text:
Where does Bitcoin. to the point that any computer without a powerful graphics card is unlikely to mine any bitcoins in.
Compare that to how much money it cost you to keep your computer running at full speed during that time.Bitcoin mining is a lot like a giant lottery where you compete with your mining hardware with everyone on the network to earn bitcoins.In the world of bitcoin, it seems, you make money by doing both. And,.The slightest lapse of care will make anyone easily identifiable to authorities, and criminal detection rates will be much higher than the 1% success rate enjoyed by authorities in recovering laundered money (UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 2008).How to Spend a Bitcoin. to buy mine, on April 15 2 I got 1.12069832 bitcoins in exchange for. long payment process actually cost me money.How to mine Bitcoin. the world is looking for new ways to invest their money, and bitcoin has become a. the cost of bitcoins, bitcoin mining hardware and.Jordan Tuwiner Last updated June 13, 2017 The early days of Bitcoin mining are often described as a gold rush.
What are Bitcoin Mining Fees and what in the. meaning it would cost more money than what the bitcoin address.Get started with Bitcoin: find a wallet, buy bitcoin, shop with bitcoin, read bitcoin news, and get involved on the forum.
Bitcoin Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know AboutHow Does Bitcoin Mining. from registering as money transmitters.
This number was initially set to 50, halved to 25 in late-2012, and halved again to 12.5 in mid-2016.I let my computer Mine for Bitcoin for a week straight, to see how much money I could.When market price increases, this draws more miners into the game, increasing network hashrate and difficulty, which requires further capital expenditure from incumbent miners, which also leads to higher operating costs.The higher their relative power, the more solutions (and hence, block rewards) a miner is likely to find.
Bitcoin Mining - How does it work? | BitcoinChaser
The Bitcoin Cloud Mining
I will continue bitcoin mining operations with the belief that the extremely.Difficulty increases have been fairly consistent over the past year, with typical fortnightly hashrate increases of between 10% and 20% ( BitcoinWisdom, 2014).
3 Ways to Get Bitcoins - wikiHowHass McCook is a chartered engineer and freshly minted Oxford MBA.If so, you need to know how to make the best use of your money and equipment.Note that the Hardware Costs field does not seem to influence the final calculation.Have breaking news or a story tip to send to our journalists.The mining cycle is difficult to interpret since it depends on the market price of bitcoin.
The results of this research have now been turned into a series of articles for CoinDesk (of which this is part 1) which examine the economic and environmental factors of bitcoin mining.The best performing ASIC from a legitimacy, electricity and price point of view is the KnC Neptune ASIC, and the base case will assume that the entire bitcoin network is powered by them to uphold the economic laws of perfect competition and the assumptions listed above.A Russian political group formed by President Vladimir Putin is planning to advance a green-friendly cryptocurrency concept.NEW YORK (InsideBitcoins) — Want to make money mining for bitcoin.
The gold rush days of bitcoin mining are over,. data-center speed and cost,.Bitcoin For Beginners - Learn How To Mine Bitcoin. services, or money. the price of Bitcoin may be related to the price of energy and the cost of.Apr 11th 2013,. is in fact the process used to mine Bitcoins:. such as money laundering or paying for illegal.The easy money was scooped out a long time ago and what remains is buried under the cryptographic equivalent of tons of hard rock.Block Reward: The number of newly-created bitcoins, awarded to whichever miner creates a block.A cynic might say that the only people making money out of mining Bitcoins at the moment are.
Bitcoin Price And Cost Of Mining Production. we consider the cost of production of Bitcoin mining.Conclusion The average home miner will struggle to be profitable or recoup the cost of mining hardware and electricity.
What Bitcoin Is, and Why It Matters - MIT Technology Review
Mining - TradeBlockIt cost me about 4.85 Bitcoins. The Forbes E-book On Bitcoin Secret Money: Living on Bitcoin in the Real World, by Forbes staff writer Kashmir Hill,.This generous allowance will also cover the impact of producing the ASICs, as several studies show that the gross majority of impact made by electronics happens during their use, and not during production.Difficulty: With hashrate shooting up over the years, it would seem blocks would be found by miners ever more rapidly.
10 things bitcoin won’t tell you - MarketWatch
Proof of Work Hashing: This is the cryptographic work which miners perform in order to find the solution which allows them to define a new block.
How does Bitcoin work? - The Economist explains
The old-school way of getting new bitcoins is mining. it also operates as an extremely low-cost money-moving.Profitability is highly unlikely given the current circumstances.While mining is still technically possible for anyone, those with underpowered setups will find more money is spent on electricity than is generated through mining.

domain: economics


text:
The lavender-haired girl pants and leans against the wall. She casts a furtive look behind her, searching for her pursuer.
“Just a little further Bernie! You’ll be safe in your room.” She tells herself, half in a panic. “They won’t kill you there! It would be too suspicious!”
Bernadetta doesn’t actually know who’s following her. She saw a figure out of the corner of her eye when she was returning from painting the sunset. Her art supplies are currently stowed in her pockets, and the canvas is under her arm.
“Why me though!? I’m not important!” The girl thinks as she resumes her trip, now walking sneakily because she’s still exhausted, back to her room. “M-Maybe they’re a vampire, and they want to drink my blood! Or a serial killer who stabs anyone for the fun of it!”
She hears the snap of a twig and her pace picks up. Adrenaline is making up for the energy she would otherwise lack.
“O-Or maybe I made an enemy! Maybe someone hates my art, o-or maybe I damaged something when I went to the greenhouse, o-o-or maybe C-Casper is angry about that time I punched him in the face. Oh gods, it’s probably that. It’s Caspar!”
That punch was part of a sparring match, and the face is a perfectly valid target because they were both wearing helmets. That bit of rationality doesn’t occur to the girl at this moment though. In fact, rationality just isn’t her strong suit in general.
M-Maybe it’s Hubert! I knew he was mad about me dropping my quill too close to him! O-Or maybe it’s Petra! I-I probably did something horribly offensive to her culture! Oh gods, oh gods…” Bernadetta panics. "Oh gods, what if it’s all of them!? What if they’re all coming to beat me up!? O-Or maybe it’s an assassin or kidnapper hired by house Hevring to send a message that my family’s interference in their sphere isn’t going to be tolerated any longer!”
The girl’s imagination spirals more and more out of control, her pace gets faster and faster, and her eyes dart around frantically. Every flickering light is an arrow tip or sword reflecting the moon, every corner hides an assassin, every noise she makes is too loud, every step she takes isn’t fast enough, she’s expecting a dagger or arrow in the back any second now.
Bernadetta actually misses her doorway due to how fast she’s running. She skids to a halt, frantically pulls her key from her pocket, and practically dives into her dorm room. She slams the door shut, locks it, and collapses against the wall.
Only now, safely in her room (never mind that a wooden door is the only thing separating her from any potential assailants, or an easily-breakable window) does Bernadetta start to calm down enough to think with a measure of rationality. She goes through the motions of putting away her art supplies, wraps her painting in a small protective blanket, all while thinking about the narrow escape she just made... or how much of a fool she was.
“But what if it wasn’t a killer or someone trying to hurt me?” She asks herself. “What if it was Caspar, but he wasn’t mad, and now that he’s seen me running around like a maniac for no reason, he’ll think I’m suspicious, and then he’ll actually try and kill me!”
All this goes through her mind as she changes into her nightclothes and go to sleep. When she turns to actually look at her bed, however, she sees something that makes her heart stop.
There, sitting on her bed, is a note, along with a paintbrush. Her paintbrush. One she must have left behind in her rush to leave.
That means whoever found the paintbrush managed to get back to her room, and get into her room despite not having a key, and had time to write a note, before she ever opened her door.
“You forgot this! Nice painting by the way, I like how you brought out the reds around the edge of the sun. - B”
Bernadetta doesn’t remember anyone else coming around where she was painting. They even got close enough to pick out specific details, and she never noticed. They could have been peering over her shoulder for who-knows-how-long and she would have had no idea.
That’s quite enough for Bernadetta. Her legs buckle, and she faints into her bed.
“Gods!” Caspar whirls around, his heart suddenly pounding. “Teach? When did you get in here? Were you here all along?”
“No, I walked in just a minute ago.” The lady smiles innocently.
“I didn’t hear you come in at all!” Caspar laughs. “You’re quiet!”
“Thank you. It’s very useful in stealth missions.” Byleth says sweetly. “Especially assassinations.”
A chill passes down Caspar’s spine. “O-Oh, uh, that’s cool.”
“So… what are you here for?”
“I was just planning to run some simple drills, that’s all.” Byleth hums. “You don’t mind sharing the space, do you?”
“Of course not!”
Byleth set aside her usual weapon, an unfamiliar single-edged sword that looks to be of foreign make with a circular guard and tight red wrapping on the hilt, and picks up a training sword instead and drags a new dummy to one side of the training pit.
Caspar turns his back to his professor as he goes back to his own training. He has metal training gauntlets on, but he’s been unsuccessful in dealing any lasting damage to the training dummy. He can only attribute it to his lack of strength and lack of training.
Caspar pauses, and turns around. He blinks in surprise at seeing the training dummy his professor had taken out just a minute before now minus a head. The neck, a solid two-by-four, is completely shattered, and apparently in one strike.
Byleth, ever smiling, just says “oops!” and goes to get a new dummy like shattering a dummy with a wooden training blade is something normal.
Thoroughly unnerved (and a bit annoyed at his own lack of strength compared to his teacher’s effortless power), Caspar decides to call it quits for the day.
Everyone freezes for a moment. Conversations stop, and heads whip side-to-side looking for the source of the voice. Petra cranes her neck to try and look behind the curtains, Ferdinand checks the nearest pillar, and Bernadetta even looks behind her at the closed classroom door.
All the students thought their professor was running late, but apparently that’s not the case. She’s already in the room, but no one can see her.
“Today, we’ll be learning about observation and stealth.”
There’s a quiet creak, followed by a loud “WHAM!” and a yelp as Byleth lands heavily on Edelgard’s desk, causing the princess to shout in shock and fall from her seat. Even Hubert, normally the stoic, recoils in his seat from surprise.
There’s a long pause as everyone stares at their teacher. She casually brushes off her cape descends from Edelgard’s desk. The princess still hasn’t gotten off the floor and is gaping with bug-eyed shock at her professor. It’s only when Hubert starts to help her up that she comes to her senses and returns (shakily) to her seat.
Someone finally finds the courage to speak. Ferdinand. “Were… were you in the rafters ? How did you even get up there!?”
“I climbed the pillars of course.” Byleth says as if it’s obvious, all while smiling. “Although, I suppose I also could have climbed the curtains and jumped to grab the rafters from there, or even leapt from my podium. The doorframe is also an option, though it’s a bit narrow. The fireplace is good, provided it’s not too hot or you have heat-resistant boots and gloves.”
“You’d be surprised what you can do with good balance, a solid jump, and strong grip.” She remarks cheerily. “Anyways, first lesson of stealth and observation: people seldom look up!”
Edelgard, who has just barely recovered from her near heart-attack, puts her head down on her desk. “Please don’t let every lesson in the unit start like this. I won’t survive that long.”
She may be smiling, but Linhardt has the distinct feeling his professor isn’t as happy as she looks. That’s a fair assumption considering he doesn’t think anyone in the Black Eagles has seen Byleth not smiling, so a smile may as well be a blank stare for all it tells anyone about how she feels.
He wouldn’t call her scary, but the total inability to read guess what she’s thinking is very unnerving. Intimidating is a better word, maybe even creepy in some cases.
“What is it professor?” Linhardt yawns to try and hide his nervousness. “This is cutting into my nap time.”
“School matters are cutting into nap time?” Byleth murmurs. Linhardt isn’t sure if it’s his imagination or not, but her smile seems to grow a fraction. “I see…”
The green-haired boy shifts uncomfortably in his seat as his teacher grins down at him from behind her desk. Her hands are steepled, adding to the somewhat sinister aura she’s giving off. Linhardt swallows thickly, and averts his gaze for a moment as he’s unable to take the pressure.
When he looks back, he finds Byleth’s face only a centimeter from his own as she’s learned all the way across her desk. Linhardt freezes instantly and his eyes go wide. He didn’t even hear her move. Her smile is as wide as ever, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“I don’t mind if you sleep during class if you think you know the material, but I expect your assignments to be impeccable if you choose to do that.” She says quietly. “Understood?”
Linhardt swallows thickly. “Y-Yes Professor Eisner.”
“S-Sorry, I have to go… uh… rotate to the next position.” The guard stammers, and quickly scurries away.
“Geeze Professor, you really showed him what-for.” Dorothea, who had apparently been watching the whole thing, steps out from around a corner after the guard is far enough away. “What did he do to deserve that? Something horrible?”
The lady, always smiling, turns to face her student. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure what you were saying, but you were totally up in his face! You had him backed against a wall, were leaning over him, were cutting off an escape with one of your arms, not to mention that super-wide and unhinged smile you had on. You really wanted to scare him, didn’t you?”
“Oh, uh, no.”
Dorothea blinks. “No?”
“No. I didn’t.”
Now she’s almost afraid to ask. “...then what were you going for?”
“I was… flirting.”
Oh. Oh . Oh… Wow. Dorothea has never seen someone fail so badly at flirting in her entire life. Even an awkward boy who’s never flirted before has more hope than Byleth. If Dorothea hadn’t known better, she honestly would have assumed her professor was trying to extort the man, and she already though the lady was chewing him out for something.
Taking a deep breath, Dorothea steps forwards and put her hands on Byleth’s shoulders. “Professor. Smile for me.”
“I am smiling.” Well, that’s true, she’s always smiling.
“Look less stiff about it.” Dorothea clarifies. “Not a polite smile, a genuine smile.”
Byleth’s smile becomes even wider, showing the barest hint of teeth. The problem… well there are several. The smile is just wide enough to look unnatural, her brows are slightly furrowed so it looks like she’s leering, and she’s now leaning slightly forwards so as to ever-so-slightly be invading Dorothea’s personal space.
It doesn’t look genuine. It looks like Byleth is planning her murder while smiling in her face.
“Okay… I have my work cut out for me…” Dorothea thinks, sporting a forced smile of her own so as to not hurt her teacher’s feelings. “Uh, you can stop now.”
Byleth does so, and her face returns to the usual placeholder smile. Her student subtly breathes a sigh of relief.
“Goddess above that’s terrifying. That poor guard… How did this women learn to flirt!?”
“There’s two of them.” Hubert groans.
“Whatever do you mean?” Edelgard frowns, and looks up from her papers.
“Professor Eisner. There’s two of her now. It would seem Petra is learning her techniques.” Hubert says as he massages his forehead and takes a seat. He points to the window. “You can see for yourself if you care to.”
Edelgard really doesn’t want to know… but at the same time, as the representative of the Black Eagles, it’s her duty to stay on top of everyone’s skills and any new developments in any of their lives. She reluctantly pulls herself out of her seat, walks to the window, and peers out.
“Please tell me I’m not seeing-”
“You are.” Hubert interrupts in a defeated tone. “You are.”
Edelgard doesn’t want to know why Byleth and Petra are sneaking across rooftops, jumping into trees, and practicing silent landings (which inevitably involves scaring the life out of anyone unfortunate enough to be in the area as they become test targets for the pair’s stealth… or more particularly Petra's because Byleth is already a master).
“I’m going to be looking over my shoulders constantly now, aren’t I?” Edelgard thinks, and massages the bridge of her nose. She shakes her head and returns to her papers, only for another thought to occur to her a minute later. “Bernadetta is going to be more paranoid than ever...”
“Wait. Professor Eisner is amazing at silent landings. That means she intentionally scared us during that lesson. ” She realizes. Her eyes narrow. “ Maybe that permanent smile of hers is a sadistic one...”
“Professor… I have a question.” Ferdinand says. It’s currently lunch break, and the teacher saw fit to join her students in the mess hall.
“Hmm?” Byleth raises an eyebrow, smiling… encouragingly? Or maybe that’s her normal, neutral smile. It’s hard to tell with her.
“Did you, perhaps, undergo noble etiquette training?” The boy asks curiously. “Some of your behaviours seem to suggest that you have. You can speak very elegantly when you choose to do so, you walk with a straight back and your head held high, and you always have a polite smile. All very noble-like behaviours.”
Of course, her tendency to casually climb buildings for no particular reason, never knock or announce her presence, and a number of other things rule out the possibility of full noble training, but she does seem to possess some level of high-class education.
“Ah, that.” The lady hums. “Yes, I learned that when training to be an assassin.”
Ferdinand blinks in surprise. “Pardon?”
“One of my father’s mercenaries is a former assassin. He allowed her to teach me her skills.” Byleth says simply. “A lot of it involved disguise and being able to behave in an unsuspicious manner. Of course, I’m not making a particular effort to disguise myself, but seeing as I'm of somewhat high station now I’m borrowing parts of that training so as to not cause a fuss.”
“Ah…” Ferdinand says slowly. “Is that right…?”
Byleth’s idea of “not causing a fuss” is clearly wildly different from his, Ferdinand decides. Because casually leaping down from rafters and scaring all you students, not to mention having everyone in the monastery at least mildly afraid of you due to your permanent unnerving smile and tendency to show up out of nowhere and without warning, is not Ferdinand’s idea of “not causing a fuss”.
“If you were to put on your full disguise, so to speak, what would it be like?” Ferdinand inquires.
“Hmm…” Byleth thinks. She takes a moment to compose herself, and Ferdinand realizes she’s going to show him. Her smile softens to something less stiff, she clasps her hands, pushes her legs together, and makes sure to keep her back completely straight. Her clothing doesn’t reflect it, but her posture is the perfect picture of an attentive young noble girl. “Greetings Lord von Aegir. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Byleth Eisner, daughter of Sir Jeralt Eisner. I do hope we can get along.”
It’s almost eerie how perfectly she captures the personality of a generic minor lady. Ferdinand didn’t think someone as… unique as Byleth could manage it. “That’s quite impressive.”
“Thank you sir!” Byleth giggles. She leans forward slightly, tilting her head innocently while subtly thrusting her chest forward. “You give me far too much credit, I’m had plenty of help to develop these skills. I had to learn to talk fancy, how to hold myself, how to seduce, and so on. Of course, small talk is also a part of it. Perhaps you’d like to discuss the state of the empire and the ongoing argument between houses Varley, Hevring, and Bergliez? Or perhaps, Sir Aegir, you want to regale me with tales of your deeds and how you’re better than Miss Von Hresvelg?”
Ferdinand now knows he’s being mocked. “You say that as if I do it often.”
“Oh, my pardon, I didn’t mean to offend.” Byleth gasps. She grabs one of his hands in hers. “Please sir, I apologize.”
Ferdinand is slightly creeped out now. “Erm…”
“Incidentally.” Byleth says, dropping her sweet fake voice. “You’re very dead.”
Suddenly the professor pulls sharply on his hand, forcing him to lurch forwards into the table. One of her hands snaps out and grabs him firmly by the neck, just under his chin. Her fake smile is gone, replaced with her usual unreadable one. “If I had used a knife, you’d have a slit throat right now. Or I could just strangle you now that I have the upper hand.”
She releases him, and Ferdinand sits down hard in his seat. His blood is now pounding, and his breathing heavy.
“Consider that a preview of our next unit on deception.” Byleth says neutrally. “Perhaps you would like to help me with the initial demonstration? I usually use Edelgard.”
The “without her consent” is implicit. Considering how Edelgard usually ends up traumatized, Ferdinand isn’t very enthusiastic about the idea.

domain: artistic


President Obama is set to deliver a long-awaited speech this afternoon laying out his administration's plans to take major action on climate change, a first-term promise the president made explicit at the start of his second term. Given the current gridlock that has plagued Congress on All Things Climate since a House-passed cap-and-trade bill died a painful death in the Senate in 2010, climate hawks, environmentalists and their like-minded allies are both excited for the day's speech and already dreading that the president will ultimately stop short of using all the tools at his disposal.
The Climate Desk, a partnership between Slate, Wired, The Atlantic and a host of other media organizations, will be live-blogging today's action. You can follow along below. [You can also check out this prescient Slate piece from last year laying out the executive actions Obama can take without congressional approval.]
***** **** ***** **** *****


Press conference on the new particulate filter technique
The innovative combination of fine-dust filter and sound-protection wall was presented at a press conference.
1. CMA-Congress in Lienz
The first Congress of the EU-LIFE+ project CMA+ will be held in Lienz from 30.09.to 01.10.2010. More information: www.life-cma.at
EU Project SPAS
Sound and Particle Absorbing System – Noise-Protection Wall Combined with Fine-Dust Filter
The EU project SPAS helps to combat fine dust and noise.
Residents along busy routes are exposed to a double health risk: noise and fine dust.
In the framework of the project SPAS, a promising development – fine-dust filters which are integrated into conventional noise-protection walls – is tested. Special filter baskets filter the air which is raised as motor vehicles pass by. Thus fine dust is reduced at its origin.


The Transgender Act is being hailed for the opportunities it provides to transgenders on one hand, but it is also receiving scathing criticism for its controversial parts. This article would focus on the objections to the Transgender Act. There are three important points in the Act, which paint a negative picture of the Act 2018. The first point is the use of the term “Transgender” and its definition. Many of us think that transgender means hermaphrodite, but that is not the case. The modern term transgender is usually used for those people who think that their spirit is infused in the wrong body. Those people who are not satisfied with their gender that was assigned at the time of birth. A part of the definition is problematic, which says that “any person whose gender identity or gender expression differs from the social norms and cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at the time of their birth.” The second point rests with the recognition of identity. The term “self-perceived identity” has drawn flak because it does not sit well with our society, religion, and constitution. Under the umbrella of recognition of identity, any person would be able to register his/her CNIC following self-perception. No medical or psychological board would be required to determine the gender and the reason to change gender. The third point is that this Act provides the option to change the already changed gender based on an individual’s perception. So, given the above-mentioned points, critics of Act 2018 have raised some important points: Violation of Islamic Code: According to Surah Nisa verse 119, Satan challenged Allah that “And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them sinful desires and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah.” This verse shows that changing the creation of Allah is equal to following Satan’s path. Desires, perceptions, and whims can never be the criterion to change gender. Desires can only be a source of guidance for disbelievers not for believers. In surah Qasass, verse 50, Allah says, “But if they do not respond to you- then know that they only follow their desires. And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allah?” Herein, it is clarified that those who do not accept Allah’s verses are guided by desires despite having Allah’s message. It also says that those who follow their desires have gone astray. The change of gender based on self-perception is not prohibited for females and males only. Even, if a male changes his gender into intersex based on self-perception, it is equally prohibited in Islam. In Transgender Act 2018, self-perception is enough to change gender without going through any surgery or medical process. Fatwas on Gender Change: Some human rights activists are wrongly presenting Fatwas of Imam Khomeini and Shaikh al-Tantawi of Egypt in favour of changing gender. Do they support gender change policy without any medical and psychological consultation? This is not the case. M Alipour in his research paper titled, “Islamic Shari’a law, neotraditionalist Muslim scholars and transgender sex-reassignment surgery: A case study of Ayatollah Khomeini’s and Sheikh al-Tantawi’s fatwas” talks about these fatwas at length. He believes that Tantawi’s fatwa is not explicit. Al- Tantawi’s fatwa used various prophet’s (S.A.W) sayings (in which hermaphrodite people were allowed to remove femininity) to build his case. Tantawi concludes, “It is permissible to operate to reveal what was hidden of male or female organs. Indeed, it is obligatory to do so because it must be considered a treatment when a trustworthy doctor advises it. It is, however, not permissible to do it at mere wish to change sex from a woman or vice versa.” Now, we have to see the Fatwa of Imam Khomeini. A man namely, Fereydoon Mulkara, was going through social pressure due to his proximity to the female gender. He went to psychologists and doctors. Doctors proposed a sex-reassignment operation. He wrote two letters to Khomeini for permission. Khomeini took him as a hermaphrodite and advised him to wear female clothes and to practice his religious duties like women. One day, Mulkara managed to meet Khomeini in person and explained his situation to the latter. Then Khomeini delivered a fatwa: “In the name of God. Sex reassignment surgery is not prohibited in Shari’a law if reliable medical doctors recommend it. InShaAllah, you will be safe, and hopefully, the people whom you mentioned take care of your situation.” Finally, Fereydoon Mulkara changed into Maryam Khatoon with the help of medical experts. Palpably, both fatwas emphasize the medical recommendation for gender change. It simply destroys the concept of changing gender based on self-perception. Unconstitutional Provision: Article 227 of the constitution maintains that “all existing laws shall be brought in conformity with the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah.” Islam neither supports the change of gender based on self-perception nor without medical recommendation. Articles 228, 229, and 230 define the Islamic ideology council and its function. According to the constitution, it is the Islamic ideology council’s advisory power to gauge whether a law is conforming to Islamic injunctions or not. Islamic Ideology Council was not taken on board while making the transgender Act 2018. The focal person of the Khawaja-Sara community, Almas Bobi, said that she could not get any opportunity to present her view regarding the bill. Representatives from the Khawaja-Sara community should have been included in the law-making process. It is strange to make laws about a neglected community without taking its opinion. Another important point is that it is not allowed to change gender without a medical process, even in a secular country like India. In Section 7 of transgender person’s rules 2020, Indian law presents the whole procedure of gender change. It mentions the need for a medical certificate by the Chief medical officer in the institution in which that person is going through surgery to change gender. In our Transgender Act 2018, self-perception is enough to change gender without going through any surgery or medical process. Same-sex marriage: In 2020, a case of same-sex marriage occurred in a tehsil of Rawalpindi, Taxila. A woman, Asma Bibi changed her CNIC to Akash Ali and married her student, Neha Khan. Akash Ali claimed that he went through a gender change operation. Akash Ali was directed by the court to appear before the medical board for gender identification. Akash could not prove his gender transition before the court. Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench issued a red warrant for Akash Ali and further ordered the registration of a case under sections of deception, fraud, and homosexuality. His name was put on ECL and CNIC was blocked. Finally, Akash Ali (Asma bibi) divorced Neha to clear up the mess. This same-sex marriage happened under Act 2018. However, Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) rules 2020 (promulgated in 2021) have made it clear that a male or a female can change gender to X and people having X cannot get married. But still, change of gender to X is prohibited in Islam, especially based on self-perception without medical recommendation. According to NADRA, 1035 male changed their gender to X and 87 female changed their gender to X. If this law of self-perceived identity is not changed, the people having a soft corner for LGBT may question the allotment of X. Consequently, this would bring secular and religious extremists eyeball to eyeball. Yogyakarta principles: The Transgender Act 2018 is, no doubt, a brilliant document but a few controversial provisions have overshadowed its positive aspects. Senator Mushtaq Ahmad mentioned on a talk show that the human rights ministry took Yogyakarta principles as a guide to incorporate controversial provisions. This document consists of 29 principles to ensure human rights. The gender identity in the Transgender Act 2018 is at par with the Yogyakarta principles document. Principle 18 of Yogyakarta principles denies the importance of the medical board under the aegis of human rights violation. Yogyakarta principles present the international standard of human rights and talk about the protection of same-sex relations. Principles 2,4, and 6 direct the countries to decriminalize consensual same-sex relations. Perhaps, international pressure led to introduce controversial provisions in the Act. The basic issue lies in approach; an issue through the lens of Islam is not an issue through the lens of secularism. Not only does Islam discourage sin, but also the possible path to sin. Unfortunately, this Act was passed recklessly and in unnecessary haste. Had the bill been presented to the Islamic ideology council, these controversial provisions could have been improved. Our lawmakers must uphold their constitution and religion before passing such laws. The writer graduated from the School of Politics and International Relations, QAU Islamabad.


The underlying theme in all of our work is one of Pattern Shift.
We push boundaries and interrupt expectations of landscape in a way that is meaningful, sensitive, and sustainable.
Our award-winning work is uncompromisingly unique and aims to create thoughtful landscapes that will satisfy client desires and be a gift to future generations.
Spanning the length of the state, our residential gardens adapt to local conditions while maintaining a uniquely fresh and modern approach to garden design.
The same attention to detail required for intimate residential gardens is employed on larger landscapes, too. See how we are growing gardens at schools, retail centers, bio-dynamic farms, creative office spaces, and more.


text:
Anzac Day is a holiday observed on April 25 each year in Australia and New Zealand to honor war veterans. The first Anzac Day was commemorated on April 25, 1916, one year after troops from those two countries landed at the Gallipoli Peninsula in what is now Turkey during World War I. ANZAC (an acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) was initially used to refer to only those soldiers who fought at Gallipoli, but later the term came to mean any Australian or New Zealander who served in World War I. In the 1920s Anzac Day became established as a national day of remembrance in Australia, and in 1927 it was recognized in all states as a public holiday. Anzac Day became a public holiday in New Zealand in the early 1920s.
Today, Anzac Day in Australia is a day to pay tribute to and remember all Australians who have lost their lives while serving in wartime. More than 100 years after the Gallipoli (Dardanelles) Campaign, Anzac Day continues to be of profound cultural importance to Australians. In 2015 more than 8,000 Australians traveled to Anzac Cove in Gallipoli for the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign. Anzac Day honors the courage, heroism, and sacrifices made by Australian troops.
Anzac Day is also a public holiday in New Zealand, where the citizens likewise commemorate their war dead and also honor all those serving in and retired from the military. That country’s ceremonies have evolved over time and are generally similar to those of Australia. The Cook Islands, Tonga, and Samoa—whose soldiers fought alongside the Australians and New Zealanders at Gallipoli—also observe the day.
The Gallipoli Campaign that began in February 1915 was an Anglo-French operation against Turkey. It was intended to take control of the strategic Dardanelles strait from Turkey and to occupy Constantinople (now Istanbul). The ANZAC forces landed on April 25 and secured a beachhead at what came to be called Anzac Cove, on the side of the peninsula facing the Aegean Sea. Despite additional landings by other troops during the following months, the Allies could not capture the strait, and they suffered enormous losses from battle and disease. By December 1915 the Allied troops, including the ANZAC forces, had been withdrawn from Anzac Cove. The campaign was the first major military engagement of Australians after the country became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
Historians still debate the reasons the ANZACs failed at Gallipoli and whether the large casualty rate could have been avoided. However, the bravery, endurance, and camaraderie shown by the ANZACs are not in doubt. The values and strong character of the ANZACs even in the face of adversity have been attributed to shaping both the Australian and New Zealand national identities, and the campaign is considered a defining moment for the countries.
Anzac Day traditionally begins with a public commemorative service at dawn, the time of the original landing at Anzac Cove. In Australia, the Dawn Service is usually conducted by the Returned Services League of Australia with the involvement of the Australian Defence Force. The order of the service varies by location but typically includes the laying of wreaths, a commemorative address, the Ode of Remembrance, the singing of hymns, the sounding of the Last Post, a period of silence, and the singing of the country’s national anthem. The national flag is flown at half-mast prior to the commencement of the Dawn Service as a sign of respect and mourning.
The Ode of Remembrance is a spoken verse taken from the poem “For the Fallen,” which was written by English poet Laurence Binyon and first published in 1914. The fourth stanza of the poem is recited at memorial services such as Anzac Day to pay tribute to all casualties of wartime.
The Last Post is a bugle call. The bugle was used in military tradition to command soldiers on the battlefield, with the Last Post signaling the end of the day’s activities for the troops. On Anzac Day and other remembrance or military funeral services, the Last Post commemorates those soldiers who have fallen in war and signifies the end of their duty as they lie in their final resting place. During the Last Post all military personnel in uniforms are to stand at attention and salute. At the conclusion of the Last Post, one or two minutes of silence is observed as a sign of respect and as a time of reflection. In the Dawn Service, the period of silence is often followed by the Reveille, which is a bright, fast-paced bugle call that was used to wake soldiers in the morning and signal the start of their day’s duty. During the playing of the Reveille, the flag is raised from the half-mast position to the mast head. In addition to the Dawn Service, other Anzac Day commemorative services are held around Australia and New Zealand as well as across the world at war memorials and other significant locations.
In major cities and towns of Australia and New Zealand, the Dawn Service is followed later in the day by an Anzac Day march. War veterans, descendants of those who have served and died, and current members of the military take part in this Anzac Day military procession down the main streets. The march is an opportunity for everyone, including the general public, to pay tribute to soldiers who have lost their lives.
Other important traditions of Anzac Day involve a sprig of rosemary and a red poppy. Rosemary is a symbol of remembrance, and in Australia it is pinned to the lapel or collar of a person’s uniform. It is particularly significant to Anzac Day because the fragrant herb was found growing wild at Gallipoli Peninsula.
The red poppy, also known as the Flanders poppy, is significant not only to Australians and New Zealanders but also throughout the Allied countries. It has become the international flower of remembrance worn on Armistice Day (Remembrance Day in Australia and Veterans Day in the United States) on November 11. During World War I, red poppies were one of the first flowers to bloom on the battlefields of northern France and Belgium. The same poppy also flowers in Turkey in early spring and was found at Gallipoli when the ANZACs landed in 1915.
Many people in New Zealand wear a poppy as a symbol of remembrance on Poppy Day, which is normally held on the Friday before Anzac Day. In Australia single poppies are not usually worn on Anzac Day (this occurs on Remembrance Day). Instead, red poppies are arranged in memorial wreaths and placed on honor boards (memorials displaying the names of soldiers).

domain: history


From daily The Morning Star in Britain:
Racist thug hunted after assailing black woman
Saturday 3rd May 2014
Georgia James, 19, who has lived in Leeds all her life, had ended her shift at a city-centre hotel and was walking to a relative’s home when the attack took place on Saturday at 6.20pm.
A white man, said to be about 30, began swearing and shouting racist abuse at her.
“Then he asked me what I was doing in this city and [said] I didn’t belong here,” she said. “Then he hit me hard, punched me in the face. I was shocked and couldn’t believe what was happening.
“I was scared he might do something else or come back so I sat down and some people came to help me and I want to thank them.”
Ms James’s face was bruised and swollen, she suffered a bruised arm and received hospital treatment.
Her father Lutel is a youth and community worker in the city.
“It is 2014 and Leeds is a thriving multicultural city. It is unbelievable this could happen,” he said.
Police said the assailant was wearing a blue top and Nike hat.
Inspector Andy Briggs said: “This was a serious incident in which a young woman has been subjected to an abhorrent verbal attack and physically assaulted.
“We are treating this assault as racially motivated. Such behaviour is unacceptable and I’d ask anyone who can help to contact North East Leeds neighbourhood policing team on 101.”
See also here.


text:
KAIST, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore, and Technion of Israel signed an agreement on April 11, 2016 in Seoul to create a five-year joint research program for some of the most innovative and entrepreneurial areas: robotics, medical technologies, satellites, materials science and engineering, and entrepreneurship. Under the agreement, the universities will also offer dual degree opportunities, exchange visits, and internships.
In the picture from the left, Bertil Andersson of NTU, Sung-Mo Kang of KAIST, and Peretz Lavie of Technion hold the signed memorandum of understanding.
Representing Korean Robotics at Sea: KAIST’s 26-month strife rewarded Team KAIST placed among top two at MBZIRC Maritime Grand Challenge - Team KAIST, composed of students from the labs of Professor Jinwhan Kim of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Hyunchul Shim of the School of Electrical and Engineering, came through the challenge as the first runner-up winning the prize money totaling up to $650,000 (KRW 860 million). - Successfully led the autonomous collaborat2024-02-09
KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on the 29th that it has signed MOUs with Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health care system and a world-class research-oriented hospital, and Moderna, a biotechnology company that developed a COVID-19 vaccine at the Langham Hotel in Boston, MA, USA on the morning of April 28th (local time). The signing ceremony was attended by officials from each institution joined by others headed by Minister LEE Young of2023-04-29
- Professor David Hyunchul Shim of the School of Electrical Engineering, is at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada with his students of the Unmanned Systems Research Group (USRG), participating in the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) @ CES as the only Asian team in the race. Photo 1. Nine teams that competed at the first Indy Autonomous Challenge on October 23, 2021. (KAIST team is the right most team in the front row) - The EE USRG team won the slot to race in the IAC @ CES2023-01-05
- KAIST is to run an Exclusive Booth at the Venetian Expo (Hall G) in Eureka Park, at CES 2023, to be held in Las Vegas from Thursday, January 5th through Sunday, the 8th. - Twelve businesses recently put together by KAIST faculty, alumni, and the start-ups given legal usage of KAIST technologies will be showcased. - Out of the participating start-ups, the products by Fluiz and Hills Robotics were selected as the “CES Innovation Award 2023 Honoree”, scoring top in their respect2023-01-04
KAIST President Kwang Hyung Lee signed an MOU with Korea National Sport University (KNSU) President Yong-Kyu Ahn for collaboration in education and research in the fields of sports science and technology on April 5 at the KAIST main campus. The agreement also extends to student and credit exchanges between the two universities. With this signing, KAIST plans to develop programs in which KAIST students can participate in the diverse sports classes and activities offered at KNSU. Officials fro2022-04-07

domain: news


text:
Hand of Cleopatra by Tony Lackner(c. 1979) (Submit Review) (Submit Update)
This particular piece, made by the German Master Craftsman Tony Lackner, is really a utility item, in that you can control what the hand points to – and it can be different each spin. But when you dress it up like this, the performance and story aspects really increase and you can perform some very impressive, and scary, magic. Perfect for bizarre performances, or any Alan Warner collector who is inspired by his Eqyptian themes.
Effect: A spectator shuffles a pack of cards and spreads them face down onto the table. He then takes the small hand and places it on any card of his choice.
The spectator gathers up the remaining cards and gives them to the performer who shuffles them further and then deals five cards face downward at random onto the table without even knowing their value.
The spectator memorizes his chosen card and is then asked to mix it up with the five cards dealt onto the table by the performer so that not only does the performer not know which one it is but he himself does not know either.
Another spectator has examined the “pyramid” and placed it also onto the table-the performer does not handle the pyramid at all from start to finish. The performer takes the six cards and deals them one at a time face down around each side of the “pyramid”.
The spectator picks up the hand and rests it on the point of the “pyramid” and then spins it around on the point-the performer neither touches the hand nor the pyramid. The hand eventually spins to a halt, pointing at one card only, the other cards’ are turned face up and none of them is the selected card.
There is one card left, the one the hand is pointing to … it is turned face up and is found to be the very card chosen by the spectator!
My latest routine uses the 22 Major Arcana and can be read about here.
Approx. Price: $250.00 (2006) ***Notice: I am not a dealer and this item is not for sale on this site. It maybe available in the links below or at our sister site: qualitymagicsales.com, but not from here so please do not ask.
© Martin's Magic (unless otherwise stated). All Rights Reserved.


text:
Neonatal Medicine • Male • Age 41
Pediatrician525 E 68TH ST, # 506 New York, NY 10065
Make an Appointment(212) 600-4190
Dr. Michael Thompson, MD is a neonatal medicine specialist in New York, NY and has been practicing for 12 years. He graduated from Georgia Regents U, Medical College in 2005 and specializes in neonatal medicine.
Search for your insurance provider
Dr. Thompson accepts
Accepted insurance can change. Please double-check when making an appointment.
Dr. Thompson accepts the following insurance:

domain: medical


Home » How Integrated Calibration Solutions Make Calibration Easy
How Integrated Calibration Solutions Make Calibration Easy
The methods and practices of calibration have evolved as technology has improved over the past 30 years. However, many still use manual, time-consuming and costly calibration practices. Find out how calibration can be made an easy process through an integrated calibration solution.
Access the entire print issue on-line and be notified each month via e-mail when your new issue is ready for you. Subscribe today.
- Featured White Papers


text:
Ryan Coulter and Travis Neumann talk to city
The Taft City Council is almost certain to pass ordinances banning retails sales of cannabis products in the city.
But there has been no definitive indications on which way the council is going to decide on industrial cannabis production
One pair of local entrepreneurs is looking at Taft as a possible location to build a plant that would grow marijuana plants and extract the concentrated oil for wholesale.
Ryan Coulter and Travis Neumann publicly announced their idea Tuesday.
Coulter stood up and spoke to about 25 people at a city-sponsored forum to discuss legalized marijuana and what steps the city should take to regulate it.
Coulter and Neumann are planning to build a 10,000 square foot marijuana cultivation and processing facility to sell concentrated oil on a wholesale basis
Coulter says he is not a marijuana user, nor an advocate.
"But I am a capitalist," he said.
Neumann was at the meeting with Coulter but Coulter did all the talking.
He said they have already engaged "one of the top consultants" in the cannabis industry to advise them and help with a business plan.
"We have done everything in our power to make this thing work," he said.
He said a growing and manufacturing facility like the one he and Neumann are proposing could give the city more revenues.
City staff and the City Council are currently discussing ordinances to regulate or probably ban retail sales in the city, and to regulate and establish fees for permitting growing and manufacturing plants.
Coulter pointed out that the city is going to have higher costs for police and city staff with the new marijuana laws, and fees from a plant like the one being proposed.
"To make up for what we are going to lose for regulating this what are we going to do?" he asked
His proposal is a for a very secure, enclosed growing and manufacturing facility,
He said the plant will be able to use "gray water" (recycled wastewater) even using inject carbon dioxide into a controlled atmosphere to speed plant growth.
It will be limited to the production of the concentrated oil from the cannabis plant.
"We be making oils and concentrates but it would not be in the scope of our business to make foods."
Whether the city embraces the marijuana industry or not, it is coming, Coulter said.
"We have to face the harsh reality that it is going to be right outside our city. We might as well be prepared to get a little bit of the dollars that's coming from that," he said.
he quoted a folk song by Bob Dylan from the 1960s
"A wise man once said 'You'd better start swimming or you sink like a stone...'' said Coulter, who with Taylor Unruh founded the musical group Truxton Mile.
Coulter said he had a meeting planned with City Manager Craig Jones on Wednesday to discuss the business plan.


May 26, 2023 By Naomi Moriyama
How do we reverse the global warming? Mimic the Nature. That’s exactly what SPINNOVA® did to create the world’s most sustainable fibre: 100% natural, 100% biodegradable, 100% recyclable and 0% microplastics. Their first global-commercial-scale factory that produces zero pollution and zero waste operated by Woodspin just opened in Jyväskylä in Central Finland. The Spinnova fibre production process uses zero harmful chemicals, 99.5% less water and emits 74.2% less CO2 than conventional cotton production. It was such an honor to tour the factory, to touch freshly spun fluffy fibre, to listen to the people who have built it talk about their vision, journey, collaborators, accomplishments and future goals, and to report it so more people know about Spinnova Fibre! You may have a product or two that can be made with it in which case, just call them up!


NACHI 21319AXK Description :
We supply high-quality and best service for NACHI 21319AXK bearing. NACHI21319AXK. NACHI is one of the big bearing production groups. NACHI 21319AXK bearing company has the world's top production and control equipment. NACHI 21319AXK bearing company produced thousands of high precision, high-quality NACHI bearings. NACHI 21319AXK bearing is widely used in motor, industrial machinery, CNC lathes, high-precision processing machine, locomotive industry, etc. Leading products of NACHI 21319AXK bearing is: deep groove ball bearings, self-aligning bearing, pillow block bearings, plane ball bearing, cylindrical roller bearing.
Packaging Details :
1 . Industrial tube packing + cartons + pallets
2 . Individual colorful or white box + carton + pallets
3 . As the clients ' requirement
1 . Less than 45 KGS, we will send by express. (Door to Door, Convenient)
2 . 45 - 200 KGS , we will send by air transport . (Fastest and safest, but expensive)
3 . More than 200 KGS, we will send by sea . ( Cheapest and common use )
SKF 21319 EK + AHX 319 bearing NTN 21319K Koyo 21319RHK Nachi
SKF 21319 EK + AHX 319 bearing NTN 21319K Koyo 21319RHK Nachi 21319AX NSK 21319CE4 Koyo 21319RH NTN 21319 Nachi 21319AXK NSK 21319CKE4 Nachi 21319EX1 Nachi 21319EX1K HONGKONG-ZENEOBEARING Previous!22219 EK + AHX 319 SKF Next!22219 EK + AHX 319 SKF
NTN 21319K bearing - Buy Top
NTN 21319K bearing are widely used in industrial drive; agriculture; compressors; motors and generators; construction; industrial fan; industrial transmission and other fields| Explorer series bearing of NTN 21319K bearing are better than any brand bearings currently in bearing performance ; lifetime; design; and the use of performance|
626ZZ Nachi Bearing Shielded Japan 6x19x6 Ball Bearings
626ZZ Nachi Shielded Ball Bearing6mm x 19mm x 6mmMade in Japan 626ZZ Nachi Shielded Ball Bearing, inner diameter is 6mm, outer diameter is 19mm and width is 6mm, Made in Japan Item_ 626ZZ Nachi Ball Bearing Type_ Nachi Deep groove Ball Bearing Closures_ Double shielded with Metal shields Z/ZZ/2Z Dimensions_ 6mm x 19mm x 6mm/Metric ID (inner diameter)/Bore_ 6mm OD (outer diameter)_ 19mm Width ...
NACHI NJ1092 Bearing | Geneva - Rambleon Bearing
NACHI NJ1092 bearing for sale 460x680x100 NACHI NUP2209 Bearing NACHI NUP2209 Bearing Size Details· Brand· NACHI Bearing Category· Cylindrical Roller Bearings Model· … GET PRICE BY E-MAIL. NACHI NU1036 Bearings.Price.Size … We guarantee to provide you with the best NACHI NU1036 Bearings.At the same time to provide you with the NACHI NU1036 ...
6321!C3 Nachi Open Ball Bearing (C3 Clearance) 105mm x 225mm x 49mm` Brand Nachi (or similar brand) Clearance C3 ` Equivalent to 6321C3| 6321/C3 ` Inside Dia 105mm `
NACHI precision bearings NACHI angular contact ball
NACHI precision bearings 719/8C P4 NACHI angular contact ball bearings· NACHI precision bearings 719/8C P4 NACHI angular contact ball bearings:1·Excellent and high-quality control, high speed, low noise, long life;2·Prompt delivery;3·Competitive price;4·
21309AXK price|NACHI|Spherical Roller Bearing|45mm*100mm*25mm
SKF 21309 EK + AH 309 bearing Koyo 21309RH Nachi 21309AXK. We distributor for sales 21309 EK + AH 309| we provide 21309 EK + AH 309 bearings best price| looking forward to receive the 21309 EK + AH 309| SKF 21309 EK + AH 309 bearing Koyo 21309RH Nachi 21309AXK Koyo 21309RHK NSK 21309EAKE4 Nachi 21309E NTN 21309C Nachi 21309AX Nachi 21309EK NTN 21309CK NSK 21309EAE4 HONGKONG·ZENEOBEARING Previous
INA Bearing | GBS Bearing | Large discount 23060-E1-K-H3060
More advantage 7310DT NACHI Bearing , France: Email To Buy: 21319AXK: High demand 21319AXK NACHI Bearing , Netherlands: Email To Buy: NU2272,E,TB,M1: Cheap shipping NU2272,E,TB,M1 FAG Bearing , Germany: Email To Buy: NK50/25,TV: Trade Safer and Easier NK50/25,TV INA Bearing , Vietnam: Email To Buy: 6338: Various models 6338 NACHI Bearing ...


text:
Will digitization benefits offset loss of bargaining power?
The Indian government has unveiled a new regime for television ratings that will take almost immediate effect.
More “TRAI” on Variety.com
Domestic Film DAILY
PROVIDED BY: Box Office
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles1Daily:$7.6M Cumulative:$79.8M Paramount Pictures 13.49%
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy2Daily:$6.6M Cumulative:$188.5M Disney 23.68%
Into the Storm
Into the Storm3Daily:$2.1M Cumulative:$21.1M Warner Brothers / New Line 21.06%

domain: entertainment


text:
Row orientation effects on potted-vines performance and water-use efficiency
Derechos de accesoopenAccess
MetadataShow full item record
Cita bibliográficaBuesa, I., Mirás-Avalos, J. M., & Intrigliolo, D. S. (2020). Row orientation effects on potted-vines performance and water-use efficiency. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 294, 108148.
The relation between water-use and intercepted solar radiation depends on many factors involved in vine canopy architecture and physiology. In addition, vine productivity is related to the efficiency with which the intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR) is used, which in turn depends mainly on water availability and transport. In hedgerow-managed vines it exists the possibility to modulate IPAR by orienting their rows, influencing water-use efficiency (WUE), defined as dry matter produced by water used. Aiming to unravel the effects of row orientation on WUE, a three-year experiment was carried out in Valencia (Spain) on potted Vitis vinifera (L.) cv. Bobal and Verdejo with vine rows oriented either north-south (NS) or east-west (EW), under no-water restrictions. Simulated radiation interception over the growing seasons at the experimental plot showed an average 39% reduction in daily IPAR when EW was compared to NS. Vine transpiration was quantified by water balance, decreasing by 16% in Bobal and 8% in Verdejo when comparing EW against NS. In both cultivars, this reduction was 18% when considered relative to the total leaf area. Carbon assimilation was not markedly affected by row orientation. Therefore, since in both cultivars minor differences in vine performance occurred between orientations, WUE tended to increase by orienting the rows to the EW compared to NS. This resulted in most of the seasons an increase in water productivity calculated as grape yield/water-use ratio. Leaf gas exchange measurements partially agreed with the radiation interception simulations, suggesting a more complex regulatory mechanism and highlighting the importance of canopy microclimatic conditions in the physiological processes of hedgerow-managed crops. These findings encourage further research under field conditions and different soil water availabilities, aiming to optimize grapevine water productivity

domain: agronomy


text:
Functional jewelry at its finest! A working pocket knife with two stainless steel blades sheathed in 10k gold. Hallmarked by Miller Brothers, jewelers founded in 1934 in NY. Weighs 18.5 grams and measures 3" inches long. So rad on a long chain!
I am happy to custom engrave this piece if desired for a small additional charge.


text:
Re: hoodies. As a lifelong sailor I noticed long ago that the Coast Guard always stopped the boats that flew the Jolly Roger pirate flag.—
Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) July 15, 2013
Geraldo Rivera eventually broke down and apologized for tweeting last year that Trayvon Martin’s hoodie was just as responsible for his death as was George Zimmerman’s gun. “I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies,” Rivera told the hosts of “Fox and Friends.” In light of the massive backlash and his subsequent apology, it’s surprising that Rivera is reviving the hoodie debate. Last year he argued that hoodies were “gangsta.” But what’s this about the Jolly Roger?

domain: sociology


text:
Wealthfront Inc. Increases Holdings in Zoetis Inc. (ZTS)
Wealthfront Inc. boosted its position in Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,409 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the period. Wealthfront Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $899,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. CGOV Asset Management boosted its position in Zoetis by 2.7% in the first quarter. CGOV Asset Management now owns 169,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,059,000 after purchasing an additional 4,405 shares during the last quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. boosted its position in Zoetis by 5.0% in the first quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 1,942,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,677,000 after purchasing an additional 91,962 shares during the last quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC boosted its position in Zoetis by 3.9% in the first quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 18,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $977,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Zoetis by 21.1% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,614,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,167,000 after purchasing an additional 281,139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its position in Zoetis by 277.6% in the first quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 132,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,074,000 after purchasing an additional 97,455 shares during the last quarter. 93.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE ZTS) traded up 0.26% during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $64.65. The company had a trading volume of 335,216 shares. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $62.44 and a 200-day moving average of $59.64. Zoetis Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.86 and a 52 week high of $65.83. The company has a market capitalization of $31.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.55 and a beta of 1.02.
Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 8th. The company reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. Zoetis had a return on equity of 62.49% and a net margin of 17.50%. Zoetis’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.49 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Zoetis Inc. will post $2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Several research analysts have issued reports on ZTS shares. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $75.00 target price on Zoetis and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Argus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $69.00 target price (up from $60.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Tuesday, May 30th. CL King started coverage on Zoetis in a research report on Friday, May 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $71.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 target price (up from $62.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Monday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $65.44.
Zoetis Company Profile
Zoetis Inc is engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and commercialization of animal health medicines and vaccines, with a focus on both livestock and companion animals. The Company has a business, commercializing products across eight core species: cattle, swine, poultry, sheep and fish (collectively, livestock) and dogs, cats and horses (collectively, companion animals), and within five product categories: anti-infectives, vaccines, parasiticides, medicated feed additives and other pharmaceuticals.
Receive News & Ratings for Zoetis Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Zoetis Inc. and related companies with Analyst Ratings Network's FREE daily email newsletter.

domain: finance


text:
I'm sure all of you are looking forward to eating healthy for the start of the new year! :) I know I am and I really need a break from cakes and cookies. LOL!
I just love a healthy salad for lunch or with dinner. Today I have an easy to make, 3 Bean Salad recipe I'd love to share with you.
This salad recipe calls for a few ingredients and tastes great. It's so easy to make and it can be ready to serve in minutes.
I hope you enjoy this salad as much as my family does.
3 BEAN SALAD RECIPE
3 Bean Salad Recipe
This is an easy bean salad recipe that can be served any time of year.
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 1 can red kidney beans
- 1 can chick peas
- 1 tomato
- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon feta cheese crumbles
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- to taste Italian seasoning
- to taste salt & pepper
1. Drain and rinse each can of beans. Cut up tomato and red onion.2. Add the rest of the ingredients to a large bowl.3. Mix everything together.
DetailsPrep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 8 Servings

domain: health


text:
Spencer Chambers wants to make the solar system his own personal Empire. A trillionaire and industrialist he owns the ships that can carry humanity to freedom and plenty in the untapped riches of the solar system. In return he wants to charge exorbitant prices making it so that he will end up owning every planet and asteroid.
Gregory Manning has a different idea. He sees a solar system open to everyone. Only one man's vision for the future of humanity can come true: slavery or freedom. Gregory Manning has an ace up his sleeve--a scientific ace.
Empire is a story of political Iintrigue by Clifford Donald Simak an American science fiction writer honored by fans with three Hugo awards and by colleagues with one Nebula award. He was named the third Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1977.

domain: library


text:
Bling Jewelry 925 Silver Pink Swarovski Crystal X Criss Cross Bead Fits Pandora
X marks the spot. A pop of color and a glimmer of crystal, this stunning Swarovski crystal bead will add style to your fits Pandora charms bracelet. Glittering pink Swarovski crystals encrust the x design of this piece of love jewelry. This adorable criss cross bead is made with 925 sterling silver and will make a excellent valentines day gift. Pink love charms are a great way to show that special someone how much you care. Crystal beads always add sparkle to a silver bracelet, add this criss cross pink charm to your jewelry box today.
Continental United States
This product usually ships in 4 business days and should be delivered in 10 business days.
Shop worry free! If you’re not 100% happy with your purchase, you can return this item within 14 days of receiving it.

domain: design


Do you enjoy analyzing data and machine learning algorithms? Do you have fun finding and communication insights through dashboards as well as programming and hacking performance data while playing with the latest AWS technology stack? We are looking for a talented Machine Learning data analyst to join our exciting and dynamic Data Science team in Barcelona.
At DerbySoft, we leverage the huge amount of data of 95+ top travel brands to generate hundreds of millions/year of hotel revenue on Google, TripAdvisor, Trivago and other large Internet platforms. As a Machine learning Data Analyst, you will work together with our Data Scientist to help improve the performance of our Machine Learning algorithms and find opportunities for improving our algorithms.
- Develop tools (e.g. dashboards, notebooks) to continuously monitor the performance of our Machine Learning algorithms to ensure these meet performance targets.
- Develop tools and design workflows (e.g. performance analysis dashboards, alerts, support request center) that handle cases when performance targets are not met, and identify opportunities for improvements jointly with Engineers.
- Communicate effectively both with the technical team and business people such as Digital Marketing Managers.
- Manage client performance issues and optimise the support workflow together with the Data Science team
Desired skills and experience:
- High motivation and strong project ownership
- High interest in Machine Learning and developing an understanding of our algorithms
- Solid experience with SQL and databases
- Basic experience creating dashboards, visualisation and monitoring tools
- Machine Learning knowledge
- Basic knowledge of Python or R with an interest to grow
- Outstanding analytical and learning abilities
- Bachelor or Master degree in mathematics, business, computer science, engineering, statistics or other related fields
- Experience with Amazon web services is a plus
- Familiarity with massive dataset tools (Hadoop/Hive etc)
- Digital Media Advertising experience is another plus
What we offer:
An opportunity to work with high-performance Machine Learning and optimization algorithms that handle millions of requests daily in platforms such as Google, TripAdvisor and Trivago.
A highly motivated and skilled team with flat hierarchies with plenty of opportunity to learn and grow
An office in Eixample, right in the center of Barcelona
Competitive salary and benefits.
DerbySoft is a global technology company serving the world’s top travel brands since 2002. The company continues to develop the next generation of online hotel distribution infrastructure: a fair, effective, and enterprise-independent global distribution network that enables travel suppliers, distributors, and media partners to connect with each other while maintaining their own business models, connectivity preferences, and data logic.


text:
Updated Government guidelines: Relaxed rules on in-home sales appointments
Following confirmation of the Government’s interpretation of guidance for in-house selling during the pandemic, there is some good news for our Trusted Installers operating during the current national lockdown.
The general guidance on the subject of sales, published on the Government’s website, remains the same and is unlikely to change for the next few weeks:
“Door-to-door sales should not take place, and sales activities should be conducted remotely (such as by phone, online, or mail).”
However, a slightly more relaxed interpretation of the rules around the restrictions is now in place...
In-home sales appointments
The Government has recently confirmed that if remote selling and surveying isn’t possible, then companies can conduct pre-booked in-house sales and surveys if carried out within the COVID safe guidelines. It is recommended that Homeowners are offered a remote appointment in the first instance.
As in-house selling requires advanced pre-booked appointments with the Homeowner, which takes time to arrange, our advice is that, if you cannot sell or survey remotely, then please ensure you do so in a measured and responsible manner.
It is also recommended that any employees entering a home to carry out work use the NHS Test and Trace App. This can be downloaded here: https://covid19.nhs.uk/
Canvassing and door-to-door sales
This cannot be undertaken at present. The latest Government guidelines confirm that “the (current) level of risk to public health met the requirements for Local
Authorities to be able to issue prohibition notices to companies as allowed by the regulations”.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for enforcing COVID safe guidance in relation to your business activities and has the power to issue an enforcement notice on any company that is not adhering to current guidance and therefore creating a potential risk to public health and safety.
What it means for you...
The restriction on in-house selling is slightly relaxed, and if the pandemic health statistics show an improvement, we expect the Government to ease restrictions gradually over the coming weeks and months.
However, at this point in time, our recently published COVID safe working guidance has not changed. As the situation progresses (for better or worse), we’ll update you as soon as we can.
In the meantime, we urge our Trusted Installers to continue to act responsibly and in line with current Government guidance to help safeguard employees and customers, protect the NHS and save lives.

domain: law


text:
A marketing project to promote the high-quality Finnish oats to the international market and increase the income of small farms.
Projects & Practice
A project set out to renovate and expand an old dairy farm by using new technological solutions.
Expanding the production capacity of a company producing pumpkin seeds and potatoes, by investing in new machinery.
Investing into new machinery for applying liquid fertilizers on crop production in order to protect ground and surface waters.

domain: food


Get Truthdig's headlines in your inbox!
Killing Ragheads for Jesus
'We Are Going to Destroy the Greek Oligarchy System'
How Did 80 People Get Half of the World's Wealth?
Gaza in Arizona
Searching for Radical Democracy in the Ruins of Capitalism
By Chris Abani $14.20
By Robert G. Kaiser $20.84
AP / Sergey Ponomarev
The largest anti-government protests in more than a decade have created a new political dynamic in Russia, but there is no real alternative to Vladimir Putin.
View the most popular tags overall?
Posted on Jan 26, 2015
A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion
Publisher Zuade Kaufman | Editor Robert Scheer
© 2015 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.
Website development by Hop Studios


Councilor O’Malley’s first order of NZC business in the new year was to refile (per City Council requirements when a new calendar year begins) hearing orders. Toward this end, on January 16, he refiled a slightly reworded order to amend the definition of the floor area ratio (FAR) when developers are constructing a net-zero-carbon building as well as an order requiring all new municipal buildings be net-zero carbon.
In an effort to bring transparency and social accountability to the use of the City’s pension fund investments, three city councilors will hold a hearing open to the public on Feb. 28 at 2 pm. Public and written testimony accepted.
Here is why we need all new buildings in Boston to work toward being net-zero carbon, and we need to do it now since we are in the midst of the third largest building boom Boston has ever witnessed.
By Chuck Collins, Institute for Policy Studies
“The City of Boston, when it should be working vigorously to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is allowing housing for the superrich that locks the city into new fossil fuel infrastructure. . . . ” Read the rest of the article and view the parody video by clicking the “Read More” button below.
Dear Mayor Walsh: We appeal to you to do everything in your power to accelerate the transition of the city of Boston away from an economy based on fossil fuels toward a new economy that creates green jobs, promotes sustainable development, shifts our communities toward a more democratic and equitable power grid, and elevates renewable systems of energy generation and use.
National Grid had requested approval for a contract related to the financing of the Back Bay/South End gas pipeline project that would have given developers of luxury high-rise One Dalton a special deal. Thanks to opposition led by BCEC, with consultation from MassPLAN, many Boston residents testified against this sweetheart deal at the DPU hearing, and the Attorney General’s office was also present to voice opposition.
Following the JP Forum co-hosted by BCEC the previous night titled “Testimony from a Sacrifice Zone,” the Pennsylvania activists who spoke at the forum attended the every-Wednesday vigil against the Back Bay Billionaires’ pipeline, which is under construction. The Pennsylvanians joined Bostonians fighting the creation of this additional fossil-fuel infrastructure at a time when we need to be focusing solely on renewables for our energy needs.
Since the “Walk for Renewables” on August 1, 2016, which took place along the route of the proposed Back Bay/South End gas pipeline, BCEC has been working to make residents aware of this fossil-fuel project, gain information and details about the extent of the project, delay PIC permitting of the project at least until a robust community process is held, and ultimately stop the pipeline from being built because the City will never meet its carbon neutral goals by constructing more gas pipelines such as this one.
The City of Boston agreed to hold a meeting with representatives from National Grid to discuss the pipeline project on January 16. More than 150 environmental advocates, area residents, elected officials representing the Back Bay/South End, reporters, and others attended. For news reports about the meeting, click “Read More” below.
Climate Push Must Include Goals for Green Buildings
It was heartening to see that the Globe’s editorial board is determined to “strengthen our blue bulwark’’ as a counterweight to the insanity of the Trump administration. Under criteria, you list climate change as number one, and promise to push for the transition away from natural gas toward renewables, which is commendable. Unfortunately you fail to include goals for the built environment. . . .
Public testimony from Michael McCord, Chair, Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay Green Committee, presented at the Boston City Council Hearing on Net-Zero-Carbon New Buildings (Dec. 11, 2017):
“. . . It is, in my view, morally unconscionable that the city of Boston is poised to allow new buildings to be constructed that will substantially add to Greenhouse Gases. . .” Click “Read More” below for full testimony
Testimony from Martin Roetter, Chair, Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, presented at the DPU hearing on the approval of a service agreement between National Grid and One Dalton (Dec. 15, 2017):
“. . . Sensible decisions and practical compromises can only be achieved if they are based on an understanding of the costs to all of us taking into account the public interest as well as the interests of those directly involved in investments in fracked gas and their users. . .” Click “Read More” below for full testimony


text:
Endless Space 2 developer Amplitude Studios is hosting a summery event this week, offering free Sega games, putting on competitions and doing daily streams, including the developer's first German and French language streams.
Some recent chat in PC Gamer's Slack inspired me to buy up all the Endless Space 2 and Endless Legend DLC I was missing last night, so I was up till 3 am trying to conquer aliens worlds this morning. I've still got energy to tackle the the new custom developer factions in Endless Space 2, though.
To get access to the freebies, you'll want to sign up to Amplitude's Games2Gether programme. It's a community platform that the developer has used for its Endless games to track development, get feedback, give the community free stuff and host events like this.
By linking your Steam account, you'll be able to grab two of the Sega classics on offer, which include Ecco: The Tides of Time and Ristar. There are a further 23 rewards you can download from Games2Gether, ranging from Endless-themed mocktail recipes to free DLC.
At E3, Sega told us that the Games2Gether platform was one of the reasons it wanted to acquire Amplitude, and it's something the publisher would like to see built on, possibly with other studios getting involved.
The Endless Summer event is live now and will run until July 11.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Sign Up for the Breaking Ground Newsletter
Send this story to a friend
MAC Realty Advisors climbs aboard an unexpected wave of D.C. apartment sales
(Page 3 of 3)
“We’re not looking to service clients in those locations, but if someone comes to us, we’ll look at it,” Levin said. “Before we sign up, we have to get in and see if we can add value and make money.”
MAC Realty’s focus on Baltimore is a strategic decision Levin said could help position the company for future twists and turns in the market. As prices for apartments in D.C. continue to climb, it’s likely investors will turn to second- and third-tier markets that are less competitive and expensive to buy into.
Not that there are signs of the District slowing down — Levin predicted 2012 could be a record-setting year for multifamily investment sales.
Still, the company’s growth hasn’t come without a touch of regret for Levin and McAllister. Looking back, the pair said they would have made a push to bring on more brokers and would have started the business six months earlier to tap into the current upsurge in apartment sales and financing.
“What we didn’t realize was just how big the opportunity was,” Levin said. “We would have built a bigger team sooner.”
Daniel J. Sernovitz covers commercial real estate.
- Most popular
- D.C. far outpaces nation in personal earnings
- After $110M buy, JBG plans something big for Dupont Circle
- Another perspective on Vornado's massive Arlington presence
- D.C. offers two key parcels, in Shaw and Anacostia, for redevelopment
- There's more to the Georgetown 2028 Plan than Metro and a gondola
- 50 largest nonprofits (Video)
- 2013: The year in pictures
- Why Hilton didn't ring the NYSE bell on its first day of trading
- Apple store a no-go for CityCenterDC?
- MGM National Harbor remains the favorite in Pr. George's County (Video)
- Business Development Director/Associations McMurry/TMG | Washington, DC
- Audience Development Account Executive Washington Business Journal | Arlington, VA
- Careers at Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless | Local Opportunities


text:
People can once again spend an hour with penguins before the Aquarium of the Pacific opens to the public. The Penguin Encounter is back.
Dr. Jerry Schubel was a national leader in the scientific world about all things related to the ocean when he came to Long Beach's Aquarium of the Pacific in 2002.
According to Smithsonian magazine, the first forks were used in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Forks were only used as cooking tools and it wasn’t until the Middle Ages that a smaller version was used for eating.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's order closing indoor commercial activities has pushed more than restaurant visitors outside — the Aquarium of the Pacific has opted to stay open with only open sky exhibits open.
As expected, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority has extended the time people and agencies have to comment on the draft Environmental Impact Report for restoration of the wetlands.
A draft Environmental Impact Report is being reviewed as part of an ambitious restoration plan for the Los Cerritos Wetlands in southeast Long Beach.
A state Coastal Commission investigation has concluded Long Beach violated the Coastal Act last week by having a contractor trim palm trees on the Peninsula when there were multiple active Great Blue Heron nests there.
Tree trimming crews came to the Peninsula on Wednesday, May 6, and began working in the palms along Ocean Boulevard — a clear violation of Long Beach's coastal permit.
A years-in-the-making project to replace the Shoemaker Bridge, which connects drivers from Shoreline Drive and Seventh Street in downtown Long Beach to the 710 Freeway, took another step forward Tuesday, April 21.
Southern California has tolerated a dry January — again. February did not bring much, if any, rain. In fact, most places received less than 5% of normal rainfall for the month, making it one of the driest Februaries on record, according to weather service data. Of course, Punxsutawney Phil d…
More than 3,100 acres within the city's 50 square miles are developed for recreation. That includes 170 parks. Maintaining it can be expensive.
Billings Hardware has been the go-to place for Belmont Shore, Naples and Belmont Heights residents for decades when it came to home repair or improvement projects.
A public meeting to review the draft Environmental Impact Review for restoration of the Los Cerritos Wetlands has been revamped to be conducted online.
Two eight-story apartment/condominium buildings with 580 residential units and first floor retail space will replace Long Beach's old City Hall.
A Sound Garden in north Long Beach was envisioned in November 2018 as the completion of one project and an enhancement to another.
Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier long has been the subject of renovation, improvement or rebuild discussions among Long Beach officials and users.
A $300,000 pilot study underway now could offer an answer to moving sand to the Peninsula beach without huge earthmover trucks driving up and down.
Battery-electric buses have been on Long Beach streets for almost four years. Purchased from Build Your Dreams (BYD), a China-based auto manufacturer, Long Beach Transit rolled out its initial battery-electric buses along downtown streets in March 2016.
Early Wednesday morning, the Long Beach City Council voted unanimously to send a revised Belmont Beach Aquatic Center plan to the California Coastal Commission, denying appeals and approving local changes along the way.
Long Beach’s current policy on short-term rentals is an unenforced ban — but you wouldn’t know it by perusing sites like Airbnb, which boast more than 1,000 homes for temporary visitors to the city.
The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority has cancelled a meeting set for Thursday, Jan. 23, to review plans to restore Los Cerritos Wetlands — including a draft Environmental Impact Report — because the report's release has been delayed.
Dine LBC, the group that organizes a citywide nine-day restaurant event in August, is sponsoring a one-time-only showing of the late Anthony Bourdain's "Wasted!: The Story of Food Waste" documentary this Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Art Theatre.
Long Beach City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis issued an order Monday morning closing Long Beach beaches to swimming due to a sewage spill Sunday.
A new $900 million electricity generating facility in Long Beach is nearly ready to go online, but the older, taller generators along Studebaker Road will remain standing for at least three more years.
People can shred paper items and recycle e-waste (old computers, keyboards, iPads, laptops and more), for free from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, at Hughes Middle School, 3846 California Ave.
A first step to approving a reduced Belmont Beach and Aquatics Center takes place Thursday, Dec. 19, with a hearing before the Long Beach Planning Commission.
Coyote sightings and encounters are on the rise in Long Beach as winter approaches, and the Animal Care Services Bureau has some tips on handling the wild animals.

domain: geography


text:
Christianity Across Cultures
By Ashley Binnebouse
“Missions Month” was one of my fondest Sunday school memories. Although the missionaries that our church supported were talked about all year long, during that time we got a more in depth perspective. Within that month, there would always be one Sunday where our classrooms were transformed to resemble different countries. By doing so, we were able to travel around the “world” learning about other cultures, sampling food, and praying for their communities. I understood that there were Christians, just like me, around the globe.
With time though, the similarities can begin to fade and the disparities grow. Instead of using words like “us” or “we”, people can become preoccupied with “me” and “them”. With such attitudes, missions opportunities gradually dwindle and our relationships can dissipate. Without connection to our brothers and sisters in Christ cross culturally, we can become divided. So inwardly focused, we miss the point entirely. We become blind to the beauty in both acknowledging our differences, yet understanding the depth of our unifying faith.
I’ve served close to home and abroad. In every place, I’ve grown in faith. In every place, strangers have become family. In every place, I’ve seen the struggle of sharing Christ within our communities. In every place, I’ve anticipated the diversity of heaven with excitement. In every place, I’ve seen heartbreak and pain. In every place, I have been encouraged to continue serving. In every place, the Holy Spirit has moved.
My experiences on mission trips have allowed me to have interactions with the global church that not only impact me, but impact others. I pray for my brothers and sisters now more than ever, and I know they pray for me as well.


text:
East Timorese have been slow to check the UN on its failures in the most fundamental areas of Transitional Administration, including justice, infrastructure and education. Many foreigners are puzzled by this. Perhaps, they posit, the UN is actually winning the propaganda war, that the East Timorese are won over by cartoon-posters and the few high-profile UN figures who have learned their language.
But the real answer is much simpler: the UN never really penetrated the East Timorese consciousness enough to create an expectation in the first place. Sure, people here know that a lot of foreign money is being spent in their name, what amounts to about $750 million a year. Many see the peacekeeping forces, which take up only 40% of that number, as the UN’s single contribution to East Timor in the past two years. After all, the border with West Timor, and its former occupier, is secured.
Yet the notion that the UN could reconstruct East Timor, without better coordination with the East Timorese, seems absurd to the man on the street. The actions of the UN here have been mysterious from the very beginning; many people were asking months after UNTAET had started when it would arrive. Few people know somebody with a position higher than secretary, interpreter or security for the UN.
The Timorese gave the UN a full year to merely begin some of its most crucial work, after finally realizing it had arrived. Consultation with qualified Timorese did not noticeably increase. Now the UN has entered some kind of Warp-9 emergency-shutdown mode, with legions of UN professional staff and volunteers poised to return home before the ink of the new constitution has dried.
Some Timorese people feel outraged. Especially those who have access to the figures, who know how much money boomeranged out of here in international salaries as opposed to reconstruction of their country. But many take a long view, seeing the UN’s role here as minimal, but crucial. A bureaucratic UN presence here prevented violent political infighting between old rivals. That is about all. But it provided the oxygen the East Timorese people needed to return to their rubble-filled homes and face the ashen disappointments and indignities of the reconstruction period without fear.
The East Timorese reaction to the UN falls largely along the urban-rural divide. In areas outside of Dili, a city of around 150,000, most people have little to no idea what the UN is doing in East Timor except “keeping the peace.” Only in the 13 district administrative offices does the UN show any significant bureaucratic presence outside of Dili.
The layer below the district offices, added halfway into the two year mission, is a network of District Field Officers, or DFOs. Sent to small offices in remote villages, many DFOs feel confused about what their work for UNTAET actually is, besides paperwork and basic emergency aid. The most successful DFOs take initiative much like Peace Corps volunteers, creating their own projects like aiding craft cooperatives or starting up libraries in their offices.
But most rural areas are out of the reach of the DFOs. In fact, in some remote mountain areas, Timorese friends have reported meeting village chiefs who were unaware of the UN presence in East Timor. Another story, coming from a western mountain district, goes that villagers greeted a UN helicopter as if it was Portuguese, as if the Portuguese had finally returned after their departure 25 years ago.
Many of these rural people did vote in the UN’s constituent assembly. But did they know who or what they were voting for? The names of 5 or 6 key political figures rattled around Dili for the months preceding the elections. Parties used their leaders’ clandestine names in the newspapers. Yet outside of Dili, there was little to no recognition for politicians beyond the once-imprisoned guerilla leader Xanana Gusmão, who was widely believed to be on the ballot for FRETILIN, the revolutionary party that led the struggle against Indonesia. The actual leaders of FRETILIN, many of whom are returnees from the post-1975 diaspora, are actually quite personally and politically opposed to Gusmão.
East Timor will not share South Africa’s experience of negotiated transference of power to a resistance hero. Instead, the country can expect unscripted palace intrigues and political maneuvering in the capitol preceding independence.


RCMP ‘UNABLE TO LOCATE RECORDS’ ON UNAUTHORIZED TRANSFER OF FIREARMS BY LICENSED GUN OWNERS
BILL BLAIR: “…reports show that domestic crime guns have been illegally diverted (straw purchases).” RCMP ATIP RESPONSE: “The Canadian Firearms Program does not hold such records.” RCMP Response to Access to Information Act File: A-2019-06359 dated Nov 26, 2019 received Dec 3, 2019 by Dennis R. Young
OCTOBER 13, 2018 – FACTSCAN: BILL BLAIR: ON CRIME GUNS
By Nojan Kamoosi on October 13, 2018: Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction and MP for Scarborough Southwest, on CBC’s The House on July 28, 2018: ‘While the data on this topic is limited and somewhat flawed, experts agree that historically, most crime guns in Canada have arrived unlawfully from the US. Some new reports contradict this view and imply that a higher rate of crime guns are domestically sourced, however, these reports show that domestic crime guns have been illegally diverted (straw purchases), as opposed to being legally owned by the perpetrators.” FactsCan Score: True
SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 – RCMP HAVE NO RECORDS TO SUPPORT CLAIMS OF ‘STRAW PURCHASES’
CBC NEWS June 14, 2018: “It’s the main source of how firearms are being purchased and how they come into people’s hands on the streets nowadays,” said Sgt. Eric Stewart, head of the Guns and Gangs unit for the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).” RCMP ATIP RESPONSE: “Based on the information provided, a search for records was conducted in Edmonton, Alberta and Ottawa, Ontario. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate records which respond to your request.”
once we have a government that needs to use a oic it is afraid of debate for the fear of loosing.
once a government has to use a order in councel to pass laws we have a government scared to have debate fore the fear of loosing.
“we will strengthen gun laws and ban the type of weapon used at École Polytechnique. These weapons, designed to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time, have no place in our communities, in our streets, in our country.” If that is true, then why do the various police forces around the country need them? Why is the government arming the police with “military style assault weapons”? Who are they planning to use the ability to “kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time” against? Wise up Canada, don’t let your country… Read more »
Thanks, Dennis. This has VERY LONG legs.
Once again, Dennis Young doing the lords work. Keep it up, this is the only way to counter the disinformation campaign of the current government.
the gun hating people are like a dog that was kickaround. the liberals are like a little boy who is confronted by the angry dog so he throws the dog a bone to keep it busy while he escapes.but as soon as the dog realizes there is no meet on the bone it attacks again. i am very proud of the fact that i was trusted with owning firearms as i was trusted as an emt-ambulance attendant and volunteer firefighter to come into your home to help save your lives and property,now i am seen as more of a criminal?… Read more »
I am compelled to comment. So this proves that Bill Blair has been LYING. This should be reported by all the media who parroted his LIES. This goes hand in hand with his interview with the CCFR when he demonstrated that he has no clue what the current regulations are. His LIES need to be exposed.