text:
Edutainment (gelegentlich auch eingedeutscht 'unterhaltsames Lernen') ist ein Kofferwort, das sich aus den englischen Wörtern education (Bildung) und entertainment (Unterhaltung) zusammensetzt. Es gibt eine weitere und eine engere Bedeutung des Begriffs. Die weite Bedeutung von Edutainment umfasst alle Formen und Angebote im Kultur- und Freizeitbereich, welche Unterhaltung und Bildung verbinden. Dazu gehören auch moderne Freizeitzentren mit Themenwelten, interaktive Museen, komplexe Erlebniszentren, sowie multimediale Ausstellungen und Events. Die engere Bedeutung von Edutainment bezieht sich auf Konzepte der elektronischen Wissensvermittlung, bei dem die Inhalte spielerisch und unterhaltsam vermittelt werden. Dazu gehören entsprechende Fernsehprogramme, Computer-/Videospiele oder andere Multimedia-Softwaresysteme.

Durch die Verbindung von Bildung und Unterhaltung soll die Lernmotivation gesteigert und das Lernen effizienter und erfolgreicher gestaltet werden. Edutainment kann außerdem dazu genutzt werden, den Fokus auf bestimmte gesellschaftliche, soziale oder gesundheitliche Themen zu lenken.

Begriff

Konzept
Traditionelle Lernformen, meist Frontalunterricht mit oder ohne textgebundenen Materialien, werden von Kindern und Jugendlichen schon immer als Arbeit und Anstrengung angesehen. Dem gegenüber steht eine Medienwelt, bei der Unterhaltung und Spaß im Vordergrund stehen, das Lernen aber keine größere Rolle spielt. Edutainment versucht, beide Aspekte erfolgreich miteinander zu verbinden. Spielerische und unterhaltsame Methoden werden verwendet, um das Lernen schneller, effizienter und erfolgreicher zu gestalten. Verschiedene Studien belegen, dass Interesse, Motivation und Spaß grundlegende Voraussetzungen für erfolgreiches Lernen sind. Mit der Vermittlung von Inhalten durch Einbindung unterhaltsamer Methoden soll die Freude am Lernen gesteigert werden. Das Verhältnis zwischen Lernen auf der einen sowie Spiel und Unterhaltung auf der anderen Seite kann im Edutainment sehr unterschiedlich ausfallen. Jedoch darf keiner der beiden Aspekte zu sehr im Vordergrund stehen.

Abgrenzung
Die Abgrenzung zwischen Edutainment, Lernprogrammen und Spielen ist auf Grund fließender Übergänge sehr schwierig und nicht eindeutig. Lernprogramme vermitteln Schul- oder Faktenwissen. Die Wissensvermittlung steht im Vordergrund und festgelegte Lernziele werden verfolgt. Dagegen präsentieren Edutainmentprogramme mehr themenübergreifendes Wissen. Spielen und Spaß nehmen einen größeren Stellenwert ein.

Verschiedene Formen
Davon abhängig, wie stark entweder spielerische oder lernorientierte Akzente gesetzt werden, können Edutainmentprogramme weiter unterteilt werden:
 Teach-Tale-Tainment: Lehr- oder erzählorientierte Produkte mit einem unterhaltsamen Charakter. Lerninhalte werden auf spielerische und erzählerische Art präsentiert (zum Beispiel Hörspielkassetten, elektronische Bilderbücher).
 Tooltainment: Programme, die als "Werkzeug" dienen und die Lernenden bei der eigenen kreativen Gestaltung unterstützen
 Skilltainment: Unterhaltsame Spiele zur Förderung allgemeiner Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten (zum Beispiel Strategie- oder Taktikspiele)
 Simtainment: Simulationsprogramme zur Darstellung von komplizierten wissenschaftlichen Vorgängen, zum Zweck der Vereinfachung und Erklärung von relevanten Inhalten (zum Beispiel Simulation eines Vulkanausbruchs am Computer)
 Infotainment: Unterhaltsame Vermittlung von Bildungsinhalten mit Sachbuch-Charakter (zum Beispiel zu Themen wie Dinosaurier, oder Ritter)

Eigenschaften
Neue Medien bestimmen zunehmend das Alltagsleben der Menschen. Sinnvoll eingesetzt, können die Merkmale der neuen Medien bestehende Vermittlungsformen erweitern oder ersetzen. Software im Edutainment ist meist als Hypertext gestaltet. Die Wissensvermittlung ist somit im Unterschied zum Lernen mit textbezogenen Materialien nicht linear. Der Lernende kann sich innerhalb des Programms frei bewegen und eine eigene Lernreihenfolge festlegen. Edutainmentprogramme beinhalten außerdem meist multimediale Anwendungen. So können verschiedene Texte, Grafiken, Animationen, Audio und Video miteinbezogen und kombiniert werden. Ein weiteres Kennzeichen ist das hohe Maß an Interaktivität. Der Lernende kann bei Software Einfluss auf das Geschehen nehmen und selber kreativ gestalten. Damit ist er aktiv und spielerisch in die Wissensvermittlung integriert.

Vor- und Nachteile

Vorteile
Kinder und Jugendliche haben an einer normalen Lernsoftware meist wenig Freude. Auf Grund ihrer Charakteristika können daher Edutainmentprogramme eine Vielzahl von Vorteilen bieten:

Die Hypertextstruktur ermöglicht einen individuellen Zugang und Umgang zu den angebotenen Informationen. Lernen wird damit zu einem selbst organisierten, geistigen Prozess. Man kann Tempo und Reihenfolge beim Lernen frei wählen und erarbeitet sich selbstständig ein Thema. So werden große Freiräume zum Entdecken von Zusammenhängen geschaffen und gleichzeitig das Experimentieren und Nachdenken gefördert. Durch die Verbindung der Übungsphasen mit spielerischen Elementen wird die Motivation zum selbsttätigen Lernen gesteigert. Aktivität und Kreativität fördern den Lernprozess und die Medienkompetenz. Das Einbinden multimedialer Aspekte ermöglicht das Ansprechen verschiedener Wahrnehmungskanäle, was die Wissensaufnahme und Merkfähigkeit erleichtert. Durch eine spielerische Kommentierung und eine kontextbezogene Rückmeldung findet sofort eine Fehlerkontrolle statt.

Nachteile
Neben diesen Vorteilen müssen auch mögliche negative Auswirkungen beim Edutainment berücksichtigt werden.

Oft steht das in Edutainmentprogrammen präsentierte Wissen in keinem Kontext zu pädagogisch begründeten Bildungsinhalten. Bei den als Bildung verkauften Wissensinhalten handelt es sich zuweilen nur um Halbwissen. Nachteile für den Lernprozess können entstehen, wenn das Verhältnis zwischen Unterhaltung und Bildung nicht ausgewogen ist. Die Gefahr besteht, dass Entertainment die Medien bestimmt und Informations- und Bildungsaspekte vernachlässigt werden. Wenn in den Konzepten das Spielen dominiert, kann Lernen zum Randaspekt werden.
Häufig wird die Lernanstrengung bei Edutainmentprogrammen verharmlost. Trotz Spiel und Spaß muss es zu einer Auseinandersetzung und kognitiven Verarbeitung des präsentierten Wissens kommen. Diesem Aspekt wird oft zu wenig Beachtung geschenkt.

Edutainment im Fernsehen
Erstmals tauchte der Begriff Edutainment im Zusammenhang mit Vorschulsendungen für Kinder im Fernsehen in den 60er Jahren in den USA auf. Schon damals war das Fernsehen auch bei Kindern ein Massenmedium zum Zweck der Unterhaltung. Die Sesamstraße war einer der ersten Versuche, Kindersendungen zu konzipieren, bei denen der Unterhaltungs- mit dem Lernaspekt verbunden wird. Mit lustigen Figuren und unterhaltsamen Geschichten sollten Kinder Zahlen, Größenordnungen oder das Alphabet lernen. Die Serie erreichte in den USA und in Deutschland bei Kindern hohe Beliebtheit. Der erhoffte Lernerfolg setzte jedoch nicht ein. Die 1971 entwickelte Sendung mit der Maus gilt als Kindersendung, die "Lach-" mit "Sachgeschichten" verbindet. Unterhaltsame Zeichentrickfilme wechseln sich mit informativen Beiträgen ab, die bestimmte Phänomene erklären. In der Kindersendung Löwenzahn werden einzelne Fragestellungen in eine Gesamtgeschichte eingebettet. Der Moderator setzt sich auf unterhaltsame Art und Weise mit dem Thema auseinander und sucht nach Antworten. So entsteht eine Mischung aus Neugierde und Witz. Ein neueres Programmangebot stellt die Sendung Teletubbies, eine Fernsehserie für Kleinkinder, dar. Auch hier werden die zu vermittelnden Themen direkt in eine unterhaltsame Geschichte, meist von Kindergartenkindern erlebt, eingebunden.

Bekannt und beliebt sind auch die Zeichentrick-Serien der Reihe Es war einmal … von Albert Barillé. Mit Ausnahme der Serie Es war einmal der Weltraum, die eine rein fiktive Handlung hat, werden Kenntnisse über Geschichte, Geografie, den menschlichen Körper, die Umwelt usw. vermittelt.

Die schwedische Autorin Selma Lagerlöf schrieb ihren Roman Die wunderbare Reise des kleinen Nils Holgersson mit den Wildgänsen ursprünglich, um schwedischen Schulkindern Landeskunde näherzubringen. Bei den späteren Verfilmungen, die nicht zu diesem Zweck, sondern nur zur Unterhaltung erfolgten, lag das Augenmerk freilich mehr auf Nils' Abenteuern, so dass die ursprüngliche Lehrabsicht nicht mehr erkennbar war.

Der Bayerische Rundfunk produzierte zwei Sprachkurs-Serien speziell für Kinder: Playtime - English for Children (Englisch, 30 Folgen) und Viens jouer avec nous (Französisch, 39 Folgen).

Auch im Erwachsenensektor wird die Wissensvermittlung verstärkt mit Unterhaltungsangeboten kombiniert. Quiz- und Wissenssendungen erreichen hohe Einschaltquoten. Seifenopern und Spielfilme können ebenfalls Elemente aus dem Edutainmentbereich beinhalten und zielen darauf ab, spezielle Inhalte an das Publikum weiterzugeben. Zum Beispiel setzen sich der Film Das weiße Kaninchen mit Cyber-Grooming, der Film Die Spielerin mit Spielsucht und der Film Ich gehöre ihm mit Zwangsprostitution mit Rekrutierung nach der "Loverboy-Methode" auseinander. Andere häufig in Filmen verarbeitete Themen sind Geschichte, der Lebenslauf berühmter Persönlichkeiten, Toleranz, Integration und der Umgang mit bestimmten Krankheiten oder Behinderungen.

Gesellschaftlicher Aspekt
Unterhaltungsangebote im Fernsehen können Informations- und Wissenselemente auch im Sinne von Aufklärung gezielt einbauen. Vor allem Sendeformate wie Seifenopern, die auch von unteren sozialen Schichten und Jugendlichen gesehen werden, stellen ein geeignetes Transportmedium dar, um soziale Botschaften oder Entwicklungen zu vermitteln. So können beispielsweise gesundheitspolitischen Themen wie HIV, Krebs, aber auch soziale Probleme wie Gewalt und Arbeitslosigkeit, in der Handlung aufgegriffen werden. Damit werden spezielle Themen medial in das Bewusstsein der Gesellschaft gerückt. In Entwicklungsländern werden solche Formate genutzt, um Alphabetisierungsmaßnahmen oder politisches bzw. berufliches Wissen zu unterstützen. In Industrieländern können Jugendliche so mit Themen erreicht werden, die in der Schule nicht ausführlich genug behandelt werden können.

Siehe auch
 Education Marketing
 Gamification
 Histotainment
 Politainment

Literatur
 Erlinger, Hans-Dieter: Neue Medien, Edutainment, Medienkompetenz. Kopäd-Verlag, München 1997, ISBN 3-929061-24-4.
 Neuß, Norbert/Koch, Claus: Teletubbies & Co. Schadet Fernsehen unseren Kindern? Beltz, Weinheim 2001, ISBN 3-407-22826-0.
 Papert, Seymour: Revolution des Lernens. Kinder, Computer, Schule in einer digitalen Welt. Heise, Hannover 2002, ISBN 3-88229-041-2.
 Reinhardt, Ulrich: Edutainment - Bildung macht Spaß. Lit Verlag, Münster 2005, 258 S., ISBN 978-3-8258-9082-7.

Weblinks
 The KDE Edutainment Project. Informationen zu Edutainment
 Der Computer als Lehrer. Horst Pohlmann, Jürgen Sleegers (2005), in Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. Internetseite (Stand: 29. April 2010)
 Die Spielsaison ist eröffnet. Sebastian Deterding, in Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. Internetseite (Stand: 25. Juni 2007)

Einzelnachweise

E-Learning
Medienkritik
Kofferwort
Unterhaltung


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Home / Shop / Series / Psychiatry - Theory, Applications and Treatments / Neurobiology of Men's Mental Health
Neurobiology of Men's Mental Health
Leo Sher, M.D. (Editor)
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, James J. Peters Veterans Administration Medical Center, Fort Lee, NJ, USA
Timothy R. Rice, M.D. (Editor)
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
Series: Psychiatry – Theory, Applications and Treatments
BISAC: MED105000
This book offers a developmental neuroendocrinologically-oriented perspective in the area of specialized psychiatric care for men termed "Men's Mental Health." This book collates the contributions of over 40 authors in the field of men's mental health throughout 24 chapters in an attempt to overview the emerging developments in this field. Developmental neurobiology serves as the central organizational factor for this four-sectioned book. In the first section, the developmental neurobiological perspective is introduced and considerations specific to men's mental health in infants, toddlers, children, and adolescents are discussed. In the second section, the relevance of men's mental health to informed suicide and homicide prevention among men are presented. The third section reviews major mental illness in men, while the last section provides an overview of the intersection of men's mental health with general medical conditions and the future directions for the field. This collection gathers the latest writings from authors around the world in this field and will be of value for clinicians and researchers interested in an increasingly-popular approach to providing neurobiologically-tailored care for men.
(Imprint: Nova Biomedical)
Binding Choose an optionHardcovereBook Clear
Neurobiology of Men's Mental Health quantity
ISBN: N/A Categories: Medicine and Health, Men's Health, Psychiatry - Theory, Applications and Treatments Tags: 9781634831918, 9781634832175, men's health
Section One: Men's Mental Health in Childhood, Adolescence, and Neurodevelopment
1. Testosterone and Male Development
(Timothy R. Rice, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA)
2. Testosterone, Emotion Regulation, and Endophenotypes
3. Future Directions Concerning the Impact of Childhood and Adolescent Adversities in the Field of Men's Mental Health: The New York Declaration
(Timothy R. Rice, Zoltan Rihmer, Julia Golier, Leo Sher, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA, and others)
4. Neurobiological Basis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Are Males Different?
(Jose Martinez-Raga, Carlos Knecht, Raquel de Alvaro, Amparo Ferreros, and Nestor Szerman, Teaching Unit of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset, University of Valencia, and University Cardenal Herrera CEU, Valencia, Spain, and others)
5. Mental Health Service Use by Suicidal Boys and Girls
(Anne E. Rhodes and Jennifer M. Bethel, Associate Professor, Department of Pyschiatry and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Adjunct Scientist, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Canada)
6. All Just Fun and Games? Men and Media Violence
(Michelle Knox and Vipul Shukla, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH, USA)
7. Physiological and Psychological Associations of Testosterone in Sports and Exercise with Due Regard to Adolescents
(Mirko Wegner, Claudia Niemann, Henning Budde, University of Bern, Switzerland, and others)
8. The Effects of High-Fat Diet (with and without Weight Gain) on Testosterone Levels (Pubertal Perspective)
(Leandro Freire dos Santos, Rosália Rubel, Carlos Ricardo Soccol, Federal University of Paraná, Department of Bioprocesses and Biotechnology, Curitiba – PR – Brazil, and others)
9. Integrating Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy with Male Neurobiology: Regulation-Focused Psychotherapy for Children
(Timothy R. Rice and Leon Hoffman, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA)
10. Regulation-Focused Psychotherapy for Children in Medical Education: An Account from the Perspective of Men's Mental Health
(Timothy R. Rice, Fareedat Oluyadi, Emma Gaines, Tracy Prout, and Leon Hoffman, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA)
11. Regulation-Focused Psychotherapy for Children in General Psychiatric Education: An Account from the Perspective of Men's Mental Health
(Timothy R. Rice, Raj Loungani, Emma Gaines, Tracy Prout, and Leon Hoffman, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA, and others)
Section Two: Suicide and Homicide in Men
12. Sex Differences in Suicide Rates from the Perspective of Psychiatric Care Tailored to Men
(Masahito Fushimi, Akita Prefectural Mental Health and Welfare Center, Japan)
13. Male Suicidal Behavior
(Lucas Giner, Samuel Aidan Kelly, Diego De La Vega, Unidad de Salud Mental Comunitaria de Huelva, Servicio Andaluz de Salud, Huelva, Spain, and others)
14. Plasma Testosterone Differences between Suicide Attempters and Community Controls in both Men and Women of China
(Jie Zhang and Xian Jia, Shandong University School of Public Health Center for Suicide Prevention Research, Jinan, China, and others)
15. Male Suicidality Across the Lifespan
(Nibal Lubbad and Gil Zalsman, Child and Adolescent Division, Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel, and others)
16. Testosterone and Homicide Among Young Men
(Allan Mazur, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA)
17. Suicidal Terrorism: Psychiatric Aspects
(Leo Sher, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA, and others)
18. Homicidal Terrorism: Psychiatric Aspects
(Zebulon Taintor, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine; Organizer, World Psychiatric Association Section on Terrorism, NY, USA)
Section Three: Major Mental Illness in Men
19. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Men: Psychosocial, Cultural and Neurobiological Factors
(Lisa J Norelli and John J. O'Connor, Capital District Psychiatric Center, Albany, NY, USA, and others)
(Danielle Kushner, NYU School of Medicine, NY, USA)
21. Suicidal Behavior in Men with Comorbid Depression and Substance Use Disorders: Roles of Active Substance Use, Exposure to Combat in the Military, and Alterations in Testosterone Levels
(Drew D. Kiraly, Leo Sher, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA, and others)
Section Four: Men's Health: Medical Issues and Future Directions
22. Testosterone and Male Reproductive Health
(Omer A Raheem and Tung-Chin Hsieh, Department of Urology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA)
23. Testosterone and Male Cardiovascular Health
(Omer A Raheem and Tung-Chin Hsieh, Department of Urology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA, and others)
24. Steroid Secretion and Psychological Well-Being in Men 40+
(Andreas Walther and Ulrike Ehlert, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich,
Zurich, Switzerland, and others)
25. Future Research and Clinical Directions in the Field of Men's Mental Health: The Madrid Declaration
(Leo Sher, Zoltan Rihmer, Javier Didia-Attas, Jose de Leon, Shih-Ku Lin, Carlos Roncero, Nestor Szerman, Timothy R. Rice, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA, and others)
Hardcover, eBook
I am body!
Advances in Health and Disease. Volume 6
A Systems Approach to the Psychosomatics of Stuttering
Growing Older: The Current Epidemiological and Psycho-Sociological Research on Ageing

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Winterwell-on-the-Fosse is a fictitious small country market town set in the Cotswolds during the early 1950s, it is served by a rural branch line. Winterwell actually exists as a large farmstead near Northleach, it is surrounded by numerous cottages and many stone built buildings.
The economy is very much agricultural, as one would expect, based on this rural background. It is envisaged that this branch line, although now much rationalised once formed part of the Midland and South Western Junction Railway. To this end it would have been possible to see both locomotives and rolling stock from the Great Western Railway, London Midland Scottish and Southern railways.
It is a 3mm scale layout with the aim to give a flavour of the Cotswolds. Most of the buildings are scratch built and based on actual buildings within this area. The brewery complex is a kit which has been altered and reduced to fit this scale with other buildings added to complete the typical scene.
The physical dimensions of the layout are 13 feet by 2 feet and shows a much rationalised small station complex, disused junction and the branch terminus.


text:
Paul Sommers
Joe Klein
Potrero land purchaser tries his best to obey fire regs
Harris Fire gets him in the end
By Joe Deegan, Jan. 2, 2008
Paul Sommers promised his mother, when she was dying in 2002, that he would wisely invest the money she was about to leave him. After she died, he began looking for land in East San Diego County. "I found a parcel in Potrero that I liked a lot," he tells me over breakfast. "But there were quite a few restrictions on how I could use it. For instance, I couldn't build within 100 feet of the oaks or cross the stream with a new road. So I gave up on that one and began looking for another. But very quickly someone else bought the property. One day I saw that the new owner was grading underneath the oaks and building a road across the stream. A nearby resident told me that, unless neighbors complain, county officials hardly ever check on what people are doing with their property."
In 2003, Sommers and a partner paid cash for 80 acres at another Potrero location. They wanted to put a large home on the land, accompanied by a guesthouse. The partner had a long-term plan to build the main residence. But Sommers was ready to go. He would proceed right away to build a 1200-square-foot guesthouse of his own design. He wanted to live in it upon completion and grow food on some of the remaining land. Once settled, he would sell a home he has owned in Encanto for the last 21 years.
Shortly after the purchase, Sommers claims that the chief of the local volunteer fire department met him at the gate of his new property. "My son and I had just arrived when the chief rolled up in a brand-new truck," says Sommers. "This was not long after the Cedar Fire, and he told me that the [San Diego Rural Fire Protection District] was requiring landowners to comply with brush-abatement codes. He asked me if I would clear the trees next to the road that ran through my property. I'm a former Navy fireman, so I understood. But these were the big oaks that nobody was supposed to touch. The chief told me that if I started working right away, I'd get a good jump on it and the agency would work with me."
But on February 27, 2004, before he made much progress, a company called Fire Prevention Services, Inc., sent him a letter giving him 30 days to clear all brush on his land within 100 feet of structures (a dilapidated shed stood on the property) and 10 feet from any road on or bordering the property. The company identified itself as a "contracted agent for San Diego Rural Fire Protection District." And it stated that "properties which…do not comply…will be subject to clearing by the fire district at the owner's expense."
So Sommers started working in earnest. He bought a used tractor, rented a wood chipper, and got help from friends to complete the clearing. "Do you know," he asks me, "how much work it is to clear ten-foot-wide, half-mile-long paths of trees and brush on both sides of the road? I was proud of myself when we finished, and I called Fire Prevention Services several times. Nobody ever answered. I then learned from neighbors that people were complaining that the company was overzealously harassing people in the backcountry and that the County shut them down. But not before I spent lots of time and money."
(Apparently Fire Prevention Services continued contracting with some local fire prevention districts. On May 9, 2007, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection wrote to San Diego County concerning complaints it was receiving about the company. The letter suggested that Fire Prevention Services may have been misrepresenting the law and requiring landowners to do environmental damage.)
In the meanwhile, Sommers was preparing to apply for a building permit from the County Department of Planning and Land Use. He says that the department required that he draw up a new plat map of his property and that he obtain an engineer's evaluation of whether a septic system could be installed. "I offered to pay for removing the effluent from the property instead," he says, "but they said no." Eventually the County granted him a permit for the septic system, though he wouldn't have to install it until the house was being constructed.
"I also had to have good water on the property. So [in early 2005] I built a well, which required an additional permit and cost me $22,300. The County said the well had to have a pressure bladder that would support fire sprinklers inside the house I was planning to build and a fire hydrant at the road," says Sommers.
To pay for it all, Sommers took out a second mortgage on his home. Otherwise, everything seemed to be going well. Then, in late 2005, county officials claimed that there was no legal access from Highway 94 to Sommers's property. The road that ran through his land was only a driveway, they said, and he would have to get an easement from another property owner to use it. That property owner, says Sommers, "originally said, 'No problem, use it free.' But later, he realized what he had and wanted $20,000 for the easement."
Worse than that, however, when Sommers finally applied for his building permit, the County informed him that he didn't own a legal parcel. It turned out that an earlier owner called the Stabler Trust, which in the 1980s had subdivided the land into four parcels, had not followed the requirements of the 1972 California Subdivision Map Act. The law requires that land subdivided into four parcels or more must get a "certificate of compliance" from the county in which they are situated. The law was intended to give counties greater control in areas where they may want to prevent excessive development.
Sommers protested that he and his partner planned only two houses on their land. And why hadn't the County informed him of the subdivision problem before he'd spent thousands of dollars preparing to build? The County's answer? Their first discovery of the legal flag on his property came when he applied for the building permit. "What recourse do I have?" That's the question Sommers said he asked officials. "They told me the only thing I could do was to sue the former owner who did not follow the law when he subdivided his land."
About that time, Sommers figured he needed a lawyer. So he hired land-use attorney Craig Sherman. "Craig saved me $20,000 right away," says Sommers. "His research showed that the road running through my property, the one the County interpreted as only a driveway requiring that I get an easement, was in fact Old Stage Coach Road built in the 1800s."
On January 19, 2006, Sherman wrote to the County of evidence that "legal access is available to the Sommers property via the Old Stage Route [Potrero to National City]…as granted by the County Board of Supervisors since 1872." On a visit to Sherman's office, he shows me a response to his letter eight days later. It came from the County Department of Public Works and admitted the accuracy of his research and that there always was legal access to the property.
Sherman was not as successful in correcting the illegality of the Sommers's subdivision. He first wrote to owners of the Stabler Trust asking that they correct a problem they had caused. That problem, he wrote, "makes use of the [subdivided] properties impermissible until such illegality is cured." But after promising cooperation, the Stablers have stalled. In the meantime, Sherman filed a lawsuit against them, as the County Planning and Land Use Department suggested. Only he went a step further and included the County as a codefendant. He maintained that the County had a responsibility to enforce the Stablers' adherence to the Subdivision Map Act. Also, noted Sherman, that law has a provision designed to protect people who buy land that has been illegally subdivided.
Sherman thinks that the County then reversed its course. "Suddenly they talked like they had made a mistake and wanted to work with us," he says. The planning department's Jarrett Ramaiya arranged a meeting with Sherman and Sommers for the purpose of discussing the two sides' differences. Sherman was looking forward to a settlement out of court. But he had to cancel at the last minute and asked for a new date for the meeting. Ramaiya, other county officials, and the Stablers' attorney met on the original date anyway.
Subsequently, the County decided that, in order to build on his land, Sommers would have to apply for his own certificate of compliance. "That would have cost me a great deal more in fees and penalties," Sommers tells me. "And two other owners who bought parcels stemming from the Stabler subdivision would have been hit with the same penalty. I couldn't do that."
As a result of Sommers's refusal, on January 7, 2007, the planning department issued its "intention to record a notice of violation." The violators included the Stablers, Paul Sommers and his partner, and the two other subdivision landowners.
The Sommers lawsuit will come to trial in April. Craig Sherman will argue that in granting Sommers several permits without revealing the subdivision illegality, the County has acted in bad faith. And as soon as Sommers purchased his property, the County Assessor's Office gave it a parcel number for the purpose of collecting new taxes. Sommers has paid those taxes since 2003. "It raises interesting questions about County assessment practices," notes Sherman. "Would you assign an assessor's parcel number to an illegal parcel? Doesn't assigning the parcel number and collecting taxes on the property legitimize the owner's stake in a government-recognized piece of property?"
In the meantime, the recent Harris Fire raced over Sommers's land, burning the shed, several old cars, and a pile of clear-cut oak logs he was saving for firewood. And the bank has foreclosed on Sommers's Encanto home. After he vacates in another two weeks, he plans to live in a trailer on his Potrero land until he can build.
VanjaJames Jan. 2, 2008 @ 5:29 p.m.
Cops buy donuts in their spare time...fire people urge useless tree cutting. Sigh.


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Washington Reads (Summer 2008) - Beach Reads
It is glorious in Washington this summer, and our carefree days of sun and our laid-back, western environment offer an invitation to unwind with exceptional books set in the state. Whether your plans are to read on the beach, or read in a tent by flashlight, or conserve gas on a "stay-cation," an astonishing number of books of all types are available to provide escape and entertainment. If you want to laugh, cry, or get caught up in a masterful plot with superbly drawn characters, a number of authors provide the ticket to a pleasurable reading journey. Kick back and read, Washington!
Emerson, Earl. Firetrap.
This is a gripping, action-packed story of Seattle firefighters caught in a mystery that is top-notch. Emerson's chapters are short, and this page-turner has his customary surprising plot twist.
Hannah, Kristin. Firefly Lane.
This captivating novel spans three decades of enduring friendship, love, and loss of two women in the Pacific Northwest. It is an unforgettable story that embraces the humor, depth, and complexity of women's friendships. You won't want to put this one down.
Lawson, Mike. The Second Perimeter.
A lethal, female spy is pitted against good guys, Joe DeMarco and his friend Emma, in an espionage thriller that takes the reader from Bremerton to Washington, D.C. and to Vancouver, B.C. As the Speaker of the House's "fixer," Joe finds himself matched against a deadly foreign agent and other criminal operatives in a conflict of attack and reprisal.
Macomber, Debbie. Twenty Wishes.
This thought-provoking, fast read is based on the premise of each person making lists of twenty wishes. These lists enable the women to begin to accomplish things they always wanted to do but never did. This is one of Macomber's "Blossom Street Books," set in Seattle, that appeals to women worldwide.
Sherer, Michael W. Island Life.
This mystery surpasses the usual tales of suspense with rich characters and a tight, gripping plot. The psychology of couples' lives and losses intertwines with a strong mystery. You will root for the hero.
Stein, Garth. The Art of Racing in the Rain.
Told from the viewpoint of Enzo, a dog with an old soul who sees the world through the lens of his learning about human life from television, this is an unforgettable novel. The plot is riveting, covering both the adventure of car racing and the complexity of human relationships. It has it all: love and tragedy, betrayal and redemption, family, love, and loyalty. You will laugh, cry, and look at human life as you never have before.
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Art by Ellen Fortney.
Alexie's first novel for young adults is a coming-of-age novel that will make you laugh while it breaks your heart. With wit and humor, it chronicles Junior's attempts to rise above the expectations people have for him, in Wellpinit and Reardon, Sherman's hometowns. Already selected as a one-book read by several Washington communities, this book will stand the test of time.
Caletti, Deb. The Nature of Jade.
Jade DeLuna, a teen with anxiety and panic disorder, copes with her syndrome by visiting the elephants at the zoo to stay calm. She finds herself in a situation in which she learns and grows. Caletti tells a heart-warming story, weaving a plot and characters that will appeal to teens and adults.
Losi, Carol. Salt and Pepper at the Pike Place Market. Illustrated by Amy Meissner.
Romp with Salt and Pepper, dogs who look like twins, but are distinctly different. One is an obedient lady, while the other is a wild guy with bad manners. Enjoy the illustrations as the dogs are switched at the Market.


We are so thankful for the help rendered to us by House of Etiquette as we were preparing for our wedding. The great service made shopping with House of Etiquette a wonderful experience.
On top of that, the designs of the Kua and Ma Kua are very tasteful and intricate. We were spoilt for choice!
Thank you for your help when we were selecting our Kua for our wedding!
Your service is great and we are really happy with the Kua that we rented!
Just want to write a short note to thank you for your excellent service for my wedding day.
You have gone beyond a person who is selling the Kua. You have helped me through all the minor details of the Chinese traditions which I was having a hard time understanding – especially when I called you at odd hours asking about what to buy and what to do for 'an chuang' and wedding day details. Thanks!
Thank you for choosing the right Kua for me!
Everyone at the wedding said the Kua was beautiful and fit me right.
Thank you for attending my wedding and I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as we did! I will definitely come back to you when I want to buy a Cheong Sam!
I hereby thank you on behalf of myself, my husband and my mother as well.
House of Etiquette has a beautiful range of Kuas coupled with great service, special thanks to Angela.
Thank you and I will definitely recommend House of Etiquette to family and friends!
My wife and I had our wedding on 6 Jan 2012. Throughout the entire process of involving 过大礼,安床,跳床 etc, we are immensely grateful to Angela for her patience and helpfulness.
At the beginning, we did not intend to purchase much from House of Etiquette, and I simply walked in out of curiosity to find out more about what I needed to do.
However, Angela impressed me greatly with her knowledge and willingness to explain, even though I did not make any purchase.
It is her sincerity and attitude that made me bring my wife back to the shop. We subsequently decided to purchase all our required items from House of Etiquette, as we trust and rely on the advice of Angela. She is an outstanding staff which I am sure you are proud to have.
Thank you for the lovely Kua! Lots of thanks to Angela for the wonderful service and for lengthening the Kua for me!
Just like to send a note of appreciation to your shop and especially the staff Angela who served me.
Despite being late at 7pm beyond the shop's closing time at 6pm, she was patient to explain the different types of Kua and let me try each one.
She advised me go home and decide on which one.
I received many positive feedback and compliments on the Kua being very fitting and all thought it was made to measure. All this was made possible all due to Angela's great service.
House of Etiquette really has something for the whole family. Thanks for your advice as we were selecting outfits for ourselves as well as Kevin's mother.
We received many compliments received on the beautiful design and perfect fit of the Kua and Ma Kua too!


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Home News News Archive The Poetry Project: Poetry in Public at centre:mk
The Poetry Project: Poetry in Public at centre:mk
Putting creativity into the heart of Milton Keynes, centre:mk is working with poet James McInerney from Northampton, who will be bringing his unique brand of 'Poetry in Public' to the centre over the coming months following his rise to fame on the London Underground.
Local Poet James' work, which has been seen at tube stations throughout London since 2018, brings his love of uplifting and thought provoking poetry to the masses in unexpected environments.
James comments; "The aim of the project is to get poetry into places you wouldn't normally see it and open people`s eyes to the joy of poetry. The response from the public so far has been amazing and by working with centre:mk we are creating an opportunity to experience poetry in another unique environment."
A recent survey by the National Literacy Trust found that over the last five years, poetry's popularity – as measured in book sales, event attendance and National Poetry Day participation – has grown with 1 in 2 children and young adults now engaging in poetry with children from disadvantaged background in particular being most engaged. Further to this, the survey found that almost 70% of the under 18's interviewed said that poetry made them feel creative.
Kevin Duffy, Centre Director said of the project "We are always exploring new opportunities to create unexpected moments in centre:mk that surprise and delight our guests. We expect that James' poetry; which will be featured on all of our digital screens throughout the centre, will leave a lasting impression on our guests, and hopefully generate a whole new audience for this much loved medium."
The poetry, which can be seen from late August onwards throughout the shopping centre is estimated to be seen by an estimated equivalent of 25 million people over a 12 month period.


Charlie's (Paul Le Mat) ex-wife disappears, and he travels to where she grew up--a rural town in the Midwest--to look for her. But, surprisingly, nobody knows about her or any of her many relatives, the Newmans. He meets aliens; but when he contacts the FBI, they don't believe him. He tells his story to a tabloid; and suddenly, he is chased by the aliens.
Columbia University, Broadway and West 116th Street, Manhattan.
404 Riverside Drive and West 113th Street, Manhattan.
8 East 63rd Street and 5th Avenue, Manhattan.
West 116th Street and Riverside Drive, Manhattan.
5th Avenue and East 63rd Street, Manhattan.


Really what I want to discuss is how you choose the right strategies when you are planning. You've probably taken some time off and wrote your Vision, Mission and Values Statement, and then detailed what this means in your day to day activity; you've probably brainstormed your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, and worked out your goals for the year. But now, how do you choose between all the ideas to find the most critical strategies?
That's where your KSI's come in, or Key Strategic Issues.
The concept of Key Strategic Issues is contained in my book on Business Planning available from Amazon.
"Key Strategic Issues" – let's break that down.
They are "Key" because the particular issue is key to your plan's and business' success.
They are "Strategic" because they are big-picture issues that sit on top of a pyramid – fix this Key Strategic Issue and you fix a whole lot of smaller issues.
This video takes you through how to understand your KSI's how to score them, and then how to prioritise them.
Once you know your KSI's – and there shouldn't be more than 5 or 6 – you can create winning strategies and from those strategies, tactics and action plans.
To help you work out your KSI's so that you can choose the right strategies in your Business Plan, I'm giving you for free, 18 pages from my book The SMART Business Planning Workbook that will take you through the whole process, just click here.
To get more valuable and free tools, systems and procedures to grow your business, get over to my website teikoh.com and give me your name and email. I will send you every week, systems that you can immediately put into place to grow your business. And don't worry, I hate spam so you can unsubscribe at any time, and I promise never to give your details to any others.


USAID is stimulating the development of sustainable RE projects in rural communities through technical assistance and project implementation. USAID works on clean energy projects for communities in Chocó, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, La Guajira, and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, serving vulnerable groups such as indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.
Solar and manual water pumping systems for 38 indigenous communities in La Guajira. Project implemented with Fundación Cerrejón Guajira Indígena.
Renewable energy systems installed for education and health centers in the Kogi indigenous village, San Antonio, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, benefiting over 300 children and staff.
Clean Energy systems for 14 Rural Indigenous Educative Centers in Antioquia. The project was implemented in partnership with Empresas Públicas de Medellín and the Departmental Government.
Solar powered refrigeration for the community of Punta Bonita (Río Cajambre – Buenaventura) to support the fishery value-chain that will create income opportunities for more than 300 families.
First hybrid solar/diesel power system with private sector investment set up for 140 households in the ZNI village of Punta Soldado (Buenaventura), in partnership with EPSA electricity company.


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Jeddah Tower (), previously known as Kingdom Tower (), is a skyscraper construction project currently on hold. Located on the north side of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, it is planned to be the first  tall building, and the centrepiece and first phase of a development and tourist attraction known as Jeddah Economic City.

There was steady progress, but in January 2018, building owner JEC halted structural concrete work with the tower about one-third completed due to labor problems with a contractor following the 2017–2019 Saudi Arabian purge.

The design, created by American architect Adrian Smith, who also designed the Burj Khalifa, incorporates many unique structural and aesthetic features. The creator and leader of the project is Saudi Arabian prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, a grandson of Ibn Saud, and nephew of the Kings of Saudi Arabia after Ibn Saud. Al-Waleed is the chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), which is a partner in the Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), which was formed in 2009 for the development of Jeddah Tower and City.

Overview

The building has been designed to a height of at least  (the exact height is being kept private while in development, similar to the Burj Khalifa). At about one kilometre, Jeddah Tower would be the tallest building or structure in the world to date, standing  taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Jeddah Tower's  plot, along with surrounding buildings, will be the first of a three-phase Jeddah Economic City development. The three-phase project was proposed for a large area of undeveloped waterfront land with an area of . The area is located roughly  north of the port city of Jeddah. Jeddah Economic City was designed by HOK Architects, and is estimated to cost at least SR75 billion (US$20 billion) and take around ten years to build.

The development is envisioned to grow into a new district of Jeddah. The second phase of the project will be the infrastructure development needed to support the city, and the third phase has not yet been revealed.

The focal point of the development and Jeddah Tower's primary use will be to house a Four Seasons hotel, Four Seasons short-rental apartments, Class A office space, and luxury condominiums. The tower will also have the world's highest observatory. Although the Jeddah Economic City plot is nearly isolated from the current urban core of Jeddah, no land tracts of such size were available closer to the city. Northward is generally considered the direction in which the city will spread in the future.

The primary designer of Jeddah Tower is Chicago based architect Adrian Smith of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS + GG), the same architect who designed the Burj Khalifa while he was working for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), for which he worked almost 40 years. AS + GG was formed in 2006 by Adrian Smith, Gordon Gill, and Robert Forest. The development of the tower is being managed by Emaar Properties PJSC. Thornton Tomasetti has been selected as the structural engineering firm, and Environmental Systems Design, Inc. (ESD) is a part of the AS + GG design team that serves as the building services engineering consultants.

On 2 August 2011, it was publicly announced by Kingdom Holding, the investment company, that a contract had been signed by Saudi Binladin Group (SBG), that construction was going to start soon, and that the tower was expected to take 63 months to complete. While the official construction estimate is five years and three months (63 months), others calculate that it will take significantly longer, over seven years, based on the duration of Burj Khalifa's construction, which was over six years (with the help of CQC Department).

Besix Group (Belgian Six Construct), which constructed the Burj Khalifa, was previously considered for the contract, but did not win, partially because SBG invested in Jeddah Economic Company (JEC) contributing SR1.5 billion (US$400 million) towards the development of the project. Besix admitted in 2010 that they expected Binladin Group to win the contract. Jeddah Economic Company is a closed joint stock company (PJSC) formed in 2009 as a financial entity for Jeddah Tower and Jeddah Economic City. It is made up primarily of financiers (stakeholders) Kingdom Holding Company (33.35%), Abrar Holding Company (33.35%), which is owned by Samaual Bakhsh and businessman Abdulrahman Hassan Sharbately (16.67%), as well as the tower's own contractor, Saudi Binladin Group (16.63%). JEC's assets have a book value of nearly SR9 billion, broken down between a land bank of over  (the Jeddah Economic City plot) with a value of SR7.3 billion that will be used as collateral to attain bank loans, and SR1.5 billion in cash. Kingdom Holding is an investment company founded in 1980 and 95% owned by Al-Waleed bin Talal that has assets valued at over $25 billion, with interests in many major companies such as Walt Disney, PepsiCo, Kodak, Apple, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Time Warner, Newscorp, Pinnacle Infotech Solutions and Citigroup, as well as real estate in London through its Songbird Estates division.

Construction history
In May 2008, soil testing in the area cast doubt over whether the proposed location could support a skyscraper of the proposed one-kilometer height, and MEED reported that the project had been scaled back, making it "up to  shorter." Work on the foundation was scheduled to begin towards the end of 2012. Statements that construction would soon begin were made starting in 2008. In August 2011, the start of construction was slated as "no later than December." This meant the tower was expected to be completed in 2017, though at that time it was also possible that it could still have been completed by the date the media continued to publish, which was the prior estimate of late 2016. Only if construction had begun promptly and gone smoothly could a late 2016 completion have been achieved.

Reports in 2009 suggested that the project had been put on hold due to the Global financial crisis of 2008–2009 and that Bechtel (the initial engineering firm for this project) was "in the process of ending its involvement with the project." Kingdom Holding Company quickly criticized the news reports, insisting that the project had not been shelved.

Architect selected
In March 2010, Adrian Smith of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS + GG) was selected as the preliminary architect (though they deny involvement in the earlier, mile-high designs). Later, when the proposal was more serious, they won a design competition between eight leading architectural firms including Kohn Pedersen Fox, Pickard Chilton, Pelli Clarke Pelli, and Foster + Partners, as well as the firm Smith formerly worked for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, which was the final competitor in the competition before AS + GG was chosen. In addition to Burj Khalifa, Adrian Smith has designed several other recent towers; the Zifeng Tower in Nanjing, China, the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, and the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, as well as the Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou, China. The four buildings are all among the top eleven tallest in the world. Furthermore, the Pearl River Tower is a unique tower that was originally designed to use zero net energy by drawing all its needed power from wind, sunlight, and geothermal mass, though this design goal was not fully achieved.

In October 2010, the owners (Kingdom Holding Company) signed a development agreement with Emaar Properties PJSC. The final height of the building was questionable, but it was still listed to be over 1 kilometre. Kingdom Holding said construction was progressing.

Designs for the foundation were in place by early August 2011 and the contract for the piling was tendered. On 16 August 2011, Langan International officially announced their involvement and that the foundation and piling had to be uniquely designed to overcome subsurface issues such as soft bedrock and porous coral rock, which normally could not support a skyscraper without settling. The foundation is similar to that of the Burj Khalifa, but larger; it is expected to average around  deep with a concrete pad of area around . The concrete must have low permeability to keep out corrosive salt water from the Red Sea. Its depth and size are also considered to be an indicator of what the tower's final height will be. The piles will be up to  deep and the pad over  across, yet the building, which will weigh over , is expected to settle. The idea is that it settles evenly enough so that the building doesn't tip or put undue stress on the superstructure. Computer modelling programmes performed tests at the site to confirm that the foundation design would work. A later design for the foundation, to be constructed by Bauer in 2013, calls for 270 bored piles up to  deep which have to be installed into the difficult ground conditions. Some materials needed for the structure are  of concrete and  of steel.

Approvals
In March and April 2011, several news agencies reported that the Mile-High Tower design had been approved at that height and that the building would cost almost US$30 billion (SR112.5 billion). This design was going to be drastically larger than the current design, with a floor area of  and would have used futuristic wind aversion and energy producing technology for sustainability. It and the surrounding City would have had the ability to accommodate 80,000 residents and one million visitors, according to RIA Novosti. Adrian Smith denied that he was a part of any of the earlier designs, which had been purported in the media. One source even corrected its article and clarified the misunderstanding.

Contractors selected
In early August 2011, the Binladin Group was chosen as the main construction contractor with the signing of an SR4.6 billion () contract, which is less than it cost to build the Burj Khalifa (US$1.5 billion). New renderings were revealed, and on 2 August it was widely reported that the project was a go at the  height with a building area of , and will take 63 months to complete. The announcement of the main construction contract signing caused Kingdom Holding Company's stock to jump 3.2% in one day, in addition to KHC already having reported a 21% rise in second-quarter net profit. Also, for the first time, architects Gordon Gill and Adrian Smith officially announced their involvement in the project.

On 13 August 2012, it was announced that the landscaping contract for the Jeddah Tower was to be awarded to Landtech Designs, a US-based company, who will be responsible for irrigating  of green space by using the latest technology in sustainable irrigation. The supply of water to irrigate the green space would be collected through rainwater.

On 21 September 2012, it was announced that financing for the Jeddah Tower was complete. Talal Al Maiman, chief executive officer and managing director of Kingdom Real Estate Development Co. said in an interview "We have all the investors, all the finance, all the money we need," Al Maiman said. "It took us beyond 20 months to convince investors, working every detail and aspect of financing."

On 10 October 2012, Kingdom Holding awarded contracts totalling $98 million. Kingdom Holding Co. has signed a deal with Subul Development Company for the sale of land in the Kingdom Riyadh Land project for $66.5 million. The Kingdom Riyadh Land project, a mixed-use commercial and residential development, will generate more than $5.33 billion of total investment and will house up to 75,000 people. The final master plan contract was awarded to Omrania & Associates and Barton Willmore. Bauer, a German Foundations equipment manufacturer and contractor was awarded a US$32 million contract to support the initial phases of construction of the Jeddah Tower. This includes the installation of 270 bored piles with diameters of 1.5 metres and 1.8 metres. The enabling works are expected to begin before the end of 2012 and take about 10 months to complete.

On 21 February 2013, the Jeddah Economic Company (JEC) announced that it had appointed an EC Harris/Mace joint venture team to project manage the iconic Jeddah Tower project. The team will be providing project, commercial and design management for the Jeddah Tower development. CEO of JEC, Waleed Abduljaleel Batterjee said that the reason Mace was hired is to use the same team that worked for The Shard in London. On the other hand, EC Harris also has a long list of projects in the region including the Grand Millenium Al-Wahda Hotel, Abu Dhabi's largest hotel complex.

On 29 April 2013, news was reported that the Saudi Water Company had signed a 2.2 billion-riyal ($587 million) supply deal with Jeddah Economic Co. for the Jeddah tower project. The 25-year agreement to supply 156,000 cubic metres of treated and drinking water a day, enough for 62 Olympic-size pools, was signed by the chief executive of the Jeddah-based developer, Waleed Batraji, and Loay al-Musallam, head of National Water Company.

Construction begins
Construction started on 1 April 2013. Piling was completed in December 2013. Above ground construction commenced in September 2014.

In late 2017, the owner of Kingdom Holding Co, which owns 33% of the tower, and the chairman of the Saudi Binladen Group, which owns 17% and is the primary contractor, were arrested as part of the 2017 Saudi Arabian purge. Construction of the tower continued, although some senior managers at Kingdom Holding were redirected to other projects. In February 2018, Mounib Hammoud, CEO of Jeddah Economic City, said that construction is continuing and that they hoped to open the tower by 2020. In October 2017 the central core of the tower was at 60 floors and the walls were  high, as of end of 2017 a reported height was .

In March 2018, Kingdom Holding Company signed a deal with Orange Business Services to provide information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure to Jeddah Tower. On March 12 construction of the tower moved forward after the delay.

Delay
There was steady progress, but in January 2018, building owner JEC halted structural concrete work with the tower about one-third completed due to labour issues with a contractor following the 2017–19 Saudi Arabian purge. Since then construction work has been stalled, partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as of March 2023, it is uncertain if or when the tower will be finished.

Design

Challenges
Sustainability of such a tall building would include problems such as vertical transportation limitations, with elevators only being able to go so far; building swaying, caused by wind; and super column settling, which occurs because concrete tends to shrink as it hydrates and settles under load, whereas steel is dimensionally stable, thereby causing the floors to become uneven. Additionally, a very large core size is required in very tall buildings to support the structure as well as to house the large number of elevators needed. The core size consumes a significant amount of the space on the lower and middle floors. One of the ways Jeddah Tower attempts to overcome these problems is with its smooth, sloped-exterior design, which, although more expensive to build, offers superior aerodynamic performance over "stepped" designs such as the Burj Khalifa, allowing it to have a more conservative core overall. This was determined by wind tunnel tests performed at Burj Khalifa. Jeddah Tower will also use copious stiffening materials to prevent the excessive swaying that would otherwise make the occupants of upper floors nauseated on windy days, including very high strength concrete that will be up to several metres thick in certain parts of the core. This, along with the highly integrated steel frame and shear walls, is also intended to prevent catastrophic failure of the structure in the event of a terrorist attack. Traditionally, the space consumed by elevators was considered to make a building become increasingly less profitable past 80 floors or so. More recently, it has been the advent of truly mixed-use design such as Shanghai Tower and Burj Khalifa, as well as improved building technology, that have outdated this rule of thumb, which generally applied to single use buildings.

Like Burj Khalifa, Jeddah employs a similar Y-shaped, triangular footprint which promotes stability and increases window views, as well as a tapering form, with the sheer height and wind being the biggest structural design challenge. The smooth, sloped façade of Jeddah Tower particularly induces a beneficial phenomenon known as "wind vortex shedding." Normally when wind swirls around the leeward side of a building, rushing in from both sides to fill the low pressure zone, it would create tornado like vortices, which would rock the building from side to side due to variations in pressure, direction and velocity. The dynamic façade of Jeddah Tower, however, creates an infinite timing differential (whereas Burj Khalifa is limited by the number of steps) in air pressure exertion in any one particular direction, thus creating a more stable structure, as there is no broad area of outstanding pressure or depression at any given time. Put simply, a smooth taper is more aerodynamic than an irregular or jagged taper, while both are advantageous over rectangular geometries. At Jeddah Tower's height, it is considered essentially unfeasible to use a traditional square design.

External form
The triangular footprint and sloped exterior of Jeddah Tower is designed to reduce wind loads; its high surface area also makes it ideal for residential use. The overall design of the tower, which will be located near both the Red Sea and the mouth of the Obhur Creek (Sharm Ob'hur) where it widens as it meets the Red Sea, as well as having frontage on a man-made waterway and harbour that will be built around it, is intended to look like a desert plant shooting upwards as a symbol of Saudi Arabia's growth and future, as well as to add prominence to Jeddah's status as the gateway into the holy city of Mecca. The designer's vision was "one that represents the new spirit in Saudi Arabia" (Smith). The 23 hectare (57 acre) area around Jeddah Tower will contain public space and a shopping mall, as well as other residential and commercial developments, and be known as the Jeddah Tower Water Front District, of which, the tower's site alone will take up . As with many other very tall skyscrapers, including the Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, which is generally considered to have sparked the recent significant commercial developments around it in the district of Olaya, much of the intention of Jeddah Tower is to be symbolic as well as to raise the surrounding land value rather than its own profitability. To that effect, the tower's architect, Adrian Smith, said that the tower "evokes a bundle of leaves shooting up from the ground; a burst of new life that heralds more growth all around it". Smith states that the tower will create a landmark in which it and the surrounding Jeddah Economic City are interdependent. Talal Al Maiman, a board member of Jeddah Economic Company, said, "Jeddah Tower will be a landmark structure that will greatly increase the value of the hundreds of other properties around it in Jeddah Economic City and indeed throughout North Jeddah." The concept of profitability derived from building high density developments and malls around such a landmark was taken from the Burj Khalifa, where it has proven successful, as its surrounding malls, hotels and condominiums in the area known as Downtown Dubai have generated the most considerable revenue out of that project as a whole, while the Burj Khalifa itself made little or no profit.

Elevators

The building will have a total of 59 elevators, five of which will be double-deck elevators, as well as 12 escalators. The elevators are made by the Finnish company Kone. It will also have the highest observation deck in the world, to which high speed elevators will travel at up to 10 metres (33 feet) per second (36 km/h or 22 mph) in both directions. The elevators cannot go faster because the change in air pressure at such a rapid speed could cause nausea; at , the air pressure is over 10 kPa (1.5 psi) lower than at ground level (a 10% reduction in air pressure). They must also be efficient so the cables are not unbearably heavy. Jeddah Tower will have three sky lobbies where elevator transfers can be made, and no elevator will go from the bottom to the highest occupied floor. No official floor count has been given; however, Smith stated in a television interview that it will be about 50 floors more than the Burj Khalifa, which has 163 occupied floors, leading to the inference that Jeddah Tower will have over 200 floors. The tower will also feature a large, roughly  diameter outdoor balcony, known as the sky terrace, on one side of the building for private use by the penthouse floor at level 157; it is not the observation deck. It was originally intended to be a helipad, but it was revealed to be an unsuitable landing environment by helicopter pilots. The lower air density, exacerbated by the thin desert atmosphere, will cause the outdoor air temperature towards the top of the tower to be lower than the ground level air, which will provide natural cooling. There is also significantly more air flow (wind) at heights, which is very strong at one kilometre and had a large impact on the structural design of the tower. The Burj Khalifa actually takes in the cooler, cleaner air from the top floors and uses it to air condition the building. Jeddah Tower will be oriented such that no façade directly faces the sun; it will also use the condensate water from the air conditioning system for irrigation and other purposes throughout the building.

To overcome elevator issues, the tower will use its large number of efficient elevators as well as its three sky lobbies, which allows transfers to be made between elevators serving a specific area with no elevator being overburdened. Much was learned from Burj Khalifa that helped with the design of Jeddah Tower not only structurally, but in methods for designing practical mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems, as well as adhering to local regulations and international building codes. Despite all the physical challenges, Adrian Smith states that practicality is still the greater challenge over structural durability, even in such super-tall designs, and that as with all buildings, Jeddah Tower's form was primarily derived respective of what the building's uses would be, then in accordance with the structural factors that would have to be considered to deliver it. Orange S.A. are designing the information and communications infrastructure of the building.

Internal systems
Chicago-based Environmental Systems Design, Inc. will provide mechanical, plumbing, electrical and fire protection engineering, as well as teledata, audio/visual, security systems, and acoustics. Langan International will be responsible for geotechnical engineering as well as some ground level site work such as transportation engineering and parking, including the design of the proposed 3,000–4,700 car underground parking garage that will be located near, but not under the tower to prevent terrorism. Langan also designed the tower's foundation, which has to be able to support the tower despite the less than optimal subsurface conditions, such as soft rock and permeable coral, which could cause the piles to settle. Thornton Tomasetti has provided the structural engineering for two of the previous world's tallest building title holders, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, and the Taipei 101 in Taiwan, as well as the under construction Ping An Finance Centre in Shenzhen, which will be the second tallest building in China after completion. Saudi Binladin Group is the largest construction firm in the Middle East, with over 35,000 workers and hundreds of projects. They recently constructed the topped-out  Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower in Mecca, which is the tallest building in Saudi Arabia and third tallest in the world, as well as the largest skyscraper in the world by floor area and volume. Aside from buildings, the firm has also constructed many major infrastructure projects, such as the King Abdulaziz (Jeddah) International Airport expansion and the  six lane Al Qassim Expressway through Saudi Arabia. Saudi Binladin Group is owned by the family of the late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. As a result, it has sparked some minor media buzz. When asked his thoughts about this in an interview, Adrian Smith simply stated that they are the largest construction firm in the Middle East, most significant work in Saudi Arabia was done by them, and that it is a very large family that shouldn't be stereotyped by one of its members. Furthermore, in January 2012, New York City judge George B. Daniels ruled that no charges could be filed against SBG to repay the victims of 9/11 as there is no evidence of the construction firm financially supporting bin Laden after he was removed as a shareholder following the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Economic viability
In addition to its primary functions, the building is slated to include a significant amount of retail as well as a wide variety of other unique amenities with the intention that it functions as a nearly self-sustaining entity, approaching the concept of a "vertical city". The building's design has been applauded as simple and feasible, yet bold, brilliantly sculpted, and high-tech, with AS + GG describing it as "an elegant, cost-efficient and highly constructible design." The estimated construction cost of US$1.23 billion, which is less than that of the Burj Khalifa (US$1.5 billion), can be attributed to cheap labour in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, and that three shifts will work around the clock to expedite the process. Construction costs have also declined since the global financial crisis.

In July 2011, a report by consultancy EC Harris found that Saudi Arabia is the cheapest country in the Middle East to build in, half as expensive as Bahrain, and 34% cheaper than the United Arab Emirates, where Burj Khalifa is located. The future towers' site is located in very close proximity to King Abdulaziz (Jeddah) International Airport, whose runways nearly align with the towers' site, which will have an effect on the airspace. While skyscraper experts have stated that towers well over one kilometre, even two kilometres (6,562 feet) high, are technically feasible, physical sustainability and practicality issues come into play in towers of this height. As for physical restraints, Bart Leclercq, head of structures for WSP Middle East recently said, "I truly believe that 1 mile, 1.6 kilometres, is within range. Over that, it may be possible if there are improvements in concrete quality. But 2 km is too big a figure; it's just a step too far at the moment."

Impact
There is an impending real estate bubble in Saudi Arabia, with increasing demand and rising prices due to high population growth and a short supply of housing, which may include a demand for high-end luxury units, such as those in Jeddah Tower. To boost growth, the Saudi Arabian government is going to invest US$67 billion (SR251 billion) in building 500,000 homes throughout the country. According to Saudi officials, about 900 new homes are needed a day to meet the demand of the rapidly growing population, which has nearly quadrupled in the past four decades.

Just as the Jeddah Tower will complement the Jeddah Economic City development that will be built around it, there are many infrastructure and revitalisation projects underway and planned throughout Saudi Arabia, such as the US$7.2 billion (SR27.1 billion) new airport terminal under construction at King Abdulaziz (Jeddah) International Airport, that will complement the Jeddah Economic City as well as develop Saudi Arabia, which has been likened to a Third World country with crumbling infrastructure and widespread disasters, including severe flooding, such as the flash floods in early 2011 that damaged 90% of the roads and over 27,000 buildings in Jeddah. According to a representative of Standard Chartered, which invested US$75 million in Saudi Binladin Group, Saudi Arabia is going to spend over US$400 billion (SR1.5 trillion) on infrastructure over the next few years. According to reports by Citi Investment Research & Analysis, $220 billion worth of development, accounting for 36% of all construction spending in the MENA region, will be directly or indirectly beneficial to Jeddah Tower. Jeddah Tower and City themselves are intended to set an example of green development, using modern technology and having a low carbon footprint relative to the number of people they will support. However, there is also an increasing problem of poor education levels in Arab countries due to a lack of spending in research and education, which it is argued should be invested in rather than building skyscrapers, and that the tower is nothing more than a symbol of hubris. It has even been likened to the Tower of Babel.

Furthermore, economists have found large new skyscrapers to be a negative economic indicator, with several instances of new tallest buildings being finished and opening into a bad economy, as they generally start during a financial boom when money is easy and investment is strong, but do not finish until the bubble has burst. Examples include the Singer Building and Metropolitan Life Insurance Building after the Panic of 1907, 40 Wall Street, the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building built during the Great Depression, the World Trade Center and Sears Tower built during the 1970s economic downturn, the Petronas Towers built during the Asian Crisis of the late 1990s and the Burj Khalifa built during the Great Recession. Much of the study on this phenomenon was done in 1999 by Andrew Lawrence, a research director at Deutsche Bank who created the "skyscraper index," originally as a joke; however, it illustrated the observation that many of the world's tallest buildings have been built on the eve of financial collapse.

Reception
The developers' theory is that the international attention gained through large developments and having the world's tallest building will incur gentrification of the country and even be a financial success in the long run. Architect Adrian Smith, the designer of the tower, states, "...this tower symbolizes the Kingdom as an important global business and cultural leader, and demonstrates the strength and creative vision of its people. It represents new growth and high-performance technology fused into one powerful iconic form." However, Bob Sinn, principal engineer at Thornton Tomasetti, stated that the practical challenges of building very tall buildings are greater than the structural challenges.

"We intend [Jeddah] Tower to become both an economic engine and a proud symbol of the kingdom's economic and cultural stature in the world community," said Talal Al Maiman, a board member of both Kingdom Holding Company and Jeddah Economic Company. The project's primary proponent, Prince Al-Waleed said, "Building this tower in Jeddah sends a financial and economic message that should not be ignored. It has a political depth to it to tell the world that we Saudis invest in our country."

Gallery

Floor directory
It is estimated that the Jeddah Tower will have just over 200 floors.

See also

 List of tallest buildings
 List of future tallest buildings
 The Illinois

Notes
 A. ^ The actual height of the Burj Khalifa was not revealed until the opening ceremony. The developers of Jeddah Tower are similarly keeping the final height secret, stating only that it will be at least  high. In a television interview for WTTW in Chicago, architect Adrian Smith stated that the tower will be a little over twice the height of the Burj Khalifa, which is  high counting the antennas, suggesting that Jeddah Tower may be closer to ; one mile high. Some sources have suggested that Jeddah Tower will break Burj Khalifa's record by over . In 2014, online sources were using the number .

 B. ^ This figure has been referred to as the "total building area" in publications, which is probably another term for gross floor area; the actual usable floor space, which is what buildings are typically measured by, will presumably be less. This area has also been reported as .

 C. ^ This assumes a 2012 start date and the estimated completion time of 63 months.

 D. ^ Figure attained using the formula for the area of a circle (πr2) and the given value of  as the diameter.

 E. ^ No official floor count has been given; however, Adrian Smith said it will be about 50 floors taller than the (163-floor) Burj Khalifa. In November 2010, an older kilometre-high design was said to contain over 200 floors.

References

External links

 Kingdom Holding Company website
 Jeddah Tower on the CTBUH Skyscraper Center
 Slideshow image gallery of renderings by Fox News
 Jeddah Tower on Twitter
 Construction Timelapse on YouTube

Skyscrapers in Jeddah
Buildings and structures under construction in Saudi Arabia
Neo-futurism architecture
2020 in Saudi Arabia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Parklife organisers unveil Tyler, The Creator, Skepta, Lewis Capaldi, Hot Chip for 2020
Live4ever 29 January, 2020
Fatboy Slim performing at the Manchester Arena (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
Parklife organisers have unveiled their line-up for Heaton Park in Manchester between June 13th-14th.
Among the main acts are Tyler, The Creator, Skepta, Lewis Capaldi, Giggs and Fatboy Slim, with a supporting cast which includes the likes of Jorja Smith, Robyn, Charli XCX and Peggy Gou.
Hot Chip are on the bill too after releasing one of Live4ever's top albums of last year, A Bath Full Of Ecstasy; "By their own admission, this is an album designed to be far more than the sugar rush of being banger smashed, and it wouldn't be a Hot Chip album without moments of emotionally keyed in reflection," our review reads.
"A Bath Full Of Ecstasy is the sound of the monkey who threw away his miniature cymbal, a mindful hedonist who traded repetition for a groove. Hot Chip prove with it that hope is still the answer, no matter that the question is something we want to leave behind."
Tags:hot chip, Lewis Capaldi, parklife, skepta, Tyler The Creator


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Groupwork
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The Hidden Struggle (2e)
Statutory and voluntary sector responses to violence?against black women in the home
Amina Mama
Price: GBP£ 42.00
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Categories: Cultural Studies, Health Services, Human Services, Social Policy
Publisher: Whiting & Birch Ltd
Also available in: Paperback
First published in 1989 this remains one of the few books to look at black women's experience of domestic violence.
An introductory section provides an international perspective on violence against black and third world women and the response of agencies. It then reports on research undertaken among women in black communities in London to identify the prevalence of violence and the effectiveness of the response of statutory and voluntary agencies.
Issues of housing and tenancy status, women and the law and women and the police response are considered. A detailed analysis of the contrasting policies in two London boroughs is provided. The role of the voluntary sector, the refuge movement and approaches to challenging racism in this sector are considered.
It has been reissued by Whiting and Birch with a new introduction and updated bibliography.
Amina Mama is Professor and Director of Women and Gender Studies, University of California, Davis. She is a widely published scholar-activist, and the founding Editor of Feminist Africa , published by the African Gender Institute in Cape Town. ... read more
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Selections made for Basin planning panel
Summit County | February 23, 2018
When John Kucera applied for an opening on the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission, he was hoping to join the conversation about growth and how it will shape the community.
"We plan on staying in the Basin for a long time and raising our kids here," he said. "I wanted to be part of the discussion of how we develop as a community."
Kucera was one of two people appointed on Wednesday to the Planning Commission, with commissioner Ryan Dickey being reappointed. Dickey's term, along with Chuck Klingenstein's, were set to expire at the end of the month. Klingenstein, a three-term commissioner, was ineligible to reapply.
The Summit County Council selected Kucera, a real estate manager, and Dickey, owner of a local community association and business management company, to serve on the seven-member board. Their terms will expire on Feb. 28, 2021. Kucera and Dickey were chosen over Colin DeFord, Pete Van Stee and Tim Nemeckay.
Kucera, who lives in the Silver Springs neighborhood, said his background in analytics and real estate will be useful as a commissioner. He worked in New York for more than five years as a financial analyst before moving to Utah to become a real estate manager and investor.
"When I worked as a financial analyst, I read reports and worked with various groups to bring positive outcomes for everyone," he said. "I think that is a lot of what the commission does."
As he reviews applications and considers code changes, Kucera said, it will be important to continue going back to the Basin Development Code and General Plan. He added, "A lot of time has been spent making those strong and setting a vision for what the Basin will look like and hopefully it fits into that plan."
"I love where we live and I'd like to continue that," he said. "Our community is an excellent place to live and do business, recreate and explore. This will be my first experience on the commission, and I'm open for any guidance and advice that will enable this to continue being a great place to live."
Dickey, who lives in Park Meadows in Park City, has served on the Planning Commission since August. He was appointed after former member Colin DeFord unexpectedly resigned.
In his application to the county, Dickey said he has invested a significant amount of time and energy in "growing my competency as a commissioner and I hope to continue that process in a full term."
"While I have had the opportunity to help render decisions on several high-profile, in-progress projects, I especially look forward to grow my skills in helping steward a significant project from end to end," he said in his application. "Serving on the commission truly has been an incredible learning experience, for which I am grateful."
Kucera and Dickey will join fellow commissioners Bea Peck, Canice Harte, Thomas Cooke, Joel Fine and Malena Stevens.
Commissioners serve on a volunteer basis and are responsible for making recommendations to the County Council regarding zoning, amendments to the respective development codes and application reviews.
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text:
package pathutils

import (
	"net/url"
	"strings"
)

func EscapePath(path string) string {
	parts := strings.Split(path, "/")

	for i := range parts {
		parts[i] = url.QueryEscape(parts[i])
	}

	return strings.Join(parts, "/")
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub