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Peter Cocoziello isn't alone in seeing the problems — and potential — posed by New Jersey's empty suburban office campuses.
But while he's looked at several sites in the state's growing bank of vacant properties, it wasn't until he looked more closely at his own backyard that Cocoziello saw the perfect opportunity — and a town that saw it, too.
That site is the former Sanofi U.S. research and development complex in Bridgewater, barely 4 miles from where Cocoziello's Advance Realty has made its home for more than 30 years.
"There's never been a location that we felt so confident about," said Cocoziello, president and CEO of the Bedminster developer.
Advance and CrossHarbor Capital Partners, a Boston investment firm, announced they had acquired the 1.2 million-square-foot campus, which Cocoziello touts as a unique opportunity in suburban real estate. So after completing one of the state's largest deals so far this year — the sale was finalized in April — the developer has turned its focus toward reimagining much of the 110-acre site.
The firm will keep about two-thirds of the developed space — mainly lab and production buildings at the rear of the site, which already have been leased by Amneal Pharmaceuticals and Ashland Specialty Ingredients. But it will raze some 400,000 square feet of older office space to make way for a mix of residential units, a hotel, dining and retailers.
"You could see how we could look at this not as a suburban campus, but actually look at it as a micro city or … as a town center concept," Cocoziello said during a recent interview at the property. Advance also is "is discussion with a corporate user for a large build-to-suit," he added, noting that the site has some 45 acres of undeveloped land.
It seems like the kind of model that could be replicated across New Jersey, but there's a reason Cocoziello waited until he found this site to take the plunge. Few other towns are as willing to collaborate on projects that could involve a residential component, and the Sanofi complex has several features — like an on-site power plant and modern research space — that other vacant office parks and pharma hubs are missing.
It doesn't hurt that the site, which Advance now calls the Center of Excellence, has those two new tenants, which signed leases before Sanofi handed over the keys.
"When that occurs, you recognize that you have some runway in order to really turn this around and make something positive happen," Cocoziello said.
That was not lost on the French pharmaceutical giant, which keeps its North American headquarters at another office in Bridgewater, but vacated the R&D hub in July 2012. Dan Loughlin, the broker who represented Sanofi, said it "understood the risk of being a landlord and was willing to undertake that obligation, with the exit strategy" of finding enough tenants to stabilize the property.
"That enabled us to sell it as an investment sale and a redevelopment asset," said Loughlin, a Jones Lang LaSalle managing director. Rather than dumping the property as a single site, "we were able to get these two leases that underwrote that acquisition."
Together, Ashland and Amneal are leasing about 345,000 square feet.
A walk through Sanofi's former lab areas reveals a trove of seemingly ready-to-use research equipment left behind, in space that is only about a decade old. That's got Cocoziello bullish about attracting new science and pharmaceutical tenants — despite the local contraction in those industries.
Cocoziello's confidence also is fed by cooperation from local officials. In August, Bridgewater's council rezoned the property to allow for multiple users.
Mayor Dan Hayes said the governing body is keeping an open mind, weighing residents' interests with the need to accommodate the "creative workforce" that will support commercial users.
"All of those things need to come together," Hayes said. "Whether they all come together on one particular site or they come together in one particular area, for me, that's still up for grabs and part of the discussion."
He added that "the impact on schools needs to be weighed … but that is not something that is an end-all."
Another key for the property will be having its landlord on site — Advance has moved its headquarters to the campus from its longtime home in nearby Bedminster. Cocoziello hopes tenants see that "when you're on premise, we're going to make sure that everything is done properly," and that it makes it easier to work with the many consultants who will be needed to redevelop the site.
E-mail to: firstname.lastname@example.com
On Twitter: @joshburdnj


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New York
70 notebooks on display at the Art Directors' Club in New York City.
106 West 29th Street - New York, NY 10001
June, 1-29, 2007
To launch the new US City Notebook, Moleskine has given 70 blank, manually bound books to some of the most creative artist, architects, film directors, graphic designers, illustrators, and writers from around the world.
These luminaries have been invited to fill a notebook describing their daily journeys and life experiences in a project to support lettera27, a non-profit foundation whose mission is to defend the right to literacy and education in the world's most deprived areas.
These 70 notebooks were shown in Detour at the Art Directors' Club in New York.
The show had a special private preview May 20th, during the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. The exhibit opened to public June 1, during the start of Book Expo America, the premier event serving the U.S. book publishing industry.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Luxurious and Funky Accomodations
We chose North Adams, Massachusetts for our getaway this year because of its proximity to our Albany, NY hub and because most of us had not yet been to MassMoca, a great contemporary art museum that has exhibitions of incredible, huge sculptures and installations.
|A very cozy reading room
The Porches is a historic hotel consisting of several adjacent rooming houses that were home to textile mill workers in the 19th century. The hotel is funky and decorated with interesting artwork and is walking distance to downtown North Adams and its many shops and restaurants. It is right next to MassMoca, which consists of many of these cavernous old factory spaces.
|A palatial and stylish bathroom
Ladies Weekend Essentials
It was a wonderful overnight stay, but to top things off, I was pleasantly surprised the next morning when I stumbled into the breakfast room for a (series of great cups of) coffee and saw that there were many gluten-free things to eat, including granola, breakfast cereals, hardboiled eggs and bread. While none of the "Ladies" were gluten-free, I was pleased to see that if I want to spend a romantic getaway weekend with the celiac husband, we will both be wonderfully housed and fed.
|In a hotel cat's world it's always nap time


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If you haven't seen them already, Soma is now offering the Buena Vista Mixte as a 650b complete bike. I built this one up with a few special parts that don't come on the standard build.
I swapped the stock black tires for some cream Soma New Xpress 650Bs and traded the Moustache II bars for a set of the Ahearne x M.A.P. bars.
I liked how it came out but it was missing a set of fenders. Luckily, we just got in the first run of Tanaka 650b fenders for the Grand Randonneurs. They're powder coated to match the GR, but I think they look really nice with the cream Soma tires.
Plenty of clearance for 50mm fenders on the Buena Vista. The new Tanakas come pre drilled, and use 2 bolt stay clamps to make them easier to install and simple to adjust. One benefit of this style clamp is that it allows the stay to be in direct contact with the fender blade, so there's no risk of cracking at the bolt hole.
Just as I was finishing off this post Adrian came in from the warehouse and told me that another shipment arrived from Japan. Obviously I had to investigate, and to my delight I learned that our long awaited 650b tires had arrived.
The Grand Randonneur tire is the lightest 42mm tire on the market at just 300g. They use Panracer's lightest casing and the same supple rubber compound found in our other tires.
The tread pattern is minimal, featuring a slick center contact area and recessed radial ribs on the sides.
These tire are so light you'll think you're holding a road tire, but they're a true 42mm wide.
As we know, a low pressure tire will have better grip the more rubber is in contact with the pavement. The Grand Randonneur tires has no diagonal ridges to increase grip and reduce drag.
The sidewalls feature a special coating to prevent sun damage.
We realized that the extra light tires weren't going to be appropriate for some of the riding we like to do, so a heavier duty option is also available.
These feature a thicker tread and reinforced sidewalls to prevent cuts and tears.
The rolling resistance these tires offer is really unparalleled by anything on the market.
It's safe to say 650b is here to stay, and we're really pleased we're able to offer the state of the art in this category. We think these really raise the bar for what a high volume tire is capable of.


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Mahjong memoirs ™
iOS Universal Entertainment
=== Mahjong memoirs ™ Here ===
Mahjong memoirs ™ was designed specifically for your iPhone or iPod touch, iPad, allowing you to enjoy Mahjong Solitaire anywhere.
Discover a beautiful and timeless tale of forbidden love in this reinvention of Mahjong Relive a touching wartime romance while immersed in exquisite Japanese-style art and serene music. Enjoy the Mahjong gameplay as you test your skills in Endless Mode to win unique trophies and earn special master badges. With a moving story, tons of levels and innovative features, Mahjong Memoirs has something for everyone!
One of the primary measures of a good mahjong game is the amount of time it coaxes its players to invest matching tiles. Judged by this standard, Mahjong Memoirs is a winner. With hundreds of original tile layouts, plus a standalone story mode that ought to take most players at least five or six hours to work through, there's a good chance you'll be playing this latest iteration of the ancient Chinese game for weeks, if not longer.
But the game's impressive scope isn't the only reason to play. It also provides players with a variety of engaging, non-traditional objectives.
Of course, if you focus too much on making sequences you could end up ignoring important parts of the puzzle-those deep stacks and long rows mentioned above-which will hurt your chances of clearing the board the old fashioned way should your sequence plans not pan out.
Still, making sequences is addictive. In fact, you can actually make multiple sequences in the same puzzle, creating additional gold tiles. This can be very helpful in later puzzles that have hundreds of tiles, making matching two specific golden tiles a real challenge. With four or six golden tiles in the mix your chances of a quick clear grow substantially.
Then there are the trophies-more than 50 of them for accomplishments such as matching multiple identical pairs and earning a perfect three stars in endless mode-ranking names, and unlockables, which include fresh backgrounds, new tile sets, and additional tracks to grow your library of traditional oriental background music (though, it's worth adding, the game's length virtually guarantees that players will eventually grow weary of its score).
All this, and I haven't even touched on story mode yet. Story mode will appeal to the more conventional mahjong player. Players are led through several dozen puzzles by a kind old woman who is teaching us how to play the game while giving us a tour of her stately home (this is how we unlock the backgrounds). We can still construct sequences, but time and points do not play a role.
====== Thank you to everyone involved! ======


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Review | Author Bio | Read an Excerpt
Group Publishing's Bio:
For 30 years, Group Publishing has produced relational church resources for all ages, including books, curriculum, magazines, church leadership and volunteer training events, and youth workcamps. All of Groups resources are committed to the 1 Thing, which is a growing relationship with Jesus, and to being R.E.A.L: Relational, Experiential, Applicable, and Learner-Based.
Visit 's website at www.grouppublishing.com


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GRTU Members -
We have received a COC grant request from Greg Meyer of the Kiap-TU-Wish chapter in Wisonsin's driftless area.
The project is a restoration project that will reintroduce Native Brook Trout to the Trimbelle River, a high quality spring creek located in the driftless area of Western Wisconsin.
This project will stabilize severely eroding banks, provide in-stream cover, and increase spawning habitat. Stream bank tapering and plantings along the riparian strip will increase flood control/capacity and reduce the flow of sediment and pollutants into the stream. Narrowing and deepening the stream with rock will improve water quality and lower water temperature which will benefit reintroduction of Brook Trout. Bank stabilization with prairie grasses and in-stream habitat provided by lunker structures, plunge pools, and boulder clusters strategically placed within the stream will increase in-stream refugia and propagation opportunities for fish and stream wildlife. TUDARE6 emphasizes that restoration practices on cold-water Class II trout streams such as the Trimbelle have dramatic, immediate and long-term positive impacts to the stream and its wildlife. Upon completion, this project will restore approximately 4,392 feet of the Trimbelle.
In addition, one of the objectives would be to decrease erosion and sediment load to the Mississippi River.
GRTU would be one of several supporting organizations, and we have requested GRTU signage as well as a completion report when the project concludes.
The GRTU board approved the Kiap-TU-Wish grant request during the board meeting on Jan 26, 2013
This represents the seventh major Coldwater Conservation Outreach grant awarded by GRTU since the program's inception.
Previous grants were awarded to:
Trout Run Creek - Minnesota
South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon - Colorado
Los Alimitos Creek - New Mexico
Talarik Creek and the TU Pebble Mine Opposition Project - Alaska
Lower Mountain Fork River - Oklahoma * (funding temporarily returned )
Lake Yellowstone - Lake Trout mitigation
COC Grant Request - Trimbell River Wsconsin
This forum contains information about the COC fund activities. It is linked to the web site.
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COC Grant Request - Trimbell River Wsconsin
Mark Dillow
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Hey guys,
We just added another NEW Singaporean drama from Media Corp to our Singaporean drama library today.
*The Ultimatum (Episode 30)
*CLIF (Episodes 1-20)
*The Golden Path (Episodes 1-30)
*Unriddle (Episodes 1-20)
Each show is available in North and South America.
Premium members have access to ALL episodes* while free users can watch 5-6 episodes/week.
The Ultimatum
Zheng Wen Yu (Hong Hui Fang) was pregnant when she was taken advantage of by her boss Ye Song Nian (Chen Shu Cheng), the CEO of Phoenix Corporation. Both Wen Yu and Song Nian's wife gave birth to daughters in the same hospital. As fate will have it, the hospital made a mistake and swapped the babies. Because Wen Yu's daughter was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, she kept silent about the mistake so that her daughter can receive the best medical care with Song Nian's wealth. Song Nian's daughter, Song Qiao (Fann Wong) grew up in the shadow of Wen Yu's hatred and has to endure both verbal and physical abuse. She eventually becomes a lawyer and fights for the rights of the weak. On the other hand, Wen Yu's daughter Yu Chen (Zoe Tay) grew up in the hostile and competitive household of the Ye, and gets embroiled in the struggle for power. As the secret of the past catches up with them, the stage is set for vengeance and destruction.
An overseas delegation led by the foreign minister gathers at a country club, policemen Zhang Gui Xiang (Elvin Ng) and Han Xiao Yang (Tracy Lee) are patrolling the golf course when a garbage can explodes. At another part of the island, a group of workers gathered outside a commercial building demanding higher wages. Inspectors Tang Yao Jia (Qi Yu Wu) and Liao Xin Yi (Joanne Peh) rush onsite to pacify and disperse the crowd. Chaos breaks out when someone shouted anti-government slogans. On an island outside of Singapore, patrol boat commander Zhang Cen Lin (Chris Tong) and her team are investigating strange blasting noises and discover bomb remnants. She suspects that bomb testing is being carried out on the island. Singapore is hosting the World Security Summit, Senior Station Inspector Zhong Yi Da (Tay Ping Hui) worries that the series of events may be connected in some ways to jeopardise the Summit. Who is the group masterminding the plot and what is their real motive?
The Golden Path
The story begins in the early 80s...Xiao Gu, a young widow with three children set up a street stall named "Happy Restaurant" to earn a living. She meets a new love, Ah Jin, but he is exposed as a robber on their wedding day and is shot by the police. On his deathbed, he pleads with Xiao Gu to take care of his two children, Jinlong and Jinfeng.
With her optimism towards life, Xiao Gu readily takes on the challenge of raising five young children. Over the years, her good business acumen makes her restaurant a success, and she even ventures into other businesses. While her business thrives, Xiao Gu's family is slowly consumed by misunderstanding and animosity. While her own children Kaida, Kaijie and Kaiqi are hardworking and look set for a bright future, Jinlong turns out to be a loafer and Jinfeng daydreams about becoming an actress. As Xiao Gu's children each took a different path in life, their hostility deepens and the family breaks apart.. Will Xiao Gu's optimism hold or will she finally succumb to the adversity of her life?
Xiao Man (Rui En) is an inspector in the police force who is about to crackdown on a human trafficking ring, only to be thwarted by Yu Ze (Tay Ping Hui). Unknown to her, Yu Ze and his informant, Zheng Yi (Chen Li Ping) have been setting the stage to bring down the ring leader. When the time finally comes, Yu Ze goes missing. The plot thickens when a supposedly abducted woman becomes a prime suspect in a kidnapping case. As Xiao Man investigates further into these 2 related cases, she uncovers another 15 year-old case that was once investigated by Yu Ze and his ex-teammates. While one of them died in the course of duty, the rest of team either went missing or was murdered. Back in her apartment, Xiao Man discovers that someone has planted pinhole cameras and bugging devices, monitoring her every move. Who has been secretly spying on Xiao Man? Is the 15 year-old cold case involving Yu Ze the missing link?
Keep those Singaporean titles coming! Thank you!
I know there are people that like drama. I mean, that's great and everything. I just don't like the idea of my premium dollars going towards this stuff. I like anime, not soap operas. We have plenty of those in the United States, but we don't have any anime channels.
Me wo mite, itsu aeru?
Who cares about drama. I want Dog Days 2 !!! Worldwide licence !!! A lot shows licenced this season but nearly all of them are again unavaible.
Well i still will pay for crunchy realeses simply watch it elsewhere...
Only idiots can learn to fly. [4LCDN8WLAUD]
Am happy and look forward to watching these dramas. They look very good and interesting. Now if I only did not have to work so much...
You do realize that there is a separate subscription for Drama's so there not taking money from the anime subs to pay for the drama's
Time of Eve Rocks :-)
Asian woman look so beautiful in the Korean/Japanese/Singaporean and Chinese dramas *_* I live to admire there beauty from a far XD
I am not a king, I am a god! And even kings kneel before gods!


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10:30 am
Lidia's Italy In America "Kansas City: Italian American Steak In Kansas City" NULL
11:00 am
Social Studies In Action: A Methodology Workshop, K-5 "Workshop 6. Engaging Students In Active Learning" How do we engage students in active learning? In this session, the teachers examine the elements of authentic instruction and cooperative learning to identify ways of engaging students in social studies content. They review the importance of questioning in relation to higher-order thinking and explore classroom strategies to stimulate thinking and bring social studies concepts to life for their students. D
12:00 pm
Assessment In Math and Science: What's The Point? "That Would Never Work Here!" What does assessment reform actually look like? This workshop follows the stories of Barbara, a math teacher in Whittier, California, and Scott, a science teacher in Louisville, Kentucky, as they share how theyare incorporating assessment into their teaching. Emphasis will be placed on the colleague support structure; teachers sharing ideas with and getting help from other teachers. D
1:30 pm
Connecting with the Arts: A Teaching Practices Library, 6-8 "Exploring Our Town" Seventh- and eighth-grade students explore Thornton Wilder. D
2:00 pm
Death: A Personal Understanding "Facing Mortality" How can we prepare for death? By preparing, do we enhance or diminish our lives? A retired performer, an epidemiologist now suffering from AIDS, a young businesswoman, a Holocaust survivor, and a war journalist discuss how facing their own deaths and the deaths of others has affected. D
2:30 pm
Death: A Personal Understanding "Deathbed" In the last century, the scene of the deathbed drama has moved, overall, from home to hospital. Still, even surrounded by technology, the deathbed scene remains emotional for those who participate. We meet a young man who loses his mother to cancer, a couple who lose their five-year-old daughter, and a young widow who recounts the final serene days of her husband's battle with leukemia. D
3:00 pm
Rediscovering Biology: Molecular to Global Perspectives "Session 11. Biology of Sex and Gender" Several genes help determine what makes a human embryo develop female or male sexual anatomies. This session examines recent findings which have challenged previous beliefs about the roles of anatomy, environment, and genetics in the determination of gender, and the evolution of sexual determination. D
3:30 pm
Rediscovering Biology: Molecular to Global Perspectives "Session 12. Biodiversity" With current extinction rates exceeding those of previous mass extinctions, many biodiversity studies focus on efforts to count the Earth. D
4:00 pm
5:00 pm
Chef John Besh's New Orleans Chilled Tomato Soup with Tapenade, Trout Amandine, and Buttermilk Panna Cotta. D
5:30 pm
Sara's Weeknight Meals "Poultry Dinner" Poultry seems to find its way onto many dinner tables for quite a few weeknight meals. It's versatile, affordable, and everyone likes it. For a new twist, try Chicken with Sausage and Hot Cherry Peppers. D
6:00 pm
Rick Steves' Europe "Portugal's Heartland" Rick eats barnacles in an old fishing town, marches with pilgrims, and views riches of the country's Golden Age.G
6:30 pm
Travelscope "Istanbul - at the Crossroads of History" From its days as the capital of the Roman Empire in the 4th century to its selection as the European Capital of Culture in 2010, Istanbul has been a significant city and major crossroad between East and West for thousands of years. Its geopolitical location has created a vibrant metropolis rich with a wide range of cultural attractions. Joseph investigates the city's past and meets Istanbul's diversity head on in the bazaars, restaurants, churches, mosques and alleyways of Istanbul's many historic neighborhoods. D
7:00 pm
P. Allen Smith's Garden Home "Texture, Pattern and Rhythm" Smith demonstrates the three design elements throughout his garden. He also offers tips on taking care of espalier fruit trees.G
7:30 pm
Ask This Old House "Upgrading a Neglected Urban Patio; Hanging a Heavy Mirror" Landscape contractor Roger Cook heads to San Francisco to upgrade a neglected urban patio. Then Roger, along with host Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva and plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, asks, "What is it?" Afterward, Tom shows Kevin how to hang a heavy mirror on a wall. D
8:00 pm
For Your Home "Victory Junction" With a lot of help from her friends, Vicki creates a much needed lounge space for the bighearted counselors of Victory Junction, a camp for children with extremely debilitating diseases. D
8:30 pm
Katie Brown Workshop "Gifts" Katie finds the perfect gift to give. In the kitchen, she makes edible presents: granola, matzo ball soup, and tomato sauce and croutons. Projects: custom gift-wrap tags and a unique idea from the herb garden. D
9:00 pm
Knit and Crochet Now! "Be Jewelled" Learn how to make a stunning crochet beaded bracelet and felted knit cherries bracelet plus barrette. Interview with Norah Gaughan, creative director Berroco Yarn company. D
9:30 pm
Donna Dewberry Show "More Than A Scrapbook" Donna shows how to create painted scrapbook pages, then uses fabric to personalize a scrapbook cover.G
10:00 pm
America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated "Summertime Supper Fare" Test cook Bridget Lancaster shows host Christopher Kimball how to make the ultimate Charcoal-Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Then, gadget guru Lisa McManus reveals her favorite summertime kitchen gadgets. Finally, test cook Julia Collin Davison uncovers the secrets to Foolproof Grilled Tuna steaks. D
10:30 pm
Lidia's Italy In America "Kansas City: Italian American Steak In Kansas City" NULL
11:00 pm
Theater Talk Critics Scott Brown (New York Magazine), Jacques le Sourd (WCBS Radio) , David Richardson (WOR), and Elisabeth Vincentelli (New York Post) evaluate the current Broadway season. Among the shows they discuss are: The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Road to Mecca and Seminar. D
11:30 pm
Closer to Truth "What Would Intelligent Aliens Mean?" Do intelligent aliens exist? Who knows? But here's what I do know: The potential existence of intelligent aliens probes meaning and purpose in the universe. D


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Urbanization contributes to the loss of the world's biodiversity and the homogenization of its biota. However, comparative studies of urban biodiversity leading to robust generalities of the status and drivers of biodiversity in cities at the global scale are lacking. Here, we compiled the largest global dataset to date of two diverse taxa in cities: birds (54 cities) and plants (110 cities). We found that the majority of urban bird and plant species are native in the world's cities. Few plants and birds are cosmopolitan, the most common being Columba livia and Poa annua. The density of bird and plant species (the number of species per km2) has declined substantially: only 8% of native bird and 25% of native plant species are currently present compared with estimates of non-urban density of species. The current density of species in cities and the loss in density of species was best explained by anthropogenic features (landcover, city age) rather than by non-anthropogenic factors (geography, climate, topography). As urbanization continues to expand, efforts directed towards the conservation of intact vegetation within urban landscapes could support higher concentrations of both bird and plant species. Despite declines in the density of species, cities still retain endemic native species, thus providing opportunities for regional and global biodiversity conservation, restoration and education.
1. Introduction
Over half of humanity now live in cities [1], which cover less than 3% of the Earth's terrestrial surface [2]. Cities are often located in naturally species-rich regions [3–5] where native species are threatened by an array of anthropogenic factors, including habitat loss and species introductions [6] that present serious conservation challenges [7]. Given that the world's urban population is growing at nearly 1% per annum on average [1] and cities are expanding geographically at a higher rate than population growth, particularly in key biodiversity hotspots [8], a better understanding of the global patterns of urban species composition and its drivers is necessary for sustainable urban planning and conservation.
Despite recognition by the Convention on Biological Diversity [9] of the importance of biodiversity in cities and a history of urban ecology research [10–11], global-scale syntheses of urban biodiversity are lacking [12]. A few studies have compared the diversity of single taxa within cities across continents [13–16], but the majority of urban biodiversity research has focused on compositional patterns within individual cities. Generalities made on the effects of urbanization on the patterns and drivers of species diversity have been primarily based on studies of individual cities [17]. While it is clear that urbanization changes the local biota, comprehensive analyses determining the level to which urbanization has changed biodiversity at the global scale are lacking.
Commonalities in the development histories and spatial structure among cities, in combination with human-mediated biotic interchange, have been hypothesized to result in biotic homogenization, or an increase in compositional similarity over time, across the world's cities [13]. Cities are novel ecosystems [18], characterized by fragmented and disturbed environments, high densities of fabricated structures and impervious surfaces with strong heat-retaining abilities, and elevated levels of some resources [19]. In particular, invasions of a similar suite of exotic species owing to human-mediated biotic interchange and extinctions of indigenous native species owing to habitat alteration and destruction may lead to a homogenized biota across the world's cities, as has been shown for continent-wide analyses [20].
To facilitate global-scale comparative studies of urban biodiversity and analyse the global consequences of urbanization on biodiversity, we compiled urban bird species lists for 54 cities and city-wide floras of spontaneously established (species that establish and grow without human intent) vascular plants for 110 cities. The lists encompass 36 countries on six continents and six biogeographic realms (figure 1; and see the electronic supplementary material, tables S1 and S2), and represent the largest global compilation of urban biodiversity data to date. The cities cover a range of human population sizes (1.3 × 104 to 1.8 × 107), geographical areas (15–2778 km2) and establishment dates (4000 BC to AD 1971). We examined the status of bird and plant diversity in the world's cities, homogenization of the biota, the density of species relative to estimates of non-urban levels, and the anthropogenic and environmental correlates of the density of species in cities.
2. Methods
(a) Biological data
City lists of birds and plants were obtained from the literature, databases and expert surveys (see the electronic supplementary material, tables S1 and S2). Plant lists included surveys of natural and spontaneous vegetation (the sum of species that are not planted at a given site and reproduce without human intent) collected since 1950. Bird lists included all species recorded during surveys conducted since 1990 that used standardized methods (atlas, point count, territory mapping). Some datasets were based on intensive surveys conducted for 1 or 2 years, whereas others represented data collected over multiple time periods. Datasets were complete lists from within the administrative boundary of a city, often including inner urban as well as the peri-urban areas. Few datasets were from the inner urban area only. Differences among cities owing to variation in sampling design should be minimal, because our analyses rely on comprehensive species lists from each city and not, for example, weighted measures of diversity. Vagrant and accidental bird species were excluded by experts from each region, and each species was assigned as being exotic or native to each city using BirdLife International range maps [21]. We combined all varieties and subspecies of plants and birds into single species. Plant species were designated native or exotic to each city after consulting the literature and experts from each region. We classified bird and plant species as threatened with extinction if they were categorized as critically endangered (CR), endangered (EN) or vulnerable (VU) under the IUCN Red List [22] in their native range. We excluded threatened species that were non-native to a city. We standardized bird taxonomy using BirdLife International's Taxonomic Checklist [23] and plant taxonomy using the Taxonomic Name Resolution Service [24].
The density of species of extant birds, all plants and native plants was calculated as the number of species per km2 for each city using estimates of city area (see the electronic supplementary material, table S6). We chose to examine the density of species within cities as this accounts for the large variability in area among the cities examined here, and species richness is strongly correlated with city area (log bird species richness and log city area: Pearson's r = 0.44, t = 3.53, p < 0.001; log plant species richness and log city area: Pearson's r = 0.31, t = 3.43, p < 0.001). We did not consider native birds separately, because the proportion of exotic bird species was very low for the majority of the cities considered (see the electronic supplementary material, figure S3). We used BirdLife International and NatureServe range maps [21] and the Kreft & Jetz [25] model of plant species richness to estimate the bird and plant species density of each city before urbanization (non-urban density of species). Non-urban density of bird species was estimated using range maps for the world's terrestrial birds from BirdLife International and NatureServe [21]. We considered breeding/resident ranges only and excluded marine species, resulting in a total of 9039 extant species. Range maps were rasterized using a cylindrical equal-area projection and a cell area of 3091 km2. Because range maps provide representations of species' extent of occurrence at coarse resolutions with little or no consideration of changes in occupancy owing to land-use change [26], they are ideally suited to estimate non-urban density of bird species within larger areas such as cities. Non-urban density of plant species was estimated using the co-kriging plant richness model from Kreft & Jetz [25]. This model quantified, at a coarse resolution, native patterns of plant species density where exotic species and other anthropogenic influences were minimized. This model is therefore well suited for estimating the non-urban density of plant species of cities. Density of plant species was gridded using a cylindrical equal-area projection and a cell area of 12 100 km2. The density of non-urban bird and plant species was estimated for each city from these two sources based on the number of species in the equal-area cell divided by the cell area that contained the city centre.
(b) Patterns of urban diversity
We used several metrics to examine the structure and composition of urban bird and plant communities for all cities combined and by biogeographic realm. We examined the representation of urban biotas within the world's biota using BirdLife International's Taxonomic Checklist [24] and a global list of vascular plant families with estimates of species richness compiled from multiple sources [27–31]. Patterns of species richness and the proportion of exotic species of birds and plants within cities were examined by biogeographic realm [32] using Student's t-tests. We examined compositional similarity among cities using a hierarchical cluster analysis and the β-sim dissimilarity index [33,34]. The clustering method used unweighted pair-groups and arithmetic averages, and we identified the most prominent clusters using an adaptive branch-pruning technique [35]. This procedure represents a more flexible alternative to the constant or static height approach by detecting clusters based on the structure of the branches within the dendrogram. We used the 'dynamic hybrid' method with a minimum cluster size of one and the deepSplit option set to zero. All analyses were conducted in the statistical package R v. 2.15.2 [36]. The hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted using the hclust function in the stats library and the cluster identification using the dynamicTreeCut library.
(c) Predictors of urban diversity
We considered 13 predictors of the density of bird and plant species and change in density of bird and plant species from non-urban levels (see the electronic supplementary material, table S6). Variables were selected to assess the role of potential anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic factors. Landcover was expected to be an important predictor of the density of species as it defines the quantity and quality of suitable habitats within the city [37,38]. The non-anthropogenic variables we chose have been shown to be important predictors of global patterns of species [39]. The landcover variables and all the non-anthropogenic variables were estimated within a 15 km radius circle of the city centre. We log-transformed the four density estimates and eight predictor variables to improve distributional properties. We evaluated variables for multi-collinearity and singularity using variance inflation factors (VIFs) where variables with VIF > 5 indicate a cause for concern and VIF > 10 indicate series collinearity [40]. We retained 10 predictors for analysis (see the electronic supplementary material, tables S4 and S5) after they were deemed to be statistically independent (VIF ≤ 5). We contrasted potential anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic factors using eight nested linear models and an information-theoretic approach [41]. To account for the inability of our data to meet all of the assumptions of least-squares regression, we used robust regression fitted using iterated reweighted least-squares with 10 000 maximum iterations within each model. The regression technique uses an M-estimator whose starting coefficients and fixed scale were given by an S-estimator [42]. Each model was run 1000 times, and the resulting Akaike information criterion with a correction for small sample size (AICc) scores [41] were averaged across runs. We ranked the eight models based on their AICc scores, with smaller values indicating models with greater relative statistical support.
The eight models included a full model that contained all 10 predictors, one anthropogenic model with three predictors, and one non-anthropogenic model with seven predictors (see the electronic supplementary material, tables S4 and S5). The anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic models were further divided into three submodels (see the electronic supplementary material, tables S4 and S5). The anthropogenic models considered city age and landcover features within the city. The non-anthropogenic models considered the geographical, climatic and topographic features of the city. Robust regression was implemented using the rlm function in the library MASS [43], and p-values were estimated using robust F-tests in the library sfsmisc.
3. Results and discussion
Bird and plant species richness differ broadly among cities with a median of 112.5 for birds (range: 24–368) and 766 for plants (range: 269–2528; figure 1; and see the electronic supplementary material, tables S1 and S2). Of the 10 052 recognized bird species worldwide, 2041 (20%) occur in our cities, representing nearly three-quarters of all bird families (144/198). Likewise, of the roughly 279 107 vascular plant species worldwide, 14 240 (5%) occur in these cities, representing two-thirds of all plant families (323/497). Hierarchical cluster analyses suggest that cities retain similar compositional patterns within biogeographic realms (see the electronic supplementary material, figures S1 and S2). We found that approximately 98% of urban bird assemblages correctly clustered and 79% of urban floras correctly clustered within realms. These findings show that, although some exotic species are shared across many cities, urban biotas have not yet become taxonomically homogenized at the global scale and continue to reflect their regional biogeographic species pool. Urban floras incorrectly clustered were primarily those in Australasia, which may be explained by the high proportion of exotic species from other regions in these cities (see the electronic supplementary material, figure S3), leading to more similar floras to these other regions. We did not analyse patterns of species abundance, owing to lack of data, which may increase similarity among cities in different biogeographic realms [44].
Exotic species are considered to be an increasing threat to global biodiversity [45]. The number of exotic species differs broadly among cities with a median of 3.5 exotic bird (range: 0–23) and 213 plant species (range: 38–1058; figure 1; and see the electronic supplementary material, tables S1 and S2). On average, cities have more native bird (paired Student's t = 11.45, d.f. = 53, p < 0.001) and plant species (paired Student's t = 12.20, d.f. = 109, p < 0.001; figure 1) than exotic species. The proportion of exotic bird and plant species is similar across realms except for Australasia (see the electronic supplementary material, figure S3), which is particularly skewed by the high proportions of exotic species in New Zealand cities (see the electronic supplementary material, tables S1 and S2), due primarily to deliberate introductions [46] and the presence of unfilled ecological niches. The relative proportion of exotic plant species is much greater than that of exotic bird species. Cities contain a median of 28% exotic plants and 3% exotic birds (see the electronic supplementary material, figure S3). These differences suggest that urban bird and plant communities are assembled under different processes. Greater propagule pressure, introduction rates [47] and establishment rates for exotic plants, in addition to differing environmental requirements for survival and success in urban environments, are likely to underlie these differences. Clearly, human-mediated global biotic interchange has played a considerable role in the development of urban plant communities [13].
Only a few cosmopolitan species occur across cities. In the case of birds, four occur in more than 80% of cities: Columba livia (rock pigeon, 51 cities); Passer domesticus (house sparrow, 48 cities); Sturnus vulgaris (European starling, 44 cities); and Hirundo rustica (barn swallow, 43 cities). For plants, 11 occur in more than 90% of cities, with the most common, Poa annua (annual meadow grass), occurring in 96% of the cities and in all biogeographic realms. Additional species that occur in all biogeographic realms include Capsella bursa pastoris (95% of cities), Stellaria media (94% of cities), Plantageo lanceolata (93% of cities) and Phragmites australis (90% of cities). The majority of these cosmopolitan plant species are archaeophytes, exotic species introduced into Europe before AD 1500, suggesting that the most widespread and successful urban plant species first developed urban populations in European anthropogenic landscapes before becoming established in cities outside of Europe through human immigration and commerce [13,48].
In our cities, we found 36 birds and 65 plants identified by the IUCN global Red List as threatened with extinction (see the electronic supplementary material, table S3) [22]. Threatened bird species occur in 14 cities (30%), with Singapore having the greatest number (n = 12). Threatened plant species are found in a much smaller proportion of cities (8%), with the greatest numbers found in Singapore (n = 41) and in Hong Kong (n = 13). Among realms, the greatest number of threatened bird (n = 15) and plant species (n = 54) are found in Indo-Malaya, whereas the Nearctic has the fewest threatened bird species (n = 2), and the Palearctic has the fewest threatened plant species (n = 3). This assessment of rare species in cities is expected to be conservative, particularly for plant species, as national lists may highlight additional species not assessed by the IUCN. For example, Australasian plant species are not included in the IUCN Red List, and endangered species are known to be present within cities in this realm.
We further examined patterns of biodiversity in cities using the density of species. The density of bird species in cities was 0.5 species km−2 (median), which differed among realms (robust ANOVA, F1,5 = 5.6, p = 0.016), with the highest densities in the Palearctic (figure 2), primarily European cities, and lowest in Nearctic and Australasia. A median of 3.3 species km−2 was found in these cities for native plants and 4.7 species km−2 for all plants (figure 2). The density of native plant species (robust ANOVA, F1,4 = 14.4, p < 0.001) and all plant species differed among realms (robust ANOVA, F1,4 = 17.3, p < 0.001), with cities in Indo-Malaya and Australasia having the lowest densities, probably owing to urban development histories [49].
Although our analyses thus far are positive indicators of the ability of cities to support diverse biotas, we found extensive decreases in the density of species for each city when compared with estimates of non-urban density of species. A median of 8% of non-urban density of bird species is currently found in these cities. This differed among realms (robust ANOVA, F1,5 = 6.0, p = 0.013), with the highest values occurring in the Palearctic and lowest in the Nearctic (figure 2). Cities currently support 36% of non-urban density of plant species, but this was reduced to 25% of non-urban density of plant species when only native plants were included. These values differed among realms for all plants (robust ANOVA, F1,4 = 15.5, p < 0.001) and native plants (robust ANOVA, F1,4 = 14.5, p < 0.001), with Indo-Malaya and Australasia experiencing the greatest loss in density of species compared with non-urban levels (figure 2). These regions are important biodiversity hotspots [50] and projected increases in urban land area in these regions [8] can be expected to have profound effects on the world's biodiversity.
In order to understand the factors that drive the density of species in cities, we examined anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic (environmental) correlates of the density of species and the change in the density of species from non-urban levels. The density of bird and plant species was best explained by anthropogenic features of the city (table 1). For birds, density of species was negatively associated with urban landcover. Thus, the greater the proportion of urban landcover in the city, the lower the density of bird species, indicating that vegetation structure is an important component of bird species conservation in cities, paralleling results from within-cities analyses [51]. For all plants (native and exotic) and only native plants, the density of species was positively associated with the cover of intact vegetation and city age (see the electronic supplementary material, table S4). Not surprisingly, greater proportions of intact vegetation in cities, as found in older cities, preserve plant species. These results highlight the importance of including remnant vegetation and restoring natural areas in the design of cities [49].
The same anthropogenic factors were identified as key predictors of the loss in density of birds and plants from non-urban levels (table 2; and see the electronic supplementary material, table S5). As expected, the characteristics of the city primarily determined the loss in the density of bird and native plant species. However, the best combination of predictors for all plants included the full complement of anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic factors (table 2). In addition to anthropogenic associations, negative associations with temperature and precipitation seasonality were identified for all plants (see the electronic supplementary material, table S5). These results indicate that exotic plant species compensate more substantially for losses in the density of species in regions with colder temperatures and lower precipitation seasonality, characteristics of northern temperate regions. The loss of native species [49,52] and the successful establishment of exotic species [53] is a dynamic process within urban plant communities that, when considered globally, is not exclusively related to human factors.
Here, we show that although cities support regional biodiversity and native species, the process of urbanization has had profound effects on biodiversity; cities worldwide contain substantially lower densities of species compared with non-urban levels. Efforts directed towards conservation and restoration of native vegetation within urban landscapes could support greater concentrations of both bird and plant species, ameliorating the projected declines of biodiversity with rapid urban growth [8]. Our study represents the largest urban global database of multiple taxa, but some realms are still under-represented, highlighting the lack and/or accessibility of systematic studies in these cities. There is an immediate need for better compilation and monitoring of urban biota in areas of high regional biodiversity, such as tropical cities and cities within biodiversity hotspots. Understanding the structure, composition and history of biodiversity in these regions is therefore paramount to reconciling human development with the maintenance of existing diversity and ecosystem services. The human experience is increasingly defined within an urban context. Our results highlight that cities can support both biodiversity and people, but retaining these connections requires sustainable urban planning, conservation and education focused on each city's unique natural resources.
Data accessibility
Species data are available in the electronic supplementary material and from the corresponding author. Sources of biotic, environmental and anthropogenic data are found in the electronic supplementary material.
Funding statement
This work was supported by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. P.P. was supported by project no. RVO 67985939, Praemium Academiae award (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) and resources of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.
We dedicate this work to our colleague, Steven E. Clemants, whose contribution to the study of urban biodiversity is greatly missed. We thank all who contributed data to this NCEAS working group, including L. Celesti-Grapow, R. Corlett, R. Duncan, A. K. Hahs, M. Hermy, S. Hose, E. Landolt, A. Mrkvicka, A. Naik, J. Njoroge, H. Nouman, R. Perry, R. Pineda López, G. L. Rapson, H. A. Rodríguez-Correa, M. Schwartz, S. Sen, K. Thompson and K. Watson. We are grateful to M. Cadenasso for helpful comments.
- Received December 20, 2013.
- Accepted January 17, 2014.
- © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.


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100 Black Men of Chicago hosted "A Night at the Museum" — an all-white party held Saturday, Aug. 6 at the Museum of Science and Industry to raise money for its mentoring programs. Democratic nominee for Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and Chicago City Treasurer Kurt Summers served as honorary chairs and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was also in attendance.
The organization, which established its local chapter in 1994, has programs for Chicago's Black youth throughout the city and extending to the South and West suburbs. Its mission is to "improve the quality of life and enhance the educational opportunities of African-American males throughout the Greater Chicago area."
One of 100 Black Men of Chicago's most significant initiatives is its annual college fair. Described as its signature event, the fair attracts over 200 colleges and universities as well as an estimated 4,000 students, parents, teachers, and education partners.
The 14th Annual College Scholarship Fair will be held Saturday, October 8, 2016, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UIC Pavilion. For more information, to register as a recruiter, or to register a student, visit 100bmc.org/csf.


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Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Thanks for your understanding.
Chris -- 2018-04-11
martyc35 reported "petty ante" back in 2005. This is a bit different.
[re someone who had made a big deal out of a nothing:] Her little petty … [pause] … Annie stuff!
And the police have no time to enforce this petty annie stuff.
You take someone out the hood who had petty annie type of doe and you drop huge stacks on them
You're losing time, energy, focus, concentration, willpower, brains, everything over petty BS. let the petty-annies be in their own petty-annie world.
I think you and yours know very little, actually, and just love to gripe….next time ANY of you Petty-Annie self rightgeous whiners care to mouth off…think about all the times that you don't know about,
You really got something to offer, and we're talking big here – not Petty Annie bunko rackets –
The double usage in the fourth example, with a nominal rather than adjectival meaning in the first case, is notable and a reasonably good indication that this is standard for someone (though of course maybe they liked it as a joke enough to repeat it).
Penny-ante is pretty opaque for a lot of us (I have the idea it has to do with a card game played for low stakes, but maybe it's craps rather than cards? Or both?) So it is ripe for eggcorning. And it is usually used metaphorically rather than literally, so literal identification with "ante" in "upping the ante" and so forth is likely to be weak.
We've talked before about different routes by which an eggcorn might come to be. This one is very likely to be a Spoonerish kind of metathesis: move all the nasality to the corresponding place in the second word, and move the stop-ness (the t-ness as opposed to the n-ness) to the corresponding place in the first word.
The meaning of "petty" fits fine: penny-ante stuff is trivial stuff. (Reminiscent of picky-oon , that).
The "Annie" fits fine too. Like "Johnny" in "Johnny-come-lately" or "Johnny-cake" (which may be eggcorned off "journey-cake"), it's a good generic name for a person who plays some stereotypical role, in this case one of being concerned about petty details. Stereotypically such a person would likely be a female—Like a nosey-Suzy, I guess. At least us he-men's stereotypes about ourselves usually don't run to this particular quality. And two-syllable names with a final diminutive -y/-ie seem to be especially susceptible to this kind of generic usage: Katy-bar-the-door could not easily be Kathryn-bar-the-door, nor would we easily say Jonathan-come-recently.
(By far the most "petty Annie" ghits were combinations with the surname Petty. Amazing how many of those there were.)
fwiw "vigil Annie" and "vigil auntie" occur, but they seem to be purposeful word-plays at least most of the time. Still:
was their Vigil Annie days which involved the whole school in a parade and dressing up western.
Then the outraged citizens who were stuck in traffic will turn vigil auntie and hang the bastard in the name of good gas mileage.
We have a vigil-auntie observing Main St. here in Whitehorse that is broadcast on local cable,
I think he is going more for objectivity in controversial cases and not catering to the vigil auntie mob rage surrounding the story.
The image of an elderly relative spying on one's relatively innocent doings is a pretty strong one to me. (In case anyone's unaware of it, the standard pronunciation of "auntie" would be [ˈænti] rather than [ˈanti] for a good many of us.)
Last edited by DavidTuggy (2008-12-17 19:15:58)
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
Wow. Simply awesome.
"Penny ante" is poker talk. I speak with the authority of a misspent youth.
Plenty of hits for "penny annie," too, which reinforces your analysis of "annie."
I wonder if these web sites are referring to Annie Lehmann*? I nominate her the patron saint of eggcorns.
Last edited by kem (2008-12-18 00:03:40)
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
Sane Annie Lehmann?? Swede Annie Lehmann?? Why not?
Last edited by DavidTuggy (2008-12-18 02:21:11)
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
This is lovely. I especially like "the petty-annies … in their own petty-annie world," which I think shows a clear link to Johny-come-lately and its (his?) ilk. "Petty-Annie self rightgeous whiners" is similarly suggestive, even if it is an adjective.
Calling the mysterious "annie" and "Lehmann" eggcorns leads to some perplexity. Normally eggcorns "re-image" a phrase. But a proper name does not have semantics. It is, as the linguistic philosophers say, "semantically unmotivated," presenting no image to "re-." We solve this problem in the case of "penny Annie" and "Lehmann's terms" by investing the names with a personality, "de-properising" them, as it were. But if the only motivation behind the deproperisation of a name is to make it work as an eggcorn, aren't we caught in a logical circle, inventing an image to make the word an eggcorn then calling it an eggcorn because of the image we invented?
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
Philosophers are pretty much all wet on this one (a proper name does not have semantics). The properer a name, the more meaning (imagery) it brings with it. Herbert and Eve Clark wrote a cool paper back in the 70's dealing with this; they were puzzled by the fact that supposedly meaningless proper nouns could be productively turned into quite understandable verbs with non-arbitrary meanings—that one could Houdini his way out of a closet, or get Houdini'd in the stomach. A name like Abraham or Muhammad is not meaningless, even when attached to someone other than Abraham or Muhammad themselves; and (Abraham) Lincoln, or Winston, or Barack, are highly meaningful names. Even a name like Annie in common use is meaningful: if I say it to my wife we will both (probably) get the picture of our neighbors' daughter, with lots and lots of imagery attached. Of course, we know that other people use Annie to refer to different girls or women than the one we first think of, so, sure, at a societal level the name is available to attach to different specific people. But proper names are not inherently meaningless; it is only because we are such a large society that we know different people of the same name that they may come to seem so.
I do not think Johnny in Johnny-come-lately, or Katy in Katy-bar-the-door, are meaningless or improper (sorta speak). Similarly, I do not think I am deproperizing Annie if I perceive her in petty-Annie.
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
The world is full of "people" who aren't real but are metaphorical. Johnny-come-lately; every Tom, Dick and Harry; Jimmy Crack Corn; Polly want a cracker.
"Annie" is exactly the sort of generic first name that lends itself to this. And it flows nicely with "petty."
There are also people who once were real people, and have become essentially a symbol; we might still know who they were, and it might have strong references in our culture today ("You made these cookies? How very Martha of you!"). Or, we might really only mean them symbolically, their individual actual life having ceased to be important, and their cultural significance having superceded it (Typhoid Mary).
re is Typhoid Mary
Me too!
Furthermore, note how many of the names TootsNYC suggests are generic/metaphorical are, as David suggested of Annie, "two-syllable names with a final diminutive -y/-ie [which] seem to be especially susceptible to this kind of generic usage." (Johnny, Harry, Jimmy, Polly)
Leaving aside the issue of generic or metaphorical names, even highly idiosyncratic names are meaningful in some sense(s). David says, "If I say ['Annie'] to my wife we will both (probably) get the picture of our neighbors' daughter, with lots and lots of imagery attached." I imagine that even those philosophers most dedicated to generative semantics or other specific theories would accept this level of meaningfulness: a specific referent known to some community of language users by the proper name.
Beyond even this, though, I think that there is probably a gradient of semantic richness that attaches to proper names. For example, one week ago a name like Muntazer al-Zaidi would not have suggested any unique referent to me, but it would have vaguely suggested sociological categories such as "Arab" and "Middle Easterner." Today, of course, it also suggests "journalist," "protester," and "size 10 shoes."
"For example, one week ago a name like Muntazer al-Zaidi…"
If this trend catches on, will we find ourselves in the future talking about protest targets having been "Muntazed?"
I'd been scratching my brain again, trying to remember the name for the proverbially optomistic (love that spelling) girl—Pollyanna! Yes, some sort of blending with that may have gone into "Petty Annie".
Also (sure enough):
In addition, her Polly Annie Playtime solutions to foreign policy make women look bad.
There's also "Annie-git-your-gun"; and the two get combined in
Polly-Annie-Git-Yer-Gun. I'll shoot any man that looks at me wrong,
The common noun and adjective "Pollyanna" come historically from the novel of that name. And I suppose "Annie-git-yer-gun" is a reference to Annie Oakley. But names of that sort, even when the original historical or literary referent is forgotten or not learned by a new generation, can last in fixed phrases of this sort. They are not thereby rendered meaningless, even though a lot of meaning (most of the associations brought by the original Pollyanna or Annie Oakley) is bleached out.
Anniehow (and yes, that occurs), there are some interesting parallels there.
Last edited by DavidTuggy (2008-12-19 20:33:42)
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
Philosophers are pretty much all wet on this one (a proper name does not have semantics).
I think you may be misunderstanding the point. The name "Vidkun Quisling" is, as a proper name, semantically empty. It is just a symbolic pointer to the person who is Vidkun Quisling. As linguists point out, proper names display their semantic oddness by their peculiar grammatical behavior-they do not take articles, they do not pluralize, they do not accept restrictive adjectival clauses.
Proper names, however, readily transform into verbs, adjectives and common nouns. We all know what happened to poor Vidkun's surname. Notoriety is not a prerequisite for this transformation. If I ask "Which of the three John Smiths are you talking about?" the proper name "John Smith" immediately becomes a common noun whose meaning is "a person named John Smith." The examples you give of "meaningful" names are all common nouns that were once proper nouns.
I have no trouble recognizing the eggcorn in a proper noun that has made its transition to a common noun before the eggcorn act. "John Hancock" as a signature could easily eggcorn into "John Handcock." It's these eggcorns in which the de-properisation is only recognized because we want to find an eggcorn that look suspicious. I don't know what an "annie" or a "lehmann" is. I can invest the words with a meaning based on annies and lehmann's I have known or read about, and, insofar as we share a literary culture or a circle of acquaintances, the investiture may result in a word that has some claim to a entry in Webster's next big dictionary. But when I only know that Annie is a skinflint because of the eggcorn "penny annie," is "penny annie" still an eggcorn? The "penny annie" eggcorn images, but it doesn't re-image, unless the "re-" part is allowed to refer to a post facto invention of a word with semantics.
Last edited by kem (2008-12-20 23:05:25)
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
But pointing to the person Vidkun Quisling opens up mental access to all that is known about that person. That (shared) knowledge too is meaning. Similarly pointing to the species "elephant", as the word elephant does, opens up mental access to all that is known about elephants, and that (shared) knowledge is meaning available for communication.
Another way to talk about it is to say that it all depends on the semantics of the word "semantics". If it only refers to non-defeasible, un-changing, "eternalized" associations of the structure under consideration, things that provide the crisp truth-values that philosophers prize so highly, sure, then a proper name or a pronoun may have little or conceivably even no semantics, but can and may even need to be seen as just a pointer. (Pronouns also do not take articles, do not pluralize straightforwardly, and do not readily accept restrictive adjectival clauses.) But that wouldn't mean they had no meaning(s).
But I find it much more useful to equate a form's semantics with all its meaning(s). I couldn't begin to think clearly about eggcorns, or jokes, or, really, even ordinary garden-variety syntactic structures, if I only considered denotative meanings. Very little of what we talk about on this forum, of what parts of a meaning or image contribute in what ways to an eggcorn, fit at all well in that kind of a model. And if defeasible, less-than-fully-central meanings are included within semantics (as I think they must be), proper nouns are certainly not meaningless.
Your "previous use as a common noun" criterion makes a sort of sense, but doesn't jive with how language usage and language learning interact. We often encounter a new usage and construe something in a new way for the first time simply because that is the best way to make sense of the new usage.
For instance, we are used to the fact that Shakespeare is the name for a body of literary works, as well as an author. For most of us, Harry Smith is not. But if someone were to ask, "Where could I find an account of the Battle of New Orleans from a British soldier's viewpoint?" and another were to answer, "Why don't you look in Harry Smith?", we would immediately deduce that (a) Harry Smith was a British soldier who (b) wrote something, likely including an account of the Battle of N.O., and (c ) that the speaker is referring to what he wrote by his name. It need not be pre-established to be accessible.
The first time I heard "Don't be a silly Billy", I realized that one who is silly is likely to be called a silly-Billy, without having pre-established Billy as a common noun. Why can't I do the same with "petty Annie", or "Lehmann's terms"?
The name Houdini need not have been (and probably wasn't) independently established as a common noun before being used as a verb in "Houdini your way out of the closet". It is usage in that structure, in the slot reserved for a certain kind of verb in the "way" construction, that clues a hearer in to the need to construe it in a new way. And the semantics of that new way can be be understood only if the name includes a lot of specifications beyond the "dictionary" meaning, or "denotation" or "truth-value meaning".
I truly don't think that the use of a proper name keeps this from being a clear kind of re-imaging, or makes it a completely different kind from what we find in other eggcorns.
(Sorry to be so long-winded. It's late, and I don't have time to work this through enough to make it short. The power-point on "Getting the joke" available at http://www.sil.org/~tuggyd/PowerPoints/ … nglish.htm talks about some of these issues—you'd probably enjoy it even if you'd wind up still disagreeing with me.)
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
David –
I'm not saying that "penny annie" is not an eggcorn. It may be. I'm just calling attention to some of the strange eggcorns candidates that we are nominating.
One disadvantage to calling "penny annie" an eggcorn, it seems to me, is that our minds automatically invoke the "re-imaging" aspect of eggcorn behavior, leading us to search for some semantically significant use of "annie" that could stand in place of the semantics of "ante." "What if," my more skeptical side keeps asking, "what if this is a snipe hunt? What if the English language issues to proper names a general license that permits them to join themselves to certain language structures without requiring these names to pass a semantic property test?"
We may just have to disagree about the role of semantics in all of this. I readily concede that proper names have a meaning. Their meaning is the person denoted by the proper name. In the first half of the twentieth century many linguistic philosophers-we call them today "logical positivists"-thought that this kind of direct reference was a paradigmatic kind of meaning. They sought to find the paths that would lead most words to the touchstone of direct reference. Modern philosophy, even modern linguistic philosophy, finds this idea of the positivists impossibly confining. What words point to, they all seem to agree, is not their ultimate referents in a physical matrix. The exact target that the meaning of words points to, however, is still a topic of much discussion. Opinions range from extremes that deny the pointing nature of words (e.g. linguistic analysts) to those that posit a quasi-Platonic intermediate realm of mental states (cognitive linguists), with all stops in between.
How one construes the word "semantics" depends, as you say, on what philosophy of language one subscribes to. However, I don't think that taking special note of the way that proper names, pronouns and demonstrative adjectives deliver their meaning commits one to the ontological positions held by the logical positivists. The positivists noticed the oddness of these constructions and built a philosophy around it. But their philosophy did not make the behavior of these constructions unusual, did they? These constructions seem to have their own oddness. So when modern linguists say that proper names are "semantically unmotivated," they aren't necessarily trying to sneak positivism in the back door. It seems to me that the curious grammatical behavior of proper nouns must be influenced, at least in part, by their failure to join in the semantic games played by common nouns.
Last edited by kem (2009-01-27 11:10:18)
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
Yes, proper nouns behave differently from common nouns. I think I can talk coherently about why. But it is not because they lack all meaning. Modern linguists (am I a pre-modern one?) come in all kinds and say many kinds of things. Which particular linguists do you have in mind who say proper names are semantically unmotivated? And what do they mean by that if not something positivist?
I can say "sure, it is semantically unmotivated that the girl next door is known to me as Annie". I can as easily say, "it is semantically unmotivated that the nearest star is known to me as sun, or that stars are known by the name star or dogs by the name dog, or that the planet I live on is known as Earth." But that doesn't mean the words sun, star, dog and Earth are meaningless.
Last edited by DavidTuggy (2008-12-20 23:17:25)
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
I hope David Tuggy will forgive me for posting a not-quite-sequitur in his thread, but all this talk of logical positivism reminds me of a remarkable anecdote I saw recently in Wikipedia's A. J. Ayer article about an incident involving that famous logical positivist in 1987:
At a party that same year held by fashion designer Fernando Sanchez, Ayer, then 77, confronted Mike Tyson harassing the (then little-known) model Naomi Campbell. When Ayer demanded that Tyson stop, the boxer said: "Do you know who the fuck I am? I'm the heavyweight champion of the world," to which Ayer replied: "And I am the former Wykeham Professor of Logic. We are both pre-eminent in our field. I suggest that we talk about this like rational men".[3] Ayer and Tyson then began to talk, while Naomi Campbell slipped out.
The footnote is to a biography of AJA, so maybe it happened.
Regardless of (one's assumptions of) the semantics of Annie as a lexical item, the fact remains that it can be seen as containing the morpheme -ie (-y). This morpheme has the semantic / compositional / motivated / what-have-you sense of "diminutive." And this meaning, at least, is therefore available for re-imaging.
While I'm on the soapbox, let me also point out that there is an assumption – perhaps unnoticed because it is commonly assumed by language scholars of many stripes – that words are part of a linguistic system, and that this linguistic system can be abstracted from any specific instance of language use. David's arguments above seem to suggest something that I would argue specifically: the process of creating eggcorns is a byproduct of language use (or maybe learning). A lack of match to linguistic theory may point to insufficiency of the theory as easily as complexity of usage.
I thought of an interesting example of the issue I raised this thread. When I was young, Liberace was a popular television performer. Liberace was not a fabricated stage name-it the Polish surname he acquired at birth. Liberace insisted that it was pronounced "lee-burr-AH-chee."
I remember that many people in my parent's generation called him "liber-archie." You can still find some examples of this spelling on the web. Presumably those who made this change were importing "Archie" (a name that was a lot more popular in my parents' generation than it is now) into "Liberace." I remember when I first heard "Liberarchie" that I wondered why someone named "Archie" would put "liber" in front of his name. I thought it must be some kind of artistic affectation.
The question I pose is this: is "Liberarchie" an eggcorn?
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
Yes. (Though not a very complete one: what does the Lee-burr mean?)
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
At the time when Liberace was becoming popular in the UK there was also a radio series called "Educating Archie" which featured a ventriloquist and his dummy. I thought for some time that Libber-Archie was something to do with this invisible pair.
It's clearly an eggcorn, whether demi- or not, and retrospectively he could be seen as (Gay-) Libber Archie, though in the 50s the Libber might have stood for libertine – www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/686671.html – he certainly seemed to upset William Conner.
I don't see how "Liberarchie" could be an eggcorn. It's just a name confusion, isn't it? When my parents called him "Liberarchie" they thought (wrongly) that his name was something-Archie.
Let me suggest a parallel. Deloris, a friend of my daughter's, comes to the house. I haven't met her. My daughter says, "Dad, this is Deloris." I'm not familiar with the name, and my hearing is not too good. I reach out and shake her and and say "Hi, Doris, glad to meet you."
If Liberarchie is an eggcorn for Liberace, then Doris is an eggcorn for Deloris. But Deloris is not an eggcorn for Doris, since there is no imagery moving around. I know that I'm dealing with a name, and my mind only goes looking for sound parallels with the name I thought I heard (OK, I know that there is some semantics, since I would only look for female names-but I could have given you an example that lacked even that bit of information).
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
Wait a minute. How have I got myself involved in this? My poor powers of concentration are hardly compensated for by a prodigious capacity for vacillation – I knew I should have read the rest of the thread before submitting my last post. While reading David my head nods in agreement, but continues when I read Kem.
Although Liberace may have been the first, we're now surrounded by one-name entertainers like Sting, Slash or Sade, or Morrissey, Moby and Madonna. Would Mad Donna and Maurice E be eggcorns of Madonna and Morrissey? If there was an entertainer called Bozhorzh could Boy George be its eggcorn? Given Liberace's 'exoticism' could someone, somewhere, have innocently eggcornified him as "Liebe Archie?" (66 ughits for 'liebe archie" – I wish I could read German).
Peter Forster wrote:
(66 ughits for 'liebe archie" – I wish I could read German).
"Liebe Archie" would basically mean "dear Archie" in German. Sounds like an advice columnist. :-)
Feeling quite combobulated.
kem wrote:
I don't see how "Liberarchie" could be an eggcorn. It's just a name confusion, isn't it? When my parents called him "Liberarchie" they thought (wrongly) that his name was something-Archie. ¶ Let me suggest a parallel. Deloris, a friend of my daughter's, comes to the house. I haven't met her. My daughter says, "Dad, this is Deloris." I'm not familiar with the name, and my hearing is not too good. I reach out and shake her and and say "Hi, Doris, glad to meet you." ¶ If Liberarchie is an eggcorn for Liberace, then Doris is an eggcorn for Deloris. But Deloris is not an eggcorn for Doris, since there is no imagery moving around.
I don't see the parallel as that close. If they misheard the name "Liberace" and thought it was "Larache", that would be more like thinking it was "Doris" instead of "Deloris". In either case it is substitution of one simplex name for another that sounds sort of similar. But "Something-Archie" adds syntactic structure, making it a modified proper name instead of just a simple one. Peter's "Mad-Donna" is a better parallel, except of course that the "mad" is more easily identifiable.
I never thought of "Lieber-Archie", but —why not? Liebe® is one of those German words that have made it into the outskirts of English. That would be a more complete eggcorn—if anyone actually thought that was what it was.
In any case, yes, I would count "Maurice E." (if documented) as an eggcorn for Morrisey. Even though under structuralist semantic assumptions both Maurice and E. would be semantics-less, they are not meaningless. The reanalysis of a name into a combination of name and initial, like its reanalysis into a modifier and a name, is a kind of imagery shift, to my mind.
Last edited by DavidTuggy (2009-01-29 16:15:22)
*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .
The reanalysis of a name into a combination of name and initial, like its reanalysis into a modifier and a name, is a kind of imagery shift, to my mind.
A "kind of imagery shift?" Is that some sort of metaphor? I don't know what "imagery shift," as that term applies to eggcorns, would mean in such a context.
The only world in which your phrase would not be a metaphor is one in which every unique syntactical context and use framework of every word gave it a unique semantics. Such a world provides us with more eggcorns than we can handle.
Suppose I'm walking in a garden and I see a chap coming toward me. I don't know him. Just before he gets to me, I hear someone call from the far side of the garden "Hen-REEE." (People often switch the accent of a multisyllablic name to the last syllable when using the name as shouting query-same reason we say "soo-WEE" when calling pigs.) The fellow looks toward the sound. At that moment I reach him. As it turns out, I have never heard the name "Henry" before, so I have no idea that it should be pronounced "HEN-ree." But I am clever enough to figure out that the fellow I'm looking at is the fellow who has just been called. He notices me. I stick out my hand and say (in all seriousness) "Hen-REE, I presume."
By your analysis, I would have just uttered an eggcorn. "Hen-REE" has a slight different sound than the correct "HEN-ree," and it has a different performance context, "Hen-REE" being appropriate for contexts of shouted calling, "HEN-ree" being the pronunciation in conversational contexts. I have used the wrong sound for the context.
Last edited by kem (2009-01-31 00:37:38)
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.


text:
John T. Bennett
Bennett is the Editor of Defense News' CongressWatch channel. He has a Masters degree in Global Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University.
Latest posts by John T. Bennett (see all)
- Twitter Does It Again: Behold @cromnibus - December 10, 2014
- The Ironies of Chuck Hagel's Pentagon Dismissal - November 25, 2014
- Review: 'Madam Secretary' Is A Thrill Ride of Missed Opportunities - October 17, 2014


text:
Orange County legislators are thinking about giving themselves a pay raise. Since I've yet to see any evidence of public support for any pay raises for any legislators, town supervisors, city council members or other examples of that species as long as I can remember, I'll assume that this one will be just as unpopular.
Orange County legislators are thinking about giving themselves a pay raise. Since I've yet to see any evidence of public support for any pay raises for any legislators, town supervisors, city council members or other examples of that species as long as I can remember, I'll assume that this one will be just as unpopular.
Before this becomes an issue and people start sending emails or writing letters to the editor, however, I would like to make two suggestions:
First, nobody should confuse opposition to such a raise with a meaningful way to keep expenses down. In Orange County, Albany, Washington, D.C., and everywhere else that public officials have to decide how much they deserve to get paid, their salaries are an inconsequential sliver of the total budget.
Like any sliver, it can be painful, if only in the symbolic way that it seems to reward bad behavior. If left untreated, it can infect other parts of the body politic, spreading to include swollen travel allowances and bloated staffing. But the salaries themselves have no consequential effect on the taxes that the public pays. Double the salaries or eliminate them — your tax bill will not budge.
Rather than resist the request, therefore, taxpayers should use it to their advantage. We need to remember that the elected officials receiving these salaries are our employees and we, as the employers, are empowered. If they want to keep getting paid, they need our votes.
If they want to get paid more than they make now, they need to meet a list of goals and objectives that we provide.
I'll get the list started with one task that is on the horizon, the creation of legislative districts based on population figures from the latest census. If legislators want any raise at all, they need to give this important task to a group of neutral and competent experts, those who can absorb the latest numbers and draw district lines.
Each district needs to have not only roughly the same number of people, but also other defining characteristics. No diluting the urban vote by sharing parts of a city among several suburban districts; no disenfranchising ethnic or racial groups by using the same methods of division.
And no rewards or punishments for individual legislators. If Republicans mysteriously come up with a plan that somehow pits two Democratic incumbents against each other but leaves some loyal Republicans all alone in districts with a party registration imbalance heavily in their favor, nobody is going to be fooled.
No boss would accept that work from an employee. We bosses should not expect it from ours.
Many people will want to tie the raise to a specific decision — keep Valley View open, tear down the Government Center. That's the kind of reward or punishment best meted out in votes come November. So it could be even more effective to focus on procedure as well as outcome, to prohibit the abuse of secret party caucuses, for example.
Those are my ideas. How about yours?


text:
SOUTH Australian Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond has quit the Liberal leadership because of party disunity, setting up a vote to replace her.
Current deputy leader Steven Marshall will reveal on Friday if he will be a candidate, while former foreign minister Alexander Downer has ruled himself out.
The party-room ballot is expected on Monday.
Another potential candidate is former health spokesman Martin Hamilton-Smith, who challenged for the leadership late last year but lost a ballot 13 votes to 12.
Ms Redmond said she had been privileged to lead the state Liberal parliamentary team for the past three and a half years.
"However, in the face of ongoing leadership speculation and disunity I have reached the conclusion that it is in the best interests of the Liberal Party if I step aside," she said.
"Whoever is chosen as the new leader has my guarantee of my loyalty and support."
Premier Jay Weatherill said Ms Redmond had been undone by a "treacherous and deceitful" campaign from within her own party.
He said the Liberals were riven by factional disputes and all of the leadership candidates had been part of the process to undermine her.
"They have achieved their ultimate goal, which is to force her to resign," Mr Weatherill said.
Mr Marshall said he would discuss his position with his parliamentary colleagues before making a decision on whether or not to stand.
Mr Downer told reporters in Canberra he still had no intention of returning to politics.
"They will choose a new leader, presumably early next week. I won't be a candidate," he said.
"I'm not a member of state parliament and have no plans to join state parliament."
Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the leadership was up to the South Australian Liberals.
He said Ms Redmond had done a good job as Liberal leader in SA and had actually won the popular vote at the last state election.
"It was only by some electoral malfeasance in a couple of seats that the Labor Party was able to fall over the line," he said.
Originally published as Redmond resignation sparks leadership vote


text:
"As of Monday, January 28, all replacement tickets have been mailed. Please allow five business days for delivery.
Please note, we did NOT reprint tickets that were posted on NHL Ticket Exchange, forwarded or printed at home through Account Manager. Reprinting these tickets would have voided the new barcode associated to those actions. Should you remove tickets from NHL Ticket Exchange and need the paper tickets, please call 412.642.PENS to have those tickets reprinted. To protect the integrity of the barcode, we ask that tickets are removed from resale before we reprint."
Sooooo stupid.


text:
According to the Dana Brooks, the driving forces for the 2007 farm bill will be the budget, the WTO, current farm conditions and politics.
"When the 2002 farm bill was written…the United States was in a budget surplus of $5.6 trillion over 10 years," said the American Farm Bureau Federation's director of congressional relations. "In 2004, we had a record deficit of $412 billion and in 2005 we were again in deficit by over $300 billion. This does not include $70 billion spent on hurricanes in August/September nor does it include the war in Iraq which costs between $5 billion and $8 billion per month."
Brooks, who spoke during the recent Agribusiness Conference at her alma mater, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, next pointed to the ongoing WTO negotiations.
Reconvened last September, member nations struggled to find an agreement "that achieves increased market access for agriculture products, a reduction in trade-distorting domestic supports and a removal of export subsidies. Another deadline was missed in December and a push will be made to have an agreement in April or June…This would enable the new farm bill to be drafted in compliance with WTO rules."
If not achieved, "do we write a farm bill using the current limits that were negotiated in the Uruguay Round without a WTO resolution? Or do we extend the current farm bill until we know the outcome of the Doha Round? One proposal…was to cut U.S. domestic support by 60 percent."
At its annual meeting in January, the AFBF voted to extend the current farm bill until a WTO agreement is completed. "There is not a deadline date in our policy. However, within six months, we believe we will have a good indication whether WTO will come to an agreement, fail or be postponed."
Brooks said the ruling on the WTO/Brazilian cotton case will "certainly have an effect on the structure of the next farm bill. The cotton Step 2 program will be terminated Aug. 1, 2006, the end of the cotton marketing year. The WTO ruled in the Brazil cotton case that the Step 2 program is not consistent with WTO rules. This sets precedence and gives the Brazilians a feather in their hat. It may open our programs up for closer scrutiny from other countries who allege U.S. farm programs have caused undue harm."
Brooks warned that Canada has filed a complaint alleging U.S. corn dumping and there are rumors Uruguay will challenge U.S. rice programs.
When Freedom to Farm was written in 1996, commodity prices were at historical highs. Congress saw an opportunity to cut agriculture spending by decreasing government support and giving farmers more independence and flexibility, said Brooks. Producers were supposed to be spared frequent trips to the county FSA office.
A couple of years into Freedom to Farm, "commodity prices went in the toilet and all your input costs drastically increased. Energy prices skyrocketed and the country was experiencing one weather-related disaster after another."
Brooks suggested the current climate looks much the same.
"Going back to 2001, (House Agriculture Committee leaders) realized the national budget surplus was dwindling and there was great unrest in the agriculture sector. Four consecutive years of low commodity prices, increased farm inputs such as fuel and fertilizer, and national weather disasters required government intervention by providing disaster assistant and double AMTA payments."
The cost of the Freedom to Farm Bill had risen. But because the nation was thriving, the 2002 budget proposal provided agriculture an additional $73 billion.
"Numerous committee and field hearings yielded a farm bill with more payments for program crops, record funding for conservation, and significant increases for nutrition programs, such as food stamps. For the most part, farmers have enjoyed the security this farm bill has provided while still being able to receive their income from the market when prices are high."
Relating what she's heard from most farmers, Brooks believes consensus would call for an extension of the current bill. If WTO negotiations are not completed, chances for an extension increase. Brooks sees that as unlikely, however.
"Everyone needs to realize fewer than 50 members of Congress have personal agriculture background. That's 50 out of 535 folks! Not a good percentage for us, is it?"
Something else to note: the Bush administration didn't weigh in on the last bill. "Quite frankly, when it did finally come to the table with a proposal or outline it was after Congress had completed its debates. That will absolutely not be the case this time."
While showing a set of slides backing her contentions, Brooks said, "the 2002 farm bill is working…Frankly, agriculture didn't get (the U.S. federal budget) hundreds of billions of dollars in deficit nor can agriculture get us out…The (USDA) budget is less than 1 percent of the federal budget. This farm bill has worked. It is an investment. We have argued that the farm bill had a savings of $18 billion dollars for the first four years."
Brooks sees the following playing roles in shaping the new farm bill:
Conservation groups will ask for more funding.
The last farm bill saw an increase in conservation funding and the establishment of the Conservation Security Program (CSP). "Unfortunately, CSP hasn't had a chance to really operate as it was authorized. The funding has been basically stripped making it a crippled program limping along when it could have been an opportunity for more 'green box' payments."
In the coming debate, conservation groups will expect their funding to increase as a means to provide green box payments to producers. "Green box payments are non-trade distorting payments and aren't limited by WTO. I am doubtful of significant increases in conservation. I don't know if we will have a new CSP type program or if we will improve and enhance the current program."
A considerable debate on energy.
The energy title in the current farm bill "doesn't have a lot of substance but will be significant in the future farm bills…As I (meet) with farmers and ranchers, the number one commonality is their concern for fuel, fertilizer and energy costs."
Fruit and vegetable producers will want a slice of the pie.
There are over 300 different fruit and vegetables grown in the United States.
"The last couple of years they've asked for state block grant funding for research and promotion. They've not been big proponents of a direct payment however we are hearing rumblings that may change…Their only common agreement in the past farm policy debates have been the prohibition of fresh fruit and vegetables on program crop acres. Our economists have not been able to narrow down the possible losses incurred by producers if the prohibition is removed."
Commodity groups will propose modest changes to the fundamental structure of program payments.
"The commodity groups have started meeting together to try to come to an agreement early. I believe if any changes are made to the program crop payments the organizations themselves will make the proposal for change. No one has anything to share publicly at this time."
There will be an "all out war" on payment limits.
This particular battle "just won't go away. We've fought amendments to restrict or lower payment limits every year since passage of the 2002 farm bill. And we will continue to oppose payment limits or any tightening to the current limitations."
Make no mistake, said Brooks, "America's farmers want to get their income from the marketplace, not the government. But market conditions can fluctuate widely and in years of low prices and rising costs, farm program payments help keep family farms in business."
Brooks argued that farm program payments "have been critical to the economic survival of this nation's traditionally family-owned farm structure. Despite the big payments highlighted in press reports, the vast majority of commodity payments go to family farm operations. If farm program payments were making people rich, there would likely be more people waiting in line to farm. That just is not happening."
An earlier visit to several ASU agriculture classes only backed up Brooks' contention. In those classes, only a handful of students planned to return to the family farm or production agriculture after school.
"Farm program payments are a public investment in the nation's food and economic security…We spend less than 10 percent of our disposable income on food. And we are a nation that has never experienced widespread hunger. Per capita, we spend approximately $3800 per year on food. We pay less than $100 in taxes that fund farm program payments."
Farm payments cost the average taxpayer 22 cents per day. "That's less than a pack of cheap gum! You can't even buy a can of Coke for that. Folks, look at where we are today with regard to our dependence on foreign oil. Do we want to be in that situation with our food source?
"I encourage each of you today to speak up for agriculture. My grandmother reminded me this week: agriculture is the backbone of this nation."
e-mail: [email protected]


text:
By: Dr Lynda Kelly, Category: Museullaneous, Date: 17 Oct 2012
How do you promote and market apps to potential users, while engaging them before, during and after a physical visit?
As the Museum is gearing up for launch of two apps in conjunction with our Alexander the Great exhibition we've been thinking lots about how to promote and market these to potential users, keeping in mind our ethos of engaging our audiences before, during and after a physical visit.
Two resources have been helpful. The first, Burnette, et al Getting On (not under) the Mobile 2.0 Bus: Emerging issues in the mobile business model (2011) highlights some of the issues around devices provided by museums and those provided by visitors, citing research that found visitors say they want a product on their own device yet questioning whether they actually will download it. Another issue was access – how to provide mobile interpretation for those without a device (in my opinion this will become a non-issue in future given the rise of smart device ownership). The authors discussed the need for museums to think holistically when developing mobile content in terms of formats, audience, distribution and time within the visit when access is required.
Finally, they mention that internal marketing is key – not only how to let visitor know what's on offer, but to integrate within all marketing and signage from the beginning. This paper contains useful examples of internal promotion that can be adapted for your museum.
The second resource is an article by Koven Smith, Mobile Experience Design: What's Your Roll-out Strategy? (2011) full of useful tips and insights. Smith makes three key points:
Smith detailed three mobile app scenarios and how museums could leverage each:
Needless to say, in developing our apps we just jumped in at the deep end without really considering these issues in any detail, so we will try different approaches over the next few months, starting with user-testing of how to market our apps and encourage downloads either before the visit or once they are here. I'll keep you posted!
Burnette, A., Cherry, R., Proctor, N. and Samis, P. (2011). Getting On (not under) the Mobile 2.0 Bus: Emerging issues in the mobile business model. In J. Trant and D. Bearman (Eds). Museums and the Web 2011 Proceedings. Toronto: Archives & Museum Informatics.
Smith, K. (2011). Mobile Experience Design: What's Your Roll-out Strategy? In N. Proctor (ed). Mobile Apps for Museums. American Association of Museums: Washington DC.