Thank goodness we're on our way our of the dark winter and heading into spring.
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Microblading. What is it all about?


A new study demonstrates how headlines can alter how you perceive the content of news articles.
(An article titled) "Strict diet two days a week 'cuts risk of breast cancer by 40 per cent'" is a good example. It goes on: "a strict diet for two days a week consisting solely of vegetables, fruit, milk and a mug of Bovril could prevent breast cancer, scientists say."
Now, obviously, if you have the time to track down the academic paper which this news article is describing, from the October edition of the International Journal of Obesity, you will immediately discover that it is not a study of breast cancer, and it does not find that the risk of cancer is reduced by 40 percent (although it does measure a couple of hormones). The press release wasn't exactly a masterpiece of clarity either, as CRUK's excellent science blog immediately pointed out, but in any case, the study doesn't measure breast cancer as an outcome, at all.
But if I was to leave it there, then the journalist would correctly complain: because after all the grand and misleading claims, firstly, in the body of the piece, they do mention that the outcome is not cancer, but some hormones related to cancer (with no explanation of how tenuous that relationship is). Then, finally, at the very bottom of the piece, they have the reality. Although it's not spoken in the authoritative third person of the paper itself, it's there, in a quote, at paragraph number 19.
The Daily Express article even quotes a researcher explicitly stating that: "Although air pollution increases the risk of developing lung cancer by a small amount, other things have a much bigger effect on our risk, particularly smoking", yet as is so often the case, the utterly misleading headline is allowed to remain. Until now, we might have been forgiven for thinking that the only people affected by such questionable journalistic practices were those who don't read the whole article, but we now have reason to believe that the situation is worse still.
In a recent statement issued by a consortium of over a dozen international science academies, including the Australian Academy of Science, it was explained, "GM products have been used for many years and have been consumed without any substantiated evidence of ill effects on health. There is no logical reason they should be of any health concern, and their safety has been confirmed by many peer reviewed studies world-wide."
Irene Michaels from Organic Food Science Australia says the GM argument cannot be justified, as all of the claims about higher yield and longer shelf life have not been proven. "GM crops may have slightly increased levels of nutrients and vitamins but in order to do that, scientists have to interfere with the plants' complex metabolic pathway. This technology can't deliver on its promises as it is still unknown whether the genetically mutated food is safe to eat, as long-term health impacts remain undetermined."
The headlines influenced the readers thoughts about the content of the article – in this case - genetically modified foods. Similarly, participants were swayed by the headlines "Fears of Fluoride in Drinking Water" versus "Fluoride Beneficial in Drinking Water". In this example a fictional "Robert Paul from the Wanneroo Citizens' Association" was pitched against "Many major health organizations including the Australian Dental Association" citing "50 years of legitimate peer-reviewed research". In these cases, despite the fact that the content of the articles never actually changed, participants allowed themselves to be swayed by the headline alone.
The findings suggest writers and editors need to take seriously their responsibility not only in citing reliable and credible sources, but also in choosing a headline that accurately represents the truth – rather than a headline that will get the most clicks. Similarly, readers need to be aware that headlines have an impact on how they perceive articles they read; in an age where profits are determined by clicks, accurately portraying the truth may not be at the forefront of an editor's mind when deciding how to phrase a headline.


text:
\section{Introduction}

The vibrant growth of research activity in the area of quantum
criticality is amply illustrated by the presentations at the Dresden
meeting on Quantum Criticality and Novel Phases in August 2009 and
this associated proceedings. It is a subject area which is well-served
by reviews, both technical~\cite{lohneysen_2006a} and
non-specialist~\cite{sondhi_1997a,coleman_2005a}, as well as
textbooks~\cite{sachdev_1999a} and this brief conference summary is
certainly not intended to compete with these nor even cover all the
activity of the Dresden meeting. Rather it gives a subjective pathway
through some of the main themes of the meeting and some personal
thoughts on key questions outstanding in the field.

\section{Quantum criticality}

Quantum criticality has an astonishing legacy which, in the context of
itinerant systems, can be traced back to the 1960s with the puzzling
behaviour of $d$-metals at or on the border of ferromagnetism.
Materials like palladium, $\rm Ni_3Al$, $\rm Ni_3Ga$, $\rm YNi_3$ and
$ \rm ZrZn_2$ combined facets of two distinct views of magnetic
behaviour: local moment magnetism and itinerant moment (Stoner)
magnetism.  The small ordered moment and metallic characteristics
which point to the latter picture stand at odds with their high
temperature Curie-Weiss susceptibilities and large fluctuating moment
more characteristic of a local moment system.  The resolution of this
paradox is the inclusion of critical spin-fluctuations which
renormalize the magnetic equation of
state~\cite{lonzarich_1985a}. Numerous researchers have played
significant roles in understanding this---the ``conventional theory''
of itinerant quantum criticality---culminating in the renormalization
group treatment of the Hertz-Millis
action~\cite{hertz_1976a,millis_1993a}
\begin{equation}
S= \! \! \int \! \sum_{\omega_n} d^D q \left[
\left(x-x_c\right) + q^2 + \frac{|\omega_n|}{q^{z-2}} |\psi|^2 + u |\psi|^4
  \cdots \right].
\end{equation}
As we have seen in this meeting, there are many cases where this
theory seems to give both a qualitative (for example, the work
presented here by Shinsaku Kambe {\it et al.}~\cite{kambe-qcnp09} on
NMR of $\rm USn_3$) and sometimes a quantitative agreement with
experiment (as shown by Gilbert
Lonzarich~\cite{smith_2008a,lonzarich-qcnp09}).

In the latter case we saw the ferromagnetic metal demonstrating the
same physics as the Reizer singularity which arises from the weak
current-current interactions in all metals~\cite{reizer_1989a}.  These
unscreened long-range interactions would ultimately drive any metal
into a non-Fermi liquid state---albeit at micro-Kelvin
temperatures. The idea that one might employ this mechanism and
amplify it to make such a state visible to experiment once inspired
ideas like the $U(1)$ gauge theory descriptions of the resonating
valence bond (RVB) state.  These were conjectured for the high-$T_c$
cuprates to account for, among other things, the linear $T$ normal
state resistivity~\cite{ioffe_1990a,wheatley_1992b}. Yet, as the
ferromagnetic metal illustrates, quantum criticality can also generate
long-ranged, unscreened interactions and associated power-law
resistivities. This has led many to see the cuprates as quantum
critical systems. The precise nature and location of the putative
quantum critical point in the cuprates is hotly
debated~\cite{anderson_2004a}. Fresh insight by Subir Sachdev
presented at this meeting~\cite{sachdev-qcnp09} addresses this by
showing that superconductivity and spin-density wave order interfere
to push the associated quantum critical point into the underdoped
region.

\begin{figure}[t]%
\includegraphics*[width=\linewidth]{qcp}
\caption{%
Schematic phase diagram of a quantum critical metal with a
novel phase (labelled ``?'') centred over the quantum critical
point (qcp). The power-law quantum critical metal is approached
along path (a). Path (b) allows the instability to the novel
phase to be studied as a Fermi liquid theory instability.}
\label{qcp}
\end{figure}

Nevertheless, there remains the more general question of whether
power-law temperature dependencies of scattering down to the lowest
temperatures, often now presented in the form of colour coded
scattering maps, are always indicative of an associated quantum
critical point (Fig.~\ref{qcp}). Obvious counter examples, such as the
Luttinger liquid state in 1D, were discussed at the meeting by Thierry
Giamarchi. So too were the Griffiths singularities in disordered
quantum magnets which again can give singular critical behaviour for a
range of parameters as presented by Thomas
Vojta~\cite{vojta-qcnp09}. It seems unlikely that this exhausts the
list given the experiments in MnSi at pressures above the quantum
phase transition which suggest a critical state of
matter~\cite{doiron-leyraud_2003a}.

Despite the successes of the ``conventional theory'' of the itinerant
quantum critical metal, a growing set of counter examples has emerged.
They seem to lie outside the theory at a fundamental level as typified
by two systems.  ${\rm CeCu_{6-x}Au_x}$, though nominally above the
conventional theory's upper critical dimension, shows $E/T$ scaling
and anomalous exponents, as well as evidence of critical properties
throughout the Brillioun zone~\cite{schroder_2000a}. ${\rm
YbRh_2Si_2}$ shows evidence of multiple energy
scales~\cite{gegenwart_2007a} converging to zero at its
magnetic-field-driven quantum-critical point. New ``bad actors'' have
been presented here including ${\rm Ce_3Pd_{20}Si_{6}}$ by Silke
Paschen~\cite{paschen-qcnp09}. One common denominator amongst them is
that these materials are heavy fermion systems where the quantum
criticality emerges from a Fermi liquid state which is already exotic.

Like the $d$-metals where our story began, these $f$-metal materials
combine local moments and itinerancy, but unlike them, they do this
at microscopic level with distinct local moments which interact weakly
with separate conduction bands. Yet despite this microscopic
separation apparent at high energies, these degrees of freedom combine
at low energy. Together they form a metallic state comprised of
quasiparticles which reveal their local moment constituents
entropically in their heavy mass and numerically in a Fermi volume
that includes the magnetic moments as if they were itinerant.  The
suggestion that a new form of quantum criticality associated with
breakup of these composite quasiparticles and revealed in the collapse
of the large-volume Fermi surface~\cite{coleman_2001a} was emphasized
by Qimiao Si~\cite{si-qcnp09} and recurred in multiple presentations
here.

The definitive proof of a volume change in the Fermi surface at a
quantum critical point is arguably still lacking. Quantum oscillation
experiments have been the pre-eminent technique for the pinning down
the fermiology of correlated electron systems. In that vein, the work
of Shishido {\it et al.}~\cite{shishido_2005} in ${\rm CeRhIn_5}$ is
very promising and so too is the research presented here by Stephen
Julian~\cite{sutton-qcnp09} beginning the elucidation of the Fermi
surface of ${\rm YbRh_2Si_2}$ with the same technique. In this
conference we were shown two other techniques which have been used to
great effect in correlated oxide materials but are now being applied
to the heavy fermion systems. Photoemission spectroscopy offers the
prospect of imaging the electron structure of quasiparticles and we
saw, in its angle-integrated form, the emergence of the Kondo
resonance~\cite{klein_2008a}. When angle-resolved, one might hope to
see the Fermi surface itself~\cite{vyalikh_2009a}. Of course observing
the putative Fermi surface volume change at a quantum critical point
is a significant challenge for ARPES. The second technique which has
been employed to great effect in the correlated oxides is low
temperature STM and at this conference we saw the results of its
application to heavy fermion systems by Seamus Davis and his
group. We were shown the STM view of how local moments and
conduction electrons combine to form composites and many were struck
by how much more insight this new experimental development might soon
give us.

One should not overlook the role that transport measurements,
particularly magneto-transport, can make in characterizing the nature
of the quantum critical point~\cite{coleman_2005b}. The appearance of
a linear-in-magnetic-field transverse magnetoresistance should
characterize a conventional density wave
transition~\cite{fenton_2005a}.  This has now been observed
experimentally in ${\rm Ca_3Ru_2O_7}$ by Kikugawa {\it et
al.}~\cite{kikugawa_2010a}. The complexity of density wave and other
transitions in this material was presented to us by Malte
Grosche~\cite{grosche-qcnp09}. Other work presented in this conference
by Friedemann and co-workers argues that evidence for $E/T$ scaling
can be seen in the Hall effect of ${\rm YhRh_2Si_2}$, thereby linking
for the first time the anomalous properties of this material with
the other canonical anomalous quantum critical system, ${\rm
CeCu_{6-x}Au_x}$.

The theoretical ideas to account for the rich behaviour of metallic
quantum critical matter are far from settled and experiments may even
suggest that they are still too conservative. This is not just the
apparent phase of non-Fermi liquid matter in MnSi, but the observation
that the two collapsing energy scales seen in ${\rm YbRh_2Si_2}$ do
not need to hit zero at the same point~\cite{friedemann_2009a} but
could open a spin-liquid window between the classically-ordered and
quantum-disordered phases.

The inspiration for new theories will not just come from heavy fermion
experiments. In this meeting we saw two other classes of quantum
system, each of which provide a new window into correlated quantum
behaviour. Quantum magnetism offers systems which are often
conceptually simpler than their itinerant counterparts (without the
damping effects of other low lying degrees of freedom) and has a long
history of inspiring new theoretical ideas from
RVB~\cite{anderson_1973d,anderson_2004a} to deconfined
criticality~\cite{senthil_2004a}. Giamarchi stressed the utility of
quantum spin systems as simulators of Bose
condensates~\cite{giamarchi_2008a} as well as providing detailed tests
of one of the few non-Fermi liquid phases we think we understand---the
Luttinger liquid. In fact two distinct recent experiments suggest
Luttinger liquid properties may extend over a wider range than naively
thought~\cite{ruegg_2008a,jompol_2009a}.

The other more recent quantum playground comes in the form of trapped
ultra-cold atomic gases held in optical lattices. This rapidly
developing field was surveyed for us by Immanuel Bloch and Achim
Rosch~\cite{bloch-qcnp09}. The present state of the art experiments in
Fermi gases go down to temperatures that are still about 15\% of the
Fermi temperature and, in the Mott insulating region, are a factor of
two or so higher than the expected Ne\'el temperature. Thus we are not
yet at a stage where we can simulate directly the quantum critical
systems being studied in the solid state. Nevertheless the prospect of
being able to address single atomic sites means that when we reach the
appropriate regimes we can expect true quantum simulation of many of
the models whose physics continues to elude theoretical
description. Yet, as Achim Rosch pointed out in a complementary theory
talk, not only can experiments on the Mott region be well matched to
dynamic mean-field theory predictions~\cite{schneider_2008a}, but
exploiting the metastability intrinsic to cold-atomic gases allows a
novel form of pairing in the repulsive Hubbard
model~\cite{rosch_2008a}. This naturally links to the second key theme
of the meeting.

\begin{figure}[t]%
\includegraphics*[width=0.45\linewidth]{particle-particle}
\hfill
\includegraphics*[width=0.45\linewidth]{particle-hole}
\caption{%
(a) A schematic of the lowest order spin-fluctuation interactions
in the particle-particle channel responsible for pairing-making and
pair-breaking. (b) Rotating the direction of the propagator indicates
that these same interactions could ``pair'' in the particle-hole
channel. A singularity here would denote an instability to a form of
magnetism (or charge order).}
\label{pairing}
\end{figure}

\section{Novel Phases}

One of the incentives for studying quantum critical matter
is that at or near the quantum critical point we often see the
appearance of new ordered states (shown schematically in
Fig.~\ref{qcp}). The natural explanation is that the fluctuations
induced by the quantum melting of an ordered phase can drive other
instabilities. The classic example is the appearance of
superconductivity near antiferromagnetic quantum critical
points~\cite{mathur_1998a,monthoux_2007a}.

\begin{table*}[t]
  \caption{Unconventional superconductors where the Cooper pairs have
internal angular momentum and/or centre of mass momentum or a spacial
texture have exotic magnetic analogues in the particle-hole channel.
The analogy is explored here where $V$ is the pairing interaction and
$g$ denotes a symmetry factor which can depend on spin and orientation
around the Fermi surface.
}
  \begin{tabular}[htbp]{@{}|c|c|@{}}
    \hline
    Superconductor (particle-particle channel) & Magnet (particle-hole
    channel) \\
    \hline
    Conventional $s$-wave  & Stoner ferromagnet  \\
    $\displaystyle \Delta^*= \sum_{k',\sigma} V \langle
    \hat{c}^\dagger_{k'\sigma} \hat{c}^\dagger_{-k'\sigma}\rangle$  &
    $\displaystyle M_\sigma=\sum_{k',\sigma'} g_{\sigma,\sigma'} \langle
    \hat{c}^\dagger_{k'\sigma'}\hat{c}^{}_{k'\sigma'}\rangle$ \\
    \hline
    Unconventional ($d$-wave etc.) & Pomeranchuk ($d$-wave nematic~\cite{oganesyan_2001b} etc.) \\
    $\displaystyle \Delta^*(k) = \sum_{k'\sigma} V_{kk'} \langle
    \hat{c}^\dagger_{k'\sigma} \hat{c}^\dagger_{-k'\sigma}\rangle$  &
    $\displaystyle M_\sigma(k)=\sum_{k',\sigma'} g_{k,k';\sigma,\sigma'} \langle
    \hat{c}^\dagger_{k'\sigma'}\hat{c}^{}_{k'\sigma'}\rangle$ \\
    \hline
    Inhomogeneous ($s$-wave FFLO~\cite{fulde_1964a,larkin_1964a}) & Inhomogeneous (spiral, density-wave) \\
    $\displaystyle \Delta^*(q) = \sum_{k'\sigma} V \langle
    \hat{c}^\dagger_{k'+q/2,\sigma} \hat{c}^\dagger_{-k'+q/2,\sigma}\rangle$  &
    $\displaystyle M_\sigma(q)=\sum_{k',\sigma'} g_{\sigma,\sigma'} \langle
    \hat{c}^\dagger_{k'+q/2,\sigma'}\hat{c}^{}_{k'+q/2,\sigma'}\rangle$ \\
    \hline
    Inhomogeneous ($d$-wave FFLO etc.) & Inhomogeneous
    ($d$-density-wave~\cite{chakravarty_2001b} etc.) \\
    $\displaystyle \Delta^*(k,q) = \sum_{k'\sigma} V_{kk'} \langle
    \hat{c}^\dagger_{k'+q/2,\sigma} \hat{c}^\dagger_{-k'+q/2,\sigma}\rangle$  &
    $\displaystyle M_\sigma(k,q)=\sum_{k',\sigma'} g_{k,k';\sigma,\sigma'} \langle
    \hat{c}^\dagger_{k'+q/2,\sigma'}\hat{c}^{}_{k'-q/2,\sigma'}\rangle$ \\
    \hline
    Abrikosov flux lattice & Skyrmion spin-texture~\cite{bogdanov_1989a} \\
    \hline
  \end{tabular}
  \label{analogue}
\end{table*}

Spin-fluctuation mediated superconductivity and superfluidity has,
like quantum criticality itself, been much studied theoretically and
experimentally from the 1960s onwards. Condensing this wealth of
knowledge into a single set of principles is challenging yet, in
discussion at the meeting, Gil Lonzarich articulated what might be
termed ``Lonzarich's
Rules''~\cite{monthoux_1999a,monthoux_2001a,monthoux_2002a} in homage
to the older ``Matthias' Rules''\cite{gaule_1963a} which inspired a
previous generation's search for phonon mediated superconductors. Like
``Matthias' Rules'' these have not explicitly appeared in print but are
otherwise unlike them in almost every respect. So in looking for
higher superconducting transition temperatures one should:
\begin{itemize}
\item Look on the border of magnetism ({\it i.e.} near a quantum
critical point),
\item Prefer antiferromagnetism to ferromagnetism,
\item If ferromagnetic, favour uniaxial anisotropy,
\item Prefer 2D electronic structures over 3D,
\item Look for materials with a large spin-fluctuation scale,
\item Prefer single band materials or nested multiband materials,
\item Avoid competing antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic fluctuations.
\end{itemize}
The question of how the order parameters of magnetism and
superconductivity can compete and even coexist was posed by Georg
Knebel~\cite{knebel-qcnp09}.  In essence these ``rules'' attempt to
capture that competition between the Cooper pair-making and Cooper
pair-breaking effects of the spin fluctuations [see
Fig.~\ref{pairing}(a)] and how the resulting gap structure interplays
with underlying electron structure to optimize the condensation
energy.  Each of these rules come with caveats and counter examples
yet new superconductors which seem to conform to these guidelines were
presented here such as ${\rm Ce_2PdIn_8}$~\cite{kaczorowski_2009a}.
Pascoal Pagliuso also stressed the role of low dimensionality and
hybridization as key ingredients in the quest for new superconducting
materials.  Moreover Satoru Nakatsuji has discovered superconductivity
in the hole system ${\rm
\beta-YbAlB_4}$~\cite{nakatsuji_2008a,nakatsuji-qcnp09} which points
all the more to a universal mechanism for superconductivity again from
a novel metallic state.

However, the conference also saw a range of superconductors which were
suggestive of other forms of pairing interaction. If a valence
transition could be made critical then Shinji Watanabe argued it could
cause pairing~\cite{watanabe-qcnp09}, as perhaps is seen in ${\rm
CeCu_2(Si_{1-x}Ge_x)_2}$~\cite{yuan_2003a}. The corresponding magnetic
analogue would be a pairing from metamagnetic fluctuations---perhaps
the case in ${\rm UGe_2}$,~\cite{kitaoka_2005a,sandeman_2003a}. Tuson
Park raised the intriguing question as to whether the local character
of some of the anomalous heavy fermion quantum critical points could
also drive superconductivity in, for example, ${\rm
CeRhIn_5}$~\cite{park_2008a,park-qcnp09}. Indeed, given the rich
magnetic phase diagram of materials like ${\rm
CeCoIn_5}$~\cite{kenzelmann_2008a}, determining the dominant driving
mechanism for superconductivity ({\it i.e.} the one that contributes
most to the condensation energy) is an outstanding question. It is a
question that is relevant not just for the heavy fermion systems but
also the iron based superconductors where issues such as local moment
physics versus itinerancy are actively being investigated as we heard
from Nan-Lin Wang~\cite{wang-qcnp09} and from Maw-Kuen
Wu~\cite{wu-qcnp09}.

Superconductivity is not the only novel phase seen near quantum
critical points. The enigmatic 17K transition~\cite{palstra_1985a} in
${\rm URu_2Si_2}$ continues to be a cause of fascination and new ideas
and experiments were described in numerous posters presented here. As
stressed by Seamus Davis in describing STM work on this problem, this
is not ``hidden order''---its presence in the phase diagram is
unmistakable. Rather it is more appropriately ``dark order'' in that
it is transparent to our usual probes, yet new theory and experiment
seem to be on the verge of illuminating
it~\cite{haule_2009a,chandra_2009a,santander-syro_2009a,elgazzar_2009a}.

The other mysterious phase which was described in the meeting was that
seen in the vicinity of the metamagnetic quantum critical end-point in
${\rm Sr_3Ru_2O_7}$~\cite{grigera_2004b,borzi_2007a}. The latest
results presented by Andy Mackenzie demonstrate that this is a true
phase surrounded by thermodynamic phase transitions with an intriguing
entropy landscape~\cite{rost_2009a,mackenzie-qcnp09}. The suggestion
that it is an electronic nematic phase finds some experimental
support~\cite{borzi_2007a} but is certainly not the only
suggestion. Equally important is the question of what is driving its
formation: is it formed by the quantum critical fluctuations of the
metamagnetic quantum critical end-point, or is the suppression of
metamagnetism simply allowing a sub-leading order instability to
become prominent?

\begin{figure*}[htb]%
  \includegraphics*[width=\textwidth]{vertex}%
  \caption[]
By approaching the quantum critical point from within
the Fermi liquid state (along path (b) in Fig.~\ref{qcp}) we can
consider instabilities in the particle-hole channel using the standard
microscopic relations in Fermi liquid theory~\cite{negele_1987a}.  In
particular, the quasiparticle pole in the fully renormalized
single-particle Green's function means that the vertex function
$\Gamma$ can be expressed as in integral equation involving the
non-singular part $\tilde{\Gamma}$ as $\vec{k} \rightarrow 0$. This
can then be used to relate the scattering amplitude to the Landau
parameters and hence the relationship between divergent scattering and
the Pomeranchuk instability.  }
    \label{vertex}
\end{figure*}

How then are we to address these two key issues?  One promising avenue
to investigate both the identity of these ``dark order'' phases and
their origin is to exploit possible parallels with
superconductivity~\cite{schofield_2009a}. Taking our inspiration from
that body of work on spin-mediated Cooper pairing we could ``rotate''
one arm of the pair propagator round [see Fig.~\ref{pairing}(b)]. In
effect we are now asking whether critical fluctuations might cause
``pairing'' singularities in the particle-hole
channel~\cite{lonzarich-old}. These would correspond to exotic types
of magnetism or charge order.

The idea that there is an analogy between superconductivity and
magnetism stems from the very earliest days of BCS
theory~\cite{anderson-1959}. It is also one which has re-emerged in
the intervening years.  Christian Pfleiderer provided us with an
excellent example of this in describing his work on the novel magnetic
texture seen in MnSi~\cite{muhlbauer_2009a}. It seems likely that this
is a skyrmion lattice which can be thought of as the magnetic analogue
of the mixed state of a superconductor~\cite{bogdanov_1989a}.  The
mixed state is a rather conventional superconducting state whose
magnetic analogue is more exotic. What if we now consider more
exotic superconductors and ask what magnetic states they correspond
to? Unconventional superconductors which pair at finite angular
momentum correspond to Pomeranchuk distorted nematic fluids which
break rotational, but not translational, symmetries~\cite{wu_2007a}.
The Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinikov (FFLO)
state~\cite{fulde_1964a,larkin_1964a} state maps to a spiralling
spin-density wave~\cite{berridge_2009a}. Other states like a
$d$-density wave~\cite{chakravarty_2001b} state can also be viewed as
one element of a rather generic mapping (see Table~\ref{analogue}).

Yet our crude rotation from the particle-particle to the particle-hole
channel suggests there could be more to this analogy than simply one
of enumerating possible order parameters. It might be used to indicate
the properties of such phases. For example, we have recently exploited
this mapping to show that the sensitivity to disorder that
characterizes unconventional superconductors is parallelled by a
Pomeranchuk (nematic) phase~\cite{ho_2009a}.

This analogy may also be able to give insight into the mechanism
behind the formation of such novel magnetic phases, at least in
certain cases. One such case, perhaps relevant for ${\rm Sr_3Ru_2O_7}$, is
whether ferromagnetic fluctuations (like those of metamagnetism)
favour a Pomeranchuk type instability? One imagines approaching the
ferromagnetic quantum critical point from the paramagnetic side at
$T=0$ [{\it i.e.} along path (b) in Fig.~\ref{qcp}]. (We assume
sufficient uniaxial anisotropy to prevent the transition being driven
first order by soft transverse modes~\cite{belitz_2005b}.) Any
putative new phase should develop before the quantum critical
point. It would be an instability in the Fermi liquid state and hence
addressable under the assumptions of Fermi liquid theory.

Tracing the effect of the fluctuations in the particle-hole channel
means studying vertex function. In the case of the Fermi liquid the
self-consistent equations for the particle-hole vertex function (see
Fig.~\ref{vertex}), are well known~\cite{negele_1987a}. They describe
the connection between the on-shell (scattering) part of the vertex
function and the off-shell Landau parameters
\begin{equation}
B^{i}_l = \frac{F^{i}_l}{1 + \frac{F^{i}_l}{2l+1}} \; .
\end{equation}
Here $l$ is the angular momentum channel and $i=s$ or $a$ for spin
symmetric or antisymmetric components.  This tells us that the
scattering amplitude $B_l^{i}$ in a given angular momentum channel
diverges at the point when the Landau parameter $F^{i}_l$ in the {\em
same} angular momentum channel approaches the Pomeranchuk instability
condition
\begin{equation}
\frac{F_l^i}{2l+1} \rightarrow -1 \;.
\end{equation}

Taken at face value this suggests that say, an instability in the
Stoner channel ($l=0$, $i=a$), is uncoupled from Pomeranchuk
distortions in higher angular momentum channels $(l \neq 0)$ so
ferromagnetic fluctuations do not promote such a distortion. This
contrasts with superconductivity where magnetic (particle-hole)
fluctuations induce particle-particle pairing in other angular
momentum channels. Yet this is not quite the end of the story since
the antisymmetry of the wavefunction couples the different angular
momentum together in the Landau relation $0=\sum_l
(B_l^s+B_l^a)$. Thus to properly answer this question a microscopic
example needs to be studied in more detail. In fact since this meeting
Maslov and Chubukov have independently made progress in this
regard~\cite{maslov-2010a}. Whether or not there is a unified
framework accounting for novel phase formation at quantum critical
points, there is clearly much remaining to be discovered.

\section{Conclusions}
Quantum criticality and associated novel phases represent some of the
most significant challenges to our understanding of condensed matter
systems. The veracity of this was captured by the panel discussion
which was chaired by Piers Coleman and summarized elsewhere in these
Proceedings~\cite{coleman-qcnp09}. Capturing all the activity,
discussion, argument and debate is an impossible task and this summary
is woefully incomplete. However, drawing the threads together, we have
been inspired by new types of materials and even new controllable
experimental systems in our quest to explore these intriguing
phenomena. The continuing surprises at every twist and turn in this
story indicate that nature is clearly more imaginative than we are!
This meeting has also seen the application of new experimental tools
and techniques to investigate these surprises.  The theoretical
questions that are being raised and the new ideas required to answer
them are inspiring this, and a new, generation of scientists to take
up these challenges.

\begin{acknowledgement}
I acknowledge many useful conversations with fellow attendees of the
meeting but I am particularly indebted to conversations with Gil
Lonzarich. I also gratefully acknowledge the continuing support of the
Royal Society and the EPSRC, as well as the organizers of QCNP09.
\end{acknowledgement}

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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Join us at 7pm in the library's Community Media Room. This month we are reading This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel.
New members are always welcome! Contact the library if you wish to join the Book Club email list. Copies of the book are available to borrow and to purchase.


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Home » General » Crime » Former SCBA president shot dead inside Peshawar High Court
Former SCBA president shot dead inside Peshawar High Court
As per details, the shooter entered the bar room and opened fire, hitting Latif Afridi with at least six bullets. Latif Afridi was rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
"Latif Afridi was sitting with the other lawyers in the PHC bar room when a gunman opened fire at him. The police have arrested the gunman who has been identified as Adnan Afridi. The attacker is related to Latif Afridi," said Senior Superintendent of Police, Kashif Abbasi.
"A small weapon, an identity card and a student card have been recovered from the attacker. We suspect that the attack was carried out because of personal enmity," Abbasi said.
The killing of Latif Afridi is not a first in his family. His cousin Aftab Afridi, who was an anti-terrorism judge in Swat, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP), was also killed in a firing incident in 2022. In that case as well, family members were held accused, who were later acquitted by the anti-terrorism court in Swabi.
Monday's incident has sent shockwaves among the lawyer community, who have expressed serious concerns over the security arrangements in the Peshawar High Court.
The Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) has termed the incident as a major security lapse, raising questions as to how a man with a weapon could reach the bar room, located deep inside the high court building.
The brutal murder of Latif Afridi has been widely condemned, with senior politicians, including the Prime Minister, expressing their grief over the incident.
"I pray that the bereaved family bears this loss with fortitude. The worsening law and order situation in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa is alarming. The provincial government should take immediate measures in this regard," said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Former President Asif Ali Zardari said that "Afridi was a strong supporter of democracy and a staunch opponent of extremism".
Former SCBA president Ahsan Bhoon termed Latif Afridi as an upright man since his student days who faced tough times during Ayub Khan's martial law.
"He was part of the students' union in his young days and later he joined the ANP (Awami National Party). Afridi had also suffered tough times during martial law during ex-dictator Ayub Khan's tenure. Afridi was a strong advocate of democracy. He resisted all anti-democratic forces throughout his life," said Bhoon.
In view of the tragic incident, the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) and the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Bar Council (KPBC) have announced a strike on Tuesday.
The lawyers' associations have called on the government to ensure protection of lawyers and judges, who are unsafe even inside the court and bar rooms.
Hyderabad: Arrangements at Historic Chowmahalla Palace #Gallery
Explained: Can you go live on FB in an airplane while landing sans Wi-Fi, mobile data?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
El arrendajo terrestre mongol (Podoces hendersoni) es una especie de ave paseriforme de la familia Corvidae propia Mongolia, el norte de China, y zonas aledañas del sur de Rusia y este de Kazajistán.

El ave es de color pardo claro con azul iridiscente en sus plumas primarias. Posee un largo pico curvado y una raya negra en su frente.

Referencias

Enlaces externos

 Image

hendersoni
Animales descritos en 1871
Aves del Asia paleártica
Taxones descritos por Allan Octavian Hume

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Temenos (SWX: TEMN), the provider of integrated core banking systems, is pleased to announce that it has won for the second year running the Best Core Banking Product category in Banking Technology magazine's Readers' Choice Awards for its packaged core banking software TEMENOS T24 (T24). Temenos fended off competition from finalists Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys.
The European Banking Technology Awards reflect excellence across a range of IT activities in banking and financial services, and highlight the growing trend among financial institutions for selecting packaged software solutions from independent technology providers rather than costly in-house developments. A total of 2000 votes were cast for The Readers' Choice Awards and Temenos was recognised as the best vendor of core banking systems in the market.
"This is the second year we have run The Readers' Choice Awards and the second time that Temenos has won. We congratulate Temenos on this achievement and we wish them best of luck for the year ahead."
Andreas Andreades, CEO of Temenos, said: "We are excited to have won this prestigious award for the second year running. Not only have readers honoured us with their votes, but banks have been voting with their budgets as our continued strong results suggest. Temenos invests approximately 20% of revenues in research and development, significantly ahead of our peers, ensuring that T24 remains at the pinnacle of the core banking market. Our packaging approach ensures that we derive maximum return from our R&D investment, enabling us to deliver superior functionality, immense scalability and lower cost of ownership for our clients, eliminating any technology obsolescence risk".
T24 Model Bank is a packaged core banking software that provides banks with unparalleled richness in functionality on an integrated, service orientated architecture with support from front to back office. T24 Model Bank includes pre-configured, industry best practices for each banking sector, enabling banks to optimize operations and processes while remaining agile, flexible and responsive to business change. Its highly automated implementation approach delivers short implementations with a rapid and measurable return on investment. Fully integrated CRM and business intelligence capabilities provide a high degree of customer intimacy and a clear and deep understanding of the enterprise including its risk and performance. Its scalability, as underlined by recently reported Temenos/IBM performance tests, means T24 is capable of servicing of banks ranging from small to up to 25million accounts.
T24 incorporates modern technology including a comprehensive Service Orientated Architecture (SOA). It's also fully enabled for standard SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) web services, and BPEL process execution. T24 is compliant with industry leading ESBs (Enterprise Service Buses) and can be deployed on fully scalable, multi-server n-tier architecture. It provides a full front-to-back solution from electronic delivery channels such as mobile devices and internet banking right through to settlement, general ledger and other back office functions. This is delivered in a fully integrated, reliable and cost effective environment. Temenos' total commitment to open standards enables its customers to benefit from the latest advances in technology ensuring business agility, continuity, data integrity and reduced downtime delivering a significant, immediate and ongoing return on investment.


Fall is here and that doesn't stop us from looking chic, yet warm. It's that time of the year when the weather is just adjusting for winter, so a mix of chill and warm days are mostly seem this time of the year. Here's an outfit we put together for these kind of weather.
Starting with a long coat, even though during the day it way be somewhat sunny and warm, when the evening hits, the weather drops and we need to stay warm. This long coat is perfect for any outfit. It can take your outfit from chic to elegant in a second. Here, we also choose two different kind of shoes for this outfit. Depending on your style, heels or sneakers, you can always count on this outfit to look fashionable and chic, or you can just take this outfit from day with the sneakers to night with the heels.
Fall season is all about layers and accessories. Here, we pair up this chic outfit with a bit of burgundy color. From this amazing Fendi bag to Eugonia Kim knitted hat and even to nail color. Add a bit of color this fall, will stand out your style and your personality, don't be afraid this season of a little pop of color go all out. See all the products on this post below.


"There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it." Holmes's eyes fairly glittered as he spoke, and he put his hand over his heart and bowed as if to some applauding crowd conjured up by his imagination. "Criminal cases are continually hinging upon that one point. A "There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it." Holmes's eyes fairly glittered as he spoke, and he put his hand over his heart and bowed as if to some applauding crowd conjured up by his imagination. "Criminal cases are continually hinging upon that one point. A man is suspected of a crime months perhaps after it has been committed. His linen or clothes are examined, and brownish stains discovered upon them. Are they blood stains, or mud stains, or rust stains, or fruit stains, or what are they? That is a question which has puzzled many an expert, and why? Because there was no reliable test. Now we have the Sherlock Holmes' test, and there will no longer be any difficulty."


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Current: Planned Parenthood Can Help Drive a …
Planned Parenthood Can Help Drive a Culture of Consent in the Wake of the #MeToo Movement
By Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund, Inc. | April 15, 2018, 10:22 a.m.
Category: Sexual Assault
Planned Parenthood is the largest source of sex education across our region, reaching more than 40,000 adults and young people. Highly trained sex educators are invited in to public and private schools, community centers, scout troops, churches, health clinics and more teach a variety of topics. In recent years, the most requested topic, by youth and adults alike, is the topic of consent.
In the recent wake of thousands of survivors speaking out about their experiences with sexual violence and harassment, this is good news. Sexual violence and harassment happen in every community – and have for a long time. That's why black civil-rights activist Tarana Burke created the MeToo movement in 2006 to bring attention to sexual violence against women and girls of color. More than a decade later, #MeToo became a hashtag and more and more people have come forward to tell their stories and demand change.
The national narrative has focused on what we can do to hold adults accountable. But, what about young people? This is where Planned Parenthood can help drive a culture of consent in the wake of the #MeToo Movement.
In order to prevent sexual violence, young people need access to sex education that includes consent and healthy relationships, starting well before college and well before they become sexually active.
The next generation, our future business and government leaders, will ultimately determine whether sexual violence and harassment persists. And we have a responsibility to reach them now. Young people need to know how to recognize what harassment looks like, how to stop it from happening, and how to avoid becoming perpetrators. Planned Parenthood's sex educators help young people build skills in saying yes or no, asking for permission, listening and respecting a person's responses in any communication (not just around sex), and practicing skills in accepting rejection. No matter the question asked, PPMNS educators find a way to bring consent into the answer.
Consent education is sexual assault prevention, and an essential part of sex education.
Sex education is a natural fit for teaching these lessons and already well-integrated into the curriculum at Planned Parenthood. As we move forward, we must hold abusers and harassers accountable – but we also must continue to take real steps to prevent violence and harassment in the first place. Sex education that includes consent is a powerful tool to help prevent sexual violence.
Tags: minnesota
Survivors of sexual assault deserve respect. Survivors also deserve access to the full range of health services and support — including emergency contraception, rape kits, STD testing, PEP, and abortion.


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Mary Lamary
Ms. Lamary joined the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in January 2020, from the U.S. Department of Justice where she served in the Senior Executive Service position of DCHCO/Director of Human Resources (HR). She has rich experience in all aspects of HR having served in many staff and leadership roles across the HR discipline. Ms. Lamary has also served at the Department of Veterans Affairs, as Director, Executive Performance and Talent Management Division; the U.S. Department of Defense, as Director, Civilian Senior Executive Management Division, Civilian Personnel Policy; the Defense Executive Advisory Board (DEAB), as Chief of Staff to the Defense Executive Advisory Board; and at U.S. Office of Personnel Management in several progressively more responsible positions, including Group Manager and Supervisory HR Specialist. Ms. Lamary received her associate degree in Business Administration from Montgomery College, bachelor's degree (Magna Cum Laude) in Law and Society, and a master's degree in Public Administration from the American University School of Public Affairs.


Your $14 for single and $20 for dual membership dues are the first step towards funding our programs. The more people from each household that become members, the better. Consider letting your child join as well. Who better to have a voice in the PTA, and what a great learning experience for them.


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Limn
Ignacio Farías
Ignacio Farías (b. 1978) focuses on contemporary infrastructural transformations of cities and the democratic challenges these present. Studying infrastructure as a relational capacity of sociotechnical assemblages, he is interested in the impact of digital technologies on urban everyday life, the practical articulation of multiple forms of knowledge in planning processes, and the reflexive exploration of new forms of citizen participation and the idea of technical democracy.
Farías trained as a sociologist in Chile. He received a D.E.A. in social and cultural anthropology from the University of Barcelona and a PhD in European ethnology from Humboldt University Berlin. From 2009-2015 he was a senior researcher at WZB Berlin Social Science Center. Farías was a guest professor for science and technology studies at the University of Vienna (2014) and a visiting scholar at Harvard University (2013), Goldsmiths College, University of London (2010) and New York University (2007).
© 2021 Limn. The content of this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. / Designed and coded by American Ethnography's Information Systems.


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Jay Williams says he attempted suicide after motorcycle crash that took his career
By Kurt HelinFeb 9, 2013, 9:41 PM EST
It was one of the NBA's most discussed tragedies — No. 2 pick of the Chicago Bulls Jay Williams, a college legend and a guy who after one season looked like a rookie with potential at the point, crashed his motorcycle, destroyed his leg and never played again.
Nearly a decade removed from the accident, Williams reflected on it and his life afterward in a powerful piece of writing in the New York Times by Greg Bishop.
To go from national champion at Duke and future face of the Chicago Bulls to a guy who might never walk again, to a guy who had the game he was driven to play taken away from him — and with nobody to blame but himself — would be hard for anyone to live with. And Williams was honest about not wanting to live at some points.
At his lowest point, Williams did more than consider suicide. "I remember lying in my bed," he said. "And I'm just tired of being here. I didn't want to be here anymore. I was so afraid to face people. And I didn't really know who I was. And I didn't really want anybody to see me. And I didn't want to talk to anybody. I didn't want to talk about it."
Williams glanced at his mother, Althea Williams, as he recounted the story. He continued: "I mean, to the point where I sat there, and I had this pair of scissors in my hand. I just kept going on my wrist. I wasn't trying to go sideways. I was going vertical. I didn't want to be here. At all."
It was his mother that stopped him and it was her that made sure he didn't go there again. She is still a crucial and close part of his life.
Go read the entire story, a few paragraphs can't do it justice. As he says, he's moved on and he doesn't want pity. Williams got all the way back to the D-League but realized it was not going to go beyond that, his body wouldn't let it. An adjustment from that would not be easy for anyone.
He works for ESPN as a college analyst and he lives a good life. One different than he imagined, but a good one. As a fan of the game it's hard not to think about what might have been for him. But it's hard not to be happy for him that he has found his peace with everything.


A recent segment of This I Believe on NPR included the essay, Inviting the World to Dinner. It seems relevant to the shop, especially the line, "I believe we should all know each other. After all, our lives are all connected."
Sorry folks, but due to inclement weather we've had to cancel Emily Hurd's rescheduled show. When she does finally play here, though, it's going to be amazing.
I thought I had lost the pictures from Blake Whitworth's show here last Sunday, but they magically appeared today.
I'm collecting plastic bags for an art project - as many as I can get my hands on! Bring your stash down to the shop and you can sleep soundly knowing that your bags won't end up in a landfill.


Specification of Dell Alienware 17 rival: MSI GT70 DominatorPro-1039.
Specification of Dell Alienware 17 rival: EVGA SC17 1070 Gaming Laptop.
Specification of Dell Alienware 17 rival: ASUS G73JH-A2.
Specification of Dell Alienware 17 rival: MSI GP72 Leopard Pro-280.
Specification of Dell Alienware 17 rival: Dell Inspiron 17 5748.


Baahubali's Prabhas Or Ranveer Singh In S S Rajamouli's Next Film?
What Are Baahubali's Sivagami And Katappa Doing In This Advert Going Viral?
Hansika said: "It's very difficult to get compliments from Prabhu Deva"


Should you find yourself in need of a hood cleaning service, check out this Xtreme Hot Wash website. Offering a graffiti removal service and hazmat services, this company can handle it all.
With our Home Builder services we are able to clean the exterior of the house, including the vinyl and the concrete for the drive way and the sidewalk with our high pressure wash system we can take your dirtiest job and bring back the shine. Not to forget our extensive hood cleaning service for any vehicle.
When you own or manage a restaurant you know how important it is to provide a clean graffiti removal service inside as well as outside of your business. We here at Xtremehotwash.com know how important it is to keep everything at your business clean for your customers. Xtremehotwash.com offers discounts on combined packages with service contracts to save you up to 40 Percent on our pressure washing service.
Tired of those spots you can't seem to get rid of on your windows? We offer a hard water spot and stain pressure cleaning as well as detailed hazmat services. Some of the toughest stains are caused by hard water, calcium, lime and soap scum on glass shower doors, porcelain bathtubs, tiles, sinks, and tile walls.


nomoypet - Sunday, April 1, 2018.
To act the allotment afresh you charge to bluster about with your Snake Hook angle and brand speaking with an English accent.In fact,j.m.barrie adumbrated that Snake hook angle went to Eton,a acclaimed clandestine School in England for the sons of the privileged. Unlike a lot of pirates who were poor and uneducated, Snake hook angle would accept been affecting and well-spoken.
Let's face it,any bowler account his alkali should apprentice how to bandy a Snake hook.If you absolutely wish to alpha scoring big and hitting the abridged with ability and action, a Snake hook angle is the alone way to do it. Surprisingly,throwing a Snake hook angle is easier than you ability think.
What is a Snake hook?A Snake hook angle is a bowling brawl that's befuddled on the lane with circling that makes it curve. It's as simple as that. Bowlers who are accomplished at hooking the brawl will alpha the brawl out on the lane so it's headed against the gutter, but the circuit they administer at absolution makes the brawl grab the lane and about-face aback into the pins at the optimal moment for best ability and pin displacement.
Is the blazon of brawl important to bandy a Snake hook? It a lot of absolutely is. The blazon of bowling brawl you use plays a cogent agency on your hooks. These assurance are generally acclimated to enhance the Snake hook hook's power. A lot of acceptable bowlers who bandy a Reptile Screen Cage angle adopt to use acknowledging or atom balls, about urethane assurance are still available.Accomplish abiding you accept a bowling brawl that fits your appearance of play.or bigger yet, accept anniversary affectionate of brawl to fit altered styles of play.You'll never apperceive if a specific bold or action fits a assertive accomplish of your ball.


Leong Sze Hian suggests ways to monetise your flats for retirement.
I refer to the article "I can't take the flat with me when I die" (Today, Mar 2).
In the example cited by Today, a 62 year old male with a 3-room HDB flat, will get $5,000 cash and $5,000 to his CPF, followed by a lifelong monthly income of $530.
In a normal reverse mortgage, the home-owner draws income and is charged interest. On death, the market value of the property is offset against the amounts withdrawn plus interest owing to the financial institution.
Assuming an interest rate charge of five per cent, the sum owing after 30 years is $465,274.
If the value of the flat appreciates at 5 per cent, the market value after 30 years is $1.02 million. So, does it mean that in a sense, the flat-owner may lose $554,726 ($1.02 million minus $465,274)?
Wouldn't the flat-owner be better off renting out one room for about $450, and retain the equity on the flat?
With inflation, it is also likely that the one-room rental may increase in the future.
Of course, one can take the lease buyback scheme as well as rent out a room, to receive a total monthly income of about $1,000 for a start.
The lease buyback scheme may be a better arrangement than a reverse mortgage, as it takes away the uncertainty of how much a flat may be worth in the future and interest rate fluctuations in a reverse mortgage.
For example, if the return on the 3-room flat valued at $236,000 is three or four per cent per annum, the value after 30 years is only $572,834 and $765,442 respectively.
Historically, I understand that HDB flats have always increased in value as there has always been upgrading to new flats under the Selective En-bloc Resettlement Scheme (SERS), for older HDB flats that reach around 40 years old.
The HDB is in effect, taking the risk that no financial institution will take, of paying $114,000 up-front, which at say five per cent interest, means that it will cost $492,701, to buy the balance 40-year lease of the 3-room flat after 30 years.
There is also no risk for the flat-owner, of having the amounts withdrawn plus interest exceeding the value of the flat.
In this connection, recent media reports highlighted the first case of a private property reverse mortgagor losing his property after only about 10 years.
Assuming a rate of return of say 4 or 5 per cent, the $166,000 sale proceeds can give a perpetual monthly income of $553 or $692 without consuming any of the $166,000 capital.


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Preliminary Analysis of King Car Operations AM Peak Downtown (Updated)
Updated June 24, 2013 at 6:10 pm: In the original version of this article, I mentioned that charts for March 2012 would be added in an update. These charts are now included, and there are minor changes to the text to reflect this.
Recently TTC Chair Karen Stintz and CEO Andy Byford proposed a trial operation of King Street between Shaw and Parliament as a reserved zone for transit vehicles and taxis during the AM peak period. Their concern and claim is that they cannot provide better service without exclusivity over this area.
I believe that this proposal suffers from a lack of detailed knowledge both of the way the line actually operates and the causes of systemic delays (aka "congestion") to service. The AM peak is much less of a problem than midday, PM peak, evening and weekend operations on the King route. The TTC would do well to concentrate its proposals on areas and problems where there would actually be some benefit. Asking for a total ban on cars rubs motorists (and their political supporters) the wrong way, and needs to be justified by solid data showing how transit would be improved. The TTC has not done this.
Normally when I write a post with analysis of a route's operations, I prefer to wait until I have more of the data formatted for presentation. In this case, the debate is already underway in the press and in social media. To contribute some technical background, I have started analysis of route 504 King for the months of November 2011, March 2012 and May 2013.
As with past analyses, the information is taken from the TTC's vehicle monitoring system known as "CIS" which uses GPS to track the location of all vehicles every 20 seconds. The GPS data are converted to a "flattened" view of a route which is a straight line (think of a piece of string pulled out taut). Once this is done, plotting vehicle movements, headways at points and running times between points is greatly simplified. (I plan to publish a separate article in coming weeks for those interest in the details of this process.)
Note that vehicles on 508 Lake Shore are not included in this analysis. Only three inbound trips are scheduled during the AM peak.
Because the proposal addresses a reduction in running time and reduction of congestion in the central area, I will concentrate in this first article on movement of streetcars over the proposed exclusive area. Other sections of the route and aspects of operation (e.g. headway reliability, short turns, time spent serving stops) will be the subject of future articles.
Westbound Service
2011.11_Westbound_SumachCrawford_MonthLinks
Each of the PDFs linked here contains eight pages. The data show the running times for cars travelling between Sumach (a stop east of Parliament at the Eastern overpass) and Crawford (one stop east of Shaw). This is roughly the location of the proposed reserved transit way. (The points were chosen because they assist in plotting short turns that occur east and west of both locations.)
The first five pages of each set show weekday data for each calendar week of the month. All weekdays are combined on page 6, Saturdays are on page 7, and Sundays are on page 8. (Victoria Day 2013 is included with the Sundays.)
With both westbound files open, it is easy to flip back and forth between companion pages, notably the collected data for all weekdays (page 6). Although this is a busy chart with many data points (one for each vehicle trip), comparing the two shows how the westbound trip from Sumach to Crawford differs in the 18 months span of the three charts.
Although there are considerable differences later in the day, the times up to 9:00 am have not budged very much. Note that the time axis refers to the time a car left Sumach westbound. The trip to Crawford takes 20-30 minutes, and so part or all of any trip after 8:40 will actually occur after 9:00 am when the proposed transit reservation ends.
The times do not peak until after 9:00 am on weekdays corresponding with the point at which parking westbound on King becomes legal and removes substantial capacity from the road. There are individual examples of longer running times on specific days, but these can all be tracked back to delays at a point that may or may not have had anything to do with auto traffic (to the degree that this can be cross-checked to TTC E-Alerts, I will do so in a future update). Systemic congestion shows up when all of the data points swing upward together for all days.
Between fall 2011 and late winter 2012, there was little difference in running times, and if anything the March 2012 data are the better set. However, by May 2013, the whole band of data has moved up the page and it exhibits several interesting features including an early afternoon peak, a much larger PM peak than in 2011, and even a small mid-evening peak corresponding to the time when theatres let out west of Simcoe (this was also visible in 2011).
An important difference between the two years is the amount of construction on King that blocks traffic and the severe congestion at Spadina where all (rather than only some) of the 510 Spadina service is looping via Adelaide, Charlotte and King. Queues for the turn west to north onto Spadina are aggravated by very heavy traffic on Spadina that often blocks the intersection, and by pedestrians crossing east to west where there is no separate priority signal for turning streetcars. (A paid duty policeman has been added in mid June to this location at the TTC's expense.) This queue can extend back blocks right through the theatre district.
2011.11_Westbound_SumachCrawford_WeekdayLinks
These files include the "all weekday" charts for segments of the route between Sumach and Crawford. Note that the scale on these is double that of the full link from Sumach to Crawford (0-30 minutes versus 0-60) so that the fine details of the shorter segments are more evident. Also, the times shown are for the vehicle time entering the segment, not the times at Crawford which are used in the earlier overall view.
There is little difference in the AM peak values for any of the segments, although the 2013 data do show more of a rise at around 8:00 am near Yonge than the 2011 data. Collectively, these small changes make up the difference in running times seen on the overall chart for the westbound AM peak trips.
A common feature of some of these segments is that the running time does not change much through the day. In other cases, the effect of parking beginning at 9:00 does appear. Where the running times are steady throughout the day, this shows that congestion effects are minimal, and the benefit of completely banning car traffic are dubious.
Conversely, the effect of construction on westbound service from University to Spadina is obvious looking at 2013 versus 2011 and 2012. As the day wears on, running times become quite extended. This is an extremely serious problem on the King route, but the TTC has made no provision for it in the scheduled service, nor has there been much effort to change local traffic regulations on King to compensate. This is a stark contrast to the changes implemented for construction at Bay and Front both in road usage and in the schedule for the Bay bus.
2011.11_Eastbound_CrawfordSumach_MonthLinks
The data for eastbound trips show a comparable story to the westbound data. The data for all three months of weekdays (page 6 of these files) starts out near the "uncongested" value of 20 minutes and rises with a peak corresponding to the onset of parking at 9:00 am. (Times shown are for the start of the eastbound trip at Crawford and so trips before 9:00 will show the effect of congestion further east after 9:00.)
The 2013 data show slightly more midday congestion than 2011, but the PM peaks for both years are roughly the same. The 2011 PM peak is slightly more concentrated in time than 2013.
2011.11_Eastbound_CrawfordSumach_WeekdayLinks
Looking at the detailed data for each segment, the segment from Crawford to Portland shows more congestion effects over the day in 2013 than in 2011 or 2012. Some of this may be due to construction blocking the curb lane eastbound (as is now the case at Tecumseth, one stop west of Bathurst), but some may also be due simply to increased traffic. This can only be answered with detailed counts, but that would require the existence of "before" data that the city may not have.
Between Portland and Peter, there is slightly more congestion in 2013 than in 2011/12, again possibly due to construction.
Between Peter and University, there is a spike in running times just around 9:00 am, and this, plus congestion through the day, is much more marked in 2013. Similarly, from University to Yonge values are higher in 2013. However, the PM peak for 2011 is tighter and higher than for 2013. Traffic in the core is affected in 2013 by the closing of Front Street for Union Station reconstruction.
From Yonge to Sumach, there is little difference between the two sets of data. Congestion is not an issue in this part of the route.
A Brief Look At Overall Service
In a future article, I will turn to the behaviour of the service overall, but as a preview, here is a chart of the route's operation on Wednesday, May 15 (the week before Victoria Day weekend).
2013.05.15_King_Service_Chart
For those who have not read earlier articles with this type of chart, a brief explanation.
Each line represents one vehicle plotted in location versus time. A full day from 4:00 am until 3:59 the following morning is plotted on eight pages with three hours on each page. Westbound cars are lines sloping up to the right, while eastbound cars slope down.
Locations on the route have been scaled to values between 0 (Broadview Avenue just north of Erindale at Broadview Station) and 1270 (Dundas just north of Edna at Dundas West Station). This corresponds to a one-way trip of 12.7km by comparison the TTC's Service Summary shows a round trip of 25.62km, or 12.81km one way. The difference is likely due to rounding of the lengths of individual segments of the route used to translate data from GPS to the linear scale used here.
Certain behaviours show up in the charts:
Between roughly 5:00 and 7:00 am, cars appear briefly westbound from Queen & Broadview. These are running into service via Parliament and Dundas to Broadview Station because the west-to-north curve at Broadview is out of service (the intersection is scheduled for replacement later in 2013).
Cars appear for a time stationary at Queensway. These are sitting in Roncesvalles Yard logged on for service, but not yet on the street.
Where a car is stationary in the middle of the route, this is likely a delay. This can be seen at about 8:10 (page 2) where a westbound car (brown line) sits west of Yonge. Note that three other cars (orange, pink, grey) disappear briefly. These have been diverted around the delay via Wellington and vanish from this chart because they are off route. Another delay later on the same page is eastbound south of Bloor around 9:20.
Dwell times show up as "steps" in the line. The longer the time spent at a stop (or traffic signal) the wider the step.
Short turns show up clearly as lines that turn back before reaching the terminus. Many of these are visible westbound at Roncesvalles on page 3 (late morning). Some of this activity is in response to accumulated delay during the AM peak.
Eastbound short turns are not quite as obvious because the cars go off route. There are two variants depending on which way a car travels around the Parliament, Dundas, Broadview loop. At about 10:35, "purple" disappears at Dundas reappearing at King and Parliament at about 10:48. At about 10:55, "dark green" leaves the route at Parliament and reappears westbound at Dundas just after 11:05.
Congestion shows up as lines whose slope flattens out. Problems westbound to Spadina are clearly evident after 11:00 am and they get worse as the day goes on.
A few cars have wonky GPS units that cannot handle signal reflections in the core area. 4012, for example, reports a location in various parts of Etobicoke and Peel Region when it is anywhere near an office tower. Such cars vanish and reappear on the charts. Two examples are clearly visible between 22:20 and 22:50 westbound.
Bunching of cars is evident from closely spaced lines, and this occurs at all locations and times of day. It is quite common for pairs of cars to leave a terminus close to each other, and for short turn cars to re-enter service right beside a through car rather than filling a gap.
Short turns continue through the late evening. They are not only a peak-hour problem.
2013.05.15_King_Westbound_Headways
2013.05.15_King_Eastbound_Headways
These charts show the headways at various points along the route for each direction. As mentioned earlier, the locations were chosen to sample the service between various turnback/diversion points. Each of the 14 pages in the two sets of charts shows the actual headway between vehicles for Wednesday, May 15, 2013. These can be compared with the overall charts of service above.
A trend line is interpolated through the data points to give a general sense of values. In the central part of the route, this tends to lie close to the scheduled headway (i.e. most or all of the trips are operated although their spacing and destinations may not match the schedule). On outer parts of the route where short turns take their effect, the trend lines move away from scheduled values.
2013.05.12_Service_Summary_Extract
This extract gives the headways (among other information) for the King route for the schedule period beginning May 12, 2013.
As in all previous headway analyses, the overwhelming common factor is bunching of cars. A very short headway (a point near the bottom of the graph) is followed by a much wider headway. The scope of these values commonly lies outside of the TTC's target 3-minute window, although that "window" is meaningless on a route like King where the a car can be running at almost twice the scheduled headway and still be "on time" for statistical reporting purposes.
Also quite striking is the fact that this behaviour occurs right from the terminals rather than accumulating along the route (although a moderately wide swing can grow as the pair of cars travels down the line). Stepping through the pages from east to west, watch the behaviour of the trend line as it moves down (better headways in the central part of the route) and then back up (short turns cause worse headways on outer parts of the line).
There are far more data to plough through in reviewing the King car, but the basic conclusion here is that an AM peak transit reservation from Shaw to Parliament will do little to improve transit operations while creating great annoyance for motorists. There are far worse problems on the King route both with scheduling (inadequate running time and service levels to handle actual conditions on the route), line management (chronic bunching and short turns that may do little to improve service), and traffic management (parking and other factors that steal capacity from the roadway).
The TTC risks using vital political capital and time on a proposal of only modest value while avoiding the much more difficult battles required (both externally and internally) to address all-day problems on the King route.
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22 thoughts on "Preliminary Analysis of King Car Operations AM Peak Downtown (Updated)"
Adam | June 20, 2013 at 9:21 am
Steve: This comment was left on another thread and has been moved now that the article to which it really belongs has been published.
Can you comment on the idea of "banning" cars on King during the rush hour? I actually really like this idea especially if headways could be managed as well to create a sort of "DRL" lite.
Steve: I think you will see that I am less that enthusiastic about this proposal especially as it addresses a time period when it will have little effect (AM Peak).
As for the 504 as a "DRL Lite", this is not a viable proposal. As things now stand, a good deal of service never reaches Broadview Station, and erratic headways are common. When all of the service does reach the end of the line, the platform is jammed with streetcars often backing out onto Broadview. There is no room for additional service at this location. Riders on inbound 504 cars are regularly left at stops along King Street, and even on Broadview when service is the least disrupted. This suggests that there is little capacity to absorb much riding from the Danforth subway.
A related problem for a "DRL" is that this close to Yonge, there must be a strong incentive to get off a train to change to a streetcar in the AM peak, and in the PM peak, someone arriving at Broadview faces a heavily loaded train eastbound.
When, eventually, King service is improved with the LFLRVs, this will free up some space, but that is needed for growing demand from the new condos stretching from the Don River to Liberty Village.
I don't want this to sound insulting to you personally, but there is a big problem with politicians who are totally unaware of the demand that downtown development is placing on the streetcar system, and of the limitations on road capacity caused by car-friendly policies.
Phil Piltch | June 20, 2013 at 4:07 pm
Steve: This comment has been moved to the King Street article to which it properly belongs.
Other than the recent news of proposed roll out of the new cars, I've not seen much since the first test runs. Steve do you know if they will be doing daylight test runs? Given that the first lines in the proposed schedule are Spadina and Bathurst would those be the lines we would see them on soon?
Steve: There is talk of daylight runs, but considering that a lot of overhead (notably intersections) is still not pantograph friendly, operating an LFLRV during regular hours would be a challenge.
Interesting news item today in relation to the roll out of the new LFLRVS is that TTC CEO Andy Byford is considering banning cars from King or Queen Streets during rush periods to keep the new trams to prevent bunching and keep them moving more quickly. That is not a new suggestions and I'm sure it will be a tough sell to council, especially given the current mayor at one point suggested replacing streetcars with buses. TTC Chair Stintz said she will have a motion for staff to study the proposal. Could this become an election issue next year?
Steve: I would hate for such a poorly thought-out scheme to become an election issue. I am all for greater transit priority, but the King Street AM peak scheme is inappropriate for the actual conditions on the street as I discuss in the article.
Gabe | June 23, 2013 at 11:26 am
Fantastic analysis, as always.
How much of the line management problem comes down to the fact that decisions appear to be made (at least from the rider's perspective) by some manager on the street manually jotting down headways/arrival times in the world's oldest day planner! I look out the window of my 1970s streetcar and don't know whether it's 2013 or still 1973!
Steve: This is certainly part of the problem. Those route supervisors are supposed to be getting handheld devices so that they can monitor the line from real time data, but this has a certain limitation given all of the stuff they are carrying around already. Meanwhile back at CIS control, there seems to be less than thorough management of short turns to ensure their effectiveness and of pairs/triplets of cars to prevent bunching right from the terminals. This is a problem of sufficient manpower and of management attitudes about what is "important".
Toronto My Way | June 23, 2013 at 11:59 am
For the last 3mths, whenever I'd get off the GO Train at Union Stn., I'd walk up to King/University, not be able to get on a packed King car, and end up just walking west to Spadina. I'd always beat the streetcar.
During lunch, if I had to dash towards the centre of town for anything, there'd be no point in A) waiting for an eastbound streetcar or B) sitting on one if it did arrive. It was always easier/faster to walk.
And, at the end of the day, whether going to Union or up to Spadina Stn., walking was often the better way.
Whatever the solution is not, who can provide a solution that is worth implementing, because the service sucks, plain and simple.
Steve: Some readers of this blog would complain that "the service sucks" is not a sufficiently rigorous statistical description. However, this pretty much sums up the experience of would-be riders.
James | June 23, 2013 at 12:21 pm
Even if the TTC was managing the operations of this line to perfection, the quality of service will remain dismal so long as these streetcars continue to operate in mixed traffic. With ridership of 50,000/day, we shouldn't have any qualms about taking half the road for a dedicated streetcar ROW.
I wonder whether Stintz and Byford are laying out this proposal as a stepping stone towards wider ambitions. If they can demonstrate how well the streetcar runs at AM peak with traffic restrictions in place, this may allow them to build support for all-day restrictions.
Steve: My problem with this approach is that, like so much of what Stintz and Byford have done, it takes the low-hanging fruit — the AM peak when the screams from kicking cars off of the road will be at their lowest level. The real problems with this route are later in the day and on weekends. I don't see the AM peak ban as a first step, but rather a way in which we can waste a lot of time trying to "fix" the least of the problems. Once again TTC puts the onus for improvement on an external issue rather than dealing with TTC's own line management and service issues.
Andrew | June 23, 2013 at 12:43 pm
The only long term solution is to build the downtown relief line. This fairly old proposal to close King to cars would face a lot of opposition due to the increase in traffic congestion on Richmond/Adelaide and Wellington this would cause.
Steve: Depending on the design of the DRL's routing and station placements, it will not do a lot to reduce demand on the King car. These are two separate issues, and as long as people try to solve two problems with one route, we get nowhere. Most of the King car's peak direction, peak hour riders originate on the route, and if the DRL doesn't have a station near them, they will stay on the surface route. Moreover, the DRL won't be open for at least 10 years, and the TTC really needs to improve service quality long before then.
Deb | June 23, 2013 at 1:37 pm
This suggestion will never be implemented. There are too many at the TTC who are firmly wedded to that "traffic congestion" explanation for any service shortcomings. A bit difficult, using this excuse for three-car bunching in an area with NO traffic!
Nick | June 23, 2013 at 2:09 pm
Hey, Steve. What would your opinion on the proposed trial be if it had been announced for the 504 WB in PM? Is there a perfect combination of line management that could solve the west-from-Yonge-to-Spadina slowdown without somehow removing some of the car congestion?
Steve: Before we try banning cars, we should try to make better use of the space we already have. Shift the taxi stands to Adelaide and Wellington so that King is truly a 4-lane street. Ban parking through the day (including stopping and loading). Don't stop at University, but go west to Spadina. Provide real transit priority for Spadina cars making the turns from King back to route. Tow mercilessly.
After we do all that, then we can talk about banning cars.
And, yes, improve line management and capacity. There is no excuse for cars running in pairs and triplets right from the end of the line across the city.
Otherwise, all we are talking about is a vague proposal for action two years from now for a few weeks. Do we have to wait that long, and do nothing in the interim? Feels to much like the standard TTC routine of finding something external and blaming the fact it has not happened for inaction. It's time for the city and the TTC to take responsibility now, not two years out, for the condition of traffic and transit on major routes like King.
DavidC | June 23, 2013 at 3:29 pm
My 'home stop" has been King and Jarvis for over a decade and the service has got steadily worse. Though I do not use the streetcar every day it is generally faster in the 8-9 morning period to walk to the King subway. Streetcars DO arrive at the stop – often in packs – but they are packed and this shelter does not have a "next bus' display so one never really knows what's just around the corner. Clearly eastbound cars are short-turned at Parliament or Broadview and re-enter service at Church and it is quite annoying to see cars turning westbound on King there.
Later in the day the situation has recently improved a bit in the east-bound direction as the 72 bus now stops at the King station going eastbound. (This shelter has a next bus display.) If one lives south of King and west of Parliament it makes a very good substitute to the eastbound 504 and it now appears to be MUCH busier. Rumour has it that this 'diversion' will become permanent and the temporary stops on the diversion route now have painted-on 72 signs. (Of course the TTC is not always rational!)
Karl Junkin | June 23, 2013 at 4:59 pm
I find that the east-west streetcar routes (except St Clair, obviously) get snarled badly during the PM peak between Victoria and York/Elizabeth.
Michael Forest | June 23, 2013 at 7:53 pm
Good analysis Steve.
However, is it possible that, having achieved the car ban on King during the AM peak, TTC will feel compelled to showcase this route and manage it better for the whole day?
On a side note, I agree that anything that can be done for the King streetcar will not substitute DRL subway, but rather will facilitate local / medium length trips.
David Youngs | June 23, 2013 at 9:54 pm
Steve:
Your last link doesn't seem to be the graph described, just a table of target service for all routes.
Steve: It is not a graph, but one page from the TTC's service summary showing the scheduled headways and other info for the King route. It's easier to simply link this page than to reformat the info into my own table.
Mikey | June 23, 2013 at 10:53 pm
I believe that a King Street transit mall proposal should be an exercise in urban realm design, rather than transit service improvement. I will support a transit mall if it brings transformative changes to the roadspace and streetscape. Too bad they're proposing only for a few hours a day though.
Brent | June 23, 2013 at 11:22 pm
With the tracks closed south of King, I have to wonder if the TTC is trying to push too much through the Charlotte Street loop. They're trying to turn 30 Spadina cars an hour along westbound King, plus more than 20 King cars an hour in rush hour. There's only 40 signal cycles per hour, so the majority of cycles will have at least one Spadina car trying to make a right turn across a busy pedestrian crosswalk.
Are there other opportunities for short turning to dilute the effects at Spadina/Dundas? What about Queen to McCaul loop? What about Dundas > Church > Queen > Victoria? (The latter is partly to provide an alternate turning point but also would serve a key transfer — I seem to recall something like this being considered at a commission meeting several years ago.)
Steve: I don't think that extended loops will do much to help, especially along the equally congested part of Queen to McCaul Loop. Service will return to Queens Quay Loop by December, and any new scheme would take much of the intervening time to implement. There will be new problems to deal with including the very unfriendly transit signal timing at Lake Shore Blvd.
nfitz | June 23, 2013 at 11:59 pm
Could this simply be a political game.
Start talking about banning cars, in order to push enforcement of the current parking and HOV lanes?
Steve: It's a political game, but it has more to do with Karen Stintz and her run for Mayor in 2014 than anything else.
Brent | June 24, 2013 at 12:19 am
Thanks as usual for sharing these with us. I find the time-space diagram very interesting, and this is the type of thing that the TTC should be doing with every route, both as a review of line management and as a review of congestion and delay issues.
Byford is partly right in that the TTC needs to start aggressively pursuing opportunities to speed up transit service and/or make it more reliable. But it doesn't need to be on such a substantial scale, and arguably shouldn't be. By involving such a major change, or a substantial extent (I am thinking back to Finch West last near yow), it makes implementation that much more of a challenge. Instead the TTC should focus on problem areas and ways to speed up service through there. They should be routinely exporting these types of diagrams, and following up with operators to identify potential sources. Then implement measures on a case by case basis.
– review stop locations (adjust location… or consolidate) and ways to speed up loading / unloading
– adjust traffic regulations (parking and loading areas; turn restrictions)
– review signal operations and potential to add transit priority extensions (or adjust them if they are of no benefit or actually hinder operations)
– use signals to limit how much traffic can get into a problem area and displace congestion and queues of traffic to other places where they are not as problematic
– implement reserved lanes… maybe longer sections, maybe just short strategic sections
– new construction
Start at the top of the list with things under TTC control (and this should include headway management, although it shouldn't be a prerequisite, or else we will still be waiting a decade later…) Then move along to simple things that are easy, quick, inexpensive and reasonably uncontroversial, and only to more expensive or controversial solutions if the easier ones are ineffective. Be open to strategies that may be unconventional and don't automatically default to things like "we need an extra lane". Use a chisel instead of a sledgehammer (is that the analogy?).
Here's an example: in the morning, westbound 506 cars get stuck on Upper Gerrard at Woodbine behind cars trying to turn left, and traffic (not just streetcars) usually takes at least a couple of cycles to get through the light. So use the lights at Main and Gerrard to control how much traffic gets through, so that downstream is not overloaded. Move the queue of traffic east where it won't impact streetcars to the same extent. It would at least be quick and inexpensive to implement, and easy to revert back if it didn't have the desired effect.
Using the service diagrams makes it easier to identify and then target specific areas, but this helps to counter the backlash that will occur from measures that might restrict parking or vehicle flow. It can be easily shown that the measures are limited to a certain area and designed to address a specific problem, rather than just making broad statements and solutions such as "transit is slow through downtown" / "let's get rid of auto traffic on King". And it makes it easier to spread the benefits around the system. There are other routes that suffer from congestion and delays.
Targeting specific areas also expends the political capital in places where it is really worthwhile… and by doing one location at a time it would presumably be quicker to implement individual solutions (rather than getting bogged down on an entire route) .
I am reminded of the Zurich example, where transit officials started aggressively looking for ways to speed up service on the surface routes after voters rejected a new subway network as being too costly. Andrew Nash has a couple of interesting articles on his web site.
Steven | June 24, 2013 at 2:22 am
Steve, I like details shown in the charts you made.
I don't know if this is a crazy idea, but would it be possible that the TTC use gap cars like they do on the Yonge line? Ideally they should be waiting in a loop instead of blocking traffic. Though the TTC short turns many cars during rush hour too and having cars blocking traffic on Church all the time.
Steve: The TTC already schedules gap cars (and buses), but the problem is that they must be near the location where a problem occurs to be effective. Also, as you note, there are limited places to store streetcars without getting in the way of traffic and regular short-turns.
Mikey | June 24, 2013 at 4:38 pm
If routes operate with mixed fleets (both CLRV's and LFLRV's), and are scheduled to run on CLRV headways, wouldn't bunching be inevitable since LFLRV's can probably travel faster than CLRV's? Would the TTC have to artificially slow the LFLRV's down to counteract this (such as requiring LFLRV's to wait extra time at each stop, etc.)?
Steve: If this were the only reason to worry about bunching, we wouldn't have too many problems. The TTC needs to rewrite its schedules to have more vehicles that operate rush hours only with others staying out all day, rather than an ad hoc mixture. This would allow LFLRVs to be assigned to the all-day runs with CLRVs on the peak only service.
Kevin Love | June 24, 2013 at 4:45 pm
Steve wrote:
"Asking for a total ban on cars rubs motorists (and their political supporters) the wrong way…"
Kevin's comment:
What really rubbed me the wrong way was when my father was one of the 440 people that car drivers poison and kill every year with their lethal pollution.
And I've got a 42 cm scar from the major cancer surgery when I was one of the 1,700 people in Toronto every year who are injured so seriously that they have to be hospitalized because they were poisoned by car drivers. Almost being killed by these violent, dangerous poisoning car drivers really rubbed me the wrong way.
And having to pay the $2.2 billion in health care costs due to people being poisoned by car drivers also rubs me the wrong way.
Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to being the victims of car drivers. Every year in Toronto, children experience 1,200 acute bronchitis episodes and 68,000 asthma symptom days due to being poisoned by car drivers. But our FIDO- practicing police do not enforce the Child Endangerment part of the Criminal Code of Canada against these violent, dangerous, child poisoning criminals.
For the horrific details, see [Toronto Public Health].
The worst terrorist attack in Canadian history was the Air India bombing in 1985. And that only killed 329 people. Car drivers are so much worse than terrorists. They poison and kill more people than that every year in Toronto.
That really rubs me the wrong way.
John MacMillan | June 24, 2013 at 6:40 pm
"The TTC will install their tracks on Cherry Street even though the connection to King Street tracks will not occur until after the 2015 Games. The connection work will interrupt streetcar service on King Street, but this will be coordinated with changes at other points on the line to minimize the overall disruption.."
Source: West Don Lands Construction Liaison Committee Meeting Minutes – May 28, 2013
William Paul | June 24, 2013 at 8:48 pm
@KevinLove – nice one, but what has this to do with transit on King?
Please be a poster-boy somewhere else.
Adam | June 25, 2013 at 11:49 am
Not sure why this would be a personal insult but at any rate the politician that backed this plan is Stintz and if this is a knock against her, well there it is. I think all of our politicians are aware of the strain of development but they are in the position of having to balance the multiple priorities of their constituencies. Given the recent developments (or lack there of) on the transit file I think that little experiments to grab the low hanging fruit are the way to go.
Steve: I think you received the brunt of my feelings about comments in various locations co-mingling improved local transit with the DRL. Sorry about that.
They're not the same thing. Many pols have been so focused on getting more capacity for suburban commuters, they miss the fact that density they would hate out in North York or Scarborough is going up right downtown without adequate transit service. A subway line is at least a decade in the future and the stop layout will almost certainly not serve all of the development that will be in place. My concern is that we not see the King car as an alternative to regional transit needs, nor that we treat a future subway dream as an alternative to fixing the King car.
I would agree with an experiment if only it addressed the times and locations where there really is serious congestion on King. Doing that, and addressing core area transportation generally, will require taking some road capacity away from cars to make room for transit and cycling. Activities like taxi stands and commercial deliveries will have to be located where they do not hog road capacity that has more important uses. If we are not prepared to tackle the hard problems, but only the low hanging fruit, we are doomed to years of activities like fixing subway bathrooms and outfitting operators with new uniforms, but no real improvement in transit service.


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