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Berkshire's $34B BNSF Railroad Investment Nearly Doubles In 4 Years
Posted By: Saul Griffith May 5, 2014, 9:35 am
If you think the man has lost his touch, think again.
Warren Buffett's 'elephant-gun' purchase of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC (NYSE:BNI) railroad for $34 billion in 2010 was impeccably timed (coming as it did a year off the 2008-2009 financial crisis) and a huge bet on the revival of the US economy.
However, just four years later, this investment is worth at least $65 billion, according to analysts.
"Based on 8x forward EV/EBITDA and a P/E multiple of 14x our 2015 earnings outlook, this would imply a current equity value for BN of around $65bn," say Barclays analysts Jay Gelb, Sarah DeWitt, Jessica Idiculla, John O'Brien and Adam Frank in their April 28, 2014 research note on Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) (NYSE:BRK.B), the conglomerate and ultimate owner of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC (NYSE:BNI).
"Notably, this gain in intrinsic value since the acquisition is not captured in Berkshire Hathaway's financial statements," they add.
The chart below shows how earnings at BNSF have expanded following its acquisition by Buffett.
Berkshire Hathaway BNSF
The analysts also brush off the recent adverse publicity surrounding the railroad's drag on Berkshire Hathaway Inc.(NYSE:BRK.A) (NYSE:BRK.B)'s Q1 results as a weather-related quirk.
BNSF and Berkshire's first quarter
Net income was down to $4.71 billion ($2,862 a share) from $4.89 billion ($2,977 a share) in the year ago period. Operating profit during the quarter declined 7% to $ 3.53 billion ($ 2149 per share) from $ 3.78 billion ($ 2302 per share) a year ago. The consensus estimate was for profit of $ 2172 per share.
However, book value per share was higher by 2.6% at $ 138,426 compared to $ 134,973 as at the end of the year. This is Buffett's preferred metric.
At BNSF, pre-tax profit for the first quarter fell nearly 9.3% compared to the same period last year as per Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) (NYSE:BRK.B)'s quarterly filing.
"In the first quarter of 2014, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC (NYSE:BNI)'s revenues and earnings were negatively affected by severe weather conditions and service-related challenges, particularly in the Northern U.S service territory," reveals Berkshire's quarterly filing. "Together, these factors reduced operating efficiencies and gave rise to higher costs for service recovery."
"Nevertheless, we expect that revenues and earnings over the remainder of 2014 will exceed 2013. In addition, our planned capital investments and new employee hiring in 2014 will expand capacity and allow us to maintain high service levels in the future," assures Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) (NYSE:BRK.B) in its filing.
According to the Barclays analysts, the severe weather conditions during the winter made operating conditions very difficult for transportation companies across the country and BNSF, as well as main competitor Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP), were no exceptions.
The following graphic shows the impact of the weather on network fluidity as measured by train velocities.
According to Barclays, fluidity is reverting slowly to BNSF's network. "While some challenges in BNSF's system could persist well beyond the first few months in 2014, especially in the carrier's northern operations, broadly we expect network recovery to track the pace of the broader industry," they say.
Berkshire's shareholder meeting
At Berkshire's annual shareholders' meeting in Omaha, held over the weekend, questions were raised of Buffett regarding BNSF's disappointing quarterly performance.
Buffett reassured shareholders that the company would be spending many, many billions of dollars to boost the railroad's performance. "We are making significant investments," said BNSF executive chairman, Matt Rose.
"At BNSF we will spend a lot of money to have the best railroad possible but we're not going to be buying other businesses," Buffett, 83, said, however.
"This business requires substantial capital expenditures (currently $5bn annually), although BN's cash flows are more than adequate to cover these requirements" say the Barclays analysts. "Solid volume growth, marginal pricing gains, and the potential for unit cost improvement create a favourable backdrop for BN."
This capital spending, as well as Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC (NYSE:BNI)'s locomotive capacity suggests that the weather disruptions during the winter could be mostly short lived, suggest the analysts. "Recent network disruptions are seasonal not structural… After taking a deep dive, we found these structural concerns to be a bit overdone."
BNSF to gain volume share in 2014
Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC (NYSE:BNI) is one of the largest railroad operators in the United States, running a network across 32,500 miles, as shown below. According to Buffett, BNSF transports about 15% of all inter-city freight, "whether it is transported by truck, rail, water, air, or pipeline."
The railroad will benefit in 2014 from freight demand due to 3 factors:
a record North American grain harvest
growth in crude oil transportation markets
and the shift from trucking to rail-intermodal service
In particular, Barclays note that BNSF is strategically positioned to take advantage of the US crude oil boom because of its direct access to the Bakken shale formation which is delivering significant growth for the railroad.
BNSF has already demonstrated a sustained rise in net margins from 12.4% in 2008 to 17.2% in 2013 as shown below:
"In 2014, we expect solid volume growth and continued focus on cost containment to deliver another year of solid earnings improvement for BN," says the Barclays research note.
Competition is robust
According to Barclays, competition in railroads remains robust, and arch rival Union Pacific is slightly ahead. "Union Pacific has generated notable improvement in profitability and cash flow conversion over the past several years," note the analysts. Post the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) (NYSE:BRK.B) acquisition, BNSF has kept pace, though "Union Pacific comes out slightly ahead in terms of free cash flow conversion, margin expansion and capital returns."
Nevertheless, market analysts, such as Josh Brown of Ritholtz Wealth Management do raise the question of the impact of the 1700 mile long Keystone XL pipeline project on the business of BNSF, were it to obtain the necessary approvals.
"We expect solid volume growth, marginal pricing gains and the potential for unit cost improvement should create a positive setup for BN earnings in 2014," says the Barclays research note, however. "Importantly, we expect the company will maintain an adequate ability to pay a consistent and large distribution to Berkshire Hathaway."
This should be highly beneficial for Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) (NYSE:BRK.B) given that Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC (NYSE:BNI) accounts for nearly 26% of Berkshire's pre-tax operating earnings. More power to the elephant gun!
Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith is an investor in stocks, commodities and forex, writing under a pen name. Saul has top accounting qualifications and extensive experience in industry and the financial markets. He also has an abiding interest in breaking news that could be a harbinger of new trends and give insight into an instrument's potential for providing value, growth or yield.
Rise of The Entrepreneur: The Pros and Cons of Entering a Business Single-Handedly
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Is Grave Dancing "Extremely Dangerous"?


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The Interpretation of Music is a book by Thurston Dart. It is described by the Encyclopædia Britannica as "the best direct and concise account of the issues of performance".

This book deals with correct performance conventions and procedures relevant to different periods and styles (for example Gregorian intonation, divisions upon parts, French baroque over-dotting, etc.). It covers these various topics in a chronological order, also giving descriptions of period instruments and their uses. It is a book useful for those wishing to compose in a more authentic antiquated style, and for those wishing to make performances more historically "correct".

References

Music books

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Thoughts on current read: I'm only 20 pages into Uglies: Shay's Story, but I really like it! It's cool to see the world of Uglies come to life!
I adapted this template from Irish at Ticket to Anywhere. Thanks, Irish!
Oct. 2014 Readathon: Finish Line!
April 2015 Readathon: Finish Line!


This code allows users to implement various backtesting methods for a series of VaR margins or VaR forecasts. The statistical tests are the following: z statistic (Jorion, 2007), LR tests (Kupiec, 1995 and Christoffersen, 1998), DQ tests (Engle and Manganelli, 2004), LR duration based tests (Christoffersen and Pelletier, 2004), and the Risk Map (Colletaz, Hurlin and Perignon, 2011).
This series corresponds to the observed P&L. The sample size T is implicit, but T has to be smaller than 1000.
This series corresponds to the VaR(α). The sample size T is implicit, but has to smaller than 1000.
You have two choice for the coverage rate: 1% and 5%.
The user has the choice to implement (1) all the test, (2) only the Unconditional Coverage (UC) tests, (3) only the independence (IND) tests or (4) only the Conditional Coverage (CC) test.
You can implement (1) all the tests, (2) only the z-statistic test and the Kupiec's test, (3) only the Christoffersen's LR tests, (4) only the Engle and Manganelli's DQ tests, (5) on the LR duration-based tests or (6) only the Risk Map (Perignon and Hurlin, 2011).
P&L This series corresponds to the daily P&L for La Caixa bank (2007-2008). T=500.
Coverage rate The coverage rate is fixed to 1%.
Type of test We implement all the available tests (UC, IND and CC) for the demonstration.
Choose the test that you want to implement We implement all the available testsfor the demonstration.
We provide various estimates of the government net capital stocks for a panel of 26 developing countries over the period 1970-2001. These internationally comparable series of public capital are proposed as a complementary solution to the use of public investment flows and to the use of physical measures of infrastructure when one comes to evaluate the productivity of the public capital formation in developing countries. In these estimates based on various assumptions, we attempt to take into account the potential inefficiency of public investment in creating capital.
Arestoff, F., and C. Hurlin, "Are Public Investment Efficient in Creating Capital Stocks in Developing Countries? Estimates of Government Net Capital Stocks for 26 Developing Countries, 1970-2002", Economics Bulletin, 30, 1-11.
We present an evaluation of the main empirical approaches used in the literature to estimate the contribution of public capital stock to growth and private factors' productivity. Based on a simple stochastic general equilibrium model, built as to reproduce the main long-run relations observed in US post-war historical data, we show that the production function approach may not be reliable to estimate this contribution. Our analysis reveals that this approach largely overestimates the public capital elasticity, given the presence of a common stochastic trend shared by all non-stationary inputs.
Hurlin, C., and A. Minea, "Appendices for the article "Is Public Capital Really Productive? A Methodological Reappraisal" ", Université d'Orléans.
Bank credit to the private sector fell as a share to GDP during the last decade, in spite of a successful bank recapitalization in the middle of the 2000s and high and stable growth before the recent macroeconomic turmoil. This paper explains this trend based on both bank supply factors and demand for credit from the private sector. First the paper describes the evolution of the banks' sources and uses of funds in the period 2005-2011, characterized by two different cycles of external capital flows. Then it estimates supply and demand equations of credit to the private sector, using quarterly data for the period 1999-2011. First, the system of simultaneous equations is estimated assuming continuous market clearing. Then the system is estimated allowing for transitory disequilibrium. In general, the main results are robust to the market clearing assumption. Our main findings show that, while real industrial production and the stock market have a significant impact on credit demand, deposits and claims on government affected the supply of credit in Egypt. Finally, both models yield similar results for the most recent period of private credit contraction: the single most important factor explaining the largest share of the decline is the expansion of banking credit to the public sector. The slowdown in economic activity and the contraction of bank deposits explain the remainder of the predicted contraction in bank credit to the private sector.
Herrera, S., C. Hurlin, and C. Zaki, "Why don't Banks Lend to the Private Sector in Egypt? ", World Bank Working Paper Series.


Description: Exterior Specialties is a business categorized under roofing, siding, and sheetmetal work, nec, which is part of the larger category others miscellaneous retail. Exterior Specialties is located at the address 558 Priest Road in Attapulgus, Georgia 39815-2226. The Owner is Don Venable who can be contacted at (229)248-8407.


As you already know, the North American Critical Ops scene is currently the toughest one to compete in.
Most of the players in the top teams are so skilled that any one of them is capable of single handedly turning the round into the favor of his team.
Still, every now and then a new team that looks surprisingly promising comes around.
One such team is definitely Team Exile.
Right now, they're playing in the Valiance Summer Season Qualifiers and they have a great chance to advance to the Group Stage.
In order to get to know the team and what their goals are, we decided to talk with their captain – Thesk.
Can you please walk us through your lineup and tell us how long have you been playing together?
As for the player roles we aren't in agreement yet, but things are slowly but surely getting better.
Also, we've been playing together for a few weeks so far and I'm definitely seeing improvements from the team.
You have several notable names in the team, such as "Obzerps", who used to play for Gankstars, and "Retroz", who played for both D2R and IMP.
Are such players the driving force of the team, or would you say that experience is not that important?
These players are the ones with the most knowledge of the game and the most experience knowing they played for and against these top teams.
How do you feel about best-of-one elimination format of the Valiance Summer Season Qualifiers?
Very serious, no joking around in any of the matches or it'll be the end of us for the entire season.
Looking at the bracket, who would you point out as the toughest opponent and why?
I'm not very sure about these teams but from what I've heard, "Team Virus5" seems to be the toughest team in the brackets.
If you make it to the Group Stages, you will meet the likes of Gankstars, Hammers eSports, D2R, and Impreza.
Would you say that your team is able to compete against top tier teams?
We just need to practice a lot more and adapt to these top teams.
If we do so, we will be able to compete in the Group Stages.
North America is the strongest C-Ops region at the moment.
There were some recent roster changes that made some teams even stronger. Which team is in the best shape right now in your opinion?
This is very hard to agree but judging from the looks, it would be Gankstars.
They definitely have shown to be the biggest and strongest team to ever compete in Critical Ops.
Hammers Esports are on the come up as well.
You stated that you are looking for an organization on Twitter.
Why is it important for you to represent an organization and what do you expect to get in return?
It's very important to represent an organization, because it will draw a lot more players into the game and help the game and community grow.
I would rather not discuss what I'm expecting to get in return.
What are your team's goals in the next 3 months?
The main goal is to definitely make a name for ourselves, and compete at the top tier level.
We'd like to wish Team Exile the best of luck and we hope to see them playing in the Group Stage once it begins.
What do you think about Team Exile?
Would you say they stand a chance against some of the better known teams?


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Heartbreaking Photo Shows Depth Of COVID-19 Tragedy In Argentina
Published May 29, 2021 at 7:43 AM EDT
Statistics can never fully capture the immensity of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hard to visualize the loss of 3.5 million lives. But sometimes a single image can reach into people. This week, a photograph of a young woman in Argentina went around the world, and the enormity of the loss there has become more visible. NPR South America correspondent Philip Reeves joins us now from Rio de Janeiro. Philip, thanks for being with us.
PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: You're welcome.
SIMON: And please tell us about this photo.
REEVES: Well, it shows a young woman called Lara Arreguiz. She's a student aged 22, and she's lying on the floor of a corridor in a hospital using her jacket as a blanket and her bag as a pillow. Lara's reportedly diabetic. She was taken to hospital with COVID, but there wasn't an IC bed for her. By the time she got one, it was too late. She died a couple of hours later.
But that image of her alone on the floor has been published all around Latin America. And it's really hit a nerve, partly 'cause she's young and looks like she could be anyone's kid, but also because the Argentine government's been saying that, yes, the COVID crisis in Argentina is bad, but at least everyone's receiving treatment, unlike some other countries in the region. This image shows that that is not so.
SIMON: We've heard so much over the past 15 months about how devastating the pandemic has been in Brazil. How do you assess how bad it's been in Argentina?
REEVES: Well, it's worse now than it has ever been. Intensive care units in big cities are close to breaking point with 95% occupancy. Yesterday, another 39,000 new cases were reported, which is just shy of the daily record, which was set on Thursday. And there were also another 560 deaths, bringing Argentina's overall COVID death toll to almost 77,000.
SIMON: Argentina's government has locked down towns and cities since the start of the pandemic. Now the big cities are locked down again. Why are cases rising?
REEVES: Well, one part of this is caused by the rapid spread of new variants, including the Brazilian and the U.K. variants. These account for 90% of new cases, according to Dr. Omar Sued, who's president of Argentina's Society of Infectiology. Sued says another reason is that restrictions have simply become harder to enforce.
OMAR SUED: The people started to not listen to the advice of the authorities because the people will stay there (ph) because the people need to work for earn some money, but also because there was a lot, a lot of confrontation, and a lot of the people got confused and doesn't know what to do.
REEVES: The confrontation he's talking about, Scott, is political. It's coming from state and city governments who are against the national government's attempts to impose restrictions because the economy's nose-diving. Just over a week ago, President Alberto Fernandez imposed a semi-lockdown, closing all but essential businesses and with a nighttime curfew. And that is now about to end.
SIMON: Of course, Phil, scientists argue that the only way of reversing the trend is with vaccines. How are vaccines progressing in Argentina?
REEVES: Well, as you know, you know, there's fierce global competition for vaccines. And like everywhere in Latin America, Argentina's having trouble getting ahold of enough of them. It's using the Russian Sputnik, Sinopharm from China and AstraZeneca. More than 20% of the population's had one dose, but scientists are saying that even after most people are eventually vaccinated, targeted restrictions will have to continue because this crisis isn't going to go away anytime soon.
SIMON: NPR's Philip Reeves, thanks so much.
REEVES: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Enrollment in our child care facility is on a first come, first served basis and is subject to availability. Children must be at least 18 months of age and enrollment must be a minimum of 3 days per week.
Ma Petite Maison follows Canada's Food Guide. We provide lunch and morning and afternoon snacks, which are included in the tuition fee.


Stuart Bedford has joined LeapFrog Investments as General Counsel, leaving his role at top-ten global law firm Linklaters, where he was Head of the London Corporate Division and the Private Equity Group. In his diverse career, Stuart has led over US $40 billion of transactions across Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe – including major M&As, IPOs and placings.
Stuart joins as a Partner and will oversee all LeapFrog's legal functions. His two decades of legal experience span financial services, food and beverages, mining, infrastructure and energy. He has led relationships with Carlyle, TIAA-CREF, Khazanah, Temasek and Standard Chartered Principal Finance. Earlier in his career at Linklaters, he was Head of the Corporate Division for Asia.
LeapFrog's founding General Counsel, Tom Brunner, will stay with the business. "We are delighted that Tom will continue as a Partner, drawing on his nearly 50 years of experience and wisdom to support our leadership team across the world," said Kuper.
Stuart joins a team of 75 across 6 offices in Europe, Africa and Asia.


This Ford Mustang hoodie features an understated silhouette design of the classic GT500 Fastback Mustang. This iconic car is now a true collectors item.
Your Mustang hoodie is a soft fleecy lined cotton/polyester blend, that is mid-weight to be warm without being bulky. It has a lined drawstring hood and front pocket.
Ford Mustang hoodie available in sizes S to 3XL.
Why not pair your classic Mustang t-shirt with a new Mustang T-Shirt? Old school and new.


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A Seewolf farkasfalka a Kriegsmarine tengeralattjárókból álló második világháborús támadóegysége volt, amely összehangoltan tevékenykedett 1941. szeptember 2. és 1941. szeptember 15. között az Atlanti-óceán északi részén, főleg Izlandtól délre, Írországtól nyugatra. A Seewolf (Farkashal) farkasfalka 17 búvárhajóból állt, amelyek öt hajót (20 396 brt) süllyesztettek el. A tengeralattjárók nem szenvedtek veszteséget. A falka által elsüllyesztett hajók tekintetében átfedés van a Brandenburg falkával.

A farkasfalka tengeralattjárói

Elsüllyesztett hajók

Jegyzetek

Források

Második világháborús német tengeralattjáró-farkasfalkák


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Home » World News » Mexican students killed, dissolved in acid: officials
Mexican students killed, dissolved in acid: officials
MEXICO CITY — Authorities in the western Mexico state of Jalisco say they believe three film students missing since last month were killed and dissolved in acid.
The Jalisco Attorney General's Office says two men have been arrested and there are arrest orders for four others in the case.
The students were abducted March 19 on the outskirts of Guadalajara after working on a film project for school at a location that was apparently being watched by members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
Authorities said at a news conference Monday that the students were taken to another location where one was beaten to death. Then the other two were killed.
Prosecutors say the bodies were taken to a third location, where investigators believe they were dissolved in sulfuric acid.
« Kim Jong-un holds hands of injured tourists after crash killed 32 in North Korea
David Beckham Congratulates William And Kate on Baby No. 3 With a Cute Throwback Picture »


In India, 72 % of the farmers hold less than 2 ha of land, out of which approximately two-third has less than 0.5 ha of land, based on the latest available agriculture census (see Figure 1). With more than a lakh farmers falling in this category, the regular maintenance of the farm records (farming type, type of crop, health of the crop, water stress, etc.) is a humongous task. While agriculture is influenced by factors varying from farm to farm and requires information tailored to the local scale1. Due to the lack of proper data, the unit of the various government schemes is not an individual farmer, but rather a larger administrative unit (e.g. a village, panchayat, taluka, tehsil, district, etc.).
Once such large scheme is crop insurance (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna(PMFBY)) which aims to provide protection to farmer against losses caused by crop failure and thereby ensuring stability in farm income2. Due to the tedious effort required in collecting the data at the farm scale, the crop insurance is implemented using the homogeneous area approach. However, the cause of crop failure varies from farm to farm and a significant variation is observed within a village.
A possible solution to collect the data at farm scale is the satellite remote sensing. The availability of higher resolution satellite in microwave bands which are capable of penetrating clouds makes it possible to collect the data at farm scale in all weather conditions. As an example, the active microwave (RADARSAT-2) estimated soil moisture for the farms in Chamarajnagar district of Karnataka, India is shown in the above figure. The satellite estimated soil moisture was validated using the 1262 data points spanning over 4 years in 50 farms3. During the validation, the mean Root Mean Squared Error was observed to be around 0.04–0.06 m3/m3 indicating the good retrieval of soil moisture from satellite data at the farm scale.


SIR ALEX FERGUSON has explained the truth behind the legendary 'Fergie time'.
The former Manchester United boss was famous for his touchline antics and one of his most powerful weapons was attached to his left wrist.
Ferguson would frantically point at at his watch and bellow instructions at the referee as United chased a late equaliser or winner and it felt like more often than not they got it.
But Ferguson has revealed a sneaky secret about the whole tactic.
Ferguson said: "Absolutely [other team's were frightened of it]. That's why I used to go with my watch.
"But I never looked at my watch. Honestly. I didn't know how many minutes but it gets across to the opponents and the referee. It was just a little trick."
United's most famous last-minute winner came courtesy of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 1999 which sealed the treble for the Red Devils.


It's a bit uncertain with the gold producers. Many of them look as if they have hit resistance lines and have breached the short term uptrends that coincided with the rally in the gold price. They are now contained within longer term downtrends that go back to their peaks in mid 2106. While the A$ gold price isn't moving much it seems that institutions are selling gold stocks and moving money to the sidelines.


According to the United States Department of Commerce figures, US retail sales grew by only 0.1% in September 2015.
Economists had predicted a rise of 0.2%.
The flat figure was mainly attributed to a fall in fuel prices and a slowing labor market.
US car sales did rise, but core sales, which exclude those, building materials and petrol- dipped by 0.1%.
The disappointing figures make it less likely that the Federal Reserve will raise rates in October.
Slow labor growth in the US is one reason believed to have curbed some discretionary spending by Americans.
Third quarter growth in the US was also revised down to 1.7%.
The Fed is looking for 2% growth to justify increasing its benchmark rate.


The Grange St. Paul`s is a beautiful, luxury hotel in close proximity to Christopher Wren`s iconic cathedral and within walking distance of (Thames) Bankside. The Hotel offers elegance and comfort within each of it`s 460 rooms at competitive rates and is perfectly positioned in a central location for convenient trips into all parts of London. This spacious and well appointed hotel is family run and has a very non-corporate feel about , although business users are are well catered for. There is a comprehensive choice of dining facilities including an on-site Benihana and the much praised Novello Restaurant on the gallery floor.
The Hotel might not quite have the same history as its illustrious neighbor, St. Paul's Cathedral or the Globe Theatre, but it is never-the-less significant. It is part of the Grange Hotels Group including the Grange Tower Bridge and the Grange City, which are owned by the Martharu brothers - Tony, Raj and Harpal. They decided to establish their hotels in central London locations brimming with numerous attractions like Covent Garden, the West End and a plethora of memorable historical sites. The Grange St. Paul's was built in 2008 on the site of an old British Telecom exchange.
The Grange St.Paul's differentiates itself from many other central London hotels. For the visiting tourist, it is very close to many famous sites including the Tate Gallery accessible on foot via the nearby Millenium Bridge, the Royal Courts of Justice and numerous (other) Wren built churches. For the business traveler, it is well located and appointed for the City's financial district.
Perhaps its most unique feature is its 'female friendly' wing with each room featuring backlit make-up mirrors, anti-mist bathroom mirrors and special luxury bathrooms.
Other features include the Style and Blow hairstyling salon, the Ajala Spa, a fully equipped gymnasium and sumptuous subterranean swimming pool that all contribute to a memorable stay.


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Heatwave (1982, Phillip Noyce)
22 June 2019 Andrew Wickliffe	3 Comments
Heatwave is not a film noir. It seems like it ought to be one, but it's not. It's got all the pieces to be a film noir, but the way director Noyce assembles them doesn't result in noir. There are occasionally these heavily stylized slow motion sequences. Sometimes Noyce and editor John Scott emphasize relief, sometimes violence, sometimes heat. The film's narrative distance isn't noir enough. It's a really cool narrative distance, but it's not at all noir. It's a breakneck paced thriller, only with two protagonists who don't realize they're in a thriller. They think they're in entirely different stories.
Second-billed Richard Moir (who's actually the lead) is an architect whose big new project is running into some snags. The project is a futuristic condo, made mostly of glass (Noyce never gives the model a close-up so nothing's too specific), with trees inside and natural lighting and so on. To get the project built, the developers are going to kick out the working class residents and tear down their homes. The project is called "Eden"; Heatwave is perfectly matter-of-fact with quite a few things. It barely runs ninety minutes and has a bunch of characters, lots of story; Noyce and co-writer Marc Rosenberg never waste time, they're pragmatic to the point of obvious but it works because Moir's astoundingly naive. So long as he doesn't have to compromise his designs, Moir doesn't really care about anything. Wife Anna Maria Monticelli, who also works with him in some unexplained capacity, is a social climber. Moir's from a working class background, Monticelli's a blue blood. She wants to show the world her man's made good. He's indifferent but happy to play along; he's getting recognized for his amazing architectural designs, everything else is gravy. But not even gravy worth caring about too much.
Then there's top-billed Judy Davis. She's a blue blood who went to college, got radicalized, now tries to help the working class with their plight. She works for independent, crusading journalist Carole Skinner. Skinner's not a blue blood and she lends Davis some cred. There's a non-subplot about Skinner and Moir being good friends before Moir went to the U.S. to study architecture and get better indoctrinated with capitalism. When he got back they weren't friends any more. Or so the movie says. Moir's got zero reaction to Skinner's eventual mysterious disappearance. Notice I just gave Davis's paragraph away? Gave it to Moir? Because the movie does the same thing, over and over.
It's fine, it works out. But Moir's nowhere near as interesting as Davis. At least in terms of performance. Moir's just aloof and naive. Kind of pseudo-preppy. He's constantly tagging along with the real alpha males, developer Chris Haywood and lawyer John Gregg. Davis gets to do a lot more. Even when Moir gets interested in Skinner's disappearance, it's only because he's not cool with how scummy Haywood and Gregg are willing to go evicting residents. And because not-independent newspaper reporter and fun old guy John Meillon wants Moir to get involved.
Moir does stay involved for his own reasons… primarily Davis. He's got the hots for Davis because she says and thinks all the things he didn't know he kind of wanted to say or think. As for Davis… her being interested too is one of the film's plotting efficiencies. Maybe one Noyce should've taken more time with, but Davis is always getting shafted on story time.
She gets a decent amount of action, but she also ends up with a bunch of the exposition. Noyce has this great device for exposition—characters sitting, listening to the radio. Because it's too hot to do much besides sit and listen to the radio. Heatwave takes place during a winter heatwave. The film starts before Christmas, ends on New Year's. Everyone is miserably hot, visibly miserably hot, no one ever complains, they just endure it as best they can. It's a great built-in constant, agitating the plot whenever needed.
Heatwave's efficient to a fault.
Excellent performance from Davis, really good one from Moir. Haywood's good, Gregg's good. Meillon's decent. He's functional for the script more than anything else. Meillon's able to imply depth; the script doesn't want it from him. It would be really nice if Gillian Jones were able to imply depth. She's got a small but important role and… it's not a good performance. Might not be Jones's fault, given her character and the character's writing. But still. That aspect of the film being better might have brought it up to another level.
Then again Jones is one of the noir pieces and Heatwave isn't a noir.
Great photography Vincent Monton. Good music from Cameron Allan. Ross Major's production design is another plus. Noyce's direction is extravagant but never self-indulgent.
Heatwave is a rather good stiflingly hot Christmas, not noir but noir-y, stylish conspiracy thriller.
Directed by Phillip Noyce; screenplay by Noyce and Marc Rosenberg, based on a story by Mark Stiles and Tim Gooding; director of photography, Vincent Monton; edited by John Scott; music by Cameron Allan; production designer, Ross Major; produced by Hilary Linstead; released by Roadshow Film Distributors.
Starring Judy Davis (Kate Dean), Richard Moir (Stephen West), Chris Haywood (Peter Houseman), Bill Hunter (Robert Duncan), John Gregg (Philip Lawson), Anna Maria Monticelli (Victoria West), John Meillon (Freddie Dwyer), Dennis Miller (Mick Davies), Carole Skinner (Mary Ford), Gillian Jones (Barbie Lee Taylor), Frank Gallacher (Dick Molnar), Tui Bow (Annie), and Don Crosby (Jim Taylor).
This post is part of the Hotter'nell Blogathon hosted by Steve of MovieMovieBlogBlog II.
Phillip Noyce
Malcolm (1986, Nadia Tass)
Muriel's Wedding (1994, P.J. Hogan)
Nightshift (1985, Phillip Noyce)
Blood and Wine (1996, Bob Rafelson)
Newsfront (1978, Phillip Noyce)
Bill HunterCameron AllanChris HaywoodGillian JonesHeatwaveJudy DavisMarc RosenbergPhillip NoyceRoadshow Film Distributors
1982, Recommended, Television
A Charlie Brown Celebration (1982, Bill Melendez)
10 December 2018 Andrew Wickliffe	Leave a comment
A Charlie Brown Celebration opens with Charles M. Schulz introducing the special–which is twice as long as a regular special–and explaining he and director Bill Melendez had a little bit different of an idea for this one. It's going to be a series of vignettes (though Schulz doesn't use that term), with some longer ones and some shorter ones.
The first series of short vignettes goes on so long, it's impossible to guess what's coming after them. It's the end of summer and the Peanuts cast all goes back to school, mostly with Sally (Cindi Reilly) worrying about being back. But there's some moments for the rest of the kids, particularly Peppermint Patty (Brent Hauer), and then some gentle brown-nosing from Linus (Rocky Reilly). The focus on school segues nicely into the first longer story, which has Peppermint Patty trying to decide if she wants to go to private school to get her grades up. Thing is, she doesn't want to cost her dad too much money on it.
Good thing Snoopy's recommendation–an obedience school–is only twenty-five bucks.
Celebration has already requested the suspension of disbelief–Snoopy in scuba gear–so Peppermint Patty running around the obstacle course, not quite about to figure out why all the other students are making their dogs do it… it works. Especially since Marcie (Shannon Cohn) is around to give Patty some moral support, as well as some particularly acerbic jabs.
The next longer vignette has Linus and Sally on a field trip where Linus runs into another woman–Truffles (voiced by Casey Carlson)–much to Sally's chagrin. But then Linus gets stuck on a snow-covered, icy barn roof and Sally's got to enlist Snoopy and Woodstock to save him. It's got some charm–with a particularly good performance from Rocky Reilly, who's on the roof in the first place to get away from the fighting girls–even if it's a little slight.
Celebration's stories might be slight but the production values are always strong. Even if there's rarely background players on screen (no one is visible at the obedience school except Patty, for instance). It's good direction from Melendez.
The next story–Lucy throwing out Schroeder's piano–is fantastic. Voicing Lucy, Kristen Fullerton has already had some moments in the special but once she gets more material, Celebration basically becomes a showcase for her. She tosses the piano in the sewer, leading to Schroeder (a perfectly fine Christopher Donohoe) and Charlie Brown (Michael Mandy) having to try to mount a rescue. Melendez does really well with the scale on this one.
Then it's back to Marcie and Peppermint Patty for an attempted baseball cap heist at the local ballpark before the grand finale, Charlie Brown getting mysteriously ill and ending up in the hospital. All the Peanuts kids worry about him, particularly Lucy (again, great stuff from Fullerton).
Schulz's script for the vignettes are strong. The shorter ones, which are like a daily comic strip as far as pacing, are all amusing or better. The longer ones are often well-plotted with some great developments–Marcie's crisis of conscience at the ballpark heist. The performances are all fine or better. Cohn's initially a little labored in her pauses with Marcie, but the material makes up for it. And Mandy is almost as good as Fullerton.
A Charlie Brown Celebration is exactly what it says–a celebration. With some rather great moments thanks to the cast, Schulz, and–especially–Melendez. The pluses more than make up for the occasionally wonky animation and editing.
Directed by Bill Melendez; written by Charles M. Schulz; edited by Roger Donley and Chuck McCann; music by Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen; produced by Melendez and Lee Mendelson; aired by the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Starring Michael Mandy (Charlie Brown), Kristen Fullerton (Lucy van Pelt), Brent Hauer (Peppermint Patty), Shannon Cohn (Marcie), Cindi Reilly (Sally Brown), Rocky Reilly (Linus van Pelt), Christopher Donohoe (Schroeder), and Casey Carlson (Truffles).
OTHER PEANUTS FILMS
OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY BILL MELENDEZ
A Charlie Brown CelebrationBill MelendezCasey CarlsonCBSCharles M. SchulzEd BogasLee MendelsonMichael MandyShannon Cohn
1982, ⓏⒺⓇⓄ, Horror
Basket Case (1982, Frank Henenlotter)
30 September 2017 Andrew Wickliffe	Leave a comment
Basket Case is endlessly creative. Director Henenlotter doesn't have the budget to execute anything, but it never stops him from trying; sometimes to mesmerizing effect. The film's got these scenes requiring a lot of special effects and utilizes (obvious) stop motion to get them done. It's all part of the buy in. Basket Case doesn't have the budget to do first-rate effects, might as well embrace the cheapness.
And the cheapness helps reconcile the film's broad, desperate comedy with its horrific and tragic conceit (though Henenlotter seems utterly oblivious to the tragedy). Basket Case is the aggressively exploitative tale of Kevin Van Hentenryck and his previously conjoined twin brother. They're in New York City to kill the doctors who separated them, as the doctors were trying to kill the brother.
The brother is entirely a special effect, too occasionally claymation, otherwise an obvious puppet. Henenlotter doesn't make the audience wait long to see the brother, who's mostly just a head and arms. The set pieces are instead about the victims seeing the brother and being horrified. Henenlotter doesn't try to do any characterization on the brother; he doesn't have any personality. It's sort of strange, given how Henenlotter relies on loud caricaturization for the film's cast.
Lead Van Hentenryck is the only one to get a character arc. Everyone else is just someone he encounters, whether its love interest Terri Susan Smith or the denziens of his cheap (but surprisingly safe) dirty old New York, Times Square hotel. And it's not much of a character arc. Sean McCabe, playing the character in flashback, gets more of one. It's just something amid nothing.
Van Hentenryck's extremely likable. From his first scene, walking through Times Square with a large, padlocked wicker basket, there's just something likable about him. Van Hentenryck plays it harmless; the vengeance quest isn't weighing on him–the doctors did try to kill his brother.
The eventual conflict is more about the brother's concern Van Hentenryck is going to abandon him. Smith is a fetching love interest, after all. Van Hentenryck has to do both sides of the fraternal conflict. The brother can only speak to him and does so telepathically. Van Hentenryck does surprisingly well in those scenes; the likability pays off, which helps, since Henenlotter errs on the side of absurdity. Sometimes so much it gets in the way of narrative progression. Writer-director-editor Henenlotter sometimes lets things drag, which doesn't help his actors. They need all the editing help they can get since Henenlotter's not doing them any favors with the script and if he does direct performances at all, he does so badly.
A lot of the cast is likable, even when their performances aren't any good. Some get credit for keeping a straight face, like Beverly Bonner. She's a sex worker who befriends fellow cheapo hotel denizen Van Hentenryck. For whatever reason, Henenlotter's editing on Bonner and Smith is the worst in the film. Shots will hang on them too long, like there's something more imminent. But there's never anything more. Bonner has it the worst, but only because Smith's transition from prospective love interest to love interest gives her less to do.
Robert Vogel and Joe Clarke are the "best" in the hotel supporting cast. Diana Browne's the most amusing loathsome villain.
The hotel itself is the film's biggest success. Henenlotter's frequent establishing shots–just the hotel's neon sign, as it's not a real location–its cramped "lobby," its endless staircases, its motley crew of residents. It's not authentic, but it's the most realistic thing in the film.
Gus Russo's score is a little too minimal. There's never an attempt to aurally prepare the audience for a scare. Bruce Torbet's photography is fine. Henenlotter just can't compose a shot.
Impressively and possibly contradictorily, Basket Case is an accomplishment without ever being a success.
Written, edited, and directed by Frank Henenlotter; director of photography, Bruce Torbet; music by Gus Russo; produced by Edgar Ievins; released by Analysis Film Releasing Corporation.
Starring Kevin Van Hentenryck (Duane Bradley), Terri Susan Smith (Sharon), Beverly Bonner (Casey), Ruth Neuman (Duane's Aunt), Richard Pierce (Duane's Father), Diana Browne (Dr. Kutter), Sean McCabe (Young Duane), Lloyd Pace (Dr. Needleman), Joe Clarke (O'Donovan), and Robert Vogel (Hotel Manager).
Analysis Film Releasing CorporationBasket CaseFrank HenenlotterJoe ClarkeKevin Van HentenryckRichard PierceRobert VogelSean McCabeTerri Susan Smith
1982, ★★½, Comedy
Tootsie (1982, Sydney Pollack)
1 April 2017 Andrew Wickliffe	1 Comment
Tootsie opens with Dustin Hoffman giving acting classes. He's a failed New York actor–but a well-employed waiter–who must be giving these classes on spec. It seems like Hoffman being a beloved acting teacher might end up having something to do with the plot of Tootsie, which has Hoffman pretending to be a female actor in order to get a part, but it doesn't. Save a throwaway scene where he's helping love interest Jessica Lange work on her part.
The film, with its two (credited) screenwriters and two story concocters (though Larry Gelbart is both), is a narrative mess. Teri Garr, as Hoffman's student and good friend, disappears somewhere in the second act, once Lange gets more to do. Bill Murray (in an uncredited, main supporting role) at least provides some continuity, which not even director Pollack (who also acts as Hoffman's agent) gets to do. The conclusion of the movie is this swirl of contrivances, all forcefully introduced earlier in the picture, and no one who should be there for it has a scene. Tootsie just ignores the previous couple hours to get the coda to work.
And it does. Tootsie does, despite all the narrative problems and missed opportunities and dropped characters, come through for the finish. It helps having Owen Roizman's photography, it helps being shot in New York City, it needs stars Hoffman and Lange. No matter what story problems, Tootsie never fails its actors. Even with it's Pollack–Tootsie, the film, never fails Pollack, the actor, even if Pollack, the director, doesn't quite have the film under control. Pollack's got a great rant towards the end.
I'll start from the bottom of the cast and work up just because I'm not really sure what I'm going to say about Hoffman yet.
George Gaynes is hilarious as this lech actor on the soap opera where Hoffman gets his job (as a woman). Gaynes just has to be a believable buffoon, but he does it with such ease, he calms Tootsie a bit. It never seems too extreme just because Gaynes's so sturdy. He tempers it, along with Dabney Coleman. Coleman's the jerk director of the soap. He's also dating Lange. He also doesn't have a big enough part in the story during the second half. Coleman's still good though. He's got the right energy–and right buffoonery–to keep it going.
Charles Durning is about the only actor who doesn't get anything to do overall. He gets a lot to do in the story, he's just poorly written. He's Lange's dad, who gets a crush on Hoffman when Hoffman's "in character" as the female actor. It's a sitcom foil, which wastes Durning; there's also some continuity issues regarding Durning's supportive dad when Lange's character is initially introduced as an alcoholic because of being an orphan? Maybe I missed some exposition, but I was paying attention.
Murray's good. He's dry, he's funny, he's Hoffman's conscience if Hoffman had a somewhat disinterested, bemused conscience. He's present through most of the film, though, which is important. Most other characters just evaporate when the story doesn't need them. Tootsie keeps Murray around even when it doesn't.
Now, Teri Garr. She's great. She also gets one good scene and it's after the movie's been ignoring her for an hour. It's not a great part, either. She's such a function in the script, she and Hoffman's subplot literally kicks off just because his particular lie to her. Any other lie and it would've been fine. But her great scene is great. It's a shame she's not around more.
The same sort of goes for Jessica Lange, who shares the same space in the film as Garr, at least until Garr leaves. Then Lange gets to be around and sometimes she gets stuff to do, sometimes she just gets to sit around. Lange's best acting moments are far superior to the script's moments for her as an actor. Pollack works on directing Lange more than anyone else in the film.
Including Hoffman, who Pollack sort of lets do his own thing, to great success. Hoffman's performance, as an example of comedy Method acting, is outstanding. There's not much of a role past the MacGuffin–Pollack relies way too heavily on montages after a certain point, including a completely nonsensical one–but it's an outstanding performance. The film positions Hoffman front and center, then transforms him into his new role–an actor playing this female actor–on screen. It's awesome. It also is nowhere near enough to fix the script problems because Tootsie's a fairly shallow movie overall.
And it shouldn't be. There's so much potential, not just for Hoffman, but for everyone in the cast. Lange, Garr, Murray, Coleman… okay, not Durning, but everyone else and a lot with them. And maybe even Durning if the film remembered Lange's alcoholism subplot instead of forgetting it immediately.
Tootsie's all right. It should be better, it could've been a lot worse. It's well made, has a nice pace, has a nice Dave Grusin score–and a nice original song from Stephen Bishop–and some phenomenal acting. Hoffman and Lange are excellent and Garr ought to be. She just doesn't have enough material. Because Tootsie's a tad thin.
Directed by Sydney Pollack; screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal, based on a story by Don McGuire and Gelbart; director of photography, Owen Roizman; edited by Fredric Steinkamp and William Steinkamp; music by Dave Grusin; production designer, Peter S. Larkin; produced by Pollack and Dick Richards; released by Columbia Pictures.
Starring Dustin Hoffman (Michael Dorsey), Jessica Lange (Julie Nichols), Teri Garr (Sandy Lester), Bill Murray (Jeff Slater), Dabney Coleman (Ron Carlisle), Sydney Pollack (George Fields), George Gaynes (John Van Horn), Doris Belack (Rita Marshall), and Charles Durning (Les Nichols).
OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY SYDNEY POLLACK
Bill MurrayColumbia PicturesDabney ColemanDustin HoffmanGeorge GaynesJessica LangeSydney PollackTeri GarrTootsie


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text:
EUR-Lex - 52009DC0447 - EN
Document 52009DC0447
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the establishment of a joint EU resettlement programme {COM(2009) 456 FINAL} {SEC(2009) 1127} {SEC(2009) 1128}
/* COM/2009/0447 final */
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Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the establishment of a joint EU resettlement programme {COM(2009) 456 FINAL} {SEC(2009) 1127} {SEC(2009) 1128} /* COM/2009/0447 final */
[pic] | COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES |
Brussels, 2.9.2009
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL
ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A JOINT EU RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMME
{COM(2009) 456 final}{SEC(2009) 1127}{SEC(2009) 1128}
1.1. Policy background
Since the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam[1] in 1999, the EU has been working toward the establishment of a Common European Asylum System (CEAS) , the principal purpose of which is to bring about progressive EU-wide convergence in asylum matters, by setting common minimum standards, establishing a common asylum procedure and uniform status, as well as by strengthening practical cooperation. The Commission has always emphasized, in the context of the development of the CEAS, the need for the EU to become more engaged in the resettlement of refugees from third countries and for resettlement to form an integral part of EU asylum policy generally.
In line with the Hague Programme [2], the Commission adopted in September 2005 a Communication on Regional Protection Programmes [3] (RPPs) to be developed in partnership with selected third countries so as to strengthen refugee protection in certain regions of the world. The communication pointed out that resettlement should be central to providing assistance to these countries. The two RPPs currently being carried out in Tanzania, on the one hand, and in Ukraine, Belarus, and Republic of Moldova, on the other, both have a resettlement dimension.
The new European Refugee Fund[4] (ERF III), which became operational in 2008 provides for financial assistance for the resettlement of refugees from third countries to the EU Member States.
A wide consultation of all relevant stakeholders on asylum policies, launched with the publication in June 2007 of the Green Paper on the future of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS)[5], revealed a broad acknowledgement that resettlement should be central to the external asylum policies of the EU and that there is much to be gained from a higher degree of cooperation on resettlement among Member States, the UNHCR and NGOs. In the Policy Plan on Asylum[6] , adopted on 17 June 2008, the Commission therefore concluded that resettlement should be further developed and expanded into an effective protection instrument to be used by the EU, so as to meet the protection needs of refugees in third countries and to show solidarity with third countries of first asylum.
The European Pact on Immigration and Asylum [7] stated that, among the new initiatives to be taken to complete the establishment of a Common European Asylum System, cooperation with the UNHCR should be strengthened to ensure better protection for people outside the territory of the EU who request protection, in particular by "moving, on a voluntary basis, towards the resettlement within the European Union of people placed under the protection of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees".
On 18 February 2009, the Commission adopted a proposal for the creation of a European Asylum Support Office[8] (EASO), which would provide a structural framework for the carrying out of practical cooperation activities in the asylum field, including activities related to resettlement.
1.2. Resettlement - key features
Resettlement in a third country is one of three so-called 'durable solutions' available to refugees and is essential in that it offers solutions to refugees for whom no other durable solution is available. Resettlement is generally carried out with the UNHCR acting as an intermediary. It targets those refugees whose protection needs have already been clearly established and has the advantage for the recipient country of being an orderly procedure , and for the refugee of being a process which guarantees his/her physical safety . Resettled refugees do not have to resort to different forms of illegal migration (e.g. human smuggling). It also offers the important advantage to the resettlement country that reception and integration can be organized in advance.
A clear distinction should be made between resettlement of refugees from outside EU territory to an EU Member State, which is a humanitarian measure and an expression of solidarity by the EU vis-à-vis third countries, and intra-EU resettlement of refugees , which is carried out primarily for the purpose of burden sharing among EU Member States. The latter issue is not addressed in this Communication. This Communication and the accompanying proposal to amend the ERF Decision address the issue of solidarity with third countries in dealing with refugees. The Commission is also addressing with urgency other issues of solidarity in migration management, as called for by the Heads of State and Governments at the European Council of 18-19 June 2009. In particular, among other initiatives, the Commission has, with a view to strengthening intra-EU solidarity, initiated a pilot scheme for the resettlement of beneficiaries of international protection from Malta to other Member States.
1.3. Recent developments in the EU
There are at present ten EU Member States which participate annually in resettlement (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, France, Romania and the Czech Republic). Some other Member States have provided resettlement on an ad-hoc basis, and generally on a limited scale, notably for individual emergency cases submitted by UNHCR. Germany recently agreed to resettle 2.500 Iraqi refugees from Syria and Jordan.
In terms of new resettlement commitments , in the course of 2007 and 2008 Portugal, France, Romania and the Czech Republic decided to provide resettlement places on an annual basis.[9] In 2008 Romania concluded also a tripartite agreement with UNHCR and IOM on the establishment in Romania (Timisoara) of an Evacuation Transit Centre, which serves for the resettlement of emergency and other specific cases.
Resettlement has been receiving significant financial support under the European Refugee Fund (ERF III) since 2008. One of the main priorities (Priority 3) for the programming of the funds, as set out in the strategic guidelines adopted for that purpose[10], provides for the support of actions helping to enhance responsibility sharing between Member States and third countries. This includes the resettlement of refugees from a third country to a Member State. A wide range of resettlement activities in Member States are eligible for funding under the ERF national programmes under Priority 3 ('shared management').
The number of refugees resettled in each Member State over the previous three years is taken into account for the calculation of the annual allocations to the Member States under the ERF. In addition, a fixed amount of 4.000 Euro per resettled person (Article 13(3) and (4) of ERF Decision) is provided for four specific categories of persons. For this purpose, Member States must every year submit to the Commission a "resettlement pledging" in advance. The four specific categories are the following:
1. persons from a country or region designated for the implementation of a Regional Protection Programme;
2. unaccompanied minors;
3. children and women at risk, particularly from psychological, physical or sexual violence or exploitation;
4. persons with serious medical needs that can only be addressed through resettlement.
Trans-national actions or actions of interest to the Community as a whole concerning asylum policy, including those related to resettlement, are also eligible for funding under the ERF community actions (directly managed by the Commission).
Several resettlement-related projects , including "twinnings", were carried out within the EU over the past years. These projects covered a wide range of activities, such as the selection process and reception and integration of resettled refugees[11]. Many different actors, both governmental as well as non-governmental (international and local NGOs, UNHCR, IOM), from both resettlement countries and non-resettlement countries, participated in the projects. In 2008 and 2009 there have also been a number of joint ministerial or EU visits to resettlement operations in Thailand, Kenya, Syria and Jordan.
In July and November 2008, the JHA Council adopted conclusions on the resettlement of refugees from Iraq , which set the objective of resettling in the EU up to approximately 10.000 Iraqi refugees hosted in Syria and Jordan.[12]These conclusions are significant, not only with respect to the protection granted to the specific refugees resettled, but also because they underscore the fact that resettlement contributes to the maintenance of the protection situation in Syria and Jordan. Following the Council conclusions, four Member States which are not normally engaged in resettlement, committed themselves to resettle refugees from Iraq (Germany, Italy, Belgium and Luxemburg).
2. SHORTCOMINGS OF THE CURRENT SITUATION AND ENSUING OBJECTIVES
2.1. The EU's response to global resettlement needs
It should be recalled that the large majority of refugees worldwide find themselves outside of the EU, mainly in Asian and African countries.
Global resettlement needs are much greater than the resettlement places which are available worldwide . The UNHCR estimates the global resettlement needs at about 747.000 persons, including populations where resettlement is envisaged over a period of several years. On the basis of a prioritization, UNHCR estimates that out of this number, for 2010 alone, 203.000 persons will be in need of resettlement[13] According to the UNHCR, in 2008 65.596 refugees were resettled worldwide. Of these, 4.378 refugees, or 6,7%, departed to one of the EU countries[14]. The numbers of refugees resettled in the EU contrasts sharply with the numbers taken in by many other countries in the industrialized world.[15] At the same time, the EU receives a proportionately greater number of 'spontaneous' asylum seekers than other parts of the developed world. Furthermore, a majority of EU countries has no resettlement programme at all and would need to engage in capacity-building activities in order to be in a position to regularly engage in resettlement. The principal objective of joint EU action on resettlement should therefore be to involve more Member States in resettlement activities and to provide for an orderly and secure access to protection for those resettled. At the same time, it should serve to demonstrate greater solidarity to third countries in receiving refugees. As a result, the EU will take on a greater share of the responsibility for meeting resettlement needs worldwide. It could also make it less attractive for some groups of refugees to seek entry into the EU through illegal migration.
It is widely recognized that resettlement serves not only a humanitarian purpose vis-à-vis those persons who are resettled, and indirectly for those refugees remaining in the first country of asylum, but that it serves also to relieve the third country in question of the burden associated with hosting large numbers of refugees. Resettlement can therefore play an important role as a component of EU external policies more generally. The impact of resettlement in strategic terms would be greater if priorities with respect to geographic origin or nationalities and specific categories of the persons to be resettled were largely set at the EU level. Currently the Member States which are resettlement countries largely set priorities at the national level, without much coordination at the EU level regarding both resettlement itself and with regard to other related external policy instruments. Moreover, the current relatively low level of involvement of the EU in the resettlement of refugees impacts negatively on the ambition of the EU to play a prominent role in global humanitarian affairs and hence on the influence of the EU in international fora. The EU's involvement in resettlement activities should therefore be reinforced, with a view to raising the Union's effectiveness and credibility in international affairs generally. The impact of resettlement would be increased by a more strategic use of resettlement at the EU level, and by a more effective integration of resettlement into EU external policies generally.
2.2. A lack of structured cooperation within the EU
There is currently no structural exchange of information among EU countries on resettlement and no structural coordination of resettlement activities at the EU level. The planning of resettlement activities is largely done through bilateral contacts between resettlement countries and the UNHCR. The exchange of information between the UNHCR and resettlement countries takes place through fora in Geneva[16], which include resettlement countries worldwide and which cover global resettlement issues. They do not include those EU Member States which are currently not carrying out resettlement. For this reason, resettlement expert meetings have been convened on an ad-hoc basis by the Commission since 2007. The structures and procedures for coordinating resettlement policy in the EU should therefore be adapted to enable closer cooperation among Member States and more effective coordination of resettlement activities at the EU level.
Resettlement requires much logistical preparation, such as selection and orientation missions, medical and security screenings, arrangements for travel and visa, reception and integration programmes. Some of these activities could be carried out jointly by, or in close cooperation between, Member States. The current lack of joint activities and practical cooperation between Member States increases the financial costs of resettlement for existing "resettlement countries" and is an impediment for others which might otherwise contemplate engaging in resettlement, particularly those which might consider introducing small resettlement quotas. Organizing the various logistical activities necessary to carry out resettlement is likely to be regarded as impractical and prohibitively costly for Member States lacking experience and capacity with respect to resettlement. The economic costs associated with resettlement in the EU should therefore be lowered through closer cooperation among Member States.
2.3. Need for better targeting of resettlement priorities and financial support
The financial support which the ERF III provides to resettlement has clearly led to positive effects on resettlement. However, the additional assistance which is provided to Member States per refugee resettled under Article 13(3) of the Decision establishing the ERF III applies only with respect to four specific categories of persons. While these categories of persons undeniably deserve protection and resettlement, there may be other categories of persons who are at least equally in need of resettlement. Since the resettlement needs of these categories of refugees is at present not regularly discussed at the EU level, they are not the subject of an up-to-date assessment which would allow better identification of those protection needs which the EU considers to be priorities. The ERF framework today is therefore too rigid and not sufficiently adaptable in order to respond to newly arising needs, particularly with respect to geographic priorities. At the same time Member States set resettlement priorities nationally without prior consultation and coordination at the EU level. A mechanism should therefore be put in place to ensure that resettlement efforts in the EU are better targeted, on an ongoing and dynamic basis, towards those persons who are most in need of resettlement. This can be achieved by ensuring regular common definition of key priorities for resettlement and providing a financial incentive for Member States to resettle in accordance with those priorities.
3. THE JOINT EU RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMME
In view of the shortcomings just described, a joint EU resettlement programme should be put in place (1) to increase the humanitarian impact of the EU by ensuring that it gives greater and better targeted support to the international protection of refugees through resettlement, (2) to enhance the strategic use of resettlement by ensuring that it is properly integrated into the Union's external and humanitarian policies generally, and (3) to better streamline the EU's resettlement efforts so as to ensure that the benefits are delivered in the most cost-effective manner.
To that end, the Commission is proposing the amendment of the ERF III Decision in order to provide additional incentives for Member States to engage in resettlement, and so as to ensure that resettlement priorities agreed at the EU level are effectively backed up by appropriate financial support.
3.1. Guiding Principles for a Joint EU Resettlement Programme
Bearing in mind the general objectives of the joint EU resettlement programme, and taking into account the views of stakeholders, the programme is based on the following guiding principles:
- Participation by Member States in resettlement should remain voluntary . There are currently considerable differences between Member States with respect to the numerical targets and specific caseloads they wish to resettle, the legal criteria which are used for deciding who to resettle, and the partners through which resettlement is carried out.
- The scope of resettlement activity in the EU should be widened by familiarizing as many Member States as possible with resettlement, and enhancing their required experience and capacity to carry out resettlement.
- The mechanism which is established should allow for adaptability to changing circumstances. In order to use resettlement strategically it should be possible to review and revise resettlement priorities annually. Adaptability is required also in order to respond to evolving needs with respect to practical cooperation on resettlement between Member States.
- Actors other than Member States governments, who play a key role in resettlement, should likewise participate . The most important actor in this respect is the UNHCR, because of its international mandate and the pivotal role it plays in resettlement worldwide. The involvement of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is important as well, given its role with respect to logistical and practical aspects of resettlement activity worldwide. International and local NGOs with specific know-how and experience concerning resettlement, as well as local authorities, should also be involved, particularly with respect to the reception and integration of resettled refugees.
- The development of a common EU approach to the resettlement of refugees from third countries should be incremental and, with experience, the scope of the programme could be further developed.
3.2. Components of the Joint EU Resettlement Programme
The Programme will primarily consist of a mechanism which allows for the setting of common annual priorities on resettlement and more effective use of the financial assistance available through the ERF "pledging" exercise. This will be complemented by strengthened practical cooperation, enhanced effectiveness of external asylum policies and a regular evaluation of the Joint Resettlement Programme.
3.2.1. The annual setting of common priorities based on a consultative process and a better use of the ERF pledging exercise
Resettlement Expert Group
The current ad hoc Resettlement Expert Group will be developed into a body which meets on a regular basis. All Member States, including both resettlement and non-resettlement countries, will participate, as well as other stakeholders (e.g. UNHCR, IOM, ECRE, NGOs which are active in resettlement, each on the basis of its specific expertise and within the limits of its mandate). The Resettlement Expert Group will prepare for the identification of common annual EU priorities, which will subsequently be the basis for a draft decision by the Commission. These priorities will be based on an indicative forecast of resettlement needs which will be provided by UNHCR in spring each year. The Group would also exchange information between Member States on quantitative targets set by Member States and discuss specific needs with respect to resettlement, such as activities aimed at encouraging Member States which are not yet engaged in resettlement. The Group would, together with the European Asylum Support Office, also be in a position to identify current needs for practical cooperation in the field of resettlement.
Common priorities with the financial underpinning of the European Refugee Fund
A mechanism will be put in place through which EU-wide common resettlement priorities are established annually by means of a Commission decision. Priorities could apply both to geographic regions and nationalities as well as to specific categories of refugees to be resettled, including emergency cases. The EU could, for example, prioritize the resettlement of Iraqi refugees from Syria and Jordan, Somali refugees from Kenya, or Sudanese refugees from Chad. In identifying these priorities, coherence will be ensured with EU external policies generally. This framework will allow, on an annual basis, for the identification of newly arising or priority resettlement needs. In particular for vulnerable groups, such as children or unaccompanied minors, it would allow for a more in-depth analysis of the most crucial needs and priorities.
It is therefore proposed that the ERF III Decision should be amended , so that Member States which resettle according to the common EU annual priorities would receive financial assistance under Article 13 of the ERF III Decision. This article currently provides that additional financial assistance is granted to Member States if they pledge to resettle refugees who fall under four specific categories as described in point 1.3. This provision would be amended to render the current mechanism more dynamic and adaptable. It should, however, be underlined that Member States would remain free to carry out resettlement of other categories of refugees. The proposal to amend the ERF III decision is presented by the Commission together with this communication .
Based on the preliminary work of the Resettlement Expert Group, common priorities will be identified each year to trigger the pledging exercise under which Member States receive extra financial assistance. The Commission will each year decide on the annual resettlement priorities on the basis of consultations in the management committee of the General Programme "Solidarity and Management of Migration flows" including the ERF III. This Commission Decision will be one of the implementing measures of the Decision establishing the ERF III, adopted by the Council and the European Parliament on the basis of Article 63(2)b of the Treaty establishing the European Community. The timing of this annual decision will need to be such as to enable Member States to submit resettlement pledging for the purpose of qualifying for the financial allocations under the ERF.
3.2.2. Enhanced practical cooperation
The European Asylum Support Office
The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) is expected to become operational in 2010. It will provide a structural framework for carrying out practical cooperation activities, including activities with respect to resettlement. The proposed Regulation establishing the Office states that "the Office shall, in agreement with the Commission, coordinate the exchange of information and all other action taken on issues arising from the implementation of instruments and mechanisms relating to the external dimension of the Common European Asylum System. The Office shall coordinate exchanges of information and all other action taken on the resettlement of refugees within the European Union."
The development of practical cooperation on resettlement is expected to deliver important synergies. The identification of common annual priorities is expected to enable this cooperation to be more targeted. Concrete activities can be carried out together by Member States, such as selection and fact-finding missions, pre-departure orientation programmes, medical screenings, travel or visa arrangements. Other forms of cooperation could include exchange of information on the characteristics of specific resettlement caseloads and joint training. Cooperation on reception and integration is likely to be mainly in the form of exchange of information and identifying 'best practices', with a view to improving the quality of the reception and integration systems, which differ considerably among Member States. Lessons can be learnt from the experiences built up through a wide range of activities, involving different stakeholders.
The EASO can also engage in technical cooperation concerning resettlement with third countries, both with non-EU countries engaged in resettlement as well as with countries of first asylum. Such cooperation could likewise be engaged in with international organizations and in particular with UNHCR and IOM. In order to ensure that the EASO can commence its activities rapidly, the priorities for the first years of its working programme need to be identified as quickly as possible. The Commission will cooperate with different stakeholders to identify these priorities as swiftly as possible. Before the end of the current (2009) Swedish Presidency, a first set of priorities could already be identified.
Pilot projects and best practices on resettlement
A large number of practical cooperation projects related to resettlement have been carried out in recent years. To a large degree this can be attributed to the active role played by civil society, notably several NGOs. It is expected that there will continue to be a need for similar activities over the coming years. The Commission will therefore continue to support these activities, in particular through the ERF Community Actions.
A recent development is the establishment in Romania of an Evacuation Transit Centre (ETC) for resettlement. Several Member States have recently demonstrated an interest in the use of this Evacuation Transit Centre as a facility from which they can resettle specific categories of refugees in urgent need of resettlement. The use of the ETC may make it easier and more cost-effective to carry out resettlement and could serve as a pilot for other similar initiatives of this kind.
3.2.3. Increased effectiveness of EU external asylum policies
Cooperation with the UNHCR
In order for the EU programme to be successful - both with respect to the identification of common priorities as well as practical cooperation activities - it will be important to cooperate closely with the UNHCR . The consultations between Member States, the Commission and UNHCR concerning resettlement will therefore need to be intensified, including in the Resettlement working group in Geneva and the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement. The EASO will also need to be closely involved. The new EU programme may require some adaptations to the present administration of resettlement by the UNHCR, but should not unduly complicate it. The introduction of this new programme should be seen as an opportunity to give a new impetus to resettlement worldwide.
Improved coordination with EU external policies
There is a need to provide structurally for an integrated approach between resettlement, other components of EU external asylum policies and EU external policies as a whole. In particular, coherence with the EU Global Approach to Migration[17] should be ensured. Under the joint programme, the setting of resettlement priorities will be done on the basis of current needs, as regularly identified by UNHCR, as well as on the basis of other humanitarian and political considerations identified by the Member States and the Commission, taking into account the specific situation of the third countries concerned, as well as the overall EU relations with these countries. The recent discussions and the conclusions adopted by the JHA Council of Ministers on the resettlement of Iraqi refugees from Syria and Jordan, underscore the fact that resettlement can be an important component of EU external policies. In addition to referring to the pressing resettlement needs of a certain number of these refugees, the Council expressly noted "the fact that a greater effort towards resettlement in the countries of the European Union would send a positive signal of solidarity to all Iraqis and of cooperation with Syria and Jordan for the maintenance of their area of protection."[18] The direct involvement of the JHA Council with the resettlement of Iraqi refugees from Syria and Jordan was, however, exceptional, illustrating the need for a structured decision-making mechanism and corresponding infrastructure which can be deployed to respond to developments. The EU's external policies may also be instrumental in creating a framework for the preparation and deployment of resettlement programmes.
In the Regional Protection Programmes (RPPs) which will be developed in the future, resettlement should be more effectively incorporated and its implementation should be closely monitored. Since 2007, pilot Regional Protection Programmes have been carried out in Tanzania and three former NIS countries (Ukraine, Belarus and Republic of Moldova). Experience shows, however, that resettlement has remained a relatively underdeveloped component of these pilot RPPs and that only a limited number of refugees has been resettled by EU Member States from the beneficiary countries. The future RPPs could include the North Africa and Middle East regions. The resettlement dimension will also be examined as part of the evaluation of RPPs which the Commission will carry out with other stakeholders before the end of 2009.
3.3. Reporting and Evaluation
The Commission, with the support of the EASO, will report annually to the Council and the European Parliament on the resettlement efforts made within the EU, as well as on the results of the resettlement pledging in order to enable the Institutions to follow the progress on resettlement efforts in the EU and discuss conclusions on further developments. A Conference will be organized during 2012 with all relevant stakeholders to carry out a mid-term evaluation of the progress made on resettlement through the joint EU resettlement programme. The evaluation would look at the effectiveness of the financial assistance provided under article 13 of the ERF III, and could also examine the possibility of introducing a modulation of the lump sum according to the vulnerability or needs of particular categories of resettled persons.
The joint EU resettlement programme will be evaluated in 2014, with a view to identifying necessary improvements and to further development of the resettlement programme. As proposed by the Commission in its Communication of 10 June 2009, this more ambitious goal should be included in the Stockholm Programme, which is to be adopted by the end of 2009 and will set out the EU's objectives for the next five years in the area of Justice, Freedom and Security.[19]
4. PROPOSAL TO AMEND THE ERF III DECISION
The Commission is accordingly proposing that an amendment be made to the ERF III Decision, as set out in the legislative proposal accompanying this Communication.
[1] OJ C 340, 10.11.1997.
[2] OJ C 53, 3.3.2005, p.1.
[3] COM (2005) 388 final.
[4] Decision No 573/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 May 2007 establishing the European Refugee Fund for the period 2008 to 2013 (OJ L 144, 6.6.2007, p. 1).
[5] Green Paper on the future Common European Asylum System (COM (2007) 301).
[6] Policy Plan on asylum, An integrated approach to protection across the EU , COM(2008)360 final.
[7] Available at: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/08/st13/st13440.en08.pdf
[8] Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a European Asylum Support Office (COM/2009/0066 final).
[9] Portugal decided to resettle 30 refugees annually, France approximately 350-450 refugees annually, Romania 40 refugees annually and the Czech Republic 30 refugees annually.
[10] Commission Decision of 29 November 2007, implementing Decision No 573/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the adoption of strategic guidelines 2008-2013, (OJ L 326, 12.12.2007, p. 29–31).
[11] Most of these projects were co-financed by the Commission through ARGO and the ERF.
[12] Council documents 11653/08 (Presse 205) and 16325/1/08 REV 1 (Presse 344)
[13] UNHCR projected global resettlement needs 2010.
[14] See annex 4 of the Impact Assessment on a Joint EU resettlement programme p.5.
[15] For example, the number of refugees who are resettled to Canada each year – around 10.000 – is more than double the total number of refugees resettled annually in the EU.
[16] The Annual Tripartite Conference on Resettlement (ATCR) and the Resettlement Working Group.
[17] Communications from the Commission on EU Global approach on migration, COM (2005) 621, COM (2006) 735, COM (2007) 247, COM (2008) 611.
[18] Council document 16325/1/08 REV 1 (Presse 344)
[19] COM (2009) 262 final


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FWD, AWD
19 (city), 25-27 (highway)
What Changed:
New front end appearance, wheels and rear bumper fascia. New instrument panel, gauges and steering wheel design.
Hyundai today unveiled its significantly enhanced 2023 Palisade SUV in a global debut at the New York International Auto Show. The new Palisade offers freshened interior and exterior design cues, new infotainment and safety features, and advanced driver assistance systems. The 2023 Palisade arrives at Hyundai dealers this summer. "The enhanced 2023 Hyundai Palisade offers the design appeal and features worthy of Hyundai's flagship SUV," said Olabisi Boyle, vice president, product planning and mobility strategy, Hyundai...Read.
Palisade SE 2 3.8l V6 (291-bhp) A8 FWD 19 / 27 / 22 48 $34,950
Palisade SE 2 3.8l V6 (291-bhp) A8 AWD 19 / 25 / 21 48 $36,850
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Palisade SEL 2 3.8l V6 (291-bhp) A8 AWD 19 / 25 / 21 48 $39,850
Palisade XRT 2 3.8l V6 (291-bhp) A8 FWD 19 / 27 / 22 51 $40,250
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Palisade Limited 4 3.8l V6 (291-bhp) A8 FWD 19 / 27 / 22 51 $46,500
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Palisade Calligraphy 4 3.8l V6 (291-bhp) A8 FWD 19 / 27 / 22 51 $48,900
Palisade Calligraphy 4 3.8l V6 (291-bhp) A8 AWD 19 / 25 / 21 51 $50,800


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Shocking realities
As we climbed the red-carpeted steps to enter the Parliamentary Palace in Bucharest, Romania, I had no inkling of the shocking realities I would learn about inside.
Along with other delegates to a symposium on the freedom of conscience and faith, I passed through the security check to enter a cavernous lobby with marble pllars, crystal chandeliers, expansive carpets and another red-carpeted stairway leading to the next of 12 floors.
We were led into the Human Rights Hall, furnished with curtains embroidered in silver and gold, and huge crystal chandelier, one of hundreds in the palace, hanging overhead. An inlaid wooden circular table filled the hall, displaying name cards for the sixty participants,.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the palace is the world's largest, heaviest and most expensive civilian administrative building. It is a monument to a megalomanic, the former Romanian dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, who robbed his country to fulfil his dream. Local materials used in construction of the palace include one million cubic meters of marble, 3,500 tonnes of crystal and 20 hectare(!) of woollen carpets woven on the spot.
To construct the palace, Ceausescu demolished the heart of Bucharest's historic district, including 19 Orthodox Christian churches, six Jewish synagogues, three Protestant churches, and 30,000 residences.
But Ceausescu himself never lived to see its completion. Romanians celebrated both the execution of a tyrant and the birth of a Saviour on Christmas Day 1989.
However, the most shocking revelations for me that day were not about the callous actions of a Romanian despot.They involved disturbing decisions by judges, politicians and officials in western Europe, threatening religious liberties and demolishing the rights to freedom of conscience for parents and individuals in countries like England and Germany. They involved the deceptive demands of western EU officials for aspirant members to the EU.
The freedoms of democracy and the rule of law fought for in Romania in 1989 were again at stake, I learned, not at the hands of a communist dictator, but from much more insidious and apparently-benign agencies within the European Institutions; exactly what Os Guinness had been warning about in our last weekly word.
Roger Kiska, prevented by sickness from speaking, sent a paper to be read at the symposium. Kiska is a legal counsel based in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, a specialist in international litigation with a focus on European law. In his view, these European institutions want to use Romania as a new member state still unsure of its place in Europe to quickly implement radical legislation not yet enacted in the west. A cold war of social policy was being waged under our noses, he warned us.
Serbia, Croatia and Moldovia had also been pressured by empty promises of easier access to European Union candidacy by radically changing their non-discrimination laws to protect 'sexual orientation'.
Hate-speech laws, non-discrimination laws and attacks on parental rights were the three chief threats he saw facing religious liberty in Europe today. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion is guaranteed by the European Convention of Human Rights as one of the cornerstones of a democratic society. State interference with the practice of those religious and philosophical convictions violates Article 9.
Yet the recent proliferation of 'hate speech' laws contradict the protection of freedom of speech. Freedom of religion is emptied of its value without freedom of expression.
From Kiska and others, we heard case after case where such freedoms were being violated; the consciences, for example, of parents currently in prison in Germany for refusing to allow their pre-teen children to be exposed to radical secular values on sexuality.
Cases from Sweden, Spain, Italy and England were presented, demonstrating that freedoms of conscience, belief and expression were being trampled on in the name of 'equal treatment'.
Interestingly, while we were meeting in the palace in Bucharest, a Dutch court acquitted Geert Wilders of 'hate speech' crimes. We may not agree with his beliefs or his coarse way of saying things, but we do need to uphold his right to freedom of expression.
As Kiska concluded, we must reclaim what we have lost; protect what we have; and shape a future where religious freedom will be protected and affirmed!
Recovering Herstory – II
Living with differences


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Giving children a voice in their community
Michelle Gujer, Manager of Docklands Children's Program and Georgie Meyer, Melbourne Museum's Education and Community Program Manager, share a rewarding project showcasing children's sense of agency and partnerships with their community.
Michelle Gujer:
The Melbourne Museum is redeveloping its children's gallery and as part of the project decided to consult with educators, early childhood specialists, designers and health professionals to make the space as unique and innovative as possible. The initial plan was to include children at the testing stage of the project, but we helped the Museum team see the value in including children's thoughts at the planning stage.
How were children's voices heard?
The children's ideas and opinions were captured at every stage of the redevelopment and it's a real credit to the Melbourne Museum's commitment to their educational program.
After meeting with our Leaders Group and brainstorming ideas, the Museum team organised workshops and gave each child a design board to create their own unique museum. Educators scribed the children's thoughts as they talked though ideas.
The Museum team then set up mirrors, cardboard boxes, rope, streamers, lights and animal noises and watched how children of different age groups engaged with different materials and tactile/sensory experiences. The younger children jumped right in to this. At first they were throwing cardboard boxes in their excitement but then settled into making fantastic dens with the boxes and pieces of fabric.
This showed both the Museum team and educators that you don't always have to be just two steps away. You always have to be mindful and watching, but there's value in giving children the opportunity to show you what they are thinking in their own way, without prompts and questions. Activities like this are a beautiful way of showing children's expertise, especially at the pre-verbal stage.
It all starts with a conversation
My advice to Educational Leaders looking to make connections with the community is to start a conversation because you never know where it's going to take you. We received an initial invitation from a Melbourne Museum through a mutual colleague which kicked this amazing opportunity into motion but the really important thing is there was willingness on both side. We could have provided feedback via email on the initial consultation and left it at that but instead invited the Melbourne Museum team to visit and engage with our Leadership Group. It's about valuing everybody. Everybody has knowledge and ideas; especially children.
Georgie Meyer:
What Melbourne Museum discovered
Working with Gowrie Docklands has given museum staff a rich understanding of, and respect for, the opinions of young children. Our workshop sessions demonstrated that pre verbal children have a lot to say, and Gowrie staff showed us how to listen.
Our new Pauline Gandel Children's Gallery is specifically for children aged six weeks to five years. Through our time spent with the Gowrie children, we've seen that this is a very broad and diverse age range and each age and stage of development has particular needs and interests. We've also learnt that children are drawn to experiences that offer a balance between the familiar and unfamiliar. For example, they recognise and love a mirror, but even more so if it's placed on the ground and can be stepped on.
Children are curious about nature, animals, (friendly) monsters, hiding places and surprises. They move, crawl, climb, dance and jump as a way of learning, not just a way of 'letting off steam'. And the exploration of music and light appeals to all age groups, particularly when children can immerse themselves in the experience.
Listening to this feedback, we have incorporated many of the children's ideas into the new Children's Gallery. The space will have activities relevant to each age group, including tactile, hands-on experiences for younger children and narrative, games and social play for older children.
Familiar animal specimens from our collection will be on display, including birds, butterflies, a zebra and a leopard, which will lead children into an immersive multimedia experience. Children will enter this 'Camouflage Disco' full of lights, patterns, movements and sounds that will surprise and delight with a crawling crab, tiger stripes, a swimming fish, and giraffe spots.
The garden will be completely renovated allowing for nature play, exploration and outdoor movement. Rocks and minerals representing those in the Museum Collection will form a rock garden and crystal cave. An accessible sandpit will be home to a life-size dinosaur skeleton, the long-necked Mamenchisaurus, inviting children to excavate fossils. And the Victorian Aboriginal creation story of Tiddalik, the thirsty frog, will feature in a series of sculptures that end with a fountain offering water play.
We plan to continue our consultation and evaluation sessions with young children throughout 2016. We also hope our youngest co-creators will attend the launch of the new gallery later this year so we can thank them for their generosity, advice and ideas.
Author ACECQAPosted on February 16, 2016 February 6, 2018 Categories ACECQA, Collaborative partnerships, Early childhood educationTags ACECQA, Child care, Early education, Education, Melbourne
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