text:
How Cardiff City have grown into the Premier League season
When we got pumped 5-0 by Man City, I assumed that was it. Privately, I suggested that Warnock wasn't going to improve us, that things were all downhill from here unless we changed our manager. But, since that game, Warnock and the rest of the great lads (band name – Warnock & the Great Lads) have proved me wrong. I'm happy to hold my hands up and admit that Warnock is rightfully still in a job – and he's making changes that are worthy of praise.
After back to back home wins against two sides tipped for mid-table or better, Cardiff sit 15th ahead of a weekend of Premier League action. It shows how tight the bottom half of the table is that a win has lifted us four places – but also shows that we really aren't too far away from the mid-table battle ourselves. Warnock deserves praise for the job he's done in recent weeks – he's showing a late flourish in his career, mixing things up and getting the best out of players. Last night's second half against Wolves was incredibly impressive; but it's not just that second half that has impressed in recent weeks. There's been a number of moments that have given Cardiff fans reason for optimism…
Two games at home; two come from behind wins. Both Brighton and Wolves took the lead at the CCS, both did it in the first half. But in both games, Cardiff didn't panic. In the second half against Brighton, they took to playing it along the deck, stretching the game and Paterson's equaliser came from a 16 pass move – which flies in the face of our detractors – before we scored the winner late on from traditional means. And against Wolves, a dominant second half performance was capped off by a wonderful winner from Hoilett.
http://gty.im/1066907356
It was nothing more than we deserved and it was born from the players desire to and will to keep going. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Gunnar has played a starring role in these past wins but the whole team is fighting for balls and the three points. Against Newcastle and Huddersfield, this desire was perhaps less evident – but they seem to have galvanised in recent weeks.
Tactical Nous
As last night shows, Warnock isn't scared of trying things. Granted, yesterday was perhaps a bit wild – Camarasa and Hoilett as wingbacks, he joked – but it worked in the end and the attacking options on the bench gave us ways of changing it up. Against Brighton, he got the players knocking it around the deck. He's brought Harris in from the cold and was rewarded with a goal against Fulham and a MOTM performance against Brighton.
Warnock is seen as a bit of a dinosaur but he's shown a flexibility at times that contradicts this image. We've played all manner of combinations across the defence and midfield this season and without changing personnel too wildly; and it's reaping rewards. With players to come back from injury, and January on the horizon, a few rounder pegs in round holes and we could improve even more.
Players growing into the season
When the season began, Bamba and Morrison looked a bit overawed in the Premier League. They weren't playing badly but they were making odd errors – not clearing it properly, passes were off – and it was a worry. But Morrison has matured into a fine leader at this level – and his work from set pieces was vital against Wolves. Bamba was a brick wall against Traore last night, putting in headers that wiped out Traore in the fairest way possible and not letting him have a sniff.
Manga was a rock, too, back in a more central position, more comfortable on the ball. Paterson was out of the team at the start of the season; now he's vital to the way we play. Camarasa has become a marauding winger, tricky and quick. The players are clicking and are working for each other. They know they can cope at this level and at home, we're looking a solid outfit.
Dealing with the opposition
When Wolves played against us at the CCS last season, we allowed Neves too much time. When Fulham came to us at the CCS, we let them play their game. And in both games, we lost.
This season, Warnock dealt with the threats. Neves and Moutinho is a daunting midfield two to be up against. Neves is dangerous from 40 yards out and in and Moutinho is no mug. But you wouldn't really have known either were on the pitch yesterday – bar a few cynical fouls from Neves. We didn't allow them to have the ball, to play it around, and we bypassed them where we could.
We've learnt to nullify threats. Traore was handled by Bamba. Against Fulham, Morrison did his best to keep Mitro quiet. And in both games, we came away with three points.
Previous article Player Ratings – Cardiff City 2, Wolves 1
Next article Under-18 Match Report – Cardiff City 1, Millwall 1
Michael Chopra Week – The Big Q&A Part 2
VFTN x Sol Bamba
VFTN x Junior Hoilett
VFTN x Darren Purse – Part Two


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Q: List index out of range using randint I'm currently playing around with trying to append a random item (using randint) from a list to another list before adding the next item. Well, that's probably a weird way of putting it but I'm not sure how else to describe it - I apologize. So instead, here's my current code in question and the output I desire:
Code:
import random

lineIDPart3 = []
lineIDSpace6 = []
lineIDSpace6Poss = ["4", "0", "C", "8"]
lineIDSpace6Num = random.randint(0, 3)
while len(lineIDPart3) < 34:
    lineIDPart3.append(lineIDSpace6Poss[lineIDSpace6Num])
    if lineIDSpace6Num < 4:
        lineIDSpace6Num += 1
    else:
        lineIDSpace6Num = 0
print(lineIDPart3)

Example of the output I want:
["C", "8", "4", "0", "C", "8"...]

I'm pretty stumped on this one so any and all help is appreciated!

A: This is quite straightforward. Because your if statement is <4, and then it +=1, so it means it will grow from 3 to 4 in loop. Just simply change
 if lineIDSpace6Num < 4:

to
 if lineIDSpace6Num < 3:

Your problem will be resolved.

A: You're going one integer too far on this condition:
"if lineIDSpace6Num < 4:"
(with this condition you are allowing lineIDSpace6Num to increment by one if it's equal to 3)
Try changing the number from 4 to 3 (or better yet to (len(lineIDSpace6Poss)-1) in case you decide you want more characters in your generation list); because your array only has 4 elements that means your maximum value must me 3 otherwise you'll have an index out of range exception.

A: size=34
listy=["4", "0", "C", "8"]
random.shuffle(listy)
newlist=(listy*(int(size/len(listy))+len(listy)))[:size]

Is an easier way to do it

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Givat Shmuel, Israel, – February 29th, 2012– Cimatron Limited (NASDAQ and TASE: CIMT), a leading provider of integrated CAD/CAM software solutions for the toolmaking and manufacturing industries, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2011.
Net Profit for the fourth quarter of 2011 was $1.4 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, compared to a net profit of $1.1 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, recorded in the same quarter of 2010. In 2011 as a whole, net profit was $2.7 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, compared to $1.6 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, in 2010.
Cimatron's management will host a conference call today, February 29th, 2012 at 9:00 EST, 16:00 Israel time. On the call, management will review and discuss the results, and will answer questions by investors.


As well as the many early printed books and manuscripts, there are certain named special collections held at Christ Church. More information on them may be found on this page, including details of special conditions for access.
Christ Church holds three distinct collections of material relating to Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson). The collection which belongs to the college includes photographs, manuscripts and proof sheets, presentation copies, and a large number of editions of the "Alice" books in different languages with different illustrators, together with a mass of secondary material (biographies, books about various aspects of Carroll's work, etc.). The other two collections are held on deposit. All three collections are available for the use of bona fide researchers upon application to the Library. In the case of the collections held on deposit, permission to use extracts or reproduce images may have to be sought from the owners of the collections.
The three collections are currently being listed. A spreadsheet of the college's collection can be accessed from this page. This is a work in progress and is not yet complete, but will be added to over the coming weeks and months. The other collections will follow in due course.
Very little is currently known about the origins of the collection or F.B. Brady himself.
Francis Bridgford Brady was born in China in the late 19th century. He came up to Christ Church in 1909 as a Holford Exhibitioner and took a 2nd in Lit.Hum. in 1913. Alongside his interest in entertainment he seems to have also collected Chinese and far Eastern ephemera but that material did not come to Christ Church in 1977 with his bequest.
Printed Books: over 3300 books (18th-20th centuries). The modern books make up Brady's own reference materials while the earlier section comprises play texts, histories and other related works. A card catalogue exists for this section of the collection.
Theatrical portraits: approx. 15,000 mounted printed bound into ca. 85 loose leaf binders in alphabetical order containing engravings, some tinted, of authors, actors and actresses (both in and out of roles), characters, dramatists, depictions of theatrical productions, etc. Many identified and in extraordinarily good condition in many cases. No finding aid exists for this section.
Toy (miniature) theatre material: approx. 3000 sheets containing proscenium, scenery, sets, props and characters for toy theatres, coloured and plain, kept in sets. Although Brady does not seem to have collected the theatres themselves the sheets and play texts are all extraordinarily rare, particularly in the large numbers and fine condition. No finding aid exists for this section.
Epilogues and Dialogues: approx. 1600 items (possibly just the epilogues and dialogues cut from larger woks) bound into 16 loose leaf binders. No finding aid exists for this section.
Broadsides: 42 portfolios (approx. 3100 items) assorted sheets, including some satirical and political prints, Yeats Broadsides, theatrical prints of all sorts, portraits, engravings, etc. kept in a variety of portfolios of different sizes. No finding aid exists for this section.
The only comparable collections worldwide are at the V&A, the British Museum, the University of Pennsylvania and the New York Public Library. The Brady Collection rivals these archives and roughly 25% of the material in the collection is completely unique. Also, as no comparable collection has been digitized, a digital database of the Brady Collection would make freely available to scholars material and images of immense value which are currently either unavailable or difficult and costly to access. Funding for this process and for cataloguing is being sought.
The library and manuscripts of John Evelyn, which were held at Christ Church on deposit from the Evelyn trustees, are no longer kept here. The printed books were sold by the trustees and dispersed in auction sales at Christies in 1977 and 1978. The majority of the manuscripts were sold by the trustees to the British Library in 1995, and the remainder, relating to the Wotton estate, are held at the Surrey History Centre. Please contact the Brtish Library or Surrey History Service for further information.


text:
Q: android sqlite concurrent saving For an application I am writing I currently have a problem with concurrent saving to an sqlite database.
The situation is as followed:
I have a listview, when it is clicked, that item is marked for synchronization. A flag is saved to the database. Also, an async thread is then started which retrieves data from a server and then saves it locally to the sqlite database.
During this time, other list item's can be clicked, which would mark them for synchronization(and write a flag that it requires a sync to the database)
The flag is needed incase the user leaves the app or the app is killed, a project is marked for synchronization but not yet synchronized.
The code that is called from the ui thread:
[executed from UI thread]
Project p = (Project) obj;
if (p.getDoSync() == 0){
   p.setDoSync(1);
   p.save();
}

this code can be executed at the same time as the following code, which is residing in an async method:
[executed from async method]
 for (Project project : ProjectRepository.forSyncStatus(SyncStatus.NEEDS_SYNC)){
    try {
       db.beginTransactionNonExclusive();
       project.sync();
       db.setTransactionSuccessful();
       } finally {
          db.endTransaction();
       }
    }

We are working with alot of json data with nested objects.
project.sync() undresses the json and creates java objects out of them and saves them.
So a project.sync(); itself contains multiple inserts.
The problem is not the app crashing, but the UI freezing.
How can I prevent the UI from freezing? I am at a complete loss right now.
[EDIT] I have experimented a bit. The problem is the transaction.
The transaction however is nescesary because otherwise project.sync(); will take ages.
Without the transaction there is no UI freeze.


925 Sterling Silver Horse Shoe & Crop Brooch.
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9ct Gold Plain Ball Hoop Earrings 18mm.
925 Sterling Silver Dragon Cufflinks.
Sterling Silver Initial Letter H Pendant & Chain.
9ct Gold Rabbit Charm Pendant.
Sterling Silver Initial Letter E Pendant & Chain.
925 Sterling Silver Enamel Chick Letter Charm Pendant - Clip-on. 3.2g. Royal London.
9ct Gold Art Nouveau Style Garnet Drop Earrings.
925 Sterling Silver Flower Pendant.
925 Sterling Silver Hallmark Tie Clip. 5g.
9ct Gold Heart Stud Earrings. 5mm.
9ct Gold Diamond Cut Ankh Cross Earrings.
Sterling Silver Initial Letter J Pendant & Chain.
9ct Gold Snoopy Dog Pendant & 9ct Gold 18" Curb Chain.
9ct Gold Stork & New Baby Charm Pendant.
Sterling Silver Initial Letter W Pendant & Chain.
925 Sterling Silver Horse Head Brooch.
9ct Gold St.Christopher Pendant & 18" Chain - Scallop Edged.
925 Sterling Silver Diamond Cut St.Christopher Heart Pendant.
925 Sterling Silver Harlequin Oval Locket.


text:
Text-to-donate raises over £6.8m in mobile donations for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal
Fonix has been the mobile donation partner for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
More than £6.8m has been raised by the UK public via text-to-donate so far, to support the aid effort in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries.
Since the beginning of March text-to-donate has been promoted across the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky, Radiocentre, BT Sport and Co-op to name a few.
Concert for Ukraine, which took place in the UK on 29 March, raised more than £4.9m in mobile donations, helping contribute to the £13.4m raised on the night of the Appeal.
The two-hour show brought together names from the world of music for a unique event spreading a message of hope and support, and most importantly, raising funds for the ongoing DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. The live show was broadcast across ITV, STV, ITV Hub and STV Player.
The show promoted text-to-donate, allowing donors to donate via text at one of four price points: £10, £20, £30 and £40. Donations were charged to a donor's mobile phone bill.
Rob Weisz, CEO of Fonix, said: "We are so very proud to be able to work with the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to help the humanitarian effort to support those affected by the crisis in Ukraine."
Simon Beresford, Director of Fundraising and Marketing of DEC, added: "We're thankful to Fonix for enabling mobile donations so quickly and to the generous UK public whose donations will go on to make such a difference. As humanitarian needs continue to grow, the money raised will help to provide vital support to families caught up in this devastating conflict."
Posted in aimm NewsTagged BBC, BT Sport, CEO, Channel 4, Channel 5, Co-op, concert for Ukraine, DEC, disasters emergency committee, donations, Fonix, fundraising, ITV, mobile donations, Radiocentre, Rob Weisz, Sky, text to donate., UK, Ukraine, Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal
Fonix to power mobile donations for The Big Night In Appeal
23 April 2020, London – Fonix has announced that it will be providing the mobile payment mechanic for tonight's Big Night In Appeal on BBC One.
Two of the BBC's biggest charitable partners, Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need are coming together for the first time, for a night of live entertainment. The Big Night In will raise funds to help support vulnerable people across the UK who may be significantly affected by the current Covid-19 crisis.
Fonix will be working with Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need to provide a text-to-donate platform, enabling donors to send a text message to donate either £5, £10, £20 or £30 which will be charged to their mobile phone bills.
Clare Charles, Director for Media and Charity at Fonix, comments: "We're so very proud to be working with Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need during these troubled times. We're looking forward to seeing the results and the difference that it makes to people all across the UK."
Jules Thorne, Campaign Co-director at Comic Relief, said:"The Big Night In is an amazing way for us as charities to join forces and show how much of an impact we can make on the lives of those who need our support. Fonix's experience within the charity sector has been invaluable to helping us get up and running quickly with mobile donations for the campaign."
Kerry Howard, Head of Operations Appeal for BBC Children in Need, said:"It's in unprecedented times like these that it's more important than ever to collaborate and look to support this situation in the best way we can; coming together with Comic Relief will help us achieve just that. Through the power of TV, mobile technology and the public's generosity, it's going to be a brilliant night for a great cause."
The Big Night In will air tonight on BBC One on at 7pm.
Posted in aimm NewsTagged 2020, appeal, April, BBC, BBC One, Big Night In Appeal, charity, Children in Need, Clare Charles, Comic Relief, donors, Fonix, Jules Thorne, Kerry Howard, live entertainment, mobile payment, text message, text to donate., The Big Night In, UK
Fonix powers mobile donations for Comic Relief for the 5th year running
Mobile payments company Fonix has announced that this year it processed mobile donations for Comic Relief for the 5th year running, raising more than £10.6m via text-to-donate. Comic Relief's Red Nose Day campaign is a biennial campaign hosted by the BBC, raising money to help people in the UK and across the world to live happier, healthier, safer lives.
This year's campaign featured the live show, held on Friday 15th March, as well as a series of driver programmes. Each of these shows promoted text-to-donate, which allowed donors to donate via text at a range of price points: £5, £10, £20 and, for the first time for Comic Relief, £30 amounts for both the live show and the Kilimanjaro challenge during which 9 celebrities climbed Africa's highest mountain. Donations were added to entrants' mobile phone bills, allowing for a seamless, easy payment.
During the live show and the Kilimanjaro climb, the money raised from the £30 price point alone accounted for over 30% of the total raised via SMS.
Another new initiative for the 2019 campaign was the introduction of a competition which enabled viewers to donate or to opt-out of a donation whilst entering the competition. This was featured on BBC's Saturday Kitchen and was the first time that the charity launched a competition to drive donations.
Entrants paid £5 to enter and be in with a chance of winning a unique dining experience, cooked for them by celebrity chefs. Using Fonix's delayed donation technology, entrants had the opportunity to opt-out without being charged within 60 minutes of entering the competition.
Clare Charles, Account Director for Media and Charity at Fonix commented:
"We're proud to have supported Comic Relief in powering mobile donations for the fifth year in a row. We've come so far since 2014, as we now work with the charity to provide a total of four price points and we're also constantly innovating to allow the charity to roll out new features. The delayed donation, for example, raised a tremendous £576,250 across four prize draws via text."
Catherine Cottrell, Executive Director of Fundraising & Partnerships at Comic Relief added:
"It's been exciting working with Fonix to offer new experiences and donation mechanisms to supporters and we are delighted that year's campaign was such a success."
Posted in aimm NewsTagged 2019, BBC, charity, charity competition, Comic Relief, competition, donation, donors, Fonix, fundraising, Kilimanjaro, March, mobile donation, mobile donations, mobile payments, Red Nose Day
Fonix's innovation processes £12.9m for BBC Children in Need's 2018 Appeal via text donations
12th December 2018, London – Fonix, the mobile payments and messaging specialist, has announced today that it processed £12.9 million in mobile donations for BBC Children in Need.
BBC Children in Need is the BBC's UK charity, raising money for disadvantaged children and young people around the country. Fonix has worked with the charity since 2014, providing a mobile payment mechanic which allows the public to donate via SMS, seamlessly charging the costs to their mobile phone bills.
This year, Fonix and BBC Children in Need collaborated to introduce the first ever £30 price point (alongside the traditional price points of £20, £10 and £5). This was introduced for the Children in Need Rocks concert with great success, and implemented on the live annual Appeal Show which aired on 16th November.
BBC Children in Need also ran multiple text-to-donate competitions for the first time, including the chance to see Bruce Springsteen on Broadway which featured on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show. A one-off voluntary donation of £10 was made to BBC Children in Need, but the public were able to opt out by replying CANCEL to their entry confirmation text within 60 minutes.
Clare Charles, Director of Media and Charity for Fonix, commented "We're proud to have worked with BBC Children in Need this year. Since 2014 we've worked with the charity to refine and improve the mobile donation process.
"It's clear that the public are willing to donate larger amounts via text-to-donate, and allowing them to do this by introducing the £30 price point has been great for raising money for such a good cause."
Karen Bass, Chief Operating Officer at BBC Children in Need said "Mobile is such an important channel for maximising donations, helping us to raise as much money as possible to support disadvantaged children and young people around the UK. Donating by text is a quick and simple way for people to help change young lives. We're grateful to Fonix for enabling this and to all of our generous supporters whose donations will go on to make such a difference."
Posted in aimm NewsTagged £30, 2018, BBC, BBC Children in Need, charity, Children in Need, donations, Fonix, fundraising, mobile donations, mobile payments, mobile phone, SMS, text to donate., UK
Spring Networking Event – 9th May
We invite you to join us at Blackfriars for an evening of networking with new and old business contacts in beautiful surroundings by the river.
AIME understands the importance of business networking, so look to provide these opportunities whenever possible for our members. Our networking evening is open to members and non members in a relaxed environment of mutually beneficial collaboration, to encourage business growth and working relationships within the interactive media and payments industries.
Our Spring Social evening is in the beautiful Voltaire Bar at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blackfriars, conveniently close to public transport links for easy access. The evening starts from 18.00 and will follow on from our AIME General Meeting in London, for those who will be attending during the day.
Tickets start from just £19 + VAT and include a welcome drink and nibbles, as well as the use of our exclusive AIME only area within the Champagne Library of the Voltaire Bar.
The bar is fully stocked for further drinks during the evening. The drinks menu includes wine, beers, cocktails and champagne.
Crowne Plaza City
Previous networking events have been very popular with attendees from companies including:
BBC, Cellcast, EE, Fonix, IMImobile, ITV, Harvest Media, Oxygen8, mGage, Phone-paid Services Authority, Telemedia News and Vodafone amongst others.
Member Tickets £19.00 + VAT
Non Member Tickets £24.00 + VAT
AIME Members can get their tickets by either requesting them directly from AIME and you will then be invoiced for these, or from our tickets page below.
Non Members can get their tickets directly from our tickets page below.
Spring Social Tickets: http://buytickets.at/associationforinteractivemediaentertainment/94299
Booking fees apply when ordering online.
We hope to see you there
Posted in aimm Events, Member NewsTagged 2017, b2b, bar, BBC, Blackfriars, broadcasters, business to business, Champage, Crowne Plaze, Digital Marketing, EE, Harvest Media, industries, interactive media, London, May, micropayments industries, mobile network, networking, payments, Telemedia, tickets

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Cultural Fields
Blog of the TASA Cultural Sociology Thematic Group
Beckham and Ferguson: A Tale of Two Masculinities
By David Rowe
reblogged from the Institute of Culture and Society Blog
Two of the most recognisable figures of the global game, Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham, OBE, announced their retirements within the space of a week. The former's was major news only for the legions of association football (soccer) fans around the world, and especially for supporters of its most glamorous club, Manchester United. The latter's was registered even by those with little or no interest in football.
Their contrasting careers and personalities tell us something of import about the profound changes to sport, celebrity and masculinity that occurred over the decades spanning these two notable football lives.
Those changes are inscribed in the very faces of 'Fergie' and 'Becks'. The redoubtable Ferguson's visage bears all the marks of 'old school' footballing men. A craggy Scot in the mould of the legendary Bill Shankly of Liverpool FC, he was normally seen during matches scowling through slanted eyes, furiously masticating a strip of gum, bibulous features becoming ruddier, constantly infuriated by a hostile, vindictive world.
Ferguson's dealings with the media were grand projections of this uncompromising demeanour – when he spoke to them at all, and caught reluctantly in the TV camera's glare, he was wary and curt, and often acerbic and contemptuous. It was characteristic that he did not hold a media conference to announce his impending retirement. Even when he celebrated victory, Sir Alex seemed still to be settling nameless scores, relishing his 'alpha' triumph over inferior pretenders.
Ferguson was an old time football insider, keeping a generally low profile outside the game apart from a predictably fractious share of some horseflesh. He was disdainful of outside distractions, and especially of 'new' football men whose attention to style contrasted so obviously with his own determinedly gruff presentation of traditional masculinity. Which is where David Beckham comes in.
Tutored by Ferguson from his teenage years onwards, Beckham was not to acquire his mentor's aggressive mannerisms. Blessed with androgynous boy band good looks, his halting high voice set him apart from the machismo displayed by many of male football's managers, players, owners, board members and fans of the early nineties and preceding decades.
Beckham's shyness and infamous initial inarticulacy came across as vulnerability. He was never to be the kind of meat-and-potatoes British footballer with whom Ferguson was instinctively more familiar and comfortable. The founding of the English Premier League in 1992 corresponded with Beckham's senior professional debut.
The flood of BSkyB subscription television money that followed transformed English football's labour force – within a few years, the majority of managers and players were from overseas, especially continental Europe, the prior object of much Little Englander footballing antagonism. Sir Alex was now able – indeed, required – to recruit the best multinational football talent available.
The British tabloids were wrong-footed by this new cohort of multi-lingual footballers in better suits, several of them suspiciously lacking interest in the heavy drinking teammate bonding rituals of yore. Beckham began to resemble and, indeed, to symbolise the new footballer look, improving his speech and running through an extensive repertoire of designer styles. The term 'metrosexual', coined in 1994 by the English journalist Mark Simpson, appeared to be made for him.
When Beckham dated and then married Spice Girls singer Victoria Adams, and the 'Posh'n'Becks' brand was formed, football, though still important, became only one component of what was now Beckham's full-blown celebrity. He, his personal management and spouse understood that 21st century sport could not be confined to training ground routines and big match days, becoming the springboard for much more beyond.
Although also a major beneficiary of the inflated capital and media attention – and top end players – flowing from the intensive commodification of football, its attendant frippery and foppery sat ill with the dour intensity of Sir Alex. This resentment helped propel the loose football boot that accidentally cut Beckham's eyebrow in one of Ferguson's notorious 'hair dryer' displays of player abuse.
The incident comprehensively captured the gap between their iterations of masculinity as Beckham publicly bore the scars, assisted by an Alice band for maximum visibility. Soon he had left Manchester for Madrid, then Los Angeles, and finally Paris, and a very different global celebrity and sometime footballer existence unfolded.
Ellis Cashmore, in his academic profile Beckham, argues that "Masculinity will never be the same after David Beckham". This does not mean that he introduced compulsory metrosexuality to football but, like David Bowie in popular music before him, he helped open up new, less constricting possibilities for the appearance and performance of being a man. Crucially, he did it in the most popular male contact sport in the world.
When Beckham announced his impending retirement, he did it in controlled media space, with scrupulously sculpted hair and beard, tattoos hidden beneath immaculate suit and tie. Ferguson sent out a message and was soon sighted in his conventional match-day overcoat, gesticulating and barking orders in the dying days of his manager role as if nothing had changed. For the Sir Alex persona nothing would or could. Beckham, by contrast, had already wrung enough changes of look for several life times. Separated by a generation, the very different figures cut by Fergie and Becks provide, from the world of football, a glimpse of a much wider process of masculinity in transition.
Posted in Member publications and tagged celebrity, masculinity, media, sport culture on May 23, 2013 by australianculturalsociology. Leave a comment
Digital Culture Events
Those interested in digital cultures and the integration of technology into social interactions, you may be interested in the following two events:
1. DIGITAL INTERVENTIONS SYMPOSIUM
When: Tuesday, 3 December, 2013
Where: Spectrum Gallery, Building 3, ECU Mount Lawley Campus, Perth, WA
This symposium examines how digital media are implicated in processes of change. It interrogates how people engage digital media in creative practices that intervene in their own and others' lives, the intentionalities through which they do this, and the processes and experiences involved.
See DRI_DIGINT_SYMPOSIUM_D4 for further details
Submission deadline 14 July to: Jude Elund j.elund@ecu.edu.au on behalf of Lelia Green and Sarah Pink
2. THE FIRST BSA DIGITAL SOCIOLOGY EVENT
When: Tuesday 16th July 2013
Where: BSA Meeting Room, Suite 2, 2 Station Court
Imperial Wharf, Fulham, London SW6 2PY
This inaugural event for the BSA's Digital Sociology group brings together a diverse range of speakers who, in a variety of ways, work within the nascent field of digital sociology. Rather than proceed from a substantive account of what digital sociology is or could be, this event seeks to address the question 'what is digital sociology?' through an open and informal exploration of a broad range of exciting work being undertaken by sociologists in the UK which could, in the broadest sense of the term, be characterised as 'digital'. In casting a spotlight on these projects in such a way the event aims to initiate an ongoing dialogue about the continuities and discontinuities between these emergent strands of digital activity, as well as the broader methodological and disciplinary questions which they pose.
See here for more information on the BSA's Digital Sociology Study Group.
Kim Allen, Manchester Metropolitan Universitys
Les Back, Goldsmiths, University of London
Ben Baumberg, University of Kent
Laura Harvey, Brunel University
Noortje Marres, Goldsmiths, University of London
Heather Mendick, Brunel University
Mark Murphy, University of Glasgow
Evelyn Ruppert, Goldsmiths, University of London
Helene Snee, The University of Manchester
Delegate rates:
BSA Concessionary Member (student/unwaged/retired) £10
BSA Member £15
Non-member (student/unwaged/retired) £20
Non-member £25
Register at: http://portal.britsoc.co.uk/public/event/eventBooking.aspx?id=EVT10285
For administrative assistance contact: BSA Events Team events@britsoc.org.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 191 383 0839
Academic inquiries: Dr Emma Head e.l.head@keele.ac.uk
Posted in Call for Papers, Events and tagged CfP, digital culture on May 22, 2013 by australianculturalsociology. Leave a comment
Sociology Associate Board: Call for Peer Reviewers
Sociology Associate Board Recruitment
Deadline: Friday 24 May 2013
Sociology is seeking 24 new members of the Sociology Associate Board to serve for three years from June 2013.
Sociology relies on its peer reviewers to maintain high quality scholarship. Alongside the work of members of the Editorial Board, members of the Associate Board help to ensure that the journal makes an expeditious and constructive response to journal submissions.
The Associate Board is a flexible way for individuals to become involved in the on-going success of the journal and also to engage in regular peer reviewing. It is made up of a wide variety of scholars based around the world with a broad range of areas of interest. Early career researchers are welcome to apply.
Members of the Associate Board must possess either a PhD in sociology (or a cognate social science discipline), or at least two years' research and/or teaching experience of sociology (or a cognate subject). All candidates must have authored peer reviewed publications.
Full details, as well as the application form, are available on the BSA website.
If you would like to nominate yourself for membership of the Associate Board, please email a completed form to Chris Grieves (sociology.journal@britsoc.org.uk) by Friday 24 May 2013.
Posted in Announcements and tagged associate board, Journal, recruitment on May 15, 2013 by australianculturalsociology. Leave a comment
Invitation to contribute to the CelebYouth project website
The role of celebrity in young people's classed and gendered aspirations' is an ESRC funded research project which examines the relationship between celebrity culture, inequalities of class and gender and young people's educational experiences, identities and transitions.
The project has an active website and Twitter account (@CelebYouthUK) and the team regularly post blogs about the project and related issues – past posts have included an analysis of David Cameron's 'Aspiration Nation' speech, a piece on Post-feminism and Olympic Role Models, and several on methodological dilemmas in youth research.
The research team are now welcoming guest contributions to the website from other people who are interested or working on topics related to the project. This could be work on celebrity and popular culture; young people's aspirations and educational transitions; inequalities of class and gender; education policy; and/or the links between these.
They welcome guest contributions on these topics from anyone – from students, doctoral researchers, teachers, and academics – the only condition is that they are original and that what you write needs to fit with the broadly sociological, feminist and critical approach of the website.
If you would like to write for the CelebYouth project please go to their website for further details and get in touch with Heather Mendick (heathermendick@yahoo.co.uk) to discuss your ideas.
Posted in Announcements and tagged authors, CelebYouth, website on May 15, 2013 by australianculturalsociology. 2 Comments
CfP: Dangerous Consumptions Colloquium
11th Dangerous Consumptions Colloquium
University of Western Sydney, Parramatta Campus
12 & 13 December, 2013
The Dangerous Consumptions Colloquium is a forum drawing on social and critical theory for the presentation and discussion of research on the myriad forms of contemporary consumption.
In past years presentations have explored alcohol, illicit drugs, gambling, sex, food, blood, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, public health policy, celebrity magazines and pleasure from a social research perspective. Presentations on these or other forms of 'dangerous consumption' are welcome.
The colloquium is run over two days with only a single stream of papers (there are no concurrent sessions). This gives participants the opportunity to share ideas and understandings from research into forms of dangerous consumptions and from a range of theoretical perspectives.
This year's colloquium is being held at the University of Western Sydney, hosted by the Institute for Culture & Society and the School of Social Sciences & Psychology. The conference conveners are Professor Stephen Tomsen and George (Kev) Dertadian from the University of Western Sydney. A conference organising committee, comprised of key researchers in the field of dangerous consumptions, will assist with the organisation of the event.
Call for Papers closes October 1, 2013
The conveners invite abstracts of up to 250 words proposing papers for the colloquium. Abstracts should include the title of the proposed paper, the name and email address of author(s), and if applicable any institutional affiliation. Abstracts can address any aspect of dangerous consumption, with preference given to papers informed by a social or critical theory perspective. The organising committee will review the suitability of the paper, with authors advised of the status of their paper by the 15th of October.
After the event the conveners intend to invite speakers to submit a written version of their papers for a proposed refereed conference proceedings.
Abstracts should be sent in the body of an email to George (Kev) Dertadian –
g.dertadian@uws.edu.au
Please use DC 11 in the subject line.
The cost for attendees with full-time employment is $120 (inclusive of 2 days registration, lunch & refreshments). An online payment system will be available shortly.
Posted in Call for Papers and tagged CfP, consumption, University of Western Sydney on May 9, 2013 by australianculturalsociology. Leave a comment
TASA conference 2013 – themed CS streams
The date is set and paper submissions are now open for this year's annual TASA conference. This year is very special as we are celebrating 50 years of Australian Sociology under the theme Reflections, Intersections and Aspirations.
You have until June 22 to submit your 3000 word papers for peer review. Head to the conference website for more information.
In recent years the Cultural Sociology stream at the annual TASA conferences has been one of the most popular and well attended streams; something we are very proud of as leaders of this group. We want to do everything we can to continue to make the Cultural Sociology stream as relevant to your interests as possible. Therefore, this year, we will theme our sessions in advance. And, we want to give you the chance to have a say in deciding on the topics for the themed streams.
Please let us know what topics and themes you would like to present on, and would be interested in hearing others speak about. You could also suggest a group of presenters for your theme. Talk to your colleagues and get them involved! Please let us know in the comments below or send an email to Theresa at t.sauter@qut.edu.au with your ideas and suggestions.
After we have collected some ideas we will do a mini CfP within our stream which will give you the option to submit your papers to a targeted theme that will be represented in the CS stream at the conference. Note: of course we welcome any CS related papers. We will equally consider submissions that do not explicitly state a theme and fit them into the conference schedule.
This new initiative will enable you to have more of an input and shape your conference experience. Please also share this idea with your colleagues and invite them to submit their ideas for streams and papers to attend the TASA conference.
We look forward to hearing your ideas!
Posted in Announcements, Call for Papers and tagged CfP, conference, TASA, themed streams on May 3, 2013 by australianculturalsociology. 1 Comment
Publications on knowledge work and policy discourses
Some interesting recent publications co-authored by CS group members:
Singh, P., Märtsin, M., Glasswell, K. (2013). Knowledge Work at the Boundary: Making a Difference to Educational Disadvantage. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 15 March 2013
This paper aims to contribute to the literature about boundary crossing and explicate how boundaries carry learning potential. We aim to do this by theorising the work of school-based researchers (SBRs) in a school–university partnership project aimed at addressing issues of educational disadvantage. We conceptualise the worlds of teaching and research as characterised by different types of knowledge work and ways of knowing, and by different interaction rituals and emotional investments for engaging with that knowledge. Yet we also contend that the practice boundary that separates also connects and intertwines, as people, objects and knowledge move back and forth across it and become transformed in the process. We suggest that the kind of transformative knowledge work discussed in this paper entails understanding the power and control relations involved in recontextualising knowledge as it moves across the research–practice gap. This process necessitates recognising and acknowledging the emotional investments, energies and interaction rituals attached to local, domain specific knowledge and ways of knowing. By discussing the work of school-based researchers we aim to show how processes of recontextualisation at the boundary between researcher and practitioner knowledge can hold the potential to make a difference to issues of seemingly entrenched educational disadvantage.
Singh, P.,Thomas, S. & Harris, J. (2013) Recontextualising policy discourses: a Bernsteinian perspective on policy interpretation, translation, enactment, Journal of Education Policy, DOI:10.1080/02680939.2013.770554
This paper contributes to critical policy research by theorising one aspect of policy enactment, the meaning making work of a cohort of mid-level policy actors. Specifically, we propose that Basil Bernstein's work on the structuring of pedagogic discourse, in particular, the concept of recontextualisation, may add to understandings of the policy work of interpretation and translation. Recontextualisation refers to the relational processes of selecting and moving knowledge from one context to another, as well as to the distinctive re-organisation of knowledge as an instructional and regulative or moral discourse. Processes of recontextualisation necessitate an analysis of power and control relations, and therefore add to the Foucauldian theorisations of power that currently dominate the critical policy literature. A process of code elaboration (decoding and recoding) takes place in various recontextualising agencies, responsible for the production of professional development materials, teaching guidelines and curriculum resources. We propose that mid-level policy actors are crucial to the work of policy interpretation and translation because they are engaged in elaborating the condensed codes of policy texts to an imagined logic of teachers' practical work. To illustrate our theoretical points we draw on data; collected for an Australian research project on the accounts of mid-level policy actors responsible for the interpretation of child protection and safety policies for staff in Queensland schools.
Posted in Cultural Sociology Publications, Member publications, Publications and tagged Bernsteing, education, konwledge work, policy discourses, publications on May 1, 2013 by australianculturalsociology. Leave a comment
The Australian Cultural Sociology Thematic Group Conveners
Nicholas Hookway - University of Tasmania (Nicholas.Hookway@utas.edu.au)
Sara James - La Trobe University (S.James@latrobe.edu.au)
Please feel free to contact us for information or to add anything to the blog.
Cultures of Authenticity Symposium and upcoming M/C journal 'authentic' issue
Staging power: David Williamson's portrait of Citizen Murdoch
After Phillip Hughes' death, it's time for a post-traumatic Test
Death of a sportsman: gladiatorial guilt
Scandals are forever for FIFA as World Cup hosting saga drags on
Cultural Sociology Publications


Your child has a developed self-awareness by now and is beginning to understand that she is a person in her own right. She develops preferences, realizes that certain rules govern the world and begins to understand the scope and limits of her control and the impact of her behavior.
The ability to influence the world and cause things to happen directly affects your baby's self-esteem and development. As your child begins to discover her power, and learns to use it, she will make demands – that you read her a book, push the swing, or give her a cookie. All this is accomplished non-verbally, but the message is very clearly communicated!
Baby's connection with her mother or primary caregiver intensifies at this stage. She feels that she is at the center of the universe and expresses jealousy when she isn't the main focus of your attention. On the other hand, baby asserts more independence and confidence. The mother or caregiver becomes a secure base from which she explores her world and expands her horizons, and to whom she returns to get a "refill" of encouragement. During this period, separation anxiety manifests itself strongly.
Begins to use the word "no" more and more and sometimes will even say "no" when he means "yes."
At 15 months, temper tantrums and frustration appear.
At 18 months, engages in focused play of up to 15 minutes.
Stranger anxiety may continue or subside.
Set consistent boundaries to help your toddler feel protected and help him know what to expect.
Encourage your toddler to express his independence: When he puts out his hands when you bring him a shirt, or wants to feed himself, react with a smile or a hug to express your pleasure.
Try to minimize using "no" - the more you say "no", the more your toddler will.


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mwadswor Oct 22, 2009 4:03 AM
Originally Posted by HooverDam (Post 4517356)
On another topic...
There was an article in this months "Arizona Highways" about the installation of solar panels on top of a visitor center at the Grand Canyon. It also mentioned lots of desert land being sold for future use as solar farms. Im all for solar and hope theres a major breakthrough in it soon as that would be huge for the city and state, but is anyone concerned about losing desert to the development of these farms? I suppose its better than typical sprawl, but its certainly not w/ out its downside.
It got me to thinking of course about the need for a wider proliferation of rooftop units. Of course those photovoltaics cant match the output of the heat using arrays built out in the boonies.
My thought was, would it be possible/a good thought to build solar farms above our freeways? If you look at the top of ASUs parking garages theyve installed panels that follow the sun, as well as shade cars. Id love for this to become more widespread in parking garages (perhaps even made mandatory in some sort of phased implementation) but I figure you could also do it above the freeways. I was on the I-10 west of downtown today which is basically sunken between two large berms. Couldnt you build a huge system thats miles and miles long about the same height as the bridges to create energy? That way you get the energy, aren't using up any of the new land, and are having solar in a more visible place which gets people thinking about it.
I dunno, maybe its dumb. But I like the idea of a 'solar highway'.
EDIT: Ive also been at Sky Harbor today and I wish theyd take a more aggressive approach with solar. Every garage, lot, building, etc should have panels. Sky Harbor is the first thing a lot of people see when they come to Phoenix and it would be a great image for the city to project.
Creating "solar farms" with photovoltaic panels will always be a stupid idea I think. Photovoltaics make a lot of sense on rooftops, on parking garages, etc. I live in an apartment, so I'm biased, but something I would very much like to see done is more marketing/city codes encouraging solar at apartment complexes. Most apartment complexes have tons of covered parking, not to mention all the rooftops, I'd like it if some of the organizations that put in the panels and then charge for usage would spend some time marketing their product to apartment complexes and probably managed office parks too rather than just property owners such as home owners or large public entities.
While I agree to a degree that interstates could be utilized as photovoltaic corridors, you eventually run into a problem with the technology. I don't know where the limit is, but at a point you reach a percentage above which photovoltaic is no longer a useful technology. It doesn't provide power in the evenings when the usage is the highest, or through the night. Solar panels look space age and they sell well to the self-supporting crowd, but it does little good to provide power during the day when you still have to fire up the coal/oil/nuclear plants to provide power in the evening and at night. Coal/oil/nuclear plants take relatively little fuel to run, they use the most fuel by far when they are being started up. Sure photovoltaic is useful to a point especially during the summer and in replacing inefficient peak plants such as natural gas plants, but it is simply not a replacement technology for base load plants.
More importantly, it is still relatively very expensive, especially if you don't count the subsidies (which I'm still in favor of btw, it's still a good idea to promote greener technologies even if they need subsidies). I haven't done the research and I don't know the numbers, but once you get private home owners and other property owners to put up solar panels, I don't know that it makes sense to cover the interstates in solar panels too. Or maybe someone will do the research and prove me wrong, I'm ok with that, but I don't think it will happen.
The heat type of solar plants that they put out in the boonies are a much more practical replacement for base load plants because they can produce power late into the evening and through the night. It's not just about the amount they produce, it's about when they produce it. While it's a distasteful option, we may have to surrender a large amount of desert to these types of plants because it's still a better option than fossil fuel and nuclear. Better to cover the desert in mirrors than soot and smog. And better financially to rely on a type of power that's not guaranteed to get perpetually more expensive until it runs out.
Finally, (sorry for the long post), I whole heartedly agree with the idea of covering every feasible inch of sky harbor in the coolest yet most conspicuous looking solar panels that can be found. I love the idea of turning this major gateway into the valley into a solar icon to help cement the image of Arizona as the sort of Saudi Arabia of solar power. I won't go so far as to suggest that they cover the runways in solar too :D
On the power issue, I had the thought a while back, as politically incorrect as it is, why don't we use Mexico more for this type of infrastructure? I'm all for reducing our foreign energy consumption, but not all foreigns are created equal and I'd much rather give money to Mexico than OPEC. It's good to increase domestic power production, and with government subsidies it may make more economic sense to do it in the US, I don't know, but if NIMBYs and expensive labor are going to be a pain here, why don't we cover northern Mexico in the heat-type solar plants and wind farms? There's plenty of sun and wind in Mexico, and it's not that far to run power lines. Obviously we can't just barge in there and start building stuff, but I really don't think the Mexicans are going to object to the US pumping loads of money into their economy on an ongoing basis and as red, white, and blue as some people can be, I really don't think they'll object that much to loads of cheap, green power just because it comes from across the border. If we're going to whine so much about illegal immigration it might behoove us to help build some infrastructure in Mexico to better their economy so fewer people are so desperate to get here.
The main downside I can see to facilitating international power transmission is that it might backfire on the environmentalists. I would hate to do this to facilitate cheap, green power coming from Mexico and end up having it happen in the same bill as a carbon tax and have power companies start just building fossil fuel plants in Mexico to bypass the carbon tax.
End rambling for the night :notacrook:
HooverDam Oct 22, 2009 4:17 AM
Well I guess I wasnt specifically saying over the interstates would be photovoltaic. Is there something about the heat catching type of solar arrays that would make it impossible for them to be suspended above highways? Perhaps theyre currently too large, I really dont know enough about it.
They require mirrors to focus the sunlight and heat the oil/salt to the required temperature. Molten salt's out because you need to focus the heat on a tower.
As I think about it, perhaps you could use the heated oil type. Basically it's a thin pipe of oil at the focal point of a curved mirror. The mirror focuses sun light on the pipe, super heats the oil, and it flows to a generator where it heats water into steam which turns a turbine (just like any other power plant once you've made the steam). I'm not sure, but perhaps you could line the sides of the freeway with mirrors and have occasional turbines next to the freeway. That would be sort of a nice double use of public land, but it wouldn't provide the shade you're talking about.
As I think a bit more, the other reason it wouldn't work is because why would you pay to suspend something over the freeway when you could do it at ground level right next to the freeway for so much cheaper? From a social/environmental perspective, sure, but from a financial perspective it seems like it would be sort of like building HSR from Phoenix to LA by building an L above the freeway instead of running it mostly at grade in the median/next to the interstate. It would be ludicrously more expensive to elevate it when land in the desert is so cheap.
PHX31 Oct 22, 2009 9:50 PM
Which one of you belongs to this post in the downtown Phoenix Insider??
The Saguaro Tower
Downtown Phoenix has been under a major renaissance and has at long last begun to live up to its name of mythical origin. The city is rising from the ashes and becoming something beautiful and powerful. I like the symbolism and am captivated with my romanticized version of what the City of Phoenix can become. We face overwhelming obstacles for many reasons (zoning, bureaucracy, negative perceptions, etc.) any change for the better will take time and patience.
The city needs to understand what it is, what it is not, and accept those facts. The city needs to embrace its identity, and most importantly, the city needs the freedom and creativity of many different people and ideas. The old model of growth and development has failed. The costs of our sprawl are too great, and many of these costs are not easy to see, nevertheless, they exist. I'm speaking in terms of the cost of tearing up more of the desert and paving over it with blacktop to create parking lots and roads, the costs of fuel, the costs of time spent commuting, the costs of traffic and the damage to air quality and physical health, the cost of not having walkable neighborhoods, the loss of community and a sense of our history.
Despite these things, I love Arizona and I know I'll live and die here. I'm o.k. with that because it is an exciting time to be a Phoenician. Arizona is charming and has a lot to offer. We are known for warm and sunny weather, the natural and awe inspiring beauty of the Sonoran Desert, Sedona, the Grand Canyon, we have prestigious universities, a rich influence of Native American and Hispanic cultures, and the best Mexican food on the planet. But Phoenix certainly isn't known for inspiring architecture.
Honestly, the person who designed the Wells Fargo building must really hate humanity. It's clunky and boxy and as inspiring to look at as that stuff my beagle threw up the other day. I can feel the seething disgust of the architect towards architecture and the city, as if he drew that building maliciously and created it to sneer at the world.
Architecture is art, although it serves multiple purposes as art and as a structure for shelter. Like any art, it expresses the artist's value judgments and sense of life. Art should say something. Architecture, as art, can and should be beautiful. Phoenix deserves a beautiful skyscraper. I was excited about the CityScape project being built at Washington and Central because it had the potential to bring us a step close to good architecture. The original renderings and plans were, for the most part, pretty great. Then the project got scaled back, then the buildings were redesigned, then the height of the towers were cut, then the project was divided up into phases. (And as history has taught us, Phase II of any project in Downtown Phoenix has never been completed.) I'm happy that something is being built on that spot in downtown and I'm thrilled that the hideous Patriots Square Park (and I use the term "park" loosely) is gone, never to be an eye sore again. But the new tower is just average, it's not inspiring, it's not innovative (ok, the blue glass is different) but it looks like all the other towers downtown: safe. Aesthetically it's just, well, boring.
If I was an architect (and I'm not) or if I had a lot of money to finance a new tower (and I don't) I'd design and build, what I would call, the Saguaro Tower, which would really be three towers in one. It would be built on a dusty lot downtown because there are certainly a lot of them and no reason to raze another piece of history. My tower would be built up to the sidewalk to encourage pedestrians; no plazas that push the streetscape away will be allowed. Extreme care would be taken to eliminate any dead zone on the street. The middle part of the tower would cut upwards toward the sky, then about halfway up, the building would extend out and up, like the arm of a cactus. The arm would be solely for condos, the main tower for offices. On the other side of the main tower, another arm would rise up and extend to the max height allowance. This would be the hotel. An observation deck would be built on top, along with a restaurant. On top of the other "arm" would be a pool. Back down on the pedestrian friendly street level, I would surround the building with old bungalow houses; the little gems still scattered around town. I'd move them from their locations and use them at the base of the tower as a coffee shop, art studio, writers studio, bookstore, etc. Anything that encourages people to walk and be outside and interactive.
I know I'm a dreamer, but like a wise man once said, "I'm not the only one." I wonder if anyone ever thought a rural farming community in the middle of the desert would grow to become the 5th largest city in the United States. I imagine some people said that could never happen. But it did. And even if my Saguaro Tower remains forever a vision in my head, I can hope that something, some beautiful skyscraper will someday grace the Phoenix skyline and be a point of pride, something unique that expresses the beauty of the desert, and a tower that declares, "We are proud of our city and our heritage. This is Phoenix!"
Originally Posted by mwadswor (Post 4517555)
As I think a bit more, the other reason it wouldn't work is because why would you pay to suspend something over the freeway when you could do it at ground level right next to the freeway for so much cheaper? .
Well I dont think you can, thats my point, plus theres less room. Imagine the SR 51 in your mind, especially the parts where youre in a concrete crevasse. My thought is youd just extend panels to span that gap from the walls on both sides.
Or like on the I-10 West of Downtown to Buckeye you have those big berms, I suppose you could put panels on them, but what happens when a Hummer flys off the road and destroys them all? It seems like the dirt and plants being there help slow down accidents.
oliveurban Oct 23, 2009 9:19 AM
Originally Posted by PHX31 (Post 4518699)
I was wondering the same thing when I read it yesterday.
Leo the Dog Oct 23, 2009 3:44 PM
The Saguaro Tower...really? That sounds extremely tacky. The last thing this city needs is a hideous tower shaped like a cactus. What we need is dense, urban row houses to fill up those dusty lots, quality inner-city residential districts that residents take pride in. More people, more money being spent locally, creates more entertainment/shopping in downtown.
NorthScottsdale Oct 23, 2009 4:33 PM
/\ I think a Saguaro tower would be awesome.. What better idea for an iconic tower for our desert city? Or why not a big tower designed to look like a barrell cactus? Use green glass, you could have steel protruding to look like the cactus thorns.. it could be really cool if you design it right..
mwadswor Oct 23, 2009 5:00 PM
Originally Posted by NorthScottsdale (Post 4519941)
Wasn't a barrel cactus supposed to be the inspiration for the new Cardinals' stadium?
Vicelord John Oct 23, 2009 5:54 PM
I think it sounds gay, like something at disneyland.
Tempe_Duck Oct 23, 2009 6:08 PM
Yes and a coiled up snake.
combusean Oct 24, 2009 4:50 AM
The thorns could be covered in solar panels, making them not just decorative. You could probably design some shading around it as well.
I think the effect would be lost on some people. I can't help but think it'd just turn out like a big green glass dildo from hell, unless you somehow defy engineering and make realistic arms.
I've always thought Phoenix could use a big pyramid in its skyline. or maybe two--a 440' and 415' spike instead of the hideous mercado, reopening 6th St. If they were full city blocks with ground floor retail at their base they could seriously create some mass on the skyline while looking completely imposing and awesome.
CraftTeutonic Oct 24, 2009 5:40 PM
Originally Posted by combusean (Post 4521284)
I've always thought Phoenix could use a big pyramid in its skyline.
that sounds tacky, as does the saguaro tower
What's wrong with just building the giant glass dildo from hell as an iconic building? That would certainly get some attention.
This building certainly gets plenty of love.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_c4WshzEPoNs/Sq...A/s576/205.JPG
^^^ While we're on the topic of tacky buildings, OCPE naturally comes to mind.
Has anyone walked along Central Ave next to OCPE recently? I guess they went with the less is more approach to landscaping. Consists of a whole lotta gravel with terrible choice of trees. The sad thing is, their surface parking lot looks lush compared to their Central Ave side.
Can I have a show of hands, how many folks are non-drinkers? I don't mean ocassional cocktail, but somoene who doesn't touch alcohol.
I wonder because the other night I ordered an ice tea at the bar with a friend because I just didn't feel like drinking booze. The bartender looked at me like I was a complete schmuck and said I could make ice tea at home much cheaper, and then refused to give me refills without charging me an additional two dollars.
It would have cost me less to have a beer as it turned out and I just wonder if people who are hardcore non-drinkers ever go to bars and if they feel like total outcasts because they don't drink.
HooverDam Oct 25, 2009 5:53 PM
^Im a teetotaler myself and have never had that issue. I usually get a soda or whatever and they're happy to refill it for free. Sounds like that particular bartender was just a jerkoff. You shouldve told him you can buy booze at Safeway and drink them at home for far cheaper than the inflated prices at a bar, so his point was idiotic. You're paying a premium at a bar for the environment, not because alcohol is some hard to come by commodity.
Yeah but it turned out just looking like a big space ship. I still think it looks cool tho. If designed right a tower like that would certainly be iconic. especially if its a new tallest. I also like Sean's idea of a pyramid. We need at least one tower that is creative and different in this city! As of right now the only icon we have is Camelback Mountain..
CraftTeutonic, what is so tacky about that? Should we keep building boring boxes?
I think we need a tower that looks like a shard of quartz... like one of the pieces below:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...al_93c3951.jpg
One that is more non-uniform would be the best. There is already a tower similar in San Diego (their tallest I think)... but my idea would be less symmetrical and fully cladded in glass.


When Kat was forced to leave the only home she had ever known due to her brother's secrets, she wasn't prepared for what was waiting for her in Tennessee or the choices it would force her to make.
Kat instantly knew she didn't like Blake Reagan. He was cocky, stubborn, and infuriating. What Kat didn't understand was why she couldn't stop thinking about him or the way he made her feel.


Y8-39/9-38 Boiler Centrifugal Fan is suitable for making up the fanning and blowing system of the industries boiler beneath 0.5~35t/h. The highest temperature of air should not exceed 250°C. A dust-removal device is required in front of the draft fan.


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Home / Celebrities / Daniel Ortega Biography
Daniel Ortega Biography
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Full name José Daniel Ortega Saavedra
Know as Daniel Ortega, Ortega, Daniel
Birth place La Libertad, Nicaragua
Age 74 years, 2 month, 0 days
Star sign Scorpio
Work Coordinator of the Junta of National Reconstruction of Nicaragua
Spouse Rosario Murillo
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra sources
wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=8778
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra Biography:
Produced on November 11, 1945 in La Libertad, Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega was a guerrilla leader planning to overthrow the regime of dictator Anastasio Somoza . In 2007 he recovered the presidency and was elected again four years later. His dad was a veteran of the peasant military founded by the Nicaraguan revolutionary Cesar Augusto Sandino.
Early in his youth, Ortega moved along with his family to Managua, where he finally attended Central American University. Ortega cut short his studies, nevertheless, as well as in 1963 went underground as an associate of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), a group planning to overthrow the nation's dictator, Anastasio Somoza, who'd ruled Nicaragua since 1937.
In 1967, Ortega and many other FSLN members were detained following a botched bank robbery which they had tried to raise funds for the group. Tortured repeatedly during his time in prison, Ortega was ultimately released in 1974 within a hostage swap system. Within the following five years Ortega helped direct a military campaign that finally compelled Somoza to flee from Managua in 1979 and go into exile.
In the aftermath of Somoza's departure, a five-member group known as the Junta of National Reconstruction came to rule the nation. 3 years later Nicaraguan voters elected him president of the united states. Beneath the direction of the CIA, the U.S. funded and equipped a group of anti-Sandinista fighters known as the Contras.
As the U.S. hardened its position, Ortega did the same, becoming a hero across the area and attracting praise and support from Cuban president Fidel Castro.
But the scars with this new civil war were difficult to dismiss. In all, more than 30,000 Nicaraguans perished in the fight. In 1990, after six years of power, war-weary voters refused Ortega a second period and handed the presidency to Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.
The ensuing years weren't kind to Ortega. His political sway significantly declined and he was afterwards accused by his stepdaughter of rape during her youth, allegations he wholeheartedly denied. After petitioning to get a constitutional amendment to permit consecutive reelection, Ortega won the presidency again in 2011 and embarked on his third period.
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National Cathedral Removing Confederate Flags, Citing Hatred and Racial Supremacy
Justin Holcomb
Posted: Jun 09, 2016 4:00 PM
The Washington National Cathedral says it will remove two images of the Confederate battle flag from the building's stained glass windows, classifying them a symbol of hatred and racial supremacy. The windows also honor Confederate generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee.
A five-person task force that examined the windows' symbolic power said the flags cannot remain on the cathedral's stained glass.
The task force cited recent events to justify their decision in their report.
"A young white man walked into the Wednesday night prayer service… he hated them because of their blackness… photos of the Confederate battle flag were found on the killer's website… the Confederate battle flag serves as a symbol of racial hatred."
The Cathedral will begin a public dialogue on Sunday, July 17 to discuss "What the White Church Must Do."
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on June 16, 2016 by scvpacnw.
Ex-Officer: Photo in Confederate Flag Boxers Led to Firing
A former South Carolina police officer has filed a federal lawsuit against his former employer, claiming he was unjustifiably fired over a photo of himself posing in Confederate flag underwear during last summer's swirling debate over the flag and other Confederate symbols.
In his filing, former Sgt. Shannon Dildine wrote that he was aware of the debate, which exploded after a white man charged with shooting nine black people to death at a Charleston church was shown in online photos embracing Confederate symbols and talked about starting a race war.
But Dildine, then an officer with police in North Charleston — about 6 miles north of Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston — said he was on vacation when the shootings happened and wasn't aware that alleged shooter, Dylann Roof, had been seen in photos glorifying the flag.
The veteran South Charleston officer posted the photo of himself days after Roof allegedly shot the worshippers during a Wednesday night Bible study, saying in his lawsuit he did so "to diffuse a debate that two of his Facebook friends were having over the Confederate flag issue."
The department contacted Dildine about the photo, which he said he deleted from social media immediately. He was fired days later, told he was being terminated because of the photo.
In his lawsuit against the city, Dildine says that he is not a racist and views the flag as part of his southern heritage. He said a black officer who posted a photo of himself alongside someone wearing a "Black Lives Matter" shirt was not fired or disciplined afterward.
City and police officials didn't immediately return emails seeking comment Friday afternoon. They have not yet responded to the lawsuit in court filings of their own.
Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP . Read more of her work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/meg-kinnard/
Southern Baptist Convention votes to condemn Confederate battle flag
( The following article was sent to me by out ATM Commander Lauret. It seems even good people are against us these days. It truly is sad to see so much ignorance and disrespect for our heritage and history. The Confederate Soldier demonstrated what a true Patriot really is. He deserves the highest honors for his bravery, convictions and love for his family, and home State.
We will never give up our fight for truth and true American Liberty. Please stand with us and join the Sons of Confederate Veterans. With your help, we will be able to take on the enemies of truth.)
Protesters hold a sign during a rally to take down the Confederate flag at the South Carolina statehouse in June 2015. (Rainier Ehrhardt/AP)
The Southern Baptist Convention, once founded as a pro-slavery denomination that aligned itself with the Confederacy, voted Tuesday to condemn the Civil War battle flag of the South.
"It's not often that I find myself wiping away tears in a denominational meeting, but I just did," Russell Moore, the prominent evangelical writer who leads the denomination's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, wrote in a blog post after the vote. "Does this change the game as it applies to the crushing issues of racial injustice around us? Of course, it does not. But at the same time, we cannot dismiss this as just about symbols. Symbols matter."
The resolution was proposed by William Dwight McKissic Sr., a black pastor in Arlington, Tex., who told The Washington Post before the vote Tuesday that he thought it imperative that the Southern Baptist Convention — the United States' second-largest religious group, after only Catholicism — make a statement about the flag after the slayings in a church in Charleston, S.C., a year ago.
"You can't take something that is contaminated and make it innocent. I think to honor those nine people in Charleston that were killed, surely you can repudiate what drove Dylann Roof to kill those folks. You say to the black community, we identify with your pain. We share your pain," McKissic said.
Before the Southern Baptist Convention gathered for its annual meeting Tuesday, McKissic and the denomination's president, Ronnie Floyd, said they were not sure whether the resolution would make it out of committee, let alone pass a vote. Commenters on McKissic's website responded with defenses of Southern heritage when he announced he submitted the resolution.
Instead, when the resolution came up for a vote, attendees at the meeting amended the words to make it stronger. Moore said that voters took out a reference to the sense of family history that leads some people to fly the Confederate flag. And where the resolution committee proposed a draft asking that Southern Baptists "limit" use of the flag and "consider" outright removal, the whole group amended that.
The final resolution said: "We call our brothers and sisters in Christ to discontinue the display of the Confederate battle flag as a sign of solidarity of the whole Body of Christ, including our African-American brothers and sisters."
The denomination's resolutions are not binding upon churches, but church insiders said nearly every Southern Baptist church abides by them.
Confederate Fishing Derby & BBQ, Junction City Oregon!
Greetings Compatriots and Friends,
The newly formed SCV Rev. Philip Mulkey Camp 2273 of Eugene, Oregon, is putting on a Confederate Fishing Derby and BBQ on Saturday May 21st, 2016. This will be a wonderful day of family fun and good times with fellow SCV members and friends.
Days Schedule:
-11:00am – SCV Camp 2273 Adopt-A-Highway cleanup.
-12:00 to 3:00pm – Fishing Derby and BBQ
Junction City Pond
Follow this link for info and directions http://www.bestfishinginamerica.com/or-junction-city-pond-fishing-oregon.html
Camp Commander Chuck Ellis
chucky_97402@yahoo.com
Camp Adjutant Jan Hicks
moparjan@hotmail.com
We will be presenting SCV Camp 2273 with their Camp Charter. Any Charter members of the Camp should try to make it, so that you can sign your name on it. Please RSVP with either Commander Ellis, Adjutant Hicks of myself.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on May 13, 2016 by scvpacnw.
SCV Camp 2244 recruiting event success!
SCV Camp 2244 of Nampa, Idaho, held a recruiting event at the Eagle Island War Between the States Reenactment on April 30th, 2016. They passed out numerous applications to join and were exceptionally well received by visitors and reenactors. There were a few people who will definitely be joining their Camp. This was the Camp's first significant recruiting event. They are planning on being in a local parade this spring.
Keep up the great work brothers!
Commander Bland Ballard on left.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on May 9, 2016 by scvpacnw.
Southern Poverty Law Center is directing their hatered at the SCV.
The Southern Poverty Law Center aka SPLC, is taking their quest to eradicate all things Confederate to a whole new level. They are currently organizing rallies, workshops and legal battles against anything Confederate related. It is exceptionally obvious that they are directly attacking what we stand for as members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
They have come up with a comprehensive game plan to take on our members. This plan includes talking points and responses to our usual answers regarding Confederate history and heritage. What we need to do is educate ourselves and be ready to take them on. The following link will send you to the SPLC's website, where they have a detailed game plan on how to take us on. SPLC Website. We all must read this information and ready ourselves for the upcoming battles we will face.
Confederate Memorial Day service, April 30th! Portland, OR.
SCV Camp 458 will be having its Confederate Memorial Day service on Saturday, April 30th. We will be starting meeting at 3pm in front of the Office at River View Cemetery in SW Portland. Once everyone has arrived, we'll will start off our walking/driving tour. We will be visiting the Gravesides of two Confederates at Greenwood Hills Cemetery, and eight at River View. Our last Grave will be our Camp's namesake, Col. Isaac W. Smith.
We are compiling information and tracking down pictures of the Veterans we will be visiting.
After our Cemetery service, we will convoy to DeNicola's Italian Restaurant for Dinner. We have the banquet room reserved from 6pm to close. We will have special presentations and a candle lighting service, along with a great meal and fellowship!
Please invite friends and family to attend. SCV Camp 458 will be providing the Flags for the Veterans. We will be praying that the weather is good that day.
Schedule for Confederate Memorial Day, April 30th:
3:00pm: Meet at parking lot at River View Cemetery (0300 SW Taylors Ferry Rd, Portland, OR 97219)
3:20pm: Start our Graveside Tour
5:00pm: Presentation at Col. Isaac W. Smith's Grave
5:30pm: Head to Restaurant
6:00pm: DeNicola's Italian Restaurant (3520 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97202)
8:00pm: Finished
I look forward to seeing all of you there!
Confederate Flag Day Rallies PNW Division
SCV Pacific NW Division had two different Rallies on March 5th, 2016.
SCV Camp 458 owned Jefferson Davis Park, in Ridgefield, Washington, was one of the sites chosen for March 5th's Confederate Flag Day Rallies. Members from SCV Camp 458 SCV Camp 2178, plus several guests, all participated in the Flag Rally. We received overwhelming support from passers by and made our presence known.
We had local news channel KPTV 12 show up towards the end of the rally. There were only a few of us left at that point, but I did an interview with the reporter.
We will be having more Rallies at the park throughout the coming year. If you would like to participate, please send us a message.
The newly formed Camp 2273 of Eugene, Oregon, held their rally in the heart of downt0wn Eugene. There was a very large organized counter protest against the Confederate Flag Day rally. The Eugene Camp originally let everyone know it was going to be at noon, but decided to throw off the protestors by doing it from 9am til 11am. The protestors were just starting to arrive when the Camp was just getting ready to wrap things up.
The protestors were really thrown off by this and the Eugene SCV boys became local legends. There were people saying they saw them in numerous different locations, and came up with wild stories to tell about them. I have nicknamed Camp 2273 the Special Forces Camp. Great job brothers!
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on March 13, 2016 by scvpacnw.
Eugene Oregon Confederate Flag Day Rally.
Eugene, Oregon is known for politically correct hippies, but did you know the Eugene had voted to succeed from the Union during the Civil War? For our National Confederate Day rally, the Long Tommers replanted the battle flag for the first time in here in over 150 years. SCV Camp 2273 rallied at the Federal building area, while counter protesters, to include Civil Alliance of Lane County, Black Lives Matter and Cascadia Anonymous held their event a few blocks away at the "Free Speech Plaza". Our rally concluded without any major incidents and the majority of all vehicle and foot traffic supported our cause with many hand waves and thumbs up. A few of the notable people we met that day included an eccentric self-proclaimed "monk" and "undercover" liberals. KVAL news gave refreshingly objective interview with our camp and gave us fair coverage in the media. Our camp had just recently received its chapter designation and our first rally was a complete success. If you can display Southern heritage in Eugene, you can do it anywhere.
Chuck Ellis,
SCV Camp 2273
Eugene, OR.
Confederate Flag Day Rally at Jefferson Davis Park! March 5th, 2016.
The Pacific NW Division is participation in the nation wide Confederate Flag Day Rallies on March 5th. There are a few Rallies planned for our Division, but the main one will be at Jefferson Davis Park in Ridgefield, Washington. Here are the details:
Saturday March 5th, 2016 @ 10am til Dusk
24024 NW Maplecrest Road, Ridgefield, Washington
-Confederate Flags (Nationals, Battles, Regimental, etc.)
-Signs and Banners
-Warm Clothes (with hoods), because we don't know if it will rain.
-Bring a lunch and beverages
We will be having our monthly Camp meeting at the Park.
Bring the family and invite your friends! We are going to make a strong statement, so we need you there! We do not have restrooms on the property, so if you have to go, you will have to drive into Ridgefield for a restroom.
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This entry was posted in Uncategorized on February 25, 2016 by scvpacnw.


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Oil and Gas Prices Surge in Highly Volatile Market as Russia is Isolated
Should more countries follow the EU's lead and step up efforts to seek alternative supplies of oil and gas, Russia could find itself out in the cold, whether it wins or loses the war against Ukraine.
Kate Dourian Mar 3, 2022 العربية switch to english
Gas prices are advertised at over $5 per gallon, Los Angeles, California, Feb. 28. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Kate Dourian
Non-Resident Fellow, AGSIW; Contributing Editor, MEES; Fellow, Energy Institute
The oil and gas markets were on edge before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and prices of both commodities were on the rise as supply growth was not matching stronger-than-expected global demand. This left the energy market vulnerable to any real or perceived disruption to supplies. So, when Russia invaded Ukraine February 24, those fears were magnified. There has been no serious disruption so far to Russian oil and gas flows to Europe and the rest of the world, but the stiff financial and banking sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, and other major economies are having an impact on trade with Russia.
As oil prices climbed to their highest level in eight years to trade above $100 per barrel and gas prices in Europe set new all-time highs, the 31 members of the International Energy Agency agreed at a March 1 extraordinary ministerial meeting to release 60 million barrels of oil from strategic stocks to stabilize a jittery market. In a statement, the IEA said the decision sends "a unified and strong message to global oil markets that there will be no shortfall in supplies as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine." But the announcement did little to calm the market and prices moved higher still.
Global benchmark Brent blend closed at $104.97/bbl March 1 and on March 2, traded above $114/bbl after producers in the OPEC+ alliance of OPEC and non-OPEC producers stuck to a scripted decision to increase output by just 400,000 b/d in April, saying in a statement that the decision was made on the basis of balanced fundamentals. Current volatility was caused by "current geopolitical developments," the 23-member OPEC+ producers noted after meeting for less than 15 minutes. There was no mention of Ukraine or the IEA's stock release. In failing to release more barrels onto the market, the OPEC+ producers added to bullish sentiment and provided further impetus to the price rally.
IEA members are obliged to hold emergency stocks equivalent to 90 days of net oil imports as insurance against supply disruptions; they are not meant to be used to manipulate prices. This is only the fourth time that the IEA has ordered the release of emergency stocks since its inception in 1974 as guarantor of energy security for OECD members after the 1973 Arab-led oil embargo. At present, IEA members hold 1.5 billion barrels of oil, and the 60 million barrels are equivalent to 2 million barrels per day for 30 days, according to the Paris-based agency. The IEA held out the possibility of further stock draws if warranted.
"The situation in energy markets is very serious and demands our full attention," IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a statement after the virtual meeting chaired by U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. "Global energy security is under threat, putting the world economy at risk during a fragile stage of the recovery," Birol added.
As one of the top three producers of oil along with the United States and Saudi Arabia, and the world's largest producer of natural gas, Russia is an energy heavyweight; few other producers have the capacity to make up for the loss of Russian oil or gas. It currently produces just over 10 mb/d of crude oil and exports more than 5 mb/d, roughly 12% of global supply. More than half is exported to Europe with China accounting for 20%, according to IEA estimates. Russia has an even larger share of the refined oil product market, exporting 2.85 mb/d of various products, including diesel and fuel oil, the majority of which goes to satisfy European demand. When it comes to pipeline gas exports, Russia has no rival. It supplies roughly 35% of the European and United Kingdom markets, one-quarter of which goes through Ukraine.
The invasion of Ukraine heightened fears that Russia might withhold supplies in retaliation for the sanctions imposed on its banking and financial sectors and the exodus of multinational energy companies from joint ventures with Russian state-owned oil and gas businesses. BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Norway's Equinor, and Eni of Italy have all announced that they are selling their stakes in Russian joint ventures and halting further investment in Russia's energy sector. France's TotalEnergies has hedged its bets, announcing it would no longer provide capital for new projects in Russia rather than withdraw.
Although the sanctions against Moscow do not specifically target its energy sector, they have had an impact on transactions because of the complex layers of legal and financial restrictions on dealings with Russian banks. Reputational and legal risks have deterred buyers of Russian crude oil, though natural gas is still flowing through Ukraine and other pipelines to Europe. Russia's main export grade, Urals, is now trading at a steep discount, and there have been reports that buyers are finding it difficult to open letters of credit despite exemptions granted by the United States for dealings with sanctioned Russian banks. Higher insurance rates are also making it more expensive to lift crude from Russian ports.
According to an Oxford Institute for Energy Studies paper assessing the implications of the crisis for global oil markets, despite the exemptions, the ban on access to the international SWIFT banking system had prompted some financial institutions to "self-sanction" and refuse to finance Russian-related transactions. There was also evidence that "some companies have been reluctant to purchase Russian crude as risks of exposure to Russian entities have increased," while some shipping companies were unable to get vessels into Russian ports. Russia exports crude from terminals on the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and Sea of Japan and is linked by pipeline to China.
Specialist publication Energy Intelligence reported March 3 that it estimated Russian oil flows had fallen by some 2.5 mb/d over the week as a result of shipping and financial sanctions "combined with a general reluctance among buyers to risk taking Russian cargoes." It estimated that around 1.5 mb/d of crude oil as well as 1 mb/d of refined products are not making it to market.
Goldman Sachs Global Head of Commodities Research Jeffrey Currie said in a March 1 interview with Bloomberg television that there were "unintended consequent risks," such as a pipeline outage, though the focal point was on seaborne trade in the event of increased hostilities, which would make it more difficult for the oil to get out. If seaborne trade is interrupted, this would potentially put at risk 7.3 mb/d of crude oil and product exports that cannot be easily replaced. The lifting of sanctions on Iran would offer some respite. However, nuclear talks in Vienna between world powers and Iran and indirect talks with the United States have not yet concluded. Even if a deal is agreed upon to restore the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement, it would only bring on 500,000 b/d of additional supply, and it would take months before it reaches the market. Given the magnitude of the potential disruption, Goldman Sachs had raised its price forecast to $150/bbl. "The volatility would be massive like we've seen over the course of the last several days," he said. What was driving volatility was "the low level of inventories, lack of spare production capacity, and strong demand around the globe" that had resulted in a very tight market and exposed it to potential disruption.
On March 3, Brent rose to within a few cents of $120/bbl, its highest level since 2012, while U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate traded at its highest level since 2008, above $116/bbl.
The reference to the lack of spare production capacity has been a market feature since the OPEC+ alliance began unwinding steep cuts agreed to in April 2020 to steady the market at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. As quotas began to increase in April 2021, it became apparent that some producers were unable to meet their higher allocations, mainly because of insufficient investments made in new capacity during previous price downturns. The IEA's February Oil Market Report, published before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, estimated the gap between OPEC+ output and target levels at 900,000 b/d in January. Should this gap persist, it would lead to more volatility and upward pressure on prices, according to the report, which added that these risks "could be reduced if producers in the Middle East with spare capacity were to compensate for those running out."
There was no supply response from OPEC+, and Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has made clear that there would be no reallocation of quotas to make up for the shortfall. Any move to take a larger share of the market at Russia's expense would jeopardize the relationship with Moscow, whose cooperation has been crucial since the alliance was formed in early 2016. Only Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have significant spare production capacity that can be brought online within 30 days and sustained for three months, the definition of sustainable production capacity. Birol, speaking at a March 3 news conference to present a 10-point plan that would help the EU reduce its dependence on Russian gas, said the OPEC+ decision was "disappointing."
It's too early to tell if the departure of the multinationals will have an impact on Russia's oil and gas production capacity in the near future. But already Russia is nearing its capacity limits, and January production of 10.04 mb/d was below target for the second month in a row, the IEA noted in its February report. Under the July 2021 OPEC+ agreement, Russia's OPEC+ baseline is set to rise to 11.5 mb/d in May, as is Saudi Arabia's. But while the kingdom has the capacity to produce at that level, Moscow does not.
The IEA puts Russia's sustainable production capacity at 10.2 mb/d and Saudi Arabia's at 12.2 mb/d, leaving Russia with just 100,000 b/d of short-order spare capacity and 200,000 b/d of 90-day capacity compared with Saudi Arabia at 1.2 mb/d and 2.1 mb/d, respectively. The UAE could bring on an additional 1.2 mb/d within 90 days, Iraq 600,000 b/d and Kuwait 200,000 b/d, according to the IEA's estimates.
The impact on Russia's economy so far has been severe. The ruble has crashed to a record low against the dollar. The stock market remains closed, and foreign investors are withdrawing in droves all in just one week. Higher oil and natural gas prices may provide a temporary boost to producers but are likely to have implications for demand in the medium to long terms. An accelerated move to alternative sources of energy and a geographic shift in energy trade flows is likely to move up the political agenda of consuming countries. Germany has taken the lead in the effort to wean itself from overreliance on Russia for oil and gas supplies by freezing the certification of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline across the Baltic Sea, which the United States and EU had long opposed because of its possible impact on the Ukrainian economy, and because it would have increased Europe's reliance on Russian gas.
The IEA's 10-point plan would reduce the EU's dependence on Russian natural gas by one-third by next winter. The EU imported 155 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia, accounting for around 45% of EU gas imports and close to 40% of its total gas consumption in 2021, the IEA noted. The IEA's recommendations included: not signing new gas contracts with Russia; maximizing gas supplies from other sources; applying gas-minimum storage requirements; accelerating the deployment of solar and wind; making the most of existing low-emission energy sources, such as nuclear and renewables; and ramping up energy efficiency measures in homes and businesses. In total, the IEA estimated this would reduce European imports of Russian gas by 50 bcm.
Around 30 bcm of natural gas and liquefied natural gas could be obtained from non-Russian sources over the next year, Birol said. He named the United States, Norway, Algeria, Azerbaijan, and Qatar as potential suppliers.
Barbara Pompili, minister for ecological transition of France, who joined Birol for the announcement, said the EU will be considering the measures because "more than ever, getting rid of Russian fossil fuels and of fossil fuels in general, is essential." The European commissioner for energy, also speaking during the same presentation, described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "a watershed moment," adding that the EU Commission will propose a pathway for Europe to become independent from Russian gas as soon as possible."
Energy topic in which the post is published
Following Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, Can Gulf Countries Stabilize Energy Markets?
On March 10, AGSIW hosted a discussion examining the impact of the Ukraine crisis on global oil and gas markets and the direct effects on the Gulf region.
The Ukraine Crisis is Vindicating Qatar's Bold Gas Expansion Strategy
Justin Alexander Feb 24, 2022
Oil Market Recovery Underway at the Start of 2022 But Volatility Looms Ahead
Kate Dourian Jan 21, 2022
is a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, a contributing editor at MEES, and a fellow at the Energy Institute.