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Longstock Arboretum.
Longstock Park Nursery, part of the Leckford Estate owned and managed by Waitrose, lies within Hampshire's picturesque Test Valley. The nursery is set in and around a brick and flint walled garden, and is home to National Collections of Buddleja and Clematis viticella and the Gilchrist Collection of Penstemon. Our aim is to supply a wide range of good quality, often unusual, hardy plants.
A garden lover's delight.
A visit to the nursery to view our stock and see the 80 metre herbaceous border, with its clematis and fruit tree archway, is a must for any garden lover throughout the year. A selection of our plants can be seen growing in and around the nursery and there is a marvellous display of naturalised bulbs, snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells along the driveway in early spring.
Visit our water garden and arboretum.
Adjoining the nursery is our 70 acre arboretum which leads to our world famous water garden, a beautiful seven acre woodland garden with lakes and interconnecting islands. The arboretum and water garden is only open on selected dates through the year.
www.waitrose.com/home/about_waitrose/our_company/leckford...
Managing Director of the IMF Christine Lagarde visited Government Buildings today where she met Taoiseach Enda Kenny and signed the visitor's book.
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Vera Songwe, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, and Mohamed A. El-Erian, President of Queens’ College, Cambridge, and Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz, participate in a seminar titled “Averting a COVID-19 Debt Trap,” moderated by Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, during the 2021 Spring Meetings at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Joshua Roberts
6 April 2021
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: _JR15767.ARW
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva participates in her press conference at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
20 April 2022
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: CH220420047.arw
Photographer Francesco Fiondella, from the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), has visited four states in India to gather footage on the kinds of tools and technologies available to farmers to help them manage climate and weather risks. The trip was funded by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and IRI. Please credit: F. Fiondella (IRI/CCAFS)
View Francesco's other photoset: Farmers in Mali.
Read more about our work in South Asia.
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Deputy Secretary of the IMF Sabina Bhatia, and Founder of Marshall Plan for Moms and Girls Who Code Reshma Saujani participate in the IMF Inspired event Reimagining the Workplace for Women during the 2021 Annual Meetings at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
8 October 2021
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: CH211008031.arw
Students from the Zarb student managed investment fund visited Zarb House residents to discuss their most recent developments, along with Dr. Edward Zychowicz who is their faculty advisor and professor. They spoke to students about portfolio management and risk assessment. Both undergraduate and graduate Zarb students manage the fund and utilize Zarb’s Martin B. Bloomberg Trading Room, the largest academic trading room in the nation, with 34 Bloomberg terminals, in their assessment of fund allocation.
Managed to get these for equivalent of about USD 100. Two bags are unopened, but all the elements from the third bag are loose inside the box, which makes me a little concerned.
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva is interviewed by Al Arabeya during COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
IMF Photo/Georges Mohsen
6 November 2022
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
Photo ref: IMG_1979.JPG
Managed a few longer exposures before the next rain storm. Always try a number of different exposure times. This one at 1.6 seconds is on the money for this stream of water feeding into the sea. I was looking for the silky look on the surface, but still retaining the bigger shapes in the water - the ripples in the stream, and from the wakes around the stones. Too long and you lose these, too short and the surface will look shinier, but rougher in textures. There is no formula for this - and every stream and tide will be different.
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva meets with Former Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
17 March 2022
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: CH220317018.arw
Managed to get the sunlight shining through. Shot on my Nokia Lumia 1020, and edited the DNG in Photoshop.
polaroid. Managed to accidentally expose the film before putting it inside the camera, hence the white spots.
I’ve been wanting to take a city break in summer, rather than in the cold months for a while, so rather than heading for the Lake District for a week of toil on the fells when Jayne could get a week off, we took off from Liverpool for Paris. Flight times were nice and sociable but it meant we were on the M62 car park at a busy time in both directions – it’s a shambles! I’ve stopped over in Paris a dozen times – on my way to cycling in the Etape du Tour in the Alps or Pyrenees – and had a few nights out there. Come to think about it and we’ve spent the day on the Champs Elysees watching the final day of the Tour de France with Mark Cavendish winning. We hadn’t been for a holiday there though and it was a bit of a spur of the moment decision. Six nights gave us five and a half days to explore Paris on foot. I had a good selection of (heavy) kit with me, not wanting to make the usual mistake of leaving something behind and regretting it. In the end I carried the kit in my backpack – an ordinary rucksack – to keep the weight down, for 103 miles, all recorded on the cycling Garmin – and took 3500 photos. The little Garmin is light and will do about 15 hours, it expired towards the end of a couple of 16 hour days but I had the info I wanted by then. This also keeps the phone battery free for research and route finding – I managed to flatten that once though.
What can I say – Paris was fantastic! The weather varied from OK to fantastic, windy for a few days, the dreaded grey white dullness for a while but I couldn’t complain really. We were out around 8.30 in shorts and tee shirt, which I would swap for a vest when it warmed up, hitting 30 degrees at times, we stayed out until around midnight most nights. It was a pretty full on trip. The security at some destinations could have been a problem as there is a bag size limit to save room in the lifts etc. I found the French to be very pragmatic about it, a bag search was a cursory glance, accepting that I was lugging camera gear, not bombs around, and they weren’t going to stop a paying customer from passing because his bag was a bit over size.
We didn’t have a plan, as usual we made it up as we went along, a loose itinerary for the day would always end up changing owing to discoveries along the way. Many times we would visit something a few times, weighing the crowds and light etc. up and deciding to come back later. I waited patiently to go up the Eiffel Tower, we arrived on Tuesday and finally went up on Friday evening. It was a late decision but the weather was good, the light was good and importantly I reckoned that we would get a sunset. Previous evenings the sun had just slid behind distant westerly clouds without any golden glory. It was a good choice. We went up the steps at 7.30 pm, short queue and cheaper – and just to say that we had. The steps are at an easy angle and were nowhere near as bad as expected, even with the heavy pack. We stayed up there, on a mad and busy Friday night, until 11.30, the light changed a lot and once we had stayed a couple of hours we decided to wait for the lights to come on. This was a downside to travelling at this time of year, to do any night photography we had to stay out late as it was light until 10.30. The Eiffel Tower is incredible and very well run, they are quite efficient at moving people around it from level to level. It was still buzzing at midnight with thousands of people around. The sunset on Saturday was probably better but we spent the evening around the base of the Tower, watching the light change, people watching and soaking the party atmosphere up.
Some days our first destination was five miles away, this is a lot of road junctions in a city, the roads in Paris are wide so you generally have to wait for the green man to cross. This made progress steady but when you are on holiday it doesn’t matter too much. Needless to say we walked through some dodgy places, with graffiti on anything that stays still long enough. We were ultra-cautious with our belongings having heard the pickpocket horror stories. At every Café/bar stop the bags were clipped to the table leg out of sight and never left alone. I carried the camera in my hand all day and everywhere I went, I only popped it in my bag to eat. I would guess that there were easier people to rob than us, some people were openly careless with phones and wallets.
We didn’t enter the big attractions, it was too nice to be in a museum or church and quite a few have a photography ban. These bans make me laugh, they are totally ignored by many ( Japanese particularly) people. Having travelled around the world to see something, no one is going to stop them getting their selfies. Selfies? Everywhere people pointed their cameras at their own face, walking around videoing – their self! I do like to have a few photos of us for posterity but these people are self-obsessed.
Paris has obviously got a problem with homeless (mostly) migrants. Walk a distance along the River Seine and you will find tented villages, there is a powerful smell of urine in every corner, with the no alcohol restrictions ignored, empty cans and bottles stacked around the bins as evidence. There are families, woman living on mattresses with as many as four small children, on the main boulevards. They beg by day and at midnight they are all huddled asleep on the pavement. The men in the tents seem to be selling plastic Eiffel Tower models to the tourists or bottled water – even bottles of wine. Love locks and selfy sticks were also top sellers. There must be millions of locks fastened to railings around the city, mostly brass, so removing them will be self-funding as brass is £2.20 a kilo.
As for the sights we saw, well if it was on the map we tried to walk to it. We crossed the Periphique ring road to get to the outer reaches of Paris. La Defense – the financial area with dozens of modern office blocks – was impressive, and still expanding. The Bois de Boulogne park, with the horse racing track and the Louis Vuitton Centre was part of a 20 mile loop that day. Another day saw us in the north east. We had the dome of the Sacre Couer to ourselves, with thousands of tourists wandering below us oblivious of the entrance and ticket office under the church. Again the light was fantastic for us. We read that Pere Lachaise Cemetery or Cimitiere du Pere Lachaise was one of the most visited destinations, a five mile walk but we went. It is massive, you need a map, but for me one massive tomb is much the same as another, it does have highlights but we didn’t stay long. Fortunately we were now closer to the Canal St Martin which would lead us to Parc de la Villette. This was a Sunday and everywhere was both buzzing and chilled at the same time. Where ever we went people were sat watching the world go by, socializing and picnicking, soaking the sun up. As ever I wanted to go up on the roof of anything I could as I love taking cityscapes. Most of these were expensive compared with many places we’ve been to before but up we went. The Tour Montparnasse, a single tower block with 59 floors, 690 foot high and extremely fast lifts has incredible views although it was a touch hazy on our ascent. The Arc de Triomphe was just up the road from our hotel, we went up it within hours of arriving, well worth the visit.
At the time of writing I have no idea how many images will make the cut but it will be a lot. If I have ten subtly different shots of something, I find it hard to consign nine to the dark depths of my hard drive never to be seen again – and I’m not very good at ruthless selection – so if the photo is OK it will get uploaded. My view is that it’s my photostream, I like to be able to browse my own work at my leisure at a later date, it’s more or less free and stats tell me these images will get looked at. I’m not aiming for single stunning shots, more of a comprehensive overview of an interesting place, presented to the best of my current capabilities. I am my own biggest critic, another reason for looking at my older stuff is to critique it and look to improve on previous mistakes. I do get regular requests from both individuals and organisations to use images and I’m obliging unless someone is taking the piss. I’m not bothered about work being published (with my permission) but it is reassuringly nice to be asked. The manipulation of Flickr favourites and views through adding thousands of contacts doesn’t interest me and I do sometimes question the whole point of the Flickr exercise. I do like having access to my own back catalogue though and it gives family and friends the chance to read about the trip and view the photos at their leisure so for the time being I’m sticking with it. I do have over 15 million views at the moment which is a far cry from showing a few people an album, let’s face it, there’s an oversupply of images, many of them superb but all being devalued by the sheer quantity available.
Don’t think that it was all walking and photography, we had a great break and spent plenty of time in pavement bistros having a glass of wine and people watching. I can certainly understand why Paris is top of the travellers list of destinations
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has breakfast with other leaders before the G20 family photo at the Fontana di Trevi.
IMF Photo/Giuseppe Nucci
31 October 2021
Rome, Italy
Photo ref: G20 - IMF -31th October - HD with captions-2.jpg
Brief history of the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel
Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel has gone through many name changes and renovations all under just a few ownership changes. The Adams Hotel was demolished in 1973 to make room for the new $27 million Adams Hotel. It was developed and constructed on the site of the previous Adams Hotel in a combined venture of PIC Realty and the Vita Cos owned by Phoenix lawyer Albert B. Spector Sr.
It was designed by the firm of Schwenn & Clark and is most noted for its hundreds of eyebrow windows over a line of three-story arches at the base level. Its iconic curved windows block out up to 70% of the heat from the sun.
Ralph Hitz Jr., the former Managing Director of the Hotel Muehlebach in Kansas City, Mo was the first general manager of the new Adams Hotel. Hitz thought things were not what they used to be at the 700-room Muehlbach which was slipping into shoddiness. Back in the 30's and 40's, the Muehlebach was the center of action in Kansas City. The last hotel Hitz managed before his retirement in 1994 was the Crowne Plaza in downtown Kansas City Missouri. He died in 1998. Andee Mena was the Adams Hotel opening Chef, he came from Chicago's Continental Plaza Hotel.
Seven months after the 538-room Adams Hotel opened in 1975, the Vita Cos. filed for protection from creditors in Bankruptcy Court and the hotel was placed in receivership. The court appointed receiver was Ed Caliendo and Daniel J. Palaschak the general manager. The primary creditor of the Adams Hotel was Prudential with a mortgage lien of $15.4 million plus accrued interest. Spector Sr. was in a perilous financial condition at the time and entered into a $1 million transaction with PIC Realty Corp (Prudential). The deal was to provide some immediate cash for the cash flow problems at the new hotel. Prudential claimed the $1 million dollar transaction represented a purchase of Spector Sr.'s equity in the hotel. In August 1976 the court voided the equity transfer between PIC Realty (Prudential) and Spector Sr. but the bankruptcy hearings continued for over 5 years. In 1980 a $33 million dollar offer for the hotel was scuttled due to the bankruptcy. The prospective New York buyers were Jason Jacobs, of Delsu Financial Corporation, and Charles Allen of Allen and Co.
Some five years later PIC Realty became sole owner of the hotel in Feb 1981 at the conclusion of the bankruptcy of the Vita Cos. The settlement provided $1.8 million in payments to 141 creditors and a $290,000 payment to the Vita Cos. At that time PIC Realty signed Hilton Hotel Corporation to a 25-year contract and implemented the name change from Adams Hotel to the Phoenix Hilton. Hilton brought in Andre Schaefer from the Anchorage Westward Hilton to be the general manager. Hilton Hotels Corp would spend $4 million on a 2 year upgrade program. The hotel's food and beverage outlets, the Old Bar lounge, the Citrus Grove restaurant and the Sandpaper restaurant were re-done along with the public areas, meeting rooms and guest rooms.
Albert B. Spector Sr. died May, 1980 at his apartment at the Arizona Biltmore Estates at the age of 65. His company purchased the Adams Hotel in 1973 and razed it in order to build the new 19 story hotel which opened April 1, 1975. He also owned the Flame Restaurant in downtown Phoenix (34 W Adams St.).
In 1986 the Phoenix Hilton was acquired by a limited partnership headed by Mark Cohn of Greater Capital Real Estate Corporation of Burlingame, California from Prudential Insurance Co. of America. The acquisition price was $16,250,000. The hotel would become a franchised Hilton rather than a company-operated Hilton. Greater Capital Real Estate at that time also owned hotels in Chicago, San Francisco, Palm Springs and Tahiti. The hotel became the Omni Adams in 1991 after operating for 4 years 1986-1991, as the Sheraton Phoenix.
In 1993 Mark Cohn dropped the Omni Adams name and signed an agreement with Holiday Inn Worldwide to be the first Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza in Arizona. As part of the name change there was a $4.5 million renovation to all areas of the hotel. The hotel had a $109 average room rate prior to the renovation. A subsidiary of Holiday Inns provided the renovation loan. It is noted that Omni Hotels had desired to part ways with Cohn due to very late and unpaid bills.
In July 1999 Steve Cohn sued the city of Phoenix when the city voted to guarantee an $83 million loan for a 700 room Marriott Hotel and a guarantee on a $35 million loan for a 350-room Embassy Suites. Cohn thought the measures required city voter approval. A judge ruled in Cohn's favor and the two tax payer subsidized hotels were never built.
In 2003 the hotel joined the Wyndham brand as part of a 10-year franchise agreement between the property’s owners, Phoenix Hospitality LLC and Wyndham International. The hotel was renamed the Wyndham Phoenix.
Steve Cohn, Mark Cohn's brother, and the entity Phoenix Hospitality became owner of what was then the Phoenix Crowne Plaza Hotel in December of 1999. In May of 2003, the property was licensed as the Wyndham Phoenix. Steve Cohn served in the capacity of the property's Managing Director under both brand affiliations for Phoenix Hospitality. He continued as the property's Managing Director when the property was transferred to Phoenix Hotel Ventures in February 2007 and continued in that position until December 2011 when the hotel converted to a Renaissance Hotel and Marriott became the hotel manager. At that time, Steve Cohn and the entity PHXhotel LLC assumed the role of owner and asset manager.
In 2015 Steve Cohn CEO of PHXHotel, LLC, owner of the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown hotel, committed $10 million to improve Adams Street in accordance with the Adams Street Activation Study completed in 2013 via a City contract with the Gensler & Associates architectural firm. The design includes enhanced streetscape, shade, lighting and signage, provisions for new food and beverage, accommodations for special events and the relocation of the Renaissance Hotel’s main entrance to First Street. Without using one cent of public funds, the project includes a renovated façade, an expanded lobby, an improved arrival experience and open-air food and beverage venues with a priority for experienced local operators. The work will transform Adams Street into an engaging pedestrian friendly experience. At the October 28, 2015 City Council meeting, Mayor Greg Stanton thanked the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel for investing in the city. “This block is the front door to visitors from all over the country and the globe connecting our Convention Center to the rest of downtown,” said Stanton. The project is expected to finish in late 2017.
Paige Lund was appointed general manager in 2012. She is a 1993 graduate of Northern Arizona University School of Hotel & Restaurant Management.
What's hotel brand loyalty? Seven hotel brands in 40 plus years.
1973 - Adams Hotel demolished
1975 - Adams Hotel opens
1981 - Phoenix Hilton
1986 - Sheraton Phoenix
1991 - Omni Adams Hotel
1993 - Crown Plaza Phoenix - Downtown
2003 - Wyndham Phoenix
2009 - Renaissance Phoenix - Downtown
Compiled by Dick Johnson, February, 2017
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Governor of the Bank of France François Villeroy de Galhau partake in the 2022 Michel Camdessus Lecture at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
14 September 2022
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: CH220914001.arw
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Deputy Secretary Sabina Bhatia participate in the IMF Inspired event with Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai from the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
12 April 2022
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: CH220412001.arw
Anish Shah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra Group, India speaking in the "Stewarding Responsible Capitalism" session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 18 January. Congress Centre - Sanada Room. Copyright: World Economic Forum/Jakob Polacsek
37036 at Sheffield on the 20th of July 1985.
Pic taken by my Dad who managed to get blue ink on the print, hence the blue bits in the sky, but well worth sharing non the less (nice one Dad)
Managed to acquire a Leica X2 at an unbelievable deal and put it through its paces on a vacation through Singapore as a test run!
I took this out of a moving car while the tour guide explained various hardships about car ownership in Singapore. Really loved the look of the afternoon sun hitting the glass here.
Image taken SOOC.
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva talks with former First Managing Director of the IMF John Lipsky during the 2022 Annual Meetings at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Tom Brenner
12 October 2022
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: TB221210789.jpg
The Tripartite Action to Protect and Promote the Rights of Migrant Workers within and from the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS TRIANGLE) project aims to reduce the exploitation of labour migrants by contributing to the development of legal and safe recruitment channels and improved labour protection mechanisms.
Funded by AusAID, one specific mechanism of the GMS TRIANGLE project is managed cross-border migration services, as shown here in Lao PDR.
© ILO/A.DOW
We managed to get to the Lake District for the Easter weekend. We were open at work on Good Friday so I had to be in at work for a couple of hours and didn’t set off until 9.00am. We had a quick café stop and then jumped on the M62. It took us until 2.00pm to get to Langdale. We crawled up the M61 and M6, reminding me why we used to avoid Bank Holiday traffic. Although staying in Ambleside we drove to Langdale to get a couple of hours walking in. Langdale was packed but we found a place to park at the foot of the pass up to Blea Tarn. We headed up Pike of Blisco – against a steady stream of walkers descending at this time in the afternoon. I didn’t bother taking photos to any great extent, it wasn’t great light, windy and the appalling weekend forecast had depressed me – this was supposed to be the best day and it was nearly over. After a nice settled spell, possibly the first in the north of England this winter (now officially British Summertime) heavy rain and gales were coming our way apparently.
Each morning I studied the maps trying to second guess the light, wind and crowds. On Saturday it was initially dry, much to our surprise, we parked in Coniston and set off up Walna Scar Road. It’s a long steep drag to the top of the pass, the cloud was down and thick, the wind was getting extreme as we got higher – and we didn’t see a soul! We were heading over Brown Pike onto Dow Crag, we weren’t likely to get lost on a ridge. By now it was raining hard and the wind was making staying upright difficult. We slid off the rocky summit of Dow Crag on our backsides, the safest way. We dropped on to Goats Hause, the wind was screaming through and but I guessed there would be some shelter if we headed for the Old Man of Coniston. We met the first person of the day here, arriving at the summit just before him. There was still winter snow on north facing slopes but the wind wasn’t as bad as Dow Crag. It was grim, 30 metre visibility and there was very little point in staying on the tops as originally planned. Jayne was up for heading straight down the tourist track through the quarries. We have only ever ascended it before but we set off down at a trot, passing some fell runners along the way. There was a steady stream of Easter trippers heading up and judging by the questions we were asked on the way down they had little idea of what they were heading in to or how far they were from the summit, and all in appalling conditions. Lower down it was quite calm and many had little idea of the severity of the conditions on the tops. The countryside was rapidly waterlogging again after the belated dry spell.
Sunday brought more very heavy rain and gales on the tops. What looked like snow had accumulated on high ground overnight. It was actually several inches of hail and was horrible underfoot, like small wet marbles but trapping a lot of water on the lower slopes below the freezing line. We parked at Patterdale and walked across slopes that the recent floods had wreaked havoc on, with a lot of remedial work to be done this summer. The plan was to get to Boardale Hause and decide whether to go high – over Place Fell – or head in to Boardale and stay low by doing a circuit of Place Fell. It was raining hard and there was a howling gale but it was behind us, the cloud had lifted a bit so we went high. The summit plateau was a nightmare, covered in slippy, wet, slushy hail with the wind nearly blowing us over. We went north straight over the top and down the other side, the top was in thick cloud but the lower slopes were clear and we legged it off the fell, descending by Scalehow Force waterfall, which was in fine form with the heavy rain. We followed the path above the shores of Ullswater back to Patterdale. Another wet walk.
Monday saw us parked a mile or so south of yesterday’s parking place in Patterdale at Bridgend. With the weather being bad people weren’t out early, even on a bank holiday, so we didn’t have a problem parking. There wasn’t a plan, we were just making it up. Today looked promising, Storm Katie was battering the rest of the country but missed the north for a change. The tops were wintry, again it was hail accumulations not snow, on the high ground it was on very old lying snow and very difficult on steep descents. We decided to take the steady slopes of Hartsop above How to Hart Crag, on to Fairfield and then hopefully over Cofa Pike on to St Sunday Crag, Birks and finally Arnison Crag. This was just less than ten miles and it turned out to be a very tough five hours, exhausting, particularly after the three previous days. A large coastguard helicopter circled us repeatedly and finally landed on the path we were following to Hart Crag, we assumed it was on an exercise. The ground was frozen above 2500 feet and walking was easier as the snow/hail was load bearing and we could yomp on a bit. It was like midwinter with frequent squally whiteouts blasting in. The wind would pick up first lifting the frozen hail in a frozen spindrift that bounced along several feet high blasting our faces, this was followed by, what was more like frozen drizzle than snow, fine, but hard, we could feel it through our clothes it came at us that hard. I decided that we would head straight over Cofa Pike to St Sunday. A mistake with hindsight. The lake of footprints was the first bad sign but we were committed. We lived to tell the tale but Jayne had a bit of a near miss. The crag down to Cofa is steep and it was covered in hail on old snow, the layer of hail was shearing away from the underlying snow and we had to go down on out backsides, keeping a tight grip as we went. At one point Jayne failed to arrest a slide that was above a steep and deep drop. I had hold of her from a position in front of her and to her left and I was fairly well anchored so I felt in control and was sure of the outcome. From her point of view it was frightening and it subdued her for the rest of the walk. She had also ripped the outer lining of her Paramo waterproof trousers as well. Considering that we were going downhill it was hard going, every step a slip or a slide, with the underlying grass saturated and a thin layer of hail it was an unpleasant walk off the fell. At the end of Arnison Crag we took a pathless shortcut – that we swore we would never use again years ago – to save around twenty minutes of walking. This was the only day I had the camera out all day and had to cover it with a dryliner bag whenever a heavy shower came in. I also broke the lens hood. We drove to Keswick for afternoon coffee and toast at Brysons. The new Paramo store across the square was the next stop for new trousers. These Paramos had cost £85 14 years ago and they have just brought a new model out. We had two choices, The old model was reduced to…..£85 – after 14 years we could pay the same price or we could return the old trousers - cleaned – and get a £50 voucher towards the new model, which are £135, or £85 with the voucher. The old ones were ¾ of a mile away in the car – unwashed – so we bought the old model. Needless to say we had a couple of drinks in the Golden Rule in Ambleside every night before our tea.
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, Minister of Finance of Indonesia Sri Mulyani, and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley participate in the Debate on the Global Economy during the 2022 Spring Meetings at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
21 April 2022
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: CH220421103.arw
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva rehearses her IMFC Plenary speech at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
20 April 2022
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: CH220420126.arw
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde (L) and co-Executive Director of the Caribbean Policy Research Institute Damien King (R) at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica November 17, 2017. IMF Photo/Alex Curro
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde is pictured with Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD (left) and Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon Gilmore TD during a press conference in Government buildings during her visit to Dublin on March 08, 2013 in Dublin, Ireland; Photo by Justin Mac Innes/Mac Innes Photography
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde is pictured during her key note speech in Dublin Castle during her visit to Dublin, Ireland on March 08. Also in the pictured from left : Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD . Brendan Halligan Chairman of IIEA (The Institute of International and European Affairs) (left) Dáithà O'Ceallaigh. Director General (IIEA)Photo by Justin Mac Innes/Mac Innes Photography
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and IMFC Chair and First Vice President of Spain Nadia Calviño conduct the IMFC press conference at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
21 April 2022
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: CH220421115.arw
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde speaks at the Plenary session during the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings October 13, 2017 at the IMF Headquarters in Washington, DC. IMF Staff Photo/Stephen Jaffe
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva participates in an interview with the BBC’s Katty Kay during the 2021 Spring Meetings at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
7 April 2021
Washington, DC, United States
Photo ref: CH2104071442.arw
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva meets with President of Togo Faure Gnassingbé at the Hotel Bristol.
IMF Photo/Lewis Joly
16 May 2021
Paris, France
Photo ref: _EJO2485.jpg
The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, will today begin her three day visit to Rwanda, her first since she came to the helm of the institution in 2011. In an e-mail correspondence with The New Times’ Kenneth Agutamba, Lagarde sheds light on her institution’s current relationship with Rwanda and commends the country’s transformative and inclusive policies that have seen a significant decline in poverty levels.
You come here 20 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. In your view, what has been the trigger for Rwanda’s rapid economic renaissance?
My main message to Rwanda is that “Good policies pay off.” Let me set this in a broader context by saying that I am very happy to have the opportunity to visit Rwanda at such a pivotal moment in its history. The horrific events that occurred 20 years ago tore the social and economic fabric of the country, and it is uplifting to see the progress in rebuilding, in peace efforts, and in improving the welfare of all Rwandans.
This truly is an example in terms of social and economic transformation. It proves that effective policies and inclusive growth can be transformational.
The economic performance has been remarkable, with strong annual growth for the past 15 years. This has helped Rwanda make progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The poorest have benefited from a focus on inclusive growth, with the poverty rate falling to 45 per cent of the population in 2011 from 60 per cent in 2000.
Of course, this rate is still high, but it is definite progress and we see the trend continuing. So, while there has not been a magic bullet or a single trigger, a holistic approach, that also included a focus on the agricultural sector, employment, and gender equality, has been instrumental in sharing the fruits of high growth more widely.
What is the status of IMF relations in Rwanda at present?
We have a very close economic policy dialogue and the IMF is currently supporting the government with a Policy Support Instrument (PSI) – designed for low-income countries that have graduated from financial support but still seek to maintain a close policy dialogue.
The PSI signals the strength of a country’s policies to donors, multilateral development banks, and markets. We also provide technical assistance as part of the Fund’s efforts to increase local capacity and know-how. We have an office in Kigali, where a resident representative, currently Mitra Farahbaksh, ensures our presence in the field.
Rwanda’s PSI, which is in its second year, supports Rwanda’s own policy priorities for strong and inclusive growth, with an emphasis on domestic resource mobilization, private sector development, export diversification, regional integration, and financial sector development.
We recently reviewed this programme and welcomed the country’s continued strong performance. We also agreed with the government that more work needs to be done to further reduce Rwanda’s reliance on aid and increase its resilience to external shocks.
What is your economic outlook for the country between now and 2020?
Our outlook for Rwanda is positive. The economy is recovering from a weak performance in agriculture and delays in related project implementation in recent years. Growth rebounded last year and inflation remains well contained. We expect GDP growth rates to rise gradually towards 7-7.5 per cent in the medium term, while inflation remains within the medium-term target of 5 per cent.
I am particularly impressed with the government’s continued commitment to poverty reduction.
As part of my stay here, I will be visiting the Agaseke Handicraft Cooperative and the ICT hub (knowledge Lab) in Kigali to see firsthand how the government has managed to improve the welfare of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups such as women and youth.
As your readers are aware, the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy for 2013–18 focuses on economic transformation, rural development, and youth employment. The strategy is rightly aimed at further reducing poverty.
I think that the continued rollout of planned measures and the successful inclusion of the private sector in leading economic development will help make sizeable inroads in making growth even more inclusive and in reducing inequality.
In a recent advisory by the IMF Board, they encouraged Rwanda to widen its tax base and put emphasis on domestic revenue sourcing. What is your advice on this?
We are devoting a significant portion of our technical assistance to support Rwanda’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign aid. The focus is appropriately on widening the tax base – not higher taxes, but all paying a fair share.
The government has already made significant progress in the areas of revenue administration.
The push to increase the number of registered VAT payers through the introduction of electronic billing machines, and the switch in the collection of local taxes and fees from the local governments to the revenue authority, should be useful in bringing more businesses under the tax system.
The introduction of tax regimes for agriculture and mining, and improvements in property taxation, should also help achieve the goal of providing budgetary resources for key expenditures, particularly those aimed at scaling up social spending and infrastructure in a context where donor resources are likely to be limited.
Lately, Rwanda has taken to raising money through bonds, do you think this is viable?
Rwanda’s successful Euro-bond issuance in 2013 demonstrated that market financing can play a complementary role in financing investment plans. Several other African countries have followed suit over the past year.
The key is to ensure that Rwanda’s debt remains sustainable. I welcome the government’s commitment to fully explore concessional financing options and private sector participation before considering the use of non-concessional resources.
At the same time, the government’s decision to begin issuing domestic currency bonds in 2014 was an important step in the process of developing and deepening local capital markets.
www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2015-01-26/185319/
Creating jobs remains a high priority for this country, but as you know the private sector is also still young. What should Rwanda do to address these two issues?
On private sector development, Rwanda’s potential depends critically on full implementation of ongoing reforms to attract foreign investment and boost exports. These include reducing the cost of doing business; improving infrastructure; supporting skills development; and tapping into regional markets.
The increased provision of lower-cost electricity and improved transportation should help facilitate diversification and business development.
On creating jobs, the government has identified three key priorities: skills development, the fostering of entrepreneurship for small- and medium-sized enterprises, and supporting household enterprises. We at the Fund share this emphasis on building the capacity of Africa’s greatest resource–its people. Increased investment in infrastructure can help put people to work.
The IMF’s latest Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa projects regional GDP growth to pick up from about 5 per cent in 2013/14 to 5.75 per cent in 2015. That isn’t a big leap, is it? Can you elaborate on this?
Sub-Saharan Africa has made impressive progress over the past two decades, with growth averaging around 5 per cent. We expect that to continue in 2015, despite the impact of lower oil prices on some of Africa’s major oil exporting economies.
So there has been real progress, as growth has allowed for reducing poverty and improving living conditions.
For example, the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day in Africa has fallen significantly since 1990. But extreme poverty remains unacceptably high and not all countries are making progress. Some countries are still facing internal conflict and/or fragility.
Looking ahead, there are a number of longer-term demographic, technological and environmental challenges that need to be addressed in order to realise the ‘big leap’ that you refer to.
For instance, how can we tap into the productive capacity of Africa’s youth? How can Africa take advantage of technological innovation?
And how can we address the implications of climate change? Three broad policy priorities are crucial: building infrastructure, building institutions, and building people. Africa must also strengthen its institutional and governance frameworks to better manage its vast resources.
But the focus must be on people—with programmes aimed at boosting health and education and other essential social services. In fact, Rwanda is one of the countries that are effectively implementing policies in many of these areas.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has dealt a major blow to several African economies in the region. Can the effects of this blow spread to other parts of the continent?
The Ebola outbreak is a severe human, social and economic crisis that requires a resolute response. And the focus must be on isolating the virus, not the countries.
Strong efforts are underway in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, but it is unlikely to be brought under control before the second half of 2015.
The economic outlook for these countries has already worsened since September, when the IMF disbursed $130 million to the (three) countries to boost their response to the outbreak.
If the outbreak remains limited to the three countries, the economic outlook for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa remains favourable. Some neighbouring countries like The Gambia have seen an impact on tourism.
We are working with the governments of the three affected countries to provide additional interest-free financing of about $160 million, and expect our Board to make a decision in the next few days.
Following the endorsement by the G-20 leaders in Australia, we are also looking at further options to provide additional support to the Ebola-hit countries, including through the provision of donor-supported debt relief.
International oil prices have been tumbling, is this good for Rwanda and the other members of the EAC?
Indeed, oil prices have fallen recently, affecting both oil producers and consumers. Overall, we see the price decline as positive for the global economy. As an oil importer, Rwanda and indeed the East Africa region should benefit given that lower prices will most likely have a positive impact on growth whilst also easing inflation.
Countries can make use of this window of opportunity to reduce universal energy subsidies and use the savings toward more targeted transfers that benefit the poor.
Recently, the East African Community, a regional bloc to which Rwanda subscribes, reached a landmark Economic Partnership agreement (Epa) with Europe. Do you think that these countries need such agreements?
The EPA is designed to enhance commercial and economic relations, supporting a new trading dynamic in the region and deepening cooperation in trade and investment. It can serve as an important instrument of development in many respects.
It can promote sustained growth, increase the productive capacity of EAC economies, foster diversification and competitiveness, and, of course, boost trade, investment and employment. Rwanda is a key member of the EAC that has worked hard to create a conducive and transparent business environment. So it should benefit from this agreement.
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva meets with President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Cory Hancock
15 December 2022
Washington, DC, United States
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Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva visited Matipula School in Chongwe District, Zambia.
IMF Photo/Kim Haughton
23 January 2023
Lusaka, Zambia
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When you think you’re gonna get a balcony, and you end up eating your lousy dinner amongst drying laundry. VA12.
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks at her press conference during the 2021 Spring Meetings at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Joshua Roberts
7 April 2021
Washington, DC, United States
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Agenda, Wednesday, June 5
0830 Registration of Participants
0900 Welcoming Remarks
Mr. Ernest Z. Bower
Senior Adviser and Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
0915 Presentation: "The South China Sea in Focus"
Mr. Gregory Poling
Research Associate, Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
0945 Break
1015 Significance of the South China Sea Dispute
Speakers:
Dr. Patrick M. Cronin
Senior Advisor and Senior Director, Asia-Pacific Security Program
Center for a New American Security
Mr. Alexander Metelitsa
Economist
Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy
Mr. Murray Hiebert
Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Moderator:
Mr. Ernest Z. Bower
Senior Advisor and Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
1145 Break for Lunch
1200 Luncheon & Keynote Speech
Keynote Address:
Mr. Joseph Y. Yun
Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Moderator:
Mr. Ernest Z. Bower
Senior Advisor and Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
1315 Break
1330 Recent Developments in the South China Sea
Speakers:
Dr. Wu Shicun
President
National Institute for South China Sea Studies
Dr. Renato C. De Castro
Professor
De La Salle University
Dr. Yann-Huei Song
Research Fellow
Institute of European American Studies
Dr. Tran Truong Thuy
Director, South China Sea Studies Program
Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam
Moderator:
Mr. Murray Hiebert
Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
1500 Break
1515 South China Sea in Regional Politics
Speakers:
Amb. Hemant Krishan Singh
Wadhwani Chair in India-U.S. Policy Studies
Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations
Vice Admiral Hideaki Kaneda, JMSDF (ret.)
Director, The Okazaki Institute
The Japan Institute for International Affairs
Dr. Carlyle A. Thayer
Emeritus Professor
University of New South Wales, Australian Defense Force Academy
Dr. Donald K. Emmerson
Director, Southeast Asia Forum
Stanford University
Moderator:
Mr. Murray Hiebert
Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
1700 End of Day One
Agenda, Thursday, June 6
0800 Registration of Participants
0900 Role of International Law in Managing the Disputes
Dr. Xinjung Zhang
Associate Professor of Public International Law
Tsinghua University Law School
Mr. Henry S. Bensurto, Jr.
Secretary General, Commission on Maritime and Ocean Affairs Secretariat
Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippines
Dr. Peter Dutton
Professor and Director, China Maritime Studies Institute
U.S. Naval War College
Dr. Nguyen Dang Thang
Vietnam Lawyer’s Association
Moderator:
Mr. Ernest Z. Bower
Senior Advisor and Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
1030 Coffee Break
1045 Policy Recommendations to Boost Cooperation in the South China Sea
Ms. Bonnie S. Glaser
Senior Adviser for Asia, Freeman Chair in China Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Mr. Leonardo Bernard
Research Fellow, Centre for International Law
National University of Singapore
Mr. Christian Le Miere
Senior Research Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security, Defense and Military Analysis Program
International Institute for Strategic Studies
Moderator:
Mr. Ernest Z. Bower
Senior Advisor and Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
1215 End of Conference
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva visits a recipient of a Social Cash Transfer initiative in her household in Chongwe, Zambia
IMF Photo/Kim Haughton
23 January 2023
Lusaka, Zambia
Photo ref: KEH06120.ARW
We managed to get to the Lake District for the Easter weekend. We were open at work on Good Friday so I had to be in at work for a couple of hours and didn’t set off until 9.00am. We had a quick café stop and then jumped on the M62. It took us until 2.00pm to get to Langdale. We crawled up the M61 and M6, reminding me why we used to avoid Bank Holiday traffic. Although staying in Ambleside we drove to Langdale to get a couple of hours walking in. Langdale was packed but we found a place to park at the foot of the pass up to Blea Tarn. We headed up Pike of Blisco – against a steady stream of walkers descending at this time in the afternoon. I didn’t bother taking photos to any great extent, it wasn’t great light, windy and the appalling weekend forecast had depressed me – this was supposed to be the best day and it was nearly over. After a nice settled spell, possibly the first in the north of England this winter (now officially British Summertime) heavy rain and gales were coming our way apparently.
Each morning I studied the maps trying to second guess the light, wind and crowds. On Saturday it was initially dry, much to our surprise, we parked in Coniston and set off up Walna Scar Road. It’s a long steep drag to the top of the pass, the cloud was down and thick, the wind was getting extreme as we got higher – and we didn’t see a soul! We were heading over Brown Pike onto Dow Crag, we weren’t likely to get lost on a ridge. By now it was raining hard and the wind was making staying upright difficult. We slid off the rocky summit of Dow Crag on our backsides, the safest way. We dropped on to Goats Hause, the wind was screaming through and but I guessed there would be some shelter if we headed for the Old Man of Coniston. We met the first person of the day here, arriving at the summit just before him. There was still winter snow on north facing slopes but the wind wasn’t as bad as Dow Crag. It was grim, 30 metre visibility and there was very little point in staying on the tops as originally planned. Jayne was up for heading straight down the tourist track through the quarries. We have only ever ascended it before but we set off down at a trot, passing some fell runners along the way. There was a steady stream of Easter trippers heading up and judging by the questions we were asked on the way down they had little idea of what they were heading in to or how far they were from the summit, and all in appalling conditions. Lower down it was quite calm and many had little idea of the severity of the conditions on the tops. The countryside was rapidly waterlogging again after the belated dry spell.
Sunday brought more very heavy rain and gales on the tops. What looked like snow had accumulated on high ground overnight. It was actually several inches of hail and was horrible underfoot, like small wet marbles but trapping a lot of water on the lower slopes below the freezing line. We parked at Patterdale and walked across slopes that the recent floods had wreaked havoc on, with a lot of remedial work to be done this summer. The plan was to get to Boardale Hause and decide whether to go high – over Place Fell – or head in to Boardale and stay low by doing a circuit of Place Fell. It was raining hard and there was a howling gale but it was behind us, the cloud had lifted a bit so we went high. The summit plateau was a nightmare, covered in slippy, wet, slushy hail with the wind nearly blowing us over. We went north straight over the top and down the other side, the top was in thick cloud but the lower slopes were clear and we legged it off the fell, descending by Scalehow Force waterfall, which was in fine form with the heavy rain. We followed the path above the shores of Ullswater back to Patterdale. Another wet walk.
Monday saw us parked a mile or so south of yesterday’s parking place in Patterdale at Bridgend. With the weather being bad people weren’t out early, even on a bank holiday, so we didn’t have a problem parking. There wasn’t a plan, we were just making it up. Today looked promising, Storm Katie was battering the rest of the country but missed the north for a change. The tops were wintry, again it was hail accumulations not snow, on the high ground it was on very old lying snow and very difficult on steep descents. We decided to take the steady slopes of Hartsop above How to Hart Crag, on to Fairfield and then hopefully over Cofa Pike on to St Sunday Crag, Birks and finally Arnison Crag. This was just less than ten miles and it turned out to be a very tough five hours, exhausting, particularly after the three previous days. A large coastguard helicopter circled us repeatedly and finally landed on the path we were following to Hart Crag, we assumed it was on an exercise. The ground was frozen above 2500 feet and walking was easier as the snow/hail was load bearing and we could yomp on a bit. It was like midwinter with frequent squally whiteouts blasting in. The wind would pick up first lifting the frozen hail in a frozen spindrift that bounced along several feet high blasting our faces, this was followed by, what was more like frozen drizzle than snow, fine, but hard, we could feel it through our clothes it came at us that hard. I decided that we would head straight over Cofa Pike to St Sunday. A mistake with hindsight. The lake of footprints was the first bad sign but we were committed. We lived to tell the tale but Jayne had a bit of a near miss. The crag down to Cofa is steep and it was covered in hail on old snow, the layer of hail was shearing away from the underlying snow and we had to go down on out backsides, keeping a tight grip as we went. At one point Jayne failed to arrest a slide that was above a steep and deep drop. I had hold of her from a position in front of her and to her left and I was fairly well anchored so I felt in control and was sure of the outcome. From her point of view it was frightening and it subdued her for the rest of the walk. She had also ripped the outer lining of her Paramo waterproof trousers as well. Considering that we were going downhill it was hard going, every step a slip or a slide, with the underlying grass saturated and a thin layer of hail it was an unpleasant walk off the fell. At the end of Arnison Crag we took a pathless shortcut – that we swore we would never use again years ago – to save around twenty minutes of walking. This was the only day I had the camera out all day and had to cover it with a dryliner bag whenever a heavy shower came in. I also broke the lens hood. We drove to Keswick for afternoon coffee and toast at Brysons. The new Paramo store across the square was the next stop for new trousers. These Paramos had cost £85 14 years ago and they have just brought a new model out. We had two choices, The old model was reduced to…..£85 – after 14 years we could pay the same price or we could return the old trousers - cleaned – and get a £50 voucher towards the new model, which are £135, or £85 with the voucher. The old ones were ¾ of a mile away in the car – unwashed – so we bought the old model. Needless to say we had a couple of drinks in the Golden Rule in Ambleside every night before our tea.
2013 World Water Week
Sunday: Doing More with Less - What Can We Learn from Managing Drought? K16/K17.
Photo: Thomas Henrikson.
We managed to get up to The Lake District for a few days at Easter. We got away from work on Good Friday afternoon and spent three hours covering 110 miles, the M61 and M6 were very slow or stopped. As ever once there we soon left the hassle behind. We were using a B&B that we used very regularly for ten years until the owner passed away quite suddenly. Now under new ownership it has been totally gutted and refurbished, it’s very nice but twice as expensive.
We were out in good time on Saturday, it was dull and cool but very calm. I’d deliberated for ages as to where to walk, wanting to avoid the worst of the Easter crowds. It was the busiest I’d seen the Lakes for a long time amd the North Lakes in particular had stunning weather, the South Lakes had dense fog in places until the afternoon and was much cooler – but not cold. Parking in Patterdale we headed up Arnison Crag, on to Birks aiming for St Sunday Crag. This was where it started to go wrong. I got a sudden pain in my right ankle, near a previous serious ankle injury, it’s not unusual to get a bit of pain in this ankle but it got worse. My ankle felt like it was in a vice. On the plus side the cloud which was very low initially was clearing higher at the same speed that we were climbing. We scrambled over Cofa Pike through some snow on to Fairfield and for a change the summit was clear with glorious views. I had to undo my gaiter and slacken my boot, my ankle was swelling and bruising. I took paracetemol and carried on – I didn’t have much choice really. We walked to Hart Crag out to Dove Crag, back to Hart Crag as we wanted to head down over Hartsop above How. We stopped for a quick sandwich and pot of lemon tea before heading down the rocky path. By now I was suffering but still able to walk fairly fast. The yomp back along the road to Patterdale was tough. We covered 11.5 miles in around five hours, which was OK for a first walk in the mountains for a while. We drove to Keswick wanting to get to Brysons tearooms for cake and coffee. Keswick was packed and sunny and we had to walk in half a mile, that was painful, my ankle was agony until I got it loosened up. Toasted Plum Bread, apple pie and ice cream and coffee made up for the grief.
On Sunday I knew I couldn’t walk much. I was applying Ibuprofen Gel regularly but it was going to be a car and camera day. There was dense fog when we set off so I decided we needed to be somewhere attractive when it started to clear, I just didn’t know when that was going to be. We drove into Langdale and the fog broke to reveal Blue sky and the top of the Langdale Pikes, it was fantastic. I immediately thought of Blea Tarn and drove up the pass out of Langdale. I expected to find, as is usual, tripods in a row, with photographers clicking away. There wasn’t a soul, it was so calm and peaceful – and beautiful – I couldn’t believe my luck. I limped as fast as I could to the Tarn, unfortunately an overnight camper, who I chatted with about the beauty, reflections and the camera I was carrying, did her best to encourage her dog into the water and she got in to get washed. It was so calm that the ripples would cross the entire tarn and spoil the photos. I shot as quick as I could, moving away from her all the time. I think I had around 15 minutes at the most before a breeze – that I couldn’t feel – started to ripple the water. The reflections disappeared and it was over. Without the bad ankle I would have missed this tranquillity as we would have been toiling up out first climb of the day. The fog stayed put in the South Lakes but we headed north over Dunmail Raise to blue sky and 17 degrees.
On Monday after 36 hours of Ibuprofen I felt that my ankle would stand a six or seven miler – but where? We had very thick fog in Ambleside so again I drove over Dunmail Raise and again it was fantastic. I could see the chance of some good photos around Thirlmere but I had to get waterside at a point where the view wasn’t obstructed with saplings and bushes growing out of the water. This was easier said than done, it took three attempts to get a decent location. I had reflections, hanging mist, water and mountains – and wet feet again, fortunately I had my walking boots and socks to put on for the walk ahead. After my photo chase we parked at Steel End and headed up the steep nose of Steel Fell. It’s a tough climb but the view over Thirlmere was great. We could see the wall of fog to the south and I was looking forward to getting to the top, hoping that we would be able to see over it with mountains poking out of a sea of white. This was exactly as it was, the Lion and the Lamb on Helm Crag looked like an island in the sea of mist. We walked along the ridge to Calf Crag with clear views to the north and a sea on mist to the south, it looked like the right choice again. We were going to head down Wythburn back to Thirlmere. Wyth Burn runs through a secluded hanging valley through an area called The Bog. I’ve walked down here a few times and at first glance it looks dry – they didn’t name it The Bog for nothing – it is extremely wet. It doesn’t matter how high you walk to avoid it – you can’t! We were wet above the gaiters by the time we got back and it was tough on the ankle. Brysons here we come, another beautiful hot day in Keswick but back to work tomorrow.
Strategies to manage traffic in Asia like here in Xian must include a wide range of measures. The "Avoid-Shift-Improve" approach is central to reducing dependence on individual car dependency. It also ensures a high level of mobility while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. (Photo by Armin Wagner)
The Lake Havasu Field Offices manages 73 boat access campsites over 20 miles along the Arizona shore of Lake Havasu. These campsites offer a picnic table, barbecue grill, and trash receptacle and a majority of the sites provide a restroom and shade structure. These sites offer the opportunity to enjoy the recreational opportunities on the lake overnight or just for the day. These sites are available on a first-come, first serve basis.
Photo by Heather Stacy/Bureau of Land Management.
Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Vera Songwe, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, speak with Mohamed A. El-Erian, President of Queens’ College, Cambridge, and Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz, during a seminar titled “Averting a COVID-19 Debt Trap,” moderated by Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, during the 2021 Spring Meetings at the International Monetary Fund.
IMF Photo/Joshua Roberts
6 April 2021
Washington, DC, United States
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