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Where new ideas are born – ESI Anniversary Conference Story
On 12 July 2009, ESI celebrated its 10th anniversary in Istanbul with a seminar on the state of democracy in the wider Europe - and on the role of think tanks in this new environment.
At the outset we looked at four maps: the EU in 1999 (when we first set up ESI in a cafe in Sarajevo); the EU in 2009; an enlarged EU in 2019 (having fulfilled its promises to current EU candidates/potential candidates); and the new European neighbourhood, between an enlarged EU and Russia.
the EU in 1999
the EU in 2009
the EU in 2019
our contested neighbourhood
What will it take for the EU to be as successful in promoting democracy, prosperity and stability in the coming decade as it has been in the most recent one? How to make the next enlargement a success... and how to stabilise the new neighbourhood?
At our event Michael Thumann and Amberin Zaman, correspondents for Die Zeit and The Economist, respectively, explored Turkey's ongoing democratisation. (For an update on Turkey's trial of the century, the Ergenekon case, see the recent Rumeli Observer entry).
Nicu Popescu presented the latest ECFR report on the European neighbourhood.
ESI Causasus analyst Arzu Geybullayeva spoke about challenges to democracy in Azerbaijan (for more – and for recent developments – see her blog Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines).
ESI analysts Kristof Bender, Besa Shahini, Verena Knaus and Alex Stiglmayer spoke about the challenges facing enlargement in the Balkans (for this and more, visit our new ESI enlargement section – the Great Debate on Europe's borders – set to expand significantly in coming months with the support of the Austrian Erste Stiftung).
The Balkans, Turkey, the Caucasus and the future of enlargement have been and will remain the focus of our work in coming years.
For all of you who have accompanied us on our journey these past 10 years, be it as readers, donors or friends, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude.
Conference participants
Alex Rondos (Greece) has 12 years experience in relief and development work, in the Middle East and former Yugoslavia. After two years at the World Bank, he became an adviser to then Foreign Minister of Greece, George Papandreou, counselling him and implementing changes in Greek strategy in the Balkans and Turkey as well as helping manage the Greek Presidency of the European Union during the Iraq crisis. He led the Greek humanitarian mission to Turkey following the earthquake there in 1999 that led to a rapprochement between Greece and Turkey. Since 2004, Mr. Rondos serves on the board of various international initiatives, and advises leading politicians in South East Europe and the Caucasus, including Serbian President Boris Tadić and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.
Arzu Geybullayeva (Azerbaijan) joined ESI in October 2007 as an analyst working in and on Azerbaijan. She holds a BA degree in International Relations from Bilkent University in Ankara and an MSc degree in Global Politics from London School of Economics and Political Science. Prior to joining ESI, Arzu was working as a researcher at Oxford Business Group where she has managed several projects in Africa and Asia and was part of a team undertaking an extensive market survey of Libya. Arzu's areas of interest include conflict resolution and analysis, peace studies, sustainable development and gender studies.
Jordi Vaquer i Fanés (Spain) is the Director of CIDOB, an international relations think tank based in Barcelona, Spain. He is the coordinator of EU4Seas, a European Commission funded research program bringing together partner institutions from 8 European countries to study the effects of EU policies on cooperation around the Mediterranean, Baltic, Caspian and Black Seas. Jordi joined the CIDOB staff as the Europe Program Coordinator in 2007. Prior to this he worked in the international affairs department of the Government of Catalonia, where he served in the Europe and in the Asia and Mediterranean sections before he became the Head of the International Relations Office. Most of his publications in English and Spanish focus on Spanish foreign policy, relations between the European Union and the countries of the Maghreb, and the conflict of Western Sahara. Jordi Vaquer i Fanés received a master's degree from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, and he completed a Ph.D. in International Relations at the London School of Economics in 2004.
Hedvig Morvai-Horvat (Serbia) is Executive Director for the European Fund for the Balkans since 2007. Prior to this, she was director of the Citizens Pact for South Eastern Europe, a regional initiative focused on cross border and regional cooperation of local communities and NGOs in South East Europe. She began her civil activism in 1997, as a founder and vice president of the Hungarian Student Association of Vojvodina, later coordinating the Carpathian Information Exchange Network AGORA and engaged in the EXIT festival team. In 2006 she was awarded the Winning Freedom Award by the Belgrade-based Maja Marsicevic Tasic Foundation.
Milica Delević (Serbia) is head of the European Integration Department of the government of Serbia. Previously she was Serbia's Assistant Foreign Minister in charge of European Integration. In 2003 she was head of the EU Integration Office for Serbia and Montenegro. She also teaches at Belgrade University. After the political changes after the fall of Milosević in October 2000, she became Deputy Director of the Diplomatic Academy in Belgrade. She had previously worked for an alternative education network. In 1996, she worked for the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights. She also was a teaching assistant in International Relations at Belgrade Law School. While a student Milica Delević worked at Radio B92 for several years after its launch in 1989. She studied at the University of Kent in Canterbury in 1999 and undertook European Studies at the Central European University in Prague in 1994. She began her studies in economics at the University of Belgrade in 1988.
Christian Altfuldisch (Germany) studied Political Sciences and International Law at the Freie Universität Berlin. During his studies he worked for a relief project for refugees in Kosovo and organised a Youth Week in the town of Gjakova in autumn 2000. For his Diploma Thesis he studied the democratisation process in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After graduation in 2002, he lived in Sarajevo and Melbourne, Australia working part-time for ESI and an international software company. Since summer 2004, Christian has been working full-time as project manager in ESI's Berlin office and has been involved in a number of research projects as well. He also developed the design of ESI's website. Next to his work, he is currently enrolled in a Master in EU Studies at CIFE online.
Besa Shahini (Kosovo/Canada) is ESI senior analyst working since summer 2008 on the ESI Caucasus project, managing our work in Georgia in particular. Prior to joining ESI, she was the co- founder and director of a Kosovo think tank - Kosovar Stablity Iniative (IKS). As the director, Besa oversaw the development of IKS, was responsible for fundraising and outreach and has coordinated and managed all IKS's research projects. In addition, Besa was involved in researching and writing the studies on the Socio-Economic Development of Pristina, and the Post War Reconstruction and Development in Kosovo. Besa has an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Public Administration from York University in Toronto and a Masters Degree from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.
Eggert Hardten (Germany) has been an analyst in many ESI projects in Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia and Macedonia since 2000. He has a lifetime history of engagement with the former Yugoslavia and combines a broad knowledge of the history and political economy of the region with unrivalled practical experience in economic development, agriculture and local governance issues. Based in Berlin, he still spends considerable time in the field carrying out research and training young researchers in capacity building projects in Macedonia and Kosovo with different institutions.
Kristóf Gosztonyi (Hungary) is a freelance consultant presently associated with the Berlin based consultancy ARC focusing on conflict research in Afghanistan and Central Asia. Until recently Kristóf Gosztonyi headed the Southeast Europe practice of Control-Risks, a multi-national business risk consultancy. He specialised in supporting multi-national companies in identifying and countering their corruption risks. Kristóf has also worked for international organisations in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sri Lanka. Mr. Gosztonyi studied social anthropology and Balkan studies the Freie Universität Berlin and political science at Yale University. He has extensive field work experience in the Balkans, Afghanistan and in Latin American and Southeast Asian (Vietnamese) migrant environments. His publications include such diverse topics as empirical conflict research, negotiations and corruption studies as well as IDP returns, economic development, good governance and local government capacity building.
Yana Zabanova (Russia) joined ESI in June 2009 as a research intern. She holds an MA in International Relations and European Studies from Central European University and a Master's degree in public policy from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. Prior to joining ESI, she has worked as a policy analyst with the Buryat Republic Ministry of Economic Development, as a project assistant with the European Commission's TACIS programme in Russia, and conducted research at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) in Berlin. Yana's areas of interest include post-Soviet politics, energy security, and EU-Russia relations.
Milan Nič (Slovakia) joined the ESI team in May 2009. He worked as Advisor to the High Representative Miroslav Lajčák in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2007 – 2009). Milan was Program Director at the Pontis Foundation, a Bratislava-based NGO with assistance programs to civil society and young researchers in the Balkans and EU´s Eastern Neighborhood. Contribution to domestic debate on post-enlargement EU foreign policy won him the Karol Rybárik's Award for the best young professional in Slovak foreign policy (2004). He also worked as a broadcaster for the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (1995 – 2002). He studied modern history, political science and international relations at the CEU Budapest and at SAIS Johns Hopkins University´s center in Bologna. Mr. Nič is a regular guest of Slovak and Czech TV news programs. He is also a blogger and member of the external Council of Advisors to the Slovak Foreign Minister.
Alexandra Stiglmayer (Germany) is ESI's general secretary and one of ESI's founding members. A journalist by training, she covered the wars in former Yugoslavia from 1992 to 1996 for TIME Magazine, The Dallas Morning News, Die Woche and other US and German media. During that time, she wrote a book about war-time rape of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1997/1998, she was based in Berlin for TIME Magazine. From 1998 to 2002, she worked for the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo as the head of the press office, chief spokesperson and media expert. Following three years as a speechwriter for the European Commission, she joined ESI in 2006 as a full-time senior analyst based in Brussels.
Rainer Emschermann (Germany) is an economist currently working for the Enlargement Directorate-General of the European Commission. He is a member of the team leading the accession negotiations with Turkey and focuses on budget, competition, agriculture and civil society. Between 2000 and 2004, he worked in the cabinet of the European Commissioner for the Budget, and between 1995 and 1999 he was an adviser to the Greens in the European Parliament on the EU budget.
Goran Buldioski (Macedonia) is Director of the Think Tank Fund, an independent program of the Open Society Institute. The Fund currently supports more than 50 think tanks in Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and the South Caucasus. Prior to joining OSI, Mr. Buldioski worked for the Council of Europe, and for the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation and the National Youth Council in his native Macedonia. He has expertise in strategic planning and capacity building of NGOs and think tanks, organizational and project management, youth policy, and development of democratic and participatory policy processes in Eastern and Central Europe. His latest articles on think tanks appeared in UNDP_LSE Newsletter Development and Transition and Alliance Magazine.
Scott Abrams (US) is the Deputy Program Director of LGI, Open Society Institute. He focuses on political and economic reform projects in South Eastern Europe, Indonesia, Mongolia and Peru. He manages LGI's local economic development initiative, relations with the Policy Association for Open Society (PASOS) and the Network of Associations of Local Authorities in South East Europe. He also works with the Soros national foundations in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Mongolia, Montenegro and Serbia and manages most LGI projects in those countries. Before joining LGI he worked in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations. Scott holds a BA in History and an MA in International Relations.
Verena Ringler (Austria) has most recently been working with the International Civilian Office in Kosovo. Before that she worked as an ESI analyst on European Enlargement until October 2006. She has been working as an international magazine editor and writer for Foreign Policy Magazine in Washington, D.C. since 2002 and for German-language magazines since 1996. Her work was published in profil, Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the Zentralasiatisches Magazin, among others. Verena's reporting trips and election observation missions with the EU and the OSCE brought her to South-Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Russia, and Lebanon. Verena has an M.A. in European Studies and Emerging Markets from SAIS and studied politics and magazine journalism in Vienna, Innsbruck and Uppsala.
Amberin Zaman (Turkey) has been the Turkey correspondent for The Economist since 1999. She has also been a regular contributor to The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Daily Telegraph of London. Ms. Zaman is currently a regular contributor to the German Marshall Fund of the United States' On Turkey series.
Anjeza Hoxhallari (Albania) joined ESI as an analyst in May 2008. She holds a BA in Sociology and an MA in European Studies from Bosphorus University in Istanbul. She is also working as an analyst for Agenda Institute, a Tirana-based think tank, where she is conducting research on competiveness and the Albanian economy.
Barcin Yinanc started her career in journalism in 1990 at Milliyet Daily. After working in Milliyet's Ankara office as a diplomatic reporter for over 10 years she became a TV reporter and worked for TV8 and CNN Turk as an editor of the news programme. For the past three years she worked as managing editor of English language Hurriyet Daily News (formerly Turkish Daily News). She studied international relations at Ankara's Middle East Technical University.
Delal Dink (Turkey) is one of the board members of the International Hrant Dink Foundation, which was founded in 2007 after the assassination of leading Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. The foundation works in the area of democratization and human rights, and specific areas of activities are recognition of cultural diversity, acknowledgment of the differences, creating equal educational opportunities, improving dialogue among the peoples of Turkey, Armenia and Europe. She coordinates and manages the projects, and helps the fundraising activities.
Diba Nigar Göksel (Turkey/US) joined the European Stability Initiative (ESI) in 2004. She works as a Senior Analyst on Turkey and has been managing the ESI Caucasus project since 2007. She is also Editor-in-Chief of Turkish Policy Quarterly (TPQ) since 2003. She began her career working for the Azerbaijan Embassy in Washington DC in 1998 and since has done project management, research and advocacy with various NGOs based in both Washington DC and Istanbul, including TUSIAD, IREX, TESEV, and the ARI Movement.
Ekrem Eddy Güzeldere (Germany) started to work in ESI's Istanbul office in April 2007. He completed a masters degree in political sciences at the Free University of Berlin and the post-graduate "Euromasters" degree at universities in Bath, Paris, and Madrid. Before joining ESI he worked in Brussels in the European Parliament, as editor for the communication agency Walueurope in Rome and as project coordinator for the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Istanbul, where he was responsible for projects in the fields of human rights and ecology.
Gerald Knaus (Austria) is founding chairman of the European Stability Initiative (ESI). He studied in Oxford, Brussels and Bologna. He taught economics at the State University of Chernivtsi in Ukraine and worked for five years in Bulgaria and Bosnia for NGOs and international organizations. He was director of the Lessons Learned Unit of the EU Pillar of the UN Mission in Kosovo (from 2001 to 2004). Gerald published many articles that have triggered wide public debates, including "Travails of the European Raj" on Bosnia (2003) and "Member State Building and the Helsinki Moment" on the EU role in the Balkans (2004). He also co-authored more than 60 ESI reports as well as many scripts for TV documentaries on South East Europe. He is a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and a 2007/2008 Open Society Fellow. Since 2004 he is based in Istanbul.
Jonathan Lewis (UK) is a professional photographer based in Istanbul. Having broken free from a life in international telecoms and undersea cable systems, Jonathan now works freelance covering current news events, documentary work and features. His work has been published in multiple publications across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. To relax, he is currently concentrating on long-term social documentary projects in Turkey and neighbouring countries in the region.
Katharina Knaus (Austria) is an ESI analyst working on Turkey. Having studied law in Vienna and Brussels, she published on EU refugee law and worked as a counselor to refugees from Bosnia. She moved to Sarajevo in 1997, where she joined the Boltzmann Institute for Human Rights, reporting on war crimes in Bosnia and Kosovo. She later worked for the OSCE and the Human Rights Coordination Center at the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo. She has also researched and published on human trafficking with a focus on women trafficking in Southeastern Europe.She has been part of the ESI team since 2006.
Michael Thumann (Germany) has been the Middle East Bureau Chief of Die Zeit in Istanbul since October 2007. Before, he was the Foreign Editor of Die Zeit in Hamburg. Between 1996 and 2001, he reported on Russia and Central Asia as the Moscow Bureau Chief of Die Zeit. During the Yugoslav succession war in the 1990s, he worked as Die Zeit's correspondent for South Eastern Europe. In the fall of 2000, he did research as a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWIC) in Washington, D.C. Currently, he is a member of the Advisory Council of the Kennan Institute at the WWIC. He studied History, Political Science and Slavic Literatures at the Free University in Berlin, at Columbia University in New York and at the Leningrad State University.
Piotr Zalewski (Poland) joined ESI in November 2008. He holds a BA degree in history from Columbia University, as well as graduate degrees from the Jagiellonian University (ethnology), the University of Exeter (European studies), and the College of Europe (European politics and administration). Prior to joining ESI, he worked as an EU adviser to the Bureau of the Legislative Council of Poland (2003), program coordinator at the Centre for International Relations (2004-2005) and press officer at the European Parliament (2005-2008).
Sandra Bien-Aime (France) joined ESI as Executive Assistant in June 2007 is responsible for project coordination. She studied Media communication and Cultural studies at Bath Spa University. Sandra has lived in England for nine years, working in event management for several years. She has worked as an event assistant at the British Safety Council preparing Health and Safety Awards events. After that she worked as a meetings and events executive at the Berners Hotel, a four-star hotel in the heart of London. Since early 2009 she became ESI chief financial officer.
Susanne Landwehr (Germany) joined ESI as an analyst in May 2008. She is currently researching Turkish-Armenian relations and Russia's Policy in the Southern Caucasus. Prior to joining ESI, Susanne was a project leader for the 'WerteDialog' (Discussion of values) project at the Alfred Toepfer Foundation in Hamburg, where she also was responsible for public relations. Susanne worked as an editor at the economic desk of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and as an economic correspondent for Süddeutsche Zeitung, Wirtschaftswoche and Börsen-Zeitung in Moscow. She studied at the Berlin Advanced School of Journalism and graduated from the Free University of Berlin, having majored in Slavic Literature, French Literature and Economics.
Minna Järvenpää (Finland) currently works in Kabul, Afghanistan, as the Head of Analysis and Planning in the UNAMA mission. Before this, she worked on Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia for the British Government's Stabilisation Unit, and as Senior Advisor to former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, supporting a range of crisis management initiatives throughout Europe. Minna's involvement in the Balkan region spanned nine years during which she spent two years working for UNMIK in Kosovo as Strategy Advisor to Special Representative of the Secretary General and then municipal administrator in Mitrovica until April 2004. She previously worked as ESI analyst covering Serbia and Montenegro and Macedonia, and from 1996-1998 as political and refugee affairs advisor to the High Representative in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Minna has a background in international relations from Harvard and the London School of Economics.
Felix Martin (UK) has been a member of ESI since 2000, and has served as its General Secretary from 2002 to 2008. Felix has spent two spells working for the World Bank on the Balkans: first, between 1999 and 2002 on the energy sectors of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Kosovo; and latterly (since March 2006) as the Bank's Country Economist for Kosovo. In between, he got a doctorate in economics from Oxford University, was an ESI analyst for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and worked as an economist for Thames River Capital, a London investment house. Felix also has degrees from Oxford in Classics and Philosophy and Development Economics, and from Johns Hopkins SAIS in International Relations. He is currently working for Thames River Capital in the City of London.
Nicu Popescu (Moldova) is ECFR analyst on the EU's Eastern neighbourhood and Russia. He holds a doctorate in International Relations from the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. In 2005-2007, Nicu was research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies, Brussels and was previously a visiting fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies, Paris. His areas of expertise are the European Neighbourhood Policy, secessionist conflicts in the post-soviet space, EU relations with Russia, Moldova, Ukraine and the South Caucasus.
Marcus Cox (Australia) is ESI's Senior Editor and longest serving analyst. For many years he managed the ESI office in Sarajevo and co-ordinated the research team for the substantial Bosnian Governance Assessment project, supported by Britain's Department for International Development. An international lawyer by profession, he has worked in Bosnia since 1996, including as an advisor to the High Representative and Senior Legal Advisor to the Property Commission, and has acted as consultant to international missions on refugee and property issues in a number of other countries. He is also a consultant on development issues based in London and involved in a large number of projects across the world financed by different donors. Marcus has completed a PhD at Cambridge University on the creation of the Bosnian state.
Engjellushe Morina (Kosovo/Macedonia) is Executive Director of Iniciativa Kosovare per Stabilitet (IKS) based in Pristina, Kosovo. Engjellushe accomplished a graduate degree in diplomatic studies at the University of Oxford, UK. Prior to her joining IKS she was responsible for the Higher Education portfolio at the Public Diplomacy Section, U.S. Embassy, Pristina. In that capacity Engjellushe was responsible for Educational Programs and Exchanges such as Fulbright and Hubert Humphrey Fellowships. During the negotiating process for the final status of Kosovo, Engjellushe served as expert and consultant in the Cultural Heritage group within the Unity Team. Her input focused in particular on the protection of Cultural and Religious Heritage in Kosovo. Engjellushe's initial training was in Archaeology, she gained her BA (Hons.) from the Institute of Archaeology at the University College London (UCL), UK, and worked as archaeologist in countries of Egypt, Albania, Italy and UK. In 1999 Engjellushe resolved to return to Kosovo and become part of re-building her country where she voluntarily helped set up the third largest political party.
Verena Knaus (Austria) returned to the Balkans in early 2008 to head ESI's research and outreach efforts based in Pristina. From 2004 till summer 2007, she was a senior analyst managing the ESI Turkey project, focusing mainly on Turkey's Europeanisation process, social and economic change in Central and Southeast Anatolia and the position of women. Throughout these years Verena worked closely with emerging think tanks in Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania as part of the ESI capacity building programme. Prior to that she was one of the leading researchers in the field for the Lessons Learned and Analysis Unit in Kosovo, a joint project of ESI and the EU Pillar of UNMIK. She has been with ESI since its inception in 1999, helping to turn it from a network of Balkan enthusiasts into a strong institution with a permanent presence across the region. Verena studied modern history at Oxford University and international relations and economics at SAIS in Bologna. She is also a World Fellow of Yale University and co-author of the first ever English-language guidebook dedicated to Kosovo.
Emmanuela C. del Re (Italy) is an academic who has published extensively on Albania and the Balkans. With a background in social and political anthropology, she has lived and worked with Albanian communities since 1991 and has published extensively on Albania's turbulent post-communist transition. Based at the Sapienza University of Rome, Emmanuela's research has included evaluations of international programmes in the region, as well as topics such as the evolution of the KLA and patterns of illicit traffic in the region.
Alida Vracic (Bosnia-Herzegovina) is the executive director and founder of the Sarajevo-based think-tank Populari, which focuses on political, economic and social issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A lawyer by education, Alida previously worked for the War Crimes Chamber of Bosnia's State Court and the Human Rights Commission of the country's Constitutional Court. Her affiliation with ESI goes back to 2000 when she joined the ESI team conducting a large-scale governance assessment in Bosnia. Until 2004, she worked partly full-time, partly part-time on ESI Bosnia projects, which also gave her time to act as the Balkans Programme Manager for the Ombudsmen of Spain and Catalonia and the Madrid Bar Association. In the late 1990s, Alida managed several Balkans projects for the Human Rights Centre of the University of Sarajevo and for the Spanish Institutional Programme. Alida holds a Master's degree in International Public Policy from the University of London and a B.A. from the Sarajevo Law Faculty.
Gianni La Ferrara (Italy) is a lawyer and management consultant who for the past decade has assisted governments in the Western Balkans in building up their administrative capacity. Between 1998 and 2000, he worked as a legal adviser to the High Representative in Sarajevo. During that time, he became involed with ESI. Until 1998, Gianni worked as legal adviser to public institutions in Europe and Southern Africa. Gianni's postgraduate studies have been in public law and management. He is based in Sarajevo.
Erik Pierre (Sweden) was the first chairman of ESI's senior advisory board. During a distinguished career in the Swedish diplomatic service, Erik Pierre served in China and Washington D.C., and is now Director of the Stockholm Region's Office to the European Union in Brussels. Erik Pierre has been intimately involved in South Eastern European affairs and the development of international responses, both as Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina and to Macedonia until 1996.
Ivane Chkhikvadze (Georgia) has been working full-time for ESI since April 2009. Before, he worked for the Eurasia Partnership Foundation and prior to joining the Foundation, he worked at the Office of the State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Georgia, where he assisted in monitoring and evaluating implementation of EU programs in the field of economic integration, public awareness, capacity building, education and trafficking. Ivane also supervised the implementation of EU projects related to regional cooperation. He has extensive experience working both at the Parliament and the State Chancellery of Georgia. Ivane has a Master's Degree from the College of Europe in European Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, as well as from the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, in Policy Analysis.
Ketevan Tsikhelashvili (Georgia) is an ESI analyst in Georgia since December 2007. She holds an MA in International Relations and European Studies (CEU, Budapest, Hungary) and works now towards her PhD. She directs simultaneously the Tbilisi-based NGO - Foundation Liberal Academy-Tbilisi and consults Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF) project in Georgia. Prior to joining ESI, she was a country coordinator for FNF in Georgia. For the past few years she has also worked as a special assistant to the State Minister on Conflict Resolution of Georgia and the project manager at International Center on Conflict and Negotiation (ICCN). Ketevan was involved with several international organizations such as European Center on Minority Issues (ECMI, Flensburg, Germany) as a visiting researcher, Center for OSCE research, University of Hamburg (CORE, Hamburg, Germany) as a local researcher, Transitions Online editorial (TOL, Prague, Czech Republic) as editorial assistant and Parliamentary Assembly of NATO (Brussels, Belgium) as a research assistant.
Ajola Xoxa holds an International and European Law degree awarded with excellence in merits from University of "Paris 1 – Sorbonne". She holds a Master in International Commercial and Trade Law and a minor in Arbitration. She has been working with many national and international organizations and institutions, as AYC, ICS, War Child, TYC, ARCI Cultura e Sviluppo, IUC, Amnesty International, UNDP. She is founder of the Albanian Students Abroad Network and Coordinator of the Albanian Youth Parliament project. She has served as Implementer, Fundraiser and Legal Consultant to UNICEF for the 'Albania Reads' project. She has been Consultant for UNESCO and has also worked as intern in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and several French and Albanian legal studios.
Arbjan Mazniku (Albania) is the Executive Director of Agenda Institute, a think-tank in Tirana that undertakes research and analysis on public policies in Albania, particularly in the fields of good governance, European integration and economic and social development. Prior to taking up this responsibility in January 2008, Arbjan worked for MJAFT! (Enough! in English), Albania's most successful civic movement that grew out of a youth movement. MJAFT seeks to achieve a well-governed Albania with active citizens, strong communities and a positive image in the world. Between 2005 and 2007, Arbjan was Policy Director at MJAFT, and between 2003 and 2005, he was MJAFT's Communications Director. Before joining MJAFT, Arbjan ran the Albanian National Debate Association for three years, coordinating the debate programmes of Albania's universities and high schools. Arbjan holds a Master's degree in Political Communications from the University of Sheffield in the UK and, prior to that, studied journalism at the University of Tirana.
Endri Fuga was one of the founders of MJAFT movement. He studied in La Sapienza University in Rome and Webster University in Vienna. He has volunteered for the Albanian Red Cross and the Albanian Youth Council. Currently he is working as an advisor to and spokesperson for the leader of the Albanian Socialist Party, Edi Rama.
Erion Veliaj (Albania) is leading G99, a new Albanian political party. Previously he headed the MJAFT Movement from 2003-2007, Albania's leading watchdog and civil society pressure group and recipient of the 2004 UN Civil society award. In 2008 he worked as ESI analyst based in Tirana. Erion has worked for many international organisations and UN agencies, the US Department of State, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Open Society Institute. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Balkan Children and Youth Foundation and several regional philanthropies and think-tanks. Erion graduated from Grand Valley State University, USA and received his M.A. in European Politics from the University of Sussex, UK. Prior, he worked in the Balkans, Caucasus, Central and South America and East Africa. Erion is a frequent speaker on Albania and the Balkans in the European Parliament, US Congress, as well as other fora and university campuses.
Gerda Vogl (Austria) is Political Advisor to the Austrian Foreign Minister since March 2007. Previously she has been Political Advisor to the EU Special Representative in Skopje, Macedonia (2006 – 2007), First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations, New York (2003 – 2006) and Head of Office, Austrian Liaison Office Pristina, Kosovo (2002 – 2003).
Knut Neumayer is Programme Director Europe at ERSTE Foundation since 2005. He studied business administration at the University of Economics in Vienna. During his studies he developed training manuals and country reports for BP Austria AG CEDG (Central European Development Group). From 1994 to 2001 he worked at the Austrian Cultural Service (ÖKS) where he designed and implemented programmes in the field of Arts and Education. The last three years he was Head of Marketing at the Austrian newspaper "Der Standard". Together with A1, an Austrian Mobile Service Provider, he set up an innovative crossmedia campaign for MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) and won two Golden Lions at the International Advertising Festival in Cannes 2003.
Kristof Bender (Austria) is ESI's Deputy Chairman. He leads various ESI research projects on EU enlargement and on South Eastern Europe. Educated in sociology in Vienna and Paris, he has worked in South East Europe in various capacities since 1997, including managing higher education projects in Bosnia for the World University Service, as Attaché for Humanitarian Affairs in the Austrian Embassy in Belgrade, as a researcher for the International Centre for Migration Policy Development and as a consultant for various institutions, including the Austrian Federal Chancellery, DFID and SIDA. Part of the ESI team since early 2000, Kristof has been living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, and is currently based in Vienna.
Robin Gosejohann (Germany) works as Project Manager in the Europe Programme of ERSTE Foundation which is active in the South Eastern European region. Based in Vienna, he oversees initiatives with focus on journalism, media, youth and education. Prior to that, he worked for the think-tank European Stability Initiative (ESI), where he was responsible for programme coordination and management of the ESI offices in Berlin and Istanbul. He has a strong background in NGO work and political campaigning in both Britain and Germany. Mr Gosejohann studied modern and economic history in Bielefeld and Leipzig as well as peace and conflict studies in Uppsala.
Siegfried Knaus (Austria) studied business economics, with a focus on Revision and trusteeship, at the Vienna Economics University. Subsequent to his studies he was tasked by the municipality of Vienna to develop a concept for changing the city's accounting system into a computer-based one. For 14 years, he has worked as a systems analyst, software and sales manager for various international companies such as Nixdorf and Ericsson. Following a management-buy out he ran his own company for a decade, specialising in software, printing solutions, network solutions and system interfaces. Since 2004 he has advised ESI and since 2007 he works part-time on financial administration issues for ESI.
Stefan Apfl (Austria) is since 2007 journalist for the Austrian weekly "Falter". He is competent for European Affairs and Islam. From 2006 to 2007 he worked as an analyst for the European Stability Initiative (ESI) in Berlin and Istanbul, where he did research on the Turkey Debate in Europe. Mr Apfl published articles in "Die Zeit", "Handelsblad" and "Turkish Policy Quarterly" amongst others. In 2008 he was the national award winner of the Diversity Prize for Journalism by the European Commission. He graduated in Journalism and Media Management and studied at the University for Applied Sciences in Vienna.
Tigran Mkrtchyan (Armenia) is ESI's Analyst in Armenia. Before working for ESI he worked as the Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia (2005-06), lectured courses in International Relations and History at Yerevan State University and was the Executive Director of the Armenian International Policy Research Group-AIPRG (2007-08). He holds an MPhil degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge (Chevening Scholar), UK, MA degree in Classics and BA degree in History from the History Faculty of Yerevan State University. He was a 2006 John Smith Fellow in the United Kingdom from Armenia and a World Vision Youth Ambassador from Armenia in 1998. He has published several articles in Armenia and abroad on international security and theory. His research interests include international history, international security (NATO and alliance politics), and political theory (history of political thought and theory of international relations).


text:
Photo Gallery: Summer Hostess Gift Guide
Surprise your hostess with a unique gift.
Keep this sleek brass accessory on hand in the kitchen.
Prolific brass casting company Futagami collaborated with designer Masanori Oji to create this collection of bottle openers. Form meets function in their elegant design, available in a crescent, frame or eclipse shape.
See more hostess gift ideas in our photo gallery.
Add a luxe touch to a bathroom or bedroom with this hand-sculpted candle.
This porcelain key and tassel candle combines an elegant design and rich colours with a soft, pink champagne scent. Re-use the porcelain container to store jewelry afterwards.
See more hostess gift ideas in our photo gallery.
Have a picnic in Provence — right at home.
French soaps are a longtime favourite hostess gift. L'Occitane puts a new spin on the go-to gift with their Picnic in Provence gift set, which includes honey soap, almond shower oil, verbena shower gel and more, all packed into a reusable wicker picnic basket.
See more hostess gift ideas in our photo gallery.
Decorate a kitchen with beautiful towels.
These pretty, richly-coloured tea towels add style to a kitchen but are also tough enough to stand some wear and tear.
Bring the outdoors in with living art.
Artfully planted bonsai and cacti from Kermodi make a stunning alternative to flowers for your hostess.
Give a fun and functional set your hostess will use again and again.
This serving set comes with a variety of small bowls and matching spoons that we might not buy for ourselves, but that come in handy when entertaining. Use them to serve olives, jams and spreads. Bonus: use the slate platter to scribble your offerings in chalk.
See more hostess gift ideas in our photo gallery.
Make a tea connoisseur happy with a beautifully wrapped set of teas.
Complete with Earl Grey, Heavenly Cream, Peaches and Cream and Rouge Provence, and wrapped with a bow, this gift set will delight any tea lover.
See more hostess gift ideas in our photo gallery.
Give your hostess ideas for her next party.
Chef Yvette van Boven's latest book, Home Made Summer, offers easy, mouth-watering recipes woven together by hand-drawn illustrations and beautiful photography. Inspired by summers spent in Provence, the recipes include grilled dishes, berry salads, cold soups and refreshing drinks.
See more hostess gift ideas in our photo gallery.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Microsoft Certification exams
Microsoft Certification can take you from the start of your career to its pinnacle. Certification can increase your visibility, differentiate you from your peers, and validate your knowledge and skills.
Register for a Microsoft Certification exam
Microsoft Office Certification
For Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams and Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) exams delivered through academic outlets, register at Certiport.
Microsoft Technical Certification
For all other Microsoft Certification paths and MTA exams delivered through commercial outlets, sign in with Microsoft, and then select your exam and schedule with Pearson VUE.
Browse certification exams
Prepare for your exam
The exam details page for each exam contains a "Skills measured" section that lists the skills that will be assessed on the exam as well as any available preparation tools and resources provided by Microsoft.
Additional resources that can help you get started:
Instructor-led Courses
Find in-classroom and on-demand training on Microsoft technologies, provided by Microsoft Certified Trainers.
Explore Free Online Training
Free online training by world-class experts to help you build your technical skills and advance your career.
Microsoft Official Practice Tests
Find a Microsoft Official Practice Test.
Microsoft Press Books
Explore books written by the experts at Microsoft Press.
Exam formats and question types
To protect exam security and the value of our certifications, we do not identify exam formats or question types before the exam. Microsoft continually introduces innovative testing technologies and question types and reserves the right to incorporate either into exams at any time without advance notice. The exam may contain any of the following:
Exam development
Microsoft Certification exams are carefully developed with input from industry professionals to reflect how Microsoft products are used in organizations throughout the world.
1) Define the skill domain.
Experts identify the critical tasks performed when using a specific technology within specific job roles or functions.
2) Define the distribution of skills on the exam.
The skills identified in step 1 are evaluated by additional technical and job function experts from around the world. Their evaluation becomes the blueprint that defines the distribution of questions across the skill domain.
3) Write the exam questions.
Subject matter experts (SMEs) write exam questions to measure the critical skills according to the distribution defined by the blueprint created in Step 2.
4) Evaluate the accuracy, clarity, appropriateness, etc. of each question.
A panel of experts who did not write the items reviews each one for technical accuracy, relevancy, useful knowledge, and objective alignment during the alpha review.
5) Beta test the questions.
The alpha-reviewed items are then pilot tested in an exam-like situation known as a "beta exam." This ensures that only the best content is included in the live exam.
6) Finalize the question pool.
The results of the beta exam are psychometrically analyzed for factors such as difficulty, ability to differentiate high and low performers, reliability, and more. Only those questions that meet Microsoft's psychometric criteria will appear on the live exam.
7) Set the cut score.
A panel of experts works with Microsoft's psychometrician to determine a passing score. This score is based on the skills needed to be considered competent in the skill domain in relation to the difficulty of the questions included on the exam.
8) The exam is available worldwide.
Pearson VUE or Certiport, independent exam delivery providers, administer the certification exam. The exam is available at testing centers worldwide or through online proctoring if delivered through VUE (online proctoring is not currently available through Certiport).
9) Sustain/maintain over the life of the exam.
Microsoft monitors the psychometric performance of the exams throughout their lifetime, ensuring that they continue to be valid and reliable measures of the skill domain. Questions that no longer perform psychometrically are removed, and new items are added as features and functionality are updated and/or to replace items removed for psychometric reasons or because of changes in the technology.
Participating in beta exams
A critical part of the exam development process is the beta exam. By taking the exam in its beta format, candidates provide us with useful information to evaluate the technical accuracy, relevance, and psychometric characteristics of the questions before we score examinees.
How to participate
Microsoft beta exams are offered at an 80% discount (code required). Candidates who take the exam receive a 25% discount on their next exam after rescoring is complete, as explained in here Updates on Microsoft Beta Exam Program.
To obtain the code, you can either be a member of our SME Profile database, or you can obtain it from the Announcements section at the left of our Exam policies and FAQs page. Qualified participants in the SME Profile database program receive a unique discount code to participate in beta exams—increasing the likelihood of getting a seat in the beta exam.
The SME Profile database program is now hosted on Microsoft Collaborate. See the community blog Help Us Create Exams and Learning Content! Join our SME Database Today! for instructions on how to join the program on Collaborate.
For some technologies, we have significantly more qualified candidates in the SME Profile database than we have available seats. In these cases, we randomly select an appropriate number of qualified candidates and send the invitation to those who were randomly selected. If you are not selected, you can still participate by watching the Announcements page where we will post a different code on the day beta exam registration opens.
If you'd like to take the beta exam but did not receive an invitation or were unable to register for a discounted seat, you may take the exam during this period by registering as you would for any exam and paying the regular price. We understand that some candidates may want to take the exam early to meet job requirements or career growth needs, or to demonstrate that they are early adopters of (and competent in) the technology.
Only candidates who have experience with the technology should participate in beta exams.
Note Participation in the beta is on a first come, first served basis. Due to popular demand, we recommend that you register as soon as the beta registration period begins.
Candidates located in China, India, Pakistan, or Turkey are not eligible to participate in beta exams for security reasons.
Preparing for a beta exam
You will have access to the Exam Details page that lists the skills that will be assessed on the exam. Although our goal is to ensure that some training exists prior to the launch of a beta exam, it is not always possible to do so. People interested in beta exams usually have access to other resources, are experienced with the technology, or work with the beta product. We recommend that you consult peers, community resources, and early-adopter articles for support if you need additional preparation materials.
For more suggestions and ideas on how to prepare for beta exams without preparation materials, see: Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams without Preparation Materials?
Beta exam scoring and results
When you complete a beta exam, you do not receive a score immediately because the scoring model for the exam is not yet finalized.
You usually receive your exam score within 2-3 weeks after the exam becomes available worldwide—this can be up to 16 weeks after you take the exam, depending on when in the beta period you took the exam. This time frame reflects the comprehensive process used to evaluate the beta exam results, including statistically analyzing the data to evaluate the performance of each question and reading and evaluating all comments provided during the beta exam. The rescore process starts on the day that exams go live, and final scores are released approximately 10 days later.
Note Participation in beta exams is voluntary, and Microsoft makes no promises or guarantees regarding the beta exam process, availability of your scores, or the timing of your results.
Passing the beta exam
Passing a beta exam in your certification path counts toward your certification. You do not need to retake the exam in its final version. Make sure that you take another exam within a year so you can take advantage of the 25% discount you earned for taking the beta exam.
If you do not pass the beta exam, you cannot retake the beta exam. If you are interested in earning a certification that requires successful completion of that exam, you must wait to retake the exam at regular cost when it's live, or you can apply the 25% discount that you received for participating in the beta exam.
If you believe that your beta score should be available (because the exam is live or you saw a tweet stating it was), first check whether the exam delivery provider has posted it online. If it has not, contact the exam delivery provider. (Note that it can take up to two weeks after the final version of the exam is publicly available for your beta score to appear online.) If the exam delivery provider has posted a score, but you do not see the score on your Microsoft transcript, contact Certification Support.


text:
Originally released in 1973, the Puma Clyde was worn and named after basketball great Walt "Clyde" Frazier. They sport a timeless athletic design, lea...ther upper, gold foil "Clyde" lettering on the side panels, and a rubber outsole. Read More
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Create an account today and start earning points you can redeem for discounts, goods & more.
Get the sneakers & goods you want, shipped to your part of the globe. Int'l Shipping details.


text:
San Domenico Maggiore Church
Piazza San Domenico Maggiore - Tel. 081.459188 - 081.4420039
Carlo II dAngiò wanted it. At first it was built in Gothic stylefrom 1293 to 1324 and it became the Dominicans mother house in the kindom of Naples and the Church of the Aragonenses nobles. Inside, the curch is rich in both sculptural and pictorial works of art. The frescoes in Brancaccio Chapel are of great relevance for their quality of the colours and architecture; they are works by Pietro Cavallini and represent: Sanit John the Evangelists tales, Crucifixion, Magdalenes Tales and the Apostoles Peter, Paul and Andrew. The vestry is a rectangular hall with baroque decorations of the eigteenth century on drawings by Giovan Battista Nauclerio. Along the walls there are walnut stalls finely decorated, and the fresco Triumph of the Faith in the Dominican Order by Francesco Solimena that decorates the vault, is perhaps one of the most imposing by the artist. The room is famous also for the 45 coffins of kings covered with precious coloured cloths; mostly of them keep the embalmed corpses of nobles. Accoring to tradition, the whole Aragonenses dinasty (1442- 1503) was buried there and among them King Alfonso V of Aragon, named the Magnanimous who died in 1458 and whose corpse was later taken to Spain. The treasure hall houses a permanent exhibition of altar clothes and religious items of great historical and artistic value and especially, in the adjoining vestry, it keeps cloche nd items found in the Sarcophaguses of the Aragonens Royalty.
Church opening time: every day
Hours: 9,30 - 12.00 a.m. / 5.00 - 7.00 p.m.
Treasure Hall opening time: Fri and Sat: 9.30
12.00 a.m. / 5.00 - 7.00 p.m.; Tue to Thu 9.30
12.00 a.m.; Sun 9.30 - 12.00 a.m.; closed on
Tickets fares for the Treasure Hall: Adults
3,00 - riductions for groups, school groups,
under 12 free. Reservation required for groups.
Services: Disabled access for the church
Means of transport: Metro: Line 1 Dante Station
- Line 2 Montesanto Station - buses: R2 E1


text:
Olympique de Marseille humbled newly promoted En Avant de Guingamp 3-1 in Ligue 1 on Sunday, with new signing Dimitri Payet scoring twice on his debut.
It was a dismal return to the top flight for Guingamp, who finished runners-up to AS Monaco in Ligue 2 last season, as they found themselves 3-0 down after a quarter of an hour following several defensive mistakes.
Andre-Pierre Gignac scored an early opener for Marseille, before a swift brace for Payet, who was signed from Ligue 1 rivals LOSC Lille Metropole in the off-season.
Guingamp had a chance to get back into the game early in the second half, but Mustapha Yatabare saw his penalty saved after Souleymane Diawara was harshly adjudged to have fouled Steeven Langil.
However, Marseille were eventually made to pay for their frailty in defense — which will be of concern to coach Elie Baup — when Yatabare scored in the 74th minute.
Earlier on Sunday, AS Saint-Etienne strolled to a 1-0 win at AC Ajaccio as Fabrizio Ravanelli's first match in charge of the Corsican side ended in disappointment.
"We did very well in the first half, we could have even scored a fourth or a fifth goal," Baup said. "Then it became more difficult and we left a lot of open spaces for our opponents. There are a lot of things to correct, but it's good to have started by scoring three goals."
"It's normal, it's only the first match, there's a lot of work to be done, but I saw good things in our attacking approach and the way we kept the ball. There's quite a few things to correct in defense, but everything's going well. As long as there are goals, it's good. We had chances, goals. Everyone's finding their feet again," he said.
Marseille, who finished runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain last season, got off to a perfect start when they was gifted the lead in the second minute.
Andre Ayew's shot was parried by Guingamp goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa, but it went straight to the feet of Gignac, who drilled the ball into the empty net.
The visitors doubled their lead less than two minute later, with Payet slotting into the bottom-left corner after Guingamp midfielder Christophe Kerbrat failed to deal with Ayew's cross.
Payet grabbed his second of the game in the 16th minute. Benjamin Mendy's cross eluded everyone and went out to Mathieu Valbuena on the far right of the penalty area. Samassa parried his shot, but the defense failed to clear the ball and Payet bundled it in.
Guingamp — who are back in the top flight after a nine-year absence — had the ball in the back of the net shortly before halftime, but Langil's header was ruled out for offside.
However, the hosts had started to pose more of a threat and they were awarded a penalty in the 53rd minute, but Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda dived smartly to his right to keep out Yatabare's spot-kick.
Marseille were looking vulnerable at the back and another mistake allowed Guingamp to score. Reynald Lemaitre dispossessed Nicolas N'Koulou on the edge of the area and crossed for Yatabare — the top scorer in the second tier last year — to tap home.
In Corsica, both Saint-Etienne and Ajaccio struggled to carve out opportunities in searing heat.
The match was halted at the midway point in each half to allow players to rehydrate.
Brandao scored in the 34th minute after Romain Hamouma rolled the ball across the face of goal from the right flank and the Brazilian striker slotted into an empty net.


text:
After her husband Carl Dowerman died five years earlier, Lena Dowerman became the new manager of an apartment building at 30 Bayaud Ave.
The 71-year-old woman, who did not have children, was born in 1899 and lived alone. She knew how dangerous her neighborhood could be.
Ten years before her husband's death in 1965 he was assaulted by two teens not far from their doorstep.
The first teen approached him on the corner of Broadway and Bayaud just after he had walked out of his front door and asked him for a nickel. He began to walk away and another teen asked him for matches. Both teens then shoved him to the ground, beat him, rifled through his pockets and stole three quarters.
They ran away.


text: You are hereHome › Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (x) › Lawrence, Patrick (x) › Olive Colton (x) › University of Toledo (x) › Illustrated historical atlas of Lucas and part of Wood Counties (x) › Search results List (default) Grid Table Bookmark (1 - 20 of 92) Pages1 2 3 4 5 next › last » Label Residence of Harvey Kellogg Map of Adams Township Res. Of John L. Brown J.S. Hull Res. Of C. Gerber Range 9 East: Holland. Map of Lake Township Farm of Gilbert Schriber Residence of Geo. Engel Res. Of Thomas Wynn Map of Maumee City Milbury by W.I. Wight. Monclova Neapolis Map of Lucas and part of Wood Counties Map of Monclova Township. Res. Of Nicolas Brown Res. Of E.D. Peck View of Perrysburg Gilbert Beach Pages1 2 3 4 5 next › last »


text:
Earrings Matryoshka Sarafan Dynamic
Matryoshka Green
Availability: In stock
Matryoshka Sarafan Dynamic earrings
Carefully crafted Matryoshka Sarafan Dynamic earrings in 925 silver and enameled in two bright colours. Wear it to complement and brighten your casual everyday look.
Earring height - 1,97 cm. Weight - 3,05 g
Standard Delivery is completely free for all the customers, regardless of the purchase amount and the remoteness of the place. We currently use DHL services for shipment. You pay shipping only in case of Express Shipping or failure on the purchase of goods ordered.
Our products are made with a great care and meet the highest standards of quality. However, if you believe the jewelry you have purchased contains a manufacturing fault or there is any other reason you would like to return it, we will take care of the refund within 10 days from the date the Buyer demands for it. Customer care .


text:
The CILIP Cymru conference also included a discussion of the uses of Twitter – the discussion was commented on by a live Twitter feed.
Brian Kelly of UKOLN identified Twitter's advantages as being the potential for collaboration, as an E-business card and as the modern equivalent of the telegram.
Bob McKee identified Twitter as the equivalent of a pub conversation in that it was informal rather than inconsequential.
It was agreed that Twitter would become devalued if it was simply used as a marketing tool or offering an official 'spin' to news items.
I was finally convinced of Twitter's value, although by the time I'd set up an account the conference was over!
Technology permitting I will send 'tweets' from the CoFHE conference in June using the tag #cofhe09 and from Umbrella in July using the tag #umbrella09.


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Canon matrix
Nikon matrix
User's Guide
Contact Us
APT - Astro Photography Tool
(released on 2019/12/11)
(next version in March 2020)
APT stands for "AstroPhotography Tool" and it is like Swiss army knife for your astro imaging sessions. No matter what you are imaging with - Canon EOS, Nikon, CCD or CMOS astro camera, APT has the right tool for planning, collimating, aligning, focusing, framing, controlling/tethering, imaging, synchronizing, scheduling, meridian flipping, analyzing and monitoring. All its features are packed in an easy and comfortable to use interface with design that had no alternative back in 2009 when it was released. Since then APT is constantly being improved and refined by the real experience of many astro photographers from all over the world including
one of the APT authors
. It works on MS Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10.
Time unlimited "demo" version of this astrophotography software is available in the
Here is a list of the main areas APT covers.
Supported devices:
Seven generations of Canon EOS Models. Check the
EOS models matrix
page for details.
Most of the Nikon DSLRs. Check the
Nikon models matrix
page for details.
compatible CCD and CMOS cameras - QHYCCD, ZWO, Starlight Xpress, Atik, Orion, Moravian, Celestron...
Native support for QSI cameras and filter wheels.
Native support for SBIG cameras and filter wheels.
Native support for Altair Astro cameras.
Native support for ZWO cameras.
TEMPer(Gold) and TEMPerHUM sensors.
Never implemented in astro program before!
Never implemented in astro program before!
Any serial control cable for Canon/Nikon. See a list of
serial cable vendors
KMtronic based shutter cable for Canon/Nikon.
Easy to make yourself without soldering!
Shoestring Astronomy DSUSB/DSUSB2
Biula Audio Trigger
ASCOM / INDIGO / INDI compatible filter wheels.
Manual filter wheels / filter drawers.
ASCOM / INDIGO / INDI compatible focusers.
ASCOM / INDIGO / INDI filter wheel to focuser connection to apply filter focus offsets.
ASCOM compatible rotators.
ASCOM / INDIGO / INDI telescopes control.
Extended support for AstroHub and SirJolo Arduino based focusers.
Direct dithering (APT Dithering), when there is no guiding program.
Direct pulse dithering (APT Pulse Dithering) for self-guided solutions.
and compatible Sky Quality Meter devices.
GPS receivers/dongles and smartphones.
Lacerta MGen
auto guider.
Lacerta FBC
Flat Box Controller.
Pegasus Astro - FlatMaster
ArteSky - Flat Box USB
User interface:
Dark adaptation friendly user interface.
Ringy Thingy
- a unique way to edit numeric data in the dark, using only mouse or touch pad. More info and animation
Keys Thingy
- a handy way to edit numeric data in the dark, using only mouse, touch pad or tablet. More info
Multiple color skins -
Light Grey
(click on the colors to see screenshots).
Easy-to-use imaging plans editor.
Automatic preview after every exposure.
Preview in fit or 1:1 scale modes (changeable with simple double click).
Images browser with thumbnails and delete function.
Image magnifier that supports 3x, 5x, 10x and 15x magnifications.
Possibility to track the imaging plan execution progress. Remaining exposures, time and estimated end time.
Pause / Resume function when plan execution is in progress.
EOS EXIF Temperature readings - Show them after exposure in plan is taken.
Displaying the current temperature (requires TEMPer or TEMPerHUM) and current dew point (requires TEMPerHUM).
Histograms - R, G, B and L histograms of the taken image.
Histograms Stretching - per channel and automatic.
Graphs to show Temperature, EXIF, Humidity, DewPoint, CCD Temperature/Power, Guiding, Sky Quality changes during the night.
EOS camera shutter counter displaying on camera connection (Digic III and latter).
Monitoring of your laptop and camera battery energy level as well as the camera free space.
Notifications for low PC/Camera battery, low Camera space.
Small floating window when APT is minimized to show the current state.
Corrected image (right orientation) in Preview and LiveView by live flipping of the image horizontally and/or vertically as well as rotation, for easier object framing.
Sharpening and Negative image effects in Preview and LiveView.
Gamma and Brightness image effects in Preview and LiveView.
LV++ - LiveView image intensification in real time to show fainter objects.
LV Stack - Stacks the LiveView images in real time to help fainter objects framing.
Alignment aid - Rotatable/Movable cross.
Collimation aid.
Pixel Aid with various image statistics - Median, Std Dev and etc.
CCD Flats Aid to determine the right flats exposures and to create imaging plan.
Bahtinov Aid - powered by the
Bahtinov Grabber
technology to provide focusing with sub-pixel precision with a mask!
FWHM (Full Width Half Maximum) focusing method.
HFD (Half Flux Diameter) focusing method.
Automated focusing with ASCOM focusers using FWHM or HFD.
Darkness clock and Deep Sky Darkness (DSD) calculator.
Meridian Flip clock.
Automated Meridian Flip.
Sky Quality tracking with
device or by manually entered user estimations.
Objects Browser with
545 or 19,596 deep sky objects (in short or extended list)
78 alignment stars
2 start maps
to use for size, coordinates selection and GoTo alignment. Available are audio extensions as additional download packages!
Possibility to enter/import/export data for custom objects in the Object Browser.
Field Of View calculator tuned for you camera and telescope.
Object framing aid.
Object Calculator that shows the actual object scale tuned for your camera and telescope as well as the size in pixels.
Sound notifications.
Multi-monitors support.
Tooltips help - Shows description per every feature (there are translations in
English, Dutch, Polish, German, Portuguese, French, Italian, Bulgarian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Czech, Greek
and more are coming).
Sky Quality NELM (V) to/from MPSAS (B) convertor.
lignment by
ice method - experimental.
Never implemented in astro program before!
FITS file header viewer.
28 keyboard shortcuts.
PointCraft for images plate solving.
Ability to frame object with simple click in a solved image ("Aim" mode in PointCraft).
GoTo operations confirmed with plate solving ("GoTo++" mode in PointCraft).
Temperature compensation of the focus position.
Focuser backlash measurement aid.
Check lists creation for easier setup, packing, imaging.
Camera operation:
Multi-camera operation.
Multi-camera synchronization and dithering.
Flexible exposures control. Each exposure can be made with different ISO, Duration, Image Quality, Binning, Filter, count and ending pause.
Storing destination selection (Camera/PC/Camera+PC for DSLRs).
Flexible naming and grouping of the stored images - combination of
17 naming
options (including EXIF temperature) and
8 grouping
Light, Dark, Flat, Dark Flat, Bias, Focusing/Farming and Mixed exposures plan types. The Bias plans use automatically the fastest supported speed. For EOS the Flat plans use AV dial mode.
Light Auto plan type for EOS for easier eclipse imaging in AV dial mode.
Possibility to schedule for defined time or event and/or loop plan execution.
Delayed plan start.
Horizontal or vertical plan execution.
EOS Lens control (Digic III and latter).
EOS Lens aperture control during plan execution.
DSLR White balance control.
DSLR and CCD Live View support. It is quite helpful for focusing in combination with Bahtinov or other focusing mask.
LiveView automation - tunes LiveView parameters for maximum sensitivity.
Controlling the CCD temperature.
CCD cooling and warming aids.
Region of Interest (ROI) in CCDs for faster focusing.
"Center ROI" button to locks the ROI to the image center allowing alignment.
Color preview of FITS files.
AntiVibration pause before exposure. This is the needed pause after the mirror is picked up and before the real exposure, in order to eliminate the vibrations caused by mirror moving.
Automatic enable/disable of the Mirror Lockup camera function depending on the selected Anti-Vibration pause (Digic III and later).
EOS Mirror lockup control
serial cable for Digic IV and later.
Auto synchronization of the DSLR camera's clock on connection.
Disabling EOS camera auto power off when APT is used.
Automatic conversion of DSLR raw files in TIFF format
panel to record DSLR Live View stream in sequence of JPGs, with
Internal commands API for advanced session automation.
Plate solving with
made by PlaneWave Instruments in both DSLR and CCD modes.
Blind plate solving with
All Sky Plate Solver
made by Giovanni Benintende in both DSLR and CCD modes.
Plate solving with
in both DSLR and CCD modes.
Advanced GoTo by Alt/Az offset to use the
polar alignment routine.
PHD2/PHD Auto-Dithering, exposure Auto-Canceling
and real-time monitoring of the distance to the guide star.
MetaGuide Auto-Dithering.
AstroArt Auto-Dithering.
Lacerta MGen
Auto-Dithering, exposure Auto-Canceling
and real-time monitoring of the distance to the guide star.
Auto-Dithering, exposure Auto-Canceling
and real-time monitoring of the distance to the guide star.
Possibility to disable dithering for particular plan.
Possibility to call external scripts and programs.
Possibility to interact with
Cartes du Ciel
(CdC). Import mosaics, observing and frames lists in the Object Browser.
Possibility to interact with
Computer Aided Astronomy
(C2A). Import .COS and .C2A lists in the Object Browser.
Possibility to interact with
Possibility to interact with
Hallo Northern SKY (HNSKY)
Import mosaics in the Object Browser..
Possibility to interact with
and act like ASCOM bridge/proxy.
Import from
mosaic panels coordinates as Custom/ToDo objects in the Object Browser.
Import from
lists as Custom/ToDo objects in the Object Browser.
Import from
www.telescopius.com / www.dso-browser.com
lists as Custom/ToDo objects in the Object Browser.
Import from
Deep-Sky Planner
lists as Custom/ToDo objects in the Object Browser.
Additional features of the FULL version :
Ours thankfulness about your appreciation for the involved in APT work and support!
Automatic EOS Lens focusing
(using FWHM or HFD) - built into the Lens Panel.
Never implemented in astro program before!
Framing Masks
- a multi session aid to help orienting the camera by same angle and position during multiple nights or after meridian flip.
Never implemented in astro program before!
Ability to store PointCarft results in Object Browser for future use in different nights or after meridian flip.
Ability to show only the currently visible stars in the Object Browser for easier selection of alignment stars.
Ability to show only the currently visible objects in the Object Browser.
Ability to configure APT to check if the target is above the horizon before every GoTo or GoTo++.
Ability to schedule plan execution for beginning of Deep Sky Darkness (DSD).
Powerful and easy to use Commands/Script Editor for imaging session automation.
Notifications for refocusing when the temperature changes or closing dew point to avoid un-needed heating (requires
TEMPer(Gold) or TEMPerHUM or focuser with temperature sensor).
HD Video recording for Digic IV cameras from the Planetary panel. Requires lens or T-ring with focus confirmation.
Support for
Lunatico GNS
- Good Night System to get alarm for problem with the imaging session on your smartphone.
Details and important information can be found in the
User's guide
APT friends:
Copyright © 2009-2020 Incanus Ltd., Copyright © 2017-2020 Distinct Solutions Ltd. All rights reserved.
Incanus Ltd. is a trade mark of Distinct Solutions Ltd. Sofia, Bulgaria, Europe
The domains astroplace.net, ideiki.com, incanus.biz, astrophotography.app and distinct-solutions.eu are properties of Distinct Solutions Ltd.


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In December 2012, Sanctuary, Shangri-La's Care for Panda project launched in Chengdu Sichuan province with a truly innovative idea - supporting a 1.6-hectare bamboo plantation to ensure food security for our beloved pandas. Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has partnered with the Dujiangyan Panda Saving and Disease Control Center, located at the foot of Mount Qing Cheng, and very close to the tourist areas of Du Jiangyan and Mount Qing Cheng.
The centre is currently under construction and should open its doors to the public in mid-2013, when guests of the hotel will be able to arrange special educational tours and learning activities at the centre. They will be able to learn about the plight of the pandas as well as engage in unique activities including food preparation for the pandas.
Enjoy easy booking, Mobile Check-In, Check-Out and more. Download our Mobile App and sign in now.


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an Enlightened Perspective
Michael is an experienced public speaker. He has addressed audiences of dozens of attendees, to hundreds, to thousands.
Michael and Tiffany Richardson of Broken R. Ranch use their life experiences and their work with riders and horses to share an enlightenment of inspiration. Their passion is watching others achieve their dreams and goals, be it within ones self or working with horses.
Michael and Tiffany travel across the country for speaking engagements, to conducting workshops, demonstrations, and presentations at stables, horse farms, horse expos, equine and other venues, or from their home base in Hico, Texas.
Michael believes that all life circumstances build a stronger character, without limitations. Michael embraces his life, using any challenges to motivate, employ a new approach, envision the possibilities and grow as he "gives back" to the world. Read his story to learn more.
Michael Richardson's "The Gift of the Horse"
Season premiered Tues, 6 Sept 2011.
(YouTube) Promo for the first episode that aired on RFD-TV on Tuesday Sept 6th
Show Times: Sun @ 02:30 pm EST (01:30 pm CDT)
Tues @ 05:30 pm EST (04:30 pm CDT)
Wed @ 03:30 am EST (02:30 pm CDT)


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early happy new year, girlfriend!
Checked out your tumblr the other day and you post really cool stuff. Drive-by thanks!
Thank you Lungs you sound better and better every day (as you recover from your accident)
Your posts are always an interesting read. You have an endearing style.
Ah, her full name is Aleesha Lowry. She was a member of the World Socionics Society diagnostics team who collaborated with me on the 16 function model I posted here
(Sorry for taking so long to reply. This is my first time even checking my profile page lol)
just want you to know that no matter how riled or passionate I may seem, it's nothing personal. apologies if I came across as dismissive or angry in that misandry thread.
I can give hate by the power given by the image editor.
"Should I find it meaningful that you thought I looked sei? "
Probably not. Duals can look like conflictors, it was only one picture, and you have been mentally bounced around a lot recently. I'm not really sure what makes a person look like one type or another. Maybe it is something long term, or maybe it is their daily outlook.
I do know that when my SLI ex was pregnant with a child that she wasn't sure she wanted (and was therefore super-stressed), she tested as an SEI. After about a year, she was back to SLI.
I think of you sometimes, and the few feminism related posts you used to post, lol. Most recently i thought of you fleetingly because my boss, who owns an art gallery, talked to me about presenting myself a certain way because, in her words, women in arts are looked down upon because they are thought of as just doing smth they kinda like, aka art. She has a point, of course. Anyway, i thought of you, fleetingly. Hope you are recovering well, too.
ILE - ENTp
Darn Socks


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To host a tiki party is to create the unbridled primitive escapism of an imagined Polynesian paradise.
That's according to Michael Thanos, who is, by all accounts, a scholar of tiki culture. He also knows how to throw one heck of a party.
Thanos is the tropical mastermind behind Oakland's Conga Lounge and Alameda's Forbidden Island, neo-tiki bars that whisk you away to the land of leis and mai tais. All elements of his bars — from the bamboo walls and coconut shrimp appetizers to the fruity cocktails and groovy tunes — unite to evoke that iconic, nostalgic, midcentury vibe. Follow his party tips and you'll practically hear the rumbling volcanos.
Q What are your three must-serve tiki cocktails?
A Tiki drinks are not, by nature, easy to make. But two things come to mind because they're classic and easy. The piña colada, with rum, coconut cream and pineapple juice, is Puerto Rican by creation but certainly tiki terrific. And the Island Mai Tai, made with gold amber rum, orgeat syrup, pineapple juice and a dark rum float, encapsulates the essence of tiki culture. Lastly, one of our most popular cocktails at Forbidden Island is the Chambordlada. It's a piña colada with Chambord — vacation in a glass.
Q Speaking of glasses, what stemware do you recommend?:
A Tiki has its own drink vessel, the tiki mug. That's it. You can get these hefty ceramic glasses on Amazon or eBay, and there are always plenty at flea markets. For garnish, the cocktail umbrella is quintessential. So are carved pineapple and cherries. But my favorite garnish is slapped mint leaves. Just before serving your cocktail, slap a leaf in your palm. It releases the mint's oil and is so aromatic with that first sip.
Q What dishes always make an appearance on your pupu platter?
A Pork and lots of it. There's nothing more Hawaiian than Kalua pork roasted in an underground pit. You can use liquid smoke to get that effect. Coconut shrimp is the very essence of a tropical experience, because it's not only seafood but also coconut. I also like to serve fried rice in carved wooden bowls. It's essential to have a mix of traditional Hawaiian foods and the kitschy, Asian-influenced dishes on the pu-pu platter.
Q Any cookbooks you recommend?
A I like the Beachbum Berry books.
Q What kind of music sets the mood?
A There are so many ways to go. You can get tribal drumming or environmental recordings like bird calls and ocean waves. Tiki culture also has its own soundtrack and that's exotica. It's basically jazz augmented with Polynesian, Asian and Latin instruments. I'd pick up a used turntable at a thrift shop and buy some exotica LPs. They're $1 at most record stores.
Q Decorating for a tiki party can be overwhelming. What are the essentials?
A You absolutely need leis, tiki torches and aloha shirts for your guests. You can flesh out the look with fisherman's netting, coconut shells, and tons of plants and flowers. There's nothing more tiki than a jungle. You can get the torches, real or battery-operated, from Cost Plus World Market or rent them from Event Magic in Oakland. They also have amazing painted backdrops of the beach and tropical settings. For $50 to $100, you could get a nice assortment of decor for a single night.
Another must-have is bamboo. Home Depot has a wide variety, and it's affordable. Use it to dress up a fence or wall. Woven grass mats and hula skirts can really make over a bar, too. I also love the idea of the moving image as decor. There are countless movies and TV shows filmed on location in the tropics that use lavish Technicolor and scenic views. You can screen "South Pacific," "Blue Hawaii" or "Paradise, Hawaiian style." I also love "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Brunch" episodes filmed in Hawaii. "I Dream of Jeannie" filmed in Honolulu for a few episodes and featured Don Ho.
Nothing says tiki like Don Ho.