A SPECIAL rogues’ gallery at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia estate, displays portraits of three revolutionary leaders who went astray. Julius Caesar, Oliver Cromwell and Napoleon are portrayed as heroes with clay feet who toppled tyrannies only to grab absolute power for themselves. Washington was different, it is asserted. In guides’ commentaries and schoolboy-friendly action films (featuring artificial snow flurries and seats that throb with cannon fire) Mount Vernon rams home the message that America’s revolutionary commander-in-chief and first president had a genius for well-timed exits. A display depicts him resigning his military commission after biffing the British. The chair in which he decided to retire as president is pointed out as a national treasure. Washington’s supreme virtue, it is suggested—greater even than martial derring-do—was knowing when to leave, ensuring his country’s future as a civilian republic.
There is something to this: throughout his career, self-abnegation was Washington’s shtick. Tall, dashing and posher than most revolutionary leaders, he maintained a pose of “Who, me?” astonishment when called to big jobs, loudly yearning for retirement beneath the “vine and fig tree” at his Virginia estates.
But the conventional view of Washington omits something crucial: he was a politician, too. Though they put his face on the dollar and his bust on countless pedestals, Americans seem to have forgotten this fact. The mythology of the first president obscures the lessons he might teach to the current inhabitants of the city that bears his name.
This is a shame. In today’s politics, 1776 feels about five minutes ago. It is not just that at conservative rallies, chaps in tricorn hats and knee breeches are a staple. Republican speeches ring with warnings from Madison about the need to bind government power, as long as men are not ruled by angels. Jefferson, as a shrink-the-government radical, is a hero of the libertarian right. Mitt Romney’s 2012 running-mate, Paul Ryan, built his campaign on Jeffersonian talk of American rights coming from God and nature, not government. Over on the left, civil-liberties types cherish Jefferson too, citing his hatred of censorship and hostility to state-sponsored religion. Washington is seldom cited.
Yet he had views that still resonate, and set precedents that can be felt to this day. Like other military chiefs who enter politics, he was a national-security hawk with a wariness of war. He favoured neutrality over permanent alliances and foreign entanglements. He was a fiscal conservative, urging his country to spend and borrow sparingly rather than burden future generations. But unlike today’s tea-partiers, he did not despise taxation; he called it unpleasant but vital. As president he dispatched 13,000 militiamen to suppress an anti-tax uprising by whiskey-making farmers (putting modern grumbles about bullying by the IRS into perspective).
He had his vanities and hypocrisies. An irregular churchgoer, he urged religion on others as a prop for morality. Over slavery, the great evil of his day, he trimmed and hedged. As a gentleman farmer, he arranged for his slaves to be freed, but only after his death and that of his widow. As a politician fearing for national unity, he was willing to see abolition postponed for another day.
Long before Barack Obama appealed for Americans to resist division into blue and red states, Washington expressed a horror of party politics. Rather like Mr Obama, the first president’s pious neutrality was a bit of a sham. He governed an America divided between champions of individual liberty and states’ rights, and those favouring a more collective approach. Washington sided with order and federal authority, urging citizens—in effect—to see the government as “us”, rather than a distant, tyrannical “them”. If transposed to modern politics, it is easy to imagine Washington as a patrician Republican, representing Virginia in the Senate and facing a primary challenge from the tea party.
Keepers of the flame at Mount Vernon have a plan for restoring Washington-the-politician to view. Near his colonnaded mansion they are building him what they call a “presidential library”, in a nod to the 13 presidential libraries that serve as archives, think-tanks and shrines to America’s recent ex-chiefs, in a tradition begun by Franklin Roosevelt. Opening in September, it will technically be a “National Library”, reflecting Mount Vernon’s status as a private museum not funded by government.
But its creators talk of promoting their hero “aggressively”. Scholars are to be offered unprecedented access to Washington’s papers and a writers’ retreat on the grounds. Public interest is being wooed with Washington’s annotated copy of the constitution and early acts of Congress, currently on a tour of the modern presidential libraries: a tour also intended to forge bonds between Mount Vernon and that library network.
Just 15 miles down the Potomac river from the Capitol, the estate is a fine place for bipartisan reflection, says Mount Vernon’s president, Curt Viebranz. In an early experiment a gang of eight senators—four Republicans and four Democrats—headed to Mount Vernon in October 2012 to chew over a deficit-reduction plan acceptable to both parties, alas without result. Further such political meetings and retreats are planned.
Washington predicted that partisans would try to set Americans against each other, allowing an “enterprising minority” to hijack the delegated will of the nation. Yet Americans share fundamental manners, habits and political principles, he said in his farewell address as president. There was a whiff of paternalism to the old soldier’s views. But that larger point is still true. Americans are often more united than politicians pretend. A dose of the first president’s sense might do Washington, DC much good.
Click on their website www.owon-smart.com for more information.
2013年5月30日 星期四
2013年5月29日 星期三
which refers to a building
Wearing a hard hat and safety goggles, Stanford University student
Derek Ouyang stood in the middle of a partially constructed solar house,
which shaded a group of working students from the heat of a sunny May
afternoon. A senior studying civil engineering and architectural design,
Ouyang looked back-and-forth between the digital blueprint on his
laptop screen and the home-to-be around him.
"I'm very interested in making it easier for people to understand how energy works and to make better decisions," he said.
In a bid to bring this understanding to life, Project Leader Ouyang and the first-ever Stanford Solar Decathlon team are building an energy-efficient solar house to participate in a two-year-long competition hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy.
This October, 20 collegiate teams from around the world will transport their completed solar homes to the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif., where each team's structure will be open to the public and evaluated by judges in 10 categories such as affordability, energy balance and market appeal.
After hearing about the last Solar Decathlon, held in Washington, D.C., in 2011, Ouyang and a handful of other students were inspired to write a proposal to take part in the competition. In January of last year, the team was officially invited to participate. The department is giving them $100,000 to complete the project, a 1,000-square-foot energy-efficient solar home.
With the help of five carpenters, the team began construction in March and had the framework up within the first two weeks of construction, Ouyang said. He added that the team also has received funding through donations from Stanford and companies such as DIRECTV totaling one million dollars. The money will go towards incentivizing participation in the project as well as travel and other expenses, and the overall projected cost to construct the home is $250,000.
Today, the team is made up of about 40 undergraduate and graduate students in disciplines like civil and environmental engineering, architectural design and computer science, and many of them spend hours every week either volunteering or doing paid construction and design work on the house.
One team member who spends anywhere from 15 to 20 hours a week on the project is Communications Leader Lilly Shi, a junior studying architectural design. She explained that the house, which the team has dubbed Start.Home, is a response to much of the modern-day rhetoric on energy-efficient homes.
"You see a lot of stuff in magazines and articles talking about smart homes that have great technology," she said, "but we didn't just want a smart home. We wanted something where people could interact with it. We envision this as a new lifestyle, a new tradition and a new generation."
In Smart.Home, interactivity takes the form of a built-in software system. A touch screen mounted on an interior wall acts as a control panel for the home, allowing occupants to monitor their energy consumption and turn appliances, and outlets, on or off, Shi said.
"People become an active aspect of the design and a part of the project," she added. "It's not a smart home -- it's really a start. People can start prioritizing awareness through its integration into their every day lives."
Shi noted that the software system is just part of what makes the team's solar home special. She explained that the team has come up with a concept known as the "core," which "condenses a lot of the complicated systems. You have your kitchen and the bathroom and the laundry in the same area so right off the bat there's going to be most of your plumbing.
"This is going to be the powerhouse for your electricity and other things like that, so all of these wires and all of these tubes will run along the walls of the core to power the rest of the house, but it's still a functional architectural space."
Although the team is building their core on-site, Shi said that the team hopes to one day streamline the process by mass-producing cores at a factory. Because the core is a standard, centralized system containing all a solar home needs to function, people can customize their home's design around the core, which "literally plugs into the house," she said.
Because all of the home's pipes will be in one area, the core will also lend itself to easier maintenance and a greater understanding of the inner-workings of the home, leading to a "human-centered design that breaks the barrier between residents and their relationship with energy," Ouyang said.
Ouyang explained that the core of the house is connected to 48 solar panels on the roof. The home also features energy-efficient materials like insulated walls and a wax-like phase-change material found in the ceiling, whose chemical components allow it to store and release heat with external and internal temperature changes.
Ultimately, the team's goal is to create a net-zero home, which refers to a building that produces as much or more electricity than it consumes, Ouyang said.
As far as saving electricity through a reduction in temperature regulation, this particular home was designed with the Palo Alto climate in mind, Ouyang said. The area's characteristic mild-to-warm temperatures and ample sun informed the design of the home, which includes many windows to let in sunlight and folding patio doors that can open up the back of the home, facilitating air circulation.
For now, Shi said, the home is being built in five separate sections that can easily be taken apart. This is because in October, the team will have to disassemble the home and send it down to Southern California on four or five flatbed trucks, she said.
Read the full story at owon-smart web.
"I'm very interested in making it easier for people to understand how energy works and to make better decisions," he said.
In a bid to bring this understanding to life, Project Leader Ouyang and the first-ever Stanford Solar Decathlon team are building an energy-efficient solar house to participate in a two-year-long competition hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy.
This October, 20 collegiate teams from around the world will transport their completed solar homes to the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif., where each team's structure will be open to the public and evaluated by judges in 10 categories such as affordability, energy balance and market appeal.
After hearing about the last Solar Decathlon, held in Washington, D.C., in 2011, Ouyang and a handful of other students were inspired to write a proposal to take part in the competition. In January of last year, the team was officially invited to participate. The department is giving them $100,000 to complete the project, a 1,000-square-foot energy-efficient solar home.
With the help of five carpenters, the team began construction in March and had the framework up within the first two weeks of construction, Ouyang said. He added that the team also has received funding through donations from Stanford and companies such as DIRECTV totaling one million dollars. The money will go towards incentivizing participation in the project as well as travel and other expenses, and the overall projected cost to construct the home is $250,000.
Today, the team is made up of about 40 undergraduate and graduate students in disciplines like civil and environmental engineering, architectural design and computer science, and many of them spend hours every week either volunteering or doing paid construction and design work on the house.
One team member who spends anywhere from 15 to 20 hours a week on the project is Communications Leader Lilly Shi, a junior studying architectural design. She explained that the house, which the team has dubbed Start.Home, is a response to much of the modern-day rhetoric on energy-efficient homes.
"You see a lot of stuff in magazines and articles talking about smart homes that have great technology," she said, "but we didn't just want a smart home. We wanted something where people could interact with it. We envision this as a new lifestyle, a new tradition and a new generation."
In Smart.Home, interactivity takes the form of a built-in software system. A touch screen mounted on an interior wall acts as a control panel for the home, allowing occupants to monitor their energy consumption and turn appliances, and outlets, on or off, Shi said.
"People become an active aspect of the design and a part of the project," she added. "It's not a smart home -- it's really a start. People can start prioritizing awareness through its integration into their every day lives."
Shi noted that the software system is just part of what makes the team's solar home special. She explained that the team has come up with a concept known as the "core," which "condenses a lot of the complicated systems. You have your kitchen and the bathroom and the laundry in the same area so right off the bat there's going to be most of your plumbing.
"This is going to be the powerhouse for your electricity and other things like that, so all of these wires and all of these tubes will run along the walls of the core to power the rest of the house, but it's still a functional architectural space."
Although the team is building their core on-site, Shi said that the team hopes to one day streamline the process by mass-producing cores at a factory. Because the core is a standard, centralized system containing all a solar home needs to function, people can customize their home's design around the core, which "literally plugs into the house," she said.
Because all of the home's pipes will be in one area, the core will also lend itself to easier maintenance and a greater understanding of the inner-workings of the home, leading to a "human-centered design that breaks the barrier between residents and their relationship with energy," Ouyang said.
Ouyang explained that the core of the house is connected to 48 solar panels on the roof. The home also features energy-efficient materials like insulated walls and a wax-like phase-change material found in the ceiling, whose chemical components allow it to store and release heat with external and internal temperature changes.
Ultimately, the team's goal is to create a net-zero home, which refers to a building that produces as much or more electricity than it consumes, Ouyang said.
As far as saving electricity through a reduction in temperature regulation, this particular home was designed with the Palo Alto climate in mind, Ouyang said. The area's characteristic mild-to-warm temperatures and ample sun informed the design of the home, which includes many windows to let in sunlight and folding patio doors that can open up the back of the home, facilitating air circulation.
For now, Shi said, the home is being built in five separate sections that can easily be taken apart. This is because in October, the team will have to disassemble the home and send it down to Southern California on four or five flatbed trucks, she said.
Read the full story at owon-smart web.
2013年5月28日 星期二
England set to dominate Ireland
The Three Lions have not beaten Ireland since a 2-1 friendly win in March, 1985 but that stat is misleading because this will be the first meeting between the two fierce rivals for 18 years.
The last clash between the two nations resulted in the infamous Lansdowne Road riot in February, 1995 when the game was called off with Ireland leading 1-0 after 20 minutes due to rioting by English fans which injured 20 people.
The two nations have not been drawn in the same qualifying group for either a World Cup or European Championships campaign since Euro 1992 when both matches ended in 1-1 draws.
But these days there is a huge gulf between the two nations in terms of ability, which is reflected in their official rankings with FIFA where England are ranked at number seven in the world and Ireland 39.
Such is the dominance of England in betting that Betfair's Daniel Bevan is reporting that over 90 percent of the money already wagered on the eagerly awaited fixture has been on the home side to win.
And while veterans in John Terry and Steven Gerrard are absent, England have still named a strong squad with plenty of strike power in United pair Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck as well as Tottenham's Jermaine Defoe and Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge.
Ireland have yet to finalise their squad but the bulk of their players play for lower division clubs in England and much will still depend on veteran striker Robbie Keane, who now plays with the LA Galaxy in the United States.
Both teams struggled at Euro 2012 where Ireland lost all three matches heavily - scoring just one goal and conceding nine - while England went out on penalties, as usual, to Italy in the quarter-finals.
And both are struggling in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with England currently second in Group H behind Montenegro while Ireland is locked in a three-way battle to finish second - and earn a play-off berth - with Austria and Sweden, behind the runaway leaders in Group C in Germany.
Ireland have lost just two of nine matches since Euro 2012 and England just one of nine but England's form has been far superior - including a recent 2-1 home win over Brazil - while Ireland suffered a humiliating 6-1 home loss against Germany in World Cup qualifying as well as losing to Greece in a friendly.
England to keep a clean sheet at the odds of $2.08 at Betfair looks a good betting foundation for this match given the Irish have failed to score in two of their past four matches - when up against higher quality opposition - in Greece and Sweden.
A 1-0 win for England has come up the early favourite in correct score betting at Betfair at odds of $7.20 but we like the look of a 2-0 win for the home side at odds of $7.60.
As for the first goal scorer market, Rooney is the $4.50 favourite and $5.50 at Betfair in a game in which he could even captain England due to the absence of Gerrard with England manager Roy Hodgson tipped to give the skipper's armband to either Rooney or Chelsea's Frank Lampard.
And after a frustrating season with United - in which he played second fiddle to Robin van Persie and is reportedly on the lookout for a new club for next season
Rooney will have plenty of motivation in a game in which plenty of others may see as a burden at the end of a long season.
Read the full story at owon-smart web.
The last clash between the two nations resulted in the infamous Lansdowne Road riot in February, 1995 when the game was called off with Ireland leading 1-0 after 20 minutes due to rioting by English fans which injured 20 people.
The two nations have not been drawn in the same qualifying group for either a World Cup or European Championships campaign since Euro 1992 when both matches ended in 1-1 draws.
But these days there is a huge gulf between the two nations in terms of ability, which is reflected in their official rankings with FIFA where England are ranked at number seven in the world and Ireland 39.
Such is the dominance of England in betting that Betfair's Daniel Bevan is reporting that over 90 percent of the money already wagered on the eagerly awaited fixture has been on the home side to win.
And while veterans in John Terry and Steven Gerrard are absent, England have still named a strong squad with plenty of strike power in United pair Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck as well as Tottenham's Jermaine Defoe and Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge.
Ireland have yet to finalise their squad but the bulk of their players play for lower division clubs in England and much will still depend on veteran striker Robbie Keane, who now plays with the LA Galaxy in the United States.
Both teams struggled at Euro 2012 where Ireland lost all three matches heavily - scoring just one goal and conceding nine - while England went out on penalties, as usual, to Italy in the quarter-finals.
And both are struggling in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with England currently second in Group H behind Montenegro while Ireland is locked in a three-way battle to finish second - and earn a play-off berth - with Austria and Sweden, behind the runaway leaders in Group C in Germany.
Ireland have lost just two of nine matches since Euro 2012 and England just one of nine but England's form has been far superior - including a recent 2-1 home win over Brazil - while Ireland suffered a humiliating 6-1 home loss against Germany in World Cup qualifying as well as losing to Greece in a friendly.
England to keep a clean sheet at the odds of $2.08 at Betfair looks a good betting foundation for this match given the Irish have failed to score in two of their past four matches - when up against higher quality opposition - in Greece and Sweden.
A 1-0 win for England has come up the early favourite in correct score betting at Betfair at odds of $7.20 but we like the look of a 2-0 win for the home side at odds of $7.60.
As for the first goal scorer market, Rooney is the $4.50 favourite and $5.50 at Betfair in a game in which he could even captain England due to the absence of Gerrard with England manager Roy Hodgson tipped to give the skipper's armband to either Rooney or Chelsea's Frank Lampard.
And after a frustrating season with United - in which he played second fiddle to Robin van Persie and is reportedly on the lookout for a new club for next season
Rooney will have plenty of motivation in a game in which plenty of others may see as a burden at the end of a long season.
Read the full story at owon-smart web.
who break laws and the aesthetics of the streets
Monday represented the culmination of years of work by Mr. Bloomberg
and his transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, to promote the
use of bicycles in the city. The Department of Transportation created
350 miles of bike lanes in preparation for the bike-share program, Ms.
Sadik-Khan said.
The city plans to eventually install thousands more bike stations in upper Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.
"It's going to be great for millions of visitors, providing them another way to see the city," Mr. Bloomberg said. Officials also hope New Yorkers use the bicycles for commuting.
The launch came after a long period of anticipation. The program, funded with private money, was expected to launch last summer but faced delays after technology failures and superstorm Sandy.
Bike sharing has developed a number of critics who argue the program will reduce road safety, absorb parking spaces and mar the streetscape with ugly bike stations.
Protesters turned up at Mr. Bloomberg's Brooklyn Bridge news conference. Georgette Fleischer, an adjunct English professor at Columbia University who lives in SoHo, said the bicycle station at Petrosino Square near her home blocks an area that has long been used for public art displays. She and others are also upset that the bicycles display a commercial logo in an area known for its countercultural flair.
"It's just awful," said Ms. Fleischer, adding: "I have horrors of seeing someone die from my apartment window."
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who generally has been supportive of the bike-share program, said Monday she was concerned about the Citi logos in a landmarked area. She pledged to raise the issue this week with the city Department of Transportation and the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
"I think a good point is raised. It kind of is advertising in landmark districts, which we don't really allow," Ms. Quinn said.
Far from any bike station on Monday, a 74-year-old bicyclist was killed in an accident with an automobile in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn Monday. Also, on Sunday, a Citi Bike was stolen as it was being delivered to a station at Second Avenue and 25th Street, police said.
Neither event was particularly unusual, but both unrelated incidents underscored the fears of bike-share opponents about public safety.
During his news conference, Mr. Bloomberg dismissed concerns about road safety, bicyclists who break laws and the aesthetics of the streets. "I'm sure there will be some teething pains, and there will be some people who need to get a wake-up call," he said.
Later, Mr. Bloomberg hopped on a bicycle but didn't start pedaling. He has demurred when asked about whether he would use one of the bikes to commute to City Hall.
How successful bike-sharing is this summer will partly determine whether the next mayor expands, shrinks or scuttles the program. Campaigning at Memorial Day parades across the city, mayoral candidates had different views. "If it works, I'll expand it," said Bill Thompson, the Democratic former city comptroller.
"I have to see it, but right now, I think we should not block our streets," said John Catsimatidis, a Republican.
The program's success could ultimately be determined by people like Tina Fruehauf and her husband, Pryor Dodge, who went out Monday to try bike share for the first time at a station near their SoHo apartment.
They quickly figured how to dislodge a bike, taking out the key she received in the mail as an annual member, entering it into the dock and waiting for a light to turn green. Then she removed the bike, and within a few minutes, was testing the road on it. She pronounced it stable.
The program allows annual members to use bikes for 45 minutes at a time, and she said she planned to use them for her daily commute to the City University of New York at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street.
Read the full story at owon-smart web.
The city plans to eventually install thousands more bike stations in upper Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.
"It's going to be great for millions of visitors, providing them another way to see the city," Mr. Bloomberg said. Officials also hope New Yorkers use the bicycles for commuting.
The launch came after a long period of anticipation. The program, funded with private money, was expected to launch last summer but faced delays after technology failures and superstorm Sandy.
Bike sharing has developed a number of critics who argue the program will reduce road safety, absorb parking spaces and mar the streetscape with ugly bike stations.
Protesters turned up at Mr. Bloomberg's Brooklyn Bridge news conference. Georgette Fleischer, an adjunct English professor at Columbia University who lives in SoHo, said the bicycle station at Petrosino Square near her home blocks an area that has long been used for public art displays. She and others are also upset that the bicycles display a commercial logo in an area known for its countercultural flair.
"It's just awful," said Ms. Fleischer, adding: "I have horrors of seeing someone die from my apartment window."
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who generally has been supportive of the bike-share program, said Monday she was concerned about the Citi logos in a landmarked area. She pledged to raise the issue this week with the city Department of Transportation and the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
"I think a good point is raised. It kind of is advertising in landmark districts, which we don't really allow," Ms. Quinn said.
Far from any bike station on Monday, a 74-year-old bicyclist was killed in an accident with an automobile in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn Monday. Also, on Sunday, a Citi Bike was stolen as it was being delivered to a station at Second Avenue and 25th Street, police said.
Neither event was particularly unusual, but both unrelated incidents underscored the fears of bike-share opponents about public safety.
During his news conference, Mr. Bloomberg dismissed concerns about road safety, bicyclists who break laws and the aesthetics of the streets. "I'm sure there will be some teething pains, and there will be some people who need to get a wake-up call," he said.
Later, Mr. Bloomberg hopped on a bicycle but didn't start pedaling. He has demurred when asked about whether he would use one of the bikes to commute to City Hall.
How successful bike-sharing is this summer will partly determine whether the next mayor expands, shrinks or scuttles the program. Campaigning at Memorial Day parades across the city, mayoral candidates had different views. "If it works, I'll expand it," said Bill Thompson, the Democratic former city comptroller.
"I have to see it, but right now, I think we should not block our streets," said John Catsimatidis, a Republican.
The program's success could ultimately be determined by people like Tina Fruehauf and her husband, Pryor Dodge, who went out Monday to try bike share for the first time at a station near their SoHo apartment.
They quickly figured how to dislodge a bike, taking out the key she received in the mail as an annual member, entering it into the dock and waiting for a light to turn green. Then she removed the bike, and within a few minutes, was testing the road on it. She pronounced it stable.
The program allows annual members to use bikes for 45 minutes at a time, and she said she planned to use them for her daily commute to the City University of New York at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street.
Read the full story at owon-smart web.
what you can do in your own garden
Seven Forest Grove gardens will be open this weekend to show off what can thrive in Northwestern Oregon, which the garden owners call a haven for growers of plants and flowers.
"Out here gardening is huge," said Melody Haveluck, organizer of this year's Friends of Historic Forest Grove garden tour. "We have such great weather for it."
And Forest Grove has its own contribution to gardening culture, Haveluck said -- historic homes that serve as a backdrop to some of the gardens on display this year.
"We have such storied homes," she said. "It's what makes it so unique -- what gives us a little bit of flavor out here in Forest Grove."
The tour, largely kept secret until the day of the event "to build the mystery," features gardens on both sprawling and modest yards, inspiring this year's title, "Gardens of All Sizes."
"We have really big and really small," Haveluck said. "Some of the tour is showing people, 'This is what you can do in your own garden,' and some of it is showing the different things people do."
Personally, Haveluck enjoys the yard art some people use in their gardens, especially recycled materials.
"I've seen shoes, old pans, bottles turned into sculptures..." she said.
Kathy Juvet, a 63-year-old gardener whose work is on this year's tour, uses sculptures, recycled objects and crafts to adorn her space.
And Forest Grove has its own contribution to gardening culture, Haveluck said -- historic homes that serve as a backdrop to some of the gardens on display this year.
"We have such storied homes," she said. "It's what makes it so unique -- what gives us a little bit of flavor out here in Forest Grove."
The tour, largely kept secret until the day of the event "to build the mystery," features gardens on both sprawling and modest yards, inspiring this year's title, "Gardens of All Sizes."
"We have really big and really small," Haveluck said. "Some of the tour is showing people, 'This is what you can do in your own garden,' and some of it is showing the different things people do."
Personally, Haveluck enjoys the yard art some people use in their gardens, especially recycled materials.
"I've seen shoes, old pans, bottles turned into sculptures..." she said.
Kathy Juvet, a 63-year-old gardener whose work is on this year's tour, uses sculptures, recycled objects and crafts to adorn her space.
Plus, she said, the area is full of fellow avid gardeners with whom to share ideas and advice, including Juvet and the other gardeners on this year's tour.
Juvet said she looks forward to the reactions and advice from those who view her work, and each year is a learning experience.
"Most of the people on the tour are really into gardening," she said. "Sometimes they can help you figure out something you don't know."
And for more than a decade, when her own work isn't part of the tour, Juvet makes sure to scope out the gardens that are.
"I love to see what other people are doing," she said. "Sometimes you get inspiration, and sometimes you want to go home and rip yours out and start over."
Read the full story at owon-smart web.
"Out here gardening is huge," said Melody Haveluck, organizer of this year's Friends of Historic Forest Grove garden tour. "We have such great weather for it."
And Forest Grove has its own contribution to gardening culture, Haveluck said -- historic homes that serve as a backdrop to some of the gardens on display this year.
"We have such storied homes," she said. "It's what makes it so unique -- what gives us a little bit of flavor out here in Forest Grove."
The tour, largely kept secret until the day of the event "to build the mystery," features gardens on both sprawling and modest yards, inspiring this year's title, "Gardens of All Sizes."
"We have really big and really small," Haveluck said. "Some of the tour is showing people, 'This is what you can do in your own garden,' and some of it is showing the different things people do."
Personally, Haveluck enjoys the yard art some people use in their gardens, especially recycled materials.
"I've seen shoes, old pans, bottles turned into sculptures..." she said.
Kathy Juvet, a 63-year-old gardener whose work is on this year's tour, uses sculptures, recycled objects and crafts to adorn her space.
And Forest Grove has its own contribution to gardening culture, Haveluck said -- historic homes that serve as a backdrop to some of the gardens on display this year.
"We have such storied homes," she said. "It's what makes it so unique -- what gives us a little bit of flavor out here in Forest Grove."
The tour, largely kept secret until the day of the event "to build the mystery," features gardens on both sprawling and modest yards, inspiring this year's title, "Gardens of All Sizes."
"We have really big and really small," Haveluck said. "Some of the tour is showing people, 'This is what you can do in your own garden,' and some of it is showing the different things people do."
Personally, Haveluck enjoys the yard art some people use in their gardens, especially recycled materials.
"I've seen shoes, old pans, bottles turned into sculptures..." she said.
Kathy Juvet, a 63-year-old gardener whose work is on this year's tour, uses sculptures, recycled objects and crafts to adorn her space.
Plus, she said, the area is full of fellow avid gardeners with whom to share ideas and advice, including Juvet and the other gardeners on this year's tour.
Juvet said she looks forward to the reactions and advice from those who view her work, and each year is a learning experience.
"Most of the people on the tour are really into gardening," she said. "Sometimes they can help you figure out something you don't know."
And for more than a decade, when her own work isn't part of the tour, Juvet makes sure to scope out the gardens that are.
"I love to see what other people are doing," she said. "Sometimes you get inspiration, and sometimes you want to go home and rip yours out and start over."
Read the full story at owon-smart web.
2013年5月26日 星期日
The cause of action for an insurance claim is the grievance
Prabodh Kothari had an Oriental Insurance householder's policy. In a
housebreaking case, Kothari lost items worth Rs 18.16 lakh, including
jewellery worth Rs 16.96 lakh. After Kothari filed a claim, CP Mehta
& Co,Home electricity monitor
the surveyor appointed by the insurance company, reported the loss
included items worth Rs 13.38 lakh belonging to Kothari's wife. It added
this amount could not be considered, as she was not the insured under
the policy. The insurance company agreed to pay only a paltry sum of Rs
31,186.
Subsequently, Kothari filed a consumer complaint against the insurance company and the surveyor before the Mumbai District Forum. The forum said under a householder's insurance policy, the items of all family members were covered. Therefore, the jewellery belonging to Kothari's wife, listed in the policy taken by her husband, would be covered. Accordingly, it directed the insurance company to pay an additional Rs 13.38 lakh.
After an appeal by the insurance company, the Maharashtra State Commission said the complaint was time-barred, Home energy management as the limitation would be considered from the date of the 'cause of action'- the date when the burglary took place. The commission added there was no deficiency in service, as the initial First Information Report (FIR) lodged with the police didn't include the jewellery belonging to Kothari's wife. Therefore, it set aside the forum's order and dismissed the complaint.
Then, Kothari approached the National Commission. His lawyer,
A A Pirani, argued the limitation wouldn't be considered from the date of the burglary but from the date the claim was repudiated. In this case, though the burglary took place in 2001, part of the claim for the jewellery was repudiated by a letter dated December 4, 2006. To arrive at the limitation, the initial date to be considered would, therefore, be December 4, 2006. As the complaint was filed two years after this, it would be within the limitation.
The commission said the term 'cause of action' was a 'bundle of facts' entitling a person to legal proceedings. For an insurance claim, it would first arise when the incident of loss occurred. The 'bundle of facts' includes the process of assessment of the loss and the admission or rejection of the claim,Home power monitor either wholly or partly. So, the cause of action would arise again when the claim is rejected. Therefore, the commission concurred with the arguments of Kothari's advocate, saying the limitation would commence from December 4, 2006, when the claim was partly rejected. It also said the state commission had overlooked the repudiation letter and arrived at an erroneous conclusion.
The National Commission said though the initial FIR didn't record the loss of the jewellery of Kothari's wife, it was later included and was part of the police investigation. The contract of insurance was a 'householder's insurance policy' that covered various risk heads, including fire and housebreaking. The coverage was for the entire household; it wasn't restricted to an individual. Therefore, the claim for jewellery belonging to Kothari's wife, included in the policy taken by her husband, would be payable, it said.
Accordingly, the National Commission set aside the order of the state commission and restored the order of the district forum, directing the insurance company to pay an additional amount of Rs 13.38 lakh for the loss of the jewellery.
The cause of action for an insurance claim is the grievance about its rejection; therefore, limitation is computed from the date when the claim is repudiated. Also, a claim cannot be simply rejected on the grounds that the loss isn't included in the initial FIR; what is necessary is it should form a part of the police complaint and the investigation. The benefits of a householder's insurance policy extend to the entire family and cover all the items included in the policy.
Subsequently, Kothari filed a consumer complaint against the insurance company and the surveyor before the Mumbai District Forum. The forum said under a householder's insurance policy, the items of all family members were covered. Therefore, the jewellery belonging to Kothari's wife, listed in the policy taken by her husband, would be covered. Accordingly, it directed the insurance company to pay an additional Rs 13.38 lakh.
After an appeal by the insurance company, the Maharashtra State Commission said the complaint was time-barred, Home energy management as the limitation would be considered from the date of the 'cause of action'- the date when the burglary took place. The commission added there was no deficiency in service, as the initial First Information Report (FIR) lodged with the police didn't include the jewellery belonging to Kothari's wife. Therefore, it set aside the forum's order and dismissed the complaint.
Then, Kothari approached the National Commission. His lawyer,
A A Pirani, argued the limitation wouldn't be considered from the date of the burglary but from the date the claim was repudiated. In this case, though the burglary took place in 2001, part of the claim for the jewellery was repudiated by a letter dated December 4, 2006. To arrive at the limitation, the initial date to be considered would, therefore, be December 4, 2006. As the complaint was filed two years after this, it would be within the limitation.
The commission said the term 'cause of action' was a 'bundle of facts' entitling a person to legal proceedings. For an insurance claim, it would first arise when the incident of loss occurred. The 'bundle of facts' includes the process of assessment of the loss and the admission or rejection of the claim,Home power monitor either wholly or partly. So, the cause of action would arise again when the claim is rejected. Therefore, the commission concurred with the arguments of Kothari's advocate, saying the limitation would commence from December 4, 2006, when the claim was partly rejected. It also said the state commission had overlooked the repudiation letter and arrived at an erroneous conclusion.
The National Commission said though the initial FIR didn't record the loss of the jewellery of Kothari's wife, it was later included and was part of the police investigation. The contract of insurance was a 'householder's insurance policy' that covered various risk heads, including fire and housebreaking. The coverage was for the entire household; it wasn't restricted to an individual. Therefore, the claim for jewellery belonging to Kothari's wife, included in the policy taken by her husband, would be payable, it said.
Accordingly, the National Commission set aside the order of the state commission and restored the order of the district forum, directing the insurance company to pay an additional amount of Rs 13.38 lakh for the loss of the jewellery.
The cause of action for an insurance claim is the grievance about its rejection; therefore, limitation is computed from the date when the claim is repudiated. Also, a claim cannot be simply rejected on the grounds that the loss isn't included in the initial FIR; what is necessary is it should form a part of the police complaint and the investigation. The benefits of a householder's insurance policy extend to the entire family and cover all the items included in the policy.
who we have trained up through the scheme
Instead of using bows and arrows to take from the rich and give to
the poor, she uses the money spent by wealthy people on her expensive
handmade pieces to help some of the world's most disadvantaged
communities.
With her jewellery selling for as much as ￡70,000 per item, London-based Pippa is in demand with fashion houses like Gucci, Chloe and Nicole Farhi.
Her designs are worn by celebrities including actress Nicole Kidman, and Pippa attends fashion weeks around the world. Yet in stark contrast to such glitz and glamour, she also inhabits a completely different world.
"Just as I was starting the business full-time 10 years ago, I had spent a summer working with Burmese refuges in Thailand, Home energy monitor who were just full of horror stories, horrendous testimonies," she says.
"And I remember coming back to Europe to go to the Paris fashion week, and just being struck dumb by the contrast. I just couldn't reconcile the two completely different realities."
Instead of using bows and arrows to take from the rich and give to the poor, she uses the money spent by wealthy people on her expensive handmade pieces to help some of the world's most disadvantaged communities.
With her jewellery selling for as much as ￡70,000 per item, London-based Pippa is in demand with fashion houses like Gucci,Home energy management Chloe and Nicole Farhi.
Her designs are worn by celebrities including actress Nicole Kidman, and Pippa attends fashion weeks around the world. Yet in stark contrast to such glitz and glamour, she also inhabits a completely different world.
"Just as I was starting the business full-time 10 years ago, I had spent a summer working with Burmese refuges in Thailand, who were just full of horror stories, horrendous testimonies," she says.
"And I remember coming back to Europe to go to the Paris fashion week, and just being struck dumb by the contrast. I just couldn't reconcile the two completely different realities."
Today Pippa gets 70% of her jewellery made in India, "the world's gold jewellery capital", with the profits she makes from this main part of her business being invested into special collections made in workshops in countries such as Afghanistan,owon-smart Kenya, Panama and Bolivia from locally sourced materials.
While Pippa admits she has a profitable business and good lifestyle, in all countries she pays at least a 10% premium to ensure working standards are as high as possible, both in sourcing the metals and precious stones she uses, and for the workers who then make the jewellery.
In Bolivia her jewellery is made from gold produced in a mine that is run as a co-operative, and is working towards Fairtrade accreditation through it being run in as an environmentally friendly a way as possible.
In marked contrast, Pippa's Kenya-made jewellery is all made from recycled glass and scrap metal sourced from Nairobi's largest waste tip.
Working with the Made charity, 160 people who live in a slum next to the site are involved in the manufacture of the jewellery.
"They live in completely inhuman conditions, but they are really industrious, going through the garbage seeing what they can sell," says Pippa.
"I know we are only helping a very small number, but it is amazing to see the difference we can make - it is all about giving these people the confidence of having a skill and being able to contribute.
"Within a couple of years, many people who we have trained up through the scheme leave to start their own micro-businesses. That is particularly pleasing."
With two Pippa Small boutiques, one in London and the other in Los Angeles, she plans to continue to grow both the business and her work with disadvantaged groups.
With her jewellery selling for as much as ￡70,000 per item, London-based Pippa is in demand with fashion houses like Gucci, Chloe and Nicole Farhi.
Her designs are worn by celebrities including actress Nicole Kidman, and Pippa attends fashion weeks around the world. Yet in stark contrast to such glitz and glamour, she also inhabits a completely different world.
"Just as I was starting the business full-time 10 years ago, I had spent a summer working with Burmese refuges in Thailand, Home energy monitor who were just full of horror stories, horrendous testimonies," she says.
"And I remember coming back to Europe to go to the Paris fashion week, and just being struck dumb by the contrast. I just couldn't reconcile the two completely different realities."
Instead of using bows and arrows to take from the rich and give to the poor, she uses the money spent by wealthy people on her expensive handmade pieces to help some of the world's most disadvantaged communities.
With her jewellery selling for as much as ￡70,000 per item, London-based Pippa is in demand with fashion houses like Gucci,Home energy management Chloe and Nicole Farhi.
Her designs are worn by celebrities including actress Nicole Kidman, and Pippa attends fashion weeks around the world. Yet in stark contrast to such glitz and glamour, she also inhabits a completely different world.
"Just as I was starting the business full-time 10 years ago, I had spent a summer working with Burmese refuges in Thailand, who were just full of horror stories, horrendous testimonies," she says.
"And I remember coming back to Europe to go to the Paris fashion week, and just being struck dumb by the contrast. I just couldn't reconcile the two completely different realities."
Today Pippa gets 70% of her jewellery made in India, "the world's gold jewellery capital", with the profits she makes from this main part of her business being invested into special collections made in workshops in countries such as Afghanistan,owon-smart Kenya, Panama and Bolivia from locally sourced materials.
While Pippa admits she has a profitable business and good lifestyle, in all countries she pays at least a 10% premium to ensure working standards are as high as possible, both in sourcing the metals and precious stones she uses, and for the workers who then make the jewellery.
In Bolivia her jewellery is made from gold produced in a mine that is run as a co-operative, and is working towards Fairtrade accreditation through it being run in as an environmentally friendly a way as possible.
In marked contrast, Pippa's Kenya-made jewellery is all made from recycled glass and scrap metal sourced from Nairobi's largest waste tip.
Working with the Made charity, 160 people who live in a slum next to the site are involved in the manufacture of the jewellery.
"They live in completely inhuman conditions, but they are really industrious, going through the garbage seeing what they can sell," says Pippa.
"I know we are only helping a very small number, but it is amazing to see the difference we can make - it is all about giving these people the confidence of having a skill and being able to contribute.
"Within a couple of years, many people who we have trained up through the scheme leave to start their own micro-businesses. That is particularly pleasing."
With two Pippa Small boutiques, one in London and the other in Los Angeles, she plans to continue to grow both the business and her work with disadvantaged groups.
2013年5月23日 星期四
Pari and Abdullah are the emotional heart of the novel
“When you have lived as long as I have,” the div tells him, “you'll
realize cruelty and benevolence are but shades of the same color.”
The story is being told by Saboor, a poor day laborer in a northern Afghan village, to the inseparable children of his first wife, 10-year-old Abdullah and three-year-old Pari.
The next day, Saboor leaves for Kabul, Home energy monitor carting Pari in a wagon. Abdullah, who refuses to be left behind, thinks his dad is going out on a job. But the purpose of Saboor's trip, revealed in a devastating set-piece, is to hand Pari over to a wealthy couple.
While his first novel was enough to make Hosseini a household name, he's improved as a writer with every book since. “And the Mountains Echoed” is the most complex novel of his career – hopscotching from character to character over decades and countries, with an emotional arc powerful enough to carry over the distance.
The too-tidy ending and melodramatic plot manipulations of “The Kite Runner,” and, to a lesser degree, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” have been dialed back in this novel-in-stories, while Hosseini hasn't lost his impressive ability to grab a reader by the throat. As always, the history of Afghanistan is central to his writing. Hosseini incorporates his widest swath yet, traveling from 1952 to the present day and adding layers and resonance with parallel sets of characters and plot details that echo many chapters later.
The next sections follow the children's stepmother, Parwana, who fell in love with the same man as her beautiful sister, and her brother, Nabi, who works as the wealthy couple's chauffeur and brokered the deal for Pari for reasons of his own. Nabi's section, which spans the greatest amount of time, Home power monitor is also one of the most compelling of the novel.
Hosseini paints Nila Wahdati, the woman who adopts Pari, as a morally complex character. She's both a beautiful, talented poet trapped in a culture that doesn't exactly prize women's abilities and a self-centered alcoholic.
Less arresting are the chapters that follow the son of a former mujahadeen living in the children's old village, who learns his dad isn't getting rich growing cotton, and Markos, a Greek doctor who devotes himself to helping children borne with birth defects and injured by war, who winds up living in the Wahdatis' old house in Kabul. It's not that Hosseini doesn't imbue these characters with interest and complexity – it's just that a reader really wants to know what happened to Pari and Abdullah.
Hosseini gives certain biographical details to another doctor, this one an Afghan-born man who returns home on a visit and befriends a little girl mutilated by her uncle. He promises to make sure she gets the operation she needs, but his social conscience is soon smothered by his comfortable, Energy monitor upper-class life in California. Hosseini offers a particularly deft twist at the end of this section that both gives the doctor a satisfying comeuppance and the girl the last word.
Unlike the child in the bedtime story, Pari retains a faint memory of her missing brother well into adulthood. She lives with the conviction “that there was in her life the absence of something, or someone, fundamental to her own existence. Sometimes it was vague, like a message sent across shadowy byways and vast distances, a weak signal on a radio dial, remote, warbled. Other times it felt so clear, this absence, so intimately close, it made her heart lurch.”
Pari and Abdullah are the emotional heart of the novel and, at times, “And the Mountains Echoed” loses energy the further the tale ranges from the siblings. But once Hosseini reunites brother and sister, the novel comes to a skilfully handled resolution whose echoes will resonate with readers long after the tale is finished.
The story is being told by Saboor, a poor day laborer in a northern Afghan village, to the inseparable children of his first wife, 10-year-old Abdullah and three-year-old Pari.
The next day, Saboor leaves for Kabul, Home energy monitor carting Pari in a wagon. Abdullah, who refuses to be left behind, thinks his dad is going out on a job. But the purpose of Saboor's trip, revealed in a devastating set-piece, is to hand Pari over to a wealthy couple.
While his first novel was enough to make Hosseini a household name, he's improved as a writer with every book since. “And the Mountains Echoed” is the most complex novel of his career – hopscotching from character to character over decades and countries, with an emotional arc powerful enough to carry over the distance.
The too-tidy ending and melodramatic plot manipulations of “The Kite Runner,” and, to a lesser degree, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” have been dialed back in this novel-in-stories, while Hosseini hasn't lost his impressive ability to grab a reader by the throat. As always, the history of Afghanistan is central to his writing. Hosseini incorporates his widest swath yet, traveling from 1952 to the present day and adding layers and resonance with parallel sets of characters and plot details that echo many chapters later.
The next sections follow the children's stepmother, Parwana, who fell in love with the same man as her beautiful sister, and her brother, Nabi, who works as the wealthy couple's chauffeur and brokered the deal for Pari for reasons of his own. Nabi's section, which spans the greatest amount of time, Home power monitor is also one of the most compelling of the novel.
Hosseini paints Nila Wahdati, the woman who adopts Pari, as a morally complex character. She's both a beautiful, talented poet trapped in a culture that doesn't exactly prize women's abilities and a self-centered alcoholic.
Less arresting are the chapters that follow the son of a former mujahadeen living in the children's old village, who learns his dad isn't getting rich growing cotton, and Markos, a Greek doctor who devotes himself to helping children borne with birth defects and injured by war, who winds up living in the Wahdatis' old house in Kabul. It's not that Hosseini doesn't imbue these characters with interest and complexity – it's just that a reader really wants to know what happened to Pari and Abdullah.
Hosseini gives certain biographical details to another doctor, this one an Afghan-born man who returns home on a visit and befriends a little girl mutilated by her uncle. He promises to make sure she gets the operation she needs, but his social conscience is soon smothered by his comfortable, Energy monitor upper-class life in California. Hosseini offers a particularly deft twist at the end of this section that both gives the doctor a satisfying comeuppance and the girl the last word.
Unlike the child in the bedtime story, Pari retains a faint memory of her missing brother well into adulthood. She lives with the conviction “that there was in her life the absence of something, or someone, fundamental to her own existence. Sometimes it was vague, like a message sent across shadowy byways and vast distances, a weak signal on a radio dial, remote, warbled. Other times it felt so clear, this absence, so intimately close, it made her heart lurch.”
Pari and Abdullah are the emotional heart of the novel and, at times, “And the Mountains Echoed” loses energy the further the tale ranges from the siblings. But once Hosseini reunites brother and sister, the novel comes to a skilfully handled resolution whose echoes will resonate with readers long after the tale is finished.
why our government is slowly phasing out incandescent
The United States has taken the lead yet again, but this time, we may
not be so proud. We have surpassed every nation, including China, in
the category of energy waste. Yes, our country wastes the most energy
in the world. The U.S. has an energy efficiency of 42 percent, which
means 58 percent of all the energy we produce is wasted! How can this
happen?!
No single person or enterprise is responsible for our latest "achievement." Every industry has aided in the wastefulness of this country,In home display some more than others. According to the U.S. Energy Administration, estimates show that the industrial sector consumes more energy every year than any other U.S. entity. It has also established that energy use by the residential, transportation, and commercial sectors has drastically increased each year for the past 60 years, and it continues to rise.
Despite the growth of renewable energy sources, the bulk of our power is still produced using coal, petroleum, and natural gas, which tend to lead to inefficiency. The New York Times published a study in 2008 that calculated the main causes of energy waste. It estimated that 71 percent of energy generated for transportation is wasted, 66 percent is wasted in electricity, 20 percent is wasted in commercial and residential buildings, and 20 percent is wasted in industry or manufacturing.
A major culprit across all industries is heat waste, the byproduct of inefficient technology. As a relative example, Home energy management think of a traditional incandescent light bulb. When left on for hours, we notice that the area around the bulb is extremely hot,In home display which indicates that the bulb is not only producing light, but heat as well. Since the sole purpose of a light bulb is to produce light, all of the energy that goes into producing the heat is a complete waste. This is part of the reason why our government is slowly phasing out incandescent bulbs and encouraging the purchase of more efficient bulbs, like CFLs. Although this is a small scaled example, the same concept can be applied to inefficient machinery in a manufacturing plant.
So how do we tame our inefficient tendencies? We've all heard of ways to make our homes more energy efficient, but have we actually made any changes? Adjust the thermostat at night or when no one is home, upgrade to more efficient lighting, wash your clothes in cold water when you can,owon-smart make sure your air filters are clean, and for goodness sake, turn off your lights when no one is using them.
When it comes to transportation, we all know public is the way to go in terms of energy efficiency. But when public transportation is not an option, carpool with your neighbors, ride your bike or walk, and combine shopping trips to limit drive time.
Businesses and industrial facilities have the opportunity to make a big difference, since they are the ones who consume most of our country's energy. Investing in lighting upgrades and adjusting thermostat temperatures are two methods that still apply. Other small changes include limiting the time air conditioners run, installing a smart meter to monitor energy use, and shutting off computers, printers and other energy vampires at the end of every day. On a larger scale, businesses are encouraged to enroll in a demand response program to help limit wasted energy and assist the electric grid in times of excess demand.
The fact that the U.S. is the least energy efficient country in the world may be unbelievable, but it must not be ignored. Each one of us is able to make at least one change in our daily lives. Whether it be carpooling, switching to better light bulbs, or looking for additional ways to reduce heat waste, each change will add up to make a huge difference. If your business is interested in gaining information on ways to become more efficient, look into working with an energy consultant. They will be able to customize a plan for your facility. Energy waste has been present in the U.S. for quite some time, so let's be polite and let another country take the lead in this category.
No single person or enterprise is responsible for our latest "achievement." Every industry has aided in the wastefulness of this country,In home display some more than others. According to the U.S. Energy Administration, estimates show that the industrial sector consumes more energy every year than any other U.S. entity. It has also established that energy use by the residential, transportation, and commercial sectors has drastically increased each year for the past 60 years, and it continues to rise.
Despite the growth of renewable energy sources, the bulk of our power is still produced using coal, petroleum, and natural gas, which tend to lead to inefficiency. The New York Times published a study in 2008 that calculated the main causes of energy waste. It estimated that 71 percent of energy generated for transportation is wasted, 66 percent is wasted in electricity, 20 percent is wasted in commercial and residential buildings, and 20 percent is wasted in industry or manufacturing.
A major culprit across all industries is heat waste, the byproduct of inefficient technology. As a relative example, Home energy management think of a traditional incandescent light bulb. When left on for hours, we notice that the area around the bulb is extremely hot,In home display which indicates that the bulb is not only producing light, but heat as well. Since the sole purpose of a light bulb is to produce light, all of the energy that goes into producing the heat is a complete waste. This is part of the reason why our government is slowly phasing out incandescent bulbs and encouraging the purchase of more efficient bulbs, like CFLs. Although this is a small scaled example, the same concept can be applied to inefficient machinery in a manufacturing plant.
So how do we tame our inefficient tendencies? We've all heard of ways to make our homes more energy efficient, but have we actually made any changes? Adjust the thermostat at night or when no one is home, upgrade to more efficient lighting, wash your clothes in cold water when you can,owon-smart make sure your air filters are clean, and for goodness sake, turn off your lights when no one is using them.
When it comes to transportation, we all know public is the way to go in terms of energy efficiency. But when public transportation is not an option, carpool with your neighbors, ride your bike or walk, and combine shopping trips to limit drive time.
Businesses and industrial facilities have the opportunity to make a big difference, since they are the ones who consume most of our country's energy. Investing in lighting upgrades and adjusting thermostat temperatures are two methods that still apply. Other small changes include limiting the time air conditioners run, installing a smart meter to monitor energy use, and shutting off computers, printers and other energy vampires at the end of every day. On a larger scale, businesses are encouraged to enroll in a demand response program to help limit wasted energy and assist the electric grid in times of excess demand.
The fact that the U.S. is the least energy efficient country in the world may be unbelievable, but it must not be ignored. Each one of us is able to make at least one change in our daily lives. Whether it be carpooling, switching to better light bulbs, or looking for additional ways to reduce heat waste, each change will add up to make a huge difference. If your business is interested in gaining information on ways to become more efficient, look into working with an energy consultant. They will be able to customize a plan for your facility. Energy waste has been present in the U.S. for quite some time, so let's be polite and let another country take the lead in this category.
2013年5月22日 星期三
This landmark agreement makes public one of the most important
The late Rex May was a successful graphic designer, best known for
creating San Francisco’s 49-Mile Drive logo. He was also an avid
collector of Mexican art, giving his collection to the Mexican Museum in
2001.
“An Inspired Gift: The Rex May Collection of Popular Art” is on display at the museum until next year. It contains some 400 masks, paintings, ceramic figurines and other pieces, arranged to evoke the feeling of how they looked when they occupied May’s Victorian home.Home energy management It’s a refreshing approach.
“If you think of the Mexican sensitivities to color, line and form, this is a plethora of visual delight,” says David de la Torre, the museum’s director. “This is an opportunity to experience that in all its glory.”
A dozen red and yellow parrots are perched on top of one cabinet, grouped together as May would have done. Two look as if they might be kissing, the others appear to be observing the scene below. Home power monitor The scene is far more interesting than if May had spaced them evenly apart.
Visitors will enjoy looking at shelves filled with colorful figures, from a 19th-century carved figure of baby Jesus to Day of the Dead sculptures. Above the entrance to the gallery are wonderful animal masks made of bamboo and canvas.
“It begs to ask, why do people collect things?” de la Torre says. “When they collect things, how far can they go?”
May grew up in a poor family in Texas and was discouraged from going to the Mexican neighborhoods in town. As an adult he fell in love with vibrant Mexican folk art, making numerous trips to add to his collection. He also ran a popular Christmas store on Sacramento Street, selling treasures he gathered on his world travels.
The National Constitution Center has signed an agreement to display one of 12 surviving copies of the historic document.
The agreement, with the New York Public Library, calls for display of the Bill of Rights to start in Fall 2014 and last three years.
It will be the first Pennsylvania museum to offer public display of the document.
The document was signed by Vice President John Adams in 1789 and dispatched to President George Washington to consider for ratification.
The New York Public Library acquired the document in 1896. It last displayed the document several years ago. For preservation reasons, it has never displayed the document for an extended period.
“This landmark agreement makes public one of the most important documents in the nation’s history, Power monitor Power monitor an over 200-year-old, original copy of the Bill of Rights,” said New York Public Library President Tony Marx. “The document has been expertly preserved at the Library for over a century, leaving it in prime condition and ready to inspire and educate the public now and in the future.”
“An Inspired Gift: The Rex May Collection of Popular Art” is on display at the museum until next year. It contains some 400 masks, paintings, ceramic figurines and other pieces, arranged to evoke the feeling of how they looked when they occupied May’s Victorian home.Home energy management It’s a refreshing approach.
“If you think of the Mexican sensitivities to color, line and form, this is a plethora of visual delight,” says David de la Torre, the museum’s director. “This is an opportunity to experience that in all its glory.”
A dozen red and yellow parrots are perched on top of one cabinet, grouped together as May would have done. Two look as if they might be kissing, the others appear to be observing the scene below. Home power monitor The scene is far more interesting than if May had spaced them evenly apart.
Visitors will enjoy looking at shelves filled with colorful figures, from a 19th-century carved figure of baby Jesus to Day of the Dead sculptures. Above the entrance to the gallery are wonderful animal masks made of bamboo and canvas.
“It begs to ask, why do people collect things?” de la Torre says. “When they collect things, how far can they go?”
May grew up in a poor family in Texas and was discouraged from going to the Mexican neighborhoods in town. As an adult he fell in love with vibrant Mexican folk art, making numerous trips to add to his collection. He also ran a popular Christmas store on Sacramento Street, selling treasures he gathered on his world travels.
The National Constitution Center has signed an agreement to display one of 12 surviving copies of the historic document.
The agreement, with the New York Public Library, calls for display of the Bill of Rights to start in Fall 2014 and last three years.
It will be the first Pennsylvania museum to offer public display of the document.
The document was signed by Vice President John Adams in 1789 and dispatched to President George Washington to consider for ratification.
The New York Public Library acquired the document in 1896. It last displayed the document several years ago. For preservation reasons, it has never displayed the document for an extended period.
“This landmark agreement makes public one of the most important documents in the nation’s history, Power monitor Power monitor an over 200-year-old, original copy of the Bill of Rights,” said New York Public Library President Tony Marx. “The document has been expertly preserved at the Library for over a century, leaving it in prime condition and ready to inspire and educate the public now and in the future.”
The very long beak shows up well in the photograph
one of the spin-offs of the article I wrote in this Highland Wildlife
recently prompted three readers to email me and all attached
photographs. They had been fortunate to see a woodcock feeding in their
garden and in all cases during the day.
One was at Abriachan, another at Roy Bridge and the other near Contin. The photograph from one of these readers is shown here where the bird is just feeding on grassland and, in each case, close to the house.
Because it is a close-up it may look easy to see but believe me “in the field” this is just not the case. That blend of dark and light brown is so much camouflage you can walk past one and, if it does not move, it will go undetected.
The very long beak shows up well in the photograph and this is the means by which it finds its food, as it has a special adaptation. When it probes deep into the soil the sensitive nerve endings at the end of the beak locate its prey, from spiders to beetles and worms to caterpillars.
I contacted the three readers concerned and said it would be well worth them looking out at dusk to see if the woodcock were breeding nearby. We may think of birds of the night such as tawny owls and even grasshopper warblers singing but the woodcocks’In home display at dusk and after is memorable by any standards.
It is the famous display of the males that is the highlight. This is to attract females into its breeding territory, warn off other males or to reassure its mate sitting on her four eggs in the mere scrape of a nest on the woodland floor.
During his display the male flies slowly, and I mean slowly, on its huge broad wings along a pre-determined route. This display is called “roding” which I have always presumed is because it often takes place along woodland rides which in other countries are often called rodes.
During this flight the males are uttering the strangest of calls that have been variously described as frog or toad-like croaks. I jest not, and when you hear one for the first time you will know what I mean!
All this may sound almost mysterious but there is more to come as it is the birds’ migration that has caused a great deal of the recent interest.
The birds migrate at night and although most Scottish breeding birds are resident all the year round there is an influx of birds from northern Europe in October and November.
There are all sorts of ideas – some of them myths – about the right weather conditions to make the birds move from the continent.Home energy monitor One fascinating theory regards the tiny bird, the goldcrest.
One local name for the goldcrest is “woodcock pilot” as this tiny bird, that boosts the local numbers for the winter, is supposed to come in two days before the woodcock flies in – hence the expression “woodcock pilot”, as if the goldcrest is showing it the way to fly in. With either bird, nothing would surprise me.
Some of the incoming woodcock stay in the woods along with the resident birds but, if the weather is bad, they will move on to the south and west.
The status of the woodcock in the UK is still open to debate. It is on the quarry list and so it is widely shot and much prized by sportsmen. Their flight is very erratic that make them a target for many people.
There is a saying “a left and a right” for woodcock as this is reputed to be the final accolade if you can shoot one with one barrel and another with the other virtually at the same time.
There are those who say the bird is over-shot, Home energy management especially in European countries, but there is no proof of this. Changes in their breeding habitats may well have more effect that has resulted in their decline.
Welcoming the swift return of swallows and martins to River Ness
Record of the week must be some magic moments on the River Ness in the middle of Inverness.
At first there seemed to be no birds apart from gulls foraging. Then I realised there were lots of small birds flying just above the surface. Fortunately I had binoculars with me and I was able to pick out some detail.
There were just dozens of what are loosely called “swallows”. Most of them were indeed swallows but about a quarter of them were sand martins and I saw at least two house martins.
They are easy to tell apart as the house martins have the characteristic white rump that is conspicuous whilst the sand martin is just a pale brown nearly all over.
The actual swallows look almost black but a closer look reveals the mixture of black and white with a purple sheen, in the right light, and those long tail streamers.
The house martins had come back to their old nests under the eaves of the house a week before, almost two weeks later than usual.
One was at Abriachan, another at Roy Bridge and the other near Contin. The photograph from one of these readers is shown here where the bird is just feeding on grassland and, in each case, close to the house.
Because it is a close-up it may look easy to see but believe me “in the field” this is just not the case. That blend of dark and light brown is so much camouflage you can walk past one and, if it does not move, it will go undetected.
The very long beak shows up well in the photograph and this is the means by which it finds its food, as it has a special adaptation. When it probes deep into the soil the sensitive nerve endings at the end of the beak locate its prey, from spiders to beetles and worms to caterpillars.
I contacted the three readers concerned and said it would be well worth them looking out at dusk to see if the woodcock were breeding nearby. We may think of birds of the night such as tawny owls and even grasshopper warblers singing but the woodcocks’In home display at dusk and after is memorable by any standards.
It is the famous display of the males that is the highlight. This is to attract females into its breeding territory, warn off other males or to reassure its mate sitting on her four eggs in the mere scrape of a nest on the woodland floor.
During his display the male flies slowly, and I mean slowly, on its huge broad wings along a pre-determined route. This display is called “roding” which I have always presumed is because it often takes place along woodland rides which in other countries are often called rodes.
During this flight the males are uttering the strangest of calls that have been variously described as frog or toad-like croaks. I jest not, and when you hear one for the first time you will know what I mean!
All this may sound almost mysterious but there is more to come as it is the birds’ migration that has caused a great deal of the recent interest.
The birds migrate at night and although most Scottish breeding birds are resident all the year round there is an influx of birds from northern Europe in October and November.
There are all sorts of ideas – some of them myths – about the right weather conditions to make the birds move from the continent.Home energy monitor One fascinating theory regards the tiny bird, the goldcrest.
One local name for the goldcrest is “woodcock pilot” as this tiny bird, that boosts the local numbers for the winter, is supposed to come in two days before the woodcock flies in – hence the expression “woodcock pilot”, as if the goldcrest is showing it the way to fly in. With either bird, nothing would surprise me.
Some of the incoming woodcock stay in the woods along with the resident birds but, if the weather is bad, they will move on to the south and west.
The status of the woodcock in the UK is still open to debate. It is on the quarry list and so it is widely shot and much prized by sportsmen. Their flight is very erratic that make them a target for many people.
There is a saying “a left and a right” for woodcock as this is reputed to be the final accolade if you can shoot one with one barrel and another with the other virtually at the same time.
There are those who say the bird is over-shot, Home energy management especially in European countries, but there is no proof of this. Changes in their breeding habitats may well have more effect that has resulted in their decline.
Welcoming the swift return of swallows and martins to River Ness
Record of the week must be some magic moments on the River Ness in the middle of Inverness.
At first there seemed to be no birds apart from gulls foraging. Then I realised there were lots of small birds flying just above the surface. Fortunately I had binoculars with me and I was able to pick out some detail.
There were just dozens of what are loosely called “swallows”. Most of them were indeed swallows but about a quarter of them were sand martins and I saw at least two house martins.
They are easy to tell apart as the house martins have the characteristic white rump that is conspicuous whilst the sand martin is just a pale brown nearly all over.
The actual swallows look almost black but a closer look reveals the mixture of black and white with a purple sheen, in the right light, and those long tail streamers.
The house martins had come back to their old nests under the eaves of the house a week before, almost two weeks later than usual.
2013年5月21日 星期二
They have previously held fairs in Oak Mall
Rutherglen Exchange Shopping Centre is set to host a prestigious craft fair next weekend.
And the new manager of the centre hopes it will be the first of many similar events to come to the town.
Jane Cowan stepped in when Glimmercrafts Event were left without a venue for their planned fair on Saturday, June 1.
They had been set to head to the St Enoch’s Centre in Glasgow but that fell through.
Led by Tracey Leonard, Glimmercrafts provide “a clean, tidy and varied craft fair suitable for centres such as Rutherglen,” according to Jane.
They have previously held fairs in Oak Mall, Clyde Shopping Centre, Callendar Square, The Howgate,Home power monitor The Kyle Centre and Livingston Designer Outlets.
The fair, which will include space for local traders, will offer jewellery, soap products, hand made wooden products, hand sewn quilts and hand crafted cards.
Jane told the Reformer it was too good an opportunity to miss.
She said: “They were originally due to go to the St Enoch’s Centre so it is a big thing. It’s something we might not have normally got.”
“I’m very, very pleased, it very exciting.”
The news was welcomed by council leader Eddie McAvoy, whose Rutherglen Central and North ward covers the centre.
He hopes it will help attract custom to the town.
He said: “That’s the kind of thing we are looking for, any type of venture that brings people into Rutherglen.
“It’s a good idea and it will maybe encourage people to come down, maybe from places like Castlemilk or Toryglen,Home energy monitor instead of going to the supermarket.
“They can come down, have a look for a bargain and maybe see other places they might like to go.
The last incident occurred about 3.15am when the offenders forced open a door at a tavern on Beechboro Road North in Bennett Springs.
Alcohol was taken before the offenders fled in a vehicle.
In a separate incident, police are investigating an armed robbery at an Armadale pharmacy yesterday afternoon.
Police say about 3.50pm a man walked into the pharmacy on Railway Avenue before pulling out a small axe from under his clothing and threating staff.
The man left the store after being handed a small amount of non-prescription medication.
And the new manager of the centre hopes it will be the first of many similar events to come to the town.
Jane Cowan stepped in when Glimmercrafts Event were left without a venue for their planned fair on Saturday, June 1.
They had been set to head to the St Enoch’s Centre in Glasgow but that fell through.
Led by Tracey Leonard, Glimmercrafts provide “a clean, tidy and varied craft fair suitable for centres such as Rutherglen,” according to Jane.
They have previously held fairs in Oak Mall, Clyde Shopping Centre, Callendar Square, The Howgate,Home power monitor The Kyle Centre and Livingston Designer Outlets.
The fair, which will include space for local traders, will offer jewellery, soap products, hand made wooden products, hand sewn quilts and hand crafted cards.
Jane told the Reformer it was too good an opportunity to miss.
She said: “They were originally due to go to the St Enoch’s Centre so it is a big thing. It’s something we might not have normally got.”
“I’m very, very pleased, it very exciting.”
The news was welcomed by council leader Eddie McAvoy, whose Rutherglen Central and North ward covers the centre.
He hopes it will help attract custom to the town.
He said: “That’s the kind of thing we are looking for, any type of venture that brings people into Rutherglen.
“It’s a good idea and it will maybe encourage people to come down, maybe from places like Castlemilk or Toryglen,Home energy monitor instead of going to the supermarket.
“They can come down, have a look for a bargain and maybe see other places they might like to go.
The last incident occurred about 3.15am when the offenders forced open a door at a tavern on Beechboro Road North in Bennett Springs.
Alcohol was taken before the offenders fled in a vehicle.
In a separate incident, police are investigating an armed robbery at an Armadale pharmacy yesterday afternoon.
Police say about 3.50pm a man walked into the pharmacy on Railway Avenue before pulling out a small axe from under his clothing and threating staff.
The man left the store after being handed a small amount of non-prescription medication.
I see the police working hard to mitigate crime
My wish is for the new Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zaid Hamidi
to head a Crime Watch Society established by the Government for both
urban and rural communities as well as each state to mitigate crime.
Existing crime watch groups can be partners here.
It is time crime gets the highest attention and urgent action.
Policing reduces crime, so does neighbours on guard.
Remember peace and security is the civic duty of all citizens.
The police cannot be at every nook and corner. We must be there to assist them and be their eyes and ears.
So, prevent crime by putting safety first and by making the local police your partners.
You just need to start with simple things like locking up your house before you go to bed. Lack of safety induces criminals to strike.
Reduce the opportunities for criminals to target us.
I feel snatch thieves should just be jailed. Fines will not do anymore.
I see the police working hard to mitigate crime, but we have to help them. Remember a caring community makes the neighbourhood safe. And safety begins with you.
I say, be the mata-mata in your community.
Watch, observe and phone the police if you see anything suspicious. After all, they are on duty 24 hours a day.
We have also started patrolling our neighbourhoods.
Today, I see the public being more aware of the need to take an active role in keeping crime at bay. This is good.Home energy monitor And this is how it should be.
While they do that, their efforts must be supplemented and complemented by the police.
Police presence is most assuring in that it keeps crime at bay.
I see the residents association and RT bases not only nurture unity. They also create a better understanding among the community. And neighbours can help prevent crime as they look out for each other.
I say help yourself to mitigate crime.
Stop jaywalking and be alert to your surroundings.
Be careful as criminals can strike anytime. Be alert and act rationally.
Do not be foolhardy as snatch thieves can be dangerous.
I think one should not put up a fight with such thieves.
There have been many lives lost and it isn’t worth fighting with them.
Your life is more important than saving things like your jewellery, documents or money.
Maybe it is time that religious organisations be included in our agenda.
We should also include representatives of non-governmental organisations, bloggers and other stakeholders who have an interest in the matter.
Also as was recently suggested, ex-convicts should be given the opportunity to get involved based on their experiences.
Ex-convicts usually know more about crime.
It’s better to give them an opportunity, compared to those who know nothing about crime.
As they say, it takes a thief to catch a thief!
The crime rate can be dented somewhat, but the fight against crime should continue with greater effort.
In addition to a lack of financial resources, poverty manifests itself in poor parental supervision,Power monitor lack of educational opportunities, lack of meaningful employment options, poor housing as well as lack of hope and prejudice against persons living in poverty.
We often continue to see the symptoms of crime, whereas we tend to overlook prevention and the root causes.
We should adopt preventive programmes and policies to eradicate crime. Crime prevention is the best strategy to fight crime and what better way than to inculcate safety awareness among school children to better safeguard and prevent them from becoming victims of crime.
And I stress that education must today focus on fighting crime.
They say, “Prevention is better than cure” to reflect the importance of proactively taking steps to keep crime at bay.
Last but not least, always remain vigilant and never take safety for granted.
Existing crime watch groups can be partners here.
It is time crime gets the highest attention and urgent action.
Policing reduces crime, so does neighbours on guard.
Remember peace and security is the civic duty of all citizens.
The police cannot be at every nook and corner. We must be there to assist them and be their eyes and ears.
So, prevent crime by putting safety first and by making the local police your partners.
You just need to start with simple things like locking up your house before you go to bed. Lack of safety induces criminals to strike.
Reduce the opportunities for criminals to target us.
I feel snatch thieves should just be jailed. Fines will not do anymore.
I see the police working hard to mitigate crime, but we have to help them. Remember a caring community makes the neighbourhood safe. And safety begins with you.
I say, be the mata-mata in your community.
Watch, observe and phone the police if you see anything suspicious. After all, they are on duty 24 hours a day.
We have also started patrolling our neighbourhoods.
Today, I see the public being more aware of the need to take an active role in keeping crime at bay. This is good.Home energy monitor And this is how it should be.
While they do that, their efforts must be supplemented and complemented by the police.
Police presence is most assuring in that it keeps crime at bay.
I see the residents association and RT bases not only nurture unity. They also create a better understanding among the community. And neighbours can help prevent crime as they look out for each other.
I say help yourself to mitigate crime.
Stop jaywalking and be alert to your surroundings.
Be careful as criminals can strike anytime. Be alert and act rationally.
Do not be foolhardy as snatch thieves can be dangerous.
I think one should not put up a fight with such thieves.
There have been many lives lost and it isn’t worth fighting with them.
Your life is more important than saving things like your jewellery, documents or money.
Maybe it is time that religious organisations be included in our agenda.
We should also include representatives of non-governmental organisations, bloggers and other stakeholders who have an interest in the matter.
Also as was recently suggested, ex-convicts should be given the opportunity to get involved based on their experiences.
Ex-convicts usually know more about crime.
It’s better to give them an opportunity, compared to those who know nothing about crime.
As they say, it takes a thief to catch a thief!
The crime rate can be dented somewhat, but the fight against crime should continue with greater effort.
In addition to a lack of financial resources, poverty manifests itself in poor parental supervision,Power monitor lack of educational opportunities, lack of meaningful employment options, poor housing as well as lack of hope and prejudice against persons living in poverty.
We often continue to see the symptoms of crime, whereas we tend to overlook prevention and the root causes.
We should adopt preventive programmes and policies to eradicate crime. Crime prevention is the best strategy to fight crime and what better way than to inculcate safety awareness among school children to better safeguard and prevent them from becoming victims of crime.
And I stress that education must today focus on fighting crime.
They say, “Prevention is better than cure” to reflect the importance of proactively taking steps to keep crime at bay.
Last but not least, always remain vigilant and never take safety for granted.
2013年5月19日 星期日
The redevelopment of the RNA site for housing
Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk says the Newman Government’s proposed closure of historic Fortitude Valley State School makes no sense with up to 1,000 families expected to move into the area over the next few years.
“Fortitude Valley State School is in one of Brisbane’s high growth areas. You just have to come to the school, look around and you literally see the growth on the horizon,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
Attending a rally of parents and students outside the Fortitude Valley State School today, Ms Palaszczuk said even though the school had traditionally been home to a smaller number of students, it was critical it stayed open to meet projected future needs.
“This is a school that has a very rich history, an admirable track record producing students that go on to bigger things and has a strong core of parents and teachers,” she said.
“It is more than a school – it is a community hub. But what’s more important is that Fortitude Valley State School should stay as a critical piece of infrastructure for the Valley, Bowen Hills and Newstead areas into the future.
“That’s what makes this decision by Education Minister John Paul Langbroek so near-sighted and so shocking.
“There are 1,000 apartments currently under construction in the Bowen Hills area which will be home to families looking for a place to send their kids to school.
“The redevelopment of the RNA site for housing — right opposite the school — will bring even more families into the area.
“You have to question the motives of Mr Langbroek and the LNP government.
“Why would you sell off a school that is destined for growth? Where does the Minister expect these families to send their children?
“Enrolments have grown at the school over the past three years in line with population growth in the area. Newstead’s population grew by more than 16% between 2006 and 2011 and in that same period Bowen Hills recorded growth of 12.5% and the Valley 8.4%.
Ms Palaszczuk said Fortitude Valley State School parents and teachers were prepared to take up the fight to save their school.
“They are passionate about saving their school because for them it is the centre of their community – to John Paul Langbroek it’s nothing more than a prime piece of inner-city real estate ripe for selling off.”
“Fortitude Valley State School is in one of Brisbane’s high growth areas. You just have to come to the school, look around and you literally see the growth on the horizon,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
Attending a rally of parents and students outside the Fortitude Valley State School today, Ms Palaszczuk said even though the school had traditionally been home to a smaller number of students, it was critical it stayed open to meet projected future needs.
“This is a school that has a very rich history, an admirable track record producing students that go on to bigger things and has a strong core of parents and teachers,” she said.
“It is more than a school – it is a community hub. But what’s more important is that Fortitude Valley State School should stay as a critical piece of infrastructure for the Valley, Bowen Hills and Newstead areas into the future.
“That’s what makes this decision by Education Minister John Paul Langbroek so near-sighted and so shocking.
“There are 1,000 apartments currently under construction in the Bowen Hills area which will be home to families looking for a place to send their kids to school.
“The redevelopment of the RNA site for housing — right opposite the school — will bring even more families into the area.
“You have to question the motives of Mr Langbroek and the LNP government.
“Why would you sell off a school that is destined for growth? Where does the Minister expect these families to send their children?
“Enrolments have grown at the school over the past three years in line with population growth in the area. Newstead’s population grew by more than 16% between 2006 and 2011 and in that same period Bowen Hills recorded growth of 12.5% and the Valley 8.4%.
Ms Palaszczuk said Fortitude Valley State School parents and teachers were prepared to take up the fight to save their school.
“They are passionate about saving their school because for them it is the centre of their community – to John Paul Langbroek it’s nothing more than a prime piece of inner-city real estate ripe for selling off.”
The official retirement party was last week at home
The most successful managerial career in British football history is over, leaving a void that might not be filled for generations.
And what a thrilling way to bow out at West Bromwich Albion in central England — the first 5-5 draw in the Premier League on the back of a 13th championship for Ferguson.
John Sivebaek scored 9,675 days ago for the first United goal under Ferguson, and Javier Hernandez scored the last.
"It is not only a loss for the British fans but he has changed football across the world," Hernandez said. "He has been here for 26 years and made the impossible dream come true."
The official retirement party was last week at home when 76,000 fans at Old Trafford saluted Ferguson for delivering the record-extending 20 English league title for United.
Referee Michael Oliver, only 1-year-old when Ferguson took charge of United in 1986, blew the whistle on his glittering career at the Hawthorns. From now on, the defensive fragilities on display Sunday are incoming manager David Moyes' problem.
After the match, the manager went over to bow to the United fans who had backed him as he waited until 1990 to win the first of 38 trophies for the club.
Ferguson, a keen wine aficionado who is planning trips to various vineyards in his retirement, later shared a $140 bottle of 2003 Chateau Pontet Canet Pauillac with West Brom manager Steve Clarke.
As customary as Ferguson's post-match bottle of wine with rivals is his reluctance to attend the media conference.
But he can't have been pleased to see his team throw away a 4-2 lead to be pegged back to 5-5. It had seemed like fate that Ferguson would witness his team conjuring another memorable goal in stoppage-time that had characterized his reign.
"I was waiting for some 'Fergie Time,'" United striker Robin van Persie said. "But it didn't happen. It was good fun for everyone, to score 10 goals."
Ferguson signalled he's ready for a quieter life by placidly watching his players rip West Brom apart and then showed none of the usual anger at their capitulation.
But the scorers on this day will be long forgotten — it was all about the manager in the opposition dugout.
After a brief taste of international football with Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, Ferguson was lured from Aberdeen to United in November 1986.
Since then he has won 13 Premier League titles, the Champions League twice, five FA Cups, four League Cups, the European Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the Club World Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and 10 Community Shields.
Little wonder that even West Brom fans were buying the commemorative scarves being sold by enterprising salesman outside of the stadium.
Ferguson could see them from the team bus as it pulled into the ground. In the stands were affectionate banners, including "Thank you dinosaur."
Before kickoff, West Brom's players formed a guard of honour for the champions and were then joined by the United team to usher Ferguson onto the pitch.
"What the West Brom fans did was a nice touch," Van Persie said, before also referring to the retiring Paul Scholes. "Of course, when you speak about players like Scholesy and managers like Sir Alex, I think it's right to do that (show respect). It doesn't always happen in football but today it did, and I'm glad that it did."
Just like in every one of his previous 1,499 matches, Ferguson featured an academy graduate in his squad — a hallmark that has helped to deliver such unprecedented success.
One of those, Scholes, came off the bench in the 69th minute to make his 718th and final appearance for the club at which he had spent his entire career.
It was a party atmosphere from the start, with red flares being set off in the United end.
Ferguson, though, was the calmest United representative when Shinji Kagawa headed his side in front after six minutes.
West Brom gifted United another inside three minutes, with Jonas Olsson turning Antonio Valencia's cross-shot past his own goal goalkeeper, and Alexander Buttner grabbed a third in the 31st minute.
Just when United looked like inflicting a humiliating result, James Morrison pulled one back five minutes before halftime.
Substitute Romelu Lukaku reduced the deficit in the 50th before Van Persie cancelled it out three minutes later.
A cruising United was too relaxed, and West Brom spoiled the party with goals from Lukaku and Youssouf Mulumbu in the 81st.
It was Lukaku who bundled the ball into the net to complete his hat trick and become the last player to score against a Ferguson team.
When the end came, Ferguson shook hands with Clarke before being ushered by Giggs to thank their visiting fans.
The home fans showed their appreciation, too. They got to witness the end of an era.
And what a thrilling way to bow out at West Bromwich Albion in central England — the first 5-5 draw in the Premier League on the back of a 13th championship for Ferguson.
John Sivebaek scored 9,675 days ago for the first United goal under Ferguson, and Javier Hernandez scored the last.
"It is not only a loss for the British fans but he has changed football across the world," Hernandez said. "He has been here for 26 years and made the impossible dream come true."
The official retirement party was last week at home when 76,000 fans at Old Trafford saluted Ferguson for delivering the record-extending 20 English league title for United.
Referee Michael Oliver, only 1-year-old when Ferguson took charge of United in 1986, blew the whistle on his glittering career at the Hawthorns. From now on, the defensive fragilities on display Sunday are incoming manager David Moyes' problem.
After the match, the manager went over to bow to the United fans who had backed him as he waited until 1990 to win the first of 38 trophies for the club.
Ferguson, a keen wine aficionado who is planning trips to various vineyards in his retirement, later shared a $140 bottle of 2003 Chateau Pontet Canet Pauillac with West Brom manager Steve Clarke.
As customary as Ferguson's post-match bottle of wine with rivals is his reluctance to attend the media conference.
But he can't have been pleased to see his team throw away a 4-2 lead to be pegged back to 5-5. It had seemed like fate that Ferguson would witness his team conjuring another memorable goal in stoppage-time that had characterized his reign.
"I was waiting for some 'Fergie Time,'" United striker Robin van Persie said. "But it didn't happen. It was good fun for everyone, to score 10 goals."
Ferguson signalled he's ready for a quieter life by placidly watching his players rip West Brom apart and then showed none of the usual anger at their capitulation.
But the scorers on this day will be long forgotten — it was all about the manager in the opposition dugout.
After a brief taste of international football with Scotland at the 1986 World Cup, Ferguson was lured from Aberdeen to United in November 1986.
Since then he has won 13 Premier League titles, the Champions League twice, five FA Cups, four League Cups, the European Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the Club World Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and 10 Community Shields.
Little wonder that even West Brom fans were buying the commemorative scarves being sold by enterprising salesman outside of the stadium.
Ferguson could see them from the team bus as it pulled into the ground. In the stands were affectionate banners, including "Thank you dinosaur."
Before kickoff, West Brom's players formed a guard of honour for the champions and were then joined by the United team to usher Ferguson onto the pitch.
"What the West Brom fans did was a nice touch," Van Persie said, before also referring to the retiring Paul Scholes. "Of course, when you speak about players like Scholesy and managers like Sir Alex, I think it's right to do that (show respect). It doesn't always happen in football but today it did, and I'm glad that it did."
Just like in every one of his previous 1,499 matches, Ferguson featured an academy graduate in his squad — a hallmark that has helped to deliver such unprecedented success.
One of those, Scholes, came off the bench in the 69th minute to make his 718th and final appearance for the club at which he had spent his entire career.
It was a party atmosphere from the start, with red flares being set off in the United end.
Ferguson, though, was the calmest United representative when Shinji Kagawa headed his side in front after six minutes.
West Brom gifted United another inside three minutes, with Jonas Olsson turning Antonio Valencia's cross-shot past his own goal goalkeeper, and Alexander Buttner grabbed a third in the 31st minute.
Just when United looked like inflicting a humiliating result, James Morrison pulled one back five minutes before halftime.
Substitute Romelu Lukaku reduced the deficit in the 50th before Van Persie cancelled it out three minutes later.
A cruising United was too relaxed, and West Brom spoiled the party with goals from Lukaku and Youssouf Mulumbu in the 81st.
It was Lukaku who bundled the ball into the net to complete his hat trick and become the last player to score against a Ferguson team.
When the end came, Ferguson shook hands with Clarke before being ushered by Giggs to thank their visiting fans.
The home fans showed their appreciation, too. They got to witness the end of an era.
2013年5月16日 星期四
This unit throws open immense possibilities of a thriving diamond
Heralding a new chapter in the industrial development of Bihar, the state's first diamond processing unit was inaugurated at the Patliputra Industrial Area here on Thursday by chief minister Nitish Kumar. The unit has been set up by a leading diamond and jewellery firm of the country, Shrenuj and Company.
This unit throws open immense possibilities of a thriving diamond cutting and polishing industry in the state as about 30% of skilled workers in the diamond hub of Surat are said to belong to Bihar. The new unit currently employs 150 skilled Bihari artisans brought from Surat. When fully operational, the unit will employ 1,500 diamond workers, said Shrenuj's group executive director, Vishal Doshi, on the occasion.
In his remarks at the inauguration ceremony, Nitish took a dig at his bete noire Lalu Prasad without naming him. "Some people used to say that not even a needle factory has come up in Bihar. But now, a diamond unit has been launched by a Gujarati diamond magnate, Shreyas K Doshi, the CMD of Shrenuj and Company. We are happy that Doshi chose this state which sends skilled labour to the diamond industry of Surat and Mumbai," the CM said, adding the diamond processing unit would make huge investment by using small space and generate employment.
Doshi also presented a diamond piece produced at the unit to the chief minister for display at Patna Museum.
The processing unit is located on the second floor of Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) building, which also houses the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) office on the ground and first floors. Soon, the BIS office will be shifted and the whole building will be handed over to the diamond unit. The unit will then have a capacity of handling three lakh diamond units per month.
"The event has marked an industrial revolution of sorts in Bihar," said the chairman of Bihar Foundation, Ravi Shankar Srivastava, who got fulsome praise from CM Nitish Kumar and deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi for his untiring effort to bring the unit here. Kumar also credited the Bihar Foundation for its efforts to set up a leather hub at Fatuha industrial area by utilizing the skilled leather workers of Dharavi, Mumbai.
Vishal Doshi said the processing unit in Patna will boost the exports of the company, which has direct access to rough diamonds from Botswana and South Africa. CMD Shreyas Doshi said that retail growth of gem and jewellery sector has been robust over the past decade. Shrenuj planned to increase its footprint in diamond jewellery retail in India.
A wide range of wedding gowns is the centre of attraction at the sixth International Wedding Exhibition and Fashion Show (IWED) inaugurated yesterday at the Doha Exhibition Centre.
Known as one of the region’s most prominent wedding exhibitions, IWED was opened by Walid Atallah, a Lebanese designer, together with Mohamad Ahmad Al Obaidaly, a member of the board of Qatar Chamber.
Designers are showcasing their best wedding gowns and more than 100 wedding arrangement experts are promoting their products and services at the four-day event.
Gowns from well-known brands like Marchssa, Lazaro and Enzoani, and designers from the region are being showcased at the exhibition. A bridal gown at IWED would cost between QR15,000 and QR40,000, depending on the fabric, design and the designer, according to exhibitors.
However, the exhibition goes beyond wedding gowns. Visitors to IWED can see a wide range of products and services that can be used to organise a memorable wedding. On show are traditional abayas, shoes, handbags, cosmetics, hotel facilities, floral arrangements, jewellery, cakes and much else one could need for the big day.
“We have over 100 exhibitors from 15 countries showcasing their products and services this year, and we are expecting over 15,000 visitors,” said Hadi A Ali, chief executive officer of Qatar Expo, the organisers of IWED.
Speaking of future plans, Ali said, “Next year, the expo will include a section for grooms, which is lacking in IWED.”
There are fashion shows on all four days of the exhibition, with locally and internationally renowned designers showing off their contemporary creations.
Husam Taha from Star Academy will grace the expo as a special guest, bringing a new flavour to IWED by serenading the crowd with songs and music composed exclusively for the show.
IWED will be open to the public until Sunday from 3 pm to 10 pm. Tomorrow will be a ladies only day. Children under 14 years are not allowed into the expo.
This unit throws open immense possibilities of a thriving diamond cutting and polishing industry in the state as about 30% of skilled workers in the diamond hub of Surat are said to belong to Bihar. The new unit currently employs 150 skilled Bihari artisans brought from Surat. When fully operational, the unit will employ 1,500 diamond workers, said Shrenuj's group executive director, Vishal Doshi, on the occasion.
In his remarks at the inauguration ceremony, Nitish took a dig at his bete noire Lalu Prasad without naming him. "Some people used to say that not even a needle factory has come up in Bihar. But now, a diamond unit has been launched by a Gujarati diamond magnate, Shreyas K Doshi, the CMD of Shrenuj and Company. We are happy that Doshi chose this state which sends skilled labour to the diamond industry of Surat and Mumbai," the CM said, adding the diamond processing unit would make huge investment by using small space and generate employment.
Doshi also presented a diamond piece produced at the unit to the chief minister for display at Patna Museum.
The processing unit is located on the second floor of Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) building, which also houses the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) office on the ground and first floors. Soon, the BIS office will be shifted and the whole building will be handed over to the diamond unit. The unit will then have a capacity of handling three lakh diamond units per month.
"The event has marked an industrial revolution of sorts in Bihar," said the chairman of Bihar Foundation, Ravi Shankar Srivastava, who got fulsome praise from CM Nitish Kumar and deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi for his untiring effort to bring the unit here. Kumar also credited the Bihar Foundation for its efforts to set up a leather hub at Fatuha industrial area by utilizing the skilled leather workers of Dharavi, Mumbai.
Vishal Doshi said the processing unit in Patna will boost the exports of the company, which has direct access to rough diamonds from Botswana and South Africa. CMD Shreyas Doshi said that retail growth of gem and jewellery sector has been robust over the past decade. Shrenuj planned to increase its footprint in diamond jewellery retail in India.
A wide range of wedding gowns is the centre of attraction at the sixth International Wedding Exhibition and Fashion Show (IWED) inaugurated yesterday at the Doha Exhibition Centre.
Known as one of the region’s most prominent wedding exhibitions, IWED was opened by Walid Atallah, a Lebanese designer, together with Mohamad Ahmad Al Obaidaly, a member of the board of Qatar Chamber.
Designers are showcasing their best wedding gowns and more than 100 wedding arrangement experts are promoting their products and services at the four-day event.
Gowns from well-known brands like Marchssa, Lazaro and Enzoani, and designers from the region are being showcased at the exhibition. A bridal gown at IWED would cost between QR15,000 and QR40,000, depending on the fabric, design and the designer, according to exhibitors.
However, the exhibition goes beyond wedding gowns. Visitors to IWED can see a wide range of products and services that can be used to organise a memorable wedding. On show are traditional abayas, shoes, handbags, cosmetics, hotel facilities, floral arrangements, jewellery, cakes and much else one could need for the big day.
“We have over 100 exhibitors from 15 countries showcasing their products and services this year, and we are expecting over 15,000 visitors,” said Hadi A Ali, chief executive officer of Qatar Expo, the organisers of IWED.
Speaking of future plans, Ali said, “Next year, the expo will include a section for grooms, which is lacking in IWED.”
There are fashion shows on all four days of the exhibition, with locally and internationally renowned designers showing off their contemporary creations.
Husam Taha from Star Academy will grace the expo as a special guest, bringing a new flavour to IWED by serenading the crowd with songs and music composed exclusively for the show.
IWED will be open to the public until Sunday from 3 pm to 10 pm. Tomorrow will be a ladies only day. Children under 14 years are not allowed into the expo.
The demand for the precious metal will continue to be robust
NEW DELHI India’s gold imports dropped by 5.7 per cent to 215 tonnes in the January-March period of 2013, even as its demand rose by 27 per cent to 256.5 tonnes, World Gold Council (WGC) said on Thursday.
The demand for the precious metal will continue to be robust in the coming months though the government has imposed some curbs on imports, the WGC said, while cautioning that any further supply controls will activate unauthorised channels, WGC said in its report.
Gold import and demand in India, the world’s largest consumer, stood at 228 tonnes and 202.1 tonnes, respectively, in the year-ago period, it said. “Gold imports were 215 tonnes in the first quarter of 2013 as compared to 228 tonnes in the same period last year.
On the bullion market, gold prices dropped to one-month low by losing Rs500 to Rs26,800 per 10 grams on heavy selling by stockists driven by weak global trend.
This fall was in continuation to a steep fall of Rs600 on Wednesday to hit a level last seen on April 17, after the metal tumbled in overseas markets driven by reports investors cutting their holdings. Imports remained lower as stockists had purchased heavily in the previous quarter in anticipation of rise in import duty,” WGC India Managing Director Somasundaram PR told reporters.
Of the total demand of 256.5 tonnes, the WGC said the country’s jewellery demand rose by 15 per cent to 159.5 tonnes from 138.3 tonnes, while investment demand increased by 52 per cent to 97 tonnes from 63.8 tonnes in the review period.
“Gold demand in India for both jewellery and investment continues to remain strong. The price fluctuations in gold recently have only served to reinforce Indian consumers’ appetite for purchasing physical gold,” Somasundaram said.
Good rabi crop and lower gold prices during February led to higher jewellery demand, the WGC said, adding that “the negative impact of rise in gold import duty in late January was for the most part eliminated by these positive factors”.
Sharing outlook for April-June quarter, WGC India chief said demand for gold would remain robust due to lower prices and higher buying in the ongoing wedding and festive season.
The demand will also be fuelled by an expected rise in rural income on good monsoon projected this year. Besides, there are 20 per cent more auspicious days this year and this will drive demand for the precious metal, he said.
Asked if import curbs will reduce demand, he said: “There is nothing to interrupt buying. Trying to restrict gold demand may not be effective. We believe putting further controls on supply side is not going to reduce demand, instead it might encourage unauthorised channels.”
Due to high current account deficit, the government is seeing gold as an expense, while households look at it as an investment, he added.
He suggested that over 20,000 tonnes of gold is kept idle in India and the government should take measures to monetise it to boost the economic activity.
In terms of value, WGC said India’s gold demand rose by 32 per cent to Rs728.99 billion in the January-March period of this year as against Rs551.49 billion in the year-ago period.
Out of this, gold jewellery demand rose by 20 per cent to Rs453.31 billion from Rs377.39 billion, while investment demand increased by 58 per cent to Rs275.68 billion from Rs174.09 billion in the review period.
The demand for the precious metal will continue to be robust in the coming months though the government has imposed some curbs on imports, the WGC said, while cautioning that any further supply controls will activate unauthorised channels, WGC said in its report.
Gold import and demand in India, the world’s largest consumer, stood at 228 tonnes and 202.1 tonnes, respectively, in the year-ago period, it said. “Gold imports were 215 tonnes in the first quarter of 2013 as compared to 228 tonnes in the same period last year.
On the bullion market, gold prices dropped to one-month low by losing Rs500 to Rs26,800 per 10 grams on heavy selling by stockists driven by weak global trend.
This fall was in continuation to a steep fall of Rs600 on Wednesday to hit a level last seen on April 17, after the metal tumbled in overseas markets driven by reports investors cutting their holdings. Imports remained lower as stockists had purchased heavily in the previous quarter in anticipation of rise in import duty,” WGC India Managing Director Somasundaram PR told reporters.
Of the total demand of 256.5 tonnes, the WGC said the country’s jewellery demand rose by 15 per cent to 159.5 tonnes from 138.3 tonnes, while investment demand increased by 52 per cent to 97 tonnes from 63.8 tonnes in the review period.
“Gold demand in India for both jewellery and investment continues to remain strong. The price fluctuations in gold recently have only served to reinforce Indian consumers’ appetite for purchasing physical gold,” Somasundaram said.
Good rabi crop and lower gold prices during February led to higher jewellery demand, the WGC said, adding that “the negative impact of rise in gold import duty in late January was for the most part eliminated by these positive factors”.
Sharing outlook for April-June quarter, WGC India chief said demand for gold would remain robust due to lower prices and higher buying in the ongoing wedding and festive season.
The demand will also be fuelled by an expected rise in rural income on good monsoon projected this year. Besides, there are 20 per cent more auspicious days this year and this will drive demand for the precious metal, he said.
Asked if import curbs will reduce demand, he said: “There is nothing to interrupt buying. Trying to restrict gold demand may not be effective. We believe putting further controls on supply side is not going to reduce demand, instead it might encourage unauthorised channels.”
Due to high current account deficit, the government is seeing gold as an expense, while households look at it as an investment, he added.
He suggested that over 20,000 tonnes of gold is kept idle in India and the government should take measures to monetise it to boost the economic activity.
In terms of value, WGC said India’s gold demand rose by 32 per cent to Rs728.99 billion in the January-March period of this year as against Rs551.49 billion in the year-ago period.
Out of this, gold jewellery demand rose by 20 per cent to Rs453.31 billion from Rs377.39 billion, while investment demand increased by 58 per cent to Rs275.68 billion from Rs174.09 billion in the review period.
2013年5月14日 星期二
Smaller tech businesses looking to access government
Last night’s federal budget delivered a mixed bag for the Australian
tech industry with many programs maintaining their funding or suffering
mild cuts, however, the broader picture of the government’s struggle
with a changing economy remains the same.
The single measure that will raise the ire of the local tech industry is the doubling of 457 visa charges. This increase, along with the increased scrutiny these visas are receiving, is making it more difficult for locally based companies to fill high skilled positions.
Local workers wanting to gain the skills that tech businesses are looking for will be affected by the $2,000 annual limit on claiming self-education expenses against taxable income. In rapidly changing occupations that require frequent re-skilling, that limit is clearly unfair and stunts the flexibility of the Australian workforce.
Combined with last year’s withdrawal of the living away from home allowance, the increase in visa charges and the difficulties in finding skilled workers, successful local tech businesses are finding it harder to remain based in Australia.
Smaller tech businesses looking to access government assistance programs will have a similar experience. The Enterprise Connect program – which provides business advisors to growing companies – projects that it will help fewer businesses in the coming year, despite the budget blessing the scheme with a small increase in funding.
For companies looking for export assistance, the budget didn’t disappoint with AusTrade’s funding only suffering a one per cent cut. However, the department’s focus on the recommendations of the Australia In The Asian Century report will probably mean some assistance programs may be harder to access.
One problem facing smaller Australian businesses, particularly in the tech sector, is in tendering for government contracts where agencies have a habit of only considering major multinationals – sometimes to their detriment as the Queensland Department of Health found with their payroll system.
The previously announced Enterprise Solutions programs offers $29.4 million over five years to help small to medium businesses compete for government tenders is untouched. Whether this program is enough to change the attitude of government mandarins who tend to dismiss local or smaller suppliers remains to be seen.
Industry innovation precincts which were also announced earlier this year have retained their $238 million over five years. At this stage of the funding process there’s no idea of where these precincts will be or what industries will be covered; however they may give a boost to regionally based tech businesses.
The long running Co-operative Research Centres (CRC) program that links university researchers and businesses sees its funding cut by eight per cent or $12 million this year. The effect of this is shown in the Department’s projections of falling patent applications over the next five years.
In many ways, the cut to the CRC program is emblematic of the lack of vision in this budget. Rather than give a coherent roadmap of the Australian economy’s direction as the resources boom comes to an end, we have a mis-mash of short term, poorly thought out and often contradictory thought bubbles posing as policies.
The incoherence of the 2013 federal budget can be directly attributed to Canberra’s bipartisan addiction to middle class welfare. With a focus on protecting existing entitlements, it’s difficult for governments to lay the groundwork that helps new industries.
The single measure that will raise the ire of the local tech industry is the doubling of 457 visa charges. This increase, along with the increased scrutiny these visas are receiving, is making it more difficult for locally based companies to fill high skilled positions.
Local workers wanting to gain the skills that tech businesses are looking for will be affected by the $2,000 annual limit on claiming self-education expenses against taxable income. In rapidly changing occupations that require frequent re-skilling, that limit is clearly unfair and stunts the flexibility of the Australian workforce.
Combined with last year’s withdrawal of the living away from home allowance, the increase in visa charges and the difficulties in finding skilled workers, successful local tech businesses are finding it harder to remain based in Australia.
Smaller tech businesses looking to access government assistance programs will have a similar experience. The Enterprise Connect program – which provides business advisors to growing companies – projects that it will help fewer businesses in the coming year, despite the budget blessing the scheme with a small increase in funding.
For companies looking for export assistance, the budget didn’t disappoint with AusTrade’s funding only suffering a one per cent cut. However, the department’s focus on the recommendations of the Australia In The Asian Century report will probably mean some assistance programs may be harder to access.
One problem facing smaller Australian businesses, particularly in the tech sector, is in tendering for government contracts where agencies have a habit of only considering major multinationals – sometimes to their detriment as the Queensland Department of Health found with their payroll system.
The previously announced Enterprise Solutions programs offers $29.4 million over five years to help small to medium businesses compete for government tenders is untouched. Whether this program is enough to change the attitude of government mandarins who tend to dismiss local or smaller suppliers remains to be seen.
Industry innovation precincts which were also announced earlier this year have retained their $238 million over five years. At this stage of the funding process there’s no idea of where these precincts will be or what industries will be covered; however they may give a boost to regionally based tech businesses.
The long running Co-operative Research Centres (CRC) program that links university researchers and businesses sees its funding cut by eight per cent or $12 million this year. The effect of this is shown in the Department’s projections of falling patent applications over the next five years.
In many ways, the cut to the CRC program is emblematic of the lack of vision in this budget. Rather than give a coherent roadmap of the Australian economy’s direction as the resources boom comes to an end, we have a mis-mash of short term, poorly thought out and often contradictory thought bubbles posing as policies.
The incoherence of the 2013 federal budget can be directly attributed to Canberra’s bipartisan addiction to middle class welfare. With a focus on protecting existing entitlements, it’s difficult for governments to lay the groundwork that helps new industries.
There will be increased concession space
The site, titled "Restore Wrigley Field," gives fans a chance to view artist's renderings of the proposed changes to the 99-year-old ballpark. In addition, fans are encouraged to sign a petition to let the team, city and community know they back the project.
The website, which will be linked, outlines the $500 million plan that the Ricketts family has proposed for Wrigley Field and the surrounding area, including the addition of a hotel at Clark and Addison, where a McDonald's is currently located. There are drawings of the plaza proposed for Clark Street next to the ballpark, and the new restaurant at Addison and Sheffield streets.
The restoration will be conducted over five offseasons; updates will be provided on the new website.
Did you miss the initial announcements? The "Frequently Asked Questions" section covers all of the topics, including whether the Cubs will have to play elsewhere -- they will not -- and the economic impact on Chicago and the region. According to the Cubs, the project will create approximately 2,100 jobs, including 1,300 permanent and 800 construction jobs.
What should be encouraging to fans is that the design plan was formed using preservation architects who have worked on Fenway Park, the Rose Bowl, Camden Yards and Lambeau Field. The goal is to return Wrigley Field to its 1930s grandeur but make it much more functional. The Cubs will use recycled materials in the restoration; install energy-efficient water, heating and air-conditioning systems; and make Wrigley as environmentally efficient as possible.
The changes also will make for a better fan experience. When the Ricketts family purchased the Cubs and the ballpark in October 2009, they stressed that one of their goals was to preserve Wrigley Field. The proposed renovation will restore the facade of the ballpark and replace aging concrete and steel, which is needed to keep Wrigley Field operating for years to come.
There will be increased concession space, open concourses and more restrooms under the new plan. Among the additions will be a restaurant behind the marquee on Clark and Addison that will be open 365 days a year. The current suites will be expanded and upgraded.
Drawings of the changes can be found on the website, which also features illustrations of the proposed 6,000-square-foot video scoreboard projected for left field as well as the 1,000-foot advertising sign projected for right field.
Want to show your support? Sign a petition, adding your name to a list of backers who feel this is a "win for the Chicago economy, the Lakeview community, Cubs fans and the team." A phone number is provided so you can call 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney and tell him why Wrigley Field is special to you and why the restoration is necessary. You also can join the community campaign and receive email updates on the project.
"I always believed, and I still believe, it's in everyone's best interest to do what's right for Wrigley Field," chairman Tom Ricketts said in April. "It's a special place and has a special role in baseball history."
In addition to being the home of the Cubs, Wrigley Field is the third-largest tourist attraction in Illinois and provides a huge economic boost to the city of Chicago.
The restoration plan was to begin with the home clubhouse, but that may change, depending on how long it takes to get approval for the project. The team has submitted its plans to the Chicago City Council and Plan Commission.
Players will benefit from the expansion of the home clubhouse, from 13,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet. The space will run from the left-field foul pole to the home dugout, with two batting tunnels added. Renderings are posted on the website.
The website, which will be linked, outlines the $500 million plan that the Ricketts family has proposed for Wrigley Field and the surrounding area, including the addition of a hotel at Clark and Addison, where a McDonald's is currently located. There are drawings of the plaza proposed for Clark Street next to the ballpark, and the new restaurant at Addison and Sheffield streets.
The restoration will be conducted over five offseasons; updates will be provided on the new website.
Did you miss the initial announcements? The "Frequently Asked Questions" section covers all of the topics, including whether the Cubs will have to play elsewhere -- they will not -- and the economic impact on Chicago and the region. According to the Cubs, the project will create approximately 2,100 jobs, including 1,300 permanent and 800 construction jobs.
What should be encouraging to fans is that the design plan was formed using preservation architects who have worked on Fenway Park, the Rose Bowl, Camden Yards and Lambeau Field. The goal is to return Wrigley Field to its 1930s grandeur but make it much more functional. The Cubs will use recycled materials in the restoration; install energy-efficient water, heating and air-conditioning systems; and make Wrigley as environmentally efficient as possible.
The changes also will make for a better fan experience. When the Ricketts family purchased the Cubs and the ballpark in October 2009, they stressed that one of their goals was to preserve Wrigley Field. The proposed renovation will restore the facade of the ballpark and replace aging concrete and steel, which is needed to keep Wrigley Field operating for years to come.
There will be increased concession space, open concourses and more restrooms under the new plan. Among the additions will be a restaurant behind the marquee on Clark and Addison that will be open 365 days a year. The current suites will be expanded and upgraded.
Drawings of the changes can be found on the website, which also features illustrations of the proposed 6,000-square-foot video scoreboard projected for left field as well as the 1,000-foot advertising sign projected for right field.
Want to show your support? Sign a petition, adding your name to a list of backers who feel this is a "win for the Chicago economy, the Lakeview community, Cubs fans and the team." A phone number is provided so you can call 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney and tell him why Wrigley Field is special to you and why the restoration is necessary. You also can join the community campaign and receive email updates on the project.
"I always believed, and I still believe, it's in everyone's best interest to do what's right for Wrigley Field," chairman Tom Ricketts said in April. "It's a special place and has a special role in baseball history."
In addition to being the home of the Cubs, Wrigley Field is the third-largest tourist attraction in Illinois and provides a huge economic boost to the city of Chicago.
The restoration plan was to begin with the home clubhouse, but that may change, depending on how long it takes to get approval for the project. The team has submitted its plans to the Chicago City Council and Plan Commission.
Players will benefit from the expansion of the home clubhouse, from 13,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet. The space will run from the left-field foul pole to the home dugout, with two batting tunnels added. Renderings are posted on the website.
2013年5月12日 星期日
The Goats were without starting goalkeeper
Porter didn’t want the Timbers to get too caught up in the streak
that everything that comes with it, so he gave them free rein against
the Goats.
“I told them to go out. Don’t think. Be free. Play,” Porter said following the match.
Portland’s undefeated streak is an ongoing franchise-best for the Timbers, who joined Major League Soccer in 2011. Portland (4-1-6) suffered its lone loss back on March 9 when the team fell 2-1 at home to Montreal.
The victory pulls Portland even for the MLS lead with Dallas FC, which also has not lost in nine matches.
Chivas (3-5-2) is in last place in the Western Conference. They have not won since a 2-1 victory over Vancouver on March 30.
“My team is running. My team is fighting. My team is giving the effort,” said Chivas coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sola, who is known as Chelis. “It’s just not enough.”
The match was marred in the 86th minute when Chivas midfielder Mario de Luna pushed a ball boy after the kid picked up an out-of-bounds ball. De Luna was yellow carded, and because of a previous yellow, Home energy monitor he’ll miss next Sunday’s match against Real Salt Lake.
Afterward, both Porter and Chelis shook the ball boy’s hand.
The Goats were without starting goalkeeper and captain Dan Kennedy because of a red card in last week’s loss to Sporting KC. Patrick McLain, in his MLS debut, Power monitor allowed two goals after Kennedy was sent off in the 4-0 Chivas loss.
McLain made his first league start against the Timbers while backup goalkeeper Tim Melia continues to recover from a lower back injury.
McLain leapt with his arms outstretched but couldn’t stop Wallace’s left-footed rocket from just outside the left corner of the box in the 34th minute. Wallace’s third goal of the season came off a pass from Ryan Johnson on a fast break.
The Timbers made it 2-0 when a wide-open Valeri beat McLain in the 70th minute. Valeri blew kisses to the fans following the goal.
Johnson’s fourth goal of the season came in the 90th minute when his low kick skirted past several defenders and the reach of McClain.
It was Portland goal keeper Donovan Ricketts’ fourth clean sheet of the season.
“The chemistry is out there. We’re all connected,” Wallace said. “I think every single guy on this team — whether they’re starting or not — is giving their all.”
Portland visits Cascadia Cup rival Vancouver next Saturday.
Chivas was also without midfielder Carlos Alvarez, who was suspended two games and fined an undisclosed amount by the MLS for ‘violent conduct’ during the loss to Sporting KC.
Alvarez, penalized for kicking the ball at Peterson Joseph’s head, Home energy management will also miss the team’s match against Real Salt Lake on May 19.
Earlier this week, Chivas traded Juan Agudelo to the New England Revolution in exchange for allocation money. The forward had two goals this season for the Goats.
“I told them to go out. Don’t think. Be free. Play,” Porter said following the match.
Portland’s undefeated streak is an ongoing franchise-best for the Timbers, who joined Major League Soccer in 2011. Portland (4-1-6) suffered its lone loss back on March 9 when the team fell 2-1 at home to Montreal.
The victory pulls Portland even for the MLS lead with Dallas FC, which also has not lost in nine matches.
Chivas (3-5-2) is in last place in the Western Conference. They have not won since a 2-1 victory over Vancouver on March 30.
“My team is running. My team is fighting. My team is giving the effort,” said Chivas coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sola, who is known as Chelis. “It’s just not enough.”
The match was marred in the 86th minute when Chivas midfielder Mario de Luna pushed a ball boy after the kid picked up an out-of-bounds ball. De Luna was yellow carded, and because of a previous yellow, Home energy monitor he’ll miss next Sunday’s match against Real Salt Lake.
Afterward, both Porter and Chelis shook the ball boy’s hand.
The Goats were without starting goalkeeper and captain Dan Kennedy because of a red card in last week’s loss to Sporting KC. Patrick McLain, in his MLS debut, Power monitor allowed two goals after Kennedy was sent off in the 4-0 Chivas loss.
McLain made his first league start against the Timbers while backup goalkeeper Tim Melia continues to recover from a lower back injury.
McLain leapt with his arms outstretched but couldn’t stop Wallace’s left-footed rocket from just outside the left corner of the box in the 34th minute. Wallace’s third goal of the season came off a pass from Ryan Johnson on a fast break.
The Timbers made it 2-0 when a wide-open Valeri beat McLain in the 70th minute. Valeri blew kisses to the fans following the goal.
Johnson’s fourth goal of the season came in the 90th minute when his low kick skirted past several defenders and the reach of McClain.
It was Portland goal keeper Donovan Ricketts’ fourth clean sheet of the season.
“The chemistry is out there. We’re all connected,” Wallace said. “I think every single guy on this team — whether they’re starting or not — is giving their all.”
Portland visits Cascadia Cup rival Vancouver next Saturday.
Chivas was also without midfielder Carlos Alvarez, who was suspended two games and fined an undisclosed amount by the MLS for ‘violent conduct’ during the loss to Sporting KC.
Alvarez, penalized for kicking the ball at Peterson Joseph’s head, Home energy management will also miss the team’s match against Real Salt Lake on May 19.
Earlier this week, Chivas traded Juan Agudelo to the New England Revolution in exchange for allocation money. The forward had two goals this season for the Goats.
The way Hinchcliffe and series officials see it
When he’s not fine-tuning the No. 27 car for team owner Michael
Andretti, he’s making promotional appearances for sponsors or trying to
sell the sport to non-IndyCar fans. And if he’s not busy doing those
things or goofing around with friends and colleagues in Gasoline Alley,
Hinchcliffe can almost certainly be found patrolling the Internet as the
self-appointed Mayor of Hinchtown.
Somehow, Hinchcliffe has found time to do all of it, still win races and become one of the most popular drivers on the circuit.
“He’s a dream for a sponsor because he’s great out of the car and he’s great in the car, too,” Andretti said Sunday, Home energy monitor the second day of Indianapolis 500 practice. “James has a way of turning it (the racing focus) off, and then turning it back on, which is a real talent.”
The Oakville, Ont., is nothing like the feisty rivals that dominated the sport in its glory days and he doesn’t have the same personality of his team owner, who admittedly came across as standoffish during his career because he was so focused on driving cars.
Instead, the 26-year-old has embraced social media and enjoys life. His unusual list of includes flannel shirts, maple syrup and dog sled racing.
Over the winter, Hinchcliffe and a few other drivers carved out time to dress in fire suits and cut a series of humorous online videos at the IndyCar office. The way Hinchcliffe and series officials see it, there’s no such thing as overexposure.
“When you have someone that has the talent, results, Home energy management personality and understands the business side of IndyCar racing as well as engaging fans, you have a near perfect combination that allows a driver to transcend outside of motorsports,” IndyCar vice-president of marketing Kasey Coler said.
But the attraction goes far deeper than Hinchcliffe’s engaging personality.
A year ago when Hinchcliffe got his big break, replacing Danica Patrick as the driver of the No. 27 car, he immediately started cracking jokes about becoming the first Go Daddy guy. Turns out, he’s just the big man on the IndyCar series this year with two wins in four races — one more win than Patrick had in her IndyCar career. He’s currently fourth in points, trailing leader Takuma Sato of Japan by 24.
What’s different for Hinchcliffe this season? Not much.
“I knew there was always going to be a big gap stepping into the Go Daddy car and following Danica,” Hinchcliffe said. “But I think it was important to make this ride our own and create our own identify, and I think we’ve done that.”
His rapid ascension has been remarkable.
Three years ago, Hinchcliffe came to Indianapolis as a rising star in the Firestone Indy Lights series. A few days after competing in the Freedom 100, he returned to the 2.5-mile oval to help call the better-known Indianapolis 500 on the radio — as an analyst.
By 2011, Hinchcliffe’s exuberant personality helped him land a full-time gig with the once heavyweight team of Newman-Haas Racing. The IndyCar rookie produced three fourth-place finishes and seven top-10s in 16 starts that season, then lost his job when Newman-Haas ceased operations.
Andretti needed a personable driver with oodles of talent to replace Patrick and keep the sponsors happy, but he also wanted somebody who would fit in with an already established team.
Hinchcliffe was the perfect choice, and it showed. Ryan Hunter-Reay wound up winning year’s points title and this year’s second race while Hinchcliffe won the season-opener at St. Petersburg and last weekend’s race at Brazil. Andretti’s son, Power monitor Marco, also is coming to Indy with the best start of his career.
“He is just putting it all together, same as me,” Marco Andretti said. “You could say it’s a team thing because it started last year.”
But Hinchcliffe is not satisfied.
After qualifying second for last year’s 500, a bad pit stop forced him to settle for a sixth-place finish.
He’s come back as this year as one of the hottest drivers in the series and with a team that has dominated the first two months of the season.
It happened again Sunday when the Andretti drivers nearly swept the top five spots on the practice speed chart.
“It never really shuts off,” Hunter-Reay said. “It’s fun and he brings out more in me. It’s a good atmosphere within the team, but he’s fun to work with and as much as he is great in front of the camera, he’s got a lot of obligations. Like now, he’s got to go cut out for the ‘Wind Tunnel’ obligations and he’s fast in a race car, too.”
Somehow, Hinchcliffe has found time to do all of it, still win races and become one of the most popular drivers on the circuit.
“He’s a dream for a sponsor because he’s great out of the car and he’s great in the car, too,” Andretti said Sunday, Home energy monitor the second day of Indianapolis 500 practice. “James has a way of turning it (the racing focus) off, and then turning it back on, which is a real talent.”
The Oakville, Ont., is nothing like the feisty rivals that dominated the sport in its glory days and he doesn’t have the same personality of his team owner, who admittedly came across as standoffish during his career because he was so focused on driving cars.
Instead, the 26-year-old has embraced social media and enjoys life. His unusual list of includes flannel shirts, maple syrup and dog sled racing.
Over the winter, Hinchcliffe and a few other drivers carved out time to dress in fire suits and cut a series of humorous online videos at the IndyCar office. The way Hinchcliffe and series officials see it, there’s no such thing as overexposure.
“When you have someone that has the talent, results, Home energy management personality and understands the business side of IndyCar racing as well as engaging fans, you have a near perfect combination that allows a driver to transcend outside of motorsports,” IndyCar vice-president of marketing Kasey Coler said.
But the attraction goes far deeper than Hinchcliffe’s engaging personality.
A year ago when Hinchcliffe got his big break, replacing Danica Patrick as the driver of the No. 27 car, he immediately started cracking jokes about becoming the first Go Daddy guy. Turns out, he’s just the big man on the IndyCar series this year with two wins in four races — one more win than Patrick had in her IndyCar career. He’s currently fourth in points, trailing leader Takuma Sato of Japan by 24.
What’s different for Hinchcliffe this season? Not much.
“I knew there was always going to be a big gap stepping into the Go Daddy car and following Danica,” Hinchcliffe said. “But I think it was important to make this ride our own and create our own identify, and I think we’ve done that.”
His rapid ascension has been remarkable.
Three years ago, Hinchcliffe came to Indianapolis as a rising star in the Firestone Indy Lights series. A few days after competing in the Freedom 100, he returned to the 2.5-mile oval to help call the better-known Indianapolis 500 on the radio — as an analyst.
By 2011, Hinchcliffe’s exuberant personality helped him land a full-time gig with the once heavyweight team of Newman-Haas Racing. The IndyCar rookie produced three fourth-place finishes and seven top-10s in 16 starts that season, then lost his job when Newman-Haas ceased operations.
Andretti needed a personable driver with oodles of talent to replace Patrick and keep the sponsors happy, but he also wanted somebody who would fit in with an already established team.
Hinchcliffe was the perfect choice, and it showed. Ryan Hunter-Reay wound up winning year’s points title and this year’s second race while Hinchcliffe won the season-opener at St. Petersburg and last weekend’s race at Brazil. Andretti’s son, Power monitor Marco, also is coming to Indy with the best start of his career.
“He is just putting it all together, same as me,” Marco Andretti said. “You could say it’s a team thing because it started last year.”
But Hinchcliffe is not satisfied.
After qualifying second for last year’s 500, a bad pit stop forced him to settle for a sixth-place finish.
He’s come back as this year as one of the hottest drivers in the series and with a team that has dominated the first two months of the season.
It happened again Sunday when the Andretti drivers nearly swept the top five spots on the practice speed chart.
“It never really shuts off,” Hunter-Reay said. “It’s fun and he brings out more in me. It’s a good atmosphere within the team, but he’s fun to work with and as much as he is great in front of the camera, he’s got a lot of obligations. Like now, he’s got to go cut out for the ‘Wind Tunnel’ obligations and he’s fast in a race car, too.”
2013年5月9日 星期四
The track is very sensitive to temperature fluctuations
Nowadays there are only seven Grands Prix in Europe, as F1’s
commercial rights holder follows the money and emerging market countries
outbid the traditional venues for the right to host a Grand Prix. This
process has been exacerbated by the eurozone crisis.
The sport has duly pushed out to new frontiers, particularly in Asia. But the audience has been slow to follow the trend – the core audience for the sport remains in Europe. According to industry monitor Repucom, Europe retains more than 60 per cent of the global television audience, with South America and Asia well behind, on around 15 per cent each.
This European phase of the F1 season runs from May to September, interrupted only by a brief dash to Montreal in June. The racing starts in Barcelona, Spain, which has hosted a Grand Prix for 22 years. In recent years Spain had two Grand Prix events, Home energy monitor with another held around the former America’s Cup yacht-racing base in Valencia, but the financial crisis in Spain has put paid to that. Valencia closed its doors after the 2012 event and now Spain has only one race, aligning it with every other country on the F1 calendar.
Each of the 19 Grand Prix venues has a unique character, but the 4.6km Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona is perhaps the quintessential F1 circuit. It has a mixture of slow, medium and fast corners, and short and long straights. Its layout makes it the best test of a racing car, which is why the circuit has been used by teams as a test venue since its inception in 1991.
Ironically, it is also the circuit that most frustrates the teams, particularly the engineers, many of whom have a love/hate relationship with the place. This is partly because they know it better than any other circuit, due to all the preseason test sessions. Many thousands of kilometres of running are done there and they know every inch of its surface, yet it is in a constant process of change.
The track is very sensitive to temperature fluctuations, so it is constantly evolving. A car that tops the timesheets in the morning can be off the pace in the afternoon without anyone tinkering with the settings. The circuit is also susceptible to sudden gusts of wind that unsettle the cars.
It is also a very tough circuit on the tyres. Turn three, for example, is a long right-hander, taken at 240kph, with the car and driver subjected to 4.5G laterally for up to eight seconds. Home energy management The driver’s neck feels it and so does the right front tyre. Race strategy around Barcelona is usually dictated by how long that tyre lasts.
It adds up to a significant challenge, which is why a win in Barcelona is so rewarding.
“I have won twice in Barcelona and I was on the podium there last year,” says R?ik?nnen, who lies second in the F1 World Drivers’ Championship. “It’s a circuit where you have to get everything exactly right to be at the top. All the teams have tested many times at this circuit, so to get an advantage there is not very easy. The set up is crucial as the track changes with the wind and temperature, so there’s plenty of work for the engineers.”
Another reason why teams and drivers often leave Barcelona disappointed is because they usually bring a substantial upgrade package for their cars to this race – the culmination of 10-12 weeks of research and development work in the wind tunnel and long hours of fabrication.
This package might typically comprise a new front and rear wing, Power monitor new bodywork or perhaps even a new floor. An effective upgrade will bring a performance gain of between three and four 10ths of a second per lap. But often the quixotic nature of the Barcelona track means expectations are not met. Many leave the track scratching their heads.
But all agree Barcelona is the ultimate test of how well a car works and results there are usually a reliable indicator for the rest of the season.
For that reason, although it may not match the glamour and prestige of Monaco or the Singapore night race, it is a race the teams all want to win.
The sport has duly pushed out to new frontiers, particularly in Asia. But the audience has been slow to follow the trend – the core audience for the sport remains in Europe. According to industry monitor Repucom, Europe retains more than 60 per cent of the global television audience, with South America and Asia well behind, on around 15 per cent each.
This European phase of the F1 season runs from May to September, interrupted only by a brief dash to Montreal in June. The racing starts in Barcelona, Spain, which has hosted a Grand Prix for 22 years. In recent years Spain had two Grand Prix events, Home energy monitor with another held around the former America’s Cup yacht-racing base in Valencia, but the financial crisis in Spain has put paid to that. Valencia closed its doors after the 2012 event and now Spain has only one race, aligning it with every other country on the F1 calendar.
Each of the 19 Grand Prix venues has a unique character, but the 4.6km Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona is perhaps the quintessential F1 circuit. It has a mixture of slow, medium and fast corners, and short and long straights. Its layout makes it the best test of a racing car, which is why the circuit has been used by teams as a test venue since its inception in 1991.
Ironically, it is also the circuit that most frustrates the teams, particularly the engineers, many of whom have a love/hate relationship with the place. This is partly because they know it better than any other circuit, due to all the preseason test sessions. Many thousands of kilometres of running are done there and they know every inch of its surface, yet it is in a constant process of change.
The track is very sensitive to temperature fluctuations, so it is constantly evolving. A car that tops the timesheets in the morning can be off the pace in the afternoon without anyone tinkering with the settings. The circuit is also susceptible to sudden gusts of wind that unsettle the cars.
It is also a very tough circuit on the tyres. Turn three, for example, is a long right-hander, taken at 240kph, with the car and driver subjected to 4.5G laterally for up to eight seconds. Home energy management The driver’s neck feels it and so does the right front tyre. Race strategy around Barcelona is usually dictated by how long that tyre lasts.
It adds up to a significant challenge, which is why a win in Barcelona is so rewarding.
“I have won twice in Barcelona and I was on the podium there last year,” says R?ik?nnen, who lies second in the F1 World Drivers’ Championship. “It’s a circuit where you have to get everything exactly right to be at the top. All the teams have tested many times at this circuit, so to get an advantage there is not very easy. The set up is crucial as the track changes with the wind and temperature, so there’s plenty of work for the engineers.”
Another reason why teams and drivers often leave Barcelona disappointed is because they usually bring a substantial upgrade package for their cars to this race – the culmination of 10-12 weeks of research and development work in the wind tunnel and long hours of fabrication.
This package might typically comprise a new front and rear wing, Power monitor new bodywork or perhaps even a new floor. An effective upgrade will bring a performance gain of between three and four 10ths of a second per lap. But often the quixotic nature of the Barcelona track means expectations are not met. Many leave the track scratching their heads.
But all agree Barcelona is the ultimate test of how well a car works and results there are usually a reliable indicator for the rest of the season.
For that reason, although it may not match the glamour and prestige of Monaco or the Singapore night race, it is a race the teams all want to win.
Bulgarians Disillusioned Ahead of Vote
Mass protests in Bulgaria against austerity measures and Home energy monitor costs forced out the government in February. Elections set for Sunday could lead to more political turmoil.
Recent public-opinion surveys indicate that the conservative party that led the previous administration and its main, left-leaning challenger are running neck-and-neck, complicating prospects for the formation of a governing coalition.
Unhappiness with low living standards and perceived corruption in the European Union's poorest member state boiled over this past winter, leading to nationwide demonstrations, initially over rising electricity prices.
In a sign of the desperate public mood, at least seven people have set themselves on fire—some explicitly saying they were acting to protest government policies and corruption. Six have died.
"The coming elections are like a joke to me, as is any hope that things will get better," said Yoana Georgieva, a woman in her early 20s living in Sofia. "I feel as if all of the parties and their leaders are irrelevant to me and the life I live."
The former conservative prime minister, Boyko Borisov, submitted his resignation Feb. 20 after marchers in Sofia clashed with riot police, Home energy management saying he wanted to prevent violence from worsening.
Reacting to the outcry over power prices, Bulgaria's energy regulator cut them six weeks ago and the caretaker government has said they would remain capped for a year.
Mr. Borisov, a former bodyguard to Soviet-era dictator Todor Zhivkov, kept a tight rein on spending and navigated the global financial crisis without needing an international bailout.
During the campaign, Mr. Borisov has pledged to continue his drive for austerity in public finances, which he says is based on the German model. He has argued that taking painful steps now will make Bulgaria more competitive in the long run and help it to avoid the fate of Southern Europe.
But his support has been weakened by corruption allegations and a wiretapping scandal.
The rival Socialist party has said that it would work to reduce the tax burden on the poorest people in the country, where the average monthly income is roughly 400 ($520) a month. The party has also promised to raise wages and to improve tax collection to pay for it.
Plamen Oresharski, Power monitor the Socialist candidate for prime minister, has also promised to reduce unemployment by ending policies of the previous government that he said squash aspiring businesses.
But both parties appear far from winning a majority in Parliament.
A poll released Thursday by the Sova Harris agency put both Mr. Borisov's centre-right party, the Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria, or GERB, at 20.9% and the Socialists at 20.4%, Another poll done by Center of Analysis and Marketing put GERB at 21.3% and the Socialists at 18.9%.
"It will be very difficult to form a coalition," predicted Antoaneta Tzoneva, chairwoman of the Institute for Public Environment Development, which advocates for fair elections and judicial reform.
An analyst at IHS Global Insight, James Goundry, said that if neither Mr. Borisov's party nor the Socialists emerge as clear victors, a coalition focused only on specific issues could rule until another round of elections, potentially in September.
Ms. Tzoneva said she expected voter turnout to be low because people are losing hope that the country's prospects will improve and see little hope for change in any parties.
Amid concerns about the potential for election fraud, opposition parties have hired an Austrian company to count election results in parallel with official state agencies, an unprecedented move in post-Communist Bulgaria.
Some international observers led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe are also coming to monitor the election.
Recent public-opinion surveys indicate that the conservative party that led the previous administration and its main, left-leaning challenger are running neck-and-neck, complicating prospects for the formation of a governing coalition.
Unhappiness with low living standards and perceived corruption in the European Union's poorest member state boiled over this past winter, leading to nationwide demonstrations, initially over rising electricity prices.
In a sign of the desperate public mood, at least seven people have set themselves on fire—some explicitly saying they were acting to protest government policies and corruption. Six have died.
"The coming elections are like a joke to me, as is any hope that things will get better," said Yoana Georgieva, a woman in her early 20s living in Sofia. "I feel as if all of the parties and their leaders are irrelevant to me and the life I live."
The former conservative prime minister, Boyko Borisov, submitted his resignation Feb. 20 after marchers in Sofia clashed with riot police, Home energy management saying he wanted to prevent violence from worsening.
Reacting to the outcry over power prices, Bulgaria's energy regulator cut them six weeks ago and the caretaker government has said they would remain capped for a year.
Mr. Borisov, a former bodyguard to Soviet-era dictator Todor Zhivkov, kept a tight rein on spending and navigated the global financial crisis without needing an international bailout.
During the campaign, Mr. Borisov has pledged to continue his drive for austerity in public finances, which he says is based on the German model. He has argued that taking painful steps now will make Bulgaria more competitive in the long run and help it to avoid the fate of Southern Europe.
But his support has been weakened by corruption allegations and a wiretapping scandal.
The rival Socialist party has said that it would work to reduce the tax burden on the poorest people in the country, where the average monthly income is roughly 400 ($520) a month. The party has also promised to raise wages and to improve tax collection to pay for it.
Plamen Oresharski, Power monitor the Socialist candidate for prime minister, has also promised to reduce unemployment by ending policies of the previous government that he said squash aspiring businesses.
But both parties appear far from winning a majority in Parliament.
A poll released Thursday by the Sova Harris agency put both Mr. Borisov's centre-right party, the Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria, or GERB, at 20.9% and the Socialists at 20.4%, Another poll done by Center of Analysis and Marketing put GERB at 21.3% and the Socialists at 18.9%.
"It will be very difficult to form a coalition," predicted Antoaneta Tzoneva, chairwoman of the Institute for Public Environment Development, which advocates for fair elections and judicial reform.
An analyst at IHS Global Insight, James Goundry, said that if neither Mr. Borisov's party nor the Socialists emerge as clear victors, a coalition focused only on specific issues could rule until another round of elections, potentially in September.
Ms. Tzoneva said she expected voter turnout to be low because people are losing hope that the country's prospects will improve and see little hope for change in any parties.
Amid concerns about the potential for election fraud, opposition parties have hired an Austrian company to count election results in parallel with official state agencies, an unprecedented move in post-Communist Bulgaria.
Some international observers led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe are also coming to monitor the election.
2013年5月7日 星期二
Great headphones for the price
Except for a slightly loose, exaggerated midbass, the HP-800 is a
relatively neutral-sounding consumer headphone. These are also big,
over-the-ear 'phones, so inflexible that they're incapable of being
folded and stored for mobile use. They're comfortable, stay-at-home (or
at-work) headphones.
Nuforce, best known in its early years for compact high-end amplifiers, has steadily shifted into less expensive products (in the high-end world, that's less than $1,000) like desktop amplifier/converters, Home energy monitor portable powered speakers, and assorted headphones and earphones.
The HP-800 reflects some of that high-end heritage with die-cast aluminum ear cups and a disregard for high fashion. The large (40 millimeter) neodymium drivers shouldn't scare an iPhone or other mobile device — these $149 headphones, with a 32-ohm impedance, are easily driven to high volumes by any smartphone.
To reach that price, however, Nuforce saves elsewhere with leatherette — don't call it pleather! — ear pads covering memory foam inserts and liberal use of plastic.
The headphones appear fully plastic, in fact, except the aluminum ear cups and the rubbery, spring-loaded headband that expands to custom-fit your noggin. The headband looks more substantial than a padded leatherette version, but the rubbery material tends to cling. Home energy management That's just to warn users that when adjusting the HP-800's position, the headband might drag hair with it.
You'll never have to worry about breaking or wearing out a connector cable to a mobile device or tablet, though, because Nuforce elected to make its cables removable.
Nuforce doesn't play that game. The HP-800 is for listening, not talking — and not on the go. With those restrictions, the HP-800 better be good.
The HP-800 mostly lives up to Nuforce's classification as a monitor-class headphone. The slight bass boost might be a concession to today's DJ-inspired headphones that peddle jackhammer-lower frequencies. On a crisp recording like Chris Potter's "Stranger at the Gate" from "The Sirens," Larry Grenadier's double bass sounds surprisingly loose — uncharacteristic of highly articulate ECM recordings.
With another pair of headphones, Bower & Wilkins' $200 P3, the bass is more controlled, the tonal balance restored. The difference is even more distinct on another ECM recording, bassist Marc Johnson's "Swept Away." On "Shenandoah," a Johnson solo, the bass does not sound exaggerated through the HP-800 but somewhat ill-defined. The P3 provides more definition and greater bass resonance, Power monitor and I can clearly hear Johnson's fingers on the strings.
OK, so that makes the P3 perhaps a better choice for chamber jazz. On other recordings, I preferred the HP-800's extra bass energy. For demonstration purposes (translation: I'm not necessarily a fan), I summoned "Is David Bowie Dying," a Flaming Lips album with "Heady Fwends" that, on this track, featured Neon Indian and a deliberately bottom-heavy electronic haze.
If that's the intent, the HP-800 does it better than the P3, though pushed too hard it will distort at higher volumes. For hard-core rap, people usually reach for the nearest Beats. But the HP-800, because Nuforce shaded its sonic signature toward neutral, is better adaptable to more types of music. It plays rap better than the P3. It plays chamber jazz better than the average DJ-endorsed headphones.
Nuforce, best known in its early years for compact high-end amplifiers, has steadily shifted into less expensive products (in the high-end world, that's less than $1,000) like desktop amplifier/converters, Home energy monitor portable powered speakers, and assorted headphones and earphones.
The HP-800 reflects some of that high-end heritage with die-cast aluminum ear cups and a disregard for high fashion. The large (40 millimeter) neodymium drivers shouldn't scare an iPhone or other mobile device — these $149 headphones, with a 32-ohm impedance, are easily driven to high volumes by any smartphone.
To reach that price, however, Nuforce saves elsewhere with leatherette — don't call it pleather! — ear pads covering memory foam inserts and liberal use of plastic.
The headphones appear fully plastic, in fact, except the aluminum ear cups and the rubbery, spring-loaded headband that expands to custom-fit your noggin. The headband looks more substantial than a padded leatherette version, but the rubbery material tends to cling. Home energy management That's just to warn users that when adjusting the HP-800's position, the headband might drag hair with it.
You'll never have to worry about breaking or wearing out a connector cable to a mobile device or tablet, though, because Nuforce elected to make its cables removable.
Nuforce doesn't play that game. The HP-800 is for listening, not talking — and not on the go. With those restrictions, the HP-800 better be good.
The HP-800 mostly lives up to Nuforce's classification as a monitor-class headphone. The slight bass boost might be a concession to today's DJ-inspired headphones that peddle jackhammer-lower frequencies. On a crisp recording like Chris Potter's "Stranger at the Gate" from "The Sirens," Larry Grenadier's double bass sounds surprisingly loose — uncharacteristic of highly articulate ECM recordings.
With another pair of headphones, Bower & Wilkins' $200 P3, the bass is more controlled, the tonal balance restored. The difference is even more distinct on another ECM recording, bassist Marc Johnson's "Swept Away." On "Shenandoah," a Johnson solo, the bass does not sound exaggerated through the HP-800 but somewhat ill-defined. The P3 provides more definition and greater bass resonance, Power monitor and I can clearly hear Johnson's fingers on the strings.
OK, so that makes the P3 perhaps a better choice for chamber jazz. On other recordings, I preferred the HP-800's extra bass energy. For demonstration purposes (translation: I'm not necessarily a fan), I summoned "Is David Bowie Dying," a Flaming Lips album with "Heady Fwends" that, on this track, featured Neon Indian and a deliberately bottom-heavy electronic haze.
If that's the intent, the HP-800 does it better than the P3, though pushed too hard it will distort at higher volumes. For hard-core rap, people usually reach for the nearest Beats. But the HP-800, because Nuforce shaded its sonic signature toward neutral, is better adaptable to more types of music. It plays rap better than the P3. It plays chamber jazz better than the average DJ-endorsed headphones.
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