text:
Stanley Brouwn and The Zero Machine (1980)
Stanley Brouwn and the Zero Machine," Parachute, no 18 (Spring 1980), pp 18-20. Republished in Struggles with the Image: Essays in Art Criticism, Toronto: YYZ Books, 1988.
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Stanley Brouwn and The Zero Machine
If Dance in its most innovative instances has insisted on the alteration of the terms of discourse, pressed for an altered relationship between performer and audience, decreeing and soliciting new modes of attention and of gratification, this is, in part, because the audience has been, as well, the most problematic element in the dialectic of performance.[1]
Any discourse that alters its terms in relation to the intentional and symbolic structure of the art gallery must confront the problem of its audience. Exclusion from the art gallery and inclusion of the audience are the likely results of this attempt. Discourse exceeds the previously structured domain as a simple displacement or drift: excess as going out; the audience also exceeds a structure reinforcing identity and exchange through interpretative and performative force.
"Interpretation" and the "performative," I think, are the terms of this changed relation, and enunciation the figure of its discourse. "Performative" is the linguistic notion of the act of utterance [2] that I have transferred to an act of the "spectator"; interpretation (not signification) is the force (or a difference in forces, which also may be the force of a loss) that a spectator brings to the work, in relation to it. Both interpretation and the performative, resting with the audience, are outside the search for, or transmission of, meaning; and, consequently, they are a shift and, therefore, a break from the structure of an art that secures the identity of meaning and personal subject, in an exchange brought about between the two through the regulating control of the art gallery.
Criticism, as a form of interpretation, must alter the terms of its discourse, perhaps toward the performative. The object of my interpretation is Stanley Brouwn's This Way Brouwn. Interpreting Brouwn's work, I act through a document. What are the assumptions of this act?[3] I only know the documentation, not the "originating" event; then perhaps I should stop at the surface of the documentation, and not attempt to go beyond the document to find its meaning in the support of the work; to find the intention of the work in the document; or to expect the documentation to be a re-presentation of the work. If my interpretation goes beyond the work, it is as a positive speech act and not as a detached and secondary representation of the meaning of the work. Rather than depart from the work, this activity may only constitute its plurality.
The documentation, a book This Way Brouwn,[4] consists of German and English text, reproductions of notes and drawings given to Brouwn during the execution of the work in Amsterdam. The English text follows:
Stanley Brouwn has been gathering This Way Brouwn answers since 1960. The present series was produced on Dam Place, Amsterdam, on February 25 and 26, 1961.
Brouwn is standing somewhere on the square. He picks at random a pedestrian and asks him to explain on a scrap of paper the way to another point in the town. Another pedestrian explains the same way to Brouwn. The 24th, the 2000th, the 100 000th pedestrian shows Brouwn the way. This Way Brouwn.
The pedestrian covers a distance from C to D. The point of departure A of a This Way Brouwn A-B is always situated somewhere on the pedestrian's way. In those cases where B is also situated on C-D the This Way Brouwn becomes part of the pedestrian's route. In the case of B-A there is no distance to be covered. The paper is likely to remain blank. No Way Brouwn.
A This Way Brouwn is produced in the time it takes for the pedestrian to give his explanation. No second thoughts, no polishing and touching up the result.
Brouwn's share in the result is in putting the questions. In the presence at point A, in the fusion with point A, in representing point A in the flesh.
People should walk up to Brouwn and ask him: "Where do you want to go, Brouwn?"
There are no good This Way Brouwns. There are no bad This Way Brouwns. The result of a This Way Brouwn does not depend on the pedestrian selected. Brouwn does not select. He picks at random. The fleet of streets, squares, lanes, etc. is sinking deeper and deeper in a network of This Way Brouwns. All direction is being drained from it. They are leading nowhere. They are already involved, captured in my work. I am concentrating the direction of all possible ways in my work. I am the only way, the only direction. I have become direction.
People talk while sketching their explanations, and sometimes they talk more when they draw. On the sketches we can see what people explained. But we cannot see whatever they omitted having some difficulty to realize that what they take for granted needs to be explained.
Looking at This Way Brouwn we may imagine numerous other This Way Brouwns which might have happened instead.
The document "indicates" that the work was created in real time and literal space, created with the interactive participation of a public. Contemporary to Happenings and Fluxus's breakdown of the separation of art and life, it was not an enactment of the artist's real-time gestures in front of an audience still treated generally as a spectator. Although similar to the aims of Minimal art (or recent "spatial art"), it was not particularly concerned with extending the medium of sculpture to include the perceiving and motor human body in real time and literal space. Its "process" did not produce an "object" as occurred in anti-form art; nor was it conceptually objectified, but achieved in dialogue: it is produced in the time that it takes for the pedestrian to give his explanation."
Dialogue is this event, produced in real time and space, between artist and audience. Although dialogue is grounded in community and communicability, Brouwn's work (as witnessed by its conceptual presentation and documentation) only seems to initiate dialogue, not sustain it: "Brouwn's share in the result is in putting the questions." An interpretative and performative activity is demanded of the audience through the initial connection of the question. Dialogue is the communication of enunciation, not meaning, an act, not a transmission.
Although the performative is concerned with the act of utterance and not its content, and although the structure of this dialogue is without an initial content, a content can be brought to the work, by the audience, as an act that complements the transfer of responsibility to the audience. The demand opposed to the lack of some type of signification (as an increase in interpretation, as an excess of interpretative force) is similar to that of the archaic and primitive gift exchange analysed by anthropology.
Marcel Mauss examined the "total social phenomena" of primitive societies in an attempt to uncover the transactions regulating communities not based on the primacy of economic exchange. He found the gift exchange—which functions through the obligations to give, receive and repay—to be the common denominator underlying numerous social activities.[5] The forces operating the exchange, such as hau (the spirit which obligates), promote an increase in non-economic value: honour, prestige, position; and these values, exceeding the economic structure, are a type of content beyond exchange. The exchange operates as a dialogue, as a means of communication and integration; but it also allows something to exceed its regulating economy, that in my analysis is the interpretative force of response.
The necessity to motivate the gift exchange outside the utility of economics by the obligations to give, receive and repay was reinterpreted by Claude Lévi-Strauss as the necessity of the unconscious structure of the exchange itself. The three obligations, as production in excess or as surplus value of code, were reduced by Lévi-Strauss to a superstructural affect determined by the unconscious structure of exchange that is based on language. To explain the "supplement" of signification of notions like hau and mana, Lévi-Strauss conjectured a "zero symbolic value," based on the linguistic hypothesis of the zero phoneme, and whose function "is to be opposed to the absence of signification without entailing by itself any particular signification."[6] I think that the dialogue in Brouwn functions as a zero symbolic value (with some reservations to be discussed below), effecting itself in relation to an exterior, the public which brings an interpretative force to it.
The dialogical mechanism, as common as the practice of conversation, may be assumed, i.e., taken over, by the public, and, once assumed, "communicated." If "the result of a This Way Brouwn does not depend on the pedestrian selected", nor on the artist who only picks at random and puts the question, then anyone is able to engage in dialogical practice, and, indeed, to start it: "People should walk up to Brouwn and ask him: 'Where do you want to go, Brouwn?'"
As much as dialogue integrates, the mechanism can also be a potential analyser, since it constructs by connecting with the interpretative force of the spectator/public, a force that combines desire and content. Compare the function of the theoretical mechanisms of psychoanalysis in relation to the subject's history and desire: they explain an operation of desire and its repression, but also function in relation to a subject as analysand.[7] The dialogical mechanism has that same relational value. Desire and content, as interpretative force, must be considered together (while pulsionally unbound) in the same performative utterance, and, consequently, outside of ideological determination in their production. And that is why we cannot avoid content or naming desire.
In my interpretation of the Brouwn document, dialogue is not structured as knowledge or meaning; not as ideology, but as content/desire, although it is manifested within ideological formations. When Brouwn observes: "On the sketches we can see what people explained [when Brouwn asked directions in the street]. But we cannot see whatever they omitted having some difficulty to realize that what they take for granted needs to be explained", we might attribute this to the need for ideological analysis. What the pedestrians omitted is assumed by the common ground of understanding, but it still needs to be explained, either by interpretation or further dialogue. Or to make up for what is left unsaid, we must also engage in ideological analysis, since what is omitted is often assumed as natural, whereas it is part of the history of the community. Instead of presuming an ideological analysis of a structural meaning, perhaps we should pay attention to what is produced—the enunciation, which may precede the description of a content as meaning, and call into question the individual subject.
[In abandoning an ideological analysis, I have to question my use of Lévi-Strauss's structure, since, for him, interpretative force would be only a superstructural affect. As much as Lévi-Strauss's analysis gives us a structural understanding of the mechanism in Brouwn's document, does it not repress that mechanism in an equalized exchange that forbids the supplement of content; and reduce dialogue, "in conformity with the initial relational character of dialogue," to a static and closed exchange of oppositions as equivalents, whereby each speaker is restricted to this form and identity? Does it not reduce the unconscious to an empty form where even desire is absent? Desire and content are extrinsic to the immanent field of his analysis—the illusional superstructure in conformity with the "real" structure of the unconscious. But what is the immanent field, what composes that field but the mechanism in production—an engaged machine rather than an empty structure, a machine that refuses the in-side/outside, structure/superstructure dichotomy?[8] Desire is a production of this immanence, whereas in Lévi-Strauss it is subsumed by the structure (the immanent field for Lévi-Strauss is structured rather than produced), as a mere form of ideology—an affect rather than effect.]
I wrote above: "the document 'indicates'"; yet that was speaking through (beyond) the (transparent) document, and through critical and historical knowledge. In fact, I have a document presented to me in/as this book, beyond the artist's presence. It would be misleading to confuse my relation to the document with that of a participant in the event; but in a conscious working through,[9] that is, in a relation of practice, in my reading and participant's activity, a similar interpretative act ensues. As many times as Brouwn's name appears in the document and as much as he seems to arrogate the activity to himself ("I am the only way"), an "author" is absent in the text. In the artist's similar withdrawal into anonymity in the event—"Brouwn does not select. He picks at random"; "Brouwn's share of the result is in putting the questions"—the subject-object relationship disappears—the relationship where the subject represents the spectator or the spectator is the subject to the art object. Following that disappearance is the undoing of my subjecthood, the loss of my identity in interpreting this document. My engagement with the text/work promotes this loss of identity as a constituted subject reinforced by the structures of society, the art gallery, criticism and art history, and meaning. The loss is not passive, but an active operation, an interpretation undoing my subject in following the operations of the text/work, in my struggle with it, in an assumption of its mechanisms that go beyond my individual subject toward collective enunciation. It is an operation common in the French theory of the Text:
Signifiance (sic) is a process in the course of which the "subject" of the text, escaping the logic of the ego-cogito and engaging in other logics (of the signifier, of contradiction), struggles with meaning and is deconstructed ("lost"); signifiance—and this is what immediately distinguishes it from signification is thus precisely a work: not the work by which the (intact and interior) subject might try to master the language (as, for example, by a work of style), but that radical work (leaving nothing intact) through which the subject explores—entering, not observing—how the language works and un-does him or her. Signifiance is "the un-end of possible operations is a given field of language". Contrary to signification, significance cannot be reduced, therefore, to communication, representation, expression: it places the subject (of writer, reader) in the text not as a projection... but as a "loss", a "disappearance". Hence its identification with the pleasure of jouissance...[10]
While the subject as a spectator and an identity disappears, a subject, a speaking subject is formed in/as the network of dialogue, as a (multiple) production of interpretation(s).[11] The enunciation produced is not individuated[12] nor is the content to which it is related subjectivized; both issue as collective. Content and expression, as enunciation, usually are subjected to the use-value of meaning. That is, in communication, there is a definite meaning (content) in a message transmitted, received and understood, and a transparent medium (expression) of that transmission/exchange that carries the message. In enunciation (in the act of uttering, not in the uttered proposition or statement), the spectator's body removes itself as a transparent receiver of a message (traditionally, in the structure of the work of art, the spectator is a repetition and reproduction of meaning, intention), in order to be inscribed as a material body, as content/desire. Instead of its communicative and representative functions, language here is performative, no longer a transparent carrier but an intense matter/sign, outside of exchange.
Enunciation as expression may precede content, in order either to prefigure it (expression may precede a new social form) or dissolve its previously rigid forms (Hjelmslevian "forms of content") in a flow, or to make them follow a line of flight or transformation.[13] Content is carried in this issue—asignifying and aformal—as part of the enunciation, inseparable from desire: we have a "machine of expression capable of disorganizing the forms of content, in order to liberate pure content, which confounds itself with expression in a same intense matter (matière intense)."[14]
Perhaps more than formed, the subject is "set up" in a process of polyvalent and proliferating connections that are immanent and contiguous. There is neither a transcendental subject that guarantees this set-up, nor a transcendental law or Signified that rules the network (and this reading). It is an unlimited field of immanence ("champ d'immanence illimité") of desire and power. Yet, "the problem: not at all to be free, but to find an issue, or an entry, or a direction, an adjacency, etc.", in a network that is a matter of entries and connections.[15] This network is composed of a collective set-up of enunciation ("agencement collectif d'énonciation") and a machinic set-up of desire
("agencement machinique de désir")."[16] That is, an individual participant's enunciation is already collective through the desire with which it is confounded.
There is no separation into levels of representation in this immanent field, only a unity of work, participation, reading and interpretation. Outside of exchange, we are outside of representation (representation of meaning, representation of and for us by the artist), at once subject, object and expression: performative in speech and body.[17] "The fleet of streets, squares, lanes, etc. is sinking deeper and deeper in a network of This Way Brouwns." Desire saturates the social field in producing it, and that desire is direction (metonymy or displacement in psychoanalytical theory): "I have become direction." The zones of the body fuse with the social field in this network (metaphor or condensation in psychoanalytical theory): "In the presence at point A, in fusion with point A, in representing point A in the flesh." A multiplicity of desire is revealed in and as the network: "All direction is being drained from it. They are leading nowhere."
1. MICHELSON, Annette, "Yvonne Rainer, Part 1: the Dancer and the Dance," Artforum, January 1974 (New York).
2. Jacques Derrida describes J. L. Austin's elaboration of the performative as having the following characteristics:
(1) speech acts serve only as the act of communication;
(2) it concerns not the transmission of a thought-content, but the communication of an original movement, a production and operation of an effect;
(3) the act does not have a referent outside itself or prior to it. It does not describe but transforms a situation; and,
(4) it is not predicated on the authority of a truth value, but has the value of a force, of the difference of force. Thus, "the performative is not limited strictly to the transference of a semantic content that is already constituted and dominated by an orientation toward truth." DERRIDA, Jacques, "Signature Evenement Contexte," Marges (Paris: Editions de Minuit, 1972), pp. 382-383; translated as "Signature Event Context," Glyph, number 1 (Baltimore), pp. 186-187.
3. I owe to Judith Doyle the clarification of the confusion of document and event at points in my text.
4. BROUWN, Stanley, This Way Brouwn, 25-2-61, 26-2-61, Zeichnungen I, (KöIn: Verlag Gebr. Koning, 1971).
5. MAUSS, Marcel, The Gift, Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic Societies, trans., Ian Cunnison, (New York: Norton, 1967). Cf. BATAILLE, Georges, La Part maudite précédé de La notion de dépense (Paris: Editions de Minuit, 1967); Bataille changes the three obligations—give, receive, repay—to give, lose or destroy.
6. LÉVI-STRAUSS, Claude, "Introduction a L'oeuvre de Marcel Mauss," in MAUSS, Marcel, Sociologie et anthropologie (Paris: PUF, 1950), p. L. "In the system of symbols constituted by all cosmologies, mana would simply be a zero symbolic value, that is to say, a sign marking the necessity of a symbolic content supplementary to that with which the signified is already loaded, but which can take on any value required, provided only that this value still remains part of the available reserve and is not, as phonologists put it, a group term." And in a footnote to this passage, Lévi-Strauss writes: "Linguists have already been led to formulate hypotheses of this type. For example: 'A zero phoneme is opposed to all other phonemes in French in that it entails no constant phonetic value. On the contrary, the proper function of the zero phoneme is to be opposed to phoneme absence.' (R. Jakobson and J. Lutz, "Notes on the French Phonemic Pattern," Word, no. 2 [August 1949]: 155). Similarly, if we schematize the conception I am proposing here, it could almost be said that the function of notions like mana is to be opposed to the absence of signification, without entailing by itself any particular signification." Ibid.. Translation from DERRIDA, Jacques, "Structure, Sign and Play," Writing and Difference, trans., Alan Bass (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978), p. 290.
7. "It is certainly this assumption of history by the subject, in so far as it is constituted by the speech addressed to the other, that constitutes the ground of the new method that Freud called psychoanalysis... Its means are those of speech, in so far as speech confers a meaning on the functions of the individual; its domain is that of concrete discourse, in so far as this is the field of the transindividual reality of the subject; its operations are those of history, in so far as history constitutes the emergence of truth in the real." LACAN, Jacques, "The Function and Field of Speech and Language in Psychoanalysis," Écrits, trans., Alan Sheridan (New York: Norton, 1977), pp. 48-49. 8. Of Lévi-Strauss's structure of the unconscious, Deleuze and Guattari write: "Such a form can serve to define the preconscious, but certainly not the unconscious. For if it is true that the unconscious has no material or content, this is assuredly not because it is an empty form, but because it is always and already a functioning machine, a desiring machine (...)" DELEUZE, Gilles, and GUATTARI, Anti-Oedipus, Capitalism and Schizophrenia (New York: Viking, 1977), p. 186. They also comment on the pathological character of the closed system of prices, and instead examine the primitive economy as a surplus value of code; pp. 149-150. 9. Freud's 1914 essay, "Recollection. Repetition and Working Through," relates the value of "working through" as an attention to the act and text of interpretation.
10. BARTHES, Roland, Image, Music, Text, trans., Stephen Heath, (London: Fontana, 1977), p. 10. 11. Cf. Nietzsche: "We have no right to ask who it is who interprets. It is interpretation itself, a form of the will to power, which exists (not as a 'being' but as process, a becoming) as passion."
12. "A collective disposition of enunciation will say something about desire without referring to a subjective individuation, without centering it around a pre-established subject and previously codified meanings." GUATTARI, "Everybody Wants to be a Fascist, "Semiotext(e), Volume 2, number 3, 1977 (New York), p. 90.
13. "...c'est l'expression qui devance ou avance, c'est elle qui précéde les contenus, soit pour préfigurer les formes rigides où ils vont se couler, soit pour les faire filer sur une ligne de fuite ou de transformation." DELEUZE, Gilles, and GUATTARI, Felix, Kafka, pour une littérature mineure (Paris: Editions de Minuit, 1975), pp. 152-153.
14. Ibid., p. 51. Translation mine. Cf., p. 153: "And it is the one and same desire, the one and same set-up which presents itself as a machinic set-up of content and a collective set-up of enunciation."
15. "Which point of entry is of no importance, of no more value than another, no entry has a privilege, even if it is almost a dead-end, a narrow tube, a syphon, etc. One only searches by which other point to connect one's entry, by which cross-roads and corridors one takes in order to connect two points, what is the rhizome's map, and how it immediately modifies itself if one enters by another point. The principle of multiple entries prevents only the introduction of the enemy, the Signifier, and the attempts to interpret a work which, in fact, only proposes experimentation." Ibid., p. 7. Translation mine.
16. Ibid., p. 145. Also p. 147: "No machinic set-up which is not also a social set-up of desire, no social set-up of desire which is not a collective set-up of enunciation."
17. "Collective dispositions of enunciation produce their own means of expression—it could be a special language, a slang, or a return to an old language. For them, working on semiotic flows, or on material and social flows is one and the same thing. Subject and object are no longer face-to-face, with a means of expression in a third position; there is no longer a tripartite division between the realm of reality, the real of representation or representativity, and the realm of subjectivity. You have a collective set-up which is, at once, subject, object, and expression. The individual is no longer the universal guarantor of the dominant meanings. Here, everything can participate in enunciation: individuals, as well as zones of the body, semiotic trajectories, or machines that are plugged in on all horizons... An individual statement has no bearing except to the extent that it can enter into conjunction with collective set-ups which already function effectively: for example, which are already engaged in real social struggle.... The individuated enunciation is the prisoner of the dominant meanings. Only a subject-group can manipulate semiotic flows, shatter meanings, open the language to other desires and forge other realities." GUATTARI, "Everybody Wants to be a Fascist," p. 91.
In 2014, in my archives, I discovered a paragraph that I deleted from somewhere towards the end of this article:
"The combination of dialogue and anonymous production, within the social field, as the social field, results in: communication of singular intensities through a dialogical process that attracts an interpretative force; an analytical mechanism that inscribes flows of desire as content and produces the singularity as a difference in forces."
My friend, the artist Andy Patton, convinced me to delete this paragraph to my chagrin once the article was published. He then went on to title his 1980 Mercer Union exhibition Anonymous Mechanism!


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JAD stands for Joint Application Development is a technique used to develop collaborative requirements analysis and design. It was first developed by IBM in the 70s and used for collaborative design with business users. Nowadays, courses where you learn JAD have a huge role in modern business and they are essential for proper requirements analysis and design. In this blog post, we will go over details regarding JAD. As the process collects business requirements while developing new information systems for a company, it has huge bearings on business analysis and what we do here at Pierson Requirements Group.
JAD Workshops
In order to use the JAD technique, you will need a few things. The first one is the trained facilitator, who will guide the participants through the process. In case you are partaking in a course, such as the ones offered by Pierson Requirements Group, you will have a skilled certified JAD Facilitator as the trainer. Most business analyst courses require experienced facilitators. The JAD Sessions are made up of Business Stakeholders, Subject Matter Experts, Technical Leads and Developers. It is good to have a 3:1 ratio of business to technical expertise.
Once we have all that is needed, the JAD Workshop can begin. It is important to scope out the project, capture the business requirements and define the screen/report specifications.
We should add that it is a time-saving technique which needs to have trained JAD Facilitators to lead the workshops. It is essential that the business resources are available to participate in the JAD Workshops in order for the JAD technique to be successful and profitable.
Is a course an effective way to understand JAD?
Yes! JAD courses have been improved over the last years, so now they are more than just successful and productive in teaching you what you must know, they speak to more modern processes that you must know if you want to get anywhere in business analysis. At the beginning, you will learn about the methodology and later, about the plans and the entire process.
During a course, you will start learning about approaching the problem, finding the solution and solving it, eventually. An interesting advantage of these courses is the ability to learn about interviewing. Not just preparing for a simple interview which is already known, but more specific and professional business analysis interviews.
Facilitation training isn't done here! On the following day, you will start to learn about more detailed operations and processes, which are a bit more complicated. Eventually, you will get a JAD certificate and you will be able to solve actual problems and complications.
The final word
JAD courses and training are more important than you may believe. They can truly make a difference in business and finding the solutions for difficult problems. After all, business analysis isn't simple, but it is possible to master, especially with the help of Pierson Requirements Group.

subset: commoncrawl


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Last Friday, I had an unique opportunity to go inside one of Montréal's oldest and iconic building in Old Montréal: Silo No. 5, a massive machine for the movement of grain built in 1903.
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and as a photographer, and certainly one of the most interesting photo session ever!
I would love to go back and shoot a documentary about that place. Here's a couple of shots and 2 videos I took during the ascension that led us to the very top of the building offering a spectacular 360 view of the city.
Little video on the very top of the Silo: #brrrr
And Here's the crazy 360 view!


text:
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text: MOVIES Matt Damon Hopes 'Elysium' Pays Off for Sony 2:58 PM PDT 7/31/2013 by Hilary Lewis FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Getty Images Matt Damon The actor also talked to THR about when we could expect him to make his directorial debut. Matt Damon's still "desperate" to make his directorial debut, and he's now making decisions on which movie to take on solely by who's at the helm, the actor told The Hollywood Reporter at Tuesday's New York screening of Elysium, sponsored by Ciroc Ultra Premium Vodka and 2(X)ist Watches. "I used to kind of put equal value on the role and the screenplay and the director, but now I just completely go with who's directing it, that like totally makes my decision," he said. 'ELYSIUM' TRAILER: Robots, Spaceships and Matt Damon In this case, Damon jumped at the chance to work with Neill Blomkamp after seeing his work on 2009's sleeper hit District 9. "I've always wanted to make a science fiction movie and … really great science fiction movies … just don't come out very often," he explained. "There's a handful of people that make them really well, like James Cameron and Ridley [Scott] and those guys and Neill, when I saw District 9, immediately went on to that list. And then he suddenly had a project, and I couldn't pass it up." As for when Damon will take a seat in the director's chair, something he's expressed a strong desire to do, he admitted there's no update on that but said he hoped it would happen soon. However, he confirmed that his family is moving from New York to L.A., and because of that, he's "going to take a little time off" so that he and his wife can be at home with their kids while they're going through that transition. STORY: Sony Pushes 'Robocop' to 2014, Moves 'Elysium' to Summer 2013 Damon also expressed his hope that Elysium would be a hit for its studio, Sony, which has had somewhat of a rough summer, with two box-office disappointments in After Earth and White House Down. "They couldn't have been better partners. When you get in a situation like that, you really want the movie to pay off for them and their terms because they gave us everything we needed creatively," he said. "Not a lot people are making big original movies right now, so any time somebody does it, it's a risk, and it's that kind of courage, I always applaud it being rewarded on the business end because that means other people will take a chance too." Meanwhile, Damon's co-star William Fichtner was delighted to work alongside Jodie Foster, whom he'd teamed with in 1997's Contact. Fichtner's role in another summer movie, The Lone Ranger, has generated a bit of controversy lately with cleft-lip charities condemning his character's appearance. But Fichtner was quick to brush off any negative opinions about that movie. STORY: Cleft-Lip Charities Upset Over William Fichtner's 'Lone Ranger' Villain "I'm sure there's going to be some controversy about the craft service on the film, eventually," he said. "Not to discount any controversy about anything; everyone's entitled to their own opinion for sure." He went on to say that he would forever cherish his time working on the movie, calling it the highlight of his life. And he said he doesn't focus on box-office grosses. "I honestly don't think about it at all. If my life went up and down because of that … I've got to get home and clean the garage out, you know. I've got a lot of things going on," Fichtner added. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Hilary Lewis email@example.com hilarylewis


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By the Numbers: The International Context for BC's Economy
The Urban Futures Institute
This document summarizes one part of a discussion of the near-term future of British Columbia's economy and its international context that accompanies the variety of demographic and economic projections prepared annually by Urban Futures. It is based on the review of the wide range of data and analyses that are used by Urban Futures to condition the mathematical trend analysis that form the inputs to its forecasting models. As elements of this discussion supplement the interpretation of the output from these models, we provide this brief transcript for interested readers.
There are two sets of economic factors that affect the performance of the provincial economy: those that originate outside of the province, and hence are largely beyond our control; and those that originate within the province, and hence can be influenced to some degree. The most significant external economic factors include interest rates, the value of the Canadian dollar, and the effective demand for the BC's exports (from both other provinces and internationally). The most significant internal economic factors are the supply of the province's exports, domestic demand (for both provincially-produced goods and services and those imported from outside of the province), government spending, and capital investment. Having noted that these factors can be grouped according to whether they are external or internal, clearly there are interactions among them, most specifically through the impact of external factors on internal ones (e.g. the impact of interest rate changes on capital investment, or the impact of changes in the value of the Canadian dollar on provincial exports).
In this review we consider one set of the external factors—those that relate to the international economic environment—and hence interest rates, exchange rates, and exports are the focus here. It is necessary to preface the following discussion by recognizing that we are currently in the midst of significant political uncertainty internationally, including but not limited to the US fiscal cliff, the resolution (or lack thereof) of the sovereign debt issues in the Euro zone, the direction that will be adopted by the new leadership in China, and the just-called election in Japan. Underlying our comments about future external economic conditions is the assumption that the consequences of these political matters on economic conditions will generally adhere to the pattern that they have followed over the recent past. For example, there is the assumption that there will be no sudden, significant, or clear resolution of the sovereign debt issues in the Euro zone; that the US will not plunge over the fiscal cliff, but will step off a fiscal curb; that the new leadership in China will be as concerned about internal stability as the last one; and that Japan will continue to recycle parties and leaders. Should there be a radical departure from these assumptions, then there may well be a much different international political, and hence economic, context for the province than we anticipate.
I Interest rates
Given the current economic environment in the USA and Europe—slow GDP and employment growth, and low inflation—and the strength of the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar and Chinese yuan, there is little likelihood of a significant or sudden increase in interest rates either in Canada or the United States (or anywhere else) in the near term, and hence minimal risk of an interest rate shock for the BC's economy. There is potential for a very modest rate increase in Canada in 2013—assuming the successor to Mark Carney does not introduce a radically different approach to setting Canada's monetary policy—but it will be more as a leading signal than as a real change. Instead, it will be in 2014/2015 and beyond, when the US has begun to bring its lending rate up, that we will see any noticeable increase in interest rates in Canada. These mid-term increases will be incremental and well choreographed, giving governments, businesses and households that have significant debts a number of years to adapt.
Parenthetically, the expectation of a relatively stable, and low, interest rate environment holds significant implications for households in Canada. As we all know, much ado is made about household debt levels in this country; however, given that in Canada we benefit from what are generally considered prudent lending practices, the effective concern is not so much debt levels per se, but rather the consequence of these debt levels on households when interest rates rise. In an environment of low rates, and of predictable incremental increases (when they begin), households can respond to the incentives of rising rates by cutting borrowing and increasing saving. Thus, if we can accept that lending practices are of satisfactory standards in Canada, the focus should shift from worrying about debt levels to ensuring that the pattern of interest rate increases is smooth and generally anticipated and that there is a stable pattern of growth in employment and incomes.
II The Canadian Dollar
In discussions about movements in the value of the Canadian dollar, it is important to establish the context. While the late-1990s and early-2000s are frequently used as a reference point for the currently "expensive" Canadian dollar, its value a decade ago represented a low point for its value against the US dollar in the post-World War II period.
The appreciation in the Canadian dollar during the past decade was partly a recovery to average historical levels, and partly incremental growth beyond this level. Additionally, when compared to the currencies of British Columbia's other major export clients, most of the increase in the purchasing power of the Canadian dollar occurred in the first half of the past decade, with the value of the dollar generally holding constant or falling since then.
In relation to the US dollar, the Canadian dollar appreciated by 63 percent over a five-year period in the 2000s, from each US dollar costing $1.57 Canadian in October of 2002 to only $0.97 in October of 2007, a level that has generally prevailed since October of 2009. Similar appreciation over the 2002 to 2007 period was recorded for the Canadian currency against the Japanese Yen and the Taiwanese dollar (50 percent appreciation), and 46 percent appreciation against the Chinese Yuan. Since then, the dollar has fallen in value against these currencies, and hence, while being of greater value now than in 2002, it is of lesser value than it was in 2007. The appreciation of the Yen against the Canadian dollar over the past four years has essentially erased all of the appreciation that the dollar saw relative to the Yen prior to 2007, with the Canadian dollar now purchasing 80 Yen, compared to 79 Yen in 2002. In the case of the South Korean Won, the dollar peaked later (in 2008), about 40 percent above its 2002 level, and has remained at that level.
To the extent that exchange rates reflect interest rate differentials among countries, there is little to suggest that there will be significant shifts in the value of the Canadian dollar in 2013 or in the mid-term to follow. Similarly, to the extent that commodity prices and the dominance of commodities in Canada's export mix affect the Canadian dollar, we do not expect there to be any significant shifts in the relative value of the Canadian dollar, as much of the recovery in commodity prices that will follow the modest growth in the world economy (outside of Europe and Japan) will be largely offset by the growth in the supply of commodities from competitive producers. Consequently, we should see relative stability with respect to Canadian dollar exchange rates with the US, South Korean, and Taiwanese currencies over the next couple of years. With the political transition having now occurred in China and a renewed focus on the economy in that country, there is the potential for some continued appreciation of the Yuan (although it is currently tied, within a range, to the value of the US dollar) and, as Japan slides into recession, we will see an end to the appreciation of the Yen.
III Exports
Exports form a critical component of BC's economy, as they earn us the money to pay for the vast array of imports that draw money out of the province. In the international context, our export income is largely earned from the sale of goods (accounting for 75 percent of international export earnings in BC), with the sale of services to purchasers outside of Canada accounting for the remaining one-quarter.
1 International Merchandise Exports
In consideration of the export context for British Columbia's economy over the next few years, it is important to look at the current mix of both the destinations and types of our export products, as they are quite different—and more diverse—than they were in the past. While we generally think of ourselves as an exporter of forest products (they represented 32 percent of the value of our international exports during the first three quarters of 2012), our energy exports (27 percent) are almost of equal value; furthermore, coal exports bring as much money into the province as do wood exports (19 percent). And while we generally see ourselves as exporting to the United States (44 percent of the value of our exports this year have gone to the States), we export almost as much to East Asia (40 percent); in fact, we export more forest products to East Asia (15 percent of all exports during 2012) than we do to the US (14 percent). Thus, while there is a natural and historical inclination to focus on the prospects for the US economy when discussing the external context for BC, equal attention should be given to East Asia.
2 Merchandise Exports to the US
The total value of BC's merchandise exports to the US has generally declined since the early-2000s' plateau in the $22.2 billion range, to a decade low of $12.9 billion in 2009, before rebounding slowly to reach a projected $14.4 billion for 2012. In terms of share, the US accounted for a record 70 percent of our merchandise export market in 2001, a proportion that has steadily declined since then, dropping below 50 percent in 2008 to a two-decade low of 43 percent in 2011. The slight rebound in 2012 has been based on an increase in sales to the United States and a decrease in sales to the rest of the world.
While we generally see ourselves as exporting forestry products to the US (and hence the extreme level of interest in the softwood tariff dispute and the collapse and subsequent slow recovery of the US housing market) they actually account for only 31 percent of our US-bound exports—about the same as fabricated and manufactured goods (33 percent). Energy exports account for 19 percent.
The drop of 27 percent in BC's exports to the US between 2008 and 2009 affected all sectors, with the greatest proportionate decline occurring in energy exports (a 39 percent decline) and the smallest occurring in fishery and agriculture exports (a four percent drop). The eleven percent growth experienced between 2009 and 2012 (estimated) has not been uniform across all sectors, with natural gas exports and pulp and paper exports continuing to fall (by 25 percent and 17 percent, respectively).
The diversity of our exports to the United States requires that we consider the overall health of the US economy as well as the two important sectors—forestry (and specifically wood) and energy—in discussions about the context for BC's economy.
US economic growth. It must be understood that the pre-recession GDP growth in the US cannot be considered the norm; as the recession demonstrated, the pre-recession period was an aberration, and the excesses of the pre-recession period will shape the future of the US economy for a long time. In terms of US consumer confidence, it will take a significant amount of time before households will be willing or able to undertake significant consumption spending beyond their income growth (as was the case pre-recession). Additionally, the US population is aging, with its baby boomers heading for retirement as fast as ours, and their concerns about heath care and pensions will increasingly shape policy and markets at both the national and state level. The stripping out of pension and health care provisions from contracts, combined with the asset loss in housing value, will drive concerns regarding the provision of resources for retirement, and as a result increased saving will slow household consumption spending. And then, of course, there is the whole issue of government debt (federal, state, and municipal), which will serve to check any potential growth in government spending. Further, the repayment of debt to creditors outside of the United States will result in a significant outflow from the US economy, and possibly even a further depreciated US dollar.
It is therefore anticipated that the US economy will continue to recover towards a long-run trend growth rate of 2.5 to 2.7 percent annually, a future shaped by a fundamental change in focus towards debt reduction and reduced expectations for the US economy.
Having noted the aging of the United States' population, it is important to note that in the longer-run the US will have both a growing population and a growing younger population—and this is in contrast to the populations of the European Union and East Asia. Thus, the long-run demographic growth potential of the US is significantly different from, and more positive than, that of other global marketplaces.
US housing starts. Over the past year, the excess vacancy of housing units in the United States has been reduced by 658,000 units (as the result of re-occupancy and demolitions), and over the past three years (since the 2009 peak of 2.8 million more vacant units than there would be at long term vacancy rates) the excess vacancy has been reduced by 900,000 units. This is the good news, as these vacant units compete with new residential construction, and hence the fewer vacant units there are, the better the environment for housing starts and BC forest industry (through exports).
The bad news is that there are still 1.9 million more vacant housing units in the US than there should be given long-run vacancy rates. It will take two to three years of fairly healthy growth in occupancy demand to absorb this excess. Given this vacant stock, and considering trends in population growth and household formation in the US, it is anticipated that housing starts will grow from 725,000 unit this year (2012) into the 900,000 to one million starts per year range for 2013 and 2014, and further into the 1.4 million range during the 2015 to 2017 period.
The potential benefit for BC's forest industry of growing housing demand in the US will be dampened somewhat by supply issues here in British Columbia. The full effect of the pine beetle devastation will be felt in the coming years, with forestry-related employment set to decline as the industry finishes harvesting dead trees. Once the beetle-damaged wood is cleared, some areas (including Prince George and Williams Lake) will see their amount of harvestable timber decline dramatically.
Energy Exports to the US. BC's energy exports to the United States are primarily natural gas, followed by other energy (mainly oil) and then electricity. However, any discussion of energy exports to the US has to take into account the dramatic transformation that US domestic energy supply is currently undergoing. Shale gas and conventional oil exploration are putting the US on the path to energy independence, not only freeing it from relying on imports, but also putting it in the position of becoming a net energy exporter. The IEA projects oil self-sufficiency within 15 years, and the net exporting of oil by 2025. With the US projected to be the world's largest oil producer in five years, shale gas exploration continues to expand, with the US expected to be the world's largest natural gas producer within three years. This year the US is on track to achieve a record level of coal exports.
While such projections may be tinged with a bit of optimism, there is no question that the consequence of the high energy prices of the past decade is a current—and at least for the next several years—significant increase in supply and decline in prices. Natural gas prices have fallen by 28 percent over the past year, and by 68 percent since 2008. With the expansion of shale gas supplies expected over the coming years, there is little likelihood of any mid-term increase in natural gas prices for BC's exports, with continued declines a more likely scenario.
3 Merchandise Exports to East Asia
What we sell to East Asia are overwhelmingly a) forest products (37 percent; wood accounts for 20 percent and pulp and paper for 18 percent); b) coal (34 percent); and c) metallic minerals (17 percent), with these three commodity groups accounting for 88 percent of our exports to East Asia. The growth of East Asia from a 19 percent share of BC's merchandise exports in 2001 to a 40 percent share in 2012 (estimated) is essentially the result of maintaining sales to Japan in the range of $4 billion per year while sales to South Korea almost tripled (from $700 million to $1.9 billion) and exports to China increased almost eight-fold (from $700 million to $5.5 billion). To the extent that future opportunities will be focused on China's growth, and the challenges will be with slow growth or decline in Japan, it is reasonable to anticipate a similar pattern of exports moving forward.
East Asia economic growth. In any discussion of economic growth in East Asia, it is important to touch on its demographic context: East Asia is a region whose population has essentially stopped growing and is aging. Any growth in domestic demand from this part of the world will, therefore, be entirely driven by standard of living increases, specifically in China. In terms of growth projections, China's economy is projected to growth by around eight percent next year, reflecting the re-focusing on economic conditions now that the leadership selection has been completed. In contrast, growth in Japan's economy is expected to continue to drift downwards towards one percent per year as political uncertainty, conflicts with China, Korea and Taiwan, and a shrinking consumer market stymie growth in the national economy. South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are all expected to see growth in the range of 2.9 to 3.1 percent—respectable growth to be sure, but below long-run trends.
Coal Exports to East Asia. BC is Canada's coal exporting province, overwhelmingly producing metallurgical coal, with only one mine (on Vancouver Island) producing thermal coal. Total coal production in the province has been in the 25 million tonnes range over most of this decade; however, so far this year, trends indicate that record production in the range of 29 million tonnes may be achieved. BC has experienced significant growth in export revenue from coal sales, concentrated in East Asia, largely as a result of long-run increases in coal prices combined with the entry—and rising prominence—of China as a market for BC's exports. East Asia now accounts for 70 percent of the province's coal export revenues, with sales to Japan holding steady in the range of $1.8 billion per year, while sales to South Korea have been quite volatile, dropping from $1.7 billion in 2011 to just over $1 billion this year (estimated). China has become our second biggest coal purchaser over the past five years, ahead of South Korea.
Coal prices have fallen significantly over the past year, as a result of both supply expansion and economic slowdown. While prices for metallurgical coal are expected to firm up in 2013, the active expansion of US, Indonesian, Mongolian and Australian exports of thermal coal will continue to push prices down into the $90/tonne range over the next couple of years. While not of direct concern for BC's coal producers, low-cost thermal coal is of concern for natural gas exporters, as the former is a substitute for the latter in power generation. The combination of economic recovery in East Asia and strengthening prices for metallurgical coal will bring anticipated growth in coal revenue for BC, subject to the impact of increased competition from producers in Australia, Indonesia and Mongolia.
Wood Exports to East Asia. The picture of decline in the value of BC's wood sales to Japan, from almost $3.0 billion in 1996 to an estimated $1.0 billion in 2012, follows the same direction as wood construction in Japan over the same period, compounded by increased competition from other suppliers, particularly in the EU, in the Japanese market. Given Japan's demography, the most likely scenario for the near- and mid-term is a continuation of sales in the recent range of $1 billion, gradually declining over the longer-run.
Given this, any significant growth in wood exports in East Asia will hinge on the ultra-competitive Chinese market for wood products—a market in which Russia, Finland, and South East Asian countries are very active. In this regard, the recovery of lumber prices from their decade-low in 2009 can be expected as a result of the sharp growth in demand from China and the beginning of the recovery in the US housing market. (The opportunities to sell wood into the Chinese market are, of course, subject to the same supply constraints as are sales to the US.)
Pulp and Paper Exports to East Asia. China has become the single largest market for BC's pulp and paper, accounting for 42 percent of all of the BC's international pulp sales, compared to 31 percent for second-place USA; between them, these two countries account for almost three-quarters of the province's international export of pulp products. Again, the East Asia picture is one of steeply declining sales to Japan over the past two decades as its economy slowed and other fibre suppliers entered the market, while sales to China increased dramatically as its economy expanded over the same period. Over the past year pulp and paper purchases by China have declined, paralleling the decline at the beginning of the recession, as the consequences of low demand for Chinese manufactured products from Europe and North America are expressed in the pulp market and the resultant decline in pulp prices over the past year. Given the projections for Chinese economic growth, demand for BC pulp and paper products should hold in the $1.75 billion neighbourhood as a result of both firming prices and increased sales, subject to BC being able to maintain market share in the face of increased supply competition.
Metallic Mineral Exports to East Asia. East Asia purchases two-thirds of BC's metallic mineral exports, compared to the US's 25 percent share. Given the structure of manufacturing in East Asia, the largest share of these exports (38 percent) goes to Japan, with the volume and value climbing sharply from 2004 on. The share going to each of South Korea and China (roughly one-eighth), increased more gradually over the past decade.
Along with coal and natural gas, there has been a significant long-run increase in the unit price for BC's metallic minerals and a more recent decline (except for gold prices). With the recovery in the US and Chinese economies, it is reasonable to anticipate some firming of these commodity prices, although there may be some continued turbulence in sales patterns as the meshing of East Asian economies that underlies the use of metals in manufacturing that developed over the past decade is under significant stress as a result of the various political and business conflicts currently happening in East Asia. As such it is prudent to anticipate a relatively flat market for metallic minerals (and hence BC's exports of them) over the next couple of years.
4 International Services Exports
As noted above, services account for approximately 25 percent of BC's international exports, and hence warrant brief comment when we are discussing directions of change in BC's economy.
The value of the province's international services exports has been steadily increasing over the past decade: between 1997 and 2008, international services sales grew by 67 percent, going from $9.6 billion to $13.1 billion.[1] While a vast array of sectors comprise the basket of services sold by BC to other countries—including professional, scientific, and technical services (17 percent of the value of BC's international services exports over the past decade), accommodation and food services (13 percent), and finance, insurance, and real estate (eight percent)—the transportation sector warrants comment, not because it independently contributes to BC's export base, but because it is inexorably tied to the export of resource commodities such as wood and coal, and to a lesser extent oil and gas.
The transportation and warehousing sector is the largest, by value, in the province's international services export landscape. Between 1997 and 2008 it generated an average of $5.4 billion in income for BC, representing 41 percent of provincial international services export sales.
A link can be seen between recent growth in the value of BC's international transportation exports and increasing sales of wood and pulp exports to China and increasing coal exports to China, Japan, and South Korea—which is not surprising given that this sector is facilitative in nature, bridging the process of commodity extraction and generation within our provincial borders with the ultimate sale (and delivery) of these products to overseas customers. As such, our outlook for this sector mirrors that for the commodity prices and export trends, as well as the economic growth expectations for BC's key export markets, including China, South Korea, Japan, and the US.
IV Conclusions
The preceding sections outline some of the dimensions of our discussions of international factors as they may affect the BC economy, and our demographic and economic projections, over the coming few months and years. The discussion is more descriptive and subjective than our projection work, as it relies much more on the interpretation of trends than on the analysis of data. As such it does not form an input to our models, but rather conditions how we might interpret data on such things as international and inter-provincial migration, the supply of labour and employment trends, and tourism levels. It also points us to areas that warrant particular attention in the future. We find our periodic discussions of these matters of both interest and value, and we hope that you do as well.
V Data Sources
1. Canada-US Exchange Rate, page 2
2. Change in Canadian Dollar Purchasing Power of Currencies for Major Export Customers, page 2
data source - UFI calculation
3. Percentage Distribution of Canadian Dollar Value of BC's International Merchandise Trade, page 4
data source – UFI calculation
Monthly data for B.C. exports with selected destination and commodity detail
4. Merchandise Exports charts (x3), page 5
2012 est by UFI from Jan-Sept data
1991 to 2011 from
Annual data for B.C. exports with selected destination and commodity detail
5 New Privately-initiated Housing Units Started, United States, page 6
projection by UFI
6. Annual Natural Gas Prices, Henry Hub Gulf Coast , page 7
7. Merchandise exports to East Asia, pages 7 to 10
See 3. and 4. above
8. Annual Coal / Metallic Mineral Prices, page 8 / 10
9 Forest Product Price Indicies, page 9
Business Indicators, BC Stats
Business Indicators (MONTHLY) October 28
[1] The data presented here on BC's international services exports are from Canada's National System of Economic Accounts, and are not directly comparable to the data describing BC's international merchandise exports, which are collected on a customs basis. Note that the most recent data on BC's international trade in services are from 2008.


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Parkview Classical Vernacular
This home was built on the Oval Park in Norton Commons. The casual vernacular of its architecture features a double front balcony adorned with beautiful columns and a soft color palette. The open design on the first floor flows seamlessly into the adjacent covered terrace with access to a private garden. The second floor includes four bedrooms, a family room and large sun deck centrally located within the home. The owners suite provides a spa-like retreat for its occupants including a covered balcony, an exquisite bathroom with garden tub + walk-in shower, a custom-built walk-in closet and large laundry room with over 100' of space. Its four outdoor rooms provide this home with over 800' of alfresco enjoyment along with sweeping views of Norton Commons' offerings.


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Central Park has never seen this much green.
A 56-year-old hedge-fund manager who was wheeled around Central Park as a baby yesterday pledged an extraordinary $100 million to the nonprofit that runs the 843-acre oasis in the heart of Manhattan.
John Paulson's super-sized gift to the Central Park Conservancy is believed to be the largest ever made to a park in the United States.
"I wanted to give an amount that would have an impact on the park, and that's how I arrived at the number I did," Paulson said at a celebratory press conference with Mayor Bloomberg in front of the Bethesda Fountain.
A self-made billionaire who grew up in Queens and attended Bayside HS, Paulson made the killing of a lifetime in 2007 by betting that the overheated housing market would collapse. A year later, it did, in spectacular fashion. His wealth, once estimated at $15.5 billion, reportedly fell to $11.8 billion after a premature losing bet on a strong economic recovery.
But Paulson, who joined the conservancy's board in June, has emerged as one of the city's up-and-coming philanthropists. This was his largest charitable gift to date.
Paulson said he always intended to focus his charitable donations in New York, and quickly concluded that Central Park would top his list.
"When I was a baby, my parents strolled me around in a carriage," he said in a low-key speech.
"When I was a teenager, I used to hang around Bethesda Terrace. When I got older, I did Rollerblading. I still run and cycle, and I come here with my children all the time. My mother was rolled around when she was a child in Central Park, and my grandparents, God bless them, had their first dates holding hands in Central Park . . . I thought to myself, Central Park is such a unique place, unlike anywhere else in the world."
Paulson generally stays out of the news. But he made headlines last year by scolding Occupy Wall Street demonstrators who marched on his home across from Central Park at Fifth Avenue, saying those who generate jobs and tax revenues here shouldn't be vilified, because Singapore would welcome them in a split-second.
The mayor described Paulson's gift as "fantastic."
"I don't think there's any other city, any other country in the world, where private philanthropy is as important and as available as it is here," said Bloomberg, who is himself one of the nation's most generous philanthropists.
Doug Blonsky, the conservancy's president, said half of Paulson's money would be used to beef up an endowment that now stands at $144 million.
The other half, he said, would go toward dozens of capital projects, from the renovation of playgrounds to new landscaping and irrigation for the park's heavily used entrance at Columbus Circle.
"It really does touch every acre of the park," said Blonsky.
"We are finally breaking the cycles of decline and [restoration] that have hit Central Park so much," he added. "A lot of people don't realize if you take out the 30 years of the Central Park Conservancy, the 120 years before us, the park was mostly in bad shape."
The conservancy and private donors fund about 85 percent of the park's $46 million annual operating cost.
Bloomberg said Paulson's enormous cash infusion would not free up city funds for other parks.
"One has nothing to do with the other," the mayor said. "It doesn't mean we're going to transfer any moneys from one place to another."


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Dealing With Offers and Multiple Offers in Today's Market
The market has made some significant changes in the past year. In some areas, we've seen multiple offers on properties that have been on the market for a day or less. If you have never been involved in a multiple offer situation or had to deal with a counter offer, here are a few tips on how to deal with them.
So what happens when there are multiple offers? How do sellers deal with this and what can buyers expect?
Most of the time one offer does not stand out so clearly that a seller will just accept it. The seller will give the other offers that are close an opportunity to better their offer, so they can get the best price and terms. This is where a reputable broker can be of value. Multiple counter offers need to be handled with professionalism that makes the experience fair yet competitive.
I said price and terms because many times price is not the only or most important factor. Frequently when there are multiple offers one buyer may have the best price but not acceptable terms (e.g. a very long escrow or the purchase being contingent on the sale of their home); whereas another buyer may have desirable terms (e.g. all cash and a 15 day escrow) but the price is low.
So if the seller wants to counter both offers, what is the process? Counter offer A will say something like – "will accept offer at the stated price, with a thirty day escrow" and Counter offer B will say something like "terms are acceptable, with the price of XXX." Note that the counter offers don't have to be the same.
This is a simple example; there could easily be more offers the seller would counter. So with multiple counter offers how does the seller choose one?
In most states a system has been created to accommodate multiple offers. Two things are typically done:
- A paragraph is added that reads MULTIPLE COUNTER OFFERS: Seller is making a counter offer(s) to another prospective buyer(s) on terms that may or may not be the same as this counter offer. Acceptance of this Counter Offer by Buyer shall not be binding unless and until it is subsequently re-signed by seller.
- Multiple Counter offer Signature Line – this allows the seller to accept the counter offer. The seller has made multiple counter offers but none are binding until the seller signs the second signature line.
- At the writing of the article a new form has been developed and released in CA just to handle multiple offers, so look for other states to follow.
Now using these systems to handle counter offers and multiple offers can also back fire. It is a risk. Some buyers will say, "I don't want to get into a bidding war," and will drop out altogether.
Remember, it's the Agent/Broker's responsibility to get their client the best and highest offer for the property.
As an investor, you try to find the best deal and not get into a bidding war. That takes discipline and setting boundaries. One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given is to simply say "That's all I can afford," and be willing to walk away. There is another deal out there, don't buy into the emotional.
Great Fortune
Diana Hill


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almond nails
UV gel supplementing is always giving me the opportunity to see how the nails clients "worked" during those 3-4 weeks. In this case, there was air to one. Quite good result at the fact that Malvina not at all spared them.
After a beautiful fuchsia we chose something light in shades of nude. Plus the mermaid effect.
To replenishment I used:
-OPI Clear Gel Overlay
-Semilac Base Coat
-Silcare Garden of Colour No. 08
-Semilac Top Coat
That styling is characterized by a lightness and versatility. Fits everyone and every occasion.
|1.Here is visible regrowth after 4 weeks.


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More Columbia gear! In addition to the Key Three Softshell and Talus Ridge Mid Outdry, I was lucky enough to receive the Windefend Half Zip as part of my Columbia sponsorship.
|Columbia Windefend Half Zip worn under the Key Three Softshell
Grueling speed sessions may help you develop the snap to out-kick a rival, but they also mean you're generating a pretty brisk breeze. Luckily, the über-soft and incredibly flattering Windefend Half Zip has a wind resistant front panel so the faster you go, the more it protects.
Semi fitted and flattering the Windefend is functional with ample body and sleeve length. The long cuffs and thumbholes provide warmth and comfort. Long front zipper allows you to quickly dump heat when needed. Other notable features include reflective detailing for safety and two deep back pockets for convenience - ideal for cycling and running.
|Ample sleeve length, cozy cuffs and thumbholes
I have worn this shirt a lot - from running errands and spectating at windy soccer tournaments, to hiking and biking. It is soft, wicking and super comfy. I love the cozy cuffs and thumbholes! Perfect to block the wind during any outdoor adventure - on the mountain or in the city!
|Sneak peak at my next Columbia review...yes - there's more!
For more information, click on their logo on the side bar, check out the Columbia website, read their blog, like on Facebook, or follow on Twitter. To read my reviews of the Columbia Master of Faster, Drainmaker and Bug Shield Long Sleeve Top, check out my posts on OutdoorHub.com and more gear here. Check out Kovas' Columbia reviews at Midwest Multisport Life also!
Click on the sponsor logo in the right sidebar to check out the Columbia website.
From front yard to forest, Columbia keeps you comfortable and protected
so you can stay out longer.
(Disclaimer: These products were sent to me for sponsorship purposes, courtesy of Columbia Sportswear. I was not compensated in any other way, am not obligated to give them a positive review, and all opinions are my own. Some information in this post is taken from the company website.)


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Obama Uses Pen to Price Workers Out of the Market
by Sarah Lee
Thu, 02/13/2014
President Obama made good on a threat…ah, promise…yesterday and, using that executive order pen he likes to talk about and wave around, raised the minimum wage for federal contractors from $7.25 to $10.10, representing a nearly 40% spike:
Mr. Obama said the federal minimum wage needs to be raised across the board because the current rate, due to inflation, "is worth about 20% less than it was when Ronald Reagan took office – 20% less, a fifth less."
The move is the first step in a broader fight over the minimum wage being pushed by Democrats during an election year and part of the president's effort to narrow the income inequality gap. (Our colleagues at the Real Time Economics blog take a look at who benefits from a higher minimum wage.)
The Rest…HERE


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Amongst our clothes and fashion tips Jacob Cohën is quite a find. It is a brand that has existed since 1985, founded in Pontelongo, near Padua, by Tato Bardelle. But it was Tato's son Nicola, born in 1967, who gave the marque a totally new look in 2003. The concept was simple: luxury jeans. He removed all reference from the workgear concept and created lifestyle garments bearing all the connotations of luxury: handmade, perfect fit, superb materials, glorious finish.
Looking at an array of Jacob Cohën products is a feast for the eyes. The brand labels are in pony skin, featuring the stylized J, sometimes a metal appliqué. Even buttons are superbly sculpted, miniature works of art, often in valuable materials such as palladium, silver-plate and carbon fibre. One of the House specialities is a small flower embroidered onto the back pocket. Even the card labels tucked into the new trouser pockets are embroidered, with coloured ribbons indicating product name or characteristics. The labels inside the jeans are fascinating, with care instructions in a sort of hand-written print, and another label that provides a clue to the marque's approach: "Made in Veneto." In other words, no outsourcing. All production processes are performed not just in Italy, but at a local level, the north Italian region of Veneto. A true expression of local luxury.
Local luxury that is quickly going global. In the space of just a few years, the brand has registered a success that reassures management of the value of the concept. Over 250,000 garments for the Spring-Summer 2009 collection were sold, and estimates for 2010 are for a 30% increase, for total sales of about 40 million euro. The company makes 65% of its revenue in Italy, while the most important markets abroad are Japan, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Spain. Distribution is set to be launched in ex-USSR countries, the United States, Canada, Scandinavia and China.
In the women's fall/winter 2010/11 Limited Edition collection, the principal material, denim, is treated using extraordinarily sophisticated techniques. Vintage looks are attained by means of abrasion, washing, embroidery, patches and darning, all performed in-house, all by hand. The colour range is extended virtually to infinity, from black, through all nuances of denim blue, to the lightest bleached used looks.
Traditional denim is combined with high-tech fibres such as XLA and PES, which give the fabric a sort of memory, ensuring that garments retain their shape indefinitely, even in parts subjected to greatest stress such as the knees. Japanese Kurabo denim is one of the marque's exclusive textiles, while this collection also features haute couture fabrics, such as vintage-style-treated velvet, elasticated satin, comfort gabardine, and English-style wools, a departure from the jeans look, with multicolour tartan and pinstripe versions.
The women's Special collection comprises distinctive garments, given extra character by details, accessories and tailoring techniques. Blue and black denim jeans are given super-glamour character by means of sparkling Swarovski crystals and embroidered motifs featuring intriguing animals. One version is particularly striking, total-black five-pocket jeans entirely covered with black sequins. The collection includes other accessory garments: denim waistcoats, and mini-dresses in denim, velvet or tartan wool. Knitwear garments in wool and cashmere include polo-necks, V-necks and other designs.
The Premium Edition women's collection is as always the most avant-garde range. Denim textiles are used in the entire gamut of washing, abrasion, cutting and garment effects for a vintage character, while maintaining wearability and fit to the House's superlative levels. Distinctive touches include punk-style studs, floral motifs, and skull images on the rear pocket for a head-turning period look. Jeans are complemented by denim shirts that are both tough and feminine in their appeal, and by a range of other garments.
The men's Premium Edition for the season maintains the Contemporary Vintage approach. The "used" look is orchestrated into a complete range of models, from tight to loose, and featuring a lower waist line this season. The Alan and Patrick models are new, with a very relaxed look. Colours are classic autumnal shades, blue, beige, brown and grey, given vintage tones by means of the various ageing effects in which the marque has developed consummate skill. Details and labels are characteristic of the brand, in aged leather or brown pony skin, with the collection acronym PRMJ.
The men's Academy Collection was inspired by the Chino trousers design, an American symbol of casual style. This range is hallmarked by a "luxury leisure" look, with distinctive pockets, appliqués, thick, full-bodied textiles, and high-tech rivets in carbon fibre. Other fascinating details include carbon-fibre zips, and period-style jacquard lining fabric featuring the House's sewing machine logo. The lining material also appears near the heel hemline and around the edge of the pockets. The 105 model is based on a workwear design, but with "pilot" pockets reminiscent of military trousers. The 106 jeans are trousers featuring an "urban" concept, with unusual stitch lines and an original pocket design derived from overalls.
The men's Limited Edition is, as suggested by the name, numbered. It is made from a distinctive Japanese textile, in a range of 35 denim fabrics, in shades of blue, grey and coffee. Each garment includes spare accessories, and original thread that can be used for shortening the garment. This is the sort of detailing that makes all Jacob Cohën products absolutely unique.


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Water Bottle
Nike 473ml (approx.) TR HyperCharge Straw
The Nike 473ml (approx.) TR HyperCharge Straw Water Bottle is made from durable, impact-resistant plastic. An innovative slider button lets you open the bottle with one hand so you can hydrate on the go.
- Colour Shown: Anthracite/White/Cool Grey
- Style: NOBE4-032


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About Chris
Chris Davidson is 40 years old, the Managing Director of Discover & Invest Ltd, and has been working with and helping property developers for 18 years.
Originally with designs of being a pro golfer, Chris decided to focus on his other love of property and investing instead!
Early Experience
Having renovated properties with friends in London, in the early 2000's he built up brokering, project management, investment and finance experience by heading up the brokering arm of the Move Channel, helping global property developers fund raise through off-plan investment.
By working with developers, lawyers, banks and lettings agencies, Chris was responsible for creating and packaging City Buy-To-Let projects in 14 countries, in such far-flung places as Brazil, Panama, the Philippines, New Zealand, Lithuania and Dubai.
This gave him and those working in that industry at the time a unique insight into the global asset over-supply and demand problems that would part-lead to the economic collapse of 2007-8.
In 2008, Chris set up Discover & Invest Ltd, the Group company running the Discover Development Finance website.
In those early years, valuable financial insights were gained providing commercial mortgages to business owners, trade finance globally to businesses with cash flow gaps, and more interesting equity funding totaling £60m to lenders in the development space.
Believing that a brokerage, in order to give the ultimate service, should focus only one product, Chris now concentrates on his one true sector, property development finance, with the help of a growing support team.
Whilst not a builder, Chris is able to analyse a market at a deep level through consistently researching, questioning and drilling down into what's accepted as true (when it might not be in reality!).
Getting into Business
A combination of the above experiences have given Chris rare insights into today's commercial and property development finance marketplace, thoughts on what has happened in the last 18 years, and surprising conclusions about what is happening and changing on an almost monthly basis in property development.
He passionately believes that good quality brokers bring real value to borrowers, particularly in those marketplaces that are expanding, fragmented, hard to get a handle on, and time-consuming to stay on top of should you not be able to, nor want to work full-time at it.
In the property development finance space this means property developers are able to access their ideal partners, quickly, painlessly and cost effectively.
Contacting Chris
If you would like to discuss your unique situation with Chris, please fill out the form below and a call will be arranged, or call 0330 043 1017:
Latest Market Insights
To access the marketplace Lender Data, please submit your details
- 9 Lenders offering 90% Loan to Cost
- 3 Lenders offering 75% Loan to GDV
- 6 Lenders offering 70% Loan to GDV
- 19 Lenders calculating Interest on 'Drawn Funds'
- 2 new Lenders in Northern Ireland
- 1 new Lender with Zero Exit Fees
For UK Property Developers needing £500k to £20m


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I've done a few interviews in the past here on Global Thrash Assault, in fact I have a few more on the way. Personally I think interviews are a great way to connect bands with their fans. However when reading interviews in the past the problem I've always had is that the questions asked aren't always the questions I wanted to have answered. I can't be the only one who's ever had this problem, right? I also can't be the only one who has questions for their favorite bands either, right? Right.
12 Comments on INTERVIEW D.A.M.!!
So why, in 2013, do you think DAM are still relevant?
We have some un-finshed business we feel, with regards to the un-released material from 1991-93. Plus what we will write new. The Re-issues are to a new generation and are getting good feedback.
Have you already written new songs for a potential new release?
Yes, we have over 12 songs from previous unheard demos. They need some re-work, structures, vocal melody, lyric changes etc.
Why are you getting back together now? Inspired by the thrash revival? Influenced by the local scene in your city or in Germany? Or simply a consequence of settling down in your lives and having time to re-take on your old passion?
We have discussed getting back together from around 2006/08, because of the unheard material. However, the interview we did on the fourth coming UK Thrash Documentary, http://www.ahistoryofatimetocome.com/ plus the re-issues of Human Wreckage and Inside Out, gave us the push we needed.
Are you planning to record a new album now or you are going to play some gigs to get some inspiration from live shows first?
At the moment, we are considering both. we have to wait for Andy Elliot (Bass)to recover from his nasty accident.We have some possible shows later in the year with a confirmation at next years Full Thrash Assault next year.
Are you equally proud of Human Wreckage and Inside Out? The old school thrash fans like Human Wreckage more…
Yes, we understand about the Old School attitude. Inside Out was the beginning of experimenting and growing as a band with our writing. You'll hear more progression with the next LP.But still the Hard & Clear Riffs & Words.
We know that humans evolve and mature but most thrashers out there hope that you decide to record new music, you will go back to your roots and bring the Human Wreckage sound back, Comments about that?
Yes, we can only see where the writing takes us. The main point will be the Riffs & The Voice will always be D A M. You should be able to listen to us without knowing and say "Thats D A M". m/


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LONDON — John Barton, co-founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, has died. He was 89.
The company said on its website Thursday night that Barton had died earlier in the day.
Barton co-founded the company in 1960 and spent the rest of his career with the group.
He was "simply one of the greatest influences in the acting of Shakespeare of the last century," RSC artistic director Gregory Doran said.
Barton directed many classic plays and taught generations of actors how to approach Shakespeare's works.
Doran said Barton had a rare "ability to uncover the clues that Shakespeare wrote into the text to enable actors to deliver it with freshness and vivid clarity."
Barton's "Playing Shakespeare" workshops were often shown on television beginning in 1982.
He collaborated with co-founder Peter Hall on the influential "The Wars of the Roses" in 1963 and directed "Twelfth Night," "Much Ado About Nothing," "Love's Labour Lost" and others, working with Judi Dench, Donald Sinden, Patrick Stewart and other stalwart British actors.
Barton continued working with the company until several years ago. He had recently moved from his home in central London to a care home in west London.
His wife Ann died in 2013. He is survived by his sister Jennifer.


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On the edge of an ethnic and religious war in Burma, Pastor K. runs an underground missionary training school and Bible college. Anti-Christian vandals have repeatedly attacked his home and campus, breaking windows and painting threats in graffiti on the fence.
The Solution
Pastor K. went to the police and the only help they could provide was a suggestion to get a security system. Help us restore peace to this outpost of the Gospel: Pastor K. needs about $1000 to install a security system.


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Information for G04177
Assessing and addressing the impact of large-scale land acquisitions on ape conservation: Borneo case study
Nicola K Abram, Sophia Kiyoko Nakano, Susan Lusiana, Jamie Faselt
Indonesia and Malaysia are currently the only two countries with wild orangutan populations. These two countries are also the world's two leading palm oil producers. While revenue from oil palm can provide economic benefits at national and local levels, the oil palm sector has been underpinned by poor land allocation procedures and corruption, which has had a negative impact on species such as orangutan and biodiversity more generally.
Despite the orangutan being fully protected under Indonesian and Malaysian law, no law prevents the destruction or degradation of orangutan habitat in either country. Unless both nations implement progressive solutions to improve land use allocation for oil palm, curb forest conversion and protect habitats, the viability of this critically-endangered species will be tenuous at best.
This report provides a summary of the geographical overlap between Bornean orangutan habitat and areas demarcated for large-scale oil palm developments, as well as the extent to which orangutan habitat and known populations lie within existing protected areas in Kalimantan (the Indonesian portion of Borneo) and Sarawak and Sabah (which belong to Malaysia).
Publication information
- IIED code: G04177
- Published: Jul 2017 - Ridge to Reef, Living Landscape Alliance, Borneo Futures, Hutan, and Land Empowerment Animals People, Kota Kinabalu
- Area: Indonesia, Malaysia
- Themes: Land acquisitions and rights, Biodiversity
- Language:
Project information
Recent years have witnessed a new wave of large scale acquisitions for agribusiness investments in Africa and Asia. Countries that house a large proportion of the world's biodiversity and ape habitats and populations have lost areas of high biodiversity land to commercial agriculture. Despite much effort at local, national and global levels, evidence on the exact scale, location and coverage of agribusiness investments remains patchy and often unreliable.
More at www.iied.org:
Addressing the interplay between agribusiness investments and ape conservation


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|Werner LEMBERG
|Re: [Groff] Adding fonts to groff -- instructions?
|Sun, 12 Mar 2006 02:49:46 +0100 (CET)
> It seems a lot of people would like to have such instruction. > Ergo - please, write at least a draft of it (preferably in sh). I did! I've sent it to the list yesterday, it appears in the list archive, but it hasn't shown up (yet?) on the list. Strange. Here it is again. Werner ====================================================================== > Now I want to add an ESSTIX font (which comes with .pfb, .afm, .pfm, > and .ttf files) and the only doc I can find is in the momdoc > appendices, at > http://faustus.dyn.ca/mom/momdoc/appendices.html#FONTS but > registration of the new font is Debian-specific. > > Are there any more general instructions? Have I missed some? Indeed, there aren't instructions within groff which clearly say how to do it. The following should be done -- is there a good guy who converts this to good English which a novice can understand? I think the appropriate place is grops.man, with a proper reference in groff.man (and probably troff.man). . Convert your font to something groff understands. This is either a PostScript Type 1 font in PFA format or a PostScript Type 42 font, together with an AFM file. The very first characters in a PFA file look like this: %!PS-AdobeFont-1.0: A PFB file has this also in the first line, but the string is preceded with some binary bytes. The very first characters in a Type 42 font file look like this: %!PS-TrueTypeFont This is a wrapper format for TrueType fonts. Old PS printers might not support it (this is, they don't have a built-in TrueType font interpreter). If your font is in PFB format (such fonts normally have `.pfb' as the file extension), you might use groff's `pfbtops' program to convert it to PFA. For all other font formats I suggest to use the `FontForge' font editor (available from http://fontforge.sf.net) which can convert most outline font formats. . Convert the AFM file to a groff font description file with the `afmtodit' program. An example call is afmtodit Foo-Bar-Bold.afm textmap FBB which converts the metric file `Foo-Bar-Bold.afm' to the groff font `FBB'. If you have a font family which comes with normal, bold, italic, and bold italic faces, it is recommended to use the letters `R', `B', `I', and `BI', respectively, as postfixes in the groff font names to make groff's `.fam' request work. An example is groff's built-in Times-Roman: The font family name is `T', and the groff font names are `TR', `TB', `TI', and `TBI'. . Install both the groff font description files and the fonts in a `devps' subdirectory of the font path which groff finds. See the `ENVIRONMENT' section in troff(1) which lists the actual value of the font path. Note that groff doesn't use the AFM files (but it is a good idea to store them anyway). . Register all fonts which must be downloaded to the printer in the `devps/download' file. Currently, due to a limitation in the PostSript device of groff (grops), only the first occurrence of this file in the font path is read. This means that you should copy the default `download' file to the first directory in your font path and add your fonts there. To continue the above example we assume that the PS font name for Foo-Bar-Bold.pfa is `XY-Foo-Bar-Bold' (the PS font name is stored in the `internalname' field in the `FBB' file), thus the following line should be added to `download'. XY-Foo-Bar-Bold Foo-Bar-Bold.pfa
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text: Interested in sponsoring or partnering on the fourth annual Denver Beer Festivus? We have various digital channels that provide cross-platform amplification opportunities for your brand's message. Did we mention our fans are some of the most enagaged in the industry? We're always looking for great brands and companies to share our passion. Follow the link below to find out more!


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Updating your joint venture agreement is essential to maintaining compliance with SBA's regulations and failing to update could cost you contracts.
In Stacqme, LLC, SBA No. SIZ-5976 (Dec. 10, 2018), the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals held that a mentor-protege joint venture's failure to update its JV agreement caused the agreement to be non-compliant with the SBA's rules, and meant that the joint venture was ineligible for an SDVOSB set-aside contract.Continue reading