text:
\section{Introduction}
\label{intro}
Transfer processes play a very important role in many physical,
chemical or biological instances, involving energy, mass or charge. Such transport processes strongly depend on the
topology of the system under study, as, for instance in simple crystals
\cite{ziman1979principles}, complex molecules \cite{kenkre1982exciton} or spin networks \cite{burgarth2008coupling}.

One often encounters regular networks, such as lattices or rings, where most or
all of the nodes have the same degree. Examples are the star graphs (SG), and the complete graphs (CG), which have attracted lately much
attention in the field of quantum computation. Such studies focused on the quantum central limit theorem for continuous-time quantum
walks on SG \cite{salimi2009continuous}, the discrete-time
Grover walk on a SG with one loop \cite{machida2011discrete}, and quantum searches
on highly symmetric (complete) graphs \cite{PhysRevA.79.012323}. Exact analytical results were recently obtained for quantum walks on SG
and on CG whose Hamiltonians have one highly degenerate eigenvalue. This,
as also discussed in what follows, may let the quantum walk remain localized at its starting node,
which then renders the quantum spreading slow.

Spreading of an excitation can be made faster by randomly adding (deleting) bonds to
the SG (from the CG). Here we do not allow the additional bonds to connect one node with
itself and forbid double bonds between any pair of nodes. The inclusion of the additional bonds changes the
structure of the network and, consequently, the eigenvalue set of the
corresponding Hamiltonian. Furthermore,
destroying the original regularity of the SG (CG), the additional bonds create
``shortcuts`` in the graph, by which the spreading through CTQW may occur faster, as, for instance, found for small-world
networks \cite{mülken2007quantum}.

For modelling transport processes on networks one can use several approaches: in
quantum mechanics, the Hamiltonian is determined by the connectivity of
the system. For example, the dynamics of an electron in a crystal can be
described by the Bloch ansatz \cite{ziman1979principles}. This can be also
related to transport processes in polymers, where the connectivity plays
an important role in the dynamics \cite{doi1988theory}.

Classical transport processes modelled by continuous-time random walks
(CTRW) are described by a master equation, involving a transfer operator $\bf
T$ based on the topology of the system \cite{kenkre1982exciton}, \cite{van1992stochastic}, \cite{JKempe}. A quantum mechanical
analogue of CTRW, namely, one variant of the continuous-time quantum walk (CTQW), can be
introduced by using the transfer operator $\bf T$ in defining the Hamiltonian
$\bf H$ \cite{farhi1998quantum}. For simple lattices this is equivalent to a nearest-neighbor
hopping model \cite{farhi1998quantum}, \cite{mülken2006coherent}, \cite{mülken2005spacetime}, \cite{mülken2005asymmetries}.
The transformation replaces the classical diffusion
process by a quantal propagation through the structure.

The paper is organized as follows. Section \MakeUppercase{\romannumeral 2}
introduces the CTRW and CTQW concepts. Tools for determining their spreading are displayed in Section \MakeUppercase{\romannumeral 3}.
Section \MakeUppercase{\romannumeral 4} focuses on CTRW and CTQW on SG and on CG, whereas the spreading over
graphs intermediate between the SG and the CG is studied in Section \MakeUppercase{\romannumeral 5}.
Section \MakeUppercase{\romannumeral 6} concludes with a summary of results.

\section{Quantum walks on networks}

In the following we focus on the dynamics of excitations over networks; these consist of $N$ nodes connected by bonds.
The information about a network's topology, i.e., its connectivity, is stored in the $N\times N$
connectivity matrix $\bf A$, whose elements $A_{kj}$ are:
 \begin{equation}
\label{eq:conn_metrix}
A_{kj} =
\left\{
 \begin{array}{ll}
 f_j & \mbox {if $k = j$} \\
  -1 & \mbox {if $k$ and $j$ are directly connected} \\
 0 & \mbox {otherwise}.
 \end{array}
 \right.
\end{equation}
Here $f_j$ is the number of bonds emanating from $j$, also referred to as the degree of $j$.
The connectivity matrix has the following properties:
\begin{enumerate}
 \item $\bf A$ is symmetric and real.
 \item All its eigenvalues $E_n$ are real and non-negative.
\end{enumerate}
If the network is simply connected, $\bf A$  has a single vanishing eigenvalue $E_{\rm {min}}=0$.
In order to model the dynamics in the two extreme cases of a purely coherent
and of a purely incoherent (diffusive) transport, we employ the concepts of CTQW
and of CTRW, respectively. In both cases, the dynamics is largely
influenced by the network's topology, i.e., by $\mathbf A$.
Now, we depict an excitation localized at node
$j$ through the state $|j\rangle$; the ensemble of the $|j\rangle$ states forms an
orthonormal basis set $\{|j\rangle, j=1,...,N\}$.
In the incoherent CTRW case, the spreading occurs based on the
transition rates $\gamma_{kj}$, which denote the probability to go per unit time from $j$ to $k$. Assuming these rates to be the same
for all the nodes, i.e., taking $\gamma_{kj}\equiv \gamma$ (and we will set $\gamma=1$
without loss of generality), induces a simple relation between $\mathbf T$ and $\mathbf A$, namely, $\mathbf T =
-\mathbf A$ \cite{van1992stochastic}, \cite{farhi1998quantum}, \cite{mulken2011continuous}.

In the quantum case, the states $|j\rangle$ span the whole accessible
Hilbert space. The time evolution of an excitation initially placed at
node $|j\rangle$ is determined by the system's Hamiltonian $\bf H$; in the approach of Ref. \cite{farhi1998quantum} used here, the
CTQW is directly related to $\bf T$ through $\bf H=-\bf T$ \cite{farhi1998quantum}, \cite{mulken2011continuous}.
The classical and quantum mechanical probabilities to be in state $|k\rangle$ at
time $t$ when starting at $t=0$ from state $|j\rangle$ are then:
\begin{eqnarray}
&& p_{k,j}(t)=\langle k|\exp{(\mathbf{T}t)}|j\rangle
\label{eq:trans_prob_cl}\\
\mbox{and} \qquad && \pi_{k,j}(t)=\arrowvert\langle\
k|\exp{(-i\mathbf{H}t)}|\ j\rangle \arrowvert^2,
\label{eq:trans_prob}
\end{eqnarray}
respectively, where we set in Eq.~(\ref{eq:trans_prob}) $\hbar=1$. For $t=0$ both expressions read $p_{k,j}(0)=\pi_{k,j}(0)=\delta_{k,j}$,
where $\delta_{k,j}$ is Dirac's delta-function.

To get from the formal Eqs. (\ref{eq:trans_prob_cl}) and (\ref{eq:trans_prob}) to the explicit solutions
for a particular lattice one has to diagonalize $\mathbf T$ and $\mathbf H$. Given that here the
CTQW Hamiltonian $\mathbf H$ is the negative of the CTRW transfer matrix $\mathbf T$, lets the
eigenvalues and eigenvectors of both operators be practically identical. The difference in the dynamics of CTQW and of CTRW is due to the
different functional forms of Eq.~(\ref{eq:trans_prob_cl}) and of Eq.~(\ref{eq:trans_prob}).

\section{Classical and quantum spreading}

While one needs to calculate the eigenvectors
(which can become tedious for large networks) for making definite statements on the transition probabilities
$p_{k,j}(t)$ and $\pi_{k,j}(t)$, there are quantities - to be
defined below - which only depend on the eigenvalues, whose distribution, the density of states (DOS) or spectral density,
is given by:
\begin{equation}
  \rho(E) =\frac{1}{N}\sum_{n=1}^{N}\delta(E-E_N).
\end{equation}
The DOS contains information about the system and allows to analyse several features which depend on the network's topology.
For CTRW one such feature is
the classical average
probability to be (return or remain) at the initially excited node
averaged over all possible initial nodes $j$ \cite{alexander1982density}, \cite{bray1988diffusion}:

\begin{equation}
 \label{eq:ARP}
  \bar p(t)=\frac{1}{N}\sum_{j}{p_{j,j}(t)}=\frac{1}{N}\sum_{n=1}^{N}e^{-E_nt}.
\end{equation}
Hence $\bar p(t)$ depends only on the eigenvalues $E_n$ of $\bf A$, but not on its
eigenvectors $|\phi_n\rangle$.

For CTQW, on the other hand, $\bar {\pi}(t)\equiv\frac{1}{N}\sum_{n=1}^{N}\pi_{j,j}(t)$ depends on the eigenvectors $|\phi_n\rangle$.
However, one can define, in a
fashion similar to the classical $\bar p(t)$, the quantity \cite{mülken2006coherent}, \cite{mülken2006efficiency},
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:ARP_LowerBound}
\bar\alpha(t)\equiv\frac{1}{N}\sum_{j=1}^{N}\alpha_{j,j}(t) = \frac{1}{N}
\sum_{n=1}^N e^{-iE_nt}.
\end{equation}

Here $\bar\alpha(t)$ also depends only on the eigenvalues $E_n$. Furthermore, $\arrowvert\bar\alpha(t)\arrowvert^2$ obeys the Cauchy-Schwarz
inequality \cite{mülken2006coherent}:

\begin{equation}
 \bar {\pi}(t)= \frac{1}{N}\sum_{j}\Big
\arrowvert{\alpha_{j,j}(t)}\Big\arrowvert^2\geq \Big
\arrowvert\bar\alpha(t)\Big \arrowvert^2.
\end{equation}

Hence $\arrowvert\bar\alpha(t)\arrowvert^2$ is a lower bound to $\bar {\pi}(t)$.
We will use Eqs.~(\ref{eq:ARP}) and (\ref{eq:ARP_LowerBound}) to assess the spreading \cite{mülken2006efficiency}.
Now, classically, a quick decrease of $\bar p(t)$ means a quick increase in the
probability of finding the excitation away from the initially
excited node. We hence infer that the spreading is faster when $\bar p(t)$ decreases
more quickly. In the quantum case, because of the unitary
time evolution, $\bar \pi(t)$ and $\arrowvert\bar
\alpha (t)\arrowvert^2$ show oscillations. However, the overall (average) decay of $\bar p(t)$ and of $\arrowvert\bar
\alpha (t)\arrowvert^2$  can be used to infer the spreading, say, by focusing on the decay of the envelope of,
in particular, $\arrowvert\bar
\alpha (t)\arrowvert^2$ \cite{mülken2006efficiency}.

For regular $d-$dimensional networks these procedures to assess the spreading have been used and discussed in
\cite{mülken2006efficiency}. The result was that quantum walks over such networks appear to be faster than the classical ones:
the envelope of $\arrowvert\bar \alpha (t)\arrowvert^2$ turns out to decay as $t^{-d}$, whereas $\bar p(t)$ decays as $t^{\frac{-d}{2}}$.
Evidently, other networks may (and do) behave differently. In such cases we will
use the long-time averages
\begin{eqnarray}
&& P_{\rm RW} \equiv \lim_{T\to\infty} \frac{1}{T} \int\limits_0^T dt \ \bar
p(t) \\
\mbox{and} \qquad && P_{\rm QW} \equiv \lim_{T\to\infty} \frac{1}{T} \int\limits_0^T dt \ \arrowvert\bar
\alpha (t)\arrowvert^2
\label{eq:ARP-QW-lta}
\end{eqnarray}
in order to extract a time-averaged global spreading measure.

For CTRW, due to the eigenvalue $E_1=E_{\rm {min}}=0$,  $\bar p(t)$ will eventually drop to the
equipartition value $1/N$, as one can see by rewriting Eq.~(\ref{eq:ARP}) as:
 \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:ARP_Effic}
  \bar p(t)=\frac{1}{N}+\frac{1}{N}\sum_{n=2}^{N}e^{-E_nt}.
\end{equation}
It hence follows that $\lim_{T\to\infty}\bar p(t)=1/N$ and also that $P_{\rm RW} = 1/N$. Thus, in the
incoherent case at long times both quantities do not depend on the topology of the considered network.
In the quantum case, $\arrowvert\bar \alpha
(t)\arrowvert^2$ oscillates. With Eqs.~(\ref{eq:ARP_LowerBound}) and (\ref{eq:ARP-QW-lta}) it follows:
\begin{eqnarray}
\label{eq:ARP_lowerbound_lta}
P_{\rm QW} &=& \lim_{T\to\infty} \frac{1}{T} \int\limits_0^T dt \nonumber
\sum_{n,n'} e^{-i(E_n-E_{n'})t} \\
&=& \frac{1}{N^2} \sum_{n,n'} \delta(E_n - E_{n'}) \nonumber
= \frac{1}{N} \sum_{n} \rho(E_n) \\
&=& \sum_{E_n} [\rho(E_n)]^2.
\end{eqnarray}
In Eq.~(\ref{eq:ARP_lowerbound_lta}) $\delta(E_n - E_{n'})$ is unity if $E_n=E_{n'}$ and vanishes otherwise.
Note that $\sum_{E_n} \rho(E_n) = 1$. Thus, the DOS completely determines
the long-time average of $\arrowvert\bar \alpha
(t)\arrowvert^2$. For instance, for a ring with an odd number of nodes all eigenvalues are non-degenerate, i. e. there are $N$
different eigenvalues, each with $\rho(E_n)=1/N$, and therefore in that case
$P_{\rm QW}^{\rm ring} = 1/N$. The DOS determines hence the CTQW spreading measure $P_{\rm QW}$.

We can rewrite Eqs.~(\ref{eq:ARP}) and (\ref{eq:ARP_LowerBound}) as
\begin{equation}
 \label{eq:ARP_eff}
  \bar p(t)=\sum_{E_n}\rho({E_n})e^{-E_nt}
\end{equation}
and
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:ARP_LowerBound_eff}
 \bar {\pi}(t) \geq\Big \arrowvert\sum_{E_n}\rho({E_n})e^{-iE_nt}\Big \arrowvert^2=|\bar\alpha(t)|^2,
\end{equation}
respectively. In general, for a single highly degenerate eigenvalue $E_m$, with
$\rho({E_m})$ of order $\mathcal O(1)$, while the other eigenvalues have a DOS at most of order $\mathcal O(1/N)$, the
average transition amplitude is \cite{mülken2006efficiency}:
\begin{equation}
 \bar {\alpha}(t) =\Big \{\rho({E_m})e^{-iE_mt}+\sum_{E_n\neq E_m}\rho({E_n})e^{-iE_nt}\Big \},
\label{eq:av_trans_ampl}
\end{equation}
from which one gets to order $\mathcal{O}(1/{N^2})$ the approximate expression:
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:one_highly}
 |\bar\alpha(t)|^2 \approx\rho({E_m})\Big \{\rho({E_m})+\sum_{E_n\neq E_m}\rho({E_n})\cos [(E_m-E_n)t]\Big \}.
\end{equation}
Equation (\ref{eq:one_highly}) shows that for highly degenerate
eigenvalues the lower bound $|\bar\alpha(t)|^2$ will not decay to zero, but will
oscillate about a finite value. This means that for CTQW there
is a high probability to remain or to return to the initially excited
node. This leads to a slow average spreading for CTQW on such networks.
However, for lattices of high dimensions, there is a significant probability that a walker never returns to the origin,
thus, the CTQW can get transient \cite{darázs2010pólya}.
In the following we will focus on two particular examples of such networks
and on how to overcome the slow spreading.

\section{Star graph and complete graph}

There exist many networks with highly degenerate eigenvalues. Here, we
focus on two specific networks which have both one highly
degenerate eigenvalue but vastly different topologies: On the one hand we consider
the SG, which is a network consisting of $N$ nodes with a central
node connected to $N-1$ leaf nodes, which are not connected to each other
(see Fig.~\ref{fig:star_graph_0}). Therefore, the central node has
degree $N-1$, and each of the leaf nodes has degree $1$. On the other hand we
consider the CG, where each of the $N$ nodes is
connected to all other $N-1$ nodes (see Fig.~\ref{fig:star_graph_0}).
Both networks are very ``ordered'', in the sense that there is an ``exchange''
symmetry, meaning that exchanging the positions of any pair of nodes
(except for the central node of the SG) leaves the network
invariant.
\begin{figure}[h]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.4\columnwidth]{star_graph_0.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.4\columnwidth]{ComplGraph.eps}
\caption[StarGraph]{SG and CG of size $N=10$}
\label{fig:star_graph_0}
\end{figure}

The connectivity matrices of the two graphs read
\begin{equation}
\label{eqn:star_matrix}
\bf A_{\rm SG} = \left(
\begin{array}{lllll}
N-1 & -1& \cdots & \cdots& -1\\
-1 & 1& 0& \cdots& 0\\
\vdots& 0& \ddots &  & \vdots \\
\vdots& \vdots &  & \ddots & 0\\
-1 & 0& \cdots& 0 & 1
\end{array}
\right)
\end{equation}
and
\begin{equation}
\label{eqn:complete_matrix}
\bf A_{\rm CG} = \left(
\begin{array}{lllll}
N-1 & -1& \cdots & \cdots& -1\\
-1 & N-1 & -1& \cdots& -1\\
\vdots& -1 & \ddots &  & \vdots \\
\vdots& \vdots &  & \ddots & -1\\
-1 & -1& \cdots& -1 & N-1
\end{array}
\right).
\end{equation}

Consequently, the Hamiltonians can be written as
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:star_hamiltonian}
 \mathbf{H}_{\rm SG} = (N-1)| 1\rangle \langle 1 | + \sum_{j=2}^{N} {(| j\rangle \langle j | - |1\rangle \langle j |- | j\rangle \langle 1 |)}
\end{equation}
and
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:complete_hamiltonian}
 \mathbf{H}_{\rm CG} = (N-1)\sum_{j} {(| j\rangle \langle j |)}-\sum_{j\neq i} {(| j\rangle \langle i |)}.
\end{equation}

The eigenvalues of both graphs can be calculated
analytically. The SG of size $N$ has only three distinct eigenvalues
\cite{mülken2006efficiency}: $E_1 = 0$, $E_2  = \dots = E_{N-1} = 1$,
and $E_N = N$ and their degeneracies are $D(0)=1$, $D(1)=N-2$, and $D(N)=1$, respectively.
The CG of size $N$ has only two distinct
eigenvalues \cite{xu2009exact}, namely $E_1 = 0$ and $E_2= \dots =E_N = N$, with
degeneracies $D(0)=1$ and $D(N)=N-1$.

The dynamics of CTQW and CTRW on SG and on CG has been studied in
\cite{xu2009exact}, where exact analytical results for the transition and
the return probabilities have been obtained.
It has been shown that when the central node in the SG is initially excited, the spreading turns out to be equivalent to that over
a CG of the same size.

Using Eq.~(\ref{eq:ARP_eff}) and (\ref{eq:ARP_LowerBound_eff}) one obtains the following analytical expressions
for $\bar {p}(t)$ and for $|\bar\alpha(t)|^2$ \cite{mulken2011continuous} for the SG :
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:star_eff_clas}
 \bar {p}(t)=\frac{1}{N}\Big \{1+(N-2)e^{-t}+e^{-(N-2)t}\Big \}
\end{equation}
and
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:star_eff_quantum}
|\bar\alpha(t)|^2=\frac{1}{N^2}\Big \arrowvert 1+(N-2)e^{-it}+e^{-i(N-2)t}\Big \arrowvert ^2.
\end{equation}

For the CG the analytical expressions for $\bar {p}(t)$ and $|\bar\alpha(t)|^2$ read \cite{mulken2011continuous}:

\begin{equation}
\label{eq:compl_eff_clas}
 \bar {p}(t)=\frac{1}{N}\Big \{1+(N-1)e^{-Nt}\Big \}
\end{equation}
and
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:compl_eff_quantum}
|\bar\alpha(t)|^2=\frac{1}{N^2}\Big \arrowvert 1+(N-1)e^{-iNt}\Big
\arrowvert ^2.
\end{equation}

It is a simple matter to calculate the long-time averages of the expressions above.
For Eqs.~(\ref{eq:star_eff_clas}) and (\ref{eq:compl_eff_clas}) the CTRW long-time averages are ${P}_{\rm RW} = 1/N$
both for the SG and for the CG. In the quantum case we use $D(E_n)=N\rho(E_n)$ in Eq.~(\ref{eq:ARP_lowerbound_lta}). Such that,
using now the explicit eigenvalues and their degeneracies listed above, we obtain:

\begin{eqnarray}
\label{eq:ARP_lta_SG}
&& P_{\rm QW}^{\rm SG} = \frac{N^2-4N+6}{N^2}\geq\frac{1}{N} \\
\mbox{and} \quad
\label{eq:ARP_lta_CG}
&& P_{\rm QW}^{\rm CG} = \frac{N^2-2N+2}{N^2}\geq\frac{1}{N}.
\end{eqnarray}

We conclude that a quantum walker on such networks in particular for large $N$,
has a large probability to stay or to return to the initially excited
node, much larger than for a classical walker. We may even see this as a sign that the quantum spreading
is slower than its classical analogue.
Clearly, this is
due to the fact that one eigenvalue of $\mathbf H$ is in both cases highly degenerate.
One may compare Eqs.~(\ref{eq:ARP_lta_SG}) and (\ref{eq:ARP_lta_CG})
to the situation of a quantum walk over a ring with an odd number of nodes, for which $P_{\rm QW}^{\rm ring} = 1/N$. In the latter case
there are no degenerate eigenvalues, so that $D(E_n)=1$ for all $n$. Note that from the value $P_{\rm QW}^{\rm ring} = 1/N$ one should not infer that the CTQW is never
faster than the CTRW. The result only implies that in the long-time limit the
return probability is in average equally distributed among all nodes of the network.

We now turn to the question in how far the situation changes when we (randomly) add bonds to the SG.
By this we will explore the transition from the SG to the CG. As it will turn out, the CTQW spreading
may increase when the disorder gets larger.

\section{From the star graph to the complete graph}

In this section we consider graphs generated from a SG of size $N$ to which $B$ additional bonds
are added. The new bonds are not allowed to connect any node
with itself; furthermore only a single bond between any pair of nodes is permitted. The total number of additional bonds,
$B_{\rm max}(N)$, needed to convert the SG into the CG
of the same size is:
\begin{equation}
  B_{\rm max}(N) =\frac{(N-1)(N-2)}{2}.
\end{equation}
Examples of SG with $B=3$ additional bonds are given in Figure \ref{fig:1_2_classes}.

\begin{figure}[h]
 \centering
 \subfigure{\includegraphics[width=0.33\columnwidth]{star_graph_3_a.eps}}
 \subfigure{\includegraphics[width=0.33\columnwidth]{star_graph_3_b.eps}}
 \subfigure{\includegraphics[width=0.33\columnwidth]{star_graph_3_c.eps}}
\caption[3 class]{Examples of SG with $B=3$ additional bonds}
\label{fig:1_2_classes}
\end{figure}

As seen from Fig.~\ref{fig:1_2_classes}, randomly adding bonds to a SG may lead to distinct
topologies. While for $B$ very close to $1$ or to $N$ the number of topologically distinct graphs is small, this number
increases rapidly when leaving these regions ($B/N\ll1$ and $(B-N)/N\ll1$). Now, each topological realization
leads to a set of eigenvalues. Graphs with distinct topologies may have an identical set of eigenvalues
(the graphs are then called co-spectral \cite{cvetkovic1980spectra}). For computational reasons we will
not distinguish between such graphs and we will denote by the term "configuration" the set of graphs leading to the same set of
eigenvalues.

We will call the set of all distinct configurations obtained from a SG
by adding $B$ additional bonds a ``clan'', and denote the number of elements in the clan by $\mathcal{N}_B$.
Evidently, $\mathcal{N}_B$ depends on the size of the network.
We determine for every fixed $B$ value the number of distinct eigenvalue sets inside the corresponding clan by
considering all the corresponding Hamiltonians. This is done as follows:
\begin{enumerate}
\item Generate the Hamiltonian $\bf {H}$ of the given SG (see Eqs.~(\ref{eqn:star_matrix})~and~(\ref{eq:star_hamiltonian})). There
are $(N-1)(N-2)/2$ zero entries above (below) the diagonal (first row and column have only non-zero entries).
\item Consider all the possibilities of changing pairwise such entries from $\mathbf{H}_{ij}=\mathbf{H}_{ji}=0$ to
$\mathbf{H}_{ij}=\mathbf{H}_{ji}=-1$, corresponding to the insertion of an additional bond between the nodes $i$ and $j$.
There are $2^{\frac{(N-1)(N-2)}{2}}$ ways of doing this, leading to the same number of distinct $\bf H$.
\item For each $\bf {H}$ obtained in this way determine the eigenvalue set and sort the eigenvalues in ascending order.
\item Group together all the $\bf H$ corresponding to a fixed $B$ value and determine by comparison of the ascending
eigenvalues the number of distinct eigenvalue sets $\mathcal {N}_B$.
\end{enumerate}

For the numerical procedures we use the standard package of Mathematica 8.0. To fix the ideas we start exemplarily
with graphs of $N=10$ and with the corresponding clans. We are interested in how many configurations $\mathcal{N}_B$ are
included in the clan $B$ and how many graphs are represented by a given configuration. For this we show in Table
\ref{tab:LeastMostProbable} for several $B$ values the corresponding $\mathcal{N}_B$.

Moreover, it turns out that a configuration containing graphs which are less symmetric with respect to the exchange symmetry
is more probable to show up when distributing the additional $B$ bonds randomly. To exemplify this we also show in
Table \ref{tab:LeastMostProbable} the most probable and the least probable graph topology together
with their eigenvalue sets. One remarkable feature of Table \ref{tab:LeastMostProbable} is that the least probable configurations
have eigenvalue sets consisting of integer values only, while the
eigenvalue sets corresponding to the most probable configurations
also include non-integer polynomial roots.

\begin{table*}
\begin{tabularx}{\textwidth}{|l|l|c|c|X|X|}
\hline\hline
 &   & The least & The most & The least & The most \\
 $B$ & $\mathcal{N}_B$  &  probable  & probable & probable & probable \\
  &    & configuration & configuration & eigenvalue & eigenvalue \\
 &  & & & set & set \\
\hline\hline
\small 4 & \small 11 &
\includegraphics[width=50pt]{L4.eps} &
\includegraphics[width=50pt]{M4.eps}  &
\small \{10, 5, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0\} & \small \{10, 4.414, 3, 3, 1.586,1, 1, 1, 1, 0\} \\
\hline
\small 10 & \small 1470 &
\includegraphics[width=50pt]{L10.eps} &
\includegraphics[width=50pt]{M10.eps} &
\small \{10, 6, 6, 6, 6, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0\} & \small \{10, 6.26, 5.4, 4.601, 3.4743, 2.625, 2.5858, 1.705, 1.34, 0\} \\
\hline
\small 18 & \small 31566 &
\includegraphics[width=50pt]{L18.eps} &
\includegraphics[width=50pt]{M18.eps} &
\small \{10, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 4, 4, 1, 0\} & \small \{10, 8.33, 7.5, 6.395, 5.6087, 5.3913, 4.605, 3.4562, 2.66, 0\} \\
\hline
\small 26 & \small 1470 &
\includegraphics[width=50pt]{L26.eps} &
\includegraphics[width=50pt]{M26.eps} &
\small \{10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 0\} & \small \{10, 10, 9.408, 8.8192, 8.353, 7, 6.24, 5.396, 4.7835, 0\} \\
\hline
\small 32 & \small 11 &
\includegraphics[width=50pt]{L32.eps} &
\includegraphics[width=50pt]{M32.eps} &
\small \{10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 8, 8, 6, 0\} & \small \{10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 9.4142, 8, 8, 6.5858, 0\} \\
\hline

\end{tabularx}
\caption{For networks of size $N=10$ and different $B$ we display the least and the most probable eigenvalue sets.}
\label{tab:LeastMostProbable}
\end{table*}

Figure~\ref{fig:Sets_number} shows $\mathcal{N}_B$ as a function
of $B$ for different $N$.
As can be seen from the figure, $\mathcal{N}_B$ reaches a maximum around $B(N)=B_{\rm max}(N)/2$. One may note the very
large increase of $\mathcal{N}_B$ with growing $N$ (note the logarithmic scale on the $y$-axis).
For $N=10$ (where $B_{max}=36$) and $B$ taken to be $B_{\rm max}/2=18$
we find more than $3\cdotp10^4$ distinct eigenvalue sets, while for $N=7$ (where $B_{max}=15$) and $B=8$ there are only $215$. For $N$
exceeding $10$ it gets quickly impossible to determine through the above algorithm all the configurations. Thus, for $N\geq10$ we will rely on
randomly creating networks and obtain the ensemble average using a relatively large number $R=10000$ of realizations. Formally we set:
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:ensemble}
 \langle...\rangle_R\equiv\frac{1}{R}\sum_{r=1}^{R}[...]_r,
\end{equation}
where $r$ runs over the particular realizations. In this way we determine the ensemble-averaged
probabilities $\langle\bar p(t)\rangle_R$ and
$\langle|\bar {\alpha}(t)|^2\rangle_R$, along with the long-time average
$\langle P_{\rm QW}\rangle_R$.

\begin{figure}[ht!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{Eigenvalue_sets_number_gaussian.eps}
\caption[Number of distinct eigenvalue sets]{Number of distinct eigenvalue
sets as a function of $B$ for the networks of $N=7$, $N=8$, $N=9$, and $N=10$ nodes. Note the logarithmic scale.}
\label{fig:Sets_number}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Average probability of being at the origin}

The influence of additional bonds on the spreading is captured in the behavior of the transition probabilities
between certain pairs of nodes. However, as can be anticipated, the
functional form of these transition probabilities strongly depends on the
particular nodes chosen. Therefore, we start by considering the ensemble
averages of the average
probability to be (return or stay) at the initial node. In particular, we
focus on the ensemble average of $\bar p(t)$ for CTRW and of the lower bound $|\bar\alpha(t)|^2$ for
CTQW, see Eqs.~(\ref{eq:ARP}) and
(\ref{eq:ARP_LowerBound}).
Taking the time-average of $\langle|\bar\alpha(t)|^2\rangle_R$ yields $\langle P_{\rm
QW}\rangle_R$, see Eq.~(\ref{eq:ARP-QW-lta}).
Here and in the following we focus on graphs with $N=10$.

Figure~\ref{fig:1_2_lta} shows $\langle P_{\rm
QW}\rangle_R$ as a function of the number of additional bonds. Clearly,
one observes a decrease from the SG-value to a broad minimal plateau
centered
around $B=B_{\rm max}/2$ (see the inset), after which the values increase again until the
CG-value is reached.
The minimal value of $\langle P_{\rm QW}\rangle_R$ at $B=B_{\rm max}/2$
approaches $1/N$ from above. Therefore, when the number of additional
bonds is so large as to yield the maximal number of possible
configurations, the time-averaged spreading becomes comparable to that for
the corresponding CTRW. From this we can already infer that adding
(removing) bonds to (from) the SG (CG) enhances the spreading of CTQW. This behavior differs from the one found for
CTQW on SWN which are build up from a ring-like configuration; for SWN the spreading becomes
slow with increasing $B$ \cite{mülken2007quantum}.

\begin{figure}[h]
 \centering
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{LongTime.eps}
\caption[lta]{$\langle P_{\rm QW}\rangle_R$ for networks of
$N=10$ nodes with $R=10000$.}
\label{fig:1_2_lta}
\end{figure}

In order to highlight better the behavior of the
corresponding CTRW, we have to take a closer look at the temporal development
of the average probability to be at the initial node. For the SG and the
CG there exist exact analytic expressions for $|\bar {\alpha}(t)|^2$ and for $\bar p(t)$,
see Eqs.~(\ref{eq:star_eff_clas}) and
(\ref{eq:compl_eff_quantum}). In both cases the lower bound
$|\bar {\alpha}(t)|^2$ shows oscillations but no decay to a value
comparable to $1/N$ (the long-time value for $\bar p(t)$). Specifically,
$|\bar {\alpha}(t)|^2$ oscillates around the values given by
Eqs.~(\ref{eq:ARP_lta_SG}) and (\ref{eq:ARP_lta_CG}) for the SG and for the CG, respectively.

Now, on adding bonds to the SG $\langle|\bar{\alpha}(t)|^2\rangle_R$
follows a complex course: First it decreases to lower values until reaching $B=B_{\rm {max}}/2=18$; then it
increases again towards the behavior found for the CG. This is exemplified in Fig.~\ref{fig:Eff} which shows $\langle|\bar
{\alpha}(t)|^2\rangle_R$ for networks of size $N=10$ with $B=4$, $18$, and
$32$ additional bonds. One notes that $\langle|\bar
{\alpha}(t)|^2\rangle_R$ for $B=4$ explores roughly the same interval as does $\langle \bar p(t)\rangle_R$,
see Fig.~\ref{fig:Eff}(a). Taking $B=B_{\rm max}/2=18$ yields a $\langle|\bar
{\alpha}(t)|^2\rangle_R$ whose time-average is close to $P_{RW}=1/N$ but which also - for short times -
reaches values which are about one order of magnitude
below those of the CTRW, see Fig.~\ref{fig:Eff}(b). Adding more bonds
reverses the behavior, i.e., $\langle P_{\rm QW}\rangle_R$ becomes larger
and the amplitude of the oscillations around this value becomes smaller,
see Fig.~\ref{fig:Eff}(c).

\begin{figure}[ht!]
 \centering
 \subfigure{\includegraphics[scale=0.25]{ARPB4-1.eps}}
 \subfigure{\includegraphics[scale=0.25]{ARPB18-1.eps}}
 \subfigure{\includegraphics[scale=0.25]{ARPB32-1.eps}}
\caption[Ensemble]{Averaged probabilities
$\langle\bar p(t)\rangle_R$ and $\langle\bar \pi(t)\rangle_R$ on double logarithmic scales
for the SG of size $N=10$ with $B=4$ (a), $18$ (b) and $32$ (c), where $R=10000$.}
\label{fig:Eff}
 \end{figure}
Since $\langle|\bar{\alpha}(t)|^2\rangle_R$ is a lower bound, care has to
be taken when interpreting the above results. It still might be possible
that the exact value, namely $\langle\bar{\pi}(t)\rangle_R$, lies
above the CTRW curve. However, as has been shown earlier
\cite{mülken2006efficiency},
\cite{mulken2011continuous}, the maxima of
$\langle|\bar{\alpha}(t)|^2\rangle_R$ tend to be of similar value as the
maxima of $\langle\bar{\pi}(t)\rangle_R$. In particular, for
$B=B_{\rm max}/2$ there is a considerable short-time part (up to $t\approx 4$) where
$\langle|\bar{\alpha}(t)|^2\rangle_R$ lies below
$\langle\bar{p}(t)\rangle_R$ and which includes several local maxima. Note that at $t\approx 4$
$\langle\bar{p}(t)\rangle_R$ has already reached the equipartition value.
We thus infer that in this case during the (short) time interval needed by
the CTRW to reach equipartition, the spreading of CTQW is faster than that
of the corresponding CTRW.
\subsubsection*{Eigenvalue sets}

Both $\langle|\bar{\alpha}(t)|^2\rangle_R$ for CTQW as well as
$\langle\bar{p}(t)\rangle_R$ for CTRW depend only on the corresponding eigenvalues (of
the Hamiltonian and of the transfer matrix, respectively). As mentioned above,
the SG and the CG have eigenvalue sets with one highly
degenerate eigenvalue. This situation will change as a function of $B$.

In order to visualize the transition from the SG to the CG in the domain of the eigenvalues,
we consider as a function of $B$ the quantity:
\begin{equation}
 d_B(E)=\langle \sum_{n}\theta(E-E_{n}^{(B)}) \rangle_R = \frac{1}{R}\sum_{n,r}\theta(E-[E_{n}^{(B)}]_r).
\end{equation}
Here $\theta(x)$ is the Heaviside function and $E_n^{(B)}$ are the eigenvalues of the $r$th realization of
the distribution of the $B$ additional bonds.
The quantity $d_B(E)$ gives the average number of eigenvalues below $E$.
Figure~\ref{fig:EigenvalueAverage} shows $d_B(E)$ for $B=4,10,18,26$, and
$32$.

\begin{figure}[ht!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{EigenvalueAverage.eps}
\caption[Eigenvalue Average]{Aveage number of eigenvalues for $N=10$ below $E$; here the number of additional bonds is
$B=4, 10, 18, 26$, and $32$, see text for details.}
\label{fig:EigenvalueAverage}
\end{figure}

With increasing $B$ the eigenvalues move to higher values, as is evident from the fact that the $d_B(E)$ curves decrease with
increasing $B$. Sharp steps in $d_B(E)$ indicate eigenvalues with large degeneracy; such instances are particularly clear for $B=4$
and for $B=32$ whereas the curve for $B=18$ is much smoother. This is in line with the behavior of $|\bar{\alpha}(t)|^2$: a
few highly degenerate eigenvalues lead to a plateau in $|\bar{\alpha}(t)|^2$ whereas non-degenerate
eigenvalues let $|\bar{\alpha}(t)|^2$ drop to values close to the CTRW equipartition value $1/N$.

\section{Conclusion} \label{con}
We have studied the dynamics of continuous-time quantum walks on networks
whose connectivity matrices have one highly degenerate eigenvalue.
This fact leads to a slow spreading of CTQW in term of the average probability to return or remain at the initially excited node of the network.
In particular, we focused on two types of networks, the star graph and the complete graph. We studied
the crossover from the star graph to the complete graph by randomly adding bonds to the star graph until
reaching the complete graph. In so doing we found that in the ensemble average the
spreading gets faster when adding approximately $B=B_{\rm max}/2$ bonds to the star graph.
The reason for this behavior is to be found in
the ensemble averaged distribution of the eigenvalues of the connectivity matrices. Adding (extracting)
more and more bonds to (from) the star (complete) graph results in broader distributions. Thus, we have
shown that under disorder, obtained by either adding bonds to the star graph or by deleting bonds from the complete
graph, the quantum walks spread more.

\begin{acknowledgements}
Support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Fonds der
Chemischen Industrie is gratefully acknowledged. We also thank Piet Schijven and Maxim Dolgushev for fruitful discussions.
\end{acknowledgements}

\bibliographystyle{spmpsci}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


The year is racing by, so this might be a good time to make a few "Old Year's Resolutions" - deciding what you'd like to achieve in this last quarter of the year.
In a recent issue of Fast Company, Seth Godin rues the fact that so many things just don't work very well. One reason, he says, is that the people who make them forget to look at the world through the eyes of the user: "They forget to try to open the CD cases they're sealing shut with plastic. They forget to try to use their Web site or navigate the voice mail that they're designing. They don't look at the form that they're creating to consider that once the computer knows a zip (post) code, the user shouldn't have to type in a city and state." Probably we could all come up with another dozen examples, but are we sure we are blameless ourselves?
ACTION: Take some time to consider the ways that what you do is experienced by your customers, clients, boss, and/or colleagues. To really get the full impact of this, find a quiet place where you won't be interrrupted, relax, close your eyes, and visualise these interactions as though through the eyes and ears of the other person (therefore, you see and hear yourself doing whatever you do). You can also use this to review your interactions with your spouse or partner, children, or friends. You may be surprised by what you find!
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. amzanig huh?"
I'm not endorsing being careless about typos (in fact, I despair when I see how few people these days know that difference between its and it's, and principle and principal, for example) but maybe for the perfectionists among us, this might be a good reminder that the most important thing is communicating and the content of the your message.
ACTION: If you find yourself being too much of a perfectionist, consider how much time you're spending on the core task, and how much on perfecting it. 80/20 is a good ratio.
Most of us have tasks we're avoiding because they're no fun, or they scare us in some way, or they're tedious. If you find that you keep moving an item from today's to-do list to tomorrow's, you've just identified such a task!
A subscriber has sent a good suggestion for handling such tasks, or for doing something when your spirits and low and you lack energy. Her technique is to coach herself through it step by tiny step. For example, if you're avoiding making a phone call, you would say to yourself (out loud, if possible), "Look up the number." When you've done that, you say, "Jot down the key point you need to make or the key question you need to ask." Then, "Now dial the number..."
ACTION: Identify one task you've been avoiding. Coach yourself through it. If there are people around and you don't want to say the steps out loud, write them down and check each one off as you do it. At first you may feel silly micro-managing simple tasks...but give it a try, it's better than continuing to put them off!
4: Is What You Read Affecting You?
A study reported in the Journal of Gerontology found that elderly people who read a pessimistic account of memory and aging scored 20 to 30 percent worse on a memory test shortly afterwards than those who read an upbeat article about growing older. Undoubtedly what we read also affects our emotions - certainly I find reading all the bad news in the daily newspaper tends to leave me a bit more depressed than when I started. At the same time, so much of what we read is about negative events over which we have no control or influence (and a feeling of having no control is one of the major elements of stress).
ACTION: Here's an experiment to try. As you scan your usual newspaper, ask yourself whether you will benefit in any way by reading each article. For example, while my sympathies are with the victims of a terrible earthquake, do I wish to read about it in detail? When you do read about something that upsets or frustrates you, consider taking action. If you read about a natural disaster somewhere else in the world, send a small donation to the Red Cross; if you read about an infuriating government policy, send a letter of protest to the relevant politician; if you read an article about the plight of the homeless in your area, consider giving a donation of time or money to a local shelter.
Maybe you use to keep a diary when you were younger but don't have the time nowadays. It might be worth considering starting up again.
ACTION: If you are undergoing any major challenges in your life (or even if you're not), consider keeping a daily journal in which you record your feelings and thoughts. If you're worried that someone else might read them, you can even type them on your computer and then erase them again--getting the feelings out is the important bit).


text:
Q: Easy - Read a file into a array I have a .dat file that just holds a list of names, each name is on a new line. How would I go about getting those names out of the file and putting them into a array?

A: you should read this
http://www.visualbasic.happycodings.com/Files_Directories_Drives/code54.html
Excerpt
Function FileLoadToArray(ByRef asLines() As String, ByVal sFileName As String) As String
    Dim iFileNum As Long, lFileLen As Long
    Dim sBuffer As String

    'Initialise Variables
    On Error GoTo ErrFailed

    'Open File
    iFileNum = FreeFile
    Open sFileName For Binary Access Read As #iFileNum
    'Get the size of the file
    lFileLen = LOF(iFileNum)
    If lFileLen Then
        'Create output buffer
        sBuffer = String(lFileLen, " ")
        'Read contents of file
        Get iFileNum, 1, sBuffer
        'Split the file contents
        asLines = Split(sBuffer, vbNewLine)
    End If

    Close #iFileNum
    'Return success
    FileLoadToArray = ""

    Exit Function

ErrFailed:
    Debug.Assert False
    Debug.Print Err.Description
    FileLoadToArray = Err.Description
    'Close file
    If iFileNum Then
        Close #iFileNum
    End If
End Function

A: My VB6 is a bit rusty but I would think it was something like this, thanks to Google! :P

DIM FileNo AS Integer
DIM strNameList() AS STRING

FileNo = FreeFile
Open "file.dat" For Input As FileNo
Do Until EOF(FileNo)
   Line Input FileNo, strNameList(UBound(strNameList))
   REDIM Preserve strNameList(UBound(strNameList) + 1)
Loop
Close FileNo

Now strNameList will have the array of entries from the file...Phew...I hope this is correct despite my rustic skills....

A: You can use a generic read-all-file function
Private Function ReadFile(sFile As String) As String
    Dim nFile       As Integer

    nFile = FreeFile
    Open sFile For Input Access Read As #nFile
    ReadFile = Input$(LOF(nFile), nFile)
    Close #nFile
End Function

with Split function like this
    Dim vSplit As Variant
    vSplit = Split(ReadFile("your_file.txt"), vbCrLf)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
package nam.model.module;

import java.io.Serializable;

import javax.enterprise.context.SessionScoped;
import javax.inject.Named;

import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
import org.aries.ui.AbstractWizardPage;

import nam.model.Module;
import nam.model.util.ModuleUtil;

@SessionScoped
@Named("moduleConfigurationSection")
public class ModuleRecord_ConfigurationSection extends AbstractWizardPage<Module> implements Serializable {

	private Module module;

	public ModuleRecord_ConfigurationSection() {
		setName("Configuration");
		setUrl("configuration");
	}

	public Module getModule() {
		return module;
	}

	public void setModule(Module module) {
		this.module = module;
	}

	@Override
	public void initialize(Module module) {
		setEnabled(true);
		setBackEnabled(true);
		setNextEnabled(true);
		setFinishEnabled(false);
		setModule(module);
	}

	@Override
	public void validate() {
		if (module == null) {
			validator.missing("Module");
		} else {
		}
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


After some hair-pulling hours after running a succesfull SP2 upgrade, we found out the Exchange 2007 transport services did not start up. Check out my other blog post for all details.
Hello visitors, welcome to "the-c-spot".
Probably one of the first things to explain is, what the "c" in the title stands for; this would make the whole idea and concept behind the website more clear I hope.
Easy as it can be, the "C" stands for Collaboration and Communication, which happen to be one of my current favourite technology groups I'm working in as a Microsoft Architect. For the ones who don't know the technology products behind these terms, I'm talking about – regardless of version – Microsoft Exchange Server , Microsoft Office Communication Server and Microsoft Sharepoint.
Of course, as the "C" refers to "themes", this blog site is open to other technology products as well, not only Microsoft related of course.
Feel free to join, be happy to read, come back regularly… so we all stay happy and on top of the knowledge chain.


text:
The National Student > In Depth
What People Believe: Nuwaubian Nation
Rosie Kelly at Lincoln, University of
Nuwaubianism might not be as widely known (and ridiculed) as Scientology or as infamous as the Manson family, but in the grand scheme of belief systems, it's a pretty strange one.
Although now virtually extinct, when it was active the Nuwaubian movement was one of the most bizarre personality cults around.
Founded by black supremacist Malachi (Dwight) York, the group described themselves as a fraternity, although they draw heavily on various religions and philosophies. York was an enigmatic leader who in 2004 was convicted for child molestation on a grand scale.
Inconsistent and ever-changing in its central beliefs, the first incarnation of the Nuwaubian movement was a black-muslim organisation, with York at its helm. In a matter of years the quasi-muslim movement which had also incorporated elements of Freemasonry and several other niche religious dogmas had re-invented itself as part of the Black Hebrews movement.
Claiming to be the only authentic descendents of the Hebrews, the Nuwaubians also dabbled in the other branches of abrahamic religion, Christianity and Islam.
In the mid 90s the group moved away from traditional established religious beliefs and began to bring more Native American, New Age and Ancient Egyptian strands into their organisation. Their eccentric beliefs have changed at a rapid rate since the group's inception, with leader Dwight Yorke publishing over 450 'scrolls' or booklets about the various tacks it has taken under several pen-names.
The group, whose followers numbered up to 3,000 in the 1970s, decided in the 1990s to build their own headquarters. 'Tama-Re' was a complex in Georgia and changing their narrative once more, the group styled themselves as Native Americans, using cod-science to explain the existence of black people in the USA "before contnental drift."
Man Dog Farringdon: Mystery woman who walked man on leash through Central London reveals her identity
Styled on Ancient Egypt, Tama-Re was an impressive complex in Georgia which acted as the headquarters for York's followers. Although it was knocked down after York's incarceration, the impressive compound featured pyramids, sphynx and obelisks in tribute to some of the group's wackier inspirations.
What they believe:
- Black supremacy. York is quoted as having said: "White people are the devil. They say the Nuwaubians are not racist – bullcrap! I am. He might not be; that's his prerogative. I am."
- White people were created as a race of killers to serve black people, in a plan which backfired.
- Nubians were originally green, but their skin "rusted" to brown in the earth's atmosphere.
- The 'rapture' of the Christian Bible actually refers to Raptors. Raptors who will return to earth and eat people.
- Dwight York is a master-teacher from the planet Rizq.
- Extra-terrestrials have been trading with the US Government for inventions such as the polio vaccine. And hula-hoops.
- The Earth is hollow and populated by different species of people, such as the Deros, the Teros, the Flugelrods, the Duwanis, the Dunakial, and the Anunnaqi, who live in underground cities.
Norwegian fisherman finds
Water pistol-wielding masked robber in girl's trainers laughed at by kids after attempted heist at Lancashire school
Indian students at Warwick Uni hounded by terrifying, racist swans
The start of a memorable year
Review: Field Music - Measure
TOMS: Changing the world one shoe at a time
Interview: Jamie Lidell
Interview: Shane Meadows
Christmas dinner could reduce the risk of heart disease
Review: The King's Speech
Putting Sleep to Bed

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


SHIROKINO, Ukraine -- European observers stationed in eastern Ukraine reported heavy and continuous shelling in the village of Shirokino, located in the strife-torn Donetsk region, on Sunday, according to media reports.
Lieutenant General Alexander Lentsov (2nd L), representing Russia in the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination, which monitors the implementation of the peace deal, and other members of the centre, including employees of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), visit the city's airport in Donetsk, April 4, 2015.
The reports of fresh shelling came just hours after the Ukrainian military claimed that a serviceman had been killed and several others wounded during clashes with Moscow-backed rebels near the city of Mariupol.
"On 26 April, the SMM [Special Monitoring Mission] observed what it assessed to be the most intense shelling in Shirokino since fighting began in the area in mid-February 2015," observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reportedly said.
Shirokino is located about 14 miles east of Mariupol -- a government-held coastal city in southeastern Ukraine.
According to the OSCE monitors, at least 11 tanks were observed in the region, which has been under the control of Ukrainian forces since February.
Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian military had alleged that separatists had stepped up attacks against government forces, putting the fate of a ceasefire deal -- signed in Minsk, Belarus, in February -- at risk.
A Ukrainian army spokesman earlier said that the rebels were using large-caliber artillery in violation of the Minsk accord, which calls for heavy weaponry to be pulled back from the conflict zone.
"An increase in the number of violations of the ceasefire regime by [separatist] fighters has been noticeable in the past 24 hours," Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksander Motuzyanyk reportedly said.
Over 6,100 people, both civilians and military personnel, have been killed in eastern Ukraine since the start of the conflict, which began after Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in March last year.
While most world leaders condemned the annexation, calling it a "violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently defended the move.
Most recently, in an interview broadcast Sunday, marking Putin's 15 years in power, Putin said he did not regret his decision.
"I believe that we did the right thing, and I do not regret anything," Russia's Sputnik News quoted Putin as saying about Crimea's "reunification" with Russia.


text:
The legal challenge that could make fake reviews a thing of the past
istock/CSA
Chris Ward
MyCustomer
A legal case in the US is taking a new approach to trying to eradicate fake customer reviews on sites like Amazon and TripAdvisor.
Fake reviews are damaging customer experience.
Fakespot, a website that ID's fake reviews, estimates that around 30% of product reviews on Amazon aren't genuine. Yet our trust and faith in online reviews is unwavering. The UK government's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) estimates that customer reviews potentially influence £23 billion of customer spending in the UK every year.
In a landmark case, the US Federal Trade Commission has decided to take action by penalising the companies paying for the fake reviews, rather than the fake review providers themselves.
In the challenge, which involves a $12.8m settlement, a dietary supplements firm called Cure Encapsulations managed to advance its product ratings by using a specialist company to provide fake, but 'verified' reviews on Amazon.
The supplements and their claimed weight loss benefits were considered debatable, according to a press release announcing the federal case, and were in some cases revealed to be connected with liver failure.
Yet the company's founder was able to catapult the product up its relevant rankings by hiring amazonverifiedreviews.com to write fake 5-star reviews for a fee.
In 2015, Amazon sued 1000 unnamed users for posting fake reviews via Fiverr, saying that its brand reputation "was being tarnished by 'false, misleading and inauthentic' reviews".
How can customer reviews help?
Reviews have become an increasingly valuable tool to drive purchases in recent years.
Research has revealed a strong correlation between the number of online reviews a product has and its sales performance - even if some of the reviews are negative.
The report Assessing the Impact of Ratings and Reviews on E-commerce Performance examined product performance on ecommerce sites, and found that when a product with no reviews adds even a single one, that product receives an average 108% traffic lift and a 65% increase in conversion rate.
The study also indicates that the best-selling products in a category – those in the top 10 – each tend to have more reviews than products among the top 100 in the category as a whole, many with double or triple the number of reviews.
Richard Anson, founder of Reevoo, notes: "It's no secret – reviews persuade people to buy products and services. That's why there are businesses risking fines and legal action to fake good ones. But in reality, this fakery is incredibly counterintuitive and in the long-term is more likely to lead to lower sales and brand damage."
Customers value authenticity above all, and Anson suggests that trust is being broken down from three directions:
By the (usually small) marketing agencies willing to write fake reviews for clients.
By the businesses willing to do whatever it takes to look good online.
And by the platforms who facilitate the process by letting anyone write a review.
What are the best practices for using customer reviews?
So with online reviews having become such a powerful part of today's shopper journey, how can brands take advantage of influential online reviews without compromising customer trust, and ensure they are following the correct – and lawful – procedures?
Theresa O'Neil, formerly of PowerReviews, has shared the following advice:
The authenticity of reviews is what makes them so powerful. Fake reviews mislead customers, it's as simple as that.
Make sure both negative and positive reviews are checked for fraud otherwise only false negative ones will be removed.
Publish all genuine reviews – and ensure your review collection procedure allows this.
Ask your reviews supplier how it weeds out fake reviews; you need to be confident in how they operate.
Paid-for reviews
Endorsements are not illegal and can help you sell your product – but the issues arise when you fail to disclose the relationship.
If you're paying for it, whether through sponsorship, advertising or any other commercial arrangement, declare it.
Incentivising is a great way of collecting more reviews – but you should disclose the incentive and post all reviews, positive or negative reviews.
Adhering to online review practices isn't just a 'nice to do'. If you fail on any of these counts, you may be in breach of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
Consumers trust reviews. And it's the responsibility of brands and retailers to provide authentic content that consumers can trust. Aligning with the right reviews technology partner can help you not only drive traffic and sales, but also build and preserve trust with shoppers.
Regulations forbid brands from censoring negative reviews – but they're not something to be scared of. Research found that consumers specifically seek out negative reviews. Negative reviews show that brands have nothing to hide.
Perfect ratings are perceived as too good to be true. Research also found most conversions aren't driven by a 5 star rating; a product is most likely to be purchased if its average star rating falls between 4.2-4.5. Most people are savvy enough to discount overwhelmingly positive reviews as biased.
Negative reviews can help brands identify better ways to serve their customers and improve their products. One of PowerReviews retailer clients had a watch on their site with a low rating. A closer look revealed many consumers commented that the clasp of the watch loosened quickly. The company worked with their manufacturer to improve the clasp, and the new version of the watch had a much higher rating.
About Chris Ward
Chris is Editor of MyCustomer. He is a practiced editor, having worked as a copywriter for creative agency, Stranger Collective from 2009 to 2011 and subsequently as a journalist covering technology, marketing and customer service from 2011-2014 as editor of Business Cloud News. He joined MyCustomer in 2014.
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Travel|After Maria and Irma: Caribbean Tourism, Island by Island
After Maria and Irma: Caribbean Tourism, Island by Island
ABOVE LEFT The Malecón seawall in Havana in 2015, with El Morro fortress in the background. RIGHT The same area on Sept. 10, flooded by Hurricane Irma.CreditCreditleft: Robert Rausch for The New York Times, right: Yamil Lage, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
By Stephanie Rosenbloom
After two major hurricanes tore through the Caribbean in less than two weeks, some of the most idyllic — and tourism-dependent — destinations have been devastated.
Ferocious storms are nothing new to these islands, but Hurricanes Maria and Irma were some of the most powerful Atlantic basin storms ever recorded. Cities, and some islands, are almost entirely in ruins. Puerto Rico and St. Croix, two places that were in good enough shape after Irma to be relief hubs for their neighbors, were subsequently pummeled by Maria. In Puerto Rico, at least 10 people died. The storm brought catastrophic flooding, destroyed homes and infrastructure, and left people without power, clean water and essential services. In Dominica, at least 15 people were killed.
In the hardest-hit places, including Dominica, Puerto Rico, Barbuda, St. Martin and the U.S. Virgin Islands, a slow and arduous recovery lies ahead.
Tourism is the most important economic driver and the main foreign exchange earner for the region, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization. Some places — including St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Sint Eustatius and Martinique — emerged mostly unscathed. In the Guadeloupe Islands, there was no damage to infrastructure, though two people were killed.
"Within two to three days, things will be back to normal in the Islands of Guadeloupe," Annick Girardin, the French Minister for the Overseas Department of France, said in a statement.
Yet the damage in other places was so extensive that despite the projected loss of crucial revenue, government officials this week were not focused on tourism; they were still struggling to ensure people's health and safety. Puerto Rico, for instance, is grappling with catastrophic flooding and widespread damage and power outages. American Airlines said that it would resume partial operations there on Friday to deliver supplies and bring more personnel to assist in restarting its operations at San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. The airline said its operations are still suspended to the Turks and Caicos Islands, St. Croix, St. Maarten and St. Thomas. Indeed, the U.S. Virgin Islands said visits should be postponed until further notice.
How badly the tourism industry will suffer is still being determined; in certain places the storm's reverberations will likely be felt for years. On some islands, hotels have closed for repairs until next year and cruise lines are changing itineraries for at least the next few months. Royal Caribbean International said that future sailings will not stop at ports in Sint Maarten, St. Thomas or Key West until those islands have recovered. Norwegian Cruise Line said that all Norwegian Escape eastern Caribbean sailings until November will be changed to a western Caribbean itinerary. Following Irma, the ships went from being floating playgrounds to rescue vessels.
The situation varies greatly from island to island, and is changing day by day. The Florida Keys, for instance, are not quite ready for tourism, though they are moving closer. Highway repairs have been made, and residents have returned to the islands. Puerto Rico, on the other hand, dodged Irma only to be undone by Maria.
Below, a look at how the islands are faring.
Days before Maria slammed the island, knocking out power and turning roads into rivers, Puerto Rico was open for business. Most hotels were in good shape. José Izquierdo, the executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, the government agency in charge of tourism, said the island was focused on helping its less fortunate neighbors get food and medical assistance, and assisting in arranging travel back to the continental United States. "We're in a position to help those in greater need," he said.
Now, Puerto Rico is in need. On Thursday the island was declared a federal disaster zone. That evening it was estimated that some 3.4 million people — nearly the entire population — were without power. The energy grid was essentially destroyed, and hotels are shutdown and waiving cancellation fees.
The United States territory, which has been in a recession for more than a decade, has looked to tourism as something of a bright spot. In the last year, the island has seen record numbers of cruise ship visitors, as well as record hotel occupancy rates. But Gov. Ricardo Rosselló of Puerto Rico is predicting a long period of recovery. Cruise ports are currently closed, but, according to the tourism authority, most airlines are aiming to resume operations at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport tomorrow (Sept. 23).
This two-island nation, which has been struggling since 2009 amid the recession, depends heavily on tourism. Antigua was spared the worst of Irma. Its V.C. Bird International Airport has been open and most hotels (including Carlisle Bay, Cocos Hotel and Keyonna Beach Resort), restaurants and businesses were largely unscathed. Tour operators, bars and restaurants — including popular beach spots such as BeachLimerz, Coconut Grove, Sheer Rocks and Turners Beach — are welcoming visitors.
Barbuda, Antigua's little sister 28 miles to the north, on the other hand, is in ruins. Gaston Browne, the prime minister, has said that 90 percent of the island's properties were damaged or destroyed. Cell towers snapped. The Barbuda Codrington Airport is unable to accommodate flights. "It is absolutely heart-wrenching," Mr. Browne said on CNN.
Barbuda's hotels were also damaged, but because there were fewer than 100 rooms on the island, the overall effect on tourism is minimal, the Caribbean Tourism Organization said.
Barbuda's population is much smaller than Antigua's, though its unspoiled land made it an attractive getaway. The actor Robert De Niro and James Packer, the Australian businessman, were in the process of transforming the island's former K Club Resort into the Paradise Found Nobu Resort when the hurricane struck.
"We are beyond saddened to learn of the devastation in Barbuda caused from Hurricane Irma and look forward to working with the Paradise Found Nobu Resort team, the Barbuda Council, GOAB and the entire Barbuda community to successfully rebuild what nature has taken away from us," Mr. De Niro said in a statement to Deadline.com. He participated in a hurricane relief telethon broadcast on Sept. 12, and spoke this week in New York to United Nations officials and leaders from Caribbean countries at a meeting about Irma in advance of the U.N. General Assembly, The Associated Press reported.
Tourism, particularly from cruise ships, is an economic mainstay here. In a statement today, Gov. Kenneth E. Mapp called for "all hands on deck" to speed up recovery efforts. St. John and St. Thomas took a beating from Irma, while St. Croix was largely untouched. Its Henry E. Rohlsen Airport was open, seaports were operational, and hotels said they were ready for guests. But then came Maria, and St. Croix was pummeled, especially the western and southwestern portions of the island. Power has been significantly damaged. The airport is still being assessed. And a 24-hour curfew is in place (with the exception of a few hours on Friday, so that people can pick up supplies from distribution centers).
Maria also worsened conditions on St. John and St. Thomas. Hotels there had already suffered major damage from Irma: Sugar Ray Resort and Spa, an all-inclusive hotel on St. Thomas, is planning to remain closed until next year. Windward Passage Hotel, overlooking Charlotte Amalie Harbor on St. Thomas, will be closed for six months. The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas and Frenchman's Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort are waiving hotel cancellation and change fees for certain arrival dates. Airlines are offering ticketed travelers area waivers through late October.
According to Central Intelligence Agency data, the economy of the Virgin Islands, while reliant on tourism, is a bit more diverse than other Caribbean islands. Additional sources of income include rum exports, trade and services. But first, the islands must rebuild.
"It's going to be a long road to recovery," Gov. Mapp said. "We have to prepare ourselves mentally, manage our expectations realistically and we will get through it."
A section of the British Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma ravaged the area.CreditCaribbean Buzz, via Associated Press
These 60 islands east of Puerto Rico, which include Tortola, are also extremely dependent on tourism and benefit from visitors from the nearby United States Virgin Islands. That's unlikely to happen with St. Thomas and St. John in shambles. And the British Virgin Islands were themselves walloped by the storms. Sharon Flax-Brutus, the director of tourism, said in a statement that there are many homes without roofs, power outages and downed cellphone towers.
Luxury tourism is essential for this British dependency. However, some 90 percent of the electricity infrastructure was damaged, along with the main water supply, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization. Humanitarian aid experts from the United Kingdom are assessing the situation. The chief minister, the Honorable Victor Banks, said the island plans to open for business before the all-important Christmas season.
St. Kitts is open for tourism. The tourism authority said shortly after Irma that St. Kitts was essentially unharmed. Its Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, as well as hotels and tourism providers are open (the Park Hyatt will open in November as planned). And cruise ships are on their way. In Nevis, the Vance W. Amory International Airport is also open. Hotels, including the Four Seasons Resort Nevis, The Hermitage and the Great House and cottages at Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, which is open, are in good shape.
A European Union territory and hideaway for the rich and famous, St. Barthélemy took a beating, including its first hotel, Eden Rock, where guests have included Greta Garbo, Howard Hughes and Bono. The resort, owned by David and Jane Matthews (Pippa Middleton's in-laws), was closed for annual maintenance when Irma hit, but the damage was such that its early October has been postponed until further notice. The scramble is on to rebuild for the winter high season.
St. Martin / Sint Maarten
Most visitors arrive through the Princess Juliana International Airport in tourism-dependent Sint Maarten (on the Dutch side), which suffered severe damage. Sonesta Hotels said its resorts were damaged, and reservations from now through the end of the year have been canceled. Many hotels, including the Westin Dawn Beach Resort and Spa, Esmeralda Resort, Belair Beach Hotel, Oyster Bay Beach Resort, Riu Palace St. Martin and Summit Resort Hotel, reported significant damage.
First, Irma flooded roads, ripped off roofs, and took down trees and power lines. Then came Maria, packing 125 mile-per-hour winds. After Irma, many hotels reported being without power and water on this British overseas territory, which, besides tourism, also relies on offshore financial services and fishing, according to the Central Intelligence Agency. The Palms and the Shore Club had said that they planned to reopen on Sept. 30. Club Med Turkoise said it was not taking new guests through Sept. 30. Alexandra Resort, Blue Haven Resort and Beach House said they would be closed for arrivals through Oct. 8. Gansevoort Turks & Caicos is scheduled to reopen Oct. 5. Further damage from Maria is still being assessed.
On Sept. 13, the State Department issued a travel warning, advising U.S. citizens to avoid travel to Cuba while hurricane recovery efforts are underway. The Department said that large parts of the country, including around Havana, are without power and running water, and that getting around is difficult.
Irma was yet another setback for the Communist nation, where the burgeoning tourism industry has provided much-needed income. North-central Cuba, home to a number of resorts, suffered severe damage.
"The storm hit some of our principal tourist destinations but the damage will be repaired before the high season," President Raúl Castro wrote in a public message, according to The Associated Press.
The island chain is temporarily closed to visitors as infrastructure repairs are being made. The first cruise ship port call is expected on Sept. 24 or Sept. 26. And American, Delta and Silver Airways have resumed commercial air service into Key West International Airport. Nonetheless, government officials are asking overnight visitors to postpone immediate vacation plans. There are curfews in place. Some residents are still without power. And the Key West International Airport and Florida Keys Marathon International Airport are being used as staging areas for relief supplies and personnel.
In a statement on Sept. 18, tourism officials said that Key West expects to be open by Fantasy Fest, the annual costume festival, slated to begin Oct. 20.
Correction: Sept. 25, 2017
An earlier version of this article, using information from the Caribbean Tourism Organization, misstated the reopening date of the Gansevoort Turks & Caicos hotel. It is scheduled to reopen Oct. 5, not Nov. 1.
Correction: Oct. 8, 2017
A picture caption on Sept. 24 with an article about Hurricane Irma's effect on Caribbean tourism, using information from The Associated Press, misidentified the area shown. It is a section of the British Virgin Islands, not the United States Virgin Islands.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section TR, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Caribbean Tourism Takes a Hit After Hurricanes Maria and Irma. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe
Puerto Rico Faces Mountain of Obstacles on the Road to Recovery
Hurricane Maria Updates: In Puerto Rico, the Storm 'Destroyed Us'
Hurricane Irma's Vast Destruction in the Caribbean, Building by Building


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Mrs Pankhurst's Purple Feather: Fashion, Fury and Feminism
Author: Tessa Boase
'Shocking and entertaining. The surprising story of the campaigning women who changed Britain.' Virginia Nicholson
'Full of fascinating historical detail and colourful characters... A great story, beautifully told.' Kate Humble
When Mrs Pankhurst stormed the House of Commons with her crack squad of militant suffragettes in 1908, she wore on her hat a voluptuous purple feather. This is the intriguing story behind that feather.
Twelve years before the suffragette movement began dominating headlines, a very different women's campaign captured the public imagination. Its aim was radical: to stamp out the fashion for feathers in hats. Leading the fight was a character just as heroic as Emmeline Pankhurst, but with opposite beliefs. Her name was Etta Lemon, and she was anti-fashion, anti-feminist - and anti-suffrage.
Mrs Lemon has been forgotten by history, but her mighty society lives on. Few, today, are aware that Britain's biggest conservation charity, the RSPB, was born through the determined efforts of a handful of women, led by the indomitable Mrs Lemon. While the suffragettes were slashing paintings and smashing shop windows, Etta Lemon and her local secretaries were challenging 'murderous millinery' all the way up to Parliament.
This gripping narrative explores two singular heroines - one lionised, the other forgotten - and their rival, overlapping campaigns. Moving from the feather workers' slums to the highest courtly circles, from the first female political rally to the first forcible feeding, Mrs Pankhurst's Purple Feather is a unique journey through a society in transformation.
This is a highly original story of women stepping into the public sphere, agitating for change - and finally finding a voice.
Tessa Boase read English at Oxford, and has worked as a scriptwriter, a voiceover artist and an editor at The Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail. As a freelance journalist she has contributed to a wide variety of publications. Her first book, The Housekeeper's Tale, was published in 2014.
Publisher : Quarto Publishing Group UK
Imprint : White Lion Publishing
Dewey classification : 941.082309252
Illustrations : 16-page plate section
Author : Tessa Boase


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Browse: Home / 2011 / July / 07 / Jindal signs four-year extension of Louisiana Historic Tax Credit program
Jindal signs four-year extension of Louisiana Historic Tax Credit program
By Crescent Growth Capital, LLC on July 7, 2011
The Times-Picayune, July 7, 2011
Standing in the art deco entryway of the iconic Saenger Theatre, Gov. Bobby Jindal on Thursday signed a pair of bills that extend tax credits for the restoration of certain historic structures, including the Canal Street performance venue.
"These historic tax credits will help us to revitalize and save this heritage of historic buildings for our children and the future," said Jindal, who was flanked by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, state lawmakers and members of the New Orleans City Council.
Completing a massive reconstruction of the Saenger, which opened in 1927 as a vaudeville playhouse before morphing into New Orleans' preeminent movie palace, hinged largely on the authorization of Senate Bill 63 by Sen. Ed Murray, D-New Orleans.
"Had that piece of legislation not passed, this project probably would have shut down," Landrieu said.
The measure extends through 2016 a program that provides income and franchise tax credits worth 25 percent of the cost of restoration projects in downtown development and "cultural products districts."
Developers in March halted work on the $45.8 million Saenger project after investors expressed concern that the tax credit program, which had been slated to expire Dec. 31, would not be renewed. Builders are counting on about $8 million in historic credits to restore the theater, which has been shuttered since it flooded after Hurricane Katrina. City Hall has earmarked another $13 million in block grants for the job, with investors chipping in the balance.
In light of the uncertainty, private lenders requested that all transactions related to the project be halted until the tax credit issue was resolved.
Confident that Jindal and state lawmakers would support the extension, the city agency overseeing the renovation agreed in mid-March to advance the Saenger team $1.1 million to ensure the swift resumption of work. Landrieu publicly backed the move by the board of the Canal Street Development Corp.
Developers anticipate closing on the entire financing package by October, with the theater expected to open in late 2012, mayoral spokesman Ryan Berni said. Officials expect the advance payment from the development corporation to be repaid, he said.
Fifty-five projects worth an estimated $291 million — and carrying $73 million in associated tax credits — are pending under the tax credit program, state documents show. Since it began in 2002, 124 projects have been awarded more than $135 million in tax credits.
Those projects have generated more than $650 million in investment statewide and created 11,000 construction jobs and 5,700 permanent jobs, Jindal said.
"Analysts tell us that for every $1 we invest in this program, we generate $3.22 in economic activity and revenue," he said.
Jindal on Thursday also signed House Bill 348 by Rep. Walt Leger III, D-New Orleans, which extends to 2016 a similar tax credit program for owner-occupied residential properties. The measure lowers from $20,000 to $10,000 the minimum qualifying rehabilitation cost and increases the credit rate to 25 percent for most projects and 50 percent to the restoration of blighted properties that date back at least a half-century.
Jindal cast the bill as a blight-fighting tool, and Brad Vogel of the local office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation called the residential tax credit "crucial" to continuing rebuilding efforts.
"As different neighborhoods pick up steam, it will help to make renovation a more viable option," he said.
Posted in News Articles | Tagged Adaptive Re-use, Cultural Economy, Historic Preservation, Historic Rehabilitation, Louisiana Cultural Districts, Post-Katrina Recovery, State Historic Tax Credits | Leave a response


Earlier this week, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) released its agenda for the next board meeting, to be held on March 23. Among the items to be discussed are updates on the delayed Line 1 subway extension to York University and Vaughan, plans for the Line 2 subway extension to Scarborough Centre, the new MiWay/GO Transit terminal at Kipling Station, the planned new 514 Cherry streetcar line and other Waterfront bus improvements, and a ridership update.
As always, Steve Munro is on top of it all, and I encourage you to read his post.
I wanted to make a few observations about ridership, especially in Toronto's suburbs. Growth in the TTC's ridership has slowed down in the last three years, from a 2.1% annual increase in 2013, to a much more modest 0.5% increase in 2015.
Ridership figures are not detailed enough to know at what times of the day ridership is changing, nor on what routes. But ridership growth has fallen (or even declined) for other major Canadian transit systems, including Vancouver, Montreal, and Ottawa. There are many causes for changes to ridership — population and employment growth or decline, fare increases, service improvements or cuts, even the cost of gas, which has been declining in the last two years. Much of the employment growth within the City of Toronto has been in the downtown core, but so has the population growth due to new residential highrises. (I'm one of thousands who live and work in or near the downtown core — my TTC use is now mostly during the evenings and weekends as I mostly walk to work).
Hopefully, the Commission and the city don't use this short-term trend as an excuse to hold back on needed service improvements or projects such as the Relief Line — for one thing, many buses, streetcars and subway trains are already overcapacity, and it is impossible to know whether slower ridership increases represent a long-term trend, or a short-term blip.
There was one table in the TTC ridership update that caught my attention. The table, on page 5, shows the ridership for every Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area transit system (though excluding Milton Transit). I reproduced that table below.
GTHA transit agency annual growth rates, 2013 to 2015. Adapted from TTC 2016 Ridership Update, page 5.
While the TTC's ridership growth has slowed, ridership in many suburban municipalities have either flatlined or declined. Only Mississauga and Brampton show consistent, positive growth over the last three years. MiWay, previously known as Mississauga Transit, hasn't expanded transit operations that much in the last few years, but that city continues to enjoy modest employment growth and improved connections to the airport, Brampton Transit and the TTC. It is currently building a new bus rapid transit (BRT) line, the Mississauga Transitway (more on that in a later post), and city council is backing the Hurontario LRT line, which would largely replace bus service on its busiest corridor.
Brampton's growth has been, by far, the most impressive. That suburban municipality is growing thanks mostly due to new sprawling subdivisions, but since in the last decade, Brampton Transit has been introducing annual system improvements, including the Zum "BRT-lite" network of limited-stop bus routes. Brampton's ridership is now almost that of the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR). Unlike Hamilton, Brampton doesn't have two major post-secondary educational institutions, nor a dense urban core, though it serves Humber College, York University, and two secondary Sheridan College campuses in Brampton and Misssissauga.
In Hamilton, ridership dropped by 1.8% in 2015. Most ridership in Hamilton is concentrated in the lower city, as well as a few trip generators in the suburbs, including Mohawk Collage on the Mountain, and Lime Ridge Mall. Many parts of the lower city have been hit hard by job losses in that city's major industries, though new subdivisions (and, to a lesser extent, downtown gentrificaton) have contributed to modest population growth. Hamilton is going ahead with a provincially-funded east-west light rail line that will connect McMaster University, Downtown Hamilton, and the east end.
Elsewhere, transit ridership growth has been quite disappointing. Burlington Transit saw a drastic 13.3% decline over the last three years, Durham Region, which I recently visited, saw a major decrease in 2015. However, there is lots of promise in its five-year service strategies, which will improve and simplify the agency's route structure and provide enhanced service.
2015 ridership for GTHA transit agencies (Milton excluded). The TTC, with narly 75% of the region's ridership total, dominates. GO Transit holds another 9%.
York Region Transit, serving a population of 1.2 million, has only 1 million annual riders more than Brampton, whose population is nearly half of York's. And despite adding new subdivisions (and a few new residential towers), ridership declined in the last two years. As illustrated in the table below, YRT's ridership per capita is less than half of Hamilton's or Mississauga's.
Comparing York Region Transit to other Canadian transit systems, 2013. From the VRT/Viva 5 year service plan, page 7.
It's interesting that despite poor transit ridership (amid York Region Council-mandated service cuts and steep fare hikes) York Region, with senior government assistance, is spending $1.4 billion on dedicated median busways on Highway 7, Yonge Street and Davis Drive. York Region will get the Spadina subway extension in 2017, and it pines for an extension of the over-burdened Yonge Subway to Richmond Hill Centre.
In York Region, there's a troubling disconnect between spending money on capital projects and funding the services that will use the shiny new infrastructure, or feed ridership to it. Brampton has proven that growing service, not necessarily fancy infrastructure, will grow ridership. That said, it remains disappointing that the suburban municipality with the best record for ridership growth in the Toronto region rejected a funded light rail transit line to its downtown core.
This entry was posted in Toronto, Transit and tagged Brampton, Durham Region, GO Transit, Mississauga, Ridership, Suburbs, TTC, York Region. Bookmark the permalink.


Green oak frames and trusses are a development in construction that originated in the medieval period and was used extensively in the building of the great cathedrals; York minster and St. George's chapel are fine examples of the use of green oak. Those same techniques employed by early English and Tudor builders are used today to create a unique fusion of ancient and modern styles and materials.
Skills and Experience are the two most important factors any company can possess when engaged in the specialist field of restoration. The exacting parameters demanded by architects, local authorities and overseeing organisations such as English Heritage and the National Trust can only be met by a sound knowledge of traditional practises.
Undertaking hand crafted joinery projects from external and internal doors, windows, orangeries, gates and staircases.
We are experts in the fabrication and installation of luxury made-to-measure Schueco aluminium bifold doors.
The bifold is the ideal way to update and modernize any space. A fantastic way to bring light into living space and will change the whole dynamic of your home. Bring the outside in.
Commercial building is all about that fine line drawn between functionality and economy. Even in this sector unique construction skills are required; not least of these is logistical organisation where client deadlines are of paramount importance.
With the right designer and the right builder dreams are turned into reality. We know what we want from our homes so let's build them.
We provide building and Installation services for wood and multi-fuel burners, gas Fires and fire surrounds. Whatever you're vision we can help you realise it. From Wood and Multi-fuel stoves to gas fires, in both traditional and contemporary styles.


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Retirement planning can be extremely complex.
I often describe it as trying to hit a moving target in the wind.
The target is moving because an individual does not know with any certainty the exact date retirement will begin or the duration of the retirement period.
This means there is no way an individual can aim for a "magic" retirement savings amount.
There is also the dynamic of wind because laws change, markets change, individual goals change, and the world changes.
As a result, the path from day one of retirement to day 10,950 of retirement, follows anything but a straight line.
Many individuals harm themselves by trying to time their investments to the fluctuations of the market and by constantly trading stocks in pursuit of maximum returns.
The reality is that average individual investors are really not very good at this strategy.
Staying the course remains the soundest advice for most investors. However, staying the course without paying close attention to the winds of change could now produce some hazardous implications for retirees in some states.
Most people are aware of the existence of the Unclaimed Property Laws in their states.
Every state has a law that requires financial institutions to report abandoned and unclaimed personal property after a specified time period.
In most states, as part of the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, the time period for property to be reported to the state is typically three or five years after it has been deemed to be either abandoned or unclaimed.
These time periods vary state-by-state, and also vary by the type of property involved.
The traditional unclaimed property laws essentially gave the individual three years after reaching age 70.5, or five years after the inheritance of a retirement account, like an IRA, 401(k), or defined-benefit plan before the rules kick in and an individual would need to take action.
This is really important, because if the state takes your unclaimed IRA or 401(k), it essentially liquidates the account and takes the money out of the tax-deferred shelter. In this event, the unclaimed property now becomes subject to income taxes.
Even if the individual finds an unclaimed retirement account property later on, there will likely be substantial back taxes to be paid, and the tax-deferred nature of the retirement account will have been lost.
Traditional unclaimed property laws deferred the state capture and liquidation of these accounts until after a required minimum distribution would have occurred at age 70.5, or until death. Even though the tax implications of the state claiming a retirement account are painful, the rules made sense.
However, in the past few years a new movement might be brewing that would empower states to treat retirement accounts as abandoned property much sooner.
In 2016, Pennsylvania enacted an unclaimed property rule that treats retirement accounts no differently than all other accounts.
After just three years of inactivity, regardless of the account holder's age, the account will now qualify as unclaimed property. You are still allowed to claim your property into perpetuity, but the account will be liquidated and placed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's General Fund.
This means that ordinary income taxes are owed on the entire amount and, in addition, there will likely be a 10% penalty tax for early withdrawal from your account, if done prior to age 59.5.
In a 2016 private letter ruling (PLR 201611028), the IRS allowed a taxpayer whose abandoned retirement accounts had been liquidated by his state to complete a late 60-day rollover after the funds were recovered. It's likely the IRS would grant similar relief to taxpayers in a similar situation today.
This new practice in Pennsylvania has been called a money grab and deviates substantially from the past practice of allowing retirement accounts to sit until much later, typically age 70.5.
This change puts a substantial burden on anyone with accounts held in Pennsylvania.
This means you should continue to log into your accounts every year, check the balances, and make sure your contact information is current.
It's also a good idea to make sure you know the definition of "inactive" that applies to your accounts.
For instance, automatically reinvested dividends or interest may not be enough to qualify to keep your account in "active" status on their own, even though additional shares are being purchased on an ongoing basis. The same may also be true of automatically recurring distributions sent to banks or other accounts.
If you think this rule doesn't impact you because you don't live in Pennsylvania, think again.
Since the rule requires financial institutions to report the abandoned property, it applies to the financial institutions in Pennsylvania, specifically mutual-fund giant Vanguard, with more than $3 trillion in assets.
While there is some disagreement as to whether the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preempts any of these state abandoned property laws, the general consensus is that only fully insured plans and defined-benefit plans are protected from the unclaimed property laws.
That is because sending money to the state in fulfillment of the new unclaimed property laws would decrease funding for all participants. As such, IRAs, Roth IRAs, and 401(k)s seem fair game under Pennsylvania law.
To help protect yourself against unclaimed property laws, make sure your contact information is always up-to-date, log into the account each year, respond promptly to any requests about your account, and stay engaged with your finances. Inactivity for long periods of time could cause your retirement account to escheat to the state, resulting in thousands of dollars of unanticipated additional taxes and penalties.
This would not be welcome news to anyone on the already treacherous road to a financially secure retirement.


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SDLP Belfast Councillors welcome alleygate...
SDLP Belfast Councillors welcome alleygate funding
Belfast SDLP Councillors Séamas de Faoite and Gary McKeown, who have been championing the cause of alleyway regeneration with residents, have welcomed Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon's announcement of funding to enhance entries and other similar spaces.
Cllr. McKeown said: "We have been working with residents to build an alley revolution, supporting communities to re-imagine neglected spaces and transform them to thriving places which can be used to grow plants, meet in safe and socially distanced ways, and run community projects such as building planters and playing music.
"This transformation has helped support residents' mental and physical health, particularly during lockdown. However, much of this has happened organically with very little support, which is why we have been working with Minister Nichola Mallon to deliver change. This funding announcement is very welcome in support of the great work communities have been doing."
Cllr. de Faoite said: "Our appreciation of space and the need for urban greenery to protect biodiversity has never been more acute. Minister Mallon's announcement today will help residents deliver climate action at the most local level possible - transforming Belfast's historic alleyways into places communities can be proud of."
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