Visitors at the exhibition Contemplating the Empathy of Others at Stadtgalerie Künstlerhaus Lauenburg. The show centres around Red Horse a photo collage project by artist Sasha Kurmaz that shows how life in Ukraine is being transformed by the war Since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine Kharkiv—the second largest Ukrainian city and a cultural hub—has been under daily fire bombs have exploded within feet of the city’s Yermilov Centre for contemporary art which operates both as an official bomb shelter and art space Over the autumn, Yermilov Centre marked the 1,000th day since the invasion (19 November) and its approaching third anniversary with an international exhibition and ongoing project, Sense of Safety which has been profoundly redefined by the war” The Belgian artist Francis Alÿs and the Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn are also participating in the show and travelled to Kharkiv: Alÿs in 2023 to film a video that was shown at the exhibition; Hirschhorn during its run to host a series of workshops called Energy = Yes no one can feel safe,” she said as anti-government protestors faced off with Georgia’s pro-Russian government in Tbilisi and Syrian rebels toppled dictator Bashar Assad This sense of safety extends to “other tragic things that can happen [to] people” such as the international climate and food crises Parallel Sense of Safety events at venues across the European Union Ukraine and Georgia included two Ukrainian photography exhibitions in Tbilisi organised by Bouillon Group an activist collective based in the Georgian capital The group has operated in the Georgian art scene for 18 years and are known for their political performances Tbilisi has been gripped by anti-government demonstrations against the ruling These began in the aftermath of the parliamentary elections which demonstrators claim were rigged—a suggestion Georgia’s prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze denied—and have continued over the party’s decision to suspend European Union (EU) membership talks Parallels have been drawn to the Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan Revolution which broke out after plans to sign an association agreement with the EU were quashed with “reports indicating” that around 300 have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment Bouillon group told The Art Newspaper in a statement: “We saw how the Georgian Dream stole from us the last chance to change the situation with democratic elections.” The group compared the situation in their country to Belarus’ contested 2019 elections during which cultural figures rallied against the dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka [often spelt Lukashenko] and were subject to a brutal crackdown Sense of Safety was created in collaboration with antiwarcoalition.art an online project formed by Belarusian cultural workers that collects and shares statements against war from artists around the world “A part of [our team] is cultural workers from Belarus so we constantly focus on the [country’s] dual position in the ‘big’ war,” said Antonina Stebur an exiled Belarusian curator working on the exhibition provides its territories for Russian troops and weapons even now anti-war actions continue inside the country and a huge number of political prisoners.” Tatiana Kochubinska, a Ukrainian member of antiwarcoalition.art says it was essential for Sense of Safety to be held in Kharkiv which is just 30km from the Ukraine-Russia border was “constantly arguing how important it was to create an exhibition and bring art to the city [while] at war,” while co-curator Maryna Konieva “developed the concept of the whole project being present in the city at the most difficult times of shelling volunteering and evacuating art collections.” Kochubinska adds that Taras Kamennoy conveyed that “the exhibition has given him a feeling that he is alive again.” including on its recently introduced laws restricting LGBTQ rights Children’s Game #39: Parol (2023); with Iryna Loskots Camouflage (2024) in the foreground© YermilovCentr a banner marking the culmination of the artist’s series of workshops; and Yulia Kostereva & Yuriy Kruchak All That’s Solid Melts into Air (2024) There is a broader anti-colonial impulse at the heart of Sense of Safety too, Stebur pointing to the Kurdish artist Ahmet Öğüt’s work as an example. He has replicated works by Ukrainian artists from different generations—including Alla Horska who was brutally murdered in 1970—to highlight ”the intertwined political and artistic legacies of these individual,” says Stebur By focusing on these artists he also seeks to rethink “the history of art overcoming Western European centrality,” according to an artist statement Also created in the run up to the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion is Ribbon, a platform dedicated to supporting Ukrainian cultural heritage and contemporary art. Last month, Ribbon opened the Ukrainian debut of Zhanna Kadyrova’s installation Instrumnt comprising a playable organ infused with Russian missile shells that the artist gathered in Kyiv A musician playing Zhanna Kadyrova’s installation Instrument The work, first shown at this year’s Venice Biennale, was unveiled on 22 November at Lviv railway station. Ukrainian Railways, or Ukrzaliznytsya, have been a lifeline in the war, transporting troops to the frontline and civilians to safety. Kadyrova has organised a series of concerts involving the organ that will run until 19 January 2025 she is imagining it as a form of physical and psychological rehabilitation for war veterans is also a way to for overcome Russian propaganda and “bring information to people who are tired [after] 1,000 days of war” A visitor at Contemplating the Empathy of Others at Stadtgalerie Künstlerhaus Lauenburg “We were trying to play a little bit with the classic work of [the critic and theorist] Susan Sontag [on the topic of] watching and contemplating the pain of others,” says Alona Karavai, the founder of Asortymentna Kimnata, of the exhibition. She adds that she wanted to query “what happens with empathy when there are too many pictures of this war—or when it’s going on for longer and getting even more cruel, but people are getting used to the level of cruelty.” sincere and gifted," adding: "There is no explanation for this analysis24 February 2025Three years on from Russia’s invasion, Ukraine’s art world figures are keeping up the fight for their country’s cultureFrom an artists’ handbook addressing life under occupation to exhibitions combatting colonial narratives the examples of resistance are various—despite growing pressure caused by US funding cuts news25 April 2025Fragility, resilience and humour: Wolfgang Tillmans and Boris Mikhailov to open photography show in war-torn KharkivThe exhibition is due to open later today at the Yermilov Centre news31 October 2024Treasured Constructivist skyscraper in Kharkiv damaged by Russian strikeDerzhprom is an important symbol of Ukrainian national identity a delivery robot capable of transporting both people and goods These projects are now being followed up by the TaBuLa-LOGplus This latest project aims to design and test a smart control centre for automated delivery robots and buses in Lauenburg and has received EUR 2.34 in funds from the German Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport Following its presentation at the ITS World Congress last year is now focusing on the use of AI and kicked off at the TUHH in July the people of Lauenburg will no longer be able to follow the progress of the current project as most of the solutions are being tested in laboratories and simulations during occasional trips on Lauenburg's roads Laura will be able to react to critical situations in real time thanks to computer vision and AI-based environment recognition In May, Germany's Federal Council passed an ordinance on autonomous driving that allows tests in everyday road traffic autonomous buses were only allowed to drive on special routes and very slowly in test mode The new ordinance should alleviate the situation "The fact that driverless vehicles are becoming part of ordinary road traffic in Germany is unique worldwide and an enormous achievement But precisely this detailed experience at developing the legal framework and putting it into practice enables us to make an important contribution to further international work," said Dr Volker Wissing Federal Minister of Digital Affairs and Transport The TaBuLa-LOGplus project is backed by the TU Hamburg, the Institute of Technical Logistics (ITL) and the Institute for Transport Planning and Logistics (VPL), as well as Palaimon GmbH and Interlink GmbH. The Duchy of Lauenburg County, the city of Lauenburg an der Elbe, Yunex Traffic (spin-off from Siemens) and the Kion Group are associated partners. Professional visitor tickets are now available! Get your ticket for 2025 online in the ticket shop today. Berlin or Lauenburg – self-driving test vehicles can now be spotted with increasing frequency on our roads These driverless cars often catch the eye with their rounded forms and colorful liveries It’s a design reminiscent of toy cars: Is that just chance muscular proportions and an aggressive look – today’s sports cars and SUVs are after dramatic lines and a dynamic exterior when it comes to design But other cars are opting for a completely different language of forms rounded proportions and light signatures which evoke the human face they stand out from the crowd of regular car designs Contrary to popular belief, there are already quite a number of these cars on German roads. Whether in Lauenburg (Schleswig-Holstein), Berlin, Düsseldorf, Aachen, Hamburg or Leipzig – the list of towns and cities taking part in autonomous driving pilot projects is a long one In addition to test vehicles from the car manufacturers in most cases the driverless transport comes in the form of small shuttle buses being tested as part of regional transport projects These box-like buses often look like oversized toys slowly making their way along designated routes at low speed vehicle navigation “in the field” for them represents a massive challenge to make their way safely through the traffic the buses need to adapt continuously to the other road users which requires a high degree of communication And this is precisely where the striking design of these self-driving shuttles comes into play these rolling robots can convey a variety of moods and information to others it’s an ideal opportunity – and also a necessity – to be able to exchange information with its environment the toy-like language of forms should act on its environment in as friendly and welcoming a manner as possible an initial bridge is forged between man and machine that builds confidence and creates connection-points for further interaction once someone has acknowledged the unfamiliar object light signals can handle the communication from there on many cars are looking to a front-end that resembles a face to imitate human looks and gestures or to communicate verbally with people Other manufacturers have chosen to go down a similar route, and are testing the use of various light signals. For example, the interACT project group is backed by BMW the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the electronics expert Hella Its research work is aimed at investigating socio-psychological contexts determining the communications requirements in traffic situations The aim is to use light systems to develop a wide range of projections symbols or colors which can be clearly and intuitively recognized by other road users Non-verbal communication between man and machine is an approach which is also inspiring the developers of today’s cars and which, in a modified form, has already found its way into series-manufactured vehicles. For instance, Volkswagen’s electric ID.3 is able to communicate its charging status via a light signal that is similarly reminiscent of a human eye As the driver approaches the compact electric car the car seems to “wink” in welcome The same also applies when the driver gets out of the car is intended to convey a feeling of emotional security for the driver in future updatable cars like the ID.3 are set to be travelling around our roads with ever greater autonomy About Rotary(down arrow opens sub-menu)> Get Involved(down arrow opens sub-menu)> Our Causes(down arrow opens sub-menu)> Our Programs(down arrow opens sub-menu)> News & Features(down arrow opens sub-menu)> For Members(down arrow opens sub-menu)> a member of the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln has been selected to serve as president of Rotary International in 2020-21 The Nominating Committee’s decision follows the resignation last month of President-nominee Sushil Gupta due to health reasons Knaack will officially become president-nominee if no other candidates challenge him by 31 May Knaack says Rotary must focus on increasing the number of female members and transitioning Rotaractors into Rotarians Knaack believes that the People of Action campaign offers new public awareness possibilities for Rotary “This campaign conveys our global image while still respecting differences in regions and cultures,” he says representative for the Council on Legislation He is an endowment/major gifts adviser and co-chair of the Host Organization Committee for the 2019 Rotary International Convention in Hamburg He was previously a partner and general manager of Knaack Enterprises He is a founding member of the Civic Foundation of the City of Ratzeburg and served as president of the Golf-Club Gut Grambek Knaack is also the founder and chair of the Karl Adam Foundation are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation and members of the Bequest Society The members of the Nominating Committee for the 2020-21 President of Rotary International are Kazuhiko Ozawa Rotary Club of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you The news was first reported by the German paper The prince passed away following complications experienced during surgery Princess Elisabeth and their three children who is now regarded as the new Prince of Bismarck Ferdinand was the great-grandson of former German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck He was born on 22 November 1930 in London as the eldest son of Prince Otto von Bismarck and Swedish born Ann-Mari Tengbom and was educated at the Schule Schloss Salem boarding school After a few years in Brazil in the early 1950s where he worked for the German-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce He worked for the European Commission in Brussels for some years and He has also managed his family’s estate He became a member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany when he was thirty years old and was chairman of the local party in Aumühle He was a member of the board of the Otto von Bismarck Foundation and ispatron of the Bismarckbund and the Bismarck Order as well as chairman of the Duchy of Lauenburg Foundation The House was founded in 1270 by Herebord von Bismarck and has held The House of Bismarck is a German noble family that rose to prominence through the achievements of the statesman Otto von Bismarck He was granted a hereditary comital title in 1865 and the hereditary title of Prince of Bismarck in 1871 Robots are likely to become everyday soon. Yet, meeting them on a bus can make for a peculiar encounter unless you happen to be in Lauenburg in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. The driverless TaBuLa shuttle minibus releases ramps at bus stops to let "Laura" the delivery robot on board passengers find themselves travelling with a robot "Laura transports post for various authorities," said Dr Johannes Hinckeldeyn Technical Manager of the project "Lauenburg's Automated Robot Delivery" The combined transport of people and goods in automated shuttles is being tested in Lauenburg as part of TaBuLa-LOG (Test Centre for Autonomous Buses in the Duchy of Lauenburg County) and was developed by the Institute for Technical Logistics at the Technical University of Hamburg The combination of an autonomous shuttle and a bus-driving robot is unique so far Hinckeldeyn stressed and is one of 42 anchor projects to be presented during the ITS World Congress underway from October 11-15 researchers are focusing on public acceptance of the project "How do people react when a robot comes aboard making for a close encounter Laura has several sensors to gauge such contact a laser scanner on the top of the robot is linked with a map," Hinckeldeyn pointed out 3D close range stereo cameras identify street lanterns or parked cars and two stereo cameras scan the safety area so Laura can stop immediately if need be." Fine positioning allows the robot to board the bus from a ramp "Ultrasonic sensors navigate centimetre by centimetre and ensure that Laura doesn't accidentally run over a dog's tail," he grinned Given the boom in online sales and deliveries Laura could ultimately reduce the volume of traffic Public transport could extend the robot's parcel delivery range drives the delivery robots close to their actual destination lets them off at bus stops to drive the last mile The robot delivers the goods and gets back on the bus again," Hinckeldeyn noted The shuttle thus extends the robot's delivery range which should be another challenge for Laura "Let's see how Laura navigates a sea of legs," he remarked TaBuLa-LOG and Laura projects are among ITS research projects underway in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region They have received EUR 3.7 million in funds from the German Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure as part of the "Automated and Connected Driving" and "Sustainable Mobility System for the Future through Automated Driving and Networking".ys/sb/pb Queen Margrethe II of Denmark represented a milestone in the country’s life from a very early age and in more ways than one she was the first woman to become Queen since the change of the succession law that allowed her to become the heir presumptive But she was also the first monarch in Danish history to renounce all titles upon ascending to the throne Her predecessors had a long list of titles except for the title of “Queen of Denmark.” We have to take a close look at the preceding sovereigns to get an idea Lauenburg and Oldenburg until 1944 when the Dano-Icelandic union was dissolved and he had to give up his title as King of Iceland Iceland is now its own independent country But what about the other territories mentioned in the list “The Wends and the Goths” is actually a reference to two groups of people from medieval history; the Wends occupied a territory that corresponds to Mecklenburg The title of King of the Wends was used for centuries by both the Danish and the Swedish monarchs until the ascensions of both Queen Margrethe and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden who both renounced all of their titles except the ones tied to their own respective nations Duke of Schleswig refers to a territory located in modern-day southern Jutland a territory that celebrated in 2021 its 100th anniversary of the annexation to Denmark It was one of the first peaceful transitions of territory from one nation to the next with the domain being contended for centuries before between Denmark and Germany The title of “Duke of Holstein” has an interesting historical twist in the 1720s following a defeat of the Duchy by the Danes This generated a multitude of claims to this title which is today believed to belong to Prince Dimitri Pavlovich Romanovsky-Ilyinsky The Duchy of Holstein originated in 1474 when King Christian I of Denmark had the county elevated to a Duchy by Emperor Frederick III It ceased to exist as a Duchy after its annexation to the Prussian empire in 1866 but the monarchs of Denmark kept using the title until 1972 The title of Duke of Dihmarschen entered the Danish Royal Family in the 1550s when the three heads of the territories that conquered the Duchy divided it into three parts after their combined efforts finally subdued the local forces; the territory was reunited under Denmark in 1864 Lauenburg is the title that is associated with the King of Denmark that has with the country the shortest history of domination as the Duchy of Lauenburg was under Danish domain only from 1815 to 1864 when the Prussian Empire conquered it it remained part of the titles that the Danish sovereigns chose to keep But it is the Duchy of Oldenburg that has the most recognisable name for any Danish royal historian The Oldenburg branch of the family reigned in Denmark from 1448 until 1818 It is the same branch currently in power as Queen Margrethe descends from them So these are all the titles from her father that Queen Margrethe decided to renounce when she was proclaimed monarch Queen of Denmark.” The Kingdom of Denmark includes what is sometimes referred to as “proper Denmark” and two autonomous territories: the Faroe Islands and Greenland both of which have independent parliaments and where the Queen is only a symbolic figure You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed The TimesThe weather forecast on this day 73 years ago was nothing out of the ordinary with bright intervals in most districts,” the Air Ministry report stated on May 9 Throughout the Second World War up-to-date weather reports and weather forecasts were top secret to prevent the Germans drawing up their own forecasts were newspapers and the BBC free to make weather reports and forecasts public again “For the first time since the war began it is now possible to tell the world what weather Britain is having while it is having it All restrictions were removed by the censors yesterday,” announced The Times 200 years ago the Danish kingdom lost Norway -- and along with it power and influence during a tumultuous time in Europe But it may be that the event wasn’t so bad for the northern kingdom the loss of Norway could actually have paved the way towards Danish democracy ”Losing Norway directly results in the Danish kingdom’s centre of power being pushed from Scandinavia towards the continent,” says Professor Roald Berg from University of Stavanger “This indirectly leads to the abolition of the absolute monarchy in Denmark in 1848.” Berg has recently published a paper in Scandinavian Journal of History where he analyses the geopolitical consequences for Denmark and Sweden in the wake of the Treaty of Kiel which saw Norway released from Danish rule in 1814 It was during the rule of King Frederik VI of Denmark that Norway was lost in 1814 Denmark was forced to surrender Norway because Frederik VI of Denmark had backed Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars Frederik VI was granted the tiny German duchy of Lauenburg by the European super powers it came at a cost as both Lauenburg and the already Danish duchy of Holstein had to be included into the German Confederation Every duchy in the confederation had the right to a constitution and more importantly: the right to publicly discuss politics and societal matters -- things that were impossible under the strict Danish rule ”In many ways it becomes a Trojan horse that leads to similar changes in Denmark itself,” says Berg Danish historian Rasmus Glenthøj from University of Southern Denmark agrees with Berg’s analysis ”It was definitely the first step towards democracy,” he says But the treaty had other consequences as well. According to Glenthøj it’s possible to draw a direct line from the loss of Norway and all the way up to the Danish-German wars fought from 1848 to 1864 ”When the duchys were included in the German Confederation it gave the Germans right and opportunity to interfere,” he says “This gives them a legitimate right to mess with internal Danish affairs and this leads to the later wars.” While the events in 1814 planted the early seeds of democracy in Denmark it actually didn’t do much good for Norway -- democracy wise at least ”For the past 200 years we’ve been celebrating our independence and gain of democracy,” says Berg “The latter just isn’t true.” The truth is that Norway’s new constitution was only accepted by the European super powers because it was deemed restrictive enough to ensure ‘peace and order’ – the constitution granted voting rights to just seven per cent of the population “The European regime lived in a constant fear of ‘the people’ after seeing what happened during the French revolution,” says Berg Glenthøj says no one back then really wanted a true democracy “Democracy is seen as chaos and war,” he says “Liberals in Denmark perceives absolute monarchy and democracy as to extremes -- instead the Norwegian constitution was seen as sort of a middle path.” Roald Berg: Denmark, Norway and Swden in 1814. A geopolitical and contemporary perspective, in Scandinavian Journal of History, 2014. Roald BergRasmus Glenthøj One of the hoariest old saws in politics is that the making of law is like the making of sausage -- you might like the results but you certainly don’t want to be around to see the nastiness that goes into producing both products Although I have certainly been guilty of helping to elevate (or lower as the case may be) that old saying to cliché status over the years an expert of the inner workings of legislatures across the county revealed it in his remarks at an orientation session for the newly-elected Alabama Legislature at the Alabama law school Duke of Lauenburg and the first chancellor of the 19th Century German empire to be precise -- who first came up with the metaphor the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck made the remark that that were two things you don’t want to see being made: law and sausage," he said professor of public policy at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University the author of half a dozen books on legislatures and the legislative process and a self-described “legislative groupie," told Alabama’s new lawmakers that Bismarck’s “metaphor doesn’t hold." He said that several years ago he found himself in Columbus at a 20,000-pounds a day sausage factory where he was shown around for a couple of hours by quality control people “Sausage-making is nothing like lawmaking," he said Everybody is on the same team trying to make sure a good sausage “You’ll never find a bratwurst amendment to a knockwurst in a sausage factory," he said “Maybe it was different in the 19th century it is ugly and that is what a democracy is supposed to be and it is but it is very difficult to get across to the people that that’s the way it should be," he said In addition to a lack of understanding of the sometimes messy give-and-take of the legislative process another of the reasons legislatures resemble Rodney Dangerfield in their lack of respect from the public are the conventions of the press which were in Tuscaloosa in droves last week for the session that ended with Alabama Gov Bob Riley’s first speech to the Legislature elected in November “The media’s role is to make the bad look worse," he said “You’ve heard the saying 'no news is good news’ -- well the corollary of that is 'good news is no news.’ evoking another overused journalistic cliché [although I must say I have never seen any blood on the floor of the Alabama House or Senate no was there any left behind at the law school] Rosenthal is overtly sympathetic to the little-understood job of actually making laws also said the public sees the most egregious behavior by lawmakers as the norm “They generalize from the worst cases to the entire legislature," he said That was a lesson I learned more than a quarter of a century ago when a reporter from a Huntsville paper reported on the carryings-on of a particularly wild local legislator who was known to frequent the bars and strip clubs along Memorial Parkway in both Montgomery and the Rocket City the report casually mentioned that he had seen a “certain member of the local legislative delegation" urinating in the parkway median during a wild night of drinking a carousing because that “certain" legislator had not been named in the newspapers all the members of the sizable Madison County delegation were on the horn with the reporter first thing Monday morning demanding that he state in no uncertain terms who was not seen engaging in such behavior “People were coming up to me at church asking if it was me peeing in the parkway," one outraged legislator yelled at him a painful lesson learned about tarring many with a brush meant for one Reach Tommy Stevenson at tommy.stevenson@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0194 Read 15 years of Mumbai Mirror's journalism here. Continue readingFor 24x7 updates on Mumbai and Maharashtra For reprint rights:Times Syndication Service Javascript Menu by Deluxe-Menu.com CHE) - Disasters caused global economic losses of about $130 billion (94.5 billion euros) this year but there was little insurance coverage for the deadliest catastrophe In a preliminary estimate of the impact of natural and man-made disasters the Zurich-based reinsurance group noted that the economic impact was sharply down from $196 billion in 2012 a year marked by Superstorm Sandy in the United States But the total loss of life climbed to about 25,000 people from 14,000 in 2012 Last month's Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines was the deadliest single disaster insured losses from the typhoon are expected to be modest It pointed to the low proportion of insurance coverage in the Philippines -- a common issue in developing nations which are also amongst the globe's most disaster-prone countries Swiss Re did not release an estimate for the Philippines but insurance- and disaster-risk modellers AIR Worldwide recently put the economic losses at $6.5-14.5 billion and insurance coverage at $300-700 million The latter figure accounted only for physical damage to insured buildings and their contents and did not include such areas as losses of crops or business interruption insurance penetration remains low," Swiss Re's chief economic Kurt Karl said in a statement insurance can lessen the destructive impact and financial burden that large catastrophic events can have on people's lives It can also help accelerate reconstruction efforts as we have seen in areas where insurance penetration is higher," he added The insurance industry is likely to cover about $44 billion of the 2013 disaster losses It noted that the figure was substantially lower than the $81 billion in payouts last year both in terms of losses and likely insurance payouts was the flooding in June that battered Germany the Czech Republic and neighbouring countries in central Europe caused economic losses of around $18 billion Insured losses were nonetheless higher than during the 2002 floods in the same region which cost the industry $3.0 billion at current prices The June 2013 disaster ranked as the second most expensive fresh-water flood on record but still lies a distant second to the 2011 Thailand floods which led to insured claims of over $16 billion Europe was also hit by Hailstorm Andreas in Germany and France in July The more recent Windstorm Christian and Windstorm Xavier in central and northern Europe triggered insured losses of around $1.0 billion each June rains and flooding in the Canadian province of Alberta led to insured losses of $2.0 billion the highest ever recorded in the country for any disaster There were also heavy rains and floods in Australia Harsh spring and autumn weather caused severe thunderstorms and deadly tornadoes in the United States but the 2013 North Atlantic hurricane season was benign The company is set to release its definitive 2013 disaster data in March Home » Happy 100th Birthday Heinz attended a very special morning tea at the Abel Tasman Village in Chester Hill last Monday to congratulate Mr Heinz Sitterlee who turned 100 on December 9 He was a keen pigeon racer and a hard worker Mr Sitterlee migrated to Australia with his family in 1957 and settled in Virgil Avenue He was married to his late wife Irmgard for over 73 years Martin and Manfred – 9 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren Mr Clare said “Reaching 100 is a tremendous achievement for any person and I congratulate Mr Sitterlee on this extraordinary milestone.” Mr Clare invites residents to let his office know when they are celebrating a special 90th plus birthday or a 50th plus wedding anniversary so he can arrange for appropriate personal congratulatory messages “Celebrating important occasions like this with members of our community is a great privilege,” Mr Clare said PO Box 6022House of RepresentativesParliament HouseCanberra ACT 2600 We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which our offices stand and we pay our respects to Elders past strength and pride of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities