 hours 15 minutes instead of 4 to 5 hours by train) and cheaper (50 to 55 EUR, instead of 60 EUR by train).
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Note: All inclusive price except picnics for lunch.
Click here to email this vacation offer to a friend.
Joined InfoHub: Apr 2006
The company was created in 1995 by Marc Démolis, IFMGA Mountain Guide from Chamonix. Ranging among the most experienced teams of IFMGA, our Mountain Guides are not only skilled professionals and teachers, but also passionately fond of the peaks, sites and countries where they will take you off. Selected for their...


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Pattern: Ornate Arches by Donna Kay Lacey, the June 2012 Unique Sheep Crochet Block of the Month
Yarn: The Unique Sheep Verve in Washington and Cornwallis
Hook: 2.75 mm
I finally managed to get some decent beauty shots of Gr-orange. We've had thunderstorms almost every afternoon last week and the light just wasn't cooperating. Here's the front.
Pattern: Indian Feathers by Alina Appasov
Yarn: The Unique Sheep Tinsel Toes in Gr-orange
Needle: US 5 (3.75 mm)


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Links from 7 February 2002, oldest first:
- New Statesman - Focus - How to live on £7,000 a year in London
- Live, like Peter Tatchell, on 7k/year in a council flat, and you too might be in a position to get on Robert Mugabe's death list. Permalink
- Reply Posting Guidelines in One to Many Communications
- I can't believe someone can possibly have been this bored! Permalink
- Guardian Unlimited | Archive Search - Soul man denies sex machine claims
- great titles #2342 Permalink
- MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | Dyke shows BBC 'yellow card'
- getting through to the top brass Permalink
- Defending Civilization: How Our Universities Are Failing America And What Can Be Done About It? (defciv.pdf)
- er right... Permalink
- Google Programming Contest
- Permalink
- Bomb Project, The
- fascinating, and not just 'cos it's full of explosions. Permalink
- TicTacToe v1.1
- look at the Barley Mower that is the X Blade. this has to be a spoof. Permalink
- How to Manage Your Brand Portfolio
- Look at the Bod page again. Permalink


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Getting in on Coke's journey
After writing a post a few weeks ago called "Is Coke it?" on the new content-driven website for coca-colacompany.com, Ashley Brown, Coke's head of digital and social media reached out to me and invited me to write a follow-up story on the pages of Coca-Cola's very own web site.
In a post called "Why we're here." Ashley communicates Coke's commitment "to be an open, transparent, and honest host and a thoughtful curator."
Clearly, they mean it. I've heard many stories of brands embracing criticism on their own web properties. I've never heard of one inviting it.
Please check out my thoughts along with a response from Ashley Brown at "Coca-Cola is on a Journey—But Is it the Right One?"


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Year : 2014
Style : Death Metal
Country : Netherlands
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 243 mb
Musically fueled by bands that laid the foundation of certain genres (Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Possessed, Death, Autopsy, and Venom) AntropomorphiA's inception lies in the fall of 1990. The band was formed by four individuals that shared a close friendship and passion in honest metal music. The first years of sending out rehearsal tapes and performing shows in local bars around their hometown culminated into the '92 'Bowel Mutilation' demo, which turned out to be a long sought after item among underground metal fans.Immediately after the release of 'Bowel Mutilation,' a record deal was offered by Swiss label Blackened Recordings. The band recorded their first MCD and in the second half of 1993 the cult classic 'Necromantic Love Songs' MCD was put on the market.In the years of turmoil that followed, the band released the '95 'I have my way' demo and were consumed by other musical projects in the flourishing metal scene that was going on in the southern part of the Netherlands in general, and in their hometown of Tilburg in particular at that time. This resulted in putting the entity on indefinite hold in '99. As years passed, the band kept on writing and recording tracks from time to time. A full rebirth came in '09, when the band felt it was time to start devoting all their attention into their musical allegiance once again. This new found darkness led to their 2012 Metal Blade release "Evangelivm Nekromantia."The release of "Evangelivm Nekromantia" and the two videos that were shot for the songs "Psuchagogia" and "Debauchery In Putrefaction" stirred the attention around the band once more, which resulted in several live performances, including festival appearances at Neurotic Deathfest and Extremefest. Because of the violent and occult nature of the topics AntropomorphiA deal with, it even drew the attention of the German authorities, almost getting the album banned completely from the shelves.Now, almost two years after the release of "Evangelivm Nekromantia," its successor has arrived. "Rites ov Perversion" has been written, recorded, mixed and mastered and ready to be cast upon the masses. It is an organic and violent album, where the band is musically going back to their origin, but at the same time, not limiting themselves and exploring the sinister beauty of other dimensions.
Line Up:
M Drums (1989-1999, 2009-present) - See also: Flesh Made Sin, ex-Legiah
F Vocals, Guitars (1989-1999, 2009-present) - See also: ex-Solutions, ex-Crustacean
S Bass (1990-1999, 2009-present) - See also: Flesh Made Sin, ex-The New Dominion
J. Guitars (2013-present) - See also: Acrostichon, Razend, ex-Age of Agony, ex-Outburst, ex-Crustacean, ex-Master
1. Temphioth Workings 03:42
2. Carved to Pieces 05:23
3. Inanimatus Absqui Anima 05:40
4. Crowned in Smoldering Ash 06:16
5. Nekrovaginal Secretions 04:46
6. Gospel ov Perversion 04:34
7. Morbid Rites 05:33
8. Tevfelskvnst 05:28
9. Open Casket (Death cover) 04:59
+ Video "Nekrovaginal Secretions" (Official Video)
Please my link you can´t spread further and don´t upload to other hostings!!!
Kód: Vybrať všetko
Kód: Vybrať všetko
Password: horex
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text: This handbag is the perfect accessory to finish off your look! Featuring; faux leather, adjustable shoulder strap, high polish metal accents, inner pocket. Followed by a button closure. 8.3 inches wide 6 inches long 5 inches deep Style: accessories-handbag-kk89a-102black This item is FINAL SALE and is not eligible for return or exchanges.


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Hi everyone and welcome to the Creative Embellishments / Petaloo cross promotion! For the hop I have created a set of cards. I picked universal sentiments on my cards which makes them perfect for moms or just as a little gift for someone special!
Each card is created with my favourite CE distressed texts tamp in the background! Each card also has a gorgeous Heart Flourish Frame on it…I finished these chippys with a coat of gesso, some Shimmerz mist and more dabs of gesso. Pataloo Darjeeling Rosettes and Dahlias were perfect to frame the chippy frames!
To finish it all off I added a flair from the Fly Away Flair Set and a Petaloo mini butterfly!
There are fabulous prize packs and I want to wish you all good luck! Take care and Happy Scrapping! Check out the Creative Embellishments blog for full details!
Petaloo Products:
Creative Embellishments Products:


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Getting Sick on a Business Trip
February 8, 2017 by Matt Sill · Leave a Comment
Getting sick when you're at home is bad enough. But to get sick while you're on a business trip? That's the worst! You don't have access to your own bed or your favorite pillow, and you don't have access to your doctor or favorite pharmacy.
So what should you do if you get sick while you're on the road?
First, be attentive to your body and your symptoms. If your stomach is sensitive, don't automatically assume it's a stomach virus. However, be careful of what and where you eat. Test the severity of your situation by seeing if you can keep down some simple food like a banana, a piece of toast, or some tea without things getting worse. Get your favorite over-the-counter antidote for an upset stomach during the day so you have a potential remedy in case you need it in the middle of the night. Alert fellow travelers or your meeting partners so someone knows to check on you if you don't show up for the scheduled event the next day.
Sometimes you may think you're sick when you're really just overtired. Try to get as much sleep as possible and reassess in the morning. If you haven't been sleeping in the weeks leading up to your business trip, get as much as you can a couple days before you leave. If you're too tired, you're more susceptible to illness.
If the illness progresses and you need to see a doctor, know what your insurance will cover. Don't leave home without your requisite cards, call your provider in advance to be sure the visit will be covered, and inquire at the front desk or with your in-town contacts to see where urgent care services are located.
If it's especially bad, don't power through it. It's one thing if you have a minor head cold. As long as you avoid physical contact with people, and practice good hygiene, you could suffer through the day and be all right. But if you have something more serious such as the flu, take a day or two off and spend it in bed. You may be able to recover enough to save the at least part of the trip.
If you've picked up something while traveling abroad, be sure to follow up with your doctor when you get home. If it's serious enough that the symptoms progress, persist, or reappear, your physician can help connect the dots and figure out what might be going on.
No one likes to get sick while away from home, but if you recognize the signs early, and can get your favorite medicines, you can salvage your trip and get back to health. Also, when you're at the hotel, use a disinfectant wipe to wipe down the doorknobs, TV remote, telephone, and any other surfaces that might have germs. This will keep you from picking something up and bringing it home.
Have you ever gotten sick on a business trip? How did you manage it? Did it affect the whole trip, or did you recover in time? Share your stories with us in the comments below, on our Facebook page, or in our Twitter stream.
Photo credit: יום-טוב (Wikimedia Commons, GNU Free Documentation License)


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© 2018 RSM US LLP. All rights reserved.
Supply-chain management
Thriving companies work with suppliers and software to understand and meet the needs of their customers.
From vendors to customers, executives need to keep a close eye on an often fluid environment known as the supply chain. As Stephen Covey might put it, supply chain management should "begin with the end in mind." That is, it starts with understanding the customer. Every decision made along the supply chain continuum, including those regarding the products and services that companies provide, should be based on supporting the needs and values of the end user.
Thriving companies know they need to maintain good relationships with their customers—and they act on this knowledge. A greater percentage of thriving companies make more effective use of their IT systems to improve customer satisfaction than other companies (33 percent and 27 percent, respectively). Leveraging customer relationship management systems to get an understanding of what customers want helps drive the supply chain strategies of manufacturers and distributors.
One manufacturer of diapers, for example, is test marketing in Brazil a diaper that uses sensors to let parents know when their infant's diaper needs changing. The sensor also triggers a distribution process to keep the family supply of diapers fully stocked. Understanding what the consumer needs and finding creative solutions to address those needs are the hallmarks of a company that manages its supply chain.
Working with suppliers
Supply-chain management is more important than ever, with cost increases for most inputs expected to outpace inflation (Figure 12). The key for executives in dealing with goods and services suppliers—as in dealing with customers—is to establish relationships in which value is created for both parties.
Figure 12. Average expected cost increases in next 12 months
Vendor management is increasingly paramount to maintaining stable operations. The risks can extend beyond financial issues to include reputation, sustainability, legal, regulatory and other operational issues. Knowing your vendor and developing a risk assessment and monitoring program to examine outcomes leads to stronger vendor performance.
Thriving companies know the importance of the vendor relationship; nearly three-quarters of the thriving Monitor participants found that working with suppliers to improve processes and lower costs is an effective means to maintaining or improving profit margins.
A first step taken by many executives developing improved supplier relationships is to precisely determine what they are spending with whom. In the lean manufacturing lexicon, this is called a "plan for every part," where management clearly understands what and why they buy from each supplier. The aim is to establish a "total delivered cost" perspective, rather than focusing solely on unit price. Consideration is typically given to factors such as inventory carrying costs, transportation charges, cost of potential delays, and staff and management labor and training.
A rigorous supply assessment can drive executives to re-evaluate supplier relationships. In addition to perunit costs, there are a number of issues to consider—cycle times, customer demand, product quality, among others—when proactively managing a supply chain. Approximately 16 percent of U.S. companies in the Monitor survey, for example, purchase half or more of their goods and services from non-U.S. suppliers. Alternatively, 36 percent of companies feel it is important to have their operations in physical proximity to their supply chains—and, in fact, have made it a competitive advantage.
Many companies have brought (or are looking to bring back) operations to the United States (often called onshoring), but there is a balance between those companies that are onshoring and those offshoring (Figure 13). Each company's supply chain is unique, and analysis of current spend, total-cost data, and emerging supplier opportunities contribute to onshore and offshore decisions, as do the efficiencies to be gained by having activities physically closer to the customer (Figure 14).
As the financial incentives for domestic production become more attractive, high-profile initiatives—such as those advanced by retail giant Walmart—are encouraging suppliers and manufacturers to invest in domestic manufacturing projects. From televisions to light bulbs to bicycles, these onshoring investments are bringing much-needed jobs to communities, reducing assembly and delivery cycles, and boosting local economies.11
"New reshoring—some call it onshoring—is now balancing new offshoring by about 40,000 jobs a year, resulting in the first neutral year of jobs loss/gain in 20 years." –Harry C. Moser President Reshoring Initiative
A food manufacturer and distributor based in Baltimore, for example, noted that food safety concerns in general, and the Food Safety Modernization Act in particular, are driving the responsibility for U.S. distributors to ensure the safety of their food sources. As a result, the company is considering making investments to source and manufacture certain products domestically rather than try to control quality and safety coming from a source offshore.
Figure 13. Offshoring and onshoring trends
Figure 14. Importance of operations in physical proximity
The top circumstances most likely to trigger when to bring operations back home:
- To be closer to customers and markets with better lead times: 27 percent of companies
- To improve logistics costs: 25 percent
- Seeking a less costly and burdensome regulatory environment: 17 percent
- To reduce inventory carrying costs: 16 percent
- To decrease supply-chain cycle times: 15 percent
- To improve product and process quality: 15 percent
Approximately 44 percent of respondents indicate they would not move significant operations under any circumstances. Among them, those companies that have an operations presence or joint venture offshore understand it can be cost prohibitive to leave a country. In China, for example, it can be difficult just to get physical materials and equipment out of the country— and the severance costs can be quite high.
Three-quarters of executives say it is important to their brand that their products are made domestically.
Also contributing to sourcing decisions are customers' perceptions of supplier locations: 75 percent of executives report that it is important to their brand that their products are made domestically, and 34 percent believe that domestic demand increased because products were made domestically. Notably, some focus group participants pointed out that products made in the United States enjoy a reputation for quality around the world. Depending on the market, the value that customers place on these products can translate into premium prices and profits.
The value proposition for customers
Manufacturers and distributors are continually challenged to boost revenues as they face significant pricing pressures from customers. This presents them with some options: generate more revenue from current customers by increasing volume or introducing new products, or sell to new customers—or both.
Some 32 percent of executives report that increased penetration in existing markets is extremely important for sales growth. More sales from the same customers requires a fulfillment approach that focuses customer attention on value and incorporates strategies to make consumer customers more satisfied and business customers more profitable. This is not a buy-and-sell relationship, but recognition of the supply-chain value proposition in which customers are presented a package of solutions. Many customers expect more options (goods and services), even if they don't tell suppliers that—often because they don't know what they want or what is available.
Customers will also accept higher prices for this broader package, provided they perceive new value, such as:
- Improved service
- Reduced total cost of the supplier-customer relationship
- Access to information, knowledge and expertise
An aerospace company, for example, has added assembly options for its customers—producing a "kit" from multiple parts that is then shipped to buyers—as a way to make value- added services a distinctive element of its brand.
Changing the relationship from price to value also requires a deeper understanding of what
customers really value. To do so requires analyzing their needs, identifying trends, understanding customer preferences, establishing price points and the like. This customer-centric approach is supported by 39 percent of companies participating in the Monitor survey, which plan to purchase new or reconfigure their customer relationship management (CRM) systems in the coming year. Gartner reports that end- user investment in digital marketing and customer- experience initiatives drove CRM revenue over $20 billion in 2013, making CRM the top software revenue growth market for all enterprise software markets.12 But CRM implementation is not without risk, and the software alone does not create customer loyalty or increased profits—it is a foundational tool upon which to identify needs and build customized value for customers.
Another way to grow sales is to identify new customer segments. Approximately 15 percent of executives report that a strategy for finding new customer segments is extremely important to sales growth.
One way to do that is to look beyond U.S. borders: on average, 87 percent of participants' sales are derived from domestic customers, and more than one-quarter of respondents have no non-U.S. sales. This presents a wealth of opportunities, particularly to manufacturers.
Thriving companies are more likely to have a successful strategy to sell products outside of the United States. Sales outside the United States increased for just over half of thriving companies in the past 12 months, with nearly 60 percent expecting increases in the coming year.
The McKinsey Global Institute reports that by 2025, annual consumption in emerging markets will rise to $30 trillion, up from $12 trillion in 2010, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the world's total consumption.13 Companies that invest in non-U.S. growth are already reaping the benefits: profit before interest and taxes at companies with non-U.S. sales were 7 percent (median), compared to 5 percent for U.S.-sales-only companies.
Not surprisingly, this group was far more likely to think that finding new regions or geographies outside of the United States was important or extremely important to sales growth (25 percent of companies), compared to just 1 percent on U.S. companies with all domestic sales.
So why are executives hesitant to put more effort abroad? Most midmarket companies need help because they lack the expertise and experiences of selling outside the country. As noted in previous Monitor reports,14 there are a number of government and private company resources—as well as readily available best practices guidelines—available to help meet the challenges of exporting and operating offshore.
|Global perspective
Approximately 83 percent of non-U.S. companies have sales outside their own country (compared to 72 percent of U.S. companies). The international sales percentage for non-U.S. companies is median 40 percent (compared to 5 percent for U.S. participants).
- "Walmart, Suppliers and Government Officials Accelerate Job Growth and Production Opportunities at U.S. Manufacturing Summit," Aug. 22, 2013, Wal-Mart press release.
- Market Share Analysis: Customer Relationship Management Software, Worldwide, 2013, Gartner, April 16, 2014.
- Yuval Atsmon, Peter Child, Richard Dobbs, and Laxman Narasimhan, "Winning the $30 trillion decathlon," McKinsey Quarterly, August 2012.
- See the 2013 Monitor report as well as Monitor reports from the fall and winter of 2011.


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Fancy That! - Nana Joes Granola Giveaway
Prize: Enter to win gluten-free granola by Nana Joes.
Approximate Retail Value (ARV): 0.00
Prize Categories: Food & Drink
Ages: Minimum: Age of majority, Maximum: Unlimited
Start Date: Information not provided
Closing Date: 29 September 2019
Entry frequency: Single Entry
Requirements: Completing a Rafflecopter form
What you must do to enter: Comment and other optional entries.
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And OH! These pillows from AllModern.com!!!
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Hello forum,
I'm thinking about moving out of the Styx and starting a new career. Guiding passed souls just no longer seems to enliven me. The only item on my resume is "Grim Reaper," though. It just feels like there's nothing else out there for me. Plus, no one wants to rent to Death or live next door, etc.
I'm really struggling with what my next move will be.
Can you guys think of a career I might excel at?
PS my skills include counseling ghosts, guiding spirits, and being a total buzz…


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When it came time to choose my selection for the Sweet Melissa Sundays Baking Group, the decision was easy – Sour Cherry and Almond Biscotti. Cherries and Almonds are such a great flavor combination, and a favorite of mine. Also, almonds are the only nuts I could sneak into baked goods and still get a positive response from my husband!
Biscotti can seem intimidating, but are really quite easy to make. It's the whole "twice baked" nature of them that people shy away from, but what's so hard about baking something twice?!? The oven does all the work, right? I somehow managed to have everything on hand to make these, so it didn't even require a trip to the store for me! Even easier! I did have to do so some substituting, so my pantry isn't as well stocked as it seems…The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of fresh orange juice to reconstitute the dried cherries, but I only had a lemon. Also, since it required the zest of one lemon as well, I saw no reason to juice one citrus fruit and zest the other. I imagine if the cherries were soaked in orange juice it would lead to a sweeter cherry flavor, but I liked them tart.
The dough comes together relatively quickly, but I don't think there is enough flour in it. It was really sticky, and remained sticky after chilling for well over an hour, so I dumped another 1/4 cup on top and worked it in. It worked out perfectly.
After baking the logs for 30 minutes you need to score the logs into 3/4-inch pieces at a 45 degree angle then cut straight through the score.
For the second baking you lower the oven to 275 degrees and bake the cut pieces for 60 minutes. This is what gives them that super crispy texture that even storing in an air tight container doesn't make soggy. I brought the biscotti up to our cabin for the 4th of July and they were devoured by our friends over the weekend.
Melissa puts this recipe in her "After-School Snack" section but I think these are perfect with coffee. I'll definitely be making these again, and perhaps will play around with different flavor combination like fig and walnut with orange zest, cherries and pistachios, or even get crazy and add chocolate chips! White chocolate chips and cranberries would be delicious, don't you think?
Sour Cherry and Almond Biscotti
pages 72-73 of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book
- 1/2 cup dried sour cherries
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds, roughly chopped
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluaminum foil
- In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cherries and orange juice and bring to a simmer. Remove from teh heat, cover, and let the cherries reconstitute.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, zest, and salt until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and almond extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Drain the cherries, discarding the juice. Stir the cherries and almonds into the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto the prepared cookie sheet, flatten, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough in half. Using a little extra flour if the dough is sticky, roll each half into a log about 14 inches long.
- Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the cookie sheet with clean parchment paper.
- Place the logs about 4 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden and slightly firm. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Turn down the oven to 275 degrees.
- As soon as the logs are cool enough to handle but still warm, about 10 minutes, carefully peel them off the paper and transfer to a cutting board. Using a serrated bread knife, gently score the logs at 3/4-inch intervals on a 45-degree angle. After scoring, cut through each scored line in one motion with a sharp chef's knife, slicing the logs into pieces.
- Carefully transfer the cookies to a freshly lined cookie sheet browned side down and not touching one another. Bake for an additional 60 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet after 30 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool on the pan to room temperature.
The biscotti will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for at least 1 week (assuming they last that long). For longer storage, tightly wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 weeks. Do not unwrap before defrosting.


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Friday, May 27, 2011
Disney's THE LION KING lead cast members treat Singaporeans to their first public performance at Marina Bay Sands on June 4th
SINGAPORE (26 May, 2011) – On 4th June at 5.45pm, to celebrate the ongoing success of THE LION KING production in Singapore, select lead cast members from the award-winning musical will present their first ever public performance at the skating rink located by the Rasapura Masters food marketplace at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.
The talented cast of THE LION KING will present an exclusive showcase of select songs, including the smash hit Academy Award-winning song by Elton John and Tim Rice 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' – a rare treat for those who have yet to catch the extraordinary performance.
In addition, 100 tickets will be given away on the day on an hourly basis, starting at 12 noon to lucky visitors participating in various quizzes and contests at The Shoppes. For just that day, a special family package with four C-Reserve tickets will be on sale for just S$400, a saving of S$100.
With over 150,000 tickets already sold THE LION KING production has been playing at the Sands Theater, Marina Bay Sands to capacity since it opened to rave reviews in March. The musical is the first Broadway style long running production Singapore has had and is of the same Broadway-quality standards, spectacular music, dance, sets and costumes that have made it a worldwide phenomenon.
Local elements have been added to make this production unique to Singapore. The musical has also elevated Singapore's performing arts industry when it cast, for the first time, a Singaporean actor in the key role of Young Simba - 11-year-old Nicholas Papayoanou.
On stage, Director Julie Taymor's creative vision blends elements of African art and Broadway artisanship to depict anthropomorphic animal characters. The sardonic and deviously cunning "Scar" is played by Patrick Brown. Jean Luc Guizonne aka Jee-L is "Mufasa", the great warrior and ruler of the Pridelands. Gugwana Dlamini is the wise baboon shaman "Rafiki". Lyall Ramsden plays the prim and proper horn billed bird "Zazu". Pierre van Heerden is the carefree warthog "Pumbaa" and Jamie McGregor is the wisecracking meerkat "Timon". Mufasa's son, Simba, the lion prince born to be king is played by Jonathan Andrew Hume and Puleng March is the loyal lioness "Nala".
The three evil hyenas are played by Lavina Williams, Simon Gwala and Michael Bagg. The role of "Young Nala" is alternated between Christina De Leon, Myka Torre and Nikki Samonte.
Singapore is the latest leading city to host THE LION KING after sell out performances in New York, London, Hamburg, a North American tour, Tokyo and Las Vegas.
Posted by Greg Semon at 5/27/2011 03:33:00 PM
1 comments:
- maricela gomez said...
I hope they could extended the days of playing; at least, until the end of this year, It is a pity that they only are going to performance for few months..LION KING THE MUSICAL should stay longer in singapore!!!!!
- May 31, 2011 at 9:38 PM
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0 ItemsSubtotal: ₹0 Go to Shop
European Union slapped google with a €2.4 billion fine over manipulating search results
June 28, 2017 News No Comments
European Union just fined Google with a huge fine of €2.4 billion (approximately Rs.17588 crores) for breaking the Anti-trust law. According to EU, google favored it's own Google shopping service on search page results. They said that Google manipulated the search page results to provide advantage to it's own comparison shopping results.
Google should pay the fine in 90 days for the mis-conduct else 5% penalty will be charged daily on the world-wide turnover of Alphabet (parent company of Google). European regulators said, Google denied both its consumers real choice and rival firms the ability to compete on a same level.
It does not end here, EU is trying to find what else manipulation google has done to become a dominant player in the European search engine market. EU suggests company to operate on the legal way. However, EU official in charge of competition policy, commissioner Margrethe Vestager considered it as 'Old School' type illegality and praised the innovation that google brought by saying :
"Google has come up with many innovative products and services that have made a difference to our lives. That's a good thing. But Google's strategy for its comparison shopping service wasn't just about attracting customers by making its product better than those of its rivals. Instead, Google abused its market dominance as a search engine by promoting its own comparison shopping service in its search results, and demoting those of competitors.
What Google has done is illegal under EU antitrust rules. It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate. And most importantly, it denied European consumers a genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation."
This may not be the end of the case because Google can appeal the ruling. Company has denied EU claims and said that it does not favor it's own shopping comparison service. Google is already facing two other cases over Google Adsense and it's relations with Android phone manufacturers.


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Why I love going to the writing Lab each day: I get to work with some of the most hilarious, surprising, smartest, thoughtful, and reflective teens in New York City. Best of all, our work at times extends beyond fiction and traditional memoir as college deadlines loom. A few of us spent hours and hours over the last four months identifying, deconstructing, and framing the highlights of their rich lives into two-page college essays. Take Eunju Namkung, 17. Her parents have spent decades working long hours in nail salons and car shops with the hopes that their daughter would have the opportunity to enjoy the rewards of literacy and specialized education. So it was a particular pleasure to receive Eunju's elated text message two nights ago: "AHHH!I GOT INTO YALE...I can't believe how fortunate I am!" Fortunate, humble, sweet... and wonderfully talented. Please help Eunju celebrate by reading her two winning college essays:
By Name
By Eunju Namkung
My first name is Eunju. The heavy drop, Eun, a stone into a puddle, plows the air to make room for the uplifting Ju. The two syllables bob up and down, literally illustrating the very word that describes and resembles how it sounds: undulate. Undul. Ate. Eun. Ju. Eunju. If said in a whisper, it will trick ears into thinking they have heard "I love you." When said loudly, boldly, it bellows like stomach thunder, a near profanity. If said too quickly, it is a sneeze and there will be an unsure "Bless you" from someone thinking, "That was a strange achoo." Then again, if said with macrons on each syllable, for those days the tongue doesn't want to stretch, the name transforms into a senior citizen reaching for the remote that's always two inches too far.
My last name is Namkung. Among the Kims, Chois, and Parks, Namkung is the maverick of last names. I have to assure everyone, even Koreans, that my seemingly mutated name is truly Korean-- which it is. I also tell curious others that I am a princess, a royal debutante, descendant of the Namkung Dynasty- which I'm not, but it is just too irresistible when Namkung means "South Palace" in hanjja. An Olympic last name, I wear it like a gold medal and threaten all boys that if they marry me, my last name will eat their last name. No hyphens, no negotiations. No Namkung, no "I do."
I am Eunju Namkung, born Korean, raised everything else. The daughter to Eun and Jung Ju, I have taken pride in having a valuable name that means even more in American life. My parents pronounce my name the "Korean way," which isn't necessarily the right way. I prefer the undulating Eunju, the one by which I am called in class, in the streets, in my world. I have grown up in Riverdale, a Jewish Bronx town, where come Hanukkah, people jokingly ask me if I am Jewish. Understanding my cue, I respond, "No, I'm Eun Ju," to which we both respond in laughter. It is an identity that defines me as much as I define it.
In April, 2008, I discovered that Eunju is not only an entertaining name, but an intriguing one that has the power to bring people together. I designed a tee shirt with my name printed on it: EUN on the front, JU on the back. It was bizarre when people rushed me to ask where they could purchase it. Very much aware of the narcissistic connotations, I told them it wasn't for sale. I wanted to be a jokester, not a jerk, but impatient requests for the shirts encouraged me to try to understand why people were reacting with such enthusiasm. Thus I began my short-lived career as a salesman.
A modest sale of a few shirts escalated into an order of 170. Among the customers, there were teachers (Organic Chemistry, English, and Physics); one president of the Jewish Club; a Student Union president; athletes; math-letes; kids who wear tight jeans and colorful sneakers; a set of identical twins; kids who play trombones; kids who use Macs; kids who go to church; kids whose parents are too strict; kids who sleep in other people's homes more often than they do at their own homes; kids who smoke; kids who save the environment; a pastor; three Helens and two Philips, but no Eunjus. I had known each of them from my classes, sports teams, extracurricular activities, and neighborhood, but I had never known that they valued my name as much as I did.
The customers of Stuyvesant HS decided that it was necessary to organize a single day, a holiday of sorts, to wear the shirts altogether. On June 6, 2008, we strutted down hallways with the letters of the name on our chests and backs. We laughed at the accusations made at us for being a fan-club, a fascist army, and even a cult. We insisted that there was no idolatry, militant spirit, or kool-aid involved. Hugs, hi's, and high-fives were exchanged between strangers-turned-friends. That day, even Eunju among the EUN JUs did not feel like Eunju. EUN JU was everyone.
Power Tools
In the summer of 2006, I worked alongside my dad at Radial Auto, a Korean-owned garage where he has spent years working with other immigrant men. The men, who didn't know what make of me, gave me tasks that they thought I could handle: organizing boxes, weeding, sweeping. My dad, however, treated me as if I were one of them, even giving me a blue-collared shirt to wear, which I did proudly. With his guidance, I adjusted tire pressures, performed oil changes, replaced brakes, fixed the lifter, and did other jobs that would make my arms ache and my mom frown.
The ride home would be a quiet one because I would sleep in the back seat, completely exhausted from the day's work, my legs feeling like metal oars. I remember dinner tasting heavenly each night that week. I don't remember exactly what I ate those nights, but the menu did not matter. Even plain white rice, the same white rice that I had every night, tasted like fine dining. I realized that every bite I had had been the result of my dad's tired muscles and coarse hands.
Since then, I have asked my dad many times when I can work at the garage again. Every time he replies: "You did such a good job last time, I don't have anything for you to do anymore. We'd all have no jobs if you worked full-time." While I laugh to placate him, I have been secretly heartbroken because I miss power tools and working by his side. But I get it. He knows that I have learned that there is no limit to hard work, that there is nothing more gratifying than earning and providing with your own strength. He reminds me that I must be strong in my own way. While he uses drills and wrenches to provide, I must find my own power tools in the classroom.
My father, who looks enviously upon my books, takes to his own readings, finishing volumes of newspapers each night, occasionally reading a Korean novel. Sometimes he asks me how it feels to read Shakespeare or Tolstoy in English, but I cannot explain the experience of reading. While he has asked me many times to help him learn English, he is always too worn to learn a language he has struggled with for more than twenty years. His mechanic's shoulders simply ache too much when he sits hunched over small desks reading through my old notebooks.
When my dad learned that I began earning essay awards and high marks on my writing assignments, he suggested, "Save all your writing and make a book." With his words in mind, I stopped throwing out drafts or notebooks, even napkins with half-finished sentences. Books have become my bedside buddies and my teachers. I absorb pages and pages and feel empowered. I feel like I have been given the fuel to contribute my voice in this world, to speak up for those who can't, especially for those who provide without breaks and holidays, without a doubt that his daughter could discover her own power tools.


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This film follows the story of Gaurav, who is content with his "same stuff, different day" routine, and dreaming about settling down with the girl of his dreams, Kavya, and having his "happily ever after". Kavya, on the other hand, prefers someone more risky and adventurous - perhaps someone more like Rishi! When a case of mistaken identity rocks Gaurav's life, he stands to lose everything he has worked so hard for! What follows next is a roller-coaster ride, complete with action, romance and laughter, taking the viewers on an unpredictable and hilarious thrill ride.
Director: Krishna D.K. and Raj Nidimoru
Writer: Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK
Cast: Jacqueline Fernandez, Sidharth Malhotra, Sunil Shetty and Betsy Graver
Sorry there are no upcoming showtimes for A Gentleman (Hindi)