Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)
Application lifecycle management (ALM) is an integrated system of people, tools, and processes that supervise a software application from its initial planning and development, through testing and maintenance, and into decommissioning and retirement. By combining and organizing the elements of an application's lifecycle, ALM improves product quality, optimizes productivity, and eases the management and maintenance burden for related products and services.
The principal role of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) is to manage the life of a software application from concept to delivery throughout the entire development process. To be effective ALM solutions must include requirements management, software change and configuration management, system model management, and test management in a single, integral solution. ALM provides visibility into product release readiness, supports variant complexity, automates development processes, and ensures complete lifecycle traceability. Directly, ALM offers significant value to a company, but ALM also enhances other enterprise systems, such as product lifecycle management (PLM), by enabling the sharing of product information across engineering disciplines.
The different interpretations of application lifecycle management
Application lifecycle management is interpreted differently by different ALM providers. Basically, it comprises the whole period in which an organization invests both time and money into a solution, from the needs of the stakeholders to the development of ideas, the definition of a business case, the planning and development of a solution right up to the preparation, implementation, service and discontinuation of the solution. The following disciplines or tasks come into effect:
- Stakeholder identification, stakeholder analysis, and stakeholder communication
- Idea management
- Business case
- Requirements engineering
- Design, draft solutions and architecture, for example with mediums like SysML and UML
- Project management – agile, classic, or hybrid
- Resource management
- Change management
- Issue management
- Configuration management
- Version management
- Code generation
- Quality assurance and testing
- Build management, release management, and deployment
- Customer support including maintenance and software maintenance
- Benefits management i.e., solution evaluation
- Discontinuation, if necessary, replacement through another solution
The structure for these disciplines and tasks forms project management, process optimization, and workflow management. For these disciplines and tasks, there are different ALM tools – from isolated solutions to integrated tools.
ALM is Different from SDLC
ALM is much more than SDLC. Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), as we all know is limited to the phases of software development, i.e. requirements, design, coding, testing, configuration, and project management. ALM, on the other hand, deals with a broader perspective of applications. It does not finish at the end of development, but when the application is no longer used by the business i.e. primarily many years after the initial development. To simplify, ALM is the superset that includes one or more SDLCs that may appear in the entire lifecycle.
The Need for an ALM Framework
A conceptual framework explains, either graphically or in narrative form, the main things to be studied – the key factors, constructs, or variables – and the presumed relationship among them. In a conceptual framework, you put the concepts together as in a jigsaw puzzle. You work out how all the concepts fit together and relate to one another. The first stage of theorizing identifies and clarifies concepts; the second stage concentrates on the connections and relationships between the concepts. The ALM framework was used as an evolving insight into the concept of ALM to help with data collection, analysis, and documentation during the case studies. Second, the main result of the research process was a proposal for the ALM framework that was constructed and demonstrated iteratively during the series of case studies. The ALM framework provides the means for scientists and practitioners to understand the complexity of ALM from an ALM solutions perspective, i.e., what the principal elements of ALM are. In addition, according to our case experiences, the framework can be used to document, analyze and find improvement ideas for an organization’s ALM solution. The need for the ALM framework arose from the lack of clarity on document and analyzing the organization’s ALM solution.
The Three Aspects of ALM
ALM can be divided into three distinct areas: governance, development, and operations (see figure below) The three aspects of ALM are tightly connected to one another. Doing all three well is a requirement for any organization that aspires to maximize the business value of custom software. But this isn’t an easy goal to achieve. Each of the three is challenging to get right on its own, so getting the combination right is even more challenging.
- Governance: In ALM, the purpose of governance is to make sure the application always provides what the business needs. Governance is the only thing that extends throughout the entire ALM time span. In many ways, it’s the most important aspect of ALM. Get it wrong, and you won’t come close to maximizing the application’s business value.
- Development: While equating ALM with the software development process isn’t accurate, development certainly is a fundamental part of every custom application’s lifecycle. Development occurs in the first part of an application’s lifecycle, then happens periodically as the application is updated.
- Operations: Every deployed application must be monitored and managed. Operations begin shortly before an application is deployed, then continue until the application is removed from service.
5 Benefits of ALM
- Agility — Through the collaboration and application of "just enough" processes
- Predictability — Through better estimation, better communication, and more repeatable processes
- Auditability — Traceability of work back to a business need, accountability for each change or decision made, and the ability to separate concerns
- Quality — Through more-effective management of requirements, design, and quality processes
- Productivity — Through the continuous improvement of processes and practices, and more effective utilization of resources
These benefits result in better control of costs and risks in development projects across the spectrum of applications that run the business, grow the business or transform the business.
11 steps that can help you achieve successful Application Lifecycle Management
- Define the roles that should be part of the ALM. Define who is responsible for each role in information technology, software technology, quality assurance, software testing, the lines of business, and on the customer's side.
- Define the goals and objectives of each role. If this step isn't followed through, then the details of each role will not be understood and the question of "what do I do?" will never be clear. This step helps to avoid the "he-said/she said" and finger-pointing.
- Anticipate a certain amount of internal-process dependency. Outline and illustrate what work and which roles will depend upon your actions and deliverables. If this is not clearly documented, other people working on the project may assume that time is not important, or deliverables can be delayed or covered up if done incorrectly. A proper ALM process ensures that all levels of work are done correctly and follow quality standards.
- Develop a risk and contingency plan. Every role and each step in the process has the potential to make waves if something goes wrong. Make sure you think about how a missed deadline or objective could be rectified without a major disruption to the overall ALM process. If the risks are not understood from the beginning of the project, then you will be constantly working in a "ticking time bomb" environment. Problems affecting time, functionality, quality, outputs, security, performance, schedule, and cost can all add to the risk to the end product, the application, and the customers. Thus, it is always better to be proactive with a constructive, reusable lifecycle.
- Prepare a process. It is important that you outline a flowing pathway of communication and documentation. This is where the SDLC comes into play and defines how a company and/or department will operate.
- Foresee each individual's potential output. Understand the capabilities of each person on your team and set expectations accordingly.
- Plan … plan again … and plan some more! If you couldn't already tell, detailed planning is a must for ALM to be successful. Each role must be defined so that when a project is started each role's objectives, dependencies and needs are known.
- Know how communication affects your clients and other external stakeholders. When you interface with a client and that client expects something in return, how will you involve them in the process? Communication between you and your customers is crucial since the earlier your clients are involved the more they will feel a part of the process; they will be more likely to accept your thoughts and ideas.
- Set up quality assurance checkpoints to ensure your ALM process is working. This step is usually conducted by a quality analyst, whose job is to ensure that all processes are running like clockwork. (A quality analyst is not to be confused with a software tester whose role should have already been defined in step number one.) When a project is being run by a project manager, they often want to also manage ALM – but if this occurs it is difficult to provide good quality assurance since there is little or no opportunity for outside evaluation. Quality checkpoints by a quality analyst help create balance within the process.
- Work toward continual improvement. At the end of the first lifecycle attempt, it is QA's responsibility to delineate what went right and what went wrong in order to correct any bumps in the process. A "lessons learned" document should be prepared and presented to all of the key stakeholders, internally and externally, and discussion should ensue about how to improve the process for the next attempt. If not, then a process truly does not exist. This tends to happen if one person or team is "running the show" rather than a collective group.
- Provide governance. After a constructive baseline is set, all process changes must go through a formal procedure to ensure new rules and changes within the company's adoption of the ALM process. This is why step number nine (quality assurance checkpoints) is so important. QA monitors the processes that are put into place. Governance then works hand-in-hand with regulatory in-house and external audits for standards and assurance.
- What is Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)?
- What is the purpose of Application Lifecycle Management?
- The different interpretations of application lifecycle management
- ALM vs. SDLC
- The Need for an ALM Framework
- The Three Aspects of ALM
- What are the Benefits of ALM?
- How to Successfully Achieve Application Lifecycle Management


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Franchitti returns to IRL with Ganassi
|By Diego Mejia||Tuesday, September 2nd 2008, 21:05 GMT|
Dario Franchitti will return to the IRL IndyCar Series next year driving for Chip Ganassi Racing beside Scott Dixon, the team announced on Tuesday
You have viewed over 15 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.

domain: news


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Every month we share fashion tips and top picks with the north-east.
Fashion & Beauty
An independent family-owned boutique reopened today.
The directors of an Aberdeen hair and beauty salon have shared their predictions for the must-have bridal hair this spring/summer.
An Aberdeen beauty salon has had a face lift after moving to a new premises.
A north-east hairdresser is at a top fashion show supporting designers to create this year’s catwalk looks.
A skincare brand based in Aberdeen's John Lewis store has launched a vegan skincare range.


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History and design of Via Duomo in Naples
Spaccanapoli is the most famous street in Naples, via Duomo with its 1200 meters of grandeur is certainly not a secondary street. This road connects the city with a thousand intersections between art, culture, history, tradition and shopping.
Its conception was approved in 1853 when the Bourbon reigned over Naples, its project has undergone several variations over the years, while its design dates back to 14 years earlier. The idea of the road was to connect the current Via Foria to Via Marina, a project that was expanded over the years to expand the connection beyond the Duomo and beyond the current Piazza Nicola Amore. To complete this connection, the facade and a nave of the church of San Giorgio Maggiore, later rebuilt, were demolished. While the width of the road was always the same.
The works were also banned during the period of the unification of Italy, to then be completed in 1868, via Duomo has always been a street in constant evolution so that during the First World War the street was named in dedication to the then American president Woodrow Wilson.
Via Duomo in Naples: a street rich in art, culture, history, food and religion
Stay in the center of Naples: how to reach Via Duomo
Staying in via Duomo in Naples is certainly a strategic tip for your holiday in Naples: you are in the city center and you can move easily by public transport or on foot. Via Duomo is in the city center and can be easily reached on foot from Piazza Garibaldi station or by metro.
Thanks to Be Italian Flat it is possible to stay in Via Duomo, in the magnificent historic center which is a UNESCO heritage site, with really affordable prices without giving up the most useful comforts of hotel facilities. Very modern apartments that represent the right compromise in historic buildings of the city.
The company also has an apartment in the nearby Piazza Bovio, still in the center of Naples and a few meters from the University metro station.
Now you know one of the most important streets of the city, you know where to stay in the historic center, pack your bags and come to visit Naples!

domain: travel


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SF: I have a major bias, well two, I've yet to see a bad Edward Norton film and who doesn't love the Hulk? This leaves the previous Hulk movie dead in the water. Liked it so much I went and saw it twice. 8/10
50 Eggs: I liked the Ang Lee version and for me the Hulk depicted in this semi sequel reboot is not as good. The movie as a whole is better though, and Ed Norton makes a good stab at being the jolly green giant. There's a much better movie in the character though, but until then this gets a decent 7/10.
Overall - 7.5/10

domain: entertainment


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Birmingham & Solihull?s win at Orrell just put our own defeat up there in perspective and made it an even bigger pill to swallow.
It only emphasised how badly we did actually play against Orrell and we definitely performed below our own standards. I think people will be even more disappointed now after seeing a team we beat 50-0 go and beat the team we then lost to, but I suppose that?s the beauty of the game.
It?s in the past now and Saturday?s win over Otley was an excellent result for us. We had some really good patches of play and scored some good tries. It?s nice for the guys to come back like that.
Otley were a very big side but they seemed to play with their hands tied and fell away as the game went on.
Our handling was good and our defence very good, although we shouldn?t have let them in for their two tries. Letting teams in late in the game is something I don?t like - points difference can count and we should shut sides out, but at least they didn?t get a bonus point.
It was good to see Jules Horrobin playing so well, he?s a big asset to the side. I?d given that kick to the corner to Tigger Dawson, but I?d seen Jules out there as well and he won the race to get his hat-trick try - once he?d got one and then two, it probably spurred him on and it was good stuff from someone who at the start was only going to play one half.
I thought the backs played well to a man. Luis Criscuolo is very passionate, he?s got that Latin flair in his game and each match means something to him. A couple of little pieces of trickery came off for him, and you need to have guys like him who are able to express themselves and pave the way for others.
?OBVIOUSLY our cup draw away at Rotherham is disappointing.
I can remember last year?s game quite vividly, and I won?t be trying any more of those drop goals this time. Maybe the stage wasn?t big enough and it needed to be the World Cup and white jerseys with a red rose on them in front of me...
But it?s the luck of the draw, or the bad luck perhaps, and we have got to take the medicine.
BRISTOL are the team now struggling st the bottom of the Premiership which to me just shows how tight it is this season.
All the clubs can beat each other on their day, and there isn?t a side like a West Hartlepool or a Rotherham as there were in other years.
I think Bristol will turn it round, they just need to get a win under their belt, but they won?t want to be hanging around the bottom of the pack at Christmas.
I had three years in the Premiership, and if you weren?t there or thereabouts before Christmas it made it that much harder over the second half of the season and meant you had to be on your game every week.
Leeds have made a great start and have the confidence now to start trying things in games. That will make them hard to knock over, and of course they have ?Deadeye Dick? with the boot, Braam van Straaten who can kick them from anywhere.
Braam?s a match-winner and worth 15 points a game. Come November and through to February when the ground is wet you won?t see so many tries, and that is when he comes into his own with his kicking and makes a difference.
My bottom three at the start were Harlequins, Bath and Leeds, but you?ve got to give Leeds a chance now if they can keep up the momentum and get to Christmas among the top teams. Anything can happen and it only takes a couple of injuries to key players to turn things around, but it?s an interesting situation.

domain: game


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Jennifer Lopez Puts MAJOR Boobage On Display At The People Magazine Awards!
Gwen Stefani Adds A Dash Of Black To Her Beady All White Look At The People Magazine Awards!
Angelina Jolie Reveals That Her Directing Brad Pitt In By the Sea Is Basically A Therapist's Dream Because...
These People Spent Thousands Of Dollars To Look Like Their Favorite Star!
EXCLUSIVE! Drake Bell Debuts His Fetchingly Festive Lyric Video For Christmas Promise!
Human Rights Activists Plan On Dropping The Interview DVDs Into North Korea!
Fact Check: Teresa Giudice Was Not Raided By The Feds, Nor Is She Getting Divorced!
Was Pulling The Interview From Theaters After Hacker Threats The Right Call? This Cyber Security Expert Calls It 'Mind-Boggling!'
12 Days Of Perezmas: 8 Heartwarming Viral Stories!
Jennifer Aniston Opens Up About Her Struggle With Insomnia! Actress Talks About Her Fear Of Dying 'Young' As A Result!
82-Year-Old Shoots 10-Year-Old's Puppy Because It Was About To Poop On His Lawn!
Ashlee Simpson And Evan Ross Receive The Greatest Holiday Gift Of All! The Couple Is Expecting Their First Child Together!
It's Not Just The Interview Anymore! Paramount Has CANCELED Team America Screenings Too!
Nicole Richie Proudly Wears Her Six-Year-Old Daughter's Jacket! How Bethenny Frankel Of Her!
Man Spends OVER $150,000 To Look As Much Like Kim Kardashian As He Possibly Can!
The Interview Writer Speaks Out On Free Speech As Sony Pulls Movie Over Hacker Threats!
Taylor Swift's Style Evolution Of 2014: The Year Of Sexy Stems & Abs!
A Mystery Santa Has Been Handing Out $100 Bills To Strangers In Massachusetts!
Here's A Clip Of Robin Williams' Last Role... As Simon Pegg's Talking Dog... SPOILER: It's PERFECT!!
Kris & Bruce Jenner Are Officially Single And Ready To Mingle After Finalizing Their Divorce!
The Hottest Stories Right Now!
Rihanna Is Filming Something (A New Video?!?) In Paris RIGHT NOW Called The #R8Experience! Updates HERE!
All Of Macaulay Culkin's Home Alone Stunts Were Performed By A 30-Year-Old Man! See More Things You Didn't Know About The Holiday Classic HERE!
Happy Birthday, Brad Pitt! Celebrate With His Best Shirtless Moments!
President Obama On The SONY Threats: 'My Recommendation Would Be That People Go To The Movies'
Steve Carell Thriller Set In North Korea Canceled Too -- Sony Hack Is To Blame!
Sony Finally Gets A Win! Reddit Bans Links To Hacked Info!
Nicki Minaj Has a Nip Slip On Watch What Happens Live! Girl Can't Catch A Break!
U.S. Government Vows To Bring Justice Upon Those Responsible For The Sony Hacking!
Celebrate Christina Aguilera's 34th Birthday With A Look Back At Her Hottest Red Carpet Outfits!
Listen To This: Better Get To Livin!
Not Only Has Sony Pulled The Interview From Theaters... But They're Not Releasing It On DVD Or On Demand Either!
EXCLUSIVE! Shahs Of Sunset's Lilly Ghalichi Calls Off Her Engagement!
Brace Your Hearts: Michael Bublé Helped This Guy Propose To His Girlfriend!
Duck Dynasty Star Willie Robertson Reflects On His Father's Anti-Gay Comments -- Find Out How He Feels About The LGBT Community Today!
Woman Crush Wednesday: Kendall Jenner Edition!
12 Days Of Perezmas: 9 Naughty Nick Jonas Pics!
EXCLUSIVE! Melanie Martinez Brings Down The Dollhouse With This Powerful Acoustic!
Sony Cancels The Release Of The Interview; Investigators Determine That Hackers Behind Sony Hack Were Working For North Korea
Oh please no! Don't let this be true! Director Tim Burton was SIGHted last week outside of a London cinema embracing a mystery blonde! The two were … Read more…
Helena is blond right now!
He is kissing january jones
Helena is so fucking perfect! Love her. Why she's not lesbian haha
How soon we forget…he cheated on actress Lisa Marie to get with Helena. Guess karmas a bitch ?
Look up the other photos, it's definitely NOT Helena. And Helena was photographed out today and she's a brunette. So no. She's not blond right now.
He is following the example of Johnny.. ha ha ha..
I'd be very afraid of what HBC would do.
that pic could be just him kissing a friend goodbye. funny how these pics are just one off split second shots…and blurred. You could take a split second shot of any friends kissing a quick goodbye and it could look like something much more. Just sayin before y'all condemn him.
Awww, I'm sad. I hope this isn't what it looks like. I love Helena. She's lovely and their relationship is sweet… and their movies are magic when they're involved.
Re: Paty – No, Depp never humiliated Vanessa by been caught kissing Amber Heard in pictures spreaded all over the world. It's way different
I love Tim and Helena and I don't want to judge them, so I only wish for them and his children peace and the best
i'm sorry but the picture is so blurry how can wee even be sure it's tim burton?
It was Johnny Depp
Re: asitpia – Look at Daily Mail, they have all the pictures. You can see it's him, you can see this very romantic situation and then them leaving (the two alone) in her car.
well well ..karma was along tie coming
Little Miss Quirky cheated with Keneth Branuagh WHILE HE WAS LIVING WITH and married to Emma Thompson,…google
My last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can't believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what I do… www.Day37.com
Re: Zoe – JD humiliated Vanessa.Everyone knows that he cheated on her with Amber Heard.
Jennifer Lopez, you are dangerously close to that iconic Versace look of yours!
Y'all know what we're talking about!
The bootylicious queen KILLED the game the moment she stepped out of her vehicle and onto the People Magazine Awards red carpet Thursday evening!
In true JLo fashion, the star showed up in a sparkly tan jumpsuit with a SUPER deep neckline that almost made contact with her belly button!
The star kept her hair down and added a number of rings and bracelets to tie the whole look together.
Boobs on FLEEK.
[Image via Getty Images.]
The night barely started and Gwen Stefani is killin' it! Srsly, did you expect anything less ...
DAMN! Well at least Angelina Jolie knows that this whole situation is kind of weird! LOL! The...
Everyone is beautiful inside and out in their own unique way!! But we guess sometimes people ...
It's tough to create a Christmas classic. In fact, we're not sure there's been a new one since M...
Funny Or Die Gifts The World With The Most HIGHlarious Serial Podcast Parody EVER! Watch HERE!
If you encounter the internet on a daily basis, and come on you're online right now so DUH, then...
Game Of Thrones Gets Another Teaser! This One Has Arya, Sansa, Cersei & MORE! Watch HERE!
Ugh why do we have to wait so long for this coming season AND why do these teasers have to be so...
Whoopi Goldberg Gets Into A Heated Shouting Match With Her Co-Hosts On The View While Discussing Racism!
Things are really reaching a boiling point on The View, and not just behind the scenes. On to...
19 Kids And Counting Star Jim Bob Duggar Says The Petition To Cancel His Family's Hit TLC Show Has Only Given Them ‘More Exposure’!
19 Kids and Counting star Jim Bob Duggar has nothing but love for his haters. As we reported,...
Kendall & Kylie Jenner Actually Share The Cover Of A Magazine & Dish On What It's Like Being Famous!
It's not often that Kendall and Kylie Jenner share the front page of a magazine together! Aft...
Sony Hack Reveals Alex Trebek Almost Quit Jeopardy! Over THIS Kids Week Incident!
It looks like Alex Trebek's game show hosting career was in serious Jeopardy recently -- and we ...
Brad Pitt´s Best Shirtless Moments!
34 Of Christina Aguilera´s Hottest, Most Memorable Looks!
8 Heartwarming Viral Stories!
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domain: celebrity


text:
Pixtea it's a creative place for creative designers. Here you can download free psd files, icons, free ai files; find inspiration and why not buy premium items. So...you want a pixels tea? :D
Awesome fantasy Playing card design. You can choose from lots of colors and styles. Enjoy!
Joy Media J can be a new image for your entertainment business. Available on three color variations.
Happy hand logo tamplate is available for you today. You can use it for your organization or charity campaigns. Available in three color variations.

domain: hobby


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Earlier this month, we reported on the mysterious case of a 15-inch lizard named Sticky, who went missing from his Mission backyard on October 23rd.
John Reitan, the owner of the missing bearded dragon, feared that he may have been snatched by a bird of prey, but it turns out that Sticky was merely making himself scarce—perhaps to avoid the threat of inclement weather.
By way of a status update, the "Missing!" flyers posted around the neighborhood have been replaced to reflect that "Sticky is BACK!!"
From the flyer:
He enjoyed tree climbing and being in the sun, but he buried himself for 2 weeks! (Supposedly, bearded dragons are good at predicting the weather, and Sticky didn't want to be exposed to the approaching rain storm.) Last seen in our yard on 20th Street on October 23rd. He was FOUND back in his favorite tree enjoying the warm weather on November 10th. Our family is so happy to have him back!
Congratulations to Sticky and family for the happy reunion.
Thanks to tipster Jason H.
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lt’s time for some more marvellous middle grade with this latest review…
When Arthur and Maudie Brightstorm receive word that their famous explorer father has died in an attempt to reach South Polaris, the last thing they expect is for him to also be accused of breaking the Explorer’s Code by trying to steal fuel from his competitors on the journey.
Unable to believe it, the twins answer an ad seeking crew for a new southern expedition in the hope of piecing together the truth and salvaging their father’s reputation. As the winged skyship Aurora sets sail, the twins must keep their wits about them and prove themselves if they are to restore the Brightstorm name. But what answers await them in the perilous unknown?
Readers alight in a world of sky-ships and expeditions in this plucky adventure. An eye-catching blue-and-gold cover peels back to reveal a plot with plenty of vigour and an accessible, effective writing style. While it touches on some big themes like loss and letting go, Brightstorm’s cartoonish villains and exciting set-pieces should go down a treat in the hands and classrooms of readers aged 8-11.
As twins Arthur and Maudie Brightstorm set off to discover the truth about what happened to their explorer father, they inadvertently enter into the very same race to the bottom of the world on which he vanished. Maudie has a knack for engineering – so much so that she built and maintains Arty’s prosthetic arm – only matched by the twins’ penchant for getting themselves into sticky situations. They face a variety of ghastly ne’er-do-wells out to crush their spirit, but receive a helping hand from young sky-ship captain Harriet Culpepper, larger-than-life cook Felicity, disgruntled butler turned second-in-command Welby and sapient pets Parthena and Queenie. Where there’s a race, there’s a rival, and the crew of Maudie and Arthur’s adopted sky-ship The Aurora must also face-off against the ominous and influential Eudora Vane, captain of the sky-ship Victorious.
Hardy’s world-building is straightforward but fit for purpose. Arthur and Maudie’s quest takes them from the crowded streets of Lontown through the arid, wild-west deserts of the nearest continent into the cold reaches of the unknown South Polaris. They meet kings and bandits and (in my favourite addition) galloping thought-wolves. Hardy enriches the exploration angle with nods to nature and some vivid action sequences. I probably would have given it five stars if not for parts of the bittersweet ending, but there is terrific series potential to what otherwise works as a standalone début. Arthur, Maudie and Harriet could easily helm a whole trilogy of sky-ship escapades.
For fans of Sky Chasers by Emma Carroll and The Boy Who Went Magic by A.P. Winter, Vashti Hardy’s Brightstorm is an accessible, Victoriana-lite fantasy adventure set in a straightforward secondary world.

domain: literature


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Today is World Literacy Day! To mark the occasion, the POETA project is publishing a free eBook in Spanish for educators at adult basic education and anyone else interested. Poetry pedagogical approaches in basic education are the central theme of the POETA project. POETA has developed a variety of approaches to participation and empowerment, which […]
We are very happy to announce the release of the POETA eBook in additional languages: German and Greek! Immerse yourself in a fascinating world of poetry, language and creativity, combined with professional attitudes in adult basic education (first and second language). Get ready for inspiring poetry pedagogical approaches that not only touch hearts […]
We are very pleased to announce that the POETA project has reached an important milestone with the release of POETA MOOC and POETA eBook, both Open Educational Resources (OER). The intellectual outputs are innovative resources for anyone wishing to increase their knowledge and skills in the field of poetry pedagogy in adult basic education. […]
Coming soon POETA E-Book and MOOC!
Don’t Call Me…
In the framework of the POETA project, Second Chance School ofKalamata, made an effort to introduce to our trainees slam poetry(SLAM POETRY). We did not follow the basic rules faithfully, we justadapted them to the needs and capabilities of our trainees.We have made a start!Our goal was that our adult students could gain confidence, to […]


Corsair has unveiled the 12VHPWR GPU Power Bridge, a new right-angle 12VHPWR adapter for powering the latest graphics cards, such as NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 40 Series. There’s no pricing listed yet, but according to the marketing materials, this item is ideal for eliminating power connector stress, and it can withstand temperatures of up to 105°C. Corsair’s 12VHPWR GPU Power Bridge is not compatible with ASUS Strix and TUF Gaming GPUs, however, due to their rotated GPU power connectors.
Corsair 12VHPWR GPU Power Bridge Features
- CLEAN 180 CABLE ROUTING
- Finish your cable routing to the latest PCIe 5.0 GPUs, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series, with a tight bend that looks great.
- NO STRESS
- Prevents your power cable from pressing against the side of your case, removing stress on your components.
- HIGH THERMAL ENDURANCE
- Capable of withstanding temperatures up to 105°C for reliable use even with the most power-hungry graphics cards.


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Eastern University students clash with police during protest fast
[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 December 2008, 13:27 GMT]
Eastern University students observing a protest fast in the university campus Thursday around 9:00 a.m. against the detention of two fellow students, raised strong objections when two Sri Lanka Intelligence officials who had come with the police tried to video film the protesters, sources in Batticaloa said. When the students tried to expel the two officials, police who had accompanied them opened fire on the ground, the protesting students said. The police, however, claimed that one of their men’s gun had accidently gone off.
Members of Eastern University Students' Union (EUSU) began a fast Thursday around 9:00 a.m in protest against the various restrictions and harassment by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the police while demanding the release of two students held in police detention.
Though prior permission had been obtained to observe the fast, SLA and police personnel who earlier had come to the campus threatened to open fire on the protesters for ‘talking too much’, members of EUSU said.
Subramaniam Sasikaran, a third year Agriculture Faculty student, who is not involved in any crime, is under detention for three months following the killing of a Sinhalese Commerce Faculty student, Samarasinghe on 11 November in the campus and the assurance by the authorities that Sasikaran would be released has not been kept, they pointed out.
Ulakanathan Suresh, a second year Commerce Management Faculty student, who was seriously injured in a blast 26 November when he happened to pass by at the time of explosion and admitted to hospital, has been detained on false accusation by the police claiming Suresh had launched the attack, they added.
Suresh is the treasurer of Sivaananthiyan Undergraduates’ Union.
The police who had come along with the intelligence officers dispersed following the objection raised by the protesters while the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) paramilitary and an allied with Rajapaksa government in the provincial body, assured the protesting students that action will be taken to release the detained students.
The students extended a request to the authorities concerned to release the two detained students and not to subject the students to similar suppression in future.
They also said that the restrictions and harassment by the SLA and police in the name of security are causing great disturbances to their learning as well as related activities.
The protest fast ended around 4:00 p.m.

domain: sociology


text:
Stash It All: Know the 3 Zones of Kitchen StorageJanuary 20, 2017
What Is the Best Kitchen Flooring Material?February 3, 2017
When considering a kitchen or bathroom remodel, one of the crowning decorative changes is to the countertops. As countertops are a key tie-in for interior design choices as well as practice surfaces for food prep and toiletry rituals, it’s clearly an investment that should not be taken lightly.
With many choices available, here are a few material options to consider:
Easy to clean and non-porous, this man-made material is seamless, coming in one piece. As a result, there are no cracks to collect crumbs and other debris.
Maintenance: Use soapy water or ammonia-based cleaners. Avoid using strong chemicals. Proper cleaning resists bacteria and mold.
Granite is one of the hardest, strongest materials in nature – it’s also highly heat resistant. Beautiful and featuring thousands of pattern variations and an almost unlimited range of colors, granite is the top choice for many homeowners.
If not cut from the same slab, finding matching colors can be very difficult. The material is porous, so it may be prone to staining. Natural internal fissures become cracks, however, if subject to sudden temperature change.
Maintenance: Clean with a stone cleaner, not soap. Requires sealing annually.
Made from quartz, this man-made material can be engineered to appear like granite. Silestone cannot be installed in an outdoor kitchen as the surface will discolor in direct sun. Although resistant to chemicals, heat and scratching, the surface can be damaged by intense heat, bleach, wine, vinegar, lemon juice or coffee.
Maintenance: Make sure to always use a cutting board and hot plates under pans. Use a sponge and hot water for daily cleaning, as well as a stone cleaning solution. No abrasive cleaners should be used.
Marble, a natural material, is softer than granite, so it’s susceptible to scratches. Marble isn’t very porous, so it does not stain easily. It is, however, prone to etching from things like alcohol, citrus, coffee and cleaning products which can leave a dark stain on the surface; not always the best choice for kitchen countertops.
Maintenance: Marble should be sealed as needed. Blot up any spills immediately, clean with a sponge or soft cloth and use coasters.
This article was originally published at Angie’s List.

domain: design


text:
Choose Your Weapon: Activism Show
Custom9:00 AM – 5:00 PMApril 19 – April 19, 2018
Choose Your Weapon is an Activism Show put together by, and featuring the work of, alumni, and current students of Tory Novikova’s New Media class.
The show demonstrates the intense itch for change that is invigorating Pratt students to make their voices heard. Through their individual projects and techniques of physical and digital media, they advocate for social justice, gender and LGBTQ equality, feminism, animal rights, gun violence, environmentalism, commercialism, and more!
Together, students unite to defend their beliefs through the might of the pencil. Choose your weapon and join the fight for change!
Reception starts at 7 PM on Friday, April 20

domain: artistic


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In the Oil and Gas industry, High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA) can occur in steels operating a
t high temperature, usually above 205°C (400°F). Early stages of HTHA are very difficult to detect. Join us for a webinar presented by Guy Maes, Zetec Sales Engineer Director. The webinar will demonstrate how advanced ultrasonic techniques are deployed for efficient and reliable HTHA inspections.


text:
Improving yourself means starting to question your behaviour and improve it.
If it’s easy, then you’re not really making a deep change but mostly a superficial change that might not last at all.
If it’s hard, really hard, then you’re hitting the right points. It’s hard because you’re questioning the behaviour, your willpower, your interests.
Modern world has taught us that there are sooo many nice things to have, but how many of them are really a necessity? We’re flooded by things we buy and keep in our closed.
Flooded by messages to be who we really are (and we don’t really know who, truth to be told).
It’s hard to balance all this, to give up on the “normal” way.
We think most things are expensive, but some are not, yet we ignore them anyway.
The way you live, the way it’s yours.
It’s hard, and it should be, to give up on the old behaviour. Its yours, it feels like you.
So denying it is like refusing to be yourself.
But that is not yourself. That which you see is the result of many years of conditioning and it doesn’t mean that you’re a totally different person (well… who knows). It means that there’s a lot to be done and that working on you requires time and discipline, requires understanding the real needs and priorities, requires giving up on the surplus, on the useless that we think we need.
Give up on trash. Live more, own less.


Written by Duncan Flynn, Director – Planning
In recent times it has been something of a rarity for Ministers covering Housing issues at MHCLG to have a professional background in the Housing and Property sectors and a track record in local government. Therefore, the recent appointment of Eddie Hughes as the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Housing & Rough Sleeping represents something of a departure from this.
Hughes replaced the outgoing Kelly Tolhurst who resigned from Government citing personal reasons. Hughes represents Walsall North, a seat he won from Labour in 2017 with a majority of 2,601. He demonstrated his aptitude for campaigning and his strong personal brand in his constituency by transforming this into a 11,965 majority at the 2019 General Election. This was all the more impressive as the Walsall South seat remained Labour at the 2019 General Election despite being a key Conservative target. The likely explanation for Hughes thriving in what is traditionally a strongly Labour area can be partly explained by his background. He was born in Birmingham in 1968, the son of a bus driver and a cleaner and he is one of the strongest exponents of the “Blue Collar Conservatism” movement in the Party which seeks to appeal to a more working class audience.
Crucially Hughes is able to point to his work in the local community as evidence of his commitment to fighting social deprivation. Prior to becoming an MP, Hughes served as the Chief Executive of a charity providing accommodation to young people in and around Walsall. Furthermore, he worked as Chairman of the Housing Association, WHG, and only stepped down from this post in 2018 following his election to Parliament. Much has been made of Hughes (who has also worked in the Construction industry) being the only MP who has ever chaired a Housing Association and it is therefore logical that the Government is seeking to draw on this experience.
In addition to this, Hughes has a long track record in local government, having served as a councillor in Walsall from 1999 until his election to Parliament in 2017. During his time as a councillor he served in the Cabinet and chaired the Council’s Children’s Services and Audit Committees.
Hughes is no stranger to MHCLG either having served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department from 2018 until January 2019 when he resigned his position to vote against the first Withdrawal Agreement from the EU. This no doubt reflected both the fact that Hughes is a committed supporter of Brexit and that his constituency had one of the highest Leave votes in the country. Hughes returns to a Department which has an increasing West Midlands flavour. Serving alongside Hughes is the Minister of State for Housing, Chris Pincher, who is one of Hughes’ Parliamentary neighbours as the MP for Tamworth. Indeed, although the Secretary of State Robert Jenrick represents a constituency in Nottinghamshire, he grew up and was educated in Wolverhampton. It will be interesting to see how this experience of the West Midlands region impacts on policy in the coming months.
Hughes is rumoured to have described Housing Minister as his dream job in politics. While Chris Pincher still has responsibility for Housing strategy and delivery, Hughes has taken responsibility for the Social Housing White Paper, supported Housing and work that the Government is undertaking on the Private Rented Sector in what appears to be a somewhat enhanced role compared to that of his predecessor. We can therefore expect him to take an increasing role in the development of Housing policy in the coming months and to seek to utilise his previous experience both in the Housing Association sector and in local government to shape policy to ensure a greater focus on affordable housing provision.


Take a look at the first ad for the Moto Z2 Force Edition
Like their phones or not, Moto sure knows how to make a good ad — both its still images and videos feature a weird but delightful mixture between modern and retro, full of color and energy. And with the release of its latest flagship, the Moto Z2 Force Edition, the company once again doesn't disappoint.
The ad, which can be seen above, shows the phone used in a variety of scenarios showcasing its features, and later turns into a showcase for Moto's line of mods, including the brand new Moto 360 Camera.
Highlights include: the Z2 Force Edition falling on the ground from the back pocket of a man doing a handstand; a rollerblading man wearing an all-red tracksuit coupled with a sphere-shaped, Moto-branded helmet; multiple shots of an Uma Thurman-looking actress, who is actually pretty prominent in all of the company's advertising; and a battle between two dancing voxel robots.
As good as Moto's adverts are, though, they have yet to beat Samsung's ostrich-themed Gear VR ad.


Society of Illustrators
I had a great time last Thursday at the reception of the Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators. It was cool and rewarding to have a spread from Gettysburg up on the wall next to the work of some incredibly talented illustrators (it was the spread featured above). I didn’t have to celebrate alone, Lauren Castillo and Tae Eun Yoo, both Rabid Rabbit illustration contributors and in 2005 grad class at SVA had pieces in the show. Paul Hoppe the co-founder of the Rabid Rabbit was there as arm-candy (no- not for me, but for Ms. Castillo). Not mention many other amazingly talented folks who I got a chance to chat with- including my two editors for Gettysburg- Brenda Bowen and Molly O’neill! It was a great show and is now open to the public so drop on by and check it out!


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John F. Kennedy International Airport
Address: Queens, NY 11430, United States
Phone: +1 718-244-4444
IATA airport code: JFK
Elevation: 14 ft
Number of runways: 4
Airport feedback: Feedback
JFK Arrivals today
About John F. Kennedy International Airport Arrivals
John F. Kennedy International Airport is New York’s busiest and largest airport. The other airports in New York are Newark and LaGuardia. JFK airport is located southeast of Manhattan. There are 6 terminals at this large airport with 128 gates to process all the JFK arrivals. The terminal names run up to Terminal 8 because some were demolished in the past. At most terminals, the arrivals hall is at lower level and the departure hall and gates at upper level. The terminals are connected to each other via an AirTrain.
Busiest flight routes 2021
History of JFK Airport
John F. Kennedy Airport started under a different name in the earlier years. It started as Idlewild (IDL). This airfield was built after LaGuardia became too crowded in 1939. Final construction began in 1943 with limited territory. This was expanded during construction. The owner has since been Port Authority of New York to this day. The final opening of the airport was in 1948 and began with the name New York International Airport as its official name. The first flights were carried out directly in the same year. All international flights were moved from LaGuardia to this airport. Within a year there was already a significant expansion of the terminal from 80 to 215 square feet. The expansions continued in the following years, including a control tower and taxiways.
John F. Kennedy Airport started under a different name in the earlier years. It started as Idlewild (IDL). This airfield was built after LaGuardia became too crowded in 1939. Final construction began in 1943 with limited territory. This was expanded during construction. The owner has since been Port Authority of New York to this day. The final opening of the airport was in 1948 and began with the name New York International Airport as its official name. The first flights were carried out directly in the same year. All international flights were moved from LaGuardia to this airport. Within a year there was already a significant expansion of the terminal from 80 to 215 square feet. The expansions continued in the following years, including a control tower and taxiways. In 1954 the airport, still popularly known as ‘Idlewild’, had the most international traffic in the world. This meant that additional terminals had to be built. An idea came up to give every major airline its own terminal, excluding a general and international terminal. The international terminal was first completed to welcome JFK arrivals in 1957. This terminal was later demolished in the 1990’s and replaced by the current terminal 4. Some airlines that got their own or combined terminal were United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eastern Airlines, and American Airlines. All these terminals were eventually replaced to some current terminals at John F. Kennedy Airport.
The airport didn’t get its current name, John F. Kennedy International Airport, until 1963 after the assassination of the president. The airport continued to grow with more than 400,000 airline operations per year. It thus became the second-busiest airport in the US. In the years before 2003 there was a direct train connection. The AirTrain people mover system took over that year.
In recent decades there have not been many adjustments at the airport. However, international plane routes were busy with JFK airport arrivals from Europe with the Airbus A380 with Lufthansa, Air France and Singapore Airlines. Etihad and Emirates also flew this large type of aircraft to JFK airport.
Reconstructions for the airfield are planned. It doesn’t rank that high in the best airports in the world. The experience had to increase along with the amount of flights and passengers. There were plans to replace or renew terminals. The first renovations started in 2020 and it is expected to be completed in 2026.
Ground transportation JFK airport
- You could travel by train to the airport. All New York John F. Kennedy arrivals arrive at the AirTrain which is at Long Island Rail Road. The AirTrain will then take you to the terminal where you need to be.
- A similar way is to travel by subway which also arrives at the AirTrain to travel further to the terminal. This option of travel is the cheapest (USD 8) and takes 60-90 minutes. You can reach a connection of the AirTrain with A subway line or E, J and Z subway lines.
- There are also many bus connections. New York John F. Kennedy airport arrivals are at Terminal 5. Bus options: B15 (Brooklyn), Q3 (Queens), Q10 (Kew Gardens and Ozone Parks), Q6 (Jamaica), Q7 (East New York).
- The taxi is a simple and fast (unless traffic) way to arrive at the airport. The price will be approximately USD 50 from downtown Manhattan. If you need to get from one New York airport to another, there is a special shuttle bus or taxis for that.
- There are also Cell Phone Lots to drop off or pick up friends or family. These are located on the Van Wyck expressway and JFK expressway.
- There are also Kiss & Fly JFK airport arrivals at JFK Howard Beach Station where the AirTrain is located.
- Another option is to rent a car after JFK flight arrivals. There are many rental car counters after baggage claim in JFK arrivals hall of each terminal. The car can be picked up after ordering at Federal Circle Station, which is easily accessible by AirTrain.
There are 4 runways of different lengths in the Cat. 1, 2, and 3. The longest is 14,500 feet and the shortest is 8,400 feet. At the longest runway, the JFK airport arrivals can take place by the largest aircraft in the world like the Airbus A380.
Passenger statistics and flight routes JFK Airport
There were 456,060 John F. Kennedy arrivals in the past year. This ensured that 62,551,072 passengers made use of the airport. There is also 1.4 tons of cargo and mail every year. Due to corona, the market share of domestic flights is largest. Airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue together provide 89 percent of all flights. In addition, most JFK Arrivals are coming from the cities:
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco
- Boston Logan
- Charlotte Douglas
- Raleigh Durham
- Fort Lauderdale
Looking at the figures for international flights, London-Heathrow is head and shoulders above the rest. There were many arrivals with American, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Delta with a total of 3 million passengers in 2019. Other frequent routes are:
- Mexico City
- Santo Domino
- Santiago de los Caballeros
- San Juan Puerto Rico
Due to corona, the fall in passengers who use the airport every year is big. From more than 62 million back to 16 million passengers in 2020. This will hopefully increase again in 2021, with many international routes returning to JFK Airport.

domain: geography


text:
In a meeting with Cabinet Secretary Avichai Mandelblit, who heads the committee appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate with the Women of the Wall, members of the organization's management further demanded that until the establishment of planned site, called "Ezrat Israel," they would be allowed to hold their traditional monthly prayer at the existing plaza – including reading from a Torah scroll, which they are banned from doing today.
The list of the preconditions submitted by the Women of the Wall also includes a demand that the egalitarian site will be open without interruptions, will contain at least 500 people, will be in physical contact with the Western Wall itself and its height will be similar to that of the existing plaza.
They are also demanding that both sites will have one free entrance, without the need to coordinate one's arrival in advance.
According to the women's demand, the body running the site will include members "with the relevant interest and education, who are interested in the existence of a pluralistic prayer site," and half of it will comprise of women and one-third of the Women of the Wall association.
The same body will also be in charge of the existing site's upper plaza and keep it "national and open to all." The authorities of the Western Wall rabbi and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation will be restricted, therefore, to the separated prayer plaza only.
"There will be no restrictions on holding mixed events at the upper plaza of the Western Wall," the women stated in the demands.
Some members quit
Women of the Wall Chairwoman Anat Hoffman said that the organization's dramatic decision to abandon its 25-year struggle and enter negotiations for a compromise was preceded by harsh discussions in the group's management, and even caused some members to quit as they refused to give up the demand to pray according to their custom at the existing women's section.
Hofmann said, however, that she believed the courage and daring required for this change in direction and partnership in the process led by the government were as big as what had been required for them for a quarter of a century, when they demanded to fulfill their right for freedom of religion even at the price of persecution and arrests.
"The conditions we are setting are in the sense of a revolution for the entire Jewish people," she noted. "Only if construction is completed in this spirit, and includes all our demands, it will serve as a breakthrough in the battle for equality in praying at the Western Wall, and we will agree to pray there.
According to Hoffman, although some of the members refused to participate in the negotiations, she views the fact that most of the organization's women – Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and unidentified – nearly reached the finishing line united as a "miracle."
"We are a strong enough organization to demand that the whole world changes – and we will be willing to change too," Hoffman concluded.
'Kotel' to be included in egalitarian site's name?
The Women of the Wall further demanded as part of their preconditions for a compromise that "the State – through the Education Ministry, the Tourism Ministry and other relevant bodies – will direct to 'Ezrat Israel' visitors from abroad, school tours, IDF solders' tours, official ceremonies, etc. Officials visits from abroad, which include a tour of the Holy Basin, will stop at 'Ezrat Israel' as well."
The women of the Wall are demanding equal treatment from the State towards the new site in any official reference, and want the word "Kotel" to be included in its name.
The organization also demanded that the State "will take all measures at its disposal to turn 'Ezrat Israel' into a well-known and recognized site, and turn the prayer there into a respectable experience and an acceptable and desirable norm."
In addition, the women's organization asked to "allow the entry of motorized wheelchairs on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. A sign about the Kotel's liberation by the paratroopers will be fixed at the Western Wall, and the Mandelblit Committee will take it upon itself to deal with the activity of the Western Wall rabbi and haredi leaders organizing protests against the Women of the Wall and prevent it, starting now."
3 months after legal precedent
About three weeks ago, Ynet reported about the liberal group's agreement in principle to a compromise which will see its members move their monthly prayer quorums from the Western Wall plaza to the nearby Robinson's Arch compound.
According to the apparent agreement, the current women's and men's sections are the only places where the "site's custom" (in its conservative interpretation) and the separation between the sexes will be maintained.
The upper compound will be used for official state ceremonies (like the swearing in of IDF soldiers and Jewish Agency receptions for new immigrants) in a mixed format, and at Robinson's Arch (the site adjacent to the Western Wall from its southern side) a plaza will be designated for egalitarian prayer.
This is the first time in its 25 years of activity that the liberal Jewish group agrees in principle to give up on praying at the main compound in exchange for full equality at an alternative site – just several months after the Jerusalem District Court delivered an unprecedented ruling that the woman may practice all their customs at the existing women's section.
Another factor which affected the decision greatly was heavy pressure exerted in recent weeks by Reform and Conservative Jews in the United States on their representatives in Israel to accept the compromise, following understandings they had reached with Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, another official tasked by Prime Minister Netanyahu with handling the crisis.
The opening of the new prayer compound for both men and women, which was initiated by Minister Naftali Bennett, contributed to the move too. The District Court ruling which allowed the Women of the Wall to observe their customs at the main plaza was based on the judge's conviction that the State had failed to provide them with a suitable alternative prayer site. Now that such a site has been established, the group members feared the High Court of Justice would overturn the District Court's decision – another reason to strive for a compromise.


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The Syrian government has implemented reforms aimed at integrating its economy into the global market. Business leaders say more needs to be done quickly to keep pace with the competition, but they also voice concerns that regional instability fueled by the war in Iraq and a faltering peace process complicates their efforts.
Economic reform has become a buzzword in markets across the Middle East, and Syria has joined the chorus with major reforms of its own.
Syrian business leaders welcome recent measures that now allow private banks to operate in Syria. The pro-business climate is improving almost daily, and new rules are being implemented to attract foreign investment.
Chamber of Commerce President Rateb Shallah says the new attitude helps make Syria more attractive as a destination for investment. "Syria is a very promising country. We have a good economic base. We do not suffer from foreign debt," he says. "We have diversified economy, and there is no reason for Syria not to be a leader for attracting investment in the future."
But that is where reality steps in. Economic growth is less than half the impressive seven-percent annual rate of 30 years ago. Syria's foreign currency reserves have dwindled with the drop in oil revenues. One out of five workers cannot find a job.
The cumbersome centralized economy has not been able to meet the challenge. Economist Nabil Sukkar blames the government, which, he says, is slow to change its ways. "There is still hesitation to move toward a market economy, because there are some fears of what a market economy is," he says. "There is not an understanding of the workings of a market economy."
Mr. Sukkar is a former senior World Bank economist and now runs the Syrian Consulting Bureau for Development and Investment. He says Syria must reform the way it does business to compete for a share of the global market. "Unless we really put our act together and move in a very decisive way on economic reform, I think we will fall back even more. "
Syria is negotiating with the European Union for a special association agreement, hoping to boost trade and investment. Mr. Sukkar says that deal will present a major challenge. "To be able to compete in the European market, or compete with the European products, which will be coming to our markets duty free, is going to be a challenge," he says. "We already have the Arab Free Trade Area, which is in effect now. And we are having difficulty competing with products coming to us from the Gulf markets, Lebanese and Egyptian markets."
But Mr. Sukkar says the EU deal is a potential catalyst for reform. The European Union is Syria's largest trading partner, and wields economic and political influence.
In contrast, Mr. Sukkar does not expect much impact from U.S. sanctions, which Washington has threatened to impose, if Syria does not halt its support for terrorists, or its alleged weapons of mass destruction program. "Overall, I do not think it will affect us significantly. It could have a psychological effect," he says. "Some companies do not want to deal with Syria, because they want to be on good terms with the United States."
What worries Syrian businessmen more is the instability of the Middle East - the uncertain situation in Iraq, waves of terrorist bombings, the stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. Industrialist Rate Shallah says big investors are reluctant to invest in the region.
"It is not easy to live in this atmosphere. Though internally, Syria enjoys a record of stability and security and ease, but this does not belittle the important effects of surrounding conditions in the region," says Mr. Shallah. "Just think, in other countries, where does investment come, if people are not yet certain about the outcome, or the next step in the political situation?"
He says that, in the end, Syria must do more for itself. Syria, he says, must do a better job of promoting its internal stability, which he calls a major asset, and improve competitiveness. "Everyone is now aware and sold on the idea that reform and modernization and upgrading our performance is a necessity."
Otherwise, Mr. Shallah says, Syria risks falling behind in the race for its share of the market.

domain: finance


Winget mulls whether to bid on Venture
DETROIT - Larry Winget still could regain all or part of Venture Holdings Co. LLC.
Creditors last week dropped their objection to Winget bidding on the assets of Venture, which are for sale under bankruptcy bidding rules. The unsecured creditors committee also dropped its objections.
Winget was noncommittal on whether he will, or can, bid on Venture's assets. ``I haven't made any decision,'' he said. ``The company needs a solution. That's my concern right now.''
Fraser, Mich.-based Venture has been in bankruptcy for nearly two years, losing contracts along the way. Venture has sales of about $1 billion.
A sale was proposed last month after U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Thomas Tucker denied a reorganization plan. Winget objected because it would have forced him to contribute other companies he owned to a reorganized company.
PW Eagle decides not to spin off USPoly
EUGENE, ORE. - Pipe firm PW Eagle Inc. of Eugene has canceled its planned spinoff of USPoly Co., the polyethylene pipe segment of its business.
The decision is a result of the tangled business relationship involving PW Eagle, USPoly and W.L. Plastics LLC. Although USPoly owns 23 percent of W.L. Plastics, the two companies also are competitors, following USPoly's September purchase of Uponor Aldyl.
The Securities and Exchange Commission had asked PW Eagle to provide three years of historical financial data for W.L. Plastics, a producer of PE pipe based in Gillette, Wyo. PW Eagle asked for a waiver of that requirement, but SEC turned down the request.
PW Eagle proposed the spinoff in early 2004, prior to the Uponor Aldyl deal.
Bill Spell, chairman of PW Eagle, said the company will be able to spin off USPoly in two years, when W.L. Plastics' financials will not be required for the registration statement.
Spell added that although the spinoff cannot be completed immediately, some of its goals have been achieved: creating a distinct, separate legal entity for the PE assets; and distinct bank debt and a financing structure that is not combined with the PVC business.
Andover seeks union changes, closings
TROY, MICH. - Andover Industries may close three plants and is seeking a court order to change a bargaining agreement with more than 350 employees.
The Troy-based automotive injection molder, which has two plants in Meadville, Pa., and one in Andover, Ohio, had filed in October for Chapter 11 protection with U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Erie, Pa.
On Jan. 31, its lawyers filed a motion seeking a change to its agreement with the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers' International Union Local 5-490, which represents workers at the plants. The union had rejected changes affecting wages, insurance and pension, vacation and work hours, among other issues.
Lawyer Guy Fustine said in court documents that Andover - which operates under the legal name of Buffalo Molded Plastics Inc. - cannot afford to do business as the contract exists now, and the agreement is making it difficult to sell the operation.
The contract is due to expire March 31.
On Feb. 3, the company sent notices to officials in Ohio and Pennsylvania that the plants would close by March 31 unless the firm finds a new owner.
Zotefoams says it has potential buyer
CROYDON, ENGLAND - Zotefoams plc, a maker of cross-linked polyolefin block foam, is in early discussions with an undisclosed potential buyer, according to the company.
Croydon-based Zotefoams saw its share price on the London Stock Exchange rise sharply after it confirmed in mid-January that it had ``received a very preliminary approach.''
The firm would not identify the third party, but said talks are continuing.
The company has two plants, in Croydon and Florence, Ky. Zotefoams said it expects to post 2004 sales of about £25 million ($47 million).


text:
Star Wars fans have been aware that the newest film in the franchise would pick up directly where The Force Awakens left off, and this has lead to much speculation. On Wednesday Walt Disney Studios shareholders were treated to a glimpse of what we may expect from the upcoming film when Disney CEO Bob Iger gave them a sneak peak of the opening scene, as well as a sizzle-reel of the movie.
The Force Awakens ends as the film’s protagonist Rey meets Luke Skywalker on an island clifftop to return his lightsaber. We see Luke turn and reveal himself and then… credits. Los Angeles Times reporter Daniel Miller was present for the private screening and revealed what happens next. Luke asks Rey, “Who are you?”, to which she replies by skillfully handling his lightsaber. Although that is not a lot of new information, when it comes to Star Wars not a lot is required to start massive speculation among fans.
Appearing in the sizzle-reel were franchise notables Chewbacca, General Leia Organa, and Finn. Bob Iger promised that The Last Jedi is “worth the wait.”
Source: USA Today


Longtime TBird user here. All my installatiions are under Win10, and I'm presently using 68.9.0 (32 bit). I'm very used to transferring the contents of my Profile folde… (read more)
Longtime TBird user here. All my installatiions are under Win10, and I'm presently using 68.9.0 (32 bit). I'm very used to transferring the contents of my Profile folder from one installation to another, with very few problems.
HOWEVER, I've just bought a new laptop and installed 68.9.0 onto it. I simply cannot get my existing TBird data and settings to migrate. What has me baffled is that while in the old laptop installation, I have one profile folder (let's call it 12345678.default, the new installation has 2 new pofile folders (let's call them abcdefgh.default AND ab34ef78.default-release. I've never seen that before. And I can't seem to make any migration work.
Usually, I would make sure both TBirds are shut. Copy 12345678.default to a USB drive. Open abcdefgh.default and delete its contents. Then paste the contents of 12345678.default into abcdefgh.default. In the past, I've done that literally hundreds of times, without any significant problems (across 4 separate machines that I use in different locations).
It's not working this time. And it doesn't work if I paste into ab34ef78.default-release instead. Either the new TBird refuses to open; or it opens in SetUp mode, having created yet more profiles. I've tried this every which way, now about 10 times. And I've tried unistalling and re-installing the wholoe of TBird on the new machine "just in case".
What am I doing wrong? And what's that **.default-release profile about? All help gratefully received!


Whereas LED Lights had existed for much of the 1990’s it wasn’t until 2001 that a LED flashlight was developed. Movie Here are only a few examples of what a Virtual Assistant can do for you: 1) plastics EASE AND FLEXIBILITY TO LEARN They flooded the world and they are a kind of gadgets which you could now discover everywhere, from outdoor retailers to two dollar shops.
The mixture of wireless know-how with the Web has result in an outstanding change in the way in which we live and work. You may observe how wi-fi expertise is getting used throughout you. Whether or not its satellite tv for pc communication, Wi-Fi Web connection, cell phones, Bluetooth connection or WLAN, wireless is all over the place making your life easier at each stage. Workplaces, faculties and hospitals are now empowered with advanced wireless technology to improve their standards of … Read More


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Josh Cowls is the Research Associate in Data Ethics at The Alan Turing Institute and a member of the Institute’s public policy programme. A Turing Doctoral Student, Josh is pursuing a DPhil at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, with a focus on the ethics and politics of algorithmic decision-making systems. His research agenda centres on democratic decision-making in the digital era, and he is the author or co-author of work on data ethics, state surveillance, online agenda-setting, and the use of web archives in publications such as New Media & Society, Minds and Machines, and in numerous edited volumes.
Josh is the Convenor of the Turing’s Ethics Advisory Group, a member of the Institute's Data Ethics Group, and sits on the Digital Catapult Machine Intelligence Garage’s Ethics Committee. As part of the public policy programme, Josh contributes to the Institute’s partnership with the Ada Lovelace Institute and its work with the Information Commissioner’s Office on a framework for algorithmic explainability.

domain: politics


text:
Diogenes Laertius: the Manuscripts of
"The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers"
This work in 10 books is a compilation from earlier compilations (with names of sources mentioned) of stories about the philosophers, with an emphasis on anecdote, but also discussing their distinctive ideas, although rather as a secondary issue. The letters of Epicurus in book 10 are particularly valuable. The work is divided into chapters without titles.
The work is dated to the earlier decades of the 3rd century AD, since the last philosopher mentioned is a pupil of Sextus Empiricus (fl. end of the second century), the otherwise unknown Sextus. There is no mention of the Neo-platonism of the 4th century, which would naturally enter a discussion of Plato.
Another work by the same author (now lost) was his 'Medley of Metre' (Pa&mmetroj), which he quotes.
What follows is the discussion of how the text was produced from the Loeb. However HICKS makes plain that all of this is somewhat provisional. I do not know whether more and better MSS have been located since 1925.
The scholars of Western Europe, as was stated above (p. viii), first made our author's acquaintance in a Latin dress. Walter de Burleigh's De vita et moribus philosophorum was an adaptation rather than a transcript, but Ambrosius Traversarius Camaldu-lensis came better equipped to his task. He belonged to the order of Camaldoli founded in A.D. 1012 by Romualdinus, and rose to be general of his order. He had learned Greek from Manuel Chrysoloras, the Byzantine professor who in the intervals of state employment lectured at Florence, Rome, and Pavia between 1390 and 1415. The translation of Ambrosius, completed in 1431 (for an extant copy is dated February 1432), was printed first at Rome without date, then at Venice in 1475, at Nuremberg the next year, and several times reprinted at other places, with the alterations due to successive improvements in the Greek text.
The Lives of Aristotle and Theophrastus (Book V. cc. 1 and 2) were the first part of the Greek text to be printed. They appeared in the second volume of the Aldine Aristotle at Venice in 1497. The whole of the Greek text, as already mentioned (p. x), was printed at Basel in 1533, with the dedication : Hieronymus Frobenius et Nicolaus Episcopius studiosis S.P.D. In 1566 there appeared at Antwerp another edition, with this title : Laertii Diogenis de vita et moribus philosophorum libri X. Plus quam mille in locis restituti et emendati et fide dignis vetustis exem-plaribus Graecis, ut inde Graecum exemplum possit restitui; opera Ioannis Sambuci Tirnaviensis Pannonii. Cum indice locupletissimo. Ex officina Christophori Plantini. This editor tells us that he used older MSS., naming the Venetus and Vaticanus. That he has also some readings peculiar to the Borbonicus has been shown by Usener (Epicurea, p. 16). In 1570 Stephanus (Henri Estienne) published an edition in two volumes at Paris, with notes extending over the first nine books and a revision of Ambrosius' Latin version. A second edition, "cum Is. Casauboni notis multo auctior," was published in 1593 at Paris ; a third followed at Geneva in 1615. The fault of these editions (as of Froben's) is that they are based on inferior MSS., such as the Marcianus ; and, strangely enough, Stephanus seems to have been unaware of the edition of Sambucus, issued four years before his own. Meanwhile, under the auspices of Cardinal Aldobrandino, there appeared at Rome an edition (with a revised text and a much improved Latin version) in which emendations of the text not infrequently, lurk. This had been prepared thirty years earlier by the Cardinal's uncle, Thomas Aldobrandinus, who had used the Borbonicus and had annotated the first nine books.
Nor was the tenth book left much longer without a commentator. In due time the energies of Gassendi were concentrated upon it. Both the physical speculations and the ethical doctrine of Epicurus attracted him, and there appeared at Leyden in 1649 Animadversiones in librum X Diogenis Laertii, with a companion volume, De vita et moribus Epicuri. A second edition followed, and a third (Leyden, 1675), in which the two parts, Epicuri philosophiae per Petrum Gassendum, tomus primus, and Epicuri ethicae per Petrum Gassendum, tomus secundus, were united. Gassendi depended less upon MSS. than upon common sense and his own reasoning powers ; nevertheless to him, as to his predecessors, Stephanus, Casaubon, and Aldobrandinus, are due some conjectural restorations of the text which subsequent editors accept without reserve ; for example, there are three such in x. 83.
A variorum edition of the whole work was published by Meibomius in 1691-92 ; this included the valuable commentary of Menage and other illustrative matter. In the eighteenth century hardly anything of note can be chronicled except, perhaps, the edition of Longolius (Chur, 1791). In the nineteenth century appeared the edition of Hubner, (Leipzig, 1828-31), with a preface by Godfrey Hermann, some critical notes, and the annotations of Casaubon and Menage.
Lastly, there is the edition in the Didot series (Paris, 1850) bearing the name of Cobet. From the Avis des editeurs, dated August 1, 1850, we learn that the young Cobet was introduced to the publishers in 1842, travelled in Italy to collate MSS., and had completed his revision of the text in 1844, but for some unexplained reason neglected to write the Prolegomena, which he had promised in a letter dated October 5, 1843. The result is that no reasons are assigned and no authorities are cited for the extensive alterations which mark this edition as a great advance upon its predecessors.
If now we turn from printed copies to older sources of the text, there are numerous MSS., but none very old or trustworthy. By far the best is Codex Borbonicus (B) of the National Library at Naples : Gr. III. B 29 is the class-mark. This MS. is dated about A.D. 1200.1 The scribe obviously knew no Greek ; itacisms abound—there are some 150 instances in Book III. alone. Breathings and accents are sometimes omitted; words are sometimes wrongly divided, especially in citations of poetry ; yet the spelling of certain words is unusually good. In a recent edition of Book III. (Vita Platonis) the editors give (p. iv) thirty examples of bad readings, some of which suggest conjectural emendation. Nevertheless all critics agree that B is the most faithful to the archetype.
Next to the Borbonicus comes the Paris codex (Gr. 1759), known as P, probably written a century later, circa 1300. Quite recently Von der Muehll has advocated the claims of two other MSS., one (Co) of the thirteenth or fourteenth century, from the Library of the Old Seraglio at Constantinople, and the other (W) from the Vatican (Gr. 140) of the fourteenth century. Both these may be said to side with P rather than with B. Lastly, there is the Florentine MS. F (Gr. plut. lxix. 13), for which letter Martini and Bywater substitute L.
The superiority of BPF is laid down in Usener's Epicurea, pp. vi sqq., xxii sqq. Ten years earlier, in 1877, Bonnet had dealt with P, and the conclusion of these two scholars and Wachsmuth has since been generally accepted. Experts are not in entire agreement as to the age of the three MSS., but all three must have been written between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries.
Usener collated in part another Paris codex (Gr. 1758, Q), which had been copied from P before it was interpolated, as well as another Florentine codex, Laurentianus (Gr. plut. lxix. 28, G) ; but these are. merely subsidiary.
By ill fortune the editio princeps of 1533 was printed from an inferior MS., the identity of which has been discovered by Von der Muehll, who calls it Z. It is the Raudnitz MS., now in the library of Prince Lobkowitz.
What is most necessary now is an edition such as has been long promised, showing the true tradition of the text when BPFCo (and any other good MSS.) have been stripped of the interpolations introduced by Byzantine or Italian scholars. The effect of interpolation superimposed on multifarious errors due to careless copyists is a diversity more apparent than real, which deceives only superficial examination. For we may reasonably assume that a single stray copy, brought to light in the ninth century, was the parent of all extant MSS.2 The true text, it is agreed, is often preserved by B alone ; yet F, on which Cobet relied, is not seldom right, though it also palms off makeshift conjectures. Whether the class of inferior or interpolated MSS. supplies any genuine readings independent of BPF is a question sometimes raised ; in any case, not much is to be expected from this quarter. All that can be done by the most careful collation of MSS. has already been done for the more valuable part of Laertius—I mean the fragments of other authors with which his work is filled. Thus Usener has edited Book X. in Epicurea (1887). Most of Book VII. is incorporated in Von Arnim's Stoicorum veterum fragmenta. A still larger instalment of fragments will be found in the works published by Diels, Poetarum philosophorum fragmenta (Berlin, 1901) and Die Fragments der Vor-sokratiker (ed. 3, Berlin, 1912). A separate edition of Book III. (Vita Platonii) appeared in 1907, edited by Breitenbach, Buddenhagen, Debrunner, and Von der Muehll. The last named is the editor for the Biblio-theca Teubneriana of Epicuri epistulae ires et ratae sententiae a L. D. seruatae (Leipzig, 1922).
1 Usener assigns it to the twelfth century; Breitenbach and his colleagues (Diogenis Laertii vita Platonis, Basel, 1907) prefer the end of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth.
2 " Nam exemplum L. D. unicum Constantinopoli post litteras ueteres renatas saeculo circiter nono in bibliotheca quadam inuentum esse suspicamur " (Von der Muehll, in his preface to his edition of Epicuri epistulae, p. vi).
R.D. Hicks, Diogenes Laertius. Lives of Eminent Philosophers. In 2 vols. Loeb: 1925.
I understand that the 1972 re-edition of the Loeb text of DL has a preface by Herbert S. Long, who discusses briefly the history of the MSS of DL. However I have not seen this.
Constructive feedback is welcomed to Roger Pearse.
Written 24th May 2002. Note about Long added from reader feedback 23/7/5.
This page has been online since 24th May 2002
Return to the Manuscripts Pages Return to Roger Pearse's Pages

domain: history


text:
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Although you may have been to Shimla, Kashmir, Kerela as well as other sought following Indian travel destinations, there may be handful of areas which are still hidden beneath the canopies. Bhutan can be a location that may not be on the 'Frequently Visited Locations in India" list, but people who have visited the place will need no testimonials of Bhutan's tranquil halo. For all those who haven't been around the land of pseudo Shangri-La, let us embark on a brief journey to this compact spot.
Beneath the covers of rich history, spiritualism and ethnicity, Bhutan provides a stimulating combination of imposing mountains (often clad with snow), placid sceneries and pleasant weather. Bhutan is known by numerous names like Land of your Thunder Dragon, Shangri-La, Bootan and Druk Yul. Each and every name contributes to its features, creating it mystical and enigmatic.
The heart of Bhutan's culture is its capital Thimpu. This spot includes a scenic beauty that is certainly enough to set your soul no cost around the serene mountains! Thimpu also lends an excellent place for trekking, hiking, river rafting along with other wildlife excursions. In addition to, in addition, it offers several local markets selling exotic things at unbelievable costs. Or far more yet, you'll be able to just saunter in Thimpu streets and love the weekly markets!
Thimpu features a lot additional to give when it comes to entertainment, knowledge, culture and ethnicity, but I'd like to leave the rest for you to discover, though I'd name some of its famous attractions like Tashichho Dzong, Simtokha Dzong, National Library, The Higher Court, The Royal Bhutan, Golf Course, Convention Centre, and so on.
Buddhism is just not only a religion but a way of life in Bhutan. The teachings of Buddhism resonates in every nook and corner, with monks and priests practicing the core Buddhist teachings. The aura from the land is such that the body and mind really feel enlightened, with feelings of compassion and virtue for everybody.
So if you're enticed to knowledge this Shangri-La (a great deal like James Hilton's Lost Horizon), book your tickets and let all your tautness melts suitable away! On the other hand, visiting Bhutan in appropriate weather could enrich your encounter. Bhutan getting situated within the heart of mountains is severely cold in winters. Seasons of Spring and Autumn are mild with sky being vibrant and mountains clear. This period also bring Bhutan's magic to forefront with most of the festivals taking place here. So when you take a look at Bhutan within the months of October and November, you get an opportunity of viewing The Thunder Dragon clad in unique colored robes and delicate mists. Have a Delighted Journey!


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It is commonly thought that autoimmune diseases are caused by the breakdown of self-tolerance, which suggests the recognition of specific antigens by autoreactive CD4+ T cells contribute to the specificity of autoimmune diseases (Marrack et al., 2001; Mathis and Benoist, 2004). In several cases, however, even for diseases associated with class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alleles, the causative tissue-specific antigens recognized by memory/activated CD4+ T cells have not been established (Mocci et al., 2000; Skapenko et al., 2005). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and arthritis in F759 knock-in mice (F759 mice) are such examples (Atsumi et al., 2002; Brennan et al., 2002; Falgarone et al., 2009). These include associations with class II MHC and CD4 molecules; increased numbers of memory/activated CD4+ T cells; and improved outcomes in response to suppressions and/or deficiencies in class II MHC molecules, CD4+ T cells, and the T cell survival cytokine IL-7. Regarding the development of arthritis in F759 mice, it is not only the immune system, but also non-immune tissue that are involved, indicating that the importance of their interactions (Sawa et al., 2006, 2009; Ogura et al., 2008; Hirano, 2010; Murakami et al., 2011). Furthermore, we have shown that local events such as microbleeding together with an accumulation of activated CD4+ T cells in a manner independent of tissue antigen-recognitions induces arthritis in the joints of F759 mice (Murakami et al., 2011). For example, local microbleeding-mediated CCL20 expression induce such an accumulation, causing arthritis development via chronic activation of an IL-17A-dependent IL-6 signaling amplification loop in type 1 collagen+ cells that is triggered by CD4+ T cell-derived cytokine(s) such as IL-17A, which leads to the synergistic activation of STAT3 and NFκB in non-hematopoietic cells in the joint (Murakami et al., 2011). We named this loop the IL-6-mediated inflammation amplifier, or IL-6 amplifier for short (Ogura et al., 2008; Hirano, 2010; Murakami et al., 2011). Thus, certain class II MHC-associated, tissue-specific autoimmune diseases, including some RA subtypes, may be induced by local events that cause an antigen-independent accumulation of effector CD4+ T cells followed by the induction of the IL-6 amplifier in the affected tissue. In other words, in certain cases, the target tissue itself may determine the specificity of the autoimmune disease via activation of the IL-6 amplifier. To explain this hypothesis, we have proposed a four-step model for MHC class II-associated autoimmune diseases (Murakami et al., 2011): (1) T cell activation regardless of antigen specificity; (2) local events inducing a tissue-specific accumulation of activated T cells; (3) transient activation of the IL-6 amplifier; and (4) enhanced sensitivity to cytokines in the target tissue. The interaction of these events results in chronic activation of the IL-6 amplifier and subsequent manifestation of autoimmune diseases. Thus, the IL-6 amplifier, which is chronically activated by these four events, is a critical regulator of chronic inflammations in tissue-specific MHC class II-associated autoimmune diseases.
Keywords: IL-6-mediated inflammation amplifier; MHC class II association; Th17 cells; autoimmune diseases; chemokines; cytokines; inflammation.

domain: biology


Under 28 CFR 50.7, notice is hereby given that on October 30, 2003, a proposed Consent Decree in United States and Idaho v. Estate of J.J. Oberbillig, Civil Action No. CV02-451-S-LMB was lodged with the United States District Court for the District of Idaho.
The United States and Idaho filed a civil action for injunctive relief and recovery of response costs for cleaning up the Stibnite Mine Site and Cinnabar Mine Site in Valley County, Idaho (the “Sites”) against the Estate of J.J. Oberbillig (“Defendant”) in the District of Idaho on September 26, 2002. In this action, the United States asserted claims under Sections 106(a) and 107 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, (“CERCLA”), 42 U.S.C. 9606(a) and 9607, and Idaho asserted claims under Section 107(a) of CERCLA and Idaho Code Sections 39-108, 39-4414.
Under the terms of the proposed Consent Decree settling the claims asserted in the Complaint, Defendant agrees to pay $152,206.00 of the United States' past response costs and $50,703.00 of Idaho's past response costs. The remaining monies in the Estate, $25,323.00, will be retained by Defendant for probate and estate administration expenses. Defendant also agrees to access by the United States and Idaho to the Sites, and to adjacent property, and to construction of a repository on Defendant's property at the Stibnite Site where wastes from the response actions will be deposited. In return for the commitments by Defendant, the United States grants Defendant a covenant not to sue under CERCLA Sections 106 and 107(a), 42 U.S.C. 9606 and 9607(a), relating to the Sites, and Idaho grants Defendant a covenant not to sue under CERCLA Section 107(a) of 42 U.S.C. 9607(a), and Idaho Environmental Protection and Health Act, Idaho Code Section 39-101, et seq., relating to the Sites.
The Department of Justice will receive, for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of this publication, comments relating to the Consent Decree. Comments should be addressed to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, P.O. Box 7611, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. 20044-7611, and should refer to United States and Idaho v. Estate of J.J. Oberbillig, D.J. Ref. No. 90-11-3-06069/3.
The Consent Decree may be examined at the Office of the United States Attorney, 877 West Main Street, Suite 201, Boise, ID 83702 and at U.S. EPA Region X, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101. During the public comment period, the Consent Decree may also be examined on the following Department of Justice Web site: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/open.html.
A copy of the Consent Decree may also be obtained by mail from the Consent Decree Library, P.O. Box 7611, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20044-7611 or by faxing or e-mailing a request to Tonia Fleetwood (email@example.com), fax no. (202) 514-0097, phone confirmation number (202) 514-1547. In requesting a copy from the Consent Decree Library, please enclose a check in the amount of $10.25 (25 cents per page reproduction cost) payable to the U.S. Treasury. If requesting a copy of the Consent Decree exclusive of Appendices, please enclose a check in the amount of $7.75 (25 cents per page reproduction cost) payable to the U.S. Treasury.Start Signature
Robert E. Maher, Jr.,
Assistant Section Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 03-28931 Filed 11-18-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-15-M


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[b]Dragon Docks to Station[/b]
SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to the space-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony module on Sunday (Nov. 27) at 7:39 a.m. EST (1239 GMT) as the two spacecraft were traveling over the Pacific Ocean.
NASA astronauts and Expedition 68 crewmates Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada monitored the docking operations from the station.
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“What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” — Confucius
“Can we all just get along?” — Rodney King
“Sometimes you just have to bite your upper lip and put your sunglasses on.” — Bob Dylan
If there was a compelling theme to 2018 on our lanes, paths and roadways — and a foreshadow to 2019 — it was conflict. We are bumping up against each other, and everyone is getting cranky as the friction of transit tribalism deepens.
Of Bicycle magazine’s eight most-viral video moments from last year, four captured attacks on cyclists (a truck shadowing a rider so it could blast him with diesel exhaust; a woman injured when she rode her bike into a trip wire stretched across a bike path; a man who rode to the hospital after being stabbed; and a car purposely sideswiping a rider in a bike lane).
Other angry drivers, hoping to expose allegedly unnecessary infrastructure, have been triumphantly posting photos of vacant bike lanes. (Other people could share equally meaningless photos of vacant parking ramps and residential streets, but that would be wrong.)
And, lest we forget, the state’s most recent report analyzing bicycle-vehicle crashes found “about half (50 percent) of all contributing factors cited were attributed to bicyclists.”
We have met the enemy, and it is all of us.
The challenge in 2019 is that there will be a lot more of us out there, fighting for our bit of turf. At some point, as the census of two-wheeled traffic broadens to include more and more bikes and e-assisted gizmos, someone will probably have to legally differentiate rules of the road between bike lanes (where children and leisurely riders often ride) and commuting bike lanes (where they usually do not).
The good news, for 2019 and beyond, is the emerging universal truth that the more people there are on bikes, the safer it is to be on a bike. It is worth noting that the state record for bicycle deaths in one year was 24, in 1977.
It appears that in 2018, seven people died while riding a bicycle in Minnesota, according to state records. That number, despite steadily increasing numbers of people on bikes, has been consistent (five, six or seven deaths each year) for the last seven years. The exception was 2015 when 10 cyclists died.
According to the city of St. Paul, one cyclist died in the city last year; Minneapolis — the state’s most congested place to ride a bike — might have had none. The city’s Department of Public Works last week wasn’t ready to officially announce a fatality number, but over the last five years Minneapolis has had either one or two bicyclist deaths.
The additional good news, friends, is that, if we are the problem, we are also in fact the solution. According to the state Department of Public Safety, in 2017 (the last year for which final numbers are available), 36.4 percent of the bicycle-vehicle crashes were caused by cyclists’ “failure to obey traffic signals/officers” or making a “dart/dash” into traffic. (You know who you are.) At the same time in 2017, 36.7 percent of the bike-vehicle crashes were caused by drivers’ “failure to yield right of way” to riders. (Again, you know who you are.)
Those are problems — arrogant, clueless, reckless riding and driving — that can obviously be fixed as everyone learns this year to embrace congestion. Special note to our beloved young people: 43 percent of the people injured in those bike-vehicle crashes in 2017 were younger than 25.
And speaking of to-do items for 2019, one reminder to the city of Minneapolis: Last year, a team from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, working with Hennepin County, installed a bunch of bike-mounted radars so that they could measure exactly how closely vehicle traffic was coming to riders. They checked all manner of circumstances, from protected lanes to plain city streets.
It makes sense that “vehicle passing distance” is by far lousiest on four-lane streets without biking facilities, or road markings, and that the distances between traffic and bikes increase as riders are “more protected.” But the inspired researchers also put some of their bike-mounted radars on the Bryant Avenue Bike Boulevard, which Minneapolis created without noticing that it is a busy commercial bus route with parked cars on both sides of the street.
The university team’s finding: a) buses and trucks have the “highest likelihood” of crowding bikes generally; and b) of all lanes, paths and routes in the city, “A cyclist is more likely to be encroached upon on a bike boulevard than any other bike facility.”
Tony Brown is a freelance writer from Minneapolis. Reach him at email@example.com. His column appears twice a month. Read archived columns at startribune.com/bikeguy.