An article in The Wall Street Journal listingThe Best Architecture of 2014includes UBs Solar Strand, calling the 3,200-panel, ground-mounted photovoltaic array a small but telling model of landscape architecture at its most forward-thinking.

Envisioning energy as part of the cultural and built landscape, the Solar Strandstands at the main entrance to UB's North Campus and provides a striking but practical campus gateway. The 750-kilowatt array generates enough energy to power hundreds of student apartments while offsetting the emission of nearly 400 tons of greenhouse gases annually.

At a time when fields of PV panels and wind turbine farms are a reality, planted in vast undifferentiated arrays that assault the eye, not to mention birds and other animals, Solar Strand offers a thoughtful alternative, writes Julie V. Iovine, the Journals architecture critic.

The array was designed by the celebrated landscape architect, artist and educatorWalter Hood, who was selected through an international design competition sponsored by UB.

The design competition, which attracted an initial field of 23 artists and landscape architects from around the world, called for a solar array that would be integrated into the campus landscape, accessible to students and the community, and representative of a new design vocabulary for solar installations around the world.

The project got its start in 2009 when the New York Power Authority approached UB with an interest in funding the construction of a conventional, ground-mounted photovoltaic array across several acres at the North Campus entrance. University leadership took the project to the next level, with NYPAs support, proposing to elevate design standards for the project through an international design competition.

Robert Shibley, dean of the School of Architecture and Planning, UBs campus architect and chair of the selection committee for the competition, reflected on the design process in a recent article inDomus, an international architectural publication:

To transform a simple utility field into a land art installation, we mounted an international design competition that asked artists to consider solar panels as their medium and our campus gateway as their canvas. We were presenting the opportunity to make art from something that tended to be somewhat pedestrian, and that was increasingly subject to not-in-my-backyard obstruction. I think for some artists thats a very interesting challenge.

Hoods winning vision was to build the installation into the campus landscape. The 15-acre site features regenerating meadows, a meandering creek and vernal pools. Set in the background are the universitys chilled water plant and generator system.

The Solar Strands design logic is based on the strand concept: a linear landscape formation and DNA fingerprint. Groups of photovoltaic panels are mounted at staggering heights onto supports that stretch in three rows. Walkways run between the rows of panels, connecting the array with local roads, UBs Center for Tomorrow and naturally regenerated meadows and wetland areas that the public can enjoy.

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Solar Stand on Wall Street Journal list of Best Architecture of 2014

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Find more essays from each of the panelists at this year's Economic Forecast Breakfast at http://www.columbian.com/economicforecast

Every business, small or large, must attract new customers and deepen loyalty among current ones if they are going to grow. But today's communications landscape is undergoing seismic shifts, and savvy business owners are changing their marketing strategies to reach the people they depend on for business success.

Migration of marketing efforts from traditional to digital and social is expected to accelerate dramatically, according to nearly every expert. Gone are the days when a big advertising campaign or piles of expensive brochures were commonplace.

Few companies have the budget for a Super Bowl ad, but anyone might post that rare YouTube video that goes viral. It's this level playing field that gives small and midsize businesses opportunities to compete effectively for customers' share of mind and wallet like never before.

Here are five trends and transformations that all businesses, but especially smaller ones, can benefit from in the new marketing paradigm.

Keep your website tuned up. Don't think of that recent website redo as a "one and done" effort. Continue to build out features that keep your content fresh and your technology up to date. As with all things, technological advances make systems and platforms obsolete faster than most businesses can keep up with. A plan that offers ongoing improvements will extend the life of your initial investment.

Everyone's telling your story now, thanks to social media. Surveys say people trust recommendations from friends and colleagues upward of 10 times more than advertisers' claims. What are people saying about your brand on Facebook or on sites like Amazon or Angie's List? And social is not just for consumers anymore; even B2B companies must look to social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter to check the buzz about their company. People tune out traditional advertising and tune in to referrals and recommendations from friends and colleagues. Savvy marketers track feedback and engage in social media to help influence the influencers.

If you aren't doing video yet, you're already late to the party. Video is skyrocketing as the most preferred, most effective way to connect with your customers. Whether you're using 6-second Vine videos, uploading to a YouTube channel, or embedding videos on your website and in your presentations, making video a core part of your marketing plan is a must in 2015.

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Henning: Marketing must embrace digital, social media aspects

The new dark pool for fund managers announced by Fidelity Investments and others is the latest attempt to bring transparency to part of the market seen as cloaked in secrecy.

Fidelity, BlackRock Inc. (BLK) and seven other asset managers unveiled Luminex, an industry-owned dark pool where they say the biggest investors will know the rules and be kept free of interference from speculators. The venture follows a year in which the reputations of private electronic equity venues suffered as regulators uncovered evidence of deception.

While ambitious, the model described by the fund companies bears resemblances to venues already in operation, in particular one run by Liquidnet Holdings Inc. That platform, opened in 2001 by Seth Merrin and serving about 760 fund companies in 43 markets worldwide, ranked 20th among the biggest American dark pools by volume, according to the latest data.

It would be wonderful if everybody put all their eggs in the Liquidnet basket, Merrin said in a telephone interview today. We look at this as them throwing their hands up in the air and saying, Were fed up with this market structure, Were fed up with the shenanigans.

(Bloomberg LP, the parent of Bloomberg News, owns a stake in Bids Trading LP, which operates a dark pool geared toward block trading.)

At Merrins Liquidnet, the average size of trades is more than 40,000 shares, about 200 times greater than those found on most venues. The platform has found a niche as a crossing network where the biggest investors wait for counterparties to show up with orders that match theirs.

That model stands in contrast to most of the U.S. equity landscape, where market makers intermediate trades between investors who want to do business right away. Liquidnet did just over 22 million shares in the week of Dec. 29, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The two biggest dark pools, both run by brokerages, did almost 10 times that.

The Finra figures only include trading of the biggest U.S. stocks.

Theres always room for intermediation because most stocks are not going to find their natural other side, Merrin said. What they are saying is that the regulations and current solutions out there are not doing enough to help their specific business.

IEX Group Inc., made famous by Michael Lewiss Flash Boys book, is owned by a consortium including hedge funds and mutual funds. It opened for business on Oct. 25, 2013, and its share of total U.S. equity trading hit 1 percent in November.

Excerpt from:
Fund Firm Dark Pool Seeks Transparency in Opaque Corner

Booking a space on a guided wildlife safari is the way most visitors experience Africa. But theres another option few travelers know about that offers a more exclusive way to see the continent.

One can reserve their own luxury home deep in the African wilderness with an attentive staff at your beck and call offering the freedom to explore the countryside at leisure. These luxury estates, handpicked by African Safari Company, an agency that specializes in small group travel and custom safaris, are a perfect getaway for those looking for a unique travel experience off the typical path.

Set amidst two rolling mountain ranges, Tarkuni is the Oppenheimer familys own personal home at Tswalu Kalahari, the ultimate private sanctuary. Recently redesigned to uncompromising standards of comfort and elegance, Tarkuni is an exceptional choice for families or groups of friends. Its five luxurious suites, each with a magnificent en-suite bathroom, accommodate a maximum of 10 guests. The home has its own dedicated team including a host and private chef to ensure a completely personal service. A private vehicle, personal field guide and tracker ensure an equally bespoke safari experience.

Tarkuni creates an oasis of serenity in the desert. Its quiet pool and shady salas offer calm and contemplation. Its own traditional boma (fenced enclosure) has seen many star-lit celebrations. And its beguiling charm has led many guests to return time and again to what has become their second home in the Kalahari.

Villa Saebin, set against Signal Hill in the suburban Tamboerskloof neighborhood, takes full advantage of the views of Table Mountain, Lions Head, the Stellenbosch Mountains, and the Durbanville Hills. The vertical spread of five levels has a private study at the entrance level (with a garage underneath) and three guest bedrooms on the level above. The living area on the fourth level includes open-plan living and dining areas, a sleek kitchen with Miele appliances, a yoga room, and a terrace with an L-shaped pool.

Nights are dreamy in the fifth-level master suite with a roof garden and terrace. Artworks from around the worlda mix of pieces highlighting contemporary African and Asia-Pacific influencesaccent the villa. Villa Saebin, which was completed in early 2014, comes with Wi-Fi, a home-entertainment system, and housekeeping service four days per week.

Zambia's Lower Zambezi is renowned throughout Africa for its magnificent herds of wild elephant, exceptional predator viewing and of course the Zambezi River. It's also home to one of the continents most spectacular and unique private homes. Chongwe River House sleeps eight in four spacious ensuite bedrooms, making an ideal safari base for a family or a group of friends wanting a private safari.

Chongwe River House stands on the banks of the Chongwe River, close to the Zambezi, and with a sensational view of the dramatic mountainous escarpment beyond. Many animals come to the Chongwe River to drink and from the deck the game viewing can be as good as any safari activity. The property comes fully staffed with Chongwes resident head guide Matt Porter, house managers Scott Simpson and Kim Bailey, private chefs and a full complement of support staff all of whom are masters at tailoring private safaris.

Kiba Point is an incredible private camp in the Selous; a totally exclusive retreat in the heart of one of the most game-rich areas of Tanzania. Kiba Point has just 4 sleeping rooms, raised and entirely open at the front, to take advantage of the river views. The thrill of sleeping in such proximity to nature, while completely safe from animal intruders, makes Kiba a special and unique experience. Bathrooms are bush deluxe, with flush toilets, indoor and outdoor showers and hot and cold water upon request.

At Kiba Point, each room has its own plunge pool set into the edge of the deck, and there is also a large house pool where you can sink into comfortable sofas and chairs for an afternoon of general laziness. Kiba Point has its own small team of guides and staff, all of whom can help plan outings and activities. Head out every day either on foot, by boat or by vehicle - as you want and when you want.

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Private African homes

Jan 23 2015 at 1:14 PM

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Swan Hill is a well laid out city of some 10 000 people with a pleasant, garden-like main street, located at the eastern edge of the Mallee area in north-western Victoria. Here the Murray River meets the Little Murray River. Together they denote the eastern boundary of the settlement. The Murray proper forms the border with NSW and, as the town's Giant Murray Cod indicates, the river provides good opportunities for fishing, as well as boating and water sports. In all it extends 2530 km from north-eastern Victoria to the coast of South Australia, making it one of the longest navigable rivers in the world with a catchment area covering 14 per cent of the continent.

Swan Hill is 344 km north-west of Melbourne on the Murray Valley Highway and 70 m above sea-level. Its large saleyards indicate its role as a market centre for part of NSW's Riverina district, although irrigation has also led to the production, in the shire, of wheat, wool, citrus fruits, grapes, wine, dairy products, fat stock, fodder crops and maize. Local manufacturing centres on farm machinery.

Prior to European settlement the area is thought to have been occupied by the Wemba-wemba Aboriginal people. Surveyor and explorer, Thomas Mitchell, camped here in 1836 and gave the site its current European name. In his journal he writes of a 'shallow lagoon, where swans and other wild fowl so abounded that, although half a mile from our camp, their noise disturbed us through the night. I, therefore, named this somewhat remarkable and isolated feature, Swan-hill'. The Beveridge brothers established 'Tyntynder', the first European property in the district, around 1846.

A punt began operating at Swan Hill in 1847. It was the only point at which the Murray could be crossed within 160 km and this would remain the case until the 1930s. When the first punt sank the wood was salvaged and used to build the town's first hotel.

In 1853 Swan Hill was visited by Francis Cadell who here concluded a rather famous steamship voyage from the mouth of the Murray. Despite popular claim it was not the first such voyage but it did herald the start of the inland river trade and Swan Hill became the first major inland port. A wharf was built and remained in use until the 1920s (the remnants can still be seen on the riverbank along with a photograph and explanation plaque).

Swan Hill became a municipality in 1871. The river trade declined with the growth of the railways but the town received a new lease of life when the Mallee was cleared and developed for agricultural purposes. It became a borough in 1939 and a city in 1965.

The town hosts the Red Gum Festival in March, the Racing Cup Carnival in June, the Italian Fiesta and Fireworks in mid-July, the Inland Irrigated Wine Show in October and the Swan Hill Agricultural and Pastoral Show on the first Friday and Saturday of October.

Tourist Information Visitors can garner local information at the Swan Hill Development and Information Centre at 306 Campbell St which is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and on Saturday from 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m., tel: (03) 5032 3033, or, toll-free, 1800 625 373.

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Swan Hill, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do

Here are the 12 clues for the 2015 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt and their meanings. The medallion was found Thursday.

Our hunt this year tinged with a tear

For a master who kept us in stitches.

With humor and wit, clues cleverly writ

Led many from Rags to riches.

The rules of the game, remain much the same --

Both inside the box and out.

Public property bound, don't dig in the ground.

Golf courses: Don't cast about.

Clue #1 pays tribute to Pioneer Press reporter and former Treasure Hunt clue writer Jim Ragsdale, who passed away this past year. The "riches" (medallion) is wrapped in rags. "Both inside the box and out" reprises an image from recent hunts and reminds hunters that the medallion can be hidden inside or outside St. Paul city limits, anywhere in Ramsey County.

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Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt: This year's clues explained

Riverslea protest heats up

Concerned Riverslea residents staged a protest at Darch Brook this morning to stop tree clearing and call for more information on private subdivision plans.

Margaret River resident Jim Matan said the group wanted the clearing stopped until more information had been given on plans by developer Walsec to clear land for 70 new houses.

He said the group requested the workers hold off until such time as we can totally ascertain the legality of what theyre doing.

Mr Matan said protestors were at the site at 8am for about an hour before police asked them to leave. Resident Trudy Hayman said members of the group was concerned they had not been consulted before the clearing.

We had questions for them regarding the legality of their operations, she said.

Mrs Hayman said the group had inquired about the developers permission to clear the site, which was granted in 2002.

Were following up on a few avenues in relation to their permits to clear the land, Mrs Hayman said.

We just want to know all the boxes have been ticked.

Mrs Hayman said the developers were bulldozing trees like they were matchsticks.

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Riverslea protest heats up

Michaela Hoej is a young Czech designer whose ambition it is to bring a breath of fresh air into peoples homes. Her design studio Natureza provides customized interior design solutions that combine quality, beauty and a simple elegance. But, talking about her work she says that sometimes it is an uphill struggle to make her clients accept an unconventional solution. When I met up with Michaela I started by asking about her love of design and Nature.

Michaela Hoej, photo: archive of Michaela Hoej I wanted to live my dream and my dream was to do interior design. So I studied at the design school and now I work as an interior designer. I recently designed a pillow and sheet line with motifs inspired by Nature.

Those are two things that you love and have combined interior design and Nature.

Can you explain what kind of things you do and where you seek inspiration?

I like nice surroundings, generally. I love simple, useful and beautiful things and all that you can find in Nature. It is important for me to feel the magic of space and I want to bring Nature into the interior.

When you say that you have a line of pillow cases what kind of motifs do you chose I noticed things like cobwebs and dew dropshow do you go about selecting them?

I spend a lot of time in Nature and I like to focus on details. So I have a concrete idea in my head, but then I need a photo. And when I searched the internet for suitable photos of the given motif I could not contact any of the authors except one, Frank, who is now my colleague from England.

So he takes photos of what you need?

Yes, I say to him that I need as many pictures as possible say of a cone and hell send me a hundred pictures of a cone. From that I will select one or two, sometimes nothing because it is necessary to capture the correct perspective, light, mood etc.

Photo: Natureza And then I process the picture I want with my graphic designer and we spend hours on that.

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Up-and-coming Czech designer: The only limitations are in our heads

The 55-year-old X Factor judge now needs to consider his partner and baby-mamma Lauren Silverman, 37, and their seven-month-old son Eric

Omar Farag and Philip Perera received three bids from the dragons for a stake in their tea company Box of T

The extravagant rental means that while extensive work is carried out on the new mansion, the couple can keep a check on whats happening

The usually glamorous bunch left their glad rags at home and dressed down for the VIP night

The entrepreneurs get sweaty and the Dragons get snipey in the Den this week

Te team behind this once fizzing programme is replacing creative inspiration and decent business pitches with TV gimmicks

This is what it feels like when noodle entrepreneurs cry...

You say entrepreneur, we say wrong-trepreneur

Our Kelly facts are ROAR-ly interesting...

Prepare for wacky inventions and half-baked business pitches as 11th series gets underway

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Kelly Hoppen

Friday, January 23rd, 2015 Issue 04, Volume 19.

More than 40 percent of the previously-owned homes on the market have at least one serious defect, according to HouseMaster, a major home inspection company with offices in more than 390 cities in the United States and Canada.

"Virtually every used home needs some repair or improvement," said Kathleen Kuhn, CEO and president of HouseMaster. "Thats to be expected. But with todays high prices, you want to make sure that you are aware of any major problems in a house you are considering purchasing, and what it will take to remedy the situation."

Drawing from their own findings from more than one million home inspections, HouseMaster says the most serious home defects to be on the lookout for are:

Cracked heater exchange

Failing air-conditioning compressor

Environmental hazards including radon, water contamination, asbestos, lead paint, and underground storage tanks

Moisture in the basement

Defective roofing and/or flashings

Insect infestation - termites or carpenter ants

Continued here:
12 red flags to beware of when shopping for a home