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"Of Mr.Rejlander's pictures (for such we may justly call them), we have no hesitation in saying that they are full of beauty and full of mind."
Anonymous reviewer in the Art Journal for 1868
The National Portrait Gallery in London has recently acquired these very different pictures from an album of the mid-1860s (holding both well-known and unknown studies) by Oscar Gustav Rejlander after a successful export block. The watermarks you see on the scans are those of the auctioneer Morphets of Harrogate who sold the album for £70,000 in late 2014. The estimate had been £7000-£10,000. The necessary funds to cancel the proposed sale and make it instead a public purchase were raised with the help of the Art Fund and of National Portrait Gallery supporters.
This modest little story is presented here as something of a mild inoculation against the fever of museum closures or failures in UK photography. We have seen the absurd mistreatment of the Birmingham Library archives in photography, the grave mishandling of the transfer of a number of collections from the National Media Museum in Bradford to the Victoria & Albert Museum and a number of other failures. We are told to expect the closure of the expensive Media Space in London almost before its fancy paint has had time to dry. The national collections in photography are, to say the very least, not receiving the very highest level of care and attention in the period we are living through.
In that context, it is salutary to see the ordinary work of national collections proceeding in an orderly way. An important album comes up for sale. Its value to scholarship is patent. The export is halted pending an opportunity to raise the necessary funds, and when those funds are quite properly made available, the album is bought for the nation.
No doubt there is a very disappointed overseas buyer. That buyer may be a private collector, or perhaps more likely, an agent acting on behalf of another institution. Whoever she is or represents, that buyer feels (as buyers always do in these circumstances) that her cup has been unfairly dashed from her lips. That buyer will feel that she had found the thing, had the courage to bid high, and should be allowed to march off with it. We can sympathize.
At the same time, if due process has been observed, we can also feel that the greater right has prevailed, and be very glad that the album is now in a place where schoolchildren can see it from time to time, and where scholars can use it to change once again our perceptions of Victorian art, of photography, of the history of dress and of dressing up, of social mores and much, much more. One of the things about national collections is that no generation can know what will be of interest to future scholars, so you carefully keep things whose value may not be obvious against the time when someone will scrutinize them from a perspective that we cannot predict today. That costs money, and therefore needs to be justified against other claims on the public purse. But when it is done right, it is a civilized process and one that can be applauded.
Phillip Prodger, curator of photographs at the National Portrait Gallery was quoted (in one of those bland quotes people are asked to produce at such times) as saying the album "transforms the way we think about one of Britain's great artists". It remains for Dr. Prodger to show us the early fruits of the scholarship he now has the opportunity to turn to this acquisition. We should look forward fairly promptly to a display of the album, washed in the light of that scholarship. That, on a small scale, is the normal functioning of a properly handled national collection, something British people interested in photography may be forgiven for imagining they no longer had.
I followed the story of the Rejlander Album on the excellent British Photographic History blog, which has covered it from before the auction sale through to the successful incorporation into the collections of the National Portrait Gallery. Persons interested in the subject are well advised to subscribe to this free source of impressively curated information.
The full Rejlander album is still visible thanks to Morphets Auctioneers who took the trouble to scan it and still have it open to view. Again, this seems a normal proceeding at that juncture where the commercial world of art and antiques meets the scholarly world of museum collections and of those who use them. It even might be good if the Harrogate auction house could be persuaded, in a small further step, to keep the scans permanently available, perhaps if necessary by transferring them to the National Portrait Gallery's website. That would represent a trivial cost but a non-trivial commitment to scholarship. No doubt their respective information technology systems may have difficulty in corresponding, but the idea seems a good one and one that might become routine with a little bit of tweaking.

subset: commoncrawl


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Police are investigating death threats made towards West Vancouver mayor and council.
Officers responded to reports of graffiti at 1552 Esquimalt Avenue at about 9 a.m. Wednesday, West Vancouver police said in a news release Thursday. There, they found three large information boards for proposed apartment buildings defaced with spray paint reading "Kill Booth" and "Kill Council" in large letters.
The vandalized signs were removed immediately.
"This is very concerning for us," Const. Kevin Goodmurphy said. "We take all reports of threats seriously, and an investigation has been launched in an effort to identify any suspects."
Police believe the graffiti was made between Tuesday at 3 p.m. and Wednesday at 7 a.m.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 604-925-7300 or Crime Stoppers if they wish to remain anonymous.
#WVPDCommunications – WVPD are investigating graffiti that makes threats toward West Vancouver Mayor and Council. See https://t.co/D3oLp8UazF for details. pic.twitter.com/tMf6vPW8Fq
— West Vancouver PD (@WestVanPolice) August 1, 2019
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.


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Porsche has lifted the veil on the fifth-generation 911 Carrera 4 all-wheel-drive sports car ahead of a September premiere at the Paris motor show. It is expected to reach North American showrooms in February as a 2013 model.
The 911 Carrera 4 has a widened body with rear side panels extending 0.9 inches beyond the standard rear-wheel-drive 911, which allows for wider rear wheels and tires. The traditional red reflector panel between the tail lamps returns as a distinguishing feature.
The latest all-wheel-drive 911 has improved performance, with added power and a curb weight that has been reduced by nearly 143 pounds compared with the model it replaces. It runs the 3.4-liter version of Porsche's classic horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine delivering 350 hp. Equipped with an optional seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, it is claimed to hit 62 mph from standstill in 4.5 seconds en route to a 177-mph top speed in coupe guise. The heavier cabriolet requires 4.7 seconds and maxes out at 175 mph.
The Carrera 4S gets a more powerful 3.8-liter engine with 400 hp. It propels the coupe to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds on the way to 186 mph. The cabriolet takes 4.3 seconds and has a top speed 2 mph slower than the fixed-roof model.
Fuel-saving technologies added to the standard 911, including automatic stop/start, help the Carrera 4 deliver average consumption savings of up to 16 percent.
Porsche also announced that all 911 models will now come with radar-controlled adaptive cruise control as an option.
Final U.S. specs were not immediately available. The coupe starts at $91,980, and the cabriolet starts at $103,880, including destination charges.


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(The following was released by the rating agency)
SINGAPORE (Standard & Poor's) Aug. 28, 2012--Islamic finance could be a viable option to help Indonesia meet its ambitious infrastructure plans, according to an article that Standard & Poor's Ratings Service released today, titled "Islamic Finance Could Plug The Gap In Indonesia's Infrastructure Funding."
"We believe Indonesia can emulate Malaysia's success thus far in utilizing Islamic finance for infrastructure development. This is due to Indonesia's large infrastructure development needs, the government's willingness to attract private capital to fund these investments, and the rising demand for investable assets of a growing domestic Islamic finance market," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Allan Redimerio.
The report says that the poor state of Indonesia's infrastructure is hindering the growth potential of South-east Asia's largest economy. Indonesia plans to spend more than US$200 billion to upgrade and expand its infrastructure from 2010-2014, with the private sector likely to meet 30%-40% of the investment. The government is mulling over various financing alternatives to fund the rest.
The report examples the successful contribution of Islamic finance to Malaysia's infrastructure development and the obstacles to similar adoption in Indonesia.
"We believe the lack of recognition for beneficial ownership and tax incentives is impeding the growth potential of this funding source. Ways to generate interest in this sector include offering a range of products to the population with support from the country's political, corporate, and financial institutions," said Mr. Redimerio.
(Reuters / 28 August 2012)
Alfalah Consulting - Kuala Lumpur: www.alfalahconsulting.com
Consultant-Speaker-Motivator: www.ahmad-sanusi-husain.com
Islamic Investment Malaysia: www.islamic-invest-malaysia.com


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COLUMN: What to do during Medicare open enrollment under Obamacare
By Trudy LiebermanRural Health News Service Before reviewing options for next year's Medicare coverage, it's important to understand how Medicare fits with the Affordable Care Act often called Obamacare. With all the media attention focused on sh...
By Trudy Lieberman
Rural Health News Service
Before reviewing options for next year's Medicare coverage, it's important to understand how Medicare fits with the Affordable Care Act often called Obamacare. With all the media attention focused on shoppers in the individual market and their troubles navigating the government's website, it's no wonder seniors want to know if they have to sign up somewhere to keep getting Medicare benefits. Do they have to shop in the exchanges? What happens to their premiums?
Relax. The answer is seniors and disabled people on Medicare don't have to do anything. The Affordable Care Act is basically aimed at people who don't have insurance from another source. That means people whose insurance is Medicare cannot shop in the state exchanges. For that matter, neither can people who have coverage from their employers, the military or Medicaid.
Contrary to political rhetoric, the Affordable Care Act does not reduce anyone's Medicare benefits. In fact, it calls for more coverage - free preventive services such as mammograms and annual check-ups, for example. Medicare beneficiaries have been slow to take advantage of these services.
Some beneficiaries are afraid they will be cut off from Medicare as they get older. That fear is understandable given the political talk about changing Medicare to save money for the federal government. Most of that talk centers on making "wealthier" beneficiaries pay more for their Part B (doctor and outpatient services) and Part D (drugs) benefits. But Congress has not addressed that so far this year. So the talk is, well, just talk.
What about that fear of rationing - that 90-year-olds won't get care they need at the end of their lives. The Affordable Care Act does not allow any kind of rationing under Medicare, and there are no death panels - those imaginary end-of-life committees that scared seniors a few years back. If a procedure or service is medically necessary, then Medicare pays according to the program rules. The Affordable Care Act prohibits Medicare from using the cost effectiveness of a service or treatment to determine whether to cover it.
Seniors also want to know if they can keep their doctors and other health care providers. It's easy to see why they are concerned when media outlets have been running stories about limited provider networks in the state shopping exchanges.
Depending on what supplemental insurance seniors choose to cover their Medicare coverage gaps, they may not have an unlimited choice of providers. As a trade-off for cheaper premiums, these beneficiaries may well find their choices of doctors, hospitals, and other providers are limited. That's because insurers selling in the state exchanges have obtained large discounts from certain providers that allow them to pass the savings on to patients in the form of lower premiums. But as a trade-off for cheaper premiums, those who enroll in these plans may well find their choices of providers are limited.
But some Medicare beneficiaries also have restricted choices if they choose an HMO, a type of Medicare Advantage plan, which offers seniors a lower monthly premium than traditional Medigap policies do. There's a catch, though. They must use providers in the insurer's network.
If you want to choose your providers without limitations, then sticking with traditional Medigap policies is the best choice. Medigap Plans F and C cover medical expenses with minimal cost-sharing, and they are still the gold standard for many.
With a Medigap policy, you'll have to also buy what's called a stand-alone drug plan.
So the calculation comes down to the cost of the policy plus the cost of the drug plan and freedom to choose your providers versus restrictions and a lower monthly outlay.
There's one big difference right now between what Obamacare shoppers and Medicare seniors face. The government's website Medicare.gov is working while the HealthCare.gov site still has technical troubles. But that doesn't mean Medicare shoppers will get all the information they need to make a good choice.
I looked at Medicare Advantage plan options available to beneficiaries living in one zip code area in Lincoln, Neb. Important details about the plans were missing - among them the premium. It's kind of hard to make a good decision without that.
- Trudy Lieberman is a contributing editor to the Columbia Journalism Review where she blogs about health.


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Davenport, Iowa (CNN) - Mitt Romney spoke Monday with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Administration and the National Weather Service as Hurricane Sandy slammed into the U.S. East Coast.
Romney joined the representatives from the agencies, as well as officials from the Department of Homeland Security, on a 20-minute phone call at 4 p.m. ET while the GOP nominee was in Davenport, Iowa for an event, according to campaign spokesman Kevin Madden.
- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
- Check out the CNN Electoral Map and Calculator and game out your own strategy for November.
The presidential candidate received updates on the progress of the Category 1 hurricane, as well as the status of federal, state and local disaster relief efforts, Madden said. Romney was further briefed on the potential effects to states and communities in the storm's immediate aftermath.
Romney's comments about FEMA, made at a CNN Republican primary debate in June 2011, received renewed attention Monday. At the time, Romney said he favored states taking on a large role in disaster relief. "Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction," he said.
Asked Monday whether Romney held the same position he did at the June 2011 debate, Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg explained the candidate believes "states should be in charge of emergency management in responding to storms and other natural disasters in their jurisdictions."
"As the first responders, states are in the best position to aid affected individuals and communities, and to direct resources and assistance to where they are needed most," Henneberg said. "This includes help from the federal government and FEMA."
While Romney canceled his campaign plans in Virginia on Sunday, in addition to an event in Wisconsin Monday night, he still held a rally in Iowa Monday. The campaign said the event was attended by 2,250 people, according to a count of those who went through security.
"I was speaking today with the National Weather Service and the folks at FEMA as they're preparing for the landfall of a very dangerous hurricane. It's going to affect a lot of families, it already has," Romney said at the event.
He continued: "And the damage will probably be significant and of course a lot of people will be out of power for a long time and so hopefully your thoughts and prayers will join with mine and people across the country as you think about those folks that are in harm's way."
The former Massachusetts governor encouraged supporters to donate to the American Red Cross. "We love our fellow Americans, wish them well!"
President Barack Obama, who also canceled campaign events, spoke to reporters in the White House Briefing Room earlier Monday, saying "millions of people" will feel the storm's impact. He held a briefing Sunday at FEMA's headquarters in Washington, D.C. and met with officials on Monday in the White House Situation Room.
– CNN's Rachel Streitfeld, Kevin Liptak and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
Really, they didn't have anything else to do but chew the fat with Mitt for a little bit? They should've handed the phone to the kid delivering mail to the cubicle farm and let Mitt talk to him for a little while.
He's no longer the governor of any state...and certainly not President. Who cares!
Why is Romney wasting FEMA's time right now? He's not in charge, and doesn't direct what they do. He doesn't even want them to exist.
It is altogether fitting and proper that Mr. Romney meet with FEMA. If he is elected president, he may well still be dealing with these same issues.
Voters just need to ask a few simple questions. Would I want this man to invest my family funds or run my family business – for another four years? Or would I trust my family's money to Mitt Romney?
Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady
Why is Romeny even talking to FEMA when he wants to get rid of it? Just another political Points Stunt? He has reversed himself on just about every issue out there. Coal Plants are Death Plants but now he loves Coal. 47 Percent of the Population are Victims and he doesn't care about them, but now he loves everyone. Wants to get rid of FEMA along with Christie but now they both welcoming the help with Open Arms?
So the race for the presidency is tied. That means half of the country is stupid enough to believe someone who changes their position every week so it aligns with what people want to hear? Hes gifted in the way of a Snake oil salesman and the sad thing is half of the voters have fallen for it.
Amazing that some people on this site are allowed to vote!
Nothing to fear folks, Romney's on it.
Mitt should be billed for the time federal employees took to talk with him. He's already spending federal dollars and he doesn't hold any public office. Pretentious and arrogant. He could have asked one of his Superpac's to direct some of their $ to disaster relief.
I considered voting for this guy. Not now. There is nothing this man won't stoop to. For the love of god, by next Wednesday, let us be rid of having to see his face every day in the news


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Anytime Locksmith LLC
Locksmith Services | Local Locksmith | Anytime Locksmith LLC
ItOs a locksmith smith company that offers residential service, auto service, and commercial services. And itOs mobile service that go to the customer anywhere and the service area.
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Neighborhoods in St Paul, Minnesota
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Things to do in St Paul, Minnesota
Alexander Ramsey House
Bell Museum
Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary
CHS Field
Cafesjian's Carousel
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Como Regional Park
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Explore Minnesota Tourism
Family Fun Twin Cities LLC
Harmon Park
Our Newest Profiles


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|Perl Monk, Perl Meditation
Re: When I count, I think of numbers as...by gregor42 (Parson)
|on May 31, 2005 at 13:48 UTC ( #462053=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
I voted for scalars since they are analogous to symbols which I think would be more accurate. However, the poll is flawed in breaking these cognitive exercises into mututally exclusive silos. (Perhaps it would be better as '..I usually think of numbers as...') When I think of numbers I think of symbols in relationship to each other which is sort've like positions, or beans, or the positions of beans. The symbols, like any given point in space - are meaningless without relationships to each other. But a symbol can be anything. That's what makes them so powerful & useful. Math with numbers is for computers - it's boring. Math with symbols is exciting because they represent ..ahem.. basic building block of thought.
Though I must comment that like merlyn I memorize long numbers more by their rhythmic pattern and touchtone 'melody' than by anything else. I find that when I'm trying to remember a number I have to tap it into the keypad in the same rhythm to get it right. ATM codes, etc. are shorter so they don't suffer from that. (yet) It was interesting (to me) to hear I'm not the only one who does that - though perhaps not to the same degree.
Wait! This isn't a Parachute, this is a Backpack!
In Section Past Polls


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Does the Devil Wear Prada…and Gucci…and Hermes…?
In 2010, I took some of the first video ever seen from inside an Indonesian reptile slaughterhouse and have written a bit about the business here. Last year, after Swiss filmmaker Karl Amman showed The Medan Connection (viewable below) exposing the inner workings of the trade, Swiss parliament voted to ban imports of python skins from Indonesia on grounds of animal cruelty. Since Switzerland is important to the three major buyers of reptile skins-the fashion houses Hermes, Gucci, Prada-this was significant.
In the wake of Amman's film, the International Trade Center (ITC) of the World Trade Organization in cooperation with CITES launched a project to study the python skin industry. I attended an early meeting in Geneva in which the ITC-CITES skin project was first discussed and because of what I had seen in the field and because of the role Amman's graphic film had played in prompting the study, I pressed the participants to include humane treatment as part of their report, over the objection of some participants. Since I had begun my legal career specializing in WTO issues, I also questioned whether it was appropriate for CITES as an international trade and conservation body to lend its name to a wildlife effort conducted by the WTO, a commercial treaty organization. Giving a CITES 'stamp of approval' to a WTO project was a dangerous precedent, I suggested, and would likely not be tolerated by CITES parties if the WTO were researching trade in more popular wildlife species, such as lions. I questioned whether governments should be funding a study that clearly benefited a small group of powerful fashion houses, who could certainly afford a study, but whose spokespeople claimed ignorance of where their snakeskins came from and how the pythons they bought were killed.
Here, for example, is the killing method Viet Nam employs:
"In Viet Nam, the research team observed at one slaughterhouse that the live snakes (P. bivittatus) have their mouths and anus sealed using rubber bands. An air compressor is then used to fill the animal's alimentary canal with air which has the same effect as filling the animal with water (i.e. to facilitate skinning), only the animal is still alive, not having had its head cut off or its brain crushed first. Post-inflation, a rubber banc was also tied around the heart to cause cardiac arrest."
Some other of the report's findings:
- Three leading brands account for 75% of the retail value of the python trade: HVMH (Hermes), PPR (Gucci) and Prada. Other important luxury brands include: Dior, Burberry, Chanel and Giorgio Armani.
- "Singapore is the most important player in the international python skin trade."
- There is a "paucity of information" to determine whether current levels of harvesting from the wild are sustainable
- Investigators raise questions about the veracity of countries' captive breeding claims
- The most heavily traded species is Reticulated python: avg 350,000 individuals per year.
- Vietnam exports 100,000 Burmese python skins per year (97% of world total). All are declared to have been "captive bred."
- The study recommends slaughtering using brain destruction (bludgeoning) with an anvil-type system to hold the head in place (a potential improvement over the hit and miss system)
Tags: Armani, blood, burmese, cruelty, Dior, Gucci, handbag, Hermes, lizard, Prada, python, reptile skin, reticulated, skin, snakeskin, watch strap


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Secretly at night the group of robots at Seattle Children's Hospital threw a party for Blinky the Surgeonator, who turned five-years-old this week.
Blinky opened his own gift which was lovely bottle of WD40 and enjoyed some some silver robot cake.
The entertaining robot video was recorded by the staff at the Seattle Children's hospital and shows off the dexterity of the daVinci robot surgical system. The $1.3 million system has performed over 400 pediatric surgeries since it launched in 2006. [TechFlash]


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(visited by Stephan Theriault, Yannick Theriault and Darcy Theriault)
07-Feb-2007 -- We had planned to spend the night at a small town West of Gunnedah but the camp site was very close to the road and there was no shade so we skipped that place and went for a second confluence of the day.
I had looked that one up on Google earth and it appeared that there were some roads leading very close to it. I didn't get my hopes up too much, it could have been tracks on a private property. It turned out that they were public roads so I was in luck again.
After meandering our way, we came to someone's house and the lady I saw there was very friendly and let me drive as close as I wanted to get to the spot and I did just that. That took us to about 200 metres to where we were headed. My son and youngest daughter came out for a stroll and we all stretched our legs to where two invisible lines cross each other. It happened to be in a wheat field (harvested) and there is a lot of it on this 4000 acre property.
We're going to see what's at 31S 151E after a good night's sleep


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I've got hundreds of shapefiles from various different GIS projects that I want to start consolidating into a single database platform, currently attempting this with Postgres / PostGIS.
Hardly any of the data is standardized - meaning that it's a lot of the same data types, but the particular attribute names / types don't match.
Where should I start tackling this? Should I develop a standard model to migrate each shapefile into first (e.g. Hydro_line, transport_line, Hydro_poly standards, etc)?
An alternative is to just import each shapefile into Postgres individually, so each shp becomes a table in the database, but I'm not sure about this in terms of performance and organization. Feels sort of like delaying the inevitable...
Any advice on dealing with this daunting task?


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HealthCare.gov "will work smoothly" by end of Nov., HHS says
Acknowledging several dozen major problems with HealthCare.gov, the Health and Human Services Department on Friday promised that the federal Obamacare site will be vastly improved within a month.
"By the end of November HealthCare.gov will work smoothly for the vast majority of users," Jeff Zients told reporters on a conference call. President Obama announced earlier this week that Zients would lead the "tech surge" that's focused on improving the site, which serves 36 states.
"It'll take a lot of work and there are a lot of problems that need to be addressed, but let me be clear: HealthCare.gov is fixable," Zients said.
- Obamacare: Medicaid enrollment outpacing private insurance
- Did White House Obamacare guidance stop ahead of 2012 election?
- HealthCare.gov architects: Govt's pre-launch testing insufficient
The problems with the site fall into two categories, Zients said: performance problems that visitors would notice such as the site's speed and response time, and functional problems such as bugs that prevent the site's software from working properly. There are "dozens of items on both sides," he said.
HHS is hiring QSSI, one of the private firms that helped build the site, to serve in a "general contractor" role to oversee the process of fixing the site. Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said the HHS is modifying an existing contract with QSSI to pay them for their new role.
QSSI helped build the data hub, a routing system through which HealthCare.gov and other, state-run Obamacare sites verify an applicant's information with agencies like the Social Security Administration and the IRS. The data hub is running smoothly, HHS says. QSSI also helped build a tool used in the HealthCare.gov's registration process. That tool did not work smoothly when the site launched, but QSSI told Congress on Thursday it's now performing well.
While the president has promised to put the best and the brightest on the task of fixing HealthCare.gov, the administration has declined to say who else besides Zients and QSSI is on the job. Bataille told reporters Friday, "We want these people heads down, 24/7, focused on the work we brought them in to do."
Zients and Bataille maintained that significant progress has already been made since the site launched on Oct. 1. For instance, Zients said, few people at first could even create an account on HealthCare.gov, but visitors are now able to create an account over 90 percent of the time.
Health policy experts told CBSNews.com that the administration has until around Thanksgiving to fix the site before it could create serious enrollment issues, which would siginficantly undermine the new market.
While the administration works on fixing the site, it's coming under considerable heat from Congress. The private contractors who helped build the site, including QSSI, took pointed questions from both Democrats and Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee in a five-hour hearing. The hearing was just the first in a series of hearings that will scrutinize the botched website rollout. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is slated to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee next week.
Sebelius couldn't testify this week because she's been traveling the country to promote the law. She visited Austin, Texas, on Friday, where she promised to review the performance of contractors who helped build the site. On Thursday, she visited a health center in Phoenix, Arizona, where she pushed back against the several Republicans calling on her to resign.
"The majority of people calling for me to resign I would say are people who I don't work for and do not want this program to work in the first place," she said. "I have had frequent conversations with the president and I've admitted to him that my role is to get the program up and running and we will do just that."
Republicans have seized on the remarks to further attack Sebelius.
"It is amazing that the Obama Administration doesn't understand that their bosses are the American people," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement. "Maybe that is why the administration continues to push this train wreck of a healthcare law and refused to heed years of warning signs that ObamaCare was the wrong prescription to fix America's healthcare problems."
Given the continued problems with the site, some members of Congress want the administration to extend the open enrollment period for Obamacare, which is currently slated to last through March 31. On Friday, a group of 10 Democrats led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., sent a letter to Sebelius asking her to extend the period.
"Extending this period will give consumers critical time in which to become familiar with the website and choose a plan that is best for them. Individuals should not be penalized for lack of coverage if they are unable to purchase health insurance due to technical problems," said the letter, signed by Shaheen and Sens. Mark Begich, D-Alaska; Mark Pryor, D-Ark.; Mary Landrieu, D-La.; Kay Hagan, D-N.C.; Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Mark Udall, D-Colo.; Tom Udall, D-N.M.; Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.
for more features.


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Sign Of The Horns LED Neon Sign
Sign Of The Horns LED Neon Sign
Get it in 7-10 days
Introducing the Sign Of The Horns LED Neon Sign! This dazzling display is sure to catch everyone's attention, whether you're looking to add some excitement to your home décor or liven up your business establishment.The eye-catching design features vibrant neon tubing that's hand-bent into the iconic "sign of the horns" gesture. Plus, it comes with a handy remote control so you can easily turn it on and off. Whether you're a diehard metalhead or just a fan of all things kitschy and cool, this sign is a must-have for your collection.
- Size Options - Our signs range in 3 to 4 sizes. We can make larger sizes upon request!
- Built To Last - Our LED Neon Flex is built to last for 10+ years.
- Easy To Hang - Incredibly easy to hang with the pre-drilled holes in the acrylic backing and the screws that are included. The average hanging time is 10 minutes. If you don't want to use screws, our signs that are below 40 inches are usually light enough that you can use 3M strips to hang them!
- Warranty - 1-year warranty guarantee
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What's Included
What's Included
LED Neon Sign - Your New AMAZING Neon Sign
- Dimmer/Switch - This neon sign's dimmer is programmed to your switch so you can adjust its brightness.
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Power Supply -
Each sign comes with an easy to use power supply (12v). Depending on your shipping address, we'll make your sign with the correct plug (US, EU, UK, AU, etc.)
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Installation Guide
Installation Guide
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2 Days In New York Trailer Shows Julie Delpy And Chris Rock's Quirky Love Story
Though the best known for her work in Richard Linkater's beloved dramas Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, actress/writer-director Julie Delpy has spun an unlikely sequel of her own from the blisteringly funny 2 Days in Paris. Taking place several years later and Stateside, 2 Days in New York has Delpy reprising the role of the awkward but lovable Marion. However, her Paris co-star Adam Goldberg is quite literally out of the picture, replaced by comedian Chris Rock, who plays Marion's new paramour Mingus. And things are good until Marion's family comes to visit, bringing their uniquely French brand of crazy to New York along with a selection of smuggled deli delicacies.
The film was among my personal favorites at the Tribeca Film Festival this year, displaying an absurd but relatable brand of humor that is gut-bustingly funny. While 2 Days in New York won't hit theaters until later this summer, you can get a taste of Delpy's rich sense of humor now, thanks to the film's new trailer, which you can check out below, or in hi-res at Apple. (opens in new tab)
Alexia Landeau and Delpy's real-life papa, Albert Delpy, return to play Marion's slyly judgmental, pot-stirring sister Rose, and her eccentric father respectively. And once again the three share an onscreen chemistry that sizzles into tension and brews into hysterical family discord. Delpy is of course a delight, but the greatest surprise of 2 Days in New York is what a wonderful actor Rock turns out to be. I must admit, when I first heard he'd be stepping in for Goldberg, I was dubious he'd be able to pull off Delpy's peculiar comedy style, but Rock nails it and shows he can do far more than the common shouting shtick he's so often called in for.
There's a lot of wonderful indie comedies making their way to theaters this summer, but it a point to check out 2 Days in New York; it's too terrific to miss.
2 Days in New York opens in theaters August 10th, but will be available on iTunes as early as July 6th.
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
Staff writer at CinemaBlend.


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Trip Details
Who We Work With: Christian Life Movement
Type of Service: Building, Service
Trip Capacity: 20 Students
Dates & Cost:
Spring Dates
Peru 2 (Arequipa)
- March 3 - 12, 2023
- $2,750*
Peru 4c (Arequipa) (Western Washington University)
- March 17 - 26, 2023
- $3,400*
* Dates and price subject to change
What's Included: International airfare, travel insurance, pre-trip orientation, post-trip debriefing, food & lodging in-country, project materials, in-country transportation
What's Not Included: Immunizations & personal travel medicines, travel to and from U.S. departure city (determined by FOCUS Missions), passport and visa expenses, other personal incidentals
Fundraising: Each FOCUS Missions Participant has the opportunity to fundraise the entire cost of his or her mission trip. After you have been accepted on a mission trip, you will be contacted by your personal fundraising coach.
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FOCUS Missions holds safety for our participants as the primary concern for any mission trip we send. We offer trips to locations once they have been initially researched and vetted with people on the ground, as well as checked and monitored for safety from our security consultant.
Other precautions FOCUS Missions takes include consulting government agencies, such as the U.S. State Department, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), and the Center for Disease Control regarding traveler health. FOCUS Missions also has a number of resources dedicated to promoting safety and mitigating risk, including training every Mission Director in safety and risk management at our Mission Director Leadership Summit, arranging insurance policies for each trip, and equipping our staff and students with safety guidelines at trip orientation.
FOCUS Missions takes great pride in partnering with local religious orders, apostolates, and organizations in every location we serve. We regularly communicate with our contacts before the mission to plan the trip and assess on-the-ground conditions. We reserve the right to re-route or cancel a trip if there is a confirmed safety concern.
Have Questions? Visit our FAQ Page or Trip Participant Page


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Editor's note: William J. Bennett is the Washington fellow of the Claremont Institute. He was U.S. secretary of education from 1985 to 1988 and was director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George H.W. Bush.
(CNN) -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry's entrance into the 2012 sweepstakes has shaken up both the Republican Party and the media interest in the upcoming election. And, as is his style, Perry entered the race with a bang, not a whimper.
Until Perry's entrance, there had been a lot of support for the various declared candidates, but there had also been a lot of unhappiness, a sense that none of the candidates was quite up to the task of beating President Obama, that none of the candidates was lighting the party's fire as someone that could appeal to the base, bridge the establishment's interests with the tea party interests, and -- at the same time -- occupy a position of national leadership. Indeed, one recent poll revealed less than half (45%) of registered Republican primary voters were satisfied with the field that included most of the candidates we've seen thus far.
Yes, some of the candidates have ignited a lot of intense support for themselves, especially House members Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul, but Americans have not elected a member of the House of Representatives to the presidency -- or even run a member from the House of Representatives on the Republican or Democratic ticket -- since the 1800s.
There is a general consensus in the party that unless House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan were to enter the race, there's little chance that historical pattern would be broken. House members are simply too unknown or not quite "big enough" to run on behalf of the entire country.
Opinion: Who's the real Rick Perry?
All eyes and ears are on Perry now. And his entrance into the race has already shown something quite telling, if quite unnoticed. On the day he announced, he bested the national front-runner, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, in the Ames, Iowa, straw poll as a write-in candidate. Yes, it is true Romney did not invest in the Ames straw poll, but he did participate in the debate two days prior, and his name was on the ballot. Neither was the case for Perry, and, more importantly, Perry did not invest in Ames either.
To repeat, he was a write-in candidate. Now, the most recent poll we have of likely Republican voters puts Perry in first place, beating both Romney and Bachmann by double digits. And this, with merely an announcement to run.
Yes, Perry has a lot to overcome to continue his first place position, and he will have a lot to defend -- especially several past statements about states' rights. His recent line about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, that "we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas," were he to "print more money," and that such a policy would be "almost treacherous, or treasonous," has raised eyebrows,as well.
As many others have put it in different ways, the kind of language that has worked in Texas will need to be tempered for a national stage and candidacy. In full disclosure, I am friendly with Perry and have spoken with him both about his policies and candidacy, and he realizes all of this. I especially believe he illustrated that with what was perhaps the most telling line in his campaign announcement last weekend: "I'm a Texan and proud of it. But first, and foremost, I'm an incredibly proud American."
There will be a balancing needed between Texas style and accent and national acceptability. But, before he tilts too strongly toward the latter, it is important to recognize the Texas part should not be fully disowned. It is not only a big state with a lot of votes, it still captures a big part of the American imagination -- even if it is a punching bag for much of the cultural left.
Opinion: Perry's angry rhetoric hides record
It's important to recall, as the comparisons are now being made, President George W. Bush was criticized for being "too Texas," as well, and yet he was still only one of four presidents since President Eisenhower to be elected to a second term, and by large numbers.
For the next several weeks, as has already begun, there will be a lot of analysis of Perry's strongest calling card to the race, his record of job creation in Texas. Indeed, prominent liberals and conservatives have already started to cast doubts on that record, a record generally touted as responsible for "37% of all the net new jobs in America."
But as the scrutiny of that jobs record commences in earnest for the political season, it is important to realize nonpartisan analyses were on to what was happening in Texas long before Perry considered running for president. In 2009, one nonpartisan poll of business executives ranked Texas as "the No. 1 state to do business" for the fourth year in a row. And, the Economist magazine highlighted Texas in 2009 as "Lone Star Rising" with a subtitle to its special report: "Thanks to low taxes and light regulation, Texas is booming." This was in addition to several favorable data points comparing Texas to California in a separate piece in the magazine.
For the next several weeks, the Republican race will be a Perry-Bachmann-Romney race. Romney has many advantages, including having gone through much of this before (i.e., in 2007 and 2008). And while Perry and Romney will slug it out for establishment credibility and support, Perry and Bachmann will slug it out for the base and the tea party.
That's harder work for Perry -- trying to take support away from two candidates with two different and important constituencies. But if his political record in Texas is any indication -- elected governor three times in a big and diverse state, and against "establishment" insurgents within the GOP (e.g., Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison) -- it looks like the new front-runner within the GOP will be a Texas governor once again.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of William Bennett.


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Time and time again in this country, doctors and various other 'experts' make decisions that are obvious lunacy to anyone with a normal, functioning brain. And inevitably, it's never these morons who end up paying the price but rather, innocent members of the public.
In yet another such incident, a pregnant woman has been murdered by a psychiatric patient who was released after doctors decided he was 'exaggerating' his mental problems.
Alan McMullan, 54, stabbed 21-year-old Claire Wilson to death as she walked to work on a Sunday afternoon.
She screamed and collapsed as her attacker walked away, a jury has now heard.
And here's the part that will make you seethe: one year earlier the killer had on not one, not two, but on three occasions handed himself into police while armed with a knife, claiming to hear voices commanding him to murder someone!
Each time he was admitted to hospital – and later released after treatment. On the third occasion doctors decided he was 'exaggerating his symptoms to gain admission to hospital', Hull Crown Court has heard.
After committing the murder, McMullan told police he was angry he had not been given 'appropriate treatment' by the authorities.
Miss Wilson, the victim, was six months pregnant, when she was stabbed to death on June 7 last year.
Personally, I think that every single 'doctor' who opted to release this man into the general community, should be struck off and then charged with reckless endangerment, if we have such a category of crime here in the UK.
Sequence of events:
McMullan went to the police on June 2, 2008.
He was carrying a knife, complained of feeling unwell and mentioned the possibility of killing somebody.
He was admitted under the Mental Health Act and seen by a consultant psychiatrist.
McMullan was discharged from Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby after 14 days, told to stop drinking, continue with his medication and attend an outpatient appointment.
On June 19 the same thing happened again. This time he was admitted for 21 days and released with medication.
The third time he was admitted to the psychiatric unit was July 21 and this time doctors decided he was 'exaggerating'.
The trial continues.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1276389/Knifeman-went-police-times-saying-going-kill–released-murder-waitress-random-attack.html#ixzz0ncJDqlwd


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World Net Daily reported on the Mexican Government's recent Executive order to issue biometric ID cards to all children 17 years old and younger that will contain personal information, all ten fingerprints and an iris scan. Biometric Identification is able to store personal physical identifiers on a person (i.e., your fingerprints or images of your iris, which are unique to every individual) and have the microchip with the data placed on a card which can be scanned for verification of one's identity.
To carry out the presidential executive order, the Mexican Directorate General of the National Population Register plans to go to all elementary schools in Mexico schools in Mexico to record the required biometric information and issue individual identity cards. According to the article:
The Mexican National Institute of Geography and Statistics estimates that in 2005, there were 10.5 million Mexicans between 5 and 9 years old, 11 million between 10 and 14 years old, and 10 million between 15 and 19 years old.
Reasonable estimates are that by the end of 2012, Mexico plans to issue more than 25.7 million biometric identity cards to the nation's children 18 years old and younger.
Again, we see technology that can provide full identification becoming more and more of a reality. Now that personal data can be stored on a chip and consolidated into one convenient card, how long before our financial data, credit card and baking information is contained on the card as well? Thus allowing all buying and selling to be done on one easy card, with no chance for identity theft. The benefits to society of a system like this would be obvious. And where this can all lead from a Bible prophecy standpoint is even more obvious. The prior article entitled "What Does the Bible Say About The New World Order", detailed how Revelation Chapter 13 of the Bible describes an end time world, ruled by the Antichrist and predicated one a globalized, one world government, a single, unified religion for all people and an economic system that is also used by the entire world. The final end-times economy will be centered on a system with an individual "mark" for all people of the world that will control all buying and selling.
Revelation 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
While we cannot say what the mark is or will look like, the technological capabilities to institute such a system have now clearly arrived. Never before has humanity had the capability to create a single object through which all financial transactions can be conducted. But of course with today's data storage and satellite transmission technology, it's very feasible and easy to implement.
Potential Precursor to the North American Union?
In addition to serving as an ID card for Mexicans, the planned roll out of the biometric ID will also help facilitate the "Global Entry Trusted Traveler" Program, a joint initiative between the United States, Mexico and Canada whose stated goal is:
Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Though intended for frequent international travelers, there is no minimum number of trips necessary to qualify for the program. Participants may enter the United States by using automated kiosks located at select airports
The Trusted Traveler program members will have their biometric information stored in a database, similar to the plan for Mexican children. And upon entry into a US airport:
At airports, program participants proceed to Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable U.S. passport or permanent resident card, place their fingertips on the scanner for fingerprint verification, and make a customs declaration. The kiosk issues the traveler a transaction receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit.
The Canadian Border Services are doing their part by issuing a Trusted Traveler Card as a part of their FAST program (Free and Secure Trade). This will provide the same facilitated easy access across the Canadian border for those who are deemed "trusted" based on background check and in-person interview.
So what is the significance of this? Like the European Union, which has a similar type of ID for easy travel across the borders of member nations, the United States, Mexico and Canada are taking another step towards becoming at least for economic, trade and security purposes, a confederacy or Union. This effort under President George W. Bush was known as the Security and Prosperity Partnership or SPP. Now it has taken a new name as the Obama administration refers to it as the North American Leader's Summit. Their own stated goal, as detailed on their webpage, states: "Indeed, in the 21st century, North America is defined not simply by our borders, but by our bonds."
Since the meeting more initiatives have been advanced including a "Beyond the Border" declaration between the US and Canada, signed by President Obama which seeks to establish a "continental perimeter" that would encourages such measures as having Canadian law enforcement working in America. The Toronto Star reported that the government of Canada instructed employees and officials to keep the negotiation of the deal confidential until announcement.
American University Professor and Council on Foreign Relations member, Robert Pastor, has been outlining the steps necessary for a North American Union in published articles, presentations and most notably in his book: "Building a North American Community." According to the World Net Daily article, the Beyond the Border Declaration takes its language from Pastor's book "almost verbatim."
As explained in the New World Order article, global confederations are all a part of the governmental structure that will be in place right before the end-times Great Tribulation begins. Like Europe, Africa and soon South America, the United States is also moving the wheels towards a North American confederation of its own. While we cannot know the dates of when these things will come to pass, the signs of the end times are certainly increasing with each passing week.


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Lawrence Okoye has his sights on an NFL career despite having never played football in high school or college. The 21-year-old British discus record-holder is putting his career on hold to make the switch to the NFL. If he makes it, Okoye would be part of a small number of British-born players who have competed in the NFL.
Okoye attended the regional combine in Atlanta last week and plans to work out at the Dallas super regional on April 7. He said five NFL teams have shown interest in him.
"At the combine, I really stood out because of my size, strength and speed," Okoye told The Daily Mail's Ian Stafford. "I don't want to sound arrogant, but I was good on (that) day -- to the point that a lot of NFL clubs began talking to me immediately on the back of it. They all see me as a defensive end, which suits me just fine.
"I've had some meetings since, and done some private workouts with some clubs, too, and already they are talking to me about contracts."
Okoye said he won't sign with a team until after the 2013 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-6, 284-pounder is an accomplished rugby player and looks the part, but we know the NFL is a different animal. Okoye finished 12th in the discus at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Brooks: Bucky's Big Board 3.0
Bucky Brooks updates his pecking order of the top 50 prospects in the 2013 draft, revealing some notable risers and sliders. **More ...**
"From my mid-teenage years, everyone kept telling me to give American football a go," Okoye said, "and I thought about applying for an American college scholarship when I was 16.
"I've always been a huge NFL fan for as long as I can remember. ... I want to give this my best shot. It's a rare life opportunity."
Good luck to Okoye, but it's going to be extremely hard to find a roster spot among men who have been playing the game their entire lives. He might be a superb athlete, but the technique, footwork and instincts he needs in order to succeed in the NFL might create a mountainous obstacle.


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Meet the Dartmoor Flower Shed!
Gnarled hands, cracked thumbs and a crinkly smile reveal how much of my life I have spent tilling the soil. Toiling in all weathers, digging, weeding and planting might sound arduous, but for those of us who love gardening it is a short cut to serenity and bliss. It starts as I pull on my wellington … Continue reading


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Multi-modal transportation has yet to mature because of issues around data, unclear and immature ROI and lack of co-operation between stakeholders
The main challenge for transportation organizations is a cultural change: How to move from a traditional engineer – build – operate model and towards a collaborative and agile test-and-learn model
Agile approaches are needed both to quickly confirm which services make sense, for which customers at what cost; and to bridge the gap between "old" transport engineers and digital natives (millennials)
Both IT/Internet companies and traditional operators have to conquer any fears and seize the opportunity by adopting agile innovation approaches designed for the future, not the past.
'Just look up the trains in Bradshaw.'– Sherlock Holmes to Dr. Watson, SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE, 'The Adventure of the Copper Beeches' in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
In November 2016, BearingPoint launched a study to understand the multimodal world, to identify key market dynamics and to propose recommendations on implementing mobility services platforms: 59 operators and other stakeholders from nine European countries - as well as Japan and the USA - participated in the study, representing railway, technology, public transport, government, car sharing, associations, science and bicycle.
The topline finding was confirmation of the need for multimodal platforms, their function and resulting business models. According to respondents:
Overall, respondents regarded the mobility platform business as worthwhile, including public transport, which sees the opportunity to grow usage as greater than the risk of "cannibalization". One respondent commented, "Increasing the market share of railroad companies would be possible only by taking into account their integration with other modes. The core question to be addressed is more modal ntegration than modal shift."
Transport operators expect competition from digital players, as a logical onsequence of their role of approaching mobility issues and anticipating customer needs. However, 85% of respondents also noted that the expansion of the company's own offer with additional mobility platform business is challenging.
George Bradshaw, creator of the world's first railroad timetable catalogue, found inspiration from mapping out the complexities of the train and canal systems criss-crossing his native Britain. First published on October 19, 1839, Bradshaw's Guides expanded across Europe and as far as India and Australia. "Seldom has the gigantic intellect of man been employed upon a work of greater utility," stated the magazine, Punch, in 1865.
In these digitally enabled times, we need - once again - a shared data resource for public transportation. The landscape is more complex: we have aircraft, buses, trams and automobiles alongside trains and waterways, as well as a highly technology-aware customer base. The challenge and opportunity remains the same, however: by harnessing the complex pools of data involved, stakeholder organizations can ease passenger journeys while delivering new services.
Our increasingly metropolitan lifestyles create significant impetus for multimodal transportation. "More people live in cities and new transport solutions are easier to implement in cities," explains David van Oertzen, Head of Technology at Daimler subsidiary, moovel. Meanwhile, longer distance journeys can constitute thousands of miles and also depend on multiple forms of transport.
At a fundamental level, trust is based on independence. Platform operators should be seen as 'operator agnostic'. If there is a suspicion that the platform has a bias towards one operator's services, the platform will not succeed.
Public transport operators have integrated digital services such as timetabling and ticketing since the 1990s, but the scope remains limited geographically, or is functionally constrained to planning/booking tickets. No current mobility platform covers all transport modes, regions and countries, which is a source of frustration to all parties. "I am convinced by the theory, but we are not there in practice," says Matthias Hüske, CDO at operator DB Vertriebs GmbH.
The ultimate goal – to make multimodal transport as convenient and connected as personal transport – remains hampered by legacy constraints. "It is a digital thing to orchestrate how people get from point A to point B, to make all other forms of transport equivalent to a car journey. It's a pain to organize those trips," remarks Michael Peterson, Marketing Executive at Deutsche Bahn Long Distance. So what is preventing this from happening and how can players maximize the chances of success in this complex market space?
Let's look at what is driving the gap between theory and reality. More than 85% of respondents recognize that extending business-as-usual into the new mobility platform business can be a challenge; so, what is getting in the way of the vision? If we look at the survey results (Figure 1), we can see inertia caused by data management, business models and more general cooperation.
Many top concerns are data-related: 93% of respondents saw a lack of data standardization as an obstacle: "Without common standards for data flows, we are creating barriers to innovation," says Dr. Libor Lochman, Chairman of the Community of European Railways (CER). This is followed closely by data security and by a shortage of data coming from the same industry. Lack of data integration results in passenger pain, recounts Roland Werner, Head of Government Affairs and Policy at Uber Germany, from personal experience: "On a recent train journey, on the last five miles it was impossible to book a ticket for the last section, I had to step off and back onto a train to buy it."
Real-time data management is an issue for all players, not least operators. "You can scale planned information but not real-time information," says Peterson, linking this through to overall service delivery. "Officially we have a schedule that covers 365 days of the year; in reality, we operate 365 different train schedules, as it changes every day. The real challenge is how to reimburse passengers for only part of a journey, should something go wrong."
Some issues are self-imposed by operators. Says Hüske, "Small operators (local bike or car) have no APIs at all, meanwhile others - such as MyTaxi, Flixbus and car2go in Germany - don't want to offer content on shared multimodal platforms. You might be able to access offers, timetables, but they don't open their APIs for booking or integrate their offers."
In 2014, we discovered that data is the petroleum of tomorrow. We don't want to just hand all the data over to Google and others so they can sideline us.
ALAIN FLAUSCH, SECRETARY GENERAL, UITP - International association of public transport
With competitive distrust between stakeholders, any solution will need to allay concerns around data ownership and, indeed, the value such data can bring. Explains Alain Flausch, CEO of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), "In 2014, we discovered that data is the petroleum of tomorrow. We don't want to just hand all the data over to Google and others, so they can sideline us."
Fears, such as these, are felt by players new and old, all looking to monetize their own data. "EU law states that public transport operators have to provide timetable data, but it is not clear that we have the right to access real time data, so stakeholders including cities are thinking that perhaps they can offer better solutions under their own brands," says van Oertzen. Confirms Laurent Kocher, Chief Marketing, Innovation and Services Officer of mobility solutions provider Keolis, "For the platform to cover on-demand transport, it needs to incorporate data and services from operators such as Uber and taxi companies. Such operators would refuse to be disintermediated unless the platform has a sufficiently strong brand to impose its presence."
From the research, a specific example of the dilemma around open data is around customer loyalty programs. 58% of transport companies regard participation in customer loyalty programs as being important, while only 33% of technology companies agree – what could cause this discrepancy? We believe the answer lies in the fact that transport operators are keen to tie existing customers in, whereas IT-based operators (with no heritage to protect) are more comfortable with transient relationships. While it may be hard to 'let go', traditional operators may have to embrace increased uncertainty if they want to remain competitive in an increasingly open landscape.
Unclear ROI is the second largest constraint, reported by 82% of respondents: this presents a strong indicator of the immaturity of multimodal mobility. "The business model hasn't yet been found," says Kocher. "Audience models (through advertising) would not work as passengers would find pushed ads unacceptable; and as for commission-based models, 10% commissions on a €20-50 ticket might fund the platform, but in public transport, with a ticket priced at €1-2, even 20% would not suffice."
Without clear business models, the incentive to invest financially or otherwise is reduced, leading to significant challenges, according to Lochman, "The main issues are around financing of new infrastructure; if you don't have infrastructure, customers will not come."
Implementing mobility platforms requires a significant investment, not only in the core platform, but more importantly in such areas as ticket validation, says Kocher. "For the platform to be effective, passengers must be able to use their mobiles to validate their tickets, clearly and transparently, when starting a journey. No obvious technology is addressing this requirement currently."
Some regulations in the field of mobility and transport are seen as a challenge as they do not embrace the opportunities of digitization. "In Germany, the regulations that make mobility possible date from the 1980s," mentions Werner. "For example, private hire vehicles have to go back to the seat of the business after delivering passengers so they are forced to go empty through cities, with no passengers." Agrees Peterson, "How can you come up with quick solutions based on market demand, if you need to go through an 8-week process to check pricing?" Unsurprisingly, the research tells us that technology companies are more disappointed by the lack of political support than the (incumbent) transport sector.
The customer does not want to have to provide information at each stage – customers want to go from the start to final destination, they want a clear price, to know how fast the journey will be etc.
Other differences emerge from different stakeholder groups – considering the sale of real time operational data to mobility platform operators, for example, transport operators were uncertain (46%) whether this was important, but digital players saw it as paramount (82%). Without investment it becomes harder to build experience levels and gain clarity, says Jörg Bruchertseifer, Vice Chairman of passenger association Pro Bahn: "We know only of selected services, such as Qixxit and moovel. I do not know yet of a full-scale service integrating both timetabling and ticketing – so lessons about full-scale services are still unknown."
Such uncertainties play into the hands of industry inertia, believes Flausch: "Of course, there are some pioneers and some followers but I am nervous about whether there is a sufficient sense of urgency." A knock-on effect is a lack of multi-modal skills and resources, further slowing market development: twice as many technology companies complain about the shortcoming as transport industry respondents.
Other factors concern how the transport ecosystem can work together, due to mutual distrust and commercial misalignment: 55% of respondents believe that intra-modal rivalry prevents traditional rail and public service providers from cooperating and competing against disruptive mobility stakeholders. In some cases this is driven by fear, thinks Peterson: "The biggest threat to us is if someone takes over organising the end-to-end customer journey, and we become downgraded to provider of physical transport". At a fundamental level, trust is based on independence, confirms Kocher: "The platform operator should be seen as 'operator agnostic'. If there is a suspicion that the platform has a bias towards one operator' services, the platform will not succeed."
Huge potential exists for partnerships between players: traditional players are developing in digital, and digital players are learning from traditional players.
We have seen the consequences in reticence to share data, but the challenge goes far deeper: some groups are keen to protect their historically captive markets, whether or not this is in the customer interest. "Taxi people were very protective for a long time, it was good that Uber came and rocked the boat so they renovated their offering," says Flausch, adding, "You could question Uber's profitability, whether they are paying enough, but we cannot reject them."
Beyond competitive pressures, transport operators have traditionally worked in isolation. "Too many stakeholders are interested in only their own areas, national, regional rail, local bus companies and so on," says Bruchertseifer. And, within these silos, each stakeholder group has different success factors to manage. For example, transport operators are judged on quality of service, and so will be uneasy about bundling their services with external operators, as these could add risk. Says Lochman: "If a customer complains - for example with no ticket - and the customer service team [in another group] don't know about your system, you will have issues."
Distrust goes both ways: digital startups are rarely keen to engage with operators looking to set up their own platforms, for example. "They are subsidized by public money for public transport services, so leveraging on their strengths/assets to deliver unregulated services will require changes in the regulation. In return, these changes would help local Authorities regulate all mobility services on their territory" says Kocher. "An early example is the HelloGo platform in the Netherlands, which leverages the intermodal information service 9292 to sell all mobility services, including NS train tickets."
While all challenges are important and interconnected, the main cause of bottlenecks to multimodal mobility stems from the lack of cooperation and support between stakeholders. Issues with both data and business models will improve more quickly or slowly, depending on how well traditional operators, technology organizations and other stakeholders - from transport authorities to rollingstock manufacturers and automobile manufacturers - work together.
The main issues are around financing of new infrastructure; if you don't have infrastructure, customers will not come.
All parties seem to agree that cooperation between providers within and outside the transport industry is seen as a top-rated factor in establishing a mobility platform. Cooperation between operators with the same service portfolio scored 95%, whereas cooperation of transport operators with Internet/IT-companies scored 92%. However, as we have seen, parties are reticent to open themselves up to the unknown. The response from one respondent is therefore unsurprising: "Implementing a multimodal platform can only be made by 'disruptive players' who have nothing to lose, who are eager to make (a lot of) money out of it and ready to take risks, even if these imply lawsuits."
So, what to do? Looking at the research, one way forward emerges from looking at two of the strongest stakeholder groups – traditional transport operators, and IT/Internet companies (including OEMs) who are looking to disrupt the market. While on the surface these organizations may appear diametrically opposed, if we look at the competences of each (Figure 3) we can see that their strengths and weaknesses are diametrically opposed: that is, the weaknesses of one can be offset by the strengths of the other.
Each group has a choice: to invest in areas of weakness, in a risky attempt to prevent the competition from getting ahead; or to work in partnership with others, bringing core competences to the table and building upon strengths. Both groups can learn from each other, thinks Werner: "Huge potential exists for partnerships between players: traditional players are developing in digital, and digital players are learning from traditional players."
As we have mentioned, transport operators and IT/Internet companies are only two of the stakeholder groups, however they do create a fulcrum upon which other parties can operate. For example, public transport authorities are in an increasingly powerful position to drive progress. "In the past [public transport] authorities were weak and operators were the big players, but now they have institutions that can work with markets to help mobility be as smooth as possible. TfL [Transport for London] is a good example of this," says Flausch; Concurs van Oertzen, "Cities and transit authorities are the most important stakeholders for us as they ensure the public transport system what we consider as the backbone of urban mobility."
Public transport operators think in about 20, 30 year timescales, it's impossible to have an idea what the world will look like by then.
Another important group are automobile makers. In Peterson's telling, "The experience of car manufacturers becomes increasingly important. In Germany, the car was the status symbol, but for the younger Generation Y, the first time they think about owning a car is when they get a family. Initiatives like Car2go and Drivenow were established for the younger generation – manufacturers would like to establish indirect relationships though these services, and they might then decide to buy the Mercedes or BMW."
Of course, the ultimate stakeholders are traveling passengers, whatever their modal preferences. "Customers are the most driving group, as it is them who opt for how they would get from A to B. So, it is necessary for people representing new technology companies to maintain a high-level dialogue with the public," says Werner. Concurs Bruchertseifer, "Companies think about revenues, but should think how to acquire passengers first – do this and the answer comes automatically."
The platform has to bring customers extra value for their daily lives and long distance journeys – it has to jump forward from what people normally use, otherwise platforms won't be used in a constant way.
"The future is already here - it is just not evenly distributed" - William Gibson, The Economist, December 4, 2003
In many ways the future of multi-modal transportation is already here. "The breakpoint is happening with regional and metropolitan services, we can see it in the natural progression towards integrated ticketing, and cycling and walking are increasingly the reality," explains Lochman. "For long distances, we are moving towards a tipping point – 2020 should be the breakpoint, when we can book a trip throughout all possible modes, integrating trains, planes and buses." Stakeholders wanting to become big winners can benefit from the array of platform technologies, cloudbased services, mobile and analytical capabilities now available – such technologies are already well-established in other industries.
While platform business models give the potential for scalable growth and therefore first mover advantage, adoption has its challenges not least as organizations look to follow agile test-and-learn models rather than the engineer-build-operate models more familiar to traditional transportation. As well as adopting a culture and digital execution model with the skills and capability to be able to iteratively and continuously innovate, develop and deploy, success requires an obsessive focus on the customer. As a result, the overall digital experience and using analytics/data to personalize services are crucial.
Operating model transformation provides the starting point for iteratively building on and enriching the service, adding ecosystem partners along the way. In practical terms, we see clients starting their platform journey by taking an existing product or service and working with partners to combine offerings that create better outcomes for customers. In this way, organizations can not only capture innovative responses emerging through trial and error as hypotheses are tested, but also gain experience and create stronger connections with 'digital natives' among both the user base and the workforce.
From our research and experience, we know that no stakeholder has the legitimacy or power to implement a multimodal technology platform alone – co-operation, not isolation, holds the key. To ensure any steps enable a meeting of minds rather than a clash of cultures, we would propose focusing on initiatives that create mutual understanding between players, for example:
One of the standout conclusions of the survey (as shown in Fig. 1) is the finding that participants do not understand at present where the money is going to come from: 'The fact that unclear ROI is seen as the second largest constraint, according to 82% of respondents, indicates the immaturity of the mobility platform business.' The corollary to this is that whoever takes the lead and discovers how to make money from a MMM platform will have the distinct advantage. And whoever fails to do so will be at a severe disadvantage. Therefore, in the absence of a compelling business case, we would recommend however to be somewhat "brave" (as quoted by one of our survey participant) and to place a bet : start in a test & learn mode with a small investment to qualify the services the customers are ready to pay for.
The ultimate goal for any platform-based business, in transportation or elsewhere, is to benefit from a network effect, interactions that generate economies of scale and greater value to both customers and providers. "The platform has to bring customers extra value for their daily lives and long distance journeys – it has to jump forward from what people normally use, otherwise platforms won't be used in a constant way," says Hüske. Achieving this requires traditional operators to conquer any fears and seize the opportunity by adopting agile innovation approaches that enable ideas to be tested and experience gained.
"I would say to those in charge, give more space to these opportunities," says Werner, and Flausch agrees wholeheartedly: "You need to be brave from time to time."
In 2014, Deutsche Bahn officially launched "Qixxit" as a platform for the transport of vehicles, with which users can choose their individual itinerary. This means that different means of transport are proposed for the journey of Qixxit. These include, among others, taxi, car sharing, carpooling, car rental, public transport, train, long distance bus, aircrafts (via airline search engine partners) and rental bicycles.
• In order to emphasize the neutrality of the carriers, deliberately selected partners of competing mobility providers are part of the platform's portfolio
Web: https://www.qixxit.de/en/
Since July 2015, SNCF has offered the smartphone-controlled application "iDPASS" for the integration of various modes of transport: car sharing, rental bicycles, railway, taxi, car rental, eRoller rental and parking spaces near train stations. The service is offered in the fifteen largest cities in France. In addition, SNCF rail connections are bookable (ticketing & payment), which allows a complete travel chain cover between these cities.
• SNCF plans to double the number of public transport users in France by 2030. Public transport and aviation have so far been excluded.
Web (French): https://idpass.sncf.com/
The "SwissPass" is a customer card of the Association of Public Transport - VdöV (the abbreviation for the Association of German Transport Companies), which has been issued since August 2015. The SwissPass can be used for all booking and payment for public transport in Switzerland such as railways, ships, local buses and trams. Further services are included, such as car sharing, bike rental, Switzerland Mobility (network for non-motorized private transport, for leisure and tourism) as well as ski lifts in certain ski resorts.
• The SwissPass aims to network the transport providers of the Swiss regional transport and tariff networks: a platform on which step-by-step tickets and additional mobility offers can be integrated. However, some transport services are deliberately excluded, such as aviation and long-distance buses
Web: https://www.swisspass.ch/auth/login?lang=en
GoEuro is a travel meta search engine and booking platform for Europe that allows users to compare the prices and travel times of air, rail and bus options in a single search. The service has been active since 2013 and meanwhile GoEuro partners with over 500 European transport operators. It was designed by the Indian founder Naren Shaam after his trip to Europe, when he found transparent comparability of the various modes of transport websites to be insufficient.
• The respective modes of transport are comparable and bookable, eliminating the need to visit multiple websites to plan a trip. However, there are currently no options for the combination of different transport modes and focus is put on main lines, less first/last mile
Web: www.goeuro.com
Subscription support for public transport in the Ile-de-France region, the Navigo card (11 million cards) is gradually becoming a multimodal pass, extending its initial access offer (metro, bus, tramway and RER) to the river shuttles "Batobus", transportation to the airports "Filéo", secured bicycle relay "Véligo", self-service bicycle "Vélib" and since April 2017, to self-service cars "Autolib". In terms of functionality, the range also extends with the possibility to create a Navigo.fr personal account and to make its online transactions (paying a subscription, modifying personal informations, downloading a certificate for employer refund, declaring the loss of its card, etc. and by 2018, to be used in "post-payment" mode (users who make this choice will be billed at the end of the month only according to their consumption).
Web: http://www.navigo.fr/
Key issues
Proposed actions
Standardization of data interchange (formats and protocols, business processes) is missing and therefore hindering market development
Foster standardization topics within industry working groups and involve government (national/international)
Consequences of business models or ROI are not clear enough and management decisions are outstanding
Decision needed on "make", "buy" or "cooperate"; start with small investments, in a test & learn mode, to qualify the market
Operating models
Quality of service perceived by customers combine quality of transport and value of related (digital) services
Keep the focus on operations basics, and provide new service bundles to improve digital / platform maturity
Customer centricity and ability to deliver end-to-end services require intra-modal &
inter-modal cooperation, as no one can cover the full spectrum
Start deeper cooperation with all stakeholders around mobility platform management: e.g. operators, IT companies, service providers, new entrants (car manufacturers). Take united
steps towards government and regulation to set frameworks for data security, reliability, etc., and to secure funding
End-to-end travel management & client centricity are core functions. This includes also flanking functionalities around travel
While payment solutions exist, enabling these across stakeholders and across (mobile) customer devices becomes a critical success factor.
Integrate value add services to platforms around travel (regional, national, international)
to round off a full package for customers
Develop/decide for consistent usage based payment & validation solutions which are scalable and flexible
The Survey was addressed to all companies/organizations who are involved in mobility platform business. We took the opportunity to launch our questionnaire on InnoTrans 2016 event and did an additional online questionnaire in November-December 2016 to gather the information. 59 decision-makers from eight European countries (Germany, Switzerland, France, Austria, Italy, Spain, UK, Belgium) as well as from Turkey, Japan and the US participated in the survey, representing the following sectors: railway, software/IT/Internet, public transport, government, car sharing, associations, science and bicycle (all enumerated by frequency). A series of expert interviews in 2nd quarter 2017 completes our 360° view of the platform topic.
Frank Nosbers, Martin Colbus, Ralf Stenger, Caroline Perrin and Katharina Schneider.
The author would like to thank all interviewees for their time and valuable input, namely: Alain Flausch, Secretary General at UITP (International Association of Public Transport); Jörg Bruchertseifer, Deputy Federal Chairman at passenger association PRO BAHN; Roland Werner, Head of Government Affairs & Policy, DACH at Uber; Laurent Kocher, Executive Director Marketing, Innovation and Services at Keolis; Libor Lochman, Executive Director at CER (Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies); John David van Oertzen, Head of Product at moovel Group GmbH; Mathias Hüske, Chief Digital Officer at DB Vertrieb GmbH (Distribution); Dr. Michael Peterson, Member of the Board of Management (Marketing) at DB Fernverkehr AR. A special thanks also goes to Sharon Springell and Tanja Schwarz from the BearingPoint Institute, Angelique Tourneux from BearingPoint as well as Jon Collins from InterOrbis Michael Agar from Agar Design and Chris Norris from CopyGhosting.


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Things to do in Portland, OR
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The Salton Sea was once a tourist destination, a "Palm Springs with water." Now the largest lake in California is an environmental disaster: The water is toxic and the surrounding area abandoned. It emerged from the desert in 1905 when the Colorado River overflowed, but agricultural runoff and increasing salinity have made it poisonous.
The place has inspired a number of documentaries, including Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea, a feature narrated by John Waters, and a short recently featured by Short of the Week, The Accidental Sea. One of the winning films at the Tribeca Film Festival this year, Bombay Beach, is about a community of people who live there now. All of them are worth checking out.
In the short documentary below, photojournalist and filmmaker Jim Lo Scalzo contrasts the past and present of the Salton Sea, layering archival footage and new images of the landscape. He discusses his work in an interview following the video.
The Atlantic: How did you find out about the Salton Sea and come to film there?
Jim Lo Scalzo: I love photographing abandoned places. It's a weird misanthropic thrill, looking for clues to people's lives in what they left behind. And the Salton Sea may be the king of the lot, at least domestically. It's a photogenic no-place.
The archival material provides a counterpoint to the contemporary footage of the landscape. How did you go about finding it and incorporating it?
I came across the footage while the researching the project online. It was a promotional film made for the Holly Corporation (now called The HollyFrontier Corporation), which at the time sold real estate. Now they're a Fortune 500 petroleum refiner based in Dallas. I was doubtful that such a big company would give me rights to the footage, and yet they came through. The vice president of their investor relations was extremely helpful and understanding.
As a photographer, how did you get into video? Or did the two practices evolve side by side?
Video strikes me as an organic extension of still photography — some scenes scream for still images, others for moving ones. To have the opportunity, finally, to record both, with the same camera, is liberating. I'm a big believer in a singular vision, in one person doing the reporting, shooting, and editing. And now the technology enables this kind of control.
What's next for you?
I've got a couple projects cooking. My employer, EPA (European Pressphoto Agency), just released a picture story I photographed this summer on the resurgence of outdoor baptisms, largely in the American South. And I'm finishing up a project on Virginia's KKK groups, which EPA will release this fall. I'll also be teaching photojournalism at George Washington University this fall, which is a welcome departure from shooting.
For more videos by Jim Lo Scalzo, visit http://www.jimloscalzo.com.
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Rovio, the maker of Angry Birds, has just announced that it's raised $42 million in a round of funding.
The round is co-led by Accel Partners and Atomico Ventures, the venture firm founded by Skype co-founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis. (We first saw the news on Twitter via Fortune's Dan Primack.)
Rovio revenue is thought to be $50-70 million from app sales and licensing, and the company is profitable.
Rovio's story is inspirational: the company was almost bankrupt when it released Angry Birds, which was its 52nd title.
Unlike most mobile gaming startups, Rovio is milking the hell out of its hit on as many platforms as possible, a strategy similar to Disney's, which is why it should acquire Rovio. Clearly, the price just shot up.
The release says Rovio plans to keep expanding the Angry Birds franchise across gaming platforms, merchandising and "broadcast media", but also build more franchises. That's the big question: is Rovio more than a one-hit wonder?
This round reminds us of Accel Partners' funding of software company Atlassian. Like Rovio, Atlassian was bootstrapped and profitable from the start, is not in a huge tech hub (Finland for Rovio, Australia for Atlassian), and then raised a huge first round ($60 million for Atlassian). If this one is like the other one, a chunk of the round involves shareholders taking money off the table.
Don't Miss: Disney Needs To Buy Angry Birds →


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Lincecum leads Giants past Cardinals 5-0
SAN FRANCISCO — Tim Lincecum followed his second career no-hitter with another vintage performance, pitching eight sharp innings to lead the San Francisco Giants past the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 on Tuesday night.
Lincecum (7-5) allowed four hits, struck out six and walked two. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the fourth and stayed out of trouble the rest of the way, helping San Francisco snap a four-game losing streak since his latest gem against San Diego.
Pablo Sandoval hit his 100th career homer to cap a three-run fourth, and the Giants scored twice in the fifth to chase Marco Gonzales (0-1) in the left-hander's second career start.
Gonzales gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 1-3 innings. St. Louis has lost three straight and four of five.