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Page content
President's Report
Reappraisal of Methods and Techniques
Dave Doody
Colin G. Campbell
Dave Doody
The re-creation of history takes different forms, from the street scenes of the Revolutionary City to the guest artist series.
Colonial Williamsburg resulted from inspiration and idealism. Embracing a rising preservation ethic in America—contributing, in turn, to an enduring standard—the Foundation led the unprecedented reemergence of an 18th-century Virginia community and drew the attention of the world.
But realization of the dream—sustaining Colonial Williamsburg for close to a century and fulfilling those lofty ideals—requires constant reappraisal of methods and techniques of historic interpretation. Constant experimentation with other initiatives, too, assures that the Colonial Williamsburg experience remains meaningful to people's lives. We affirm the original working assumption—that the future may learn from the past—but how we get there must be continuously tested.
Or, to put it another way, for the Foundation to have a future telling the story of America's past, we cannot be indifferent to America's present.
This is why there are creative forces moving within the Foundation and why your support, at this time, has been so valuable. Your passion for what we do was very evident in 2012.
Overall, 2012 gift commitments totaled $63.7 million, a 59 percent increase over 2011. More than 109,000 donors representing all 50 states contributed. Of these gifts, the Colonial Williamsburg Fund received $14.8 million. We are very gratified to see that more than 18,400 of those who contributed were first-time donors.
Philanthropy makes what we do possible. Therefore, stewardship of your investment is vitally important. On that score, our endowment produced a return of 13.1 percent and reached a value of $735 million at the end of 2012. Those impressive results we attribute to the distinguished work of Investure, the Foundation's investment manager.
Many good and encouraging things happened in 2012. The year embraced a wide range of innovative and successful "one foundation" initiatives designed to enrich the guest experience. We are clearly on the right path, fulfilling our important mission. We are more convinced than ever that our strategy of appealing to new audiences, while preserving our traditional support, is the way to move forward. However, the economy, which shapes consumer confidence, remains a challenge for tourism generally. Its impact on discretionary spending, as well as transportation challenges in this region and competitive forces overall, contributed to a slight decline in our ticket sales last year.
Current conditions only add to our determination to produce better operating results and aggressively dissect the whys and wherefores of traveling choices. In that respect, Colonial Williamsburg's Revolutionary City plays an increasingly important role.
First, the Revolutionary City injects life into our streets. Democracy's inherent tensions—between freedom and equality, unity and diversity, law and ethics, private wealth and common wealth—have endured through our national history to this day. Our programs reflect these tensions and are designed to be more interactive, more dynamic, and more engaging. They are intended to help bridge the distance between present Americans and their nation building ancestors.
We often see visitors react viscerally to Revolutionary City stories. They are moved by them. That helps confirm our larger goal of establishing Colonial Williamsburg as a center for history and citizenship. Visitors increasingly perceive Colonial Williamsburg as a working, relevant, and engaging connection to their nation's past and the democratic values it represents.
Commentators have noticed the changes.
"If your ideas about the place are based on that grade-school trip you took with your grandparents, I can assure you that the effect is pretty different now," wrote critic Andrew O'Hehir, after bringing his family to Colonial Williamsburg in April.
"This conceptual reimagining, which has involved considerable collaboration with academic historians, seems to have accelerated rapidly since 'Revolutionary City' was first introduced in 2006."
Indeed, it has.
We want to bring our visitors, as Mr. O'Hehir puts it, "face to face with the internal conflicts and contradictions of the Revolutionary War era and their ripple effects across politics and society today."
Because, in so doing, it makes "nearly the whole place [feel] like a teachable moment," in Mr. O'Hehir's well-considered phrasing, "from the time you leave the Visitor Center over a footbridge that nominally takes you backward into the past."
This effort to draw America's formative years more closely to the present must, of course, be emotionally and intellectually appealing. That is why I urge you to examine Colonial Williamsburg's newest publication: The Idea of America: How Values Shaped Our Republic and Hold the Key to Our Future.
Written by the Royce R. and Kathryn M. Baker Vice President of Productions, Publications, and Learning Ventures Bill White and his colleagues, this important book captures the intellectual underpinnings of our programming both in the Historic Area and through educational outreach. Again, we are getting the reaction we seek.
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Gordon Wood reviewed The Idea of America and called it "a superb account of American life through the centuries." Historian Carol Berkin described it as a remarkable civics lesson for all Americans. And former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine says that "rarely, if ever, has anything been written that examines the fundamental dilemmas faced by our nation as starkly or as readably as does The Idea of America."
In June, we took another step forward, with a new version of the Revolutionary City, some aspects of which were already in place. Imaginatively designed by Vice President for Research and Historical Interpretation Jim Horn and his staff, this one-day experience will produce an even stronger sense of life within a revolutionary-charged 18th-century community.
For instance, it links taverns and shops more closely to the Revolutionary City experience, removing interpreters from the doorways (where they have been obliged to check tickets and passes) and locating them in the streets to interact with guests more naturally. Our objective is to recreate a lively, functioning community where daily activities and commerce are increasingly infused with the spirit of revolution. There will be major events such as angry colonists determined to storm the Governor's Palace and the reading of the Declaration of Independence, along with smaller scenes and spontaneous street encounters with 18th-century citizens.
We will create an authentic streetscape as a backdrop to the dramatic events that unfold, from the collapse of the British regime to the emergence of a new republican society and the prelude to victory at Yorktown.
Likewise, we will more effectively connect our guests at the Inn, Lodge, and Colonial Houses to Revolutionary City activities, providing them behind-the-scenes tours and offering them opportunities to spend time with expert staff and historical characters. Tavern entertainment will also be more directly linked to Revolutionary City stories, providing continuity and richness to the experience.
Further contributing to the sense of action and immediacy this summer will be the third episode of "RevQuest: Save the Revolution." Entitled "The Black Chambers" and grounded in actual events, this engaging experience incorporates technology, something that younger generations look for these days.
RevQuest has been a big hit for us, and its popularity, not only with young audiences, but also with their older siblings and parents, again indicates that we have things moving in the right direction.
The new Revolutionary City is the centerpiece of the Foundation's history and citizenship initiative, perhaps one of the most important developments in our long efforts to effectively fulfill our mission and connect with the traveling public.
But we have learned by experience that we must reach out and embrace the world in a myriad of substantive ways.
In that latter category, few initiatives have shown more early promise than a new series of international conferences known as the Williamsburg-CSIS Forum. The forum is the result of a partnership with the Center for Strategic and International Studies—a preeminent Washington, D.C. think tank—and the Reves Center for International Studies at the College of William and Mary.
Held in April, the first forum brought to Williamsburg a politically diverse group of active participants in the ongoing effort to form a new, sustainable government in post-revolutionary Egypt. With U.S. authorities and specialists on the Middle East also participating, the forum explored the dramatic events of the Arab Spring and Egypt's difficult political path forward.
One American participant, former Marine General Anthony Zinni, is an acknowledged authority on the Middle East. He told the Virginia Gazette that "the Williamsburg-CSIS Forum is a superb effort to bring important issues to a community where democracy and self-determination were debated and demanded."
And that, of course, is the whole idea. The Williamsburg-CSIS Forum seeks to engage difficult governing issues by using America's own revolutionary history and struggles to perfect self-government as a frame of reference. The next forum, to be held this fall, will focus on federalism and address political and economic challenges confronted by European nations, again in the context of the American experience.
In a similar vein, we have inaugurated a new speaker series that draws on American history to frame contemporary governing challenges. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham treated a large and enthusiastic audience in May to a wonderful hour of insight into the life and ways of Thomas Jefferson, the subject of his newest best-seller.
In June, journalist Arianna Huffington, herself a naturalized citizen, spoke on Flag Day during Colonial Williamsburg's annual naturalization ceremony.
In September, New York Times columnist David Brooks will discuss the role of Williamsburg as an arsenal of democracy. Connecting with our theme for the fall of "Safeguarding Democracy," the program will culminate in November with the grand opening of the completed Armoury, Blacksmith, and Tin Shop—the only one of its kind in America. Raleigh Tavern Society Life Member and Colonial Williamsburg Trustee Forrest Mars made this outstanding project possible, thereby introducing to the Historic Area a new component of life in 18th-century Virginia: Williamsburg as an arsenal of democracy.
Without question, the pace of activity at Colonial Williamsburg continues to accelerate and does so by design, especially when it comes to matters of scholarly interest.
I hope many of you have been able to see the exhibit "Painters and Paintings in the Early American South." With its accompanying catalogue, this represents the culminating Colonial Williamsburg work of Juli Grainger Curator Carolyn Weekley. The exhibit brilliantly examines the complex ways in which the lives of artists, clients, and subjects of paintings connected in the early American South. The research, its publication, and the exhibit, which opened March 23rd at the DeWitt Wallace Museum, were all underwritten by The Grainger Foundation of Lake Forest, Illinois.
Another exceptional publication, Changing Keys: Keyboard Instruments for America, 1700–1830, along with the exhibition of the same name now at the DeWitt Wallace Museum, is the work of John R. Watson, conservator of mechanical arts and associate curator of musical instruments. It was underwritten in part by Dordy and Charlie Freeman of Stone Mountain, Georgia.
The author uses the remarkable Colonial Williamsburg collection to explore instrument design, regional and political influences, and the competition among instrument makers and merchants, documenting both the changes in those instruments and their uses, as well as the developing keyboard culture of America. Changing Keys is a rich contribution to the study of 18th-century and early 19th-century American music.
Another source of great pride to us all is The Chesapeake House. Authored by Colonial Williamsburg's distinguished scholars, current and retired, edited by Cary Carson and Carl Lounsbury, and generously supported by nine donors, The Chesapeake House represents more than two decades of the study of early houses in Williamsburg and the Chesapeake region.
Much of the fieldwork on which the chapters are based was carried out to answer specific questions of restoration and reconstruction in the Historic Area. The broader purpose of this book is to offer comprehensive interpretation of how different Virginians and Marylanders built and altered their houses from 1607 into the early 19th century—and how those houses molded people's lives.
The Chesapeake House is the first publication to present a broad range of that material, and its historical interpretation, for the benefit of general readers and scholars. It is a truly handsome volume and, like the work of Carolyn Weekley and John Watson, a major contribution to the field.
From 18th-century scholarship to current events to revolutionary street authenticity, we have made it our goal to establish Colonial Williamsburg as an intellectually and emotionally vital community—a community that makes its history immediate, meaningful, and moving. Thanks to your support, we are getting it done. The Foundation remains as idealistic and inspired as ever.
Colin G. Campbell
President and Chief Executive Officer

subset: commoncrawl


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1. MOQ is negotiable according to customers' specific orders.
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Home General and its grouped companies were established in the early 1970s, has the proven capability to design and manufacture quality plastic and metal household products for customers from more than 40 countries worldwide.
Home General has a total production floor of over 10,000 sq. m. which is used for the research, design and manufacture of over 3,000 product items including general houseware, kitchen ware, gift items, bathroom accessories and packaging cartons.
Home General is a premier household products manufacturing group with categories of over 3,000 items.
Home General has a worldwide sales coverage with primary focus on North America and Europe.
With the fully integrated production facility, from product conceptualization to mould making, from production to packaging and delivery, Home General can also offer the following unique services to its customers : OEM / ODM Specialists Value Added Services (such as designing innovative, appealing and refreshing packaging)
Our production plant of over 10,000 sq. m. of gross floor area in DongGuan with our advanced production facilities and we have over 300 staffs in our factories.
Home General annual production at its full capacity running could fill up more than 300 containers.
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- Company area: 10,000 squre meters
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- Employees: More than 300 skillful staffs
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- 70 injection machines, ranging from 5 tons to 500 tons
- Products: Over 3,000 plastic items divided into 8 main categories:
Home, Pet, Party, Kitchen, Bathroom, Office, Personal Care and Others
- Sales Area: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania
1. What's your product range?We have more than 12000 different plastic houseware items which divided into 3 main categories: kitchen, bathroom and gardening.
2. Are you a manufacturer?Yes, we have been in providing plastic housewares over 40 years.
3. Do you have stock products to sell? Normally, we do not have stock products to sell. We work on OEM orders.
4. What information should I let you know if I want to get a quotation? -The size of the products(Length * Width * Height)- The material and weight-The quantity- The size of printing logo(if need)(Length * Width * Height). If it is possible.send us design is much more better.- If it is possible, please also provide with picture of the product so that we can recommend the similar items for your reference.
5. What is the MOQ for each item?-3000 pcs per item
6. How many items can be assorted in one container?
Normally no more than 10 items/20ft, no more than 20 items/40ft. However, if you need too many items assorted in one container, we have to wait for the other orders to reach the MOQ for each item and arrange production at the same time. In this case the delivery time will be much longer and you can not choose the colors.
7. Can I change the way of packing, for example, change the quantity of each carton, or add inner boxes or inner bags?-If you order less than 10 carton for each item, you have to accept our usual way ofpacking without any change. If you order more, we could consider to change the packing way. But the cost will be different and we have to check the prices again.
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The sign said, 'The end of the world'; as did the look on my three-year-old's face. Below us, the dusky pink desert canyons and dimpled, rocky mountains of the Jordan Valley stretched west towards Jerusalem. And somewhere, far, far below the precipice we'd scaled to 'Sacrifice View', a bright blue cap was now swirling away, whisked off my son's head by the sharp wind that greeted us at the summit.
It was already late in the day, and here we were, five-month-old strapped to my chest, standing at one of Petra's remotest points, with an inconsolable small child. What had possessed us, not only to climb up 1,000-odd slippery sandstone steps to the monastery, which at 50-ish metres tall is the largest of the ancient city's vast edifices, but to continue beyond it to reach a peak?
The answer, of course, is the same reason we'd braved a two-day drive from Jerusalem, where we were living, with a car- phobic baby: for the chance to see Petra. All of Petra. Or as much as was feasibly possible to cover in a day while keeping donkey rides strictly for emergencies, which did not, incidentally, include climbing up to the monastery, but did include getting the aforementioned, now cap-less, son back to our hotel in Wadi Musa for his dinner.
Before it all went so wrong, it had all gone so right. Our trip, in December 2011, came at a bad time for Jordan: tourists were shunning the country out of misplaced fears it had been caught up in the Arab Spring. This had made Petra our own, give or take a few horse-drawn calèches weighed down by overweight visitors. And all we had to do to avoid those was clamber up to explore some of the many rose-red structures carved at neck-craning height, or higher.
Every visit starts, however, with the Treasury, the building immortalised in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This columned marvel, seemingly superimposed on the jagged mountainside, bursts out of the cliffs as you exit the Siq, the 1km-long winding gorge through which all visitors must enter. Ropes bar you from going inside these days, although plenty of the other 800 buildings and monuments that the Nabateans carved out of that famous pink sandstone some 2,400 years ago are still accessible.
We'd mulled over bringing Louis's scooter, but the Siq's cobbled pathway is quickly replaced by the ancient city's sandy streets, so it was just as well we hadn't. A buggy would have been similarly useless, for anyone tempted. But the baby carrier, or carriers, for I packed a spare in case Raf faced a change of perspective, was just the ticket and made taking a baby around Petra a doddle.
It's the sense of isolation that awes you, once inside, as well as the immense scale. Climbing that peak really did have an end-of-the-world feel to it. As I trudged the 6km or so back to the entrance, I felt I'd short-changed the Nabateans by sacrificing just the one cap. But it turned out I needed not to have worried. The vomit-strewn sheets of a sunstroked child combined with the news that our London home had been burgled almost exactly while we were looking at that view, meant I ended up more than paying for my Petra experience. Not that I had any regrets.
(This was something I wrote for the Independent, but as I'd never posted from our side trip to Petra while living in Jerusalem in 2011 I thought I'd add it.)


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Graci Huddleston represented the state of Texas as a voting delegate and was elected honorary national vice president 2013-14 representing the Southern Division of the Junior Auxiliary of the American Legion at the National Convention in Houston on Aug. 24.
Graci is a sophomore at Tidehaven High School, a member of the American Legion Junior Auxiliary Unit 649 Blessing and has served her unit as president, district president and honorary junior president for the Department of Texas. She will travel to Charlotte, N.C., next August for the 2014 National Convention. She is the daughter of Chad and Jana Huddleston, of Blessing.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
NEWARK, N.J. - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today resolved its consolidated lawsuits against General Motors Corporation (GM) alleging violations of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act at the company's Linden, N.J., facility. The suits, filed in September 2000, alleged that GM had failed to provide Mary Scott a work environment free from sexual harassment and similarly failed to address incidents of racial harassment affecting her and other African- American employees. In addition, the EEOC charged that Melvin Wood was retaliated against when he supported Ms. Scott's complaints to management about discriminatory treatment.
Under Title VII, it is illegal to deny any person an employment opportunity because of his or her race, color, religion, sex or national origin. In addition, it is unlawful to retaliate against a person who complains about treatment that he or she reasonably believes is discriminatory.
The consent decree (case number 00-4735), filed in the District Court of New Jersey in Newark, was entered into by the parties without any admission of liability for the purpose of avoiding delays, costs, and disruptions involved in the prosecution and defense of lawsuits.
According to the settlement, GM will pay $1.25 million to Ms. Scott, Mr. Wood, and a group of 14 other African-American workers who had alleged they had been subjected to racial harassment on the job. GM also agreed to revise its procedures, to report the results of all investigations of complaints, and to continue to train all employees in positions of authority concerning worker rights and employer responsibilities under Title VII.
"I am very pleased that we were able to negotiate a prompt and successful resolution of these lawsuits," said EEOC Chair Cari M. Dominguez. "Now General Motors can turn its full attention back to the important task of further developing and implementing employment policies and procedures designed to ensure healthy work environments that are free of unlawful harassment."
"The Commission applauds the willingness of the attorneys involved in this matter to work quickly and thoroughly to craft a resolution to these lawsuits," said EEOC Regional Attorney Jacqueline McNair. "The parties can now focus their energies on getting the word out to plant employees that racial and sexual harassment are illegal, and on setting up an effective complaint procedure to address allegations of discrimination."
In addition to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC enforces Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector and state and local governments; the Equal Pay Act, which calls for equal pay for equal work; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991; and prohibitions against discrimination affecting persons with disabilities in the federal government. Further information about the Commission is available on the agency's Web site at www.eeoc.gov.


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love my 540's to bits ... who needs XT
The Shimano PD-M540 is basically a slightly more refined version of the PD-M520 which I've previously described on these pages as "a classic and one of the best value pedals out there."
These look a bit smarter, they're 25g lighter and £20 more expensive at RRP; in reality you can pick up the 520s for around £17 while the 540s tend to be about thirty quid. If it was my money, I'd save the difference and get the cheaper ones, although both are excellent.
Most of the stuff that applies to the 520s is also relevant here. SPDs are designed as MTB pedals but you'll see them all types of bikes. Some people have issues with the smaller contact patch of the two-bolt cleat causing discomfort but I'm not one of them; these pedals saw me through a 360km, 15-hour epic from Bath to Colchester last year with no issues at all, as well as a 300km audax round Devon and Somerset in May.
Purists will argue that power transfer is better with road pedals. I'd argue that if the Bont Vaypor comes in a two-bolt MTB version then you're unlikely to be a good enough rider to be at a measurable disadvantage. And it's easier to walk to your table in the café. There are those who will only ride road pedals on the road, because that's how it is. That's fine with me: each to their own.
The only significant differences between these pedals and their cheaper siblings is that the axle is slimmer and doesn't have flats – meaning you'll have to fit them with an allen key from the rear of the crank – and the lockring that holds the bearings in is metal instead of plastic. The body of the pedal is very slightly slimmer too, which is an aesthetic improvement but not a performance one; I've found the two pedals to be entirely interchangeable and I wouldn't be able to tell you which I was riding.
Entry and exit is positive, with a good range of adjustability in the spring tension to suit all styles of riding and types of rider. SPDs are my go-to pedals for everything except track, where you have to use the Look Delta pedals on the hire bikes.
These ones have done maybe 2,000 miles over the last year and they're a bit rusty and scuffed but in terms of actual performance they might as well be new. The sprung plates are in good order and there's no play in the easily servicable bearing. They really are excellent pedals. The only issue with them is that the equally excellent PD-M520 is quite a lot cheaper.
A great day-to-day pedal for all types of riding.
If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website
road.cc test report
Make and model: Shimano PD-M540 SPD pedal
Size tested: n/a
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Compact dual sided SPD pedal designed for day to day use
Low maintenance sealed bearing cartridge axle
Cleat tension adjustment
Axle Material: Cromoly Steel
Cleats Included
Use: XC/Road
Weight (g): 352
Stable platform can be used with any type of SPD shoe and provides support for the foot.
Solidly built, well sealed.
Easy to use, good range of adjustability.
For the money it's hard to see how they could be better.
Solidly built but nor over-heavy.
Good value but not as good as the cheaper 520.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Near faultlessly.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Construction, low maintenance, action, reliability.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? I'd recommend the PD-M520.
Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?
The only bad thing about the PD-M540 is the PD-M520, really.
About the tester
Age: 40 Height: 190cm Weight: 102kg
I usually ride: whatever I'm testing... My best bike is: Genesis Equilibrium with SRAM Apex
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track
Dave is a founding father of road.cc and responsible for kicking the server when it breaks. In a previous life he was a graphic designer but he's also a three-time Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling world champion, and remains unbeaten through the bog. Dave rides all sorts of bikes but tends to prefer metal ones. He's getting old is why.
9 comments
Not having flats for a spanner seems a disadvantage to me. Good luck trying to get a seized pedal off with a 6 mm Allen key. I have 520s on 2 bikes and they are great, just need to wipe down the plates to stop rust appearing, keep the spring greased and they'll give you no problems.
Great pedals indeed. Sometime there is some play and clicking in the bearings in some pedals but it's a 5-minute job to eliminate it (and is much less common than in M520's).
Overall, to me these are one of the best pedals in terms of quality and hands down the best ones in terms of value. Highly recommended.
All 6 of my bikes (2 x off roaders, 3 x road bikes & 1 combination bike) have the Shimano M520 pedals and to be honest I have no idea how many thousands of miles that they have all done it total and are really the only SPD pedals I ever recommend.
As one person has mentioned getting a seized pedal off a crank with only an allen key would be nigh on impossible - so you would have to build in to your routine maintenance schedule to remove them, clean the threads, re-grease and refit them at least annually if not biannually (depending on how many miles & the conditions they are ridden in).
OK they can be really fiddly with the tiny bearings to service and rebuild but from my experience that is not needed that often - just remember which way to turn the plastic locking collar, shear that and you really are stuffed!
Well for what it's worth, I'd just go with the M520 as well. I have 3 bikes with them and I've never touched them over three years of riding in all weathers and the bearings feel silky smooth like the day they were delivered. I don't even lube the spring mechanism, it doesn't seem to need it!


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We're still a couple of weeks away from getting a definitive answer about whether Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is going to need another surgery on his forearm, but reports from those with access to Patriots workouts bring some good news.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reports that sources say Gronkowski "looks great" while working in the team's offseason program while he waits to find out if an infection will force him to have a fourth operation since initially breaking the forearm last season. There have been no unexpected setbacks, which doesn't mean Gronkowski will avoid an operation but it is obviously better than if more problems had popped up in the last month.
If Gronkowski does wind up needing surgery, which was termed very likely last month, there would be some doubt about his ability to be on the field for Week One of the regular season. Doctors would have to deal with the infection and then put a new plate in the arm, which would then require 10 weeks of rehab before Gronkowski could return to the field.
It's one of many things up in the air for the Patriots at tight end, where they also have Aaron Hernandez recovering from shoulder surgery. Should it all work out, the Patriots offense will be just fine in 2013. If not, their two rookie receivers may wind up needing to play a bigger role than expected.


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DGAP-PVR:Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG: Release according to Article 26, Section 1 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] with the objective of Europe-wide distribution
Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG 26.09.2014 14:05 Dissemination of a Voting Rights Announcement, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
On September 23, 2014, Morgan Stanley International Limited, London, United Kingdom has informed us according to Article 21, Section 1 of the WpHG that via shares its Voting Rights on Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG, München, Germany, have exceeded the 3%, 5% and 10% threshold of the Voting Rights on September 18, 2014 and on that day amounted to 10.23% (this corresponds to 228558810 Voting Rights). 10.23% of Voting Rights (this corresponds to 228558810 Voting Rights) are attributed to the company in accordance with Article 22, Section 1, Sentence 1, No. 1 of the WpHG (German Securities Trading Act). Attributed Voting Rights are held by the following companies under its control, whose share of the Voting Rights in Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG amounts to 3 percent or more: Morgan Stanley Group (Europe), Morgan Stanley UK Group, Morgan Stanley Investments (UK), Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc. 26.09.2014 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de
Language: English Company: Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG Georg-Brauchle-Ring 23-25 80992 München Germany Internet: www.telefonica.de End of Announcement DGAP News-Service


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Yeah, same thing as usual. Despite my general dislike of this thread, I do need to make a new one, as the old one went over 100 (all the way to 108 actually).
Your number is the post number plus 16,687. Combo breaking therefore doesn't work: even if you try to get off topic, your posts will simply be tacked onto the count, whether or not you posted the right number or even posted a number at all.


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Really? Really.
And now it's time for a segment I like to call, "Really? Really," with J-dog.
By the way, J-dog is how I refer to myself when I'm hopped up on Twix. Thanks to the leftover Halloween candy, J-dog's gonna be visiting for a while.
Here we go.
Really, J-dog answers.
(The store manager actually suggested they submit it to Cake Wrecks. Really.)
I'll just give you a hint on this next one:
I don't yearn for facial hair of this relative width:
Aw, come on, "pencil-thin mustache?"
[crickets exchange looks of disgust]
*It's a pencil*
Ok, fine. Moving on...
This next one's harder, so I'll give you a better hint:
It's an iPod Shuffle.
Well, I told you it was hard.
In case you don't want to take MY word for it anymore, you can take the Wreckerators:
This is "Beer."
And this is a "Flipp Flopp Cake"
And this is...no. No, it can't be...


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Nation & World
Idaho GOP seeks to halt cities' anti-discrimination ordinances
Maryanne Jordan said she's not worried - yet - that state lawmakers will undo city laws that protect homosexuals from discrimination.
On the other hand, Boise's City Council president left no doubt how she felt about Idaho Republicans' resolution encouraging legislators to do just that.
"It's a sad thing, talking about institutionalizing discrimination," Jordan said Tuesday. "It's difficult enough that these protections don't exist statewide, but an effort to actually take away protections that have been put in place in several cities already seems extremely ill-advised."
On Saturday, the Idaho Republican State Central Committee passed a resolution recommending that legislators make unenforceable ordinances that expand Idaho's existing anti-discrimination policy to protect sexual orientation.
Boise passed an ordinance in December that prohibits firing people, kicking them out of their homes and refusing to serve them in public places because of their sexual orientation or identity. At the time, Sandpoint was the only other city with a nondiscrimination ordinance on the books. Now there are six, with Coeur d'Alene, Ketchum, Moscow and Pocatello each passing ordinances. Idaho Falls is considering one.
"It's becoming a significant portion of the Idaho population that is, city by city, standing up for these protections," Jordan said.
She compared the Republican resolution to heated rhetoric that comes out of election campaigns but doesn't necessarily go anywhere. It's too early to start wringing hands over whether the Legislature will try to dismantle Boise's ordinance, she said.
Idaho Speaker of the House Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, agreed with the latter point. This year's legislative session ended just a couple months ago and it's impossible to predict what bills lawmakers will take up next session, Bedke said.
Bedke echoed the concerns of Gov. Butch Otter, who said Republicans' recommendations contradicted his belief that the state should avoid interfering with local government. But Bedke worried that local nondiscrimination ordinances could, in some cases, conflict with laws protecting religious observance.
"By and large it's been my experience that the Legislature has been pretty respectful to local control," Bedke said. "But, again, if the passage of these ordinances by fiat trumps the free-exercise-of-religion parts of our statutes, then that's a problem."


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Your browser does not support iframes.
MRC says thanks for help with Mountain Bowls, Bowls After Dark
The Mountain Resource Center expresses its deep appreciation to the foothills community for helping us celebrate our 25th anniversary and making the 2015 Bowls After Dark and Mountain Bowls fund-raisers a huge success! Through the generosity of local businesses and community members, we are able to accomplish our vision of neighbors helping neighbors.
Charter schools deserve equal funding levels
I am so thrilled that the current Jeffco school board majority voted to approve equal funding for charter schools.
Support for charter schools a wise move
My career in Jeffco, which began in 1961 at Mountain View Elementary School, included the old Prospect Valley, old North Lakewood, Lumberg, Foster, Vanderhoof, Devinny, Bear Creek, Kendrick Lakes, Green Mountain, Dennison, and concluded in a formal sense in August 1996 when I retired from D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School.
Support for the slate of five board hopefuls
As an educator for the past 37 years, the local and national agendas that surround our school environments are near and dear to my heart. Thus, I feel compelled to convey the importance of the Jefferson County school board election.
Thanks for help with ALS fund-raiser
I just wanted to say what a wonderful community we have at CrossFit Evergreen. On a recent Saturday, CrossFit graciously hosted an ALS fund-raiser in memory of my brother-in-law Stephen Streett. Through sweat and laughter and tears, we raised more than $5,000 for ALS research at the Robert Packard Center.
Shooting of bear cubs was an irresponsible act
Shooting bear cubs in residential area was not responsible
The man who shot the cubs should know better than to fire his gun in a neighborhood. Now these poor cubs are dead.
I had a bear try to get into my garbage this morning. He was a very big boy. I just shined the flashlight on him and told him to move along, and he did.
This man should know better, living in Evergreen among wildlife, that you have to keep your garbage secure.
Thanks for help with Evergreen Kids Triathlon
Thank you to Shana Peterson, Jamie Corbin and Kristina Halstead for your assistance setting up the Evergreen Kids Triathlon.
Thanks, Denise, Cindy and the front-desk staff for running rosters, registering participants, answering questions, etc. It was very much appreciated.
People have spoken: Witt, Newkirk and Williams should be recalled
I am an 81-year-old great-grandmother, and I have grandchildren attending Jefferson County schools. I do not like the waste of money that might be going to challenge the recall of the three Board of Education members. More than twice the required signatures were gathered, which shows the voters' support for the recall.
Be an informed voter in recall election
Marion and Jim Dries wrote in a recent letter that folks should seek the truth before voting in the school board recall election. A very good way to do that would be to check out two websites: freedomforeducation.com and jeffcoeducationtruth.com.
Copyright © 2019
Canyon Courier is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Evergreen, Colo, and the surrounding area.


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If your guild is mispelled or in the wrong case please send me an email so I can correct it.
/ Servers / Jedi Covenant / All Guilds /
Birds of Prey (Jedi Covenant)
Jedi Covenant Statistics
Conquered Planets are currently not up to date. I am working on fixing this.


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Prevention campaign: reducing evening burglaries
Une personne âgée qui se trouvait dans le m2 est tombée au moment où la rame effectuait le freinage à son arrivée à la station de la gare. Des premiers éléments, elle ne se tenait pas et sa tête a heurté un siège. Blessée, elle a dû être transportée à l'hôpital.
Every year in autumn we see a rise in the number of break-ins as night falls. Dark arrives quickly and burglars take advantage of dusk to check out empty houses and enter them, under cover of the fading light. The season for evening home break-ins has this way in recent years. Police recorded some 70 such burglaries during September, with houses and apartments equally affected. Up to now, more than 100 burglaries have been recorded during October 2013. Those during the first week of October were mainly apartments in the city of Lausanne, but the following week more houses than apartments were broken into. The highest number of burglaries during the previous two years were in December 2011 with 350 and in November 2012 with 300. A rise in the number of break-ins during coming months is therefore expected.
You can avoid being an unhappy victim of these crimes by taking a few precautions. Make your presence known by turning on different lights using timers that are set to come on as evening falls, until your return. Use energy-saving lamps that don't heat up and consume little energy – LED lights, for example. Another strategy is to install low-consumption lights that come on when
movement is detected outside your home.
Police from the communes and Vaud's gendarmes are waging a joint campaign to make the population more aware of the problem and to introduce people to preventive measures they can take against evening burglaries. The campaign kicks off 26 October through the press and social media. Flyers will be handed out to the population and posters put up in residential areas.
Given the large number of English speakers in Vaud and in the greater region of French-speaking
Switzerland, Vaud Police are working with the English-language web site GenevaLunch.com to
offer the campaign in English.
Renseignements complémentaires:
- Anne Plessz, chargé de communication, tél. +41 21 315 33 05
Corps de police
Rue St-Martin
1002 Lausanne
Locate on map
Contact us by e-mail
Phone +41 21 315 15 15
Fax +41 21 315 35 55
Pour les sollicitations urgentes:
ouvert tous les jours, 24h/24h
Pour les enregistrements de plainte, les constats et les demandes non urgentes:
ouvert tous les jours, de 6h à 21h
tl 7, 8: Tunnel; tl 7, 22, 60: Place du Nord


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Atlanta Adult Degree Completion Program
Adult Degree Programs Overview
for our Associate, Bachelor and Master Degree Programs
Belhaven University has long recognized the needs of the adult learner. With numerous responsibilities, the adult student is unable, in many cases, to take advantage of higher education. Belhaven's Adult Education programs are dedicated to making the goal of obtaining a college degree a reality to adult students within a Christian framework. Through adult-friendly formats, project teams and convenient scheduling, adults can obtain their college education while still earning a living. Select from the programs listed on the left for detailed program information or see below the benefits of the adult education programs offered at Belhaven University.
|Classes meet once per week for 4 hours, undergraduate programs have project teams as part of the curriculum and some graduate courses incorporate project team work.
|Small classes of 15-25 students with varying backgrounds allow for the kind of interaction that benefits you.
|A variety of methods and tools are utilized in the classroom and/or virtual classroom to blend theory into practice:
|Interact with highly qualified faculty who are specialists in their fields. They will assist you in relating theory to practice.
|Accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, and masters degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Belhaven University.
Adult friendly, Accelerated Degree Format
- Class attendance one night per week, periodic project team meetings.
- Credit can be earned for prior work experience.
- A specified graduation time frame in an accelerated period of time (graduation dates are in January, May and August).
- Classes consist of a small cohort group (15-25) of your peers.
- An applied, practical curriculum with participation in discussions, debates, role play, case studies, and group projects.
- Many faculty have practical experience in the field in which they are teaching.
- An overall recognition of the unique needs and characteristics of the adult learner.
- Availability of financial aid to finance your education.
Project Teams
Belhaven University's Adult Education degree program focuses on two critical learning objectives:
- To share participant responsibility for self-directed learning and small group dynamics.
- To develop the interpersonal skills necessary for effective participation in teams.
Each project team is comprised of three to five students and is required to meet periodically outside of class for four hours (longer, if needed). Project teams function as mutual support mechanisms through which students can learn more efficient problem-solving skills from the professional expertise of peers.
The skills one learns in project teams -- such as how to combine and share talents, experience, and learning resources -- are held in high regard by corporations and organizations. Workers who function successfully in collaborative, team-oriented work environments are often more productive and creative. These are the qualities that employers seek in a highly competitive market. Project teams, combined with the collaborative learning environment of the adult education program, can provide students with the competitive edge needed to achieve their educational goals.


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Preliminary estimates by Nokia indicate that the Finnish phone giant's Q4 2012 financial performance has exceeded expectations in their Devices & Services division, thanks in large part to the success of their Lumia line of Windows Phone devices. Their estimates suggest that Nokia achieved what it calls "underlying profitability" in Q4. In a press release, CEO Steven Elop shared his thoughts on the news:
"We are pleased that Q4 2012 was a solid quarter where we exceeded expectations and delivered underlying profitability in Devices & Services and record underlying profitability in Nokia Siemens Networks. We focused on our priorities and as a result we sold a total of 14 million Asha smartphones and Lumia smartphones while managing our costs efficiently, and Nokia Siemens Networks delivered yet another very good quarter."
According to the report, three primary factors contributed Nokia's successful fourth quarter:
- Mobile Phones business unit and Lumia portfolio delivered better than expected results; and
- Operating expenses were lower than expected.
- Devices & Services non-IFRS operating margin for the fourth quarter 2012 now expected to be between break even and positive 2 percent.
It is estimated that Nokia totaled EUR 3.9 billion in the last three months of 2012 from sales of 86.3 million units. Of the 6.6 million smart devices sold, 4.4 million of those were Nokia Lumia devices powered by Windows Phone. This news jump started Nokia's stock, which shot up about 17% at the time of this story.
Nokia's Q4 estimates are a much needed boon to the company, who experienced mass layoffs and saw its stock plummet and credit rating downgraded since moving to the Windows Phone platform. However, they have been sure to temper expectations for the first quarter of 2013. They project that "seasonality and competitive environment" will lead to a dropoff from the end of 2012 to the start of 2013.
We shall see what the new year has in store for Nokia.
Source: Nokia


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Find Adventure in Murfreesboro
Close to Stone's River National Battlefield, Adventure Museum, and Nashville Zoo
For a bright stay, book a room at our Days Inn & Suites Murfreesboro hotel conveniently located off I-24. Our location near Stone's River National Battlefield puts you just six miles from downtown Murfreesboro. Whether you are our guest for just one night or an extended stay, we offer comfortable accommodations at a great price.


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Sorry! This product is currently out of stock
Handcrafted using treasures and rarities from the Star Wars universe, Faraway Vintage displays feature selections of screen-used props, set decoration swatches, film location elements, vintage Kenner action figures, Galoob Micro Machines, original Topps trading cards, and first-run 35mm film.
This display features vintage Han Solo and his co-pilot Chewbacca, metal Death Star II sections pulled from the ILM model shop almost four decades ago, a piece of screen-used Jabba's Sail Barge, Dune Sea sand, screen-used vaporator fragments, and screen-used fabric and scrap from Tunisian sets that acted as locations for the desert planet Tatooine.
Each display is handcrafted, one-of-a-kind, and ships with relevant copies of certificates of authenticity, issued from Prop Store and ScreenUsed.
Individual items and their placements are unique and will vary slightly from the photo shown.
Free shipping to USA and Canada
Each Faraway Vintage display is a hand made product and the creation process lends itself to variations. All Faraway Vintage displays are sold "as-is" and by purchasing a display, you acknowledge such variations will occur.
There might be slight alignment differences, or an artifact may be shaped and sized differently than the images presented. Stitch-mounted artifacts have been known to shift slightly during shipping, which can cause variations in alignment and appearance. Such variations highlight the artisanal nature of the piece, as each display is made by hand and is absolutely unique.
How long will a Faraway Vintage display last?
A Faraway Vintage display, if properly cared for, should last for many, many years, but it is not indestructible. We have taken great care to protect your display by placing transparent acrylic layers on the front and back of the frame, which protects the artifacts from both sides.
Prolonged, direct sunlight can damage artifacts. Do not leave your display in direct sunlight for extended periods of time.
How do you acquire your props and set decoration artifacts?
Auctions, prop resellers, and private collections. Copies of acquisition documents (certificates of authenticity and/or letters of provenance) are shipped with every purchase.
How are the items mounted to the display?
Most items are hand stitched to the backing. Removable acrylic adhesive is used otherwise.
What are "film location elements"?
Film location elements are physical site samples from famous Star Wars filming locations, like sand, soil, and rocks. The sand is from Dune Sea, Tatooine (Buttercup Sand Dunes, CA). The soil is from the forests of Endor (Del Norte, CA). The rock fragments are from the icy planet Hoth (Finse, Norway).
Are the Kenner action figures and Topps trading cards original?
All figures are from the original Kenner production era, 1977-1985. In most cases, figures are mounted with patina intact. Some accessories are reproductions, some are original replacements, and some are original.
All Topps cards are from the original Star Wars theatrical run.
What is first-run 35mm film?
First-run 35mm film refers to film released in the original 1977-1983 Star Wars theatrical era. Our film strips are pulled from original motion picture reels and trailers.
The challenge we run into is that most of the film from that time has faded to red or is decaying from vinegar syndrome. Rare Star Wars Fujicolor prints and post-1982 LPP film are the best quality 35mm film prints we've found to date.
View Shipping & Returns Info
Death Star II Sections
Acid-etched brass was used for filigree detailing on the incredibly intricate Death Star II model, as seen in Return of the Jedi. The metal sections, representing iron columns and girders, were painstakingly layered and attached by Industrial Light & Magic model makers, to give the Death Star an under-construction look.
The pieces used in Faraway Vintage displays are cut from production-used sections that were salvaged from the ILM model shop nearly four decades ago.
Today, the six-foot diameter Death Star II model is housed in the Lucasfilm Archives at Skywalker Ranch, Marin County, California.
Vaporator Fragments
A moisture vaporator is a tall, slender, tower-like device used to capture water from a planet's atmosphere.
The fragments used in Faraway Vintage displays were recovered from a Mos Espa, Tatooine film set in Tunisia, and were screen-used in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
Kenner Action Figures
Kenner released 96 of their legendary action figures (not including variants) over the course of the original trilogy releases. It all started with an announcement and initial production in 1977, followed by the release of the first 12 figures in early 1978, and ended with the Power of the Force line of figures in 1985.
Topps Trading Cards
Topps released 330 cards and 55 stickers during the original run of the first Star Wars movie. The cards were the first pieces of Star Wars merchandise available to fans and they were a huge hit. Today, increasingly scarce vintage Star Wars trading cards are collected by old and new fans alike.
Dune Sea Sand
The sand in Faraway Vintage displays was recovered from the location where Jabba the Hutt's Sail Barge scenes were filmed. The Imperial Sand Dunes in Buttercup Valley, on the California-Arizona border, doubled as Tatooine's Dune Sea.
Slave Quarters Scrap
Slave Quarters Row is a district within Mos Espa, Tatooine. It's where young Anakin Skywalker grew up.
The fragments of Slave Quarters scrap used in Faraway Vintage displays were recovered from Ksar Medenine, Tunisia, and were screen-used as ribbed door frame trim in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Micro Machines
Originally developed by Galoob in the early 90s, the Star Wars Micro Machine line offered small yet highly detailed vehicle and ship replicas. The high quality of the original line is especially noticeable when compared to the current releases of Micro Machines. It's that quality from decades ago that makes Galoob Star Wars Micro Machines so collectible.
Vintage 35mm Film
First-run 35mm film from the original Star Wars theatrical era, spanning 1977-1983, is hard to find. It's even harder to find film from that era that hasn't faded to red or decayed from vinegar syndrome.
We're happy to share our best selections of vintage 70s Fujicolor and Eastman 35mm film stock.
Mos Espa Awning Swatch
These lengths of fabric were pulled from several Episode I sets in Tunisia. The textures and colors of the fabric can be seen throughout the Mos Espa scenes in The Phantom Menace.
Jabba's Sail Barge Fabric
This sturdy, heavy, screen-used fabric was part of the iconic red sail topping Jabba the Hutt's full-size sail barge. Our section of canvas was recovered from the Imperial Sand Dunes film set after filming was completed in 1982.


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Presented by Chevrolet Performance
This is it! Every year the staff of Car Craft magazine gathers in St. Paul Minnesota for the Car Craft Summer Nationals. It is the largest street machine show in the Midwest with more than 6,000 cars and 40,000 people.
It's not just for parking cars. The Car Craft staff brings the Real Street Eliminator competition, the dyno, the burnout contest and the crowd favorite, 2014 Miss Car Craft contest. We also comb the grounds for interesting feature cars that we take off site for special magazine photo shoots. At least one magazine cover is taken from the Car Craft Nats.
In addition to cars, each year we scour the area to find the nicest girls from neighboring St. Paul and Minneapolis to compete for the coveted Miss Car Craft Summer Nationals crown. We have a group of celebrity judges that carefully scrutinize each participant's clothing, physique and demeanor using a matrix of complex variables such as bikini, stance, and hair. To that, we add the crowd applause factor to help decide it. Each girls needs to know her cars during the tech Q&A portion and know Car Craft magazine and all of its readers to get the crowd vote. As always, the editors of Car Craft and professional photographers are on site to cover the action. Here is the photo gallery, thank us later.


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We'd prefer that Michigan's Republican-dominated legislature get some sense. It's a better solution than a Democratic state senator's proposal to change how the state elects a president.
But neither hope is realistic. Currently, the state's 16 electoral college votes are cast for the candidate who wins the popular vote.
Republicans want to change that, instead casting votes in the college proportional to the outcomes in the state's 16 Congressional districts.
In the 2012 election, President Obama won the state by 450,000 votes, so all 16 of Michigan's votes were cast for him. Had the Republican plan been in effect, Gov. Romney would have won the state, 9-7. Had the plan been in effect in all states, Romney would have been elected president although Obama won the popular vote by 5 million votes.
The nation's president is elected by the Electoral College. Each state receives one vote for each Congressional district plus two more for its senators.
Bieda has introduced a resolution calling for a state constitutional amendment to preserve the winner-take-all status quo.
But it faces likely oblivion in the Republican-dominated state Senate. And there's a question whether voters legally can determine the matter.
We favor any solution that most accurately reflects the popular vote. The Republican proposal clearly does not. For that matter, neither does winner take all, although it's a more accurate representation than the Republican proposal.
As we've pointed out earlier this year, the Republican proposal is being advanced in several states where, had it been in effect last year, it would have changed the outcome of the state's electoral college votes and the presidential election.
We see that as a movement born in desperation.
It would be fairer to award electoral votes proportionally to the popular vote in each state. And it would be reasonable to award all electoral votes to the winner of the nationwide popular vote, reasonable in that it would follow the will of the majority of voters. Such a plan is making the rounds of the state legislatures, and could take effect if adopted by those whose states make up more than half of the 535 votes cast in the Electoral College.
But for now, we hope state Republicans drop their own version of winner-take-all. It's undemocratic. And that's with a small 'd.'


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Jul 12, 2011 | ISBN 9781582463841 | 3-7 years
Review, School Library Journal, June 1, 2011
"Young students will enjoy the book for its play aspect, not realizing that the math lesson is built into it. Every elementary school needs this one."
Review, Booklist, July 1, 2011
"The bright, buoyant line-and-watercolor illustrations amplify the cheerful tone of the story while clearly delineating the objects meant to be counted. Useful for teachers and fun for students."


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Derek Love is gearing up for another busy year selling real estate in suburban Vancouver.
After a brief lull in business in the latter half of 2012, when properties lingered on the market a little longer than usual and prices stalled, activity is once again starting to pick up.
"We've noticed, in the month of December, a lot more confidence. We are getting calls for from all different types of buyers who are eager and asking questions about homes we've had for sale for six months," said Love, who's worked for 20 years primarily in the Tri-Cities for the family-run firm Coldwell Banker Love Realty.
The slow times don't worry him too much.
The allure of places like Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody is, and has always been, affordability.The map below shows the overall change in property assessment values in each city over the past year. The darker the colour, the more that city's overall assessment increased. Click on a city for more details.
Where property prices in some areas of Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond and Burnaby climbed by as much as 30 per cent last year, prices in the Tri-Cities and New Westminster stayed the course.
"We didn't really have that big increase," said Love, noting $600,000 to $800,000 will still buy "a really good family home — well kept, basement suite, nice yard, quiet street."
Now that the 2013 assessments are out, that slow and steady pace is once again reflected in the numbers.
According to B.C. Assessment, the total change in assessed property values, as of July 1, 2012, was about five per cent in Coquitlam, Surrey and New Westminster.
Changes were more notable in Vancouver, which rose just two per cent this year, and Richmond, which dipped 0.64 per cent.
The total change includes assessed values of existing properties, new construction, and other factors such as renovations and rezoning.
Katrina Amurao, a realtor with Re/Max 2000 Realty, said the stability in Surrey's market is driven largely by an equally strong demand for and supply of single-family homes.
"There are a lot of them and they are selling," she said.
Amurao said the average price of a single-family home in Surrey in December 2012 was $560,000 — a figure virtually unchanged from twelve months earlier.
"The prices here have not necessarily been jumping the way they did in Vancouver," she said.Click on the map below to explore the priciest homes in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. The map shows the 100 most valuable residential properties according to BC Assessment in each of the Lower Mainland's four sub-regions: Vancouver-North Shore-Sea to Sky, North Fraser, South Fraser and Fraser Valley. Red dots are homes work more than $10 million, yellow dots those worth $4m-$10m, green dots those worth $2m-$4m and blue dots those worth less than $2m. Google Street View images are approximate and may not show the exact property in question.
Surrey's condo market has not been as stable.
The construction of one-bedroom units in new highrise built in the city centre and along the SkyTrain line has outpaced current demand, said Amurao. Prices have fallen, with some investors selling these properties for less than what they paid for them.
"A lot of people bought them with the intention of flipping them. Now they are built, they want to sell," she said.
Eugen Klein, president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, said the relative affordability of detached homes is not the only reason for the suburbs continued real-estate health.
He said investments in transit, including the future Evergreen rapid-transit line, the Golden Ears Bridge and Port Mann Bridge, combine to make centres outside of Vancouver more accessible and attractive to families and individuals looking to buy.
"Those areas are starting to blossom. We're actually seeing in some areas price increases, because people are going there," Klein said.
Hani Lammam, vice-president of development and acquisition with Cressey Development Group, said demand has been strong for one- and two-bedroom condo units in downtown Coquitlam.
Lammam's company is expecting to finish the second of three highrise towers at Glen Drive and Pinetree Way this fall, with about 90 per cent of the building's 169 units pre-sold. Lammam estimated the average price of a one-bedroom was in the low $200,000s, while a two-bedroom sold for more than $300,000.
The company plans to begin selling 319 units in a third tower this spring.
"Rapid-transit has really been a catalyst for Coquitlam," said Lammam. "It's still way behind areas like Burnaby and Richmond that already have rapid transit. Coquitlam is just hurrying to catch up," he said.