Mishal
Jul 16, 2013 22:53:36 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2013 22:53:36 GMT -5
Good morning, once again, to you all! I trust that all is well with all of you. Writing for 'The Wall Street Journal', Peter Evans reports that Skyscraper Builders Reach for the Stars Once Again: London's 'Cheese Grater' Exemplifies World-Wide Trend Toward Tall Towers. The newest skyscraper rising in London, the 48-story Leadenhall Building, will be the second-tallest office building in the city's financial district when completed next year. The tower's size as well as the tapered-glass design—which some say resembles a box-style cheese grater—have drawn praise throughout Britain.
Yet, by some international standards, the Leadenhall, which is a joint venture between developers British Land Company and Canada's Oxford Properties, could be considered run-of-the-mill. Across the world, the business of building skyscrapers is making a big comeback as the global economy slowly recovers and the pain of the financial crisis continues to fade. Supported by innovations in design and engineering and driven by the desire of town planners and developers to make bold architectural statements, these tall towers are springing up at the fastest rate since the financial crisis—and reaching new heights.
Nearly 600 buildings of at least 200 meters (656 feet) in height, or about 60 stories high, are either under construction or in the planning stages world-wide, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The growth spurt will nearly double the number of buildings 200 meters or taller over the next 10 years. That means a mere 224-meter tower like the Leadenhall, which is roughly half the size of the Empire State Building in New York, is "becoming the norm now," said Ian Milne, senior design director in Hong Kong for design and engineering consultants WS Atkins. Peter concludes thus:
Yet as the world economy slips into the terrible 'teens (2013-19), what are the prospects for construction over the coming decades? Well, we are currently building a series of megacities, generally far larger than even London, to house a large and growing human population around the world of over seven billion people. In the twenty-first century, our children are increasingly choosing an urban over a rural environment, if only because that is where the jobs are, and high technology flats rather than caves, where many of my own ancestors would have survived, at least until the end of the last Ice Age.
Writing for BBC News, Stephanie Flanders reports on the Monetary Policy Committee's search for guidance. The slightly better-than-expected inflation figure for June continues the run of good news for Mark Carney. Of course, it would be better if inflation were going down, not up. But it could have been worse. It leaves the way clear for him to focus on his most pressing task: coming up with a way to make "forward guidance" part of the Monetary Policy Committee's tool-kit for supporting the economy.
That is indeed a big job, which some in the Bank do not feel they have been given much time to complete. George Osborne wants a decision in time for the next Inflation Report press conference on 7 August, which realistically means that the new approach will need to be there to inform the monetary policy decision the previous week, on 1 August. At bottom, there are really two questions that the chancellor asked the MPC to answer. First, would it be helpful to the UK economy for the Bank to offer more "forward guidance" on monetary policy? Second, following on from that, should that guidance include an "intermediate threshold" - a staging point that the real economy needs to meet for policy to change - and if so, what should that threshold be? Stephanie concludes thus:
Abd al-Malik, Khalifah Allah, Deputy of God, Ninth Caliph and Ruler of the Faithful, died in 705. But the message proclaimed on his coins of a universal empire of faith still resonates strongly. Today there is no caliph - long claimed by the Turkish sultans, the office was abolished in 1924. In fact, a universally accepted caliph has always been a rare thing, but the dream of a single Islamic empire - a caliphate - remains potent in the modern Islamic world. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, asked the social anthropologist Professor Madawi al-Rasheed to comment:
The yearning for one Islamic community, inspired and guided by the word of God alone - that dream, first clearly articulated in physical form on the coin struck in Damascus over 1300 years ago - is clearly still very much alive.
BBC - A History of the World - Gold coin of Abd al-Malik
In the beginning was not the Word, but the Act! The Word, an abstraction, came later, Sydney Grew! ''The Guardian' leads this morning in praise of ... Mishal Husain. 'The Daily Telegraph' transmits thus:
Telegraph - Tomorrow's Today: Mishal Husain will add a fresh voice to Radio 4's flagship news programme
I propose some toast: to today, tomorrow and always! Three cheers from kleines charlie and the gang (Wednesday morning breakfast coffee)!
BBC Radio 4 - Today
Yet, by some international standards, the Leadenhall, which is a joint venture between developers British Land Company and Canada's Oxford Properties, could be considered run-of-the-mill. Across the world, the business of building skyscrapers is making a big comeback as the global economy slowly recovers and the pain of the financial crisis continues to fade. Supported by innovations in design and engineering and driven by the desire of town planners and developers to make bold architectural statements, these tall towers are springing up at the fastest rate since the financial crisis—and reaching new heights.
Nearly 600 buildings of at least 200 meters (656 feet) in height, or about 60 stories high, are either under construction or in the planning stages world-wide, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The growth spurt will nearly double the number of buildings 200 meters or taller over the next 10 years. That means a mere 224-meter tower like the Leadenhall, which is roughly half the size of the Empire State Building in New York, is "becoming the norm now," said Ian Milne, senior design director in Hong Kong for design and engineering consultants WS Atkins. Peter concludes thus:
" ... In London, construction of the very tallest towers has lagged behind. Despite last year's opening of the 306-meter Shard, Western Europe's tallest building, London, and most of Europe, falls behind the rest of the world when it comes to the biggest buildings. Experts say one possible reason is the unwillingness of European cities to compromise their architectural heritage by building skyscrapers. Strict planning laws exist in many cities to prevent landmark views being obscured by high-rise buildings.
Another explanation for London's lack of height is the problems some developers have finding tenants. Reflecting a trend across Europe, many financial-services companies—traditionally the biggest takers of prime office space—in London are putting off big office moves as the euro crisis weighs on confidence. Just six of the Shard's 72 floors are in use. Even the Leadenhall Building has struggled to fill its floors ahead of its official opening in mid-2014. Insurers Aon and Amlin have taken space on the building's lower levels, but the top floors are still on the market."
Another explanation for London's lack of height is the problems some developers have finding tenants. Reflecting a trend across Europe, many financial-services companies—traditionally the biggest takers of prime office space—in London are putting off big office moves as the euro crisis weighs on confidence. Just six of the Shard's 72 floors are in use. Even the Leadenhall Building has struggled to fill its floors ahead of its official opening in mid-2014. Insurers Aon and Amlin have taken space on the building's lower levels, but the top floors are still on the market."
Yet as the world economy slips into the terrible 'teens (2013-19), what are the prospects for construction over the coming decades? Well, we are currently building a series of megacities, generally far larger than even London, to house a large and growing human population around the world of over seven billion people. In the twenty-first century, our children are increasingly choosing an urban over a rural environment, if only because that is where the jobs are, and high technology flats rather than caves, where many of my own ancestors would have survived, at least until the end of the last Ice Age.
Writing for BBC News, Stephanie Flanders reports on the Monetary Policy Committee's search for guidance. The slightly better-than-expected inflation figure for June continues the run of good news for Mark Carney. Of course, it would be better if inflation were going down, not up. But it could have been worse. It leaves the way clear for him to focus on his most pressing task: coming up with a way to make "forward guidance" part of the Monetary Policy Committee's tool-kit for supporting the economy.
That is indeed a big job, which some in the Bank do not feel they have been given much time to complete. George Osborne wants a decision in time for the next Inflation Report press conference on 7 August, which realistically means that the new approach will need to be there to inform the monetary policy decision the previous week, on 1 August. At bottom, there are really two questions that the chancellor asked the MPC to answer. First, would it be helpful to the UK economy for the Bank to offer more "forward guidance" on monetary policy? Second, following on from that, should that guidance include an "intermediate threshold" - a staging point that the real economy needs to meet for policy to change - and if so, what should that threshold be? Stephanie concludes thus:
" .... This way of looking at guidance would have the Bank saying how it plans to live with uncertainty: how it will be monitoring the capacity of the economy going forward, and how it plans to adjust policy in line with those observations. Depending on how it was framed, the message would be: "We're going to err on the side of expecting too much of the economy, rather than too little." I don't get the impression that most MPC members would be hugely opposed to the "transparency" kind of guidance. Whether a majority thinks it would make a big practical difference is another matter. Much will depend on how, exactly, the MPC spells out its intentions, and the economic yardsticks it says it will use along the way."
Abd al-Malik, Khalifah Allah, Deputy of God, Ninth Caliph and Ruler of the Faithful, died in 705. But the message proclaimed on his coins of a universal empire of faith still resonates strongly. Today there is no caliph - long claimed by the Turkish sultans, the office was abolished in 1924. In fact, a universally accepted caliph has always been a rare thing, but the dream of a single Islamic empire - a caliphate - remains potent in the modern Islamic world. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, asked the social anthropologist Professor Madawi al-Rasheed to comment:
"Muslims today, at least some sections of the Muslim community worldwide, aspire to this ideal of the caliphate as the embodiment of the Muslim community. It is related to the spread of the internet, of new communication technology, that allows Muslims from different backgrounds to imagine some kind of relationship with other Muslims, regardless of their culture, language or ethnic group. So among your second-generation Muslims in Britain, let's say, they have lost the cultural background of their parents, and they have actually developed linkages with other Muslims of their age, who may have come from different parts of the Muslim world. It aspires towards a globalised identity, an identity where you have bonds based on belief, rather than ethnic background or even nationality."
The yearning for one Islamic community, inspired and guided by the word of God alone - that dream, first clearly articulated in physical form on the coin struck in Damascus over 1300 years ago - is clearly still very much alive.
BBC - A History of the World - Gold coin of Abd al-Malik
In the beginning was not the Word, but the Act! The Word, an abstraction, came later, Sydney Grew! ''The Guardian' leads this morning in praise of ... Mishal Husain. 'The Daily Telegraph' transmits thus:
" ... We wish her well."
Telegraph - Tomorrow's Today: Mishal Husain will add a fresh voice to Radio 4's flagship news programme
I propose some toast: to today, tomorrow and always! Three cheers from kleines charlie and the gang (Wednesday morning breakfast coffee)!
BBC Radio 4 - Today