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Country: Norway

Location: Saltfjell / Bolna

Train: CargoNet 5793 from Trondheim to Fauske with Me 525 from Nordic-Refinance AB

 

Das Saltfjell im Winter, immer ein Besuch Wert. Gutes Wetter ist etwas Glückssache, aber davon hatten wir reichlich!

 

An einem schönen Nachmittag sind wir am südlichen Aufstieg zwischen Bolna und dem Polarkreis zur Bahn hinauf gestiegen um einen Personenzug und diesen Güterzug zu fotografieren.

 

Der Güterzug ist auf dem Weg von Trondheim nach Fauske und ist wohl eine neue Leistung. Und der Lokpark von CargoNet reicht nicht? Nordic Refinance AB hat sich im letzten Jahr bei der DSB nicht mehr benötigte Me Dieselloks beschafft, umgebaut, und stellt sie nun Bahnen in Skandinavien zur Verfügung. Das CargoNet solche Loks (oder diese Lok) gemietet hat war uns nicht bekannt, und deshalb eine besondere Überraschung.

Am folgenden Tag tauchte der Zug dann mit einer Euro4000 von RailCare auf - ebenfalls gemietet von CargoNet.

 

Hinweis: Drohnenbild

Het goede weer in Zweden hadden we te danken aan een hogedrukgebied boven noordoost-Europa, waardoor droge lucht vanuit het oosten richting Finland en Zweden toe trok. Een grote verstoring in het westen van Europa zorgde er echter voor dat grote delen van Europa veel met regenbuien en bewolking te maken hadden. De grens tussen de twee gebieden lag ongeveer boven de landsgrens van Noorwegen en Zweden. Het kwam er dus op neer dat het weer in Noorwegen een stuk minder mooi was dan in Zweden. Omdat we op maandag redelijk dicht bij de Noorse grens onderweg waren, kregen we 's avonds te maken met wat verdwaalde sluierbewolking. Deze bewolking leek in de verwachtingen op dinsdag ook nog aanwezig te blijven. Om die reden besloten we het op dinsdag iets oostelijker op te zoeken. De woensdag zouden we dan weer terugkeren richting de omgeving van Kil, en dus kwamen we voor dinsdag uit in de regio rondom Hallsberg en Örebro. Hallsberg is een belangrijk knooppunt in het goederenvervoer per spoor in Zweden, dus moest het geen grote uitdaging zijn om hier een aantal goederentreinen vast te leggen.

 

De ochtend begon met een trein van BLS Rail, maar dit bleek te gaan om een losse loc. Daarna zijn we weer richting het zuiden gereden voor een trein van DB Cargo uit Hallsberg richting Denemarken. DB Cargo heeft namelijk een beperkt aantal 185'ers met toelating in Zweden, en drie daarvan zijn voorzien van een bestickering. De kans om een leuke 185 te treffen is dus relatief groot. Voorwaarde was natuurlijk dat de trein op tijd zou vertrekken... En da was nie! Nog voor we Hallsberg bereikte verscheen DB Cargo met exact 60 minuten vervroeging op de kaart. Balen! Snel op zoek naar iets nieuws... Gelukkig werden we achtervolgd door een goederentrein van Tågfrakt, die eveneens in de min reed. We besloten direct de afrit te pakken om deze redelijk onbekende vervoerder vast te leggen.

 

Kort na het middaguur verscheen de bij Nordic Refinance gehuurde Rc4 1164, met een volbeladen containertrein. Het was de tweede loc in deze uitvoering die we binnen 24 uur voor de lens kregen, boffen dus! Het geheel is onderweg als trein 46051 vanuit Folkesta naar Göteborg Skandiahamnen.

 

Dinsdag 9 mei 2023, 12:04

Na een succesvolle ochtend op maandag 8 mei met veelal treinen van GreenCargo, was het tegen het middaguur tijd om aan te vangen met een aantal privaten. Veel private goederenvervoerders telt Zweden niet, maar een handjevol is er zeker te vinden welke veelal met interessante locomotieven rondrijden. De twee grootste spelers zijn het welbekende HectorRail, en het vooral in Zweden bekende Tågab. Beide vervoerders houden zich hoofdzakelijk bezig met het vervoer van boomstammen, of overige houtproducten maar ook containertreinen zijn bij beide partijen te vinden. Vooraf dachten we dat vooral HectorRail makkelijk te fotograferen was aangezien dit toch een flink bedrijf is met activiteit in veel landen, maar het was juist Tågab die veel betrouwbaarder reed en dus uiteindelijk vaker op de foto werd gezet. Aangezien Tågab toch wel mijn guilty pleasure in Zweden is, vond ik het totaal niet erg dat ze lekker betrouwbaar reden.

 

Vandaag liep het toch een beetje anders dan gehoopt. De fraaie boomstammentrein van Tågab vanuit Torsby reed deze maandag niet, maar gelukkig waren we hier de avond van tevoren al op de hoogte en dus stonden we daarvoor geen wortels te schieten. Een beladen boomstammentrein van HectorRail vertrok wel stipt op tijd uit Grums, maar doordat exact op het punt van vertrek het systeem vast sloeg, dachten we dat ze nog niet vertrokken was. Nog geen vijf minuten later hoorden we het spoor zingen en was het al te laat. Terwijl de hoogstatieven in verband met de wind nog naar beneden stonden, kwam daar HectorRail over het verhoogde stuk spoor voorbij met haar beladen boomstammentrein. Uiteindelijk was de foto ondanks het lage standpunt nog niet eens zo onaardig, en dus wordt deze wellicht in de toekomst nog getoond.

 

We moesten dus terug stappen op een ander systeem omdat uitgerekend nu ons grootste hulpmiddel ons in de steek liet. Gelukkig was dat wel prima te doen, en werd er na de lichte teleurstelling vertrokken naar de spoorlijn tussen Kil en de Noorse grensovergang bij Charlottenberg. Er stond namelijk nog een beladen boomstammentrein van HectorRail op het programma, en daarnaast zou vanuit de andere kant Tågab moeten komen met een papiertrein. Ondanks dat beide treinen uit een andere richting kwamen, zouden ze door het flink kronkelende spoor goed voor de zon te zien moeten zijn. Echter hadden we er al snel een hard hoofd in bij HectorRail, want een uur na haar geplande vertrek uit het Noorse Kongsvinger was er op de radar van de westerburen nog niks te vinden. Waar we hoopten op een goedmaker van HectorRail, leek dat er even niet in te zitten. We besloten ons vol te focussen op de papiertrein van Tågab die gelukkig wel op tijd vertrokken was vanuit Kristinehamn. Het doel was om deze trein bij een van de talloze meren in Zweden te fotograferen, iets wat ondanks de vele meren nog niet eens zo gemakkelijk is. Deze trein bood een uitgelezen kans en dus werd de survivaltocht naar de locatie bij Lene aangevat.

 

Het was zeker geen slecht idee dat we wat eerder ter plaatse waren, want de locatie bevond zich midden in het meer aan een spoordijk, en om er te voet te komen was je wel eventjes bezig. De klim- en klautertocht was het uiteindelijk dubbel en dwars waard, want niet veel later stonden we dan wel op een van de mooiste locaties die we deze vakantie bezocht hebben. Het enige wat nu mistte was nog de trein, maar die was in ieder geval op tijd onderweg, toch? Nou nee, een onbekende oorzaak dreigde ineens roet in het eten te gooien. Een losse loc van CargoNet vanuit Noorwegen werd uit het niks midden op de lijn vastgehouden. De passagierstrein richting Arvika vertrok ook niet op tijd uit Kil en ook Tågab werd in Kil aan de kant genomen. Alles duidde erop dat er iets van een verstoring was ontstaan. Hoewel de zonstand voorlopig nog wel goed stond, en we naast Tågab de komende twee uur niks te fotograferen hadden, begon de tijd toch wel te dringen. Vanuit Noorwegen waren namelijk enkele vieze witte sluiers onderweg die langzaam maar zeker dichterbij kwamen. Het was moeilijk in te schatten hoe lang we het mooie zonlicht nog behielden, maar de trein kon voor ons niet snel genoeg komen...

 

Na ruim driekwartier gewacht te hebben, en continu geen update te hebben gekregen, was opeens het spoor te horen. Eindelijk kwam daar dan de losse loc van Cargonet voorbij gereden richting Kil, waarop het dus leek dat de verstoring weer voorbij was. Vlak nadat de losse loc gearriveerd was in Kil, vertrok dan de passagierstrein naar Arvika. In de tussentijd waren de gegevens van Tågab half verdwenen en dus konden we moeilijk inschatten of de trein nou achter de stopper was vertrokken, of niet. Al snel viel op dat er vanuit tegengestelde richting ook nog een passagierstrein onderweg was, en we bedachten dat Tågab daar waarschijnlijk nog op moest wachten in Kil. Aangezien dit nog wel even ging duren en de sluiers al vlakbij de zon waren, zagen we de kans op een mooi belichte plaat slecht in. Nadat de stopper dan in het fraaie licht gepasseerd was, zaten we in stille maar waarschijnlijk valse hoop te wachten op Tågab.

 

Inmiddels was de stopper naar Arvika zo'n 5 minuten geleden voorbij, maar was er van de tegentrein nog geen spoor te bekennen. Zo af en toe dachten we wat te horen, maar telkens weer was het de wind die door de bomen waaide. Verder was er een rustige stilte die werd vergezeld door het kabbelende water van het meer Bråtsjön. Hoe kalmerend de omgeving ook was, enkel Tågab kon de rust bij de twee Nederlanders laten wederkeren. De eerste sluierpluk zat aan te kloppen bij de zon als we weer een Fata Morgana denken te horen. Echter werd deze Fata Morgana in korte tijd wel luider en luider en was het toch echt het geruis van de gietijzeren remblokken die verderop in de bossen te horen was. Waar we zo langzamerhand de tegentrein naar Kil verwachtten, gebeurde het tegenovergestelde, en jawel daar kwam dan eindelijk met een flink uur vertraging Tågab tevoorschijn! Niet met een verwachtte ex-ÖBB 1043 in de fraaie zilver met rode kleurstelling, maar een Rc4 in de Nordic Refinance kleurstelling. Die zijn nog iets moeilijker te vangen, dus een aangename verrassing!

 

De klok slaat 16:20 als met een hoop opluchting afgedrukt kan worden voor de Tågab Rc4 1144, niet te verwarring met de ÖBB 1144, die onderweg is met papiertrein 48321 vanuit Kristinehamn naar het Noorse Kongsvinger. Op de foto doorkruist de trein het meer Bråntsjön gelegen tussen Lene en Högboda. Naast de veelal op alternatieve wijze ingekleurde schuifwandwagens liften er ook een hele boel lege houtwagens mee. Achterop hing dan ook nog de fraaie TMZ 1406 die helaas net buiten beeld valt. Dat mocht natuurlijk allemaal de pret niet drukken, want met een best portie geluk was deze foto dan eindelijk binnen!

O senador Zeze Perrella (PDT-MG) criticou a proposta do governo constante da MP 671/15, conhecida como MP do Futebol, observando que se não forem promovidas alterações fundamentais na proposta oficial já apreciada pela Câmara, “os clubes cometerão suicídio”. Foi a primeira reunião da Comissão Mista (28-04) para debater o projeto de modernização da gestão e do refinanciamento das dívidas dos clubes.

“Não sei se a MP foi feita para ajudar, para mim ela é uma interferência direta do Estado na vida dos clubes, algo que jamais aconteceu. Nunca vi nada como isso nos meus 20 anos de futebol”, destacou Perrella, falando na qualidade de revisor-relator da Comissão Mista que debate o assunto no Senado.

A dívida dos clubes de futebol está em torno de R$ 3 bilhões, “mas se trata de uma dívida e não de roubo, e para ajudar o governo tem de atuar de forma adequada” frisou o senador mineiro. Para Zeze Perrella, as alterações devidas terão de ser feitas no Senado pela Comissão Mista, ou a proposta volta para a Câmara e será ainda mais demorada sua conclusão.

A reunião da comissão teve manifestações críticas de alguns membros em relação ao conteúdo da MP e a alguns dos convidados para os debates. O senador Zeze Perrella acusou a MP de promover ingerência estatal indevida nos assuntos dos clubes de futebol, que são entidades privadas, através das condições impostas para a adesão ao Profut.

- Tem que mandar prender o presidente do clube que aderir. É uma interferência direta do Estado, querem estatizar os clubes. O governo tem que se limitar a se preocupar com o parcelamento das dívidas, não com eleição [de clubes e federações]. Do jeito que está aqui, é suicídio para quem entrar.

Perrella criticou o fato de a Caixa Econômica Federal patrocinar poucos times de futebol, e nenhum de Minas, e indagou o que a CEF tem contra os clubes mineiros. A presidente Dilma tem algo contra Minas Gerais? perguntou ainda o senador do PDT. Sendo que os times de Minas estão entre os melhores do Brasil, acrescentou.

O deputado Jovair Arantes (PTB-GO) disse estar informado de que a Caixa geralmente patrocina clubes dos Estados dos quais detém a folha de pagamento do governo. A Comissão Mista, presidida pelo senador Sérgio Petecão (PSD-AC), decidiu convocar um representante da CEF para explicar os motivos para o patrocínio de times de futebol pela instituição. Representantes dos sindicatos dos atletas profissionais também serão convidados a participar dos debates da Comissão, disse Petecão.

  

(Assessoria de Imprensa)

(Agência Senado)

Foto: Marcos Oliveira/Agência Senado

O senador Zeze Perrella (PDT-MG) sugeriu a criação de um programa de financiamento igual ao do Refis para ser aplicado ao setor esportivo, possibilitando o refinanciamento das dívidas dos clubes de futebol brasileiros, que atravessam séria crise de gestão administrativa.

Perrella falou sobre os problemas do setor na reunião da comissão mista (06/05) que debate a MP 671/2015, chamada MP do futebol, com a experiência de ter sido presidente do Cruzeiro. Apontou o Refis como uma possível solução, iniciativa adotada pelo governo em outras oportunidades para setores empresariais.

O senador mineiro defendeu a profissionalização dos árbitros e a aprovação do orçamento pelos conselhos deliberativos dos clubes, para evitar gastos excessivos ou sem autorização. Observou que a medida provisória do governo é uma intervenção na área dos clubes de futebol, cujos problemas não podem ser abordados sob os princípios da CLT.

Zeze Perrella é o relator-revisor da MP 671, que busca soluções para os problemas de gestão administrativa e o endividamento dos clubes de futebol. A seguir ouça seu pronunciamento na reunião da Comissão mista.

 

Assessoria de Imprensa

 

Foto: Vanessa Costa

O senador Zeze Perrella (PDT-MG) reafirmou (12/05), na reunião da Comissão Mista encarregada de debater a MP do Futebol, que a solução para a crise financeira dos clubes é a criação de um programa de refinanciamento do tipo Refis.

  

"Tal operação já foi feita para ajudar bancos e companhias aéreas, porque não poderia ser feito também para ajudar a resolver o problema financeiro dos clubes de futebol?" – indagou Perrella na reunião com dirigentes de diversos times.

  

Todos os presidentes de clube presentes rejeitaram as propostas da Medida Provisória do governo. Perrella, que é o relator-revisor da Comissão Mista, falou de improviso e reiterou opinião manifestada na reunião anterior. Disse o senador mineiro:

 

"O presidente do Atlético, presidente Andrés Sanchez, colocou muito bem a questão. Essa medida provisória, na verdade está cheia de jabuti. Ela veio para consertar as dívidas dos clubes, esse é o ponto central. Mas olha que intervenção brusca.

  

Querem obrigar vocês, os clubes, a ter futebol feminino. Nada contra o futebol feminino. O Cruzeiro tem vôlei, mas eu não sou obrigado a ter, tenho porque consegui um patrocínio que banque aquele setor. Se nós conseguirmos um patrocinador que queira bancar o futebol feminino está perfeito. Ou, de repente a presidente Dilma consegue arrumar com a Caixa para bancar o futebol feminino.

  

Eu acho que estão interferindo, e já falei na nossa reunião anterior: para mim, a única solução para a dívida dos clubes, e eu vou bater nessa tecla - já falei com o deputado Otavio Leite - tem que ser um Refis nos moldes do primeiro Refis. Faturamento de X por tempo indeterminado.

  

A Espanha fez isso, o Brasil não pode fazer a mesma coisa? Já socorreram bancos, companhias aéreas, e quando vão fazer alguma coisa pelo futebol?

  

Tentam colocar esse tanto de jabuti para interferir na gestão dos clubes, é o que essa MP quer. Eu não sou mais presidente do Cruzeiro, mas se dependesse de mim, do jeito que está o Cruzeiro jamais entraria numa medida tão idiota, desculpem o termo, como essa".

 

Assessoria de imprensa

Foto: Vanessa Costa

After a year of endless stress, long work hours, disappointment, school, long hours of N95s, more stress, mortgage refinancing & four As later finally a much needed break & beauty 💛 Maybe I should consider PhD ...

The George Street front entrance of the Star Casino in Brisbane. The Star Entertainment Group has been in severe financial trouble owing to issues associated with illegal operations and expensive overruns in the cost of this new complex. Desperate efforts are playing out as the Group looks for opportunities for refinancing and a buyout.

Back in the 50', people would regularly hit the road embarking their little families out for a WE, also for holidays or just go picnic, for doing so they needed spacious cars. This relic, standing in the backyard of a repair-shop, awaiting better days, just reminded me of those hopeful times :-)

 

The Panhard Dyna Z is a lightweight motor car produced by Panhard of France from 1954 to 1959. It was first presented to the press at a Paris restaurant named "Les Ambassadeurs" on 17 June 1953 and went into production the following year. In 1959 it was replaced by the Panhard PL 17.

 

Panhard was one of the world's oldest auto manufacturers and since 1945 had become known for producing economical cars. Panhard, like Citroën, considered itself a leader, not a follower of automotive trends, and the Dyna Z featured an impressive array of unusual engineering choices.

 

In 1955 Citroën had taken a 25% holding in Panhard's automobile business and during the next two years the national dealership networks of the two businesses were integrated. This gave Citroen and Panhard dealers an expanded market coverage, incorporating now a small car, a medium-sized saloon and a large car range. It gave the Panhard Dyna Z, during its final years in production, a level of market access that its predecessor had never enjoyed. Sales benefited.

 

The Dyna X was replaced by the more streamlined Dyna Z in 1954. This was later developed into the similar PL 17, launched in 1959, in an attempt to conform to the styles of the time.

 

Like its predecessor the Dyna X and the Panhard Dynavia concept that influenced its design, the Dyna Z's body was originally aluminium with steel tube subframes front and rear joined by steel plate reinforcements in the sills. The decision to use aluminium sheeting for car bodies had been taken at a time when a sudden drop off in demand for fighter planes had left the producers with a glut of the metal, but in subsequent years the relative cost advantage of sheet steel had increased steadily. Other sources emphasize an underlying error with the original costings for the model which had taken no account of the off-cuts from the aluminium coils after the blanks for the body panels had been cut from them. Jean Panhard's explanation to a sympathetic interviewer concludes with the observation that "nobody wanted to buy offcuts except at a ridiculously low price, this difference was our profit margin." In Summer 1954 the cost penalty of persisting with aluminium bodywork had become financially unsustainable, and from September 1955 the Dynas Type "Z1" switched to steel bodywork, even though the door shells, trunk/boot and hood/bonnet were at this stage still made of aluminium. The switch to a sheet-steel body shell, attributed to "various setbacks" ("nombreuses déboires") with the aluminium body of the earlier Type Z1, imposed an instant weight penalty of 123 Kg. and had to be accompanied by a substantial redesign of the front suspension and a change to the shock absorbers, though cost savings were too late to avoid the need for Panhard to sign their ultimately suicidal refinancing "agreement" with Citroën in April 1955.

 

By 1958, only the bumpers, the fuel tank, the engine cooling shroud and most of the engine and transaxle cases were aluminium, but the weight was still quite low for a relatively comfortable six-seater saloon, when compared with narrower competitor models from Peugeot and Simca. Its unusual and very modern design gave it a unique combination of space, ride comfort, performance and fuel economy at a very competitive price. But reliability suffered and fuel prices were not high enough, even in France, for people to put energy efficiency first. The car also suffered from some engine and wind noise. The Tiger version had a racing inspired engine and a full cooling shroud.

 

History

Panhard was originally called Panhard et Levassor, and was established as a car manufacturing concern by René Panhard and Émile Levassor in 1887.

 

Early years

Panhard et Levassor sold their first automobile in 1890, based on a Daimler engine license. Levassor obtained his licence from Paris lawyer Edouard Sarazin, a friend and representative of Gottlieb Daimler's interests in France. Following Sarazin's death in 1887, Daimler commissioned Sarazin's widow Louise to carry on her late husband's agency. The Panhard et Levassor license was finalised by Louise, who married Levassor in 1890. Daimler and Levassor became fast friends, and shared improvements with one another.

 

These first vehicles set many modern standards, but each was a one-off design. They used a clutch pedal to operate a chain-driven gearbox. The vehicle also featured a front-mounted radiator. An 1895 Panhard et Levassor is credited with the first modern transmission. For the 1894 Paris–Rouen Rally, Alfred Vacheron equipped his 4 horsepower (3.0 kW; 4.1 PS) with a steering wheel, believed to be one of the earliest employments of the principle.

 

In 1891, the company built its first all-Levassor design, a "state of the art" model: the Système Panhard consisted of four wheels, a front-mounted engine with rear wheel drive, and a crude sliding-gear transmission. It would remain the standard until Cadillac introduced synchromesh in 1928. This was to become the standard layout for automobiles for most of the next century. The same year, Panhard et Levassor shared their Daimler engine license with bicycle maker Armand Peugeot, who formed his own car company. Source Wikipedia.

O Senado aprovou (13/07) a MP671/2015 que refinancia as dívidas fiscais e trabalhistas dos clubes de futebol. Ela impõe exigências de gestão e responsabilidade fiscal que os clubes devem cumprir se quiserem participar do programa de refinanciamento. Além disso, cria novas loterias, cuja arrecadação será revertida para programas de iniciação desportiva e para o futebol feminino.

 

A MP aprovada ainda precisa ser sancionada pela presidente Dilma Rousseff, e teve como relator o deputado Otávio Leite (PSDB-RJ) e como relator-revisor o senador Zeze Perrella (PDT-MG). Para o senador mineiro, “começa um novo ciclo na vida dos clubes e, obviamente, com novas responsabilidades também”.

O parcelamento facilitado é feito através do Programa de Modernização do Futebol Brasileiro (Profut), ao qual os interessados devem aderir. Os clubes poderão dividir seus débitos em até 240 parcelas de no mínimo R$ 3 mil, contando com redução de 70% das multas, de 40% dos juros e de 100% dos encargos legais. As primeiras 60 parcelas poderão ser reduzidas em até 50%, mas esse desconto deverá ser coberto posteriormente.

 

Pronunciamento de Zeze Perrella antes da votação e aprovação da MP do Futebol:

 

“Srs. Senadores, gostaria primeiramente de agradecer a compreensão dos líderes para que se pudesse votar essa matéria de suma importância que já tramita aqui há dois anos. E gostaria de parabenizar o relator, Otávio Leite, que realmente fez um trabalho fantástico.

Alguém pode argumentar que estão anistiando os clubes. Não existe isso!

Na verdade os clubes vão pagar os seus débitos em 240 meses, mas pagando, inclusive, a taxa Selic. E o mais importante, o saneamento dos clubes. Isso já aconteceu na Espanha, quando os clubes estavam em dificuldade. O Governo, hoje, não recebe um real sequer dos clubes, que não têm condição de pagar do jeito que está. São dívidas grandes, feitas em gestões passadas.

O mais importante dessa medida provisória, que veio realmente para salvar os clubes de futebol, que são patrimônio cultural do povo brasileiro, é a responsabilidade do dirigente por gestão temerária. Aquele dirigente que usar o clube de maneira indevida será penalizado e responsabilizado, inclusive com os seus bens particulares.

Tipificação da gestão temerária desvio de finalidade na gestão, risco excessivo ou desnecessário, medidas em proveito próprio, colocar o patrimônio do clube em risco, vantagens pessoais ou familiares indevidas, nepotismo na celebração dos contratos, quarentena dos gestores ao deixar a direção de seus respectivos clubes, cercear o direito de informação dos sócios e produzir déficit acima de 20% são algumas das medidas que esse projeto prevê.

Então podem acreditar. Falo isso como dirigente esportivo que fui por 20 anos. Esse projeto vem para moralizar o futebol brasileiro, além de acertar. Eu volto a dizer: o Governo hoje não recebe nada, e vai passar a receber. Não existe nenhum favor do Governo, que já fez planos para salvar. Já fez o Proer, já fez vários planos para salvar várias situações da economia brasileira. Agora se lembrou de que o futebol também é uma grande indústria e precisa de proteção, senão os clubes iriam acabar.

Eu queria agradecer em nome dos clubes de futebol que aqui estão representados por seus presidentes, pelos representantes da CBF e dos clubes. Hoje é um dia de vitória do futebol brasileiro! Podem votar Srs. Senadores, acreditando nisso.”

No início da sessão, Perrella fez o seguinte pronunciamento:

“Eu gostaria de saudar os nossos companheiros de clube, que estão aqui hoje presentes, nesta grande expectativa. Eu gostaria de saudá-los, em nome do ex-Deputado Walter Feldman, representando a CBF, eu saúdo todos os senhores, e dizer a minha alegria em participar de um momento tão importante como este. Eu que vivi na pele, durante 20 anos, todas as angústias que vocês dirigentes de clubes passam hoje, que é essa dívida eterna, essa herança, vamos dizer, “maldita” – entre aspas – que muitos de vocês receberam de outras gestões – às vezes não tão boas assim.

Mas que acabou levando o futebol brasileiro a uma situação de muita dificuldade. Nós já vimos o Governo se preocupar em salvar bancos com o Proer, salvar companhias aéreas, que eu acho perfeitamente legítimas essas intervenções pontuais, quando se trata de segmentos tão importantes.

Na minha visão, não há nada mais importante ou tão importante quanto o futebol brasileiro, não só como lazer, como entretenimento, como a paixão de cada um de nós, mas pela verdadeira indústria que representa o futebol brasileiro, pelo verdadeiro respeito que o Brasil tem lá fora, como o país do futebol e essa angústia já vem de anos.

São dívidas que vêm se avolumando e nós conseguimos uma vitória aqui, eu diria fantástica, que não é a vitória dos dirigentes de clube, é a vitória do torcedor brasileiro, do povo brasileiro, porque nós estamos caminhando realmente para uma situação de muita dificuldade.

Do jeito que as coisas ficaram não há prejuízo, não estão fazendo nenhum favor para o futebol, não se está dando esmolas para os clubes, o que se está fazendo é a equação dessa dívida em 240 meses, aonde os clubes vão, inclusive, pagar a taxa Selic e o Governo pode, alguém pode argumentar, mas o Governo não está dando isenção para clube, não há nenhum tipo de isenção e o mais importante, o Governo vai passar a receber o que não estava recebendo, porque os clubes estavam sem nenhuma condição de arcar com esses compromissos.

Então, pelo momento histórico, eu me incluo nele. Hoje para mim o dia é especialmente importante, porque se começa um novo ciclo na vida dos clubes e, obviamente, com novas responsabilidades também. Nessa medida provisória colocou-se responsabilidade civil e criminal para aqueles dirigentes que não tiverem responsabilidades com os seus clubes, ou seja, aqueles que caminharem para a gestão temerária pode ter o seu próprio patrimônio pessoal como garantia dessas pseudo-irresponsabilidades que venham a cometer no futuro.

Para mim, essa medida provisória não é somente a MP que vem equacionar, que vem ajudar os clubes, mas, acima de tudo, seria a MP da moralidade do futebol brasileiro, por isso eu cumprimento V. Sas . pelo empenho, pelo esforço. Nós conseguimos fazer um texto de consenso. Se não ficou como a gente gostaria que ficasse, eu diria que pelo menos em 85% atendeu as necessidades dos clubes e não só dos clubes, mas do esporte brasileiro, em que se contempla também o futebol feminino e outras coisas importantes lá.”

 

(Assessoria de Imprensa/Agência Senado)

 

youtu.be/2dDJFpH4jmg

operated for Aer Lingus Regional

 

Registration: EI-FAW

Named: St. Cronan

Type: 72-600 (72-212A)

Engines: 2 × PWC PW127M

Serial Number: 1122

First flight: Nov 19, 2013

 

Stobart Air, legally incorporated as Stobart Air Unlimited Company, was an Irish regional airline headquartered in Dublin. It operated scheduled services under the brands Aer Lingus Regional, BA CityFlyer and KLM Cityhopper on behalf of their respective owners. Stobart Air had operating base in Cork, Dublin and Belfast for Aer Lingus Regional. Established as Aer Arann in 1970, a major refinancing in 2014 was associated with a name change to Stobart Air. Aer Arann (styled as Aer Arann Regional) was a regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland. The airline operated scheduled services on behalf of Aer Lingus Regional. On 19 March 2014, Aer Arann announced that it would be changing its corporate name to Stobart Air by the end of 2014. It ceased operations on 12 June 2021.

 

Poster for Aviators.

www.aviaposter.com

I'm working on getting out for a walk right after my girls get on the bus every day, even in tricky walking weather like this. If I leave my walks for later, I lose the light and often my impetus as well. I haven't managed it every day, but when I do, it usually pays off. I think this may be the key to feeling inspired again.

 

(better bigger, I think -- press L or click on photo)

Registration: EI-FCY

Named: St Oliver Plunkett

Type: 72-600 (72-212A)

Engines: 2 × PWC PW127M

Serial Number: 1139

First flight: Mar 25, 2014

 

Stobart Air, legally incorporated as Stobart Air Unlimited Company, was an Irish regional airline headquartered in Dublin. It operated scheduled services under the brands Aer Lingus Regional, BA CityFlyer and KLM Cityhopper on behalf of their respective owners. Stobart Air had operating base in Cork, Dublin and Belfast for Aer Lingus Regional. Established as Aer Arann in 1970, a major refinancing in 2014 was associated with a name change to Stobart Air. Aer Arann (styled as Aer Arann Regional) was a regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland. The airline operated scheduled services on behalf of Aer Lingus Regional. On 19 March 2014, Aer Arann announced that it would be changing its corporate name to Stobart Air by the end of 2014. It ceased operations on 12 June 2021.

 

Poster for Aviators.

aviaposter.com

Built in 1888-1892, the Ochs Building (aka Dome Building) is one of Chattanooga's outstanding landmarks. Not only is the building's architecture significant with its rich & varied exterior detailing and its uniquely distinctive dome, but it also had the visual advantages of being built on a small hill and being the tallest building in the city—six stories plus the cupola topped by a dome. It was for many years the most imposing building in Chattanooga, and although no longer the tallest building, it remains as one of the city's architectural landmarks. The New York architectural firm of Delomos and Cordes designed the building. Being elegant example of Italian Renaissance architecture, it is located downtown in a section with many of Chattanooga's older office buildings, many of architectural and historical significance. The Ochs Building itself was originally used as the publishing plant for The Chattanooga Times, a newspaper owned by Adolph S. Ochs. It served The Times until 1942 when the newspaper moved to new quarters.

 

Adolph Ochs came to Chattanooga in 1877 at the age of 19. As the oldest of six children, Ochs had started to work at age nine to supplement the family income. For several years he had done various jobs in newspaper offices. In 1877, Ochs and two friends started their own newspaper, the Chattanooga Dispatch. Ochs was the business solicitor but in an age when newspapers flourished and died quickly, the Dispatch closed after a few months. Ochs remained in Chattanooga and with another printer published a city directory in order to pay debts acquired from the short-lived Dispatch. Later in 1878, the nine-year-old Chattanooga Times was on the verge of closing after numerous owners had failed in their attempts to develop a successful newspaper. Ochs borrowed money to buy half the paper, with an option to buy the remaining half at a later date. The Times succeeded as a newspaper, and Ochs bought the second half four years later. During this period of prosperity Ochs had the "Times Building" (seen above) constructed. As did many other people, Ochs invested heavily in the 1880's land craze. Deeply in debt from worthless land investments, Ochs chose to make a new investment. In 1896, he bought The New York Times, a failing newspaper with a small circulation, large debt, and stiff competition in a field of fifteen New York newspapers. To a group of businessmen, Ochs proposed a refinancing giving him an interest in the paper with an option to acquire a majority interest when the paper cleared a profit, which it did in less than four years. At that time he bought a majority of the shares or controlling interest.

 

Although a resident of New York, Ochs maintained close ties with Chattanooga and The Chattanooga Times, which he continued to own. Always claiming Chattanooga as his home, Ochs was involved in many local activities. In 1904, he paid half the cost of a temple for a Jewish congregation in Chattanooga. When the congregation outgrew the facility, Ochs offered in 1924 to pay the entire cost of a new temple, rabbi's residence, and community house which was named for and dedicated to his parents. Ochs was instrumental in acquiring additional acreage for the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park. He also served as chairman of both the Chamber of Commerce Dedication Committee and the Citizens Committee, and served as Chattanooga's leader in organizing the dedication of the park in 1895. Largely through Ochs' efforts, Cravens Terrace and Lookout Point were transferred to the national government. His efforts in the 1920's and early 1930's led to the donation of an additional 2,700 acres in 1935 after his death. Ochs also advanced $150,000 to Hamilton County to rebuild the St. Elmo Turnpike which had been closed. This was in cooperation with other efforts being made in regard to the Lookout Mountain Scenic Highway to bring tourists to Chattanooga. Repairs were begun on the turnpike in 1930. When completed the following year, it was named in honor of Adolph S. Ochs and his brother, Milton Ochs. Additionally, Ochs stipulated that the $150,000 loan be repaid, not to him, but to the Chattanooga Lookout Mountain Park Association. Adolph S. Ochs was posthumously honored by a 13-cent commemorative stamp issued September 18, 1976, in New York City, honoring the observance of the 125th anniversary of The New York

Times. The stamp featured a drawing of Ochs with the words "Adolph S. Ochs Publisher.'

 

The Ochs Building or Times Building was sold in the early 1940's and the new owners began calling it the Dome Building. After changing ownership numerous times, the building was largely vacant by 1969. Several business and occupants had "modernized" the lower story's exterior by adding signs and advertisements. Also, at some point, the first-story stone facade had been covered with a black material. In 1970, North American Royalties purchased the building. Economic studies had indicated that the need for another downtown professional office building did not justify the expenses of rehabilitation. Although repairs were made to stabilize the building, plans were to restore only the building's exterior and seal the interior against further decay but these plans were altered in 1977. The interior was stripped of everything except floors & bearing columns and renovation began on the building to be used for offices, two floors by North American Royalties, and the others by tenants. Careful interior renovation and restoration of the exterior to its approximate original appearance have since provided Chattanooga with a lasting architectural landmark and a constant reminder of Adolph S. Ochs' influence on the newspaper industry and the city. And, as a result of the rich history and architectural significance, the Ochs Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 17, 1978. All of the information above was found on the original documents submitted for listing consideration and can be viewed here:

npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/d3a4b588-8de4-4092-847...

 

Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.

 

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

 

The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/

Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 10-Jun-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 30-Nov-23.

 

First flown in Feb-69 with the British Aircraft Corporation test registration G-16-6, the aircraft was delivered to LACSA Costa Rica in Mar-69 as TI-1055C.

 

However it was leased on delivery to the UK Export Refinancing Corporation as G-AXBB and immediately wet-leased to Quebecair, Canada, for one month until their own ex British Eagle One-Eleven's were delivered.

 

G-AXBB was returned to the Export Refinancing Corp in Apr-69 and leased to TAROM Romanian Airlines the following month as YR-BCP (the above photo was taken on the day it was officially delivered, 09-May-69 - photo's of this aircraft in TAROM livery are rare as it was in service for less than 3 months).

 

It was returned to the Export Refinancing Corp as G-AXBB at the end of Jul-69 and immediately wet-leased to Germanair for 2 months and returned again to the Export Refinancing Corp in Oct-69.

 

Finally, in Nov-69 it was delivered to LACSA Costa Rica as TI-1055C. It was returned to the British Aircraft Corporation in Jan-74 and stored until Aug-74 when it again became G-AXBB and was sold to Gulf Air. It was re-registered A40-BB in Oct-75.

 

It became G-AXBB again when it was sold to BIA British Island Airways in Dec-78. In Jan-80, BIA merged with Air Anglia, Air Wales and Air Westward to form Air UK.

 

In Apr-82 BIA was re-formed and split off from Air UK as a separate company to operate their charter contracts leaving Air UK to concentrate on scheduled services. G-AXBB was transferred to the new BIA.

 

The aircraft was sold to Okada Air, Nigeria in Oct-89 becoming 5N-AYR. Okada Air ceased trading in Dec-97 and the aircraft, along with the rest of the Okada One-Eleven fleet, was stored at Benin City, Nigeria.

 

It never flew again. 5N-AYR, and the rest of the abandoned fleet was seen (and photographed) in Apr-09 at Benin City in a very sad state (if you're interested, the photo's are on Airliners.net)

This centerpiece was sitting on the table of the conference room where we signed the papers for our refinancing last week. We didn't get as much out of refinancing as we'd hoped, but we got enough to relieve a bit of the stress we've been under. Definitely enough to be feeling thankful right now.

 

Picture the Holidays Day Day 10: Twinkle Twinkle

Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 22-Mar-22

 

LTE was previously named 'Lufttransport Espana'.

 

In general terms I'd say this wasn't a 'lucky' aircraft!

 

First flown in Feb-96 with the Airbus test registration F-WWDV, this aircraft was delivered to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation and leased to Aero Lloyd in Apr-96 as D-ALAC.

 

Aero Lloyd ceased operations in Oct-03. The aircraft was initially impounded at Malaga (Spain). It was returned to the lessor and stored at Frankfurt (Germany) in Nov-03.

 

A new company rose from the ashes, Aero Flight. The aircraft was leased to them as D-ARFC in Mar-04. However, they didn't do any better and ceased operations at the end of Oct-05. The aircraft was returned to the lessor and stored again at Frankfurt.

 

It was due to be leased to NAS Air (Saudi Arabia) but the lease didn't happen and the aircraft was leased to LTE International Airways (Spain) as EC-JRX in Apr-06. LTE ceased operations on 17-Oct-08 but restarted again 10 days later when the aircraft was wet-leased to Nouvelair Tunisie (Tunisia).

 

It returned to LTE in Nov-08 and was stored at Dusseldorf (Germany) before being returned to the lessor as N580CG in Dec-08. It remained stored until it was leased to Freebird Airlines (Turkey) as TC-FBJ in Jul-09. It returned to the lessor in Nov-15 and was stored at Istanbul, Turkey.

 

In Apr-16 the aircraft was leased to Onur Air (Turkey) as TC-ODB. It was wet-leased to subsidiary company Holiday Europe in Sep-19. In Mar-20 the world was hit by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Istanbul-ISL.

 

Holiday Europe ceased operations in Oct-21 when the Turkish Government cancelled their license. The aircraft was 'returned' to Onur Air and remained stored. Onur Air's finances were not good and in Dec-21 the Turkish Government 'suspended' their licence pending refinancing. The lessor repossessed the aircraft in Feb-22 and it's still stored at Istanbul-ISL.

 

The aircraft is now 26 years old and seems unlikely to fly again. Updated 22-Mar-22.

Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 05-Apr-25.

 

In general terms I'd say this wasn't a 'lucky' aircraft!

 

First flown in Feb-96 with the Airbus test registration F-WWDV, this aircraft was delivered to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation and leased to Aero Lloyd in Apr-96 as D-ALAC.

 

Aero Lloyd ceased operations in Oct-03. The aircraft was initially impounded at Malaga (Spain). It was returned to the lessor and stored at Frankfurt (Germany) in Nov-03.

 

A new company rose from the ashes, Aero Flight. The aircraft was leased to them as D-ARFC in Mar-04. However, they didn't do any better and ceased operations at the end of Oct-05. The aircraft was returned to the lessor and stored again at Frankfurt.

 

It was due to be leased to NAS Air (Saudi Arabia) but the lease didn't happen and the aircraft was leased to LTE International Airways (Spain) as EC-JRX in Apr-06. LTE ceased operations on 17-Oct-08 but restarted again 10 days later when the aircraft was wet-leased to Nouvelair Tunisie (Tunisia).

 

It returned to LTE in Nov-08 and was stored at Dusseldorf (Germany) before being returned to the lessor as N580CG in Dec-08. It remained stored until it was leased to Freebird Airlines (Turkey) as TC-FBJ in Jul-09. It returned to the lessor in Nov-15 and was stored at Istanbul, Turkey.

 

In Apr-16 the aircraft was leased to Onur Air (Turkey) as TC-ODB. It was wet-leased to subsidiary company Holiday Europe in Sep-19. In Mar-20 the world was hit by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Istanbul-ISL.

 

Holiday Europe ceased operations in Oct-21 when the Turkish Government cancelled their license. The aircraft was 'returned' to Onur Air and remained stored. Onur Air's finances were not good and in Dec-21 the Turkish Government 'suspended' their licence pending refinancing. The lessor repossessed the aircraft in Feb-22 and it's still stored at Istanbul-ISL. Onur Air were declared bankrupt in Apr-22.

 

The aircraft is now 29 years old and seems unlikely to fly again. Updated 05-Apr-25.

WP’s take:

The subprime mortgage crisis is an ongoing financial crisis characterized by contracted liquidity in global credit markets and banking systems triggered by the failure of mortgage companies, investment firms and government sponsored enterprises which had invested heavily in subprime mortgages. The crisis, which has roots in the closing years of the 20th century but has become more apparent throughout 2007 and 2008, has passed through various stages exposing pervasive weaknesses in the global financial system and regulatory framework.

 

The crisis began with the bursting of the United States housing bubble[1][2] and high default rates on "subprime" and adjustable rate mortgages (ARM), beginning in approximately 2005–2006. For a number of years prior to that, declining lending standards, an increase in loan incentives such as easy initial terms, and a long-term trend of rising housing prices had encouraged borrowers to assume difficult mortgages in the belief they would be able to quickly refinance at more favorable terms. However, once interest rates began to rise and housing prices started to drop moderately in 2006–2007 in many parts of the U.S., refinancing became more difficult.

Posted 14 minutes ago.

The Stop the Machine protest, also joined by already on-going Occupy DC protests (then in their sixth day), an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City.

 

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Humber Br

Carries Motor vehicles (on the A15), pedestrians and cyclists

Crosses Humber

Locale East Riding of Yorkshire/North Lincolnshire

Maintained by The Humber Bridge Board

Design Suspension

Total length 2,220 m (7,283 ft)

Longest span 1,410 m (4,626 ft) (fifth-largest in the world)

AADT 120,000 vehicles per week

Opening date To traffic on 24 June 1981

Officially on 17 July 1981

Toll Car: £2.70

HGV: £18.30

Motorcycle: £1.20

Location within United Kingdom

 

Coordinates 53°42′41″N 0°26′55″W / 53.7114°N -0.4485°E / 53.7114; -0.4485Coordinates: 53°42′41″N 0°26′55″W / 53.7114°N -0.4485°E / 53.7114; -0.4485

 

The Humber Bridge is the fifth-largest single-span suspension bridge in the world, near Kingston upon Hull in England. It spans the Humber (the estuary formed by the rivers Trent and Ouse) between Barton-upon-Humber on the south bank and Hessle on the north bank, connecting the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. The bridge carries an average of 120,000 vehicles per week,[1] which pay a toll of £2.70 each way for cars (higher for commercial vehicles).

Contents

[hide]

   

History

 

Plans for a bridge were originally drawn up in the 1930s, and were revised in 1955, but work did not begin until July 26, 1972. The Humber Bridge Act, promoted by Kingston Upon Hull Corporation, was passed in 1959. This established the Humber Bridge Board in order to manage and raise funds to build the bridge and buy the land required for the approach roads.

 

However raising the necessary funding proved impossible until the 1966 Hull North by-election. To save his government, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson prevailed upon his Minister of Transport Barbara Castle to sanction the building of the bridge.

 

Dismay at the long wait for a crossing led to the writing by Christopher Rowe of a protest song entitled The Humber Bridge.[2]

 

The bridge was finally opened officially by HM The Queen on 17 July 1981. The consulting engineers for the project were Freeman Fox & Partners — now Hyder Consulting. The main contractor was Sir William Arrol & Co. at that time part of Northern Engineering Industries plc.[3]

 

With a centre span of 1,410 metres (4,626 ft) and a total length of 2,220 metres (7,283 ft), the Humber Bridge was the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world for 16 years.

[edit] Bridge statistics

 

The bridge's surface takes the form of a dual carriageway with a lower-level foot and cyclepath on both sides, although traffic is often restricted to one lane both ways. There is a permanent 50 mph (80 km/h) speed limit on the full length of the bridge.

 

Each tower consists of a pair of hollow vertical concrete columns, each 155.5 metres (510 ft) tall and tapering from 6 metres (20 ft) square at the base to 4.5 metres (14.8 ft) x 4.75 metres (15.6 ft) at the top. The bridge is designed to tolerate constant motion and bends more than 3 metres (10 ft) in winds of 80 miles per hour (129 km/h). The towers, although both vertical, are not parallel, being 36 millimetres (1.4 in) further apart at the top than the bottom as a result of the curvature of the earth.[4]

 

The north tower is on the bank, and has foundations down to 8 metres (26 ft). The south tower is in the water, and descends to 36 metres (118 ft) as a consequence of the shifting sandbanks that make up the estuary.

 

There is enough wire in the suspension cables to circle the Earth nearly twice.

 

The bridge held the record for the world's longest single-span suspension bridge for 16 years from its opening in June 1981 until the opening of the Great Belt Bridge in June 1997 and was relegated to third place with the opening of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in April 1998. It is now the fifth longest single-span suspension bridge after two longer span bridges opened in China, the Xihoumen Bridge and the Runyang Bridge. It remains the longest bridge in the world that one can cross on foot. The bridge twice forms part of the route of the popular Humber Bridge Half Marathon.[5]

 

The road-distance between Hull and Grimsby was reduced by nearly 50 miles (80 km) as a consequence of the bridge. Prior to the bridge opening, commuters would go from one bank to the other either by using the ferry that ran between Hull and New Holland, Lincolnshire or driving via the M62, M18 and M180 motorways, crossing the River Ouse near Goole (connected to the Humber) in the process. There was also a short-lived hovercraft service; Minerva and Mercury linked Hull Pier and Grimsby Docks from 17 February 1968 to 21 October 1968, but suffered frequent mechanical failures.

 

Over 2,000 cars go over The Humber Bridge everyday.

[edit] Incidents and suicides

 

More than 200 incidents of people jumping or falling from the bridge have taken place since it was opened in 1981 with only five surviving.[6]

 

Between 1990 and February 2001 the Humber Rescue Team launched its boat 64 times to deal with people falling or jumping off the bridge.[7]

 

Notable incidents include the cases of a West Yorkshire woman and her two-year-old daughter who fell off the bridge in 2005,[8] a mother who killed herself and her 12-year old son with Rett's syndrome[dubious – discuss] in April 2006,[9] and that of a man jumping from the bridge to his death on the A63 road below in September 2006. As a result, plans have been considered to construct a suicide barrier or introduce higher fencing along the walkways of the bridge; trials have been held, with design constraints as well as cost cited as the reason for non-implementation so far.

 

Throughout the year many people commit or attempt to commit suicide on the Humber Bridge, so local NHS authorities have specialist counsellors and doctors on call.[citation needed].

[edit] Finances

 

The disappointing annual average daily traffic for the bridge and the resultant failure of the tolls to clear the debts causes them to remain in place.

 

The bridge has a toll charge of £2.70 (as of 10 April 2009) for cars. The Humber Bridge is the only major toll bridge in the United Kingdom to charge tolls to motorcycles (£1.20), others such as the Forth Road Bridge, Severn crossings and the Dartford Crossing are all free. In 2004 a large number of motorcyclists held a slow-pay protest, taking off gloves and helmets and paying the toll in large denomination bank notes.[10] Police reported a tailback of 4 miles (6 km) as a consequence of the protest. Despite receiving several letters in support of the removal of tolls, they remain in place for motorcycles.

 

In 1996, the British Parliament passed the Humber Bridge (Debts) Act 1996 to reorganise the Humber Bridge Board's debts in order to ensure the Bridge could be safely maintained. Although a significant proportion of the debt was suspended in that refinancing arrangement there was no "write off" of debt and the suspended portion is being gradually re-activated as the Bridge Board pays off the remainder of the active debt.

 

In 2006 a Private Member's Bill — sponsored by Cleethorpes Labour MP Shona McIsaac — relating to the Humber Bridge, was introduced into Parliament.[11] The Humber Bridge Bill would have made amendments to the Humber Bridge Act 1959 "requiring the secretary of state to give directions to members of the Humber Bridge Board regarding healthcare and to review the possibility of facilitating journeys across the Humber Bridge in relation to healthcare". The aim was to allow people who travel from the Southbank to the Northbank for medical treatment to cross the bridge without paying the toll, and to allow the Secretary of State for Transport to appoint two members of the Humber Bridge board to represent the interests of the NHS. Even though the Bill received cross-party support (it was co-sponsored by Shadow Home Secretary David Davis, and supported by all other MPs representing North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire) it ran out of time later that year.[12]

 

A protest at the bridge on 1 September 2007 was supported by the local Cancer Patients Involvement Group, the Road Haulage Association, Yorkshire and Humberside MEP Diana Wallis and local business and council representatives.[13] The government responded to the petition on 14 January 2008, stating that "Concessions or exemptions from tolls on the Humber Bridge are a matter for the Humber Bridge Board."[14]

 

In October 2008, a joint campaign was launched by The Scunthorpe Telegraph, Hull Daily Mail and Grimsby Telegraph to abolish the fee for crossing the Humber. The papers' A Toll Too Far campaign garnered much support from councillors and MPs serving Lincolnshire and Humberside and was launched in response to a mooted increase in the cost of bridge crossings. The campaign's aim was not only to stave off any potential increase in crossing charges, but to ultimately see the costs abolished. A reduction to a £1 charge for bridge crossings was a sought-after alternative. Thousands of readers backed the campaign with an in-paper and online petition.

 

A public inquiry into the tolls was held in the first week of March 2009. The final evidence for and against the tolls was heard on March 5. Throughout the inquiry arguments were presented to independent inspector Neil Taylor. The evidence for and against the tolls is to be assessed by British Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon, with a decision expected in summer 2009.

 

The Humber Bridge, near Kingston upon Hull, England, is a 2,220-metre (7,280 ft) single-span suspension bridge, which opened to traffic on 24 June 1981. It is the seventh-longest of its type in the world. It spans the Humber (the estuary formed by the rivers Trent and Ouse) between Barton-upon-Humber on the south bank and Hessle on the north bank, connecting the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire – both of which were briefly in the short-lived non-metropolitan county of Humberside. The bridge itself can be seen for miles around and as far as Ottringham in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

 

As of 2006, the bridge carried an average of 120,000 vehicles per week.[3] The toll was £3.00 each way for cars (higher for commercial vehicles), which made it the most expensive toll crossing in the United Kingdom.[4] As of 1 April 2012, the toll was reduced to £1.50 each way after the UK government cut £150 million from the bridge's current debt.[5][6]

  

History[edit]

 

Before the bridge opening, commuters would go from one bank to the other either by using the ferry that ran between Hull and New Holland, Lincolnshire or by driving via the M62, M18 and M180 motorways, crossing the River Ouse near Goole (connected to the Humber) in the process. There was also a short-lived hovercraft service; Minerva and Mercury linked Hull Pier and Grimsby Docks from February to October 1969, but suffered frequent mechanical failures.

 

Plans for a bridge were originally drawn up in the 1930s, and were revised in 1955, but work did not begin until 27 July 1972. The Humber Bridge Act, promoted by Kingston Upon Hull Corporation, was passed in 1959. This established the Humber Bridge Board to manage and raise funds to build the bridge and buy the land required for the approach roads. However, raising the necessary funding proved impossible until the 1966 Hull North by-election. To save his government, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson prevailed upon his Minister of Transport Barbara Castle to sanction the building of the bridge. Dismay at the long wait for a crossing led to the writing by Christopher Rowe of a protest song entitled "The Humber Bridge".[7]

 

The bridge opened to traffic on 24 June 1981.[8] It was opened officially by Elizabeth II on 17 July 1981.[8] The consulting engineers for the project were Freeman Fox & Partners — now Hyder Consulting. The main contractor for the superstructure was British Bridge Builders (the same grouping as for the Forth and Severn Road Bridges comprising Sir William Arrol & Co then a unit of N.E.I Cranes Ltd, the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering and Redpath Dorman Long Ltd). The contractor for the sub-structure was John Howard & Co Ltd.[9]

 

With a centre span of 1,410 metres (4,626 ft) and a total length of 2,220 metres (7,283 ft), the Humber Bridge was the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world for 16 years. The road-distance between Hull and Grimsby was reduced by nearly 50 miles (80 km) as a consequence of the bridge.

 

Bridge statistics[edit]

 

The bridge's surface takes the form of a dual carriageway with a lower-level foot and cyclepath on both sides. . There is a permanent 50 mph (80 km/h) speed limit on the full length of the bridge.

 

Each tower consists of a pair of hollow vertical concrete columns, each 155.5 m (510 ft) tall and tapering from 6 m (20 ft) square at the base to 4.5 m × 4.75 m (14.8 ft × 15.6 ft) at the top. The bridge is designed to tolerate constant motion and bends more than 3 m (10 ft) in winds of 80 mph (129 km/h). The towers, although both vertical, are 34 mm (1.3 inches) farther apart at the top than the bottom due to the curvature of the earth.[10] The total length of the suspension cable is 71,000 km (44,000 miles). The north tower is on the bank, and has foundations down to 8 m (26 ft). The south tower is in the water, and descends to 36 m (118 ft) as a consequence of the shifting sandbanks that make up the estuary.

 

The bridge held the record for the world's longest single-span suspension bridge for 16 years from its opening in July 1981, until the opening of the Great Belt Bridge in June 1997, and was relegated to third place with the opening of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in April 1998. It is now the seventh longest single-span suspension bridge. It remains the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world that one can cross on foot or by bicycle.[11] The bridge is crossed twice during the annual Humber Bridge half marathon.[12]

 

Incidents and suicides[edit]

 

During construction of the bridge, the road deck sections were floated up on barges then hoisted into place by cables. During one of these lifting operations some of the cables on one of the road deck sections failed, leaving the section hanging at an angle. The section was, however, subsequently rescued and used.[13]

 

More than 200 incidents of people jumping or falling from the bridge have taken place since it was opened in 1981; only five have survived.[14] Between 1990 and February 2001 the Humber Rescue Team launched its boat 64 times to deal with people falling or jumping off the bridge.[15] Notable incidents include the cases of a West Yorkshire woman and her two-year-old daughter who fell off the bridge in 2005,[16] a mother who killed herself and her 12-year old son with Fragile X Syndrome in April 2006,[17][18] and that of a man jumping from the bridge to his death on the A63 road below in September 2006. As a result, plans were announced on 26 December 2009 to construct a suicide barrier along the walkways of the bridge; design constraints were cited as the reason for non-implementation before this time.[19]

 

Finances[edit]

 

The bridge has a toll charge of £1.50 for cars. Until 1 April 2012 the Humber Bridge was the only major toll bridge in the United Kingdom to charge tolls to motorcycles (£1.20); others such as the Severn crossings and the Dartford Crossing are free. In 2004, a large number of motorcyclists held a slow-pay protest, taking off gloves and helmets and paying the toll in large denomination bank notes. Police reported a tailback of 4 miles (6 km) as a consequence of the protest.

 

In 1996, the British Parliament passed the Humber Bridge (Debts) Act 1996 to reorganise the Humber Bridge Board's debts to ensure the bridge could be safely maintained. Although a significant proportion of the debt was suspended in that refinancing arrangement there was no "write off" of debt and the suspended portion is being gradually re-activated as the Bridge Board pays off the remainder of the active debt.

 

In 2006 a Private Member's Bill — sponsored by Cleethorpes Labour MP Shona McIsaac — relating to the Humber Bridge, was introduced into Parliament.[20] The Humber Bridge Bill would have made amendments to the Humber Bridge Act 1959 "requiring the secretary of state to give directions to members of the Humber Bridge Board regarding healthcare and to review the possibility of facilitating journeys across the Humber Bridge in relation to healthcare". The aim was to allow people who travel from the southbank to the northbank for medical treatment to cross the bridge without paying the toll, and to allow the Secretary of State for Transport to appoint two members of the Humber Bridge board to represent the interests of the NHS. Even though the Bill received cross-party support (it was co-sponsored by Shadow Home Secretary David Davis, and supported by all other MPs representing North Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire) it ran out of time later that year.[21]

 

A protest at the bridge on 1 September 2007 was supported by the local Cancer Patients Involvement Group, the Road Haulage Association, Yorkshire and Humberside MEP Diana Wallis and local business and council representatives.[22] The government responded to the petition on 14 January 2008, stating that "Concessions or exemptions from tolls on the Humber Bridge are a matter for the Humber Bridge Board."[23]

 

In October 2008, a joint campaign was launched by the Scunthorpe Telegraph, Hull Daily Mail and Grimsby Telegraph to abolish the fee for crossing the Humber. The papers' A Toll Too Far campaign garnered much support from councillors and MPs serving Lincolnshire and Humberside and was launched in response to a mooted increase in the cost of bridge crossings. The campaign's aim was not only to stave off any potential increase in crossing charges, but to ultimately see the costs abolished. A reduction to a £1 charge for bridge crossings was a sought-after alternative. Thousands of readers backed the campaign with a paper and an online petition.

 

A public inquiry into the tolls was held in March 2009 by independent inspector Neil Taylor. In July 2009, the Department for Transport announced that it had decided not to allow the proposed increase. Transport Minister Sadiq Khan said he did believe it was right for the tolls to be raised in the current economic climate.[24] In October 2009, the government approved a £6 million grant for maintenance costs, which meant that there would be no toll increase before 2011 at the earliest, by which time tolls would have been frozen for five years.[25]

 

The Humber Bridge Board applied again to the Department of Transport in September 2010, to raise the tolls from April 2011, but the Government ordered a public inquiry to be held into the application.[26] A three-day public inquiry was held in Hull in early March 2011.[27] Following the recommendation by the planning inspector the Government gave approval, on 14 June 2011, for the increase to go ahead.[28] The toll was raised on 1 October 2011, at which point it became the most expensive toll crossing in the United Kingdom.[4] The Severn Bridge and Second Severn Crossing charge a toll of £5.70,[29] but this is only collected in one direction.

 

In the 2011 Autumn Statement on 29 November, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced that the Government had agreed to reduce the debt on the bridge by £150 million, which would allow the toll for cars to be halved to £1.50.[30] Following the government accepting the agreement, between the four local councils, to underwrite the remaining debt Transport Secretary Justine Greening confirmed the reduction in tolls on 29 February 2012. This was implemented in April.[31]

 

Goblin valley state park lives up to its name in the low light, with grotesque faces forming with the changing light.

 

Title after a song by Metallica.

 

February will be a financial nightmare for me all month long: federal taxes, property taxes, needed auto repair, a dental appoinment (never a pleasant experience. an abonimable number of project deadlines at work, auto insurance dues, and mortgate refinancing, come together this time of the year to bring misery and distress.......

 

I hope you have a better February!!

Many African countries have started 2019 with worries about their debt levels. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that countries such as Zambia, Kenya and Tunisia stand a high chance of facing debt distress due to unsustainable borrowing.Despite economic and social reforms during the past decade Africa is in very poor health, according to economic indicators published by the World Bank. Civil wars, poor governance, a decrease in foreign aid, and high oil prices have damaged reform programmes, notes the Bank. The gross national product for Africa remains depressed and is below the annual 5% level needed to prevent an increase in the number of poor people.The impact of the heavy external debt burden on the economies of developing countries, including those in Africa, has received extensive debate both in the media and other fora including the United Nations General Assembly. The debilitating impact of the debt burden on the performance of the economies of developing countries has also been at the center of discussions during meetings of the Group of Seven Major leading industrial countries as well as meetings of the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government. A general consensus has, therefore, emerged between African debtor countries and their creditors that the external debt overhang is an albatross weighing heavily on African economies and thereby making it virtually impossible for them to attain sustainable development unless the burden is significantly reduced. This has been the main argument African countries have been advancing under various fora including the adoption by the African Heads of state and Government of the African Common Position on Africa's External Debt Crisis. 1. The impact of the heavy external debt burden on the economies of developing countries, including those in Africa, has received extensive debate both in the media and other fora including the United Nations General Assembly. Mr.Perez de Cuellar, the previous Secretary-General of the United Nations even appointed Mr. Bettino Craxi, as his Personal Representative on Debt to try and find ways of coordinating efforts at overcoming the debt crisis.' The current Secretary-General of the UN, Boutros Boutros Ghali, has also indicated that he intends to make debt alleviation for the poorest countries of the world a priority of his tenure of office. 2. The debilitating impact of the debt burden on the performance of the economies of developing countries has also been at the center of discussions during meetings of the Group of Seven Major leading industrial countries as well as meetings of the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government. A number of initiatives have energed to try and deal with the crisis but most of them remain largely not implemented and even then they appear significantly inadequate to deal with the massive debt problem of developing countries. has given rise to a massive human catastrophe in 4. Earlier optimisn that Atrican countries could grow out of their crisis through the adoption of short-term stabilization programmes has now given sway to a more pragmatic realization that the continent's debt problem has become so large and intractable, as to hamper any prospect for sustainable adjustment or permit better policies to work in the absence of significant debt relief, including debt cancellation. general consensus has, therefore, emerged between Atrican debtor countries and their creditors that the external debt overhang is an albatross weighing heavily on African economies and thereby making it virtually impossible for them to attain sustainable developmont unless the burden is significantly reduced. This has been the main argument African countries have been advancing under various fora including the adoption by the African Heads of State and Government of the "African Common Position on Africa's External Debt Crisis". II. FUNDAMENTAL REASONS FOR THE AFRICAN DEBT PROBLEM 5. A number of reasons have been advanced as to why a sharp increase in Africa's external debt occurred in the 1980s and the attendant failure of a number of these countries to service their external debts. The reasons include: progressive and continued decline in Africa's terms of trade, uncontrolled fluctuations in exchange rates, realignment of exchange rates, and debt rescheduling and refinancing which in some cases only served to increase external obligations rather than provide relief, falling real net resource flows and reduced access of African exports to markets of industrialized countries 6. This is not to deny that domestic factors also contributed the crisis. It has to be acknowledged that certain domestic policies contributed to the African debt crisis including capital flight in the form of transfer of funds to unnumbered accounts abroad: inefficient utilization of resources, including construction of white elephant proiects: economic mismanagementi and military and political tensions and civil strife which have given rise to serious problems of refugees and displaced persons and thereby rendering part of the African population unproductive and heavily dependant on food aid. 7. Whatever the fundamental causes of the Atrican debt crisis are, one element that has become explicit is that the continent cannot attain sustainable economic growth and recover without a significant reduction in the debt burden. The continent's current export earning capacity and general economic activity has been eroded to such levels as to make it impossible for the continent to continue to service its debts while at the same time being able allocate resources for development purposes. The majoritaire debt indicators attest to this fact. III. THE STRUCTURE AND PROPILE OF THE AFRICAN EXTERNAL DEBT 8. The structure and profile of Africa's external debt changed markedly in the 1980s. The share of commercial debt in Africa's debt stock declined significantly from 26 percent of total debt outstanding in 1983 to about 15 percent in 1990. At the same time, the share of debt owed to official creditors and multilateral institutions has increased. Public and publicly guaranteed debt at the end of the 1990s accounted on the average for nearly 84 percent of Africa's external debt outstanding, 72 percent of which was provided by official creditors. Private non-guaranteed long-term debt rose at an annual rate of 20 percent during the period of recycling of petrodollars (1979-1984) before it declined sharply during the second half of the 1980s.The accessibility of many African countries to international capital and money markets became impaired by their failure to service their debts and accordingly this created a vicious circle of inaccessibility to such markets and lack of credit worthiness. 9. Africa's external debt stock nearly trebled between 1979 and 1990, having risen from US$ 89.6 billion to USs 271.9 billion. On an annual basis, the continents's debt stock which had risen by us$ 12.8 billion (5 percent in 1989) rode by uss 6.5 billion in 1990 notwithstanding the variousmeasures that were being put in place in order to alleviate the debt burden. 10. The magnitude of the African debt crisis is more apparent after exanination of the ma jor debt service indicators. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa(ECA), the ratio of debt outstanding to Gross National Product (GNP) rose fron 38 percent in 1979 to nearly 91 percent in 1991 For a number of Atrican countries, their stock of debt outstanding is equivalent to their yearly Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and for others it ranges from 125 percent to 165 percent of GDP.. The continent's external debt service payments also rose United Nations Economic commission for Africa, Econonic Reporton Africa 1991Addis Ababa Ethiopia Decument See Alwyn Taylor (edited by Helen o'Neil1), Third World olutions. The Debt: European Journal of Development Research, Volune 1, December, 1989. and S E/ECA/TRADE/92/11 Page 5 sharply in the 1980s, both in absolute terms and as a share of the continent's export earnings. Total debt service (principal and interest) rose from uss 21.4 billion in 1987 to Us$ 27.3 billion in 1990. The ratio of external debt service payments exports goods and services increased trom 13 percent during the early 1980s to 30 percent in 1990 while the ratio of debt outstanding to exports of goods and services soared to more than 300 percent (on average). These statistics indicate that the continent was earmarking a larger proportion of its scarce foreign exchange to servicing of debt rather than to development projects. The continent's external debt service payments also rose United Nations Economic commission for Africa, Econonic Reporton Africa 1991Addis Ababa Ethiopia Decument See Alwyn Taylor (edited by Helen o'Neil1), Third World olutions. The Debt: European Journal of Development Research, Volune 1, December, 1989. and S E/ECA/TRADE/92/11 Page 5 sharply in the 1980s, both in absolute terms and as a share of the continent's export earnings. Total debt service (principal and interest) rose from uss 21.4 billion in 1987 to Us$ 27.3 billion in 1990. The ratio of external debt service payments exports goods and services increased trom 13 percent during the early 1980s to 30 percent in 1990 while the ratio of debt outstanding to exports of goods and services soared to more than 300 percent (on average). These statistics indicate that the continent was earmarking a larger proportion of its scarce foreign exchange to servicing of debt rather than to development projects. For a poverty stricken continent this is indeed an anomaly that is difficult to understand. 12. The share of multilateral debt in Africa's external debt stock rose sharply in the 1980s reflecting mainly lending associated with the implementation of structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPS) supported by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF and other aid donors. The African Development Bank stated that the growing importance of multilateral debt in total debt of developing ntries is not without difficulties for many fragile economies, especially since multilateral debt cannot be rescheduled. The combined ettect is that servicing of multilateral debt exceeds fitty (50) percent of total repayments. 13. A comprehensive solution to the African debt problem would invariably have to deal with all facets of this problem. Accordingly, it would have to include measures needed to deal with bilateral debt (debt owed to foreign governments agencies), multilateral debt (debt owed to institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund), debts owed to toreign commercial banks, and private sector debt (including suppliers credit) . The elements of a lasting solution would have to include debt cancellation. 14. The African debt problem has not only become an economic issuc but also a social and moral issue. At the center of this issue is the moral question of whether an impoverished continent whose people lack most of the basic necessities of life and is ranked the poorest in the world should continue to spend a large proportion of its resources and scarce foreign exchange to pay for its debts. Put it alternatively, the fundamental moral question is whether the poor South should continue to transfer resources to the rich North while denying their populations of pasic human sustenance. This is the moral question facing the international community in the 1990s IV. DEBT RELIEP INITIATIVES 15. The serious impact the debt burden was having on the overall performance of the economies of developing countries gave rise to a number of suggestions for alleviating the debt burden. For Africa it is stated that the servicing of external debt during the years 1980-1986 for the Sub-saharan region caused 3.1 percent drop in per capita Gross Domestie Product (GDP), a 2.4 percent drop in consumption a 2.1 percent yearly reduction of exports in real terms. Furthermore, although there was a nominal increase in resource tlows to these countries during this period constituting about 7 percent of their GDP, only 2.3 percent was used for productive investnent and a large proportion went back to service the external debt.

 

repository.uneca.org/handle/10855/6010

Prime Minister of Iceland Geir H. Haarde speaks with reporters on 27 October 2008.

Part of a series on the

History of Iceland

Coat of arms of Iceland

Middle Ages

Settlement c. 870–930

Old Commonwealth c. 930–1262

Christianization c. 999–1118

Sturlung Era c. 1180–1264

Old Covenant 1262

Norwegian rule 1262–1380

Danish rule 1380–1918

Reformation 1536–1627

Danish Trade Monopoly 1602–1874

Eruption of Laki 1783–1785

Modern era

Independence Movement 1809–1847

Home Rule / Independence 1885–1918

Act of Union 1918

Kingdom 1918–1944

World War II 1939–1944

Invasion

Invader relationships

 

1940

1940–1945

Republic 1944–present

Founding of the Republic 1944

Cold War 1947–1991

Cod Wars 1948–1976

Economic reform 1991–2008

Great Recession 2008–2011

Related topics

 

Nobility in Iceland

 

Timeline

Portal icon Iceland portal

 

v t e

 

The Icelandic financial crisis was a major economic and political event in Iceland that involved the default of all three of the country's major privately owned commercial banks in late 2008, following their difficulties in refinancing their short-term debt and a run on deposits in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Relative to the size of its economy, Iceland's systemic banking collapse was the largest experienced by any country in economic history.[1] The crisis led to a severe economic depression in 2008–2010 and significant political unrest.[2]

 

In the years preceding the crisis, three Icelandic banks, Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir, multiplied in size. This expansion was driven by ready access to credit in international financial markets, in particular short-term financing. As the international financial crisis unfolded in 2007–2008, investors perceived the Icelandic banks to be increasingly risky. Trust in the banks gradually faded, leading to a sharp depreciation of the Icelandic króna in 2008 and increased difficulties for the banks in rolling over their short-term debt. At the end of the second quarter of 2008, Iceland's external debt was 9.553 trillion Icelandic krónur (€50 billion), more than 7 times the GDP of Iceland in 2007.[3][4] The assets of the three banks totaled 14.437 trillion krónur at the end of the second quarter 2008,[5] equal to more than 11 times the national GDP. Due to the huge size of the Icelandic financial system in comparison with the Icelandic economy, the Central Bank of Iceland found itself unable to act as a lender of last resort during the crisis, further aggravating the mistrust in the banking system.

 

On 29 September 2008, it was announced that Glitnir would be nationalised. However, subsequent efforts to restore faith in the banking system failed. On 6 October, the Icelandic legislature instituted an emergency law which enabled the Financial Supervisory Authority to take control over financial institutions and made domestic deposits in the banks priority claims. In the following days, new banks were founded to take over the domestic operations of Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir. The old banks were put into receivership and liquidation, resulting in losses for their shareholders and foreign creditors. Outside Iceland, more than half a million depositors lost access to their accounts in foreign branches of Icelandic banks. This led to the 2008–2013 Icesave dispute, that ended with a ESA ruling that Iceland was not obliged to repay Dutch and British depositors minimum deposit guarantees.

 

In an effort to stabilize the situation, the Icelandic government stated that all domestic deposits in Icelandic banks would be guaranteed, imposed strict capital controls to stabilize the value of the Icelandic króna, and secured a US$5.1bn sovereign debt package from the IMF and the Nordic countries in order to finance a budget deficit and the restoration of the banking system. The international bailout support programme led by IMF officially ended on 31 August 2011, while the capital controls which were imposed in November 2008 are still in place.

 

The financial crisis had a serious negative impact on the Icelandic economy. The national currency fell sharply in value, foreign currency transactions were virtually suspended for weeks, and the market capitalisation of the Icelandic stock exchange fell by more than 90%. As a result of the crisis, Iceland underwent a severe economic depression; the country's gross domestic product dropped by 10% in real terms between the third quarter of 2007 and the third quarter of 2010.[6] A new era with positive GDP growth started in 2011, and has helped foster a gradually declining trend for the unemployment rate. The government budget deficit has declined from 9,7% of GDP in 2009 and 2010 to 0,2% of GDP in 2014;[7] the central government gross debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to decline to less than 60% in 2018 from a maximum of 85% in 2011.[8]

 

ref: wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008%E2%80%9311_Icelandic_financial...

another frosty morning fence

 

I won't be around much this weekend as we are having the house appraised for refinancing next week and want to get things into shape. I tried to avoid the computer today, too, but the lure of Fence Friday was just too much for me.

 

Happy Fence Friday!

 

(this is one of those photos that looks darker when you see it smaller, so looking at it in the lightbox (hit L or click on photo) helps)

Always wanted to do real business as Jenell and I got to do it yesterday with the help of a friend that is a mortgage loan officer.

Replacing an earlier scanned 6"x4" print with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 22-Mar-22.

 

In general terms I'd say this wasn't a 'lucky' aircraft!

 

First flown in Feb-96 with the Airbus test registration F-WWDV, this aircraft was delivered to ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation and leased to Aero Lloyd in Apr-96 as D-ALAC.

 

Aero Lloyd ceased operations in Oct-03. The aircraft was initially impounded at Malaga (Spain). It was returned to the lessor and stored at Frankfurt (Germany) in Nov-03.

 

A new company rose from the ashes, Aero Flight. The aircraft was leased to them as D-ARFC in Mar-04. However, they didn't do any better and ceased operations at the end of Oct-05. The aircraft was returned to the lessor and stored again at Frankfurt.

 

It was due to be leased to NAS Air (Saudi Arabia) but the lease didn't happen and the aircraft was leased to LTE International Airways (Spain) as EC-JRX in Apr-06. LTE ceased operations on 17-Oct-08 but restarted again 10 days later when the aircraft was wet-leased to Nouvelair Tunisie (Tunisia).

 

It returned to LTE in Nov-08 and was stored at Dusseldorf (Germany) before being returned to the lessor as N580CG in Dec-08. It remained stored until it was leased to Freebird Airlines (Turkey) as TC-FBJ in Jul-09. It returned to the lessor in Nov-15 and was stored at Istanbul, Turkey.

 

In Apr-16 the aircraft was leased to Onur Air (Turkey) as TC-ODB. It was wet-leased to subsidiary company Holiday Europe in Sep-19. In Mar-20 the world was hit by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Istanbul-ISL.

 

Holiday Europe ceased operations in Oct-21 when the Turkish Government cancelled their license. The aircraft was 'returned' to Onur Air and remained stored. Onur Air's finances were not good and in Dec-21 the Turkish Government 'suspended' their licence pending refinancing. The lessor repossessed the aircraft in Feb-22 and it's still stored at Istanbul-ISL. Onur Air were declared bankrupt in Apr-22.

 

The aircraft is now 29 years old and seems unlikely to fly again. Updated 05-Apr-25.

I needed to refi because my Ex was still on the loan. I had a difficult time doing it because I am self employed and have multiple mortgages even though my Experian score went up to 818. I think I signed 30 times. Jennifer, the mortgage loan officer was great and got it done for me. She took the pictures.

Buana Finance 3a

Simulasi Tabel Angsuran – Rate – Interest, Daftar Harga

Pinjaman Uang Refinancing Gadai BPKB Mobil

KATEGORI BPKB MOBIL TAHUN 2007 s/d Sekarang,

DP 35%

Pencairan : 30 s/d 48 Juta

  

Rate Dan Simulasi Angsuran Pinjaman tidak mengikat dan bisa berubah sewaktu-waktu,...

 

mt27.co.id/buana-finance-3-tabel-angsuran-pinjaman-jamina...

NE corner of Prairie and Cermak (proposed future home of Depaul Arena / McCormick Place Events Center)

 

The publicly financed arena planned for a site near the McCormick Place convention center on the Near South Side is a bad idea that just keeps getting worse.

 

As my colleague Danny Ecker reported yesterday , we can now add construction cost estimates to the many aspects of this plan that don't add up. This being Chicago, it should come as no surprise that building the arena is likely to cost significantly more than originally forecast by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the taxpayer-supported agency that runs McCormick Place. McPier, as it's called, also would own and operate the new arena.

 

When the plan was unveiled in May 2013, estimates pegged the cost at about $140 million, to be split evenly between McPier and DePaul University, which would play its home basketball games in the 10,000-seat arena. But as Danny reported, the partially subterranean design cooked up by architect Cesar Pelli to make the structure palatable to neighbors would be more expensive to build, possibly as much as $250 million.

 

We won't know the likely cost until a final proposal is presented to the McPier board next week. McPier spokeswoman Mary Kay Marquisos says the project won't cost $250 million, adding, “We're confident that the proposal that will be presented to the (McPier) board next Tuesday will be within the budgetary parameters established for the project and well within the spirit of the original design.”

 

There's enough wiggle room in that statement for major modifications to limit cost overruns. But my guess is the final construction bill will exceed $140 million by a healthy margin.

 

And who would cover the extra cost—DePaul? Not likely. Expect McPier—i.e., taxpayers—to pick up most of the overage.

 

Cost overruns would be easier to swallow if the entire project weren't based on such unrealistic assumptions. Among the whoppers underlying McPier's financial projections: DePaul's mediocre men's basketball team will enjoy a renaissance, drawing 9,500 fans a game, not the 1,900 it pulled in at Allstate Arena in suburban Rosemont last season. Another is the assumed appeal of a mid-sized arena to conventions, rock bands and other forms of entertainment that McPier hopes will keep it hopping during the 300-plus days every year that DePaul won't be playing basketball there.

 

“We all know that this was sold on the basis of assumptions that were not realistic,” says stadium finance consultant Marc Ganis of Sportscorp Ltd. in Chicago, who dismisses the project as “the arena without a purpose.”

 

Yet those assumptions are all that stands between McPier and millions in operating losses and debt coverage shortfalls. McPier directors, under the guidance of CEO Jim Reilly, seem to believe that wishing will make it so. I'm sure Mayor Rahm Emanuel's strong backing of the plan has something to do with their willingness to suspend disbelief.

 

But the agency is in no position to chase after rainbows. Despite winning legislative approval to refinance a towering debt burden, McPier remains a financial outpatient. Assets trail liabilities by $1.1 billion, and McPier posted an operating loss of $91.4 million last year. Even after the refinancing, the hotel tax revenues that are supposed to cover McPier's debt service fell short of the mark by about $60 million last year.

 

The last thing McPier needs is financial responsibility for a money-losing arena. Instead of denying the inevitability of construction cost overruns, the agency should use them as an excuse to avert another fiscal fiasco.

 

Yes, McPier already has spent $37.8 million buying and clearing land for the arena. But that doesn't make the arena a good investment. Proceeding with construction would only throw good money after bad.

 

Taxpayers would be better served if McPier were to sell the land to a private real estate developer or set it aside for some future expansion of McCormick Place.

 

“If they have not started construction yet and they're not legally obligated to build it, they would be better off scrapping the plan,” Ganis says. “They would certainly save the taxpayers a lot of money by doing so.” -- Crain's Chicago Business, 11/19/2014

 

Delahaye Badge - History

AUTOMOTIVE BADGES SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157631048301272...

 

DELAHAYE SET

 

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157626175864766...

  

Delahaye was founded in Tours, France 1894 by Emile Delahaye, begining with the manufactere of belt driven single and twin cylinder cars. The demand rapidly outgrew supply and the company was in urgent need of refinancing. New partners George Morane, and his brother-in-law Leon Desmarais, were found In 1898 providing required injection of capitol. In1901 Emile Delahaye resigned on health grounds, Emile died in 1905. In 1902 a swecond factory was aquired in Paris, with more capacity a wider range of cars followed. Delahayes were exported, and also made under licence in Germany and the USA Following WW1 production diversified to lorries, , Motor Ploughs, Fire Engines as well as cars. By the 1930's Delahaye were producing state of the art cars and were active in Motor Sport success in the Alpine Trial led to the introduction of the sporting Type 135 "Coupe des Alpes". By the end of 1935, Delahaye had won eighteen minor French sports car events and a number of hill-climbs, and came fifth at Le Mans.

In 1935 Delahaye bought rivals Delage, Delage cars continued in production from 1935 to 1951, and were finally superseded by the Type 235,. While the truck business was continuing to thrive, and some of the great coachbuilders were building bespoke bodies for their cars, including the renowned Figoni et Falaschi, Chapron, and Letourneur et Marchand, and Joseph Saoutchik, as well as Guillore, Faget-Varlet, Pourtout, and a few others less well known.

The 1930's were the golden age for the company, with prestige cars and motor sport sucesses.

In 1940 cars and military vehicles were made for the occupying German Forces

Post war production of the 135 resumed with new styling by Philippe Charbonneaux, 1 4.5 Litre 175 was introduced in 1948 but it was not sucessful. Until the early 1950s, a continuing demand for military vehicles enabled the company to operate at reasonable albeit low volumes, primarily thanks to demand for the Type 163 trucks, sufficient to keep the business afloat, along with providing exports to the French colonies.

A jeep was offered in 1951 and proved popular with the french military, but production of the Types 175, 178 and 180 cars was ended as demand for high end cars dried up. Delahaye's main competitor, Hotchkiss, managed to negotiate a licensing agreement with Kaiser-Willys Motors, and obtained sanction to manufacture its Willys MB Jeep in France. and military contracts for the more expensive Delahaye Jeep were cancelled.

In August 1953 the company laid off more than 200 workers and salaried employees. and a merger deal with struggling Hotchkiss was signed in 1954 Hotchkiss shut down Delahaye car production three months later, while still producing Hotchkiss-Delahaye tricks the combined firm was itself taken over by Brandt, and by 1955, Delahaye and Hotchkiss were out of the automotive chassis business altogether

 

Many thanks for a fantabulous 37,699,900 views

 

Shot at the Haynes International Motor Museum Sparkford, Somerset 23rd June 2015 Ref 107-079

 

The Debt Clinic of Canada Inc. offers various options like: loan consolidation, mortgage consulting for possible mortgage refinancing, Debt Negotiation, excellent referral services to Mortgage Broker, Consumer Proposal Administrator, and Bankruptcy Trustee.

"HOTEL WOODSTOCK, 127 West 43rd Street,

New York, just East of Times Square and Broadway.

Only a step to all Shops and Theaters. In the center

of everything.

 

You're 'THERE' at the Woodstock

 

Most Convenient Location in New York City"

 

Postmarked on July 25, 1939

 

The Woodstock Hotel building was completed in 1901 and still exists. Since the 1970s, it has served a different function:

 

"Project FIND, a community-based organization serving the needs of low-income seniors on Manhattan’s West Side, was the first nonprofit group to manage an SRO [single room occupancy units] in New York. Created as part of a national demonstration project on elderly advocacy in 1967, Project FIND was an early vocal opponent of the destruction of West Side SROs and a leader in the fight to extend tenants’ rights to SRO residents. In 1975, the agency obtained a management and operating lease on the Woodstock Hotel, a former luxury hotel located in the heart of Times Square. Originally featuring such amenities as a fountain pool with live alligators, the Woodstock had fallen into deplorable condition with only 80 of its 320 rooms habitable. Project FIND’s goal was to rehabilitate the building into permanent housing for low-income elderly persons.

 

Through government job-training contracts and the meager rent roll, Project FIND slowly renovated rooms and built occupancy to a level high enough to sustain basic building operations. In 1979, the agency was able to buy the building using a purchase money mortgage. Given a dearth of government capital and operating funding, Project FIND was forced to operate and rehabilitate the building over the next 20 years on shoestring budgets and an amalgam of small city and state grants, support from church groups and tenants’ rents. Finally, in the early 1990s, the building received funding from HPD’s SRO Loan Progress for a total refinancing and renovation."

 

President Barack Obama walks with Valerie and Paul Keller to their home to discuss the economy and mortgage refinancing, in Reno, Nev., May 11, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

 

This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

Afghanistan:

Refinancing Approved

 

(The Olive Tree)

 

(from Il Manifesto)

It occurred to my husband recently that we might look into refinancing our house, and when I called our mortage broker, we were happily surprised to find out how well we could do. Assuming the loan goes through, it will be a serious relief to us. We have been under a lot of stress.

 

We spent today pulling together documents and filling out forms. Please keep your fingers crossed for us that we get the appraisal we need.

 

I am so grateful that this possibility has opened up to us, grateful that my husband thought of it, and grateful for his help in pulling this together.

 

Gratitude Project -- 30 Days - Day 1

In his State of the Union Address, the President laid out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to

last – an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.

The President believes this is a make or break moment for the middle class and those trying to

reach it. What’s at stake is the very survival of the basic American promise that if you work hard,

you can do well enough to raise a family, own a home, and put a little away for retirement.

The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent; no

debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people

do really well, while more Americans barely get by. Or we can build a nation where everyone gets

a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. At stake right

now are not Democratic or Republican values, but American values – and for the sake of our future, we have to reclaim them.

The fact is, the economic security of the middle class has eroded for decades. Long before the

recession, good jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Hard work stopped paying off for too many Americans. Those at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but the vast majority of Americans struggled with costs that were growing and paychecks that weren’t.

In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. Mortgages were sold to people who couldn’t afford or

understand them. Banks made huge bets and bonuses with other people’s money. It was a crisis that cost us more than eight million jobs and plunged our economy and the world into a crisis from which we are still fighting to recover.

Three years later, thanks to the President’s bold actions, the economy is growing again. Over

the past 22 months, our businesses have created 3.2 million jobs. Last year, we added the most

private sector jobs since 2005. American manufacturing is creating jobs for the first time since

the late 1990s. The American auto industry is back. Today, American oil production is the highest

that it’s been in eight years. Together, we’ve agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. The

President signed into law new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like the one we’ve endured never happens again.

When we act together, in common purpose and common effort, there is nothing the United States of America cannot achieve. That’s why the President’s blueprint for action contains policies that businesses can take, actions that Congress needs to take, as well as actions that the President will take on his own.

We have come too far to turn back now. We cannot go back to an economy based on outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. The President intends to keep moving forward and rebuild an economy where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded – an economy built to last.

 

I. Manufacturing: Create New Jobs Here In America, Discourage Outsourcing, And Encourage

Insourcing

 

• Take away the deduction for outsourcing, make companies pay a minimum tax for profits and

jobs overseas, and reward companies for bringing jobs back to America.

• Lower tax rates for companies that manufacture and create jobs in the United States.

• Get tough on trade enforcement.

• Create more jobs and make us more competitive by rebuilding America using half of the savings from ending foreign wars.

 

II. Skills: Give Hard-Working, Responsible Americans A Fair Shot

 

• Forge new partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train and place 2

million skilled workers.

• Reform job training and Unemployment Insurance and create one website that dislocated

workers can use to help them get back to work.

• Attract, prepare, support, and reward great teachers to help students learn.

• Call on every state to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18.

• Double work-study jobs and take steps to hold down college costs for middle-class families.

• Build a 21st century immigration system and give responsible young people a chance to earn

their citizenship.

• Put veterans to work protecting our communities and preserving our natural resources.

• Secure equal pay for equal work.

• Help start-ups and small businesses succeed and create jobs by reforming regulations and

expanding tax relief.

• Help spur innovation by investing in research and development.

 

III. Energy: Make The Most Of America’s Energy Resources

 

• Promote safe, responsible development of the near 100-year supply of natural gas, supporting

more than 600,000 jobs while ensuring public health and safety.

• Incentivize manufacturers to make energy upgrades, saving $100 billion over the next decade.

• Create clean energy jobs in the United States.

 

IV. Values: Ensure Every American Plays By The Same Set Of Rules And Pays Their Fair Share

 

• Make the tax code fairer and simpler for the middle class and make sure millionaires and

billionaires follow the Buffett Rule by paying at least 30% in taxes.

• End subsidies for millionaires.

• Prevent tax increases for working families by extending the payroll tax cut.

• Call on Congress to give every responsible homeowner the opportunity to refinance.

• Make sure Wall Street plays by the same rules.

• Reduce the influence of money and lobbyists and do away with procedures that stop Congress

from working on behalf of the American people.

• Pass a balanced, fair deficit reduction

plan.

 

A Blueprint to Create New Jobs Here in America,Discourage Outsourcing, and Encourage Insourcing

 

Take away the deduction for outsourcing, make companies pay a minimum tax for profits

and jobs overseas, and reward companies for bringing jobs back to America: The President

believes that we need comprehensive corporate tax reform that will close loopholes, lower rates,

and eliminate incentives that make it more attractive to ship jobs overseas – corporate tax reform

that will:

• Remove tax incentives to locate overseas through an international minimum tax: The President

is proposing to eliminate tax incentives to ship jobs offshore by ensuring that all American

companies pay a minimum tax on their overseas profits, preventing other countries from

attracting American business through unusually low tax rates.

• Stop letting companies take a tax deduction for moving overseas and instead provide a credit for

moving jobs back home: The President wants to eliminate the tax deduction companies receive

for the cost of shutting down factories and moving production overseas, and create a new tax

credit to cover moving expenses for companies that close production overseas and bring jobs

back to the United States.

Lower tax rates for companies that manufacture and create jobs in the United States:

• Create new incentives to increase manufacturing in the United States: At the same time

he proposes to close special-interest loopholes, the President is proposing to ensure the

next generation of manufacturing jobs is created here in America by reducing tax rates for

manufacturers and doubling the tax deduction for high-tech manufacturers.

• Support companies that make new investments in the communities hardest hit by major job

losses: The President is proposing a new tax credit that provides support for companies seeking

to finance new factories, equipment, or production in communities that have been hardest hit by a company choosing to relocate or a military base shutting down.

Get tough on trade enforcement: The President has worked to ensure Americans can sell

their products all over the world, and last year he signed into law new trade agreements with

Panama, Colombia, and South Korea, helping to put the United States on track to reach the goal of doubling exports by the end of 2014. But the President refuses to stand by when our international competitors don’t play by the rules. To level the playing field by improving trade enforcement, the President is announcing:

• A new trade enforcement unit: The President announced the creation of a new trade enforcement unit that will bring together resources and investigators from across the Federal Government to go after unfair trade practices in countries around the world, including China.

• Enhancing trade inspections: The President called for enhancing trade inspections to stop

counterfeit, pirated, or unsafe goods before they enter the United States.

• Putting American companies on an even footing: When competitors like China offer unfair export financing to help their companies win business overseas, the United States will provide financing to put our companies on an even footing.

Create jobs by using half of the savings from ending foreign wars to rebuild America: To

help ensure we have the infrastructure so that companies can ship their goods more efficiently

throughout the country and the world, the President is calling for new efforts to revitalize American

infrastructure. The President’s plan will protect taxpayer dollars by fixing existing roads and by

directing funding to the best projects instead of earmarks, and will continue investments in highspeed rail. To pay for these investments, the President is proposing to use approximately half of the savings that we will achieve from winding down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the 6 year period of the infrastructure plan with the other half going towards paying down the debt. The President also announced that within the coming weeks, he will sign an Executive Order clearing the red tape that can slow down new infrastructure projects, accelerating those projects that have already been funded.

 

A Blueprint To Give Hard-Working, Responsible Americans A Fair Shot

 

Forge new partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train and place 2

million skilled workers: Many industries have difficulty filling jobs requiring specific technical

skills, even with many Americans still looking for work. In coming years, America will need to

fill millions of mid- and high-level skilled positions in industries from healthcare to advanced

manufacturing, clean energy to information technology. The President proposed a new initiative

to train and place two million Americans in good jobs through partnerships between businesses

and community colleges that give workers the skills employers explicitly need. The program is

modeled on efforts by employers and community colleges from Charlotte and Chicago to Orlando and Louisville. To address future workforce needs, the President will support partnerships between high schools and industry to create more career academies, which combine instruction in academic subjects and industry skills.

Reform job training and Unemployment Insurance to help put more Americans back to work:

The President believes we need to reform outdated and inefficient unemployment insurance and

job training systems and restore the basic bargain that if you are willing to do the work, you deserve the chance to gain the skills you need to find a job or land a better one. The President called on Congress to move forward on reforms to the Unemployment Insurance program by requiring workers to undergo eligibility assessments in order to receive emergency federal benefits, while at the same time offering new tools to help workers find new jobs. He also proposed streamlining training and employment services for dislocated workers so that those workers are able to access a single program, visit a single location, and go to a single website to find the help they need about job services and training opportunities in their communities.

Attract, prepare, support, and reward great teachers to help students learn: Teaching is a profession and should be treated like one. The latest research says a great teacher could

increase the lifetime income of an entire classroom by hundreds of thousands of dollars. The

President is fighting to protect our schools from being hurt by the recession by providing states and communities with funds to prevent teacher layoffs, and avoid increases to class sizes or decreases in the number of school days. The President is also asking for a new competitive program that will challenge states and districts to work with their teachers and unions to comprehensively reform the teaching profession by:

• Reforming colleges of education and making these schools more selective;

• Creating new career ladders for teachers to become more effective, and ensuring that earnings

are tied more closely to performance;

• Establishing more leadership roles and responsibilities for teachers in running schools; improving professional development and time for collaboration among teachers; and providing greater individual and collective autonomy in the classroom in exchange for greater accountability;

• Creating evaluation systems based on multiple measures, rather than just test scores;

• Re-shaping tenure to raise the bar, protect good teachers, and promote accountability.

Keep students in high school: The President challenged state governments to live up to their

responsibilities by calling on every state to do what 20 states have already done: require students to stay in school until they graduate or turn 18. Studies show that stronger dropout laws keep students in school longer and increase their lifetime earnings as a result. Raising compulsory school requirements, in conjunction with the Administration’s historic investments in low-performing schools, will curb the high school dropout crisis and set students down a path of academic and career success.

Double work-study jobs and take steps to hold down college costs for middle-class families:

College costs are escalating at an unsustainable pace. Even after adjusting for inflation, the average published cost of tuition and fees at a four-year public university has increased by 136% in the last 20 years. This Administration has made college more affordable by continuing to increase the maximum Pell Grant award by more than $800 and creating the American Opportunity Tax Credit worth up to $10,000 over four years of college. The President called on Congress to help keep college costs within reach for middle-class families by:

• Keeping tuition from spiraling too high: The President is proposing to shift some Federal aid away from colleges that don’t keep net tuition down and provide good value.

• Preventing student loan interest rates from doubling: The President called on Congress to stop

the interest rate on subsidized Stafford student loans from doubling on July 1 of this year, so

young people don’t have as much debt to repay.

• Doubling the number of work-study jobs: The President wants to reward students who are willing to work hard by doubling over five years the number of work-study jobs for college students who agree to work their way through school.

• Permanently extending tuition tax breaks that provide up to $10,000 for four years of college: The President is proposing to make the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent, maintaining a tax cut that provides up to $10,000 for tuition over four years of college.

Build a 21st century immigration system and give responsible young people a chance to

earn their citizenship: The President recognizes that our immigration system is broken, and is

committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform to build a 21st century immigration system that meets our nation’s economic and security needs. The President’s vision for reform includes continuing to make border security a federal responsibility; holding accountable businesses that break the law by exploiting undocumented workers; making those living in the United States illegally take responsibility for their actions by passing a background check, paying fines, and getting right with the law before they can get on a path to legalization; and creating a legal immigration system that meets our diverse needs. We must also stop expelling talented young people, whether they were brought here by their parents as children or came from other countries to pursue college and advanced degrees.

Put veterans to work protecting our communities and preserving our natural resources:

Building on tax cuts already passed for hiring unemployed veterans, the President proposed a

new Veterans Job Corps that will provide our communities funding to hire veterans as cops and

firefighters, and to put them to work rebuilding and enhancing our parks, forests, and natural

resources – so that America is as strong as those who have defended her.

Secure equal pay for equal work: Women make up half of the U.S. workforce and two-thirds of

our families rely on a mother’s wages for a significant portion of their income. Yet women generally make 23 cents on the dollar less than their male counterparts. The first bill the President signed into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, helps women who face discrimination recover their wages.

He then created an inter-agency Equal Pay Task Force to crack down on equal pay law violations.

The President is committed to closing the pay gap once and for all.

Help start-ups and small businesses succeed and create jobs by reforming regulations and expanding tax relief: Start-ups and small businesses create most of the new jobs in this country.

The President is proposing to build on measures he has already taken to enact 17 small business tax cuts and expand access to capital for small businesses by reforming regulations that prevent entrepreneurs from getting financing and by expanding tax relief to start-ups and small businesses that are creating jobs and increasing wages.

Help spur innovation by investing in research and development: The President made clear that

we need to maintain our commitment to funding research and development that can support our

economy and improve our quality of life.

 

A Blueprint to Make the Most of America’s Energy Resources

 

Promote safe, responsible development of the near 100-year supply of natural gas,

supporting more than 600,000 jobs while ensuring public health and safety: In 2009,

we became the world’s leading producer of natural gas. Tonight, the President directed the

Administration to ensure safe shale gas development that, according to independent estimates,

will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. These actions will include moving

forward with common-sense new rules to require disclosure of the chemicals used in fracking

operations on public lands.

Incentivize manufacturers to make energy upgrades, saving $100 billion over the next

decade: The President announced a new proposal to increase the energy efficiency of

the industrial sector by providing new incentives and breaking down regulatory barriers for

manufacturers to upgrade equipment and eliminate wasted energy in their facilities, saving $100

billion from the nation’s energy bills and reducing the amount of energy we import from foreign

countries.

Create clean energy jobs in the United States: The President called on Congress to build on

our success in positioning America to be the world’s leading manufacturer in high-tech batteries

and reiterated his call for action on clean energy tax credits and a national goal of moving toward

clean sources of electricity by setting a standard for utility companies, so that by 2035, 80% of the

nation’s electricity will come from clean sources, including renewable energy sources like wind,

solar, biomass, hydropower, nuclear power, efficient natural gas, and clean coal. Because Congress has not yet acted on this and other key steps to achieve a clean energy economy, the President announced that the Department of the Navy will make the largest renewable energy purchase in history – one gigawatt. In addition, the President is directing the Department of Interior to permit 10 gigawatts of renewables projects by the end of the year, enough to power three million homes.

 

A Blueprint to Return to America’s Values - Ensuring Everyone Plays by the Same Set of Rules and Pays Their Fair Share

 

Make the tax code fairer and simpler for the middle class and make sure millionaires

and billionaires follow the Buffett Rule by paying at least 30% in taxes: In September, the

President announced five principles for tax reform. The President is now announcing additional

details to those principles on how we should fundamentally reform our tax code to make it simpler and fairer for middle-class Americans:

• A “Buffett Rule” to ensure those making over $1 million pay a minimum effective rate of at least

30%: Last year, the President called for tax reform that follows the Buffett Rule – the principle

that no household making over $1 million a year should pay a smaller share of its income in taxes than middle-class families pay. In support of this rule, the President is now specifically calling for measures to ensure everyone making over a million dollars a year pays a minimum effective tax rate of at least 30%. The Administration will work to ensure that this rule is implemented in a way that is equitable, including not disadvantaging individuals who make large charitable contributions.

• Eliminating tax deductions for those making over $1 million: As part of his effort to reform

inefficient and unfair tax breaks, the President is proposing to eliminate tax subsidies for

millionaires that they do not need. There is no reason that those making over $1 million per year

should get any tax subsidies for housing, health care, retirement, and child care.

• Protecting taxpayers below $250,000: The President reiterated his commitment that taxes

shouldn’t go up on those with incomes under $250,000.

 

End subsidies for millionaires:

The President joined Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) in calling onWashington to stop giving federal subsidies – Food Stamps, unemployment benefits, and farm

subsidies – to millionaires, because they don’t need it and the country can’t afford it.

Prevent tax increases for working families by extending the payroll tax cut: The President

challenged Congress to strengthen the economic recovery by extending the payroll tax cut – which provides $40 per paycheck for the typical family – for the rest of the year so that taxes don’t go up on American workers.

Call on Congress to give every responsible homeowner the opportunity to refinance: Millions

of Americans who try to refinance are given the runaround from the bank even though they are

current on their payments. Building on the action he already took this fall to make four million

Americans eligible for lower interest rates without that hassle, the President announced that he will send Congress a plan that will allow responsible homeowners who are current on their payments to save $3,000 a year on their mortgage by refinancing at historically low interest rates. The President is proposing to use some of the Administration’s proposed bank fees to cover the cost of the refinancing plan, since financial institutions helped cause the housing crisis from which borrowers and the economy are still trying to recover.

Make sure Wall Street plays by the same rules: Under current law, some individuals in the financial industry violate major anti-fraud laws because there’s no real penalty for being a repeat offender. As the Administration continues to implement Wall Street reform to prevent practices that helped lead to the financial crisis, the President is proposing to hold banks and financial companies accountable and make sure that everyone is playing by the same rules. The President is directing the Attorney General to establish a Financial Crimes Unit of investigators to work with U.S. Attorneys to go after large-scale financial fraud so that Americans’ investments are protected. He also called on Congress to pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count – so that firms don’t just see punishment for breaking the law as the price of doing business.

Reduce the influence of money and lobbyists and do away with procedures that stop Congress

from working on behalf of the American people: The President made clear that we need to take

steps to fix the corrosive influence of money in politics, which has undermined America’s trust in

Washington. He called for new safeguards to prevent Members of Congress from profiting from their positions:

• Ban insider trading by Members of Congress: The President is calling for legislation that clarifies that Members of Congress are subject to the same insider trading laws that apply to everyone else.

• Holding Congress to same conflict-of-interest standards as the Executive branch: The President is calling on Congress to hold itself to the same conflict-of-interest standards as the executive branch by, for example, prohibiting Members from owning securities in companies that have business before their committees or taking official action on a matter that would affect the

Member’s personal financial interests.

• Prohibit lobbyists from bundling, and bundlers from lobbying: The President called for prohibiting lobbyists from fundraising in support of federal candidates they have lobbied within the past two years, and likewise prohibiting campaign bundlers from lobbying federal officeholders for whom they have fundraised within the past two years.

• Give nominations an up-or-down vote: As one step to fix the way business is done in Washington, the President called on the Senate to pass a rule that after 90 days, all judicial and public service nominations must receive a simple up or down vote.

• Eliminate roadblocks in the Senate by reforming the filibuster: Senators who want to filibuster

should vocalize their objection on the Senate floor.

Pass a balanced, fair deficit reduction plan: The President called on Congress to reduce the deficit in a balanced way that asks everyone to do their part, so no one has to bear the entire burden and everyone – including millionaires and billionaires – has to pay their fair share. The President has already laid out a plan to reduce the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next decade including the over $2 trillion in deficit reduction that the President already signed into law in the Budget Control Act.

This would bring the country to a place where current spending is no longer adding to our debt and deficits are at a sustainable level.

The wrong real estate agent, mortgage broker and escrow officer could prove to be a nightmare; when selling or buying a home, or when refinancing your home.http://directory.hdainsurance.com/directory-list/

Red Lines Housing Crisis Learning Center:

2009 exhibition by Damon Rich of the Center for Urban Pedagogy, hosted by the Queens Museum of Art

Larissa Harris, Commissioning curator; Project Coordinator for Queens Museum Installation: Rana Amirtahmasebi

Museum Director: Tom Finkelpearl

 

"The Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project collected the foreclosure information. . . . The Regional Plan Association, an independent planning group, then crunched the numbers using the Geographic Information System — a mapping program — to create maps of every inch of the city indicating where there had been foreclosures of single- to four-family homes in 2008."

 

"Red Lines Housing Crisis Learning Center is funded by grants from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Artists & Communities, a program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, which is made possible by major funding from Johnson & Johnson, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. A publication funded by The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts will be available during the exhibition. Additional support provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts."

 

www.queensmuseum.org/2632/red-lines-housing-crisis-learni...

community.queensmuseum.org/lang/en/blog/corona-plaza/redl...

www.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/arts/design/08panorama.html?_r=0

www.cjr.org/the_audit/go_to_queens_museum_get_mad.php

www.flickr.com/photos/panoramaqueensmuseum/sets/721576210...

artforum.com/words/id=23001

www.pbs.org/newshour/video/module.html?mod=0&pkg=1510...

www.citylimits.org/news/articles/3789/on-exhibit-housing

video.foxbusiness.com/v/3894109/ny-panorama-highlights-fo...

video.corriere.it/?vxSiteId=404a0ad6-6216-4e10-abfe-f4f69... (in Italian)

 

This is a snapshot of a video projection of a two channel video by Damon Rich called Mortgage Stakeholders (2008).

"MORTGAGE STAKEHOLDERS, 2-CHANNEL VIDEO, 47 MIN., 2008

Mortgage Stakeholders stages a conversation between bankers, regulators, architects, investors, financial justice advocates and others about the United States system for financing private housing. This video was originally produced as part of Red Lines Housing Crisis Learning Center, a mobile exhibition kit of models, photographs, videos, and drawings designed to immerse visitors in the financial landscape of architecture.

 

The American preference for traditional residential design masks a frightening reality: across the globe, individual buildings have been retrofitted to serve as interchangeable nodes in a vast abstract structure, held loosely together by legal and political restraints, made to allow the furious circulation of finance capital.

 

Who supplies the money to construct and buy buildings? What are the historical relationships between lenders and borrowers? How are ownership claims produced and circulated? As what has become known as the Subprime Meltdown continues to spread, pushing people out of homes, wasting neighborhoods, bankrupting institutions, and threatening global economic crisis, Red Lines aims to broaden and enrich the urgent conversation about how our society finances its living environments."

 

www.openspace-zkp.org/2010/en/projects.php?y=2011&p=37

www.clairebarliant.com/artwriting/adaptive-reuse/

www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08935691003625372

 

Don Baldyga:

Director of Episcopal Community Development in Newark

Possibly connected to a mortgage fraud case in Maine in 2005.

 

"In Rich’s video, we hear another perspective from Don Baldyga, of the Episcopal Community Development in Newark, who says: ‘These people were sold the American Dream. You wave that in front of them, and even if there’s a downside, they don’t hear it.’ But his main contention is that, even though these people may be guilty of not paying their mortgage, each additional foreclosure hurts the rest of the neighbourhood. ‘For every abandoned house on a block, that’s like a 15 per cent decrease on the value of neighbouring homes.’"

 

"With the help of federal funding, Baldyga, and ECD are doing their part to rebuild the neighborhood. They buy the foreclosed homes using grant money, fix them up, and sell them at reduced rates to qualified buyers.

Each buyer must agree to remain in the home for 15 years before selling or refinancing. To afford the mortgage payments on the larger homes, ECD cordons off affordable apartments within the residence to bring in rental income.

In some homes, the owners will live virtually payment free, assuming they keep tenants in the apartments above them."

 

twitter.com/ecdonline

ecdonline.org

mortgagefraud.squarespace.com/journal/2005/10/10/man-sent...

www.businessinsider.com/irvington-new-jersey-sub-prime-pr...

www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/nyregion/new-jersey/17newarknj...

 

David Harvey:

Geographer, Marxist, CUNY Professor

One of the main proponents of the "Right to the City" movement and also influential in the shift towards criticism of not just capitalism per se but specifically neoliberalism.

 

davidharvey.org

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Harvey_(geographer)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_the_city

web.gc.cuny.edu/Anthropology/fac_harvey.html

newleftreview.org/II/53/david-harvey-the-right-to-the-city

  

Queens Museum of Art:

Architect: Aymar Embury II

Opened: 1939

Renovated 1964 by Daniel Chait.

Renovated in 1994 by Rafael Viñoly.

Expansion scheduled in 2013, under the helm of Grimshaw Architects with Ammann & Whitney as engineers.

 

"Built to house the New York City Pavilion at the 1939 World’s Fair, where it housed displays about municipal agencies. . . . It is now the only surviving building from the 1939/40 Fair. After the World’s Fair, the building became a recreation center for the newly created Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The north side of the building, now the Queens Museum, housed a roller rink and the south side offered an ice rink. . . . From 1946 to 1950 . . . it housed the General Assembly of the newly formed United Nations. . . . In 1972 the north side of the New York City Building was handed to the Queens Museum of Art (or as it was then known, the Queens Center for Art and Culture)."

 

The other half of the building was an ice-skating rink from 1939–2009.

 

www.queensmuseum.org

www.queensmuseum.org/about/aboutbuilding-history

twitter.com/QueensMuseum

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queens_Museum_of_Art

www.facebook.com/QueensMuseum

vimeo.com/queensmuseum

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aymar_Embury_II

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammann_%26_Whitney

grimshaw-architects.com

artsengaged.com/bcnasamples/chapter-fifteen-being-good-ne...

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Dr. Jewel Bronaugh present Shannon L. Chase, accepting the award for The Single-Family Housing American Rescue Plan Act Implementation Team, Rural Development, Rural Housing Service, during the Secretary’s Honor Awards Ceremony at USDA in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, February 16, 2023. The award recognizes implementation of the American Rescue Plan Act's Single Family Housing Direct home loan refinancing. (USDA Photo by Tom Witham)

 

John Peter Gordon Goldfinger (b: Nov 10th 1933) came to Wellesley House in May 1945 and left in July 1947 for Stowe. He would have spent all his Wellesley years at Loch Rannoch, Scotland, during World War II. There is a connection between his name and Ian Fleming's "Goldfinger"

 

John Blackwell was a Partner at Wellesley House circa 1946 to 1964 with John Boyce and John Brooker. He was also a leading amateur golfer from the 1940s to the 1960s. He died at the age of 86 in 2000. Ian Fleming played at the Royal St George's many times with John Blackwell who was a great friend and a cousin of Ursula Blackwell. Ursula Blackwell was married to Erneo Goldfinger - another connection to the book. Ernő Goldfinger (September 11, 1902 – November 15, 1987) was a Hungarian-born architect and designer of furniture. He moved to the United Kingdom in the 1930s, and became a key member of the architectural Modern Movement. He is most prominently remembered for designing residential tower blocks, some of which are now listed buildings. A discussion about Ernő with John Blackwell on the golf course prompted Ian Fleming to name the James Bond adversary and villain Auric Goldfinger after Ernő. (Fleming had previously been among the objectors to the pre-war demolition of the cottages in Hampstead that were removed to make way for Goldfinger's house at 2 Willow Road.) Source: designmuseum.org/design/erno-goldfinger, www.wikipedia and www.books.google.co.uk)

 

Ian Nicol Tegner, CA.

 

Ian Tegner, born in 1933, was educated at Rugby School after Wellesley House and qualified as a Scottish Chartered Accountant in 1957. In 1958 he emigrated to Canada where he worked for Clarkson Gordon & Co in Toronto, returning to the UK in 1959. He then joined Barton Mayhew & Co (now part of Ernst & Young) where he became a partner in 1965, having responsibility for a wide range of client relationships.

 

In 1971 he joined the Bowater Corporation as Finance Director, and held this post until 1986. In addition to the finance function, he had Board responsibility for the Freight Services division, and for information technology, and was chairman of Cayzer Steel Bowater, Insurance Brokers. He was the driving force behind the concept, planning and implementation of the 1984 demerger of Bowater’s North American interests to form Bowater Incorporated, gaining wide experience of North America. In 1974 he attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Programme.

 

At the beginning of 1987 he joined Midland Bank as Director, Group Finance, where he reshaped the finance function and structure and led the extensive refinancing of the Group.

 

He took early retirement from Midland Bank at the end of 1989, taking up a number of non-executive directorships in both public and private companies. Inter alia he was Chairman of Control Risks Group from 1990 – 2000, and of Crest Packaging on its flotation, and a director of Arjo Wiggins Appleton plc, Teesside Power Ltd and Coutts & Co.

 

He has been much involved in the development of both Corporate and Professional Governance, being one of the catalysts of the Cadbury Committee. He served as a Member of Council, and as President in 1991-2, of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. He believes strongly in the principle of self regulation for professionals. He was Chairman of the Hundred Group of Finance Directors in 1988-90, which he remodelled, substantially increasing the influence of the Group. He is a Fellow of the RSA and a member of the Highland Society of London.

 

He is a strong believer in the importance of the voluntary sector, and has been active on a wide range of charitable fronts, including MacIntyre Care (services for those with severe learning and physical disability), English Touring Opera, The Country Trust (for inner city children), the Royal College of Music, The Argyllshire Gathering (Highland culture) and Children of the Andes (funding and support of children’s causes in Colombia). He was a pioneer of Voluntary Housing in North Kensington in the 1960s and remains involved in development of opportunities for those from deprived backgrounds in that area. He is a committed ecumenical Christian.

 

He has been married since 1961 to Meriel (nee Lush) who is a professional counsellor. They have a daughter, a teacher, a son who is a marketing executive in the scotch whisky industry, and four grandchildren. They enjoy travel, and have visited many parts of the world on business and pleasure, particularly trekking. These include North America (covering inter alia the Arctic, Alaska and Yukon) South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Patagonia), Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, Kenya, UAE, Southern Africa, Yemen, Khashmir, Pakistan, Turkey, Morocco, and Myanmar as well as many walking holidays in Europe.

 

Among his other interests are singing and classical music, collecting books on the West of Scotland, and hill walking. He has a cottage in Argyll where he spends an increasing amount of his time. (Source: IN Tegner)

   

Scanned ad from on old Garden State park racing program.

 

Trump Castle opened June 19, 1985 in what was supposed to be the Atlantic City Hilton. Trump taking control of the property after the Hilton was denied a casino license shortly before opening due to alleged connections to organized crime.

 

Trump Castle was the second casino resort to open in the Marina district after Harrah's opened in 1980. This was an additional thorn in the uneasy relationship between Trump and Holiday Inns inc. (owner of the Harrah's brand at the time) who were joint partners of Harrah's at Trump plaza that opened on the Boardwalk the previous year. After litigation was settled Trump became the sole owner and operator of that property.

 

Trump Castle was a success in it's early years, however the Trump Taj Mahal began siphoning profits away after it's 1990 opening. By June of 1991, Trump Castle's revenue was down 18.7 percent. An illegal loan in the form of $3.5 million in poker chips purchased by Donald's father, Fred Trump. New Jersey's Casino Control Commission fined the Trump Castle $30,000 and threatened to revoke the gaming license if finances were not worked out by the end of July.

 

A deal was finally reached on August 2nd that involved Trump selling a 50 percent stake to bondholders as part of a bankruptcy plan. Trump took back control in 1993 as part of a refinancing deal.

 

Shortly after, a plan was announced to convert the property to a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Negotiations were called off in December 1996. A subsequent deal with Colony Capital which would involve a renovation/expansion was then proposed but that deal died in March 1997.

 

Trump finally sold the property to Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts (the publicly traded company that he controlled), and in June 1997, the resort was renamed Trump Marina.

 

An agreement was reached in 2008 to sell the casino to a joint venture between singer/businessman Jimmy Buffett and Coastal Development inc. with the asking price of $315 million. Afterward the casino would be renamed Margaritaville. However, despite a reduction in price to $270 million, Coastal was unable to obtain financing and the deal collapsed in June 2009. Talks were re-started in 2010 with Coastal offering a mere $75 million, citing the plunge of casino property values and revenue in the wake of the recession along with increased out of state competition.

 

Trump Entertainment Resorts (as the company was renamed following a 2004 bankruptcy) finally sold the resort for just $38 million to Landry's Inc., who would operate it under their Golden Nugget Casino brand. This would mark the return of the Golden Nugget name to Atlantic City after Steve Wynn sale of the Boardwalk property back in 1987.

 

After the deal closed in May of 2011, Landry's would spend another $150 million in renovations to the property, which by this time had grown tired, dated, and worn. New restaurants were added along with nightclubs and an outdoor pool.

 

Today the Golden Nugget operates as one of three casinos in the Marina District along with Harrah's and the Borgata.

May 2, 2022—Bronx — Governor Kathy Hochul , joined by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, State Senator Jamaal Bailey, and RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner/CEO of NYS Homes and Community Renewal, announced today that Riverbay Corporation, the management company for Co-op City, HUD, Wells Fargo, the Mortgage Insurance Fund of the State of New York Mortgage Agency, and NYC Housing Development Corporation closed on the refinancing of Co-op City’s HUD loan, which will maintain long-term housing quality and affordability for the over 45,000 residents. Refinancing provides the housing company with $124 million in proceeds that will be used for capital improvements, including upgrades to the HVAC, façade maintenance, and electrical systems. The announcement was made at Co-op City in The Bronx. (Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

Fund Raising:

 

There is no shortage of options for businesses wishing to raise funds, but selecting the optimal structure is challenging. Raising finance to fund expansion plans means examining a wide range of issues and answering a complex set of questions. Our Team can enhance value through the delivery of strategic advice and execution services to corporations who seek value-enhancing solutions that complement their growth strategies

 

Structured Finance / Debt Syndication:

Debt is a major contributor to the wealth of an investor. The subsidies of debt help a business to survive and grow. In various industries, infusion of debt only creates the rationale to do that business.

  

At Caston Corporate Advisory, we are involved in advising corporations on the appropriate mode and structure of debt to be raised. We can be useful in capital Market transactions where the company is looking for the most suitable form of finance from the complex funding options available.

  

We are experienced in organizing transactions involving:

oWorking capital finance

oSupplier and vendor finance (Bill Discounting)

oShort Term Financing

oLong Term Loans

oProject Finance

oAcquisition financing

oEquipment leasing/loan

oCross border leasing

oRefinancing of assets.

 

We help in making clear analysis of the fund raising options available and provide an insight of the most efficient strategy to follow for long term benefit. We are also experienced in handling:

oCommercial Papers

onon-convertible debenture issues

oOther exchange traded debentures

 

Private Equity:

Companies seek Private equity when they:

 

Need Start-up capital: Various talented professionals do not require capital in developing a product or a technology but it needs funds to commercialize them. We help such talented pool of professionals in gaining that edge which can help them in reaching to their ultimate goal. We have access to various venture capitalists and angels who would want to invest in new ideas and take them many steps forward.

 

Are over leveraged: At times organizations have the potential to grow, but the leverage ratios turn unfriendly. We help such organizations raise Private Equity, and gain further access to debt to ensure a rational capital structure and its efficient management.

 

Looking to grow inorganically: Organizations need bigger capital to grow inorganically, we have the expertise to advice companies who are on an acquisition spree and also arrange capital to execute the takeover.

 

Need capital without involving outside operational managers: Some organizations are takeover friendly and are always looked at by competitors as their target. We can help such companies in acquiring private capital thus providing them a strong defense (in the form of a strong investor) against a possible takeover by the competitor and also facilitating independent operations as usual.

 

Our Corporate consultants advise on the timing, and strategy for infusing Private Equity.

 

For more information – check www.castoncorporateadvisory.in or contact on Caston Corporate Advisory Services: 6 / 5, Didar House Building, DLF Industrial Area, Moti Nagar New Delhi-110015 (India) Ph.:+91-9810295333

 

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