HAVANA — One of Cuba’s most renowned advocates of economic reform has been fired from his University of Havana think tank for sharing information with U.S. citizens without authorization, among other alleged violations.
The dismissal of Omar Everleny Pérez adds to a chillier mood that has settled over much of Cuba as the country’s leaders try to quash the jubilation that greeted President Barack Obama’s historic trip to the island last month.
The Cuban Communist Party’s twice-a-decade Congress ended Tuesday after four days of officials issuing tough warnings about the need to maintain a defensive stance against what they called the United States’ continuing imperialist aspirations. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez described Obama’s visit as an “attack on the foundation of our political ideas, our history, our culture and our symbols.” President Raúl Castro described the U.S. as an “enemy” seeking to seduce vulnerable sectors of society, including intellectuals and members of Cuba’s new private sector.
While that was going on, Cuban academics began sharing the news that Pérez had been dismissed from his post at the Center for Studies of the Cuban Economy on April 8, less than three weeks after Obama’s visit.
Pérez is one of the country’s best-known academics, an expert in developing economies who served as a consultant for Castro’s government when it launched a series of market-oriented economic reforms after he took over from his brother Fidel in 2008. Pérez made dozens of trips to universities and conferences in the U.S. with university approval and frequently received foreign visitors researching the Cuban economy.
Reached by The Associated Press on Wednesday, Pérez confirmed his dismissal by center director Humberto Blanco for having unauthorized conversations with foreign institutions and informing “North American representatives” about the internal procedures of the university.
The dismissal letter described Pérez, 56, as “irresponsible” and “negligent” for continuing to engage in unauthorized activity after warnings from his superiors. It also accused him of receiving unauthorized payments for a study of the South Korean economy and said he was barred from returning to work for at least four years.
Pérez said he had appealed his dismissal, and believes Cuban authorities were seeking to make an example of him — not because of the allegations in the letter, but because of his critical writings about the slow pace of economic reforms.
“Sometimes they don’t like what you write or think,” he told the AP.
Cuban government representatives did not respond to request for comment on Pérez’s dismissal.
Pérez was one of the first state economists to begin publishing in non-government publications, including several run by the Catholic Church. In 2010, he became a key consultant in reforms implemented by Raúl Castro that include the legalization of hundreds of new types of private businesses, a loosening of restrictions on foreign investment, the opening of a real estate market and the handing of unused agricultural land to small farmers.
“I’m still a revolutionary and a nationalist and I believe in many of the reforms that Raúl Castro is undertaking,” he said.
Cuba’s system is based on the communist government’s total oversight of virtually all elements of society, including the press, arts and academia.
While room for debate has grown somewhat under Raúl Castro, and Cubans openly criticize the government in private conversations, intellectuals who publicly offend official sensibilities have found themselves losing their state jobs and other privileges.
“His call to speed up the reforms and make them coherent may have served to frighten some of the forces of immobility in the bureaucracy,” said Armando Chaguaceda, a Cuban political scientist based at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico. “It’s a terrible message to economists that will affect the government’s own capacity to hear feedback about its reforms.”
Political scientist Esteban Morales was expelled from the Communist Party in 2010 for two years for denouncing corruption. Sociologist Roberto Zurbano lost his job at a state cultural center after discussing racism in Cuba in an editorial published in The New York Times. In 2013, musician Roberto Carcasses was temporarily barred from cultural institutions after criticizing the government during a concert, and director Juan Carlos Cremata was prevented last year from putting on a production of Eugene Ionesco’s “Exit the King,” a play about a once-powerful dying leader.
Pavel Vidal, a former colleague of Pérez now working in Colombia, said the University of Havana was taking limits on academic work to an extreme.
“The public work of academics has been coming under increasingly greater control,” he said, even as Castro’s reforms make it more urgent for the country to have “new ideas and an open and honest debate about the future of the country.”


text:
I am a PhD candidate at the University of Western Ontario in my second year. My supervisor is Laurel Shire. I research the role of white women in the settlement of the Transvaal Republic in South Africa, in the mid-nineteenth century. White women were important participants in colonial settlements around the world. Beyond the recorded role of women in the domestic sphere, white women often played an important role in asserting European cultural and social values. In the settler colonial context, settler women often negotiated their position as women in a patriarchal power structure with the privileges afforded to their whiteness. They often participated in the extraction of indigenous children from their homes in violent processes of assimilation, and defined morality and motherhood around European standards that disenfranchised and subjugated indigenous peoples.
The South African Republic has a rich historiography, but very little on how women contributed to its development from the Groot Trek in the 1830s, when the Afrikaner population moved inland from the Cape Colony, to its decline in the 1880s. I wish to place the South African Republic in the appropriate settler colonial context, and use a gendered research lens to show that it mimicked the formula of settler colonialism in the global context that is well recorded in places such as Canada and the former Dutch East Indies. In the specific context of the Transvaal, Boer national identity and belonging focused on their relationship to the land: as hunters and as farmers. Their identity often depended on knowledge taught to them by the indigenous population, which they appropriated and rebranded as innately Afrikaner. Using Lefebvre and Bhabha as my theoretical guides, I wish to place women into the history of nation building, to see who they excluded, and how they were included.
This site is where I share my experiences learning to use Mathematica, which I increasingly integrate into my research as my knowledge base expands, and maybe one day, to blog about my research experiences in South Africa. For now, it is my place marker as I learn more about this rich history and people, who are my flawed ancestors.

domain: sociology


text:
Ratings based on 222 Verified Reviews
They paid and stayed. We double-checked.
3.9 Room cleanliness
4.0 Service & staff
3.8 Room comfort
3.6 Hotel condition
They paid and stayed.
for Couplesby A verified traveler from Ontario
Nice hotel close to the cruise ship terminalsPosted Jul 19, 2014
Pros: Its location for the cruise ship terminal is the main reason. A very nice hotel (maybe a little pricey)
Cons: A better rate would be the best thing
Location: There is a lot of history in Southampton within walking distance of the hotel. You can see one of the cruise ship terminals from the hotel
Very cooperative... We arrived early due to our flight times and they looked after our luggage until the room was ready. Everyone was very helpful and courteous.
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from Cambs
Close to the docks and centre of townPosted Jul 19, 2014
Pros: Good location, good size rooms, attentive and capable staff.
Cons: The shower - usual lack of power found in many British hotels. Breakfast - usual over-priced buffet - but plenty of places nearby to eat. Go explore!
Location: Close to everything - the docks, centre of town, and West Quay shopping mall.
Stayed for two nights on a short visit to Southampton. Very comfortable accommodation, recently renovated to a reasonable standard.
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from Southampton
Nice hotel, good locationPosted Jul 15, 2014
Loved the design of the building. Balcony sea view rooms are great. Bit pricey for what it is but ok if you want to treat yourself. Staff friendly. Nice breakfast. Good location.
for Everyoneby A verified traveler
Stayed for a weddingPosted Jul 14, 2014
Nice hotel with a very comfortable bed. Service in the bar was a little slow and the person behind the bar wasn't all that helpful but other than that a lovely stay for one night.
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from southampton
Grand de vere SouthamptonPosted Jul 8, 2014
Fantastic hotel placed in the heart of the centre in Southampton. Great facilities, the room was fantastic and the staff helpful.
for Everyoneby A verified traveler from h
G HitchenPosted Jul 5, 2014
Good hotel , drinks expensive, good choice at breakfast
by Ken from U.K.
Hotel DeterioratingPosted Jun 23, 2014
Cons: Food and service
Although the rooms have been upgraded,the food and the service are not as good as on previous visits.
for Everyoneby Becky from London
Great place to stay.Posted May 27, 2014
Pros: Pretty much everything. Nice design, nice staff, quiet rooms with air conditioning.
Cons: Mattresses on beds a bit on the cheap side. Could be better.
Location: Lots to do in walking distance. We parked the car for 48 hours and did it all by foot and train.
I was skeptical of a city hotel as we were looking for something in the countryside, but this was great. Fun design, a nice swimming pool, enjoyable breakfast, pleasing decor all around, and a real feeling of being at the docks about to embark on a sea voyage. If you are Catholic there is a lovely church nearby which added to our serenity. Very big shopping complex nearby with lots of nice shops. Felt pampered and cozy.
by Robert from Poole Dorset
VALETPosted May 26, 2014
Cons: reception area lighting needs to be brighter.
The elderly gentleman with a suit at the luggage section,when on collecting my case said to me,"Mr pope I tried selling your case,but I couldn't get much for it" which made me instantly feel lower class.I am deeply hurt by this,even my wife couldn't believe it.I did report it at the reception after,but no apology.Especially after paying £165 for the night. The rest of the staff were very good,especially the lady incharge at breakfast (25th May) I noticed some of your staff at the reception talk like a robots when telling you the system/paying of the hotel. I found that the reception area lighting is very very dark,could be brighter,as this is the first area you see. I Hope a part refund will be inline. I Certainly will not recommend this hotel as this is supposed to be a 4 Star ?
for Everyoneby TIGER from ISLE OF WIGHT
MY RECENT STAY AT THE GRAND HARBOURPosted May 11, 2014
Pros: ITS CONVENIENT LOCATION
Cons: NOTHING IN MY OPINION
Location: CLOSE TO FERRIES TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT, THE CRUISE LINERS. NEAR TO THE CITY CENTRE. ALL IN ALL A PERFECT LOCATION.
THE GRAND HARBOUR IS ALWAYS MY FIRST CHOICE TO STAY WHEN TRAVELLING IN SOUTHAMPTON.

domain: travel


text:
Section 03 | Facinas – San Roque
Crossing the heart of Los Alcornocales
This third stage of 42 km starts from the town of Facinas until reaching the hamlet of Estación de San Roque-La Línea, passing through the municipality of Los Barrios. The stretch that connects Los Barrios with San Roque, known as the Camino de los Prisioneros, it was built during the years 1940-1943, integrated into the Defensive Plan of the Campo de Gibraltar. There is signaling of the cycle route, which has the entrance next to the Almodóvar Reservoir, with information panels at the beginning and at the end where the environment is informed, as well as the characteristics of the road. In its vicinity is the Cave of Bacinete, a prehistoric monument that houses cave paintings. The route crosses the Dos Bahías Green Corridor and the Tiradero Valley, through one of the most beautiful landscapes of the Los Alcornocales Natural Park, one of the main cork production areas in Spain, with the particularity that it "takes it out" ( or uncorking) is done entirely by hand, using axes and the help of mules for loading and transport.

domain: geography


text:
It's 27 degrees outside and the ground is covered with snow so no outside photography for me today. Sadly, my house gets very little natural light which is what is really needed to show off this wonderful yarn. Nevertheless, I present my first Dublin Bay sock in Cherry Tree Hill yarn in the colorway Tropical Storm. In the background you can see the feet of Odysseus who is trying to decide if he really wants to go out in the snow.
I love every single thing about this sock. The yarn is wonderful - very sproingy with an almost elastic feel to it which makes it fit around the leg and foot wonderful. The pattern was very nice also. I did make a few modifications - I used 64 stitches instead of 72. 72 stitches would have been much too big for me. I then adjusted the pattern accordingly. I also added 4 rows of plain stockinette after before the heel. This made it better when it came time to pick up the gusset stitches and allowed me to pick up in the corner as I usually do without running into a lace pattern. I also did not make an Eye of Partridge Heel because I didn't think it would show up in this very dark yarn.
Finally, here's a picture of middle son and Lucy.

domain: design


text: Wah Ming Chang (Chinese American 1917-2003) is a well known designer and sculptor, famous for his designs for Star Trek and other animated and futuristic films and television productions. In addition to his long career in design and animation in the entertainment industry, he also created bronze sculpture and objects. This box is simple in form, nicely canted, and has an incised image of a rearing horse. Rectangular in shape, the edges are all slightly curved. The top measures 5" x 4", over a slightly smaller box with sloping sides. It is signed on the interior of the lid. Good, original patina, some very slight scratches to surface. Heavy, it weighs three pounds.

domain: artistic


👋🏼 Welcome to SwiftlyRush
I experienced my first outage
It's the first time my website has been offline for some significant time (more than a few minutes) yesterday, and it was a worrying time as messages started to flood in. Still, it made me realise how people are using my website for content because I wasn't expecting that amount of messages to come in.
The issue was some lousy PHP code; I know, PHP!
In other news, I released a brand new article this week, 2022 is a Wrap, whereby I cover my wrap-up notes from 2022 as I plan my goals and ambitions for 2023. As I mentioned in my article, I am grateful to everyone who contributes/reads or engages with my content.
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. I say this, but the newsletter will continue throughout the festive period.
🥳 What's New
🔥 Community News
💡 And Finally...
We are fast to think about all the negative things throughout the year, but it's also great to see the fantastic things we have achieved.


text:
A Perfectly Messed-up StoryBook - 2014
Louie becomes angry when the story in which he appears is ruined by messes from jelly, peanut butter, and other things that do not belong in books.
Publisher: New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2014.
Edition: First edition.
Characteristics: 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 22 x 25 cm
Study Program: Accelerated Reader AR LG 1.4 0.5 170605.
From Library Staff
When everything goes wrong...can it still turn out okay?

domain: literature


text:
Famine In Somalia Testing Advancements In Coordination Of Care, Food Aid
The Washington Post examines how high rates of malnutrition among Somali children -- approximately 36 percent under age five are malnourished and almost 16 percent are severely malnourished, according to Somalia's Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit -- are "the biggest test yet of recent improvements in assessing and treating malnutrition, changes that range from the coordination of care to the ingredients of food aid."
The article discusses how, within the past decade, refugee intake has shifted from sending every person to hospital-based care to a system of triaging people at reception centers, where they receive food, water and vaccinations, and only the most vulnerable are sent to hospital. "Food aid, like medical care, has taken dramatic steps forward in recent years," the newspaper writes, noting advancements in nutritional density and palatability (Torres, 9/12).This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.

domain: health


text:
Britain's Got Talent finalist Steve Royle and Coronation Street star Andy Whyment special guests at Colne Christmas lights switch-on
and live on Freeview channel 276
The event on Saturday, November 25th will consist of a brilliant line up of festive fun including a giant snow globe, rodeo reindeer, snowboard simulator, face painting, donkey rides, Punch and Judy Shows, comedy magic shows, balloon modelling, Christmas crafts, letter writing to Santa, meet and greet with Buddy the Elf and Elf on the Shelf, performances from Oakenhoof Clog Dancers, performances from Burnley Silver Alliance Band, a visit from the Christmas Nutcrackers, children's rides and more.
There will also be a super array of entertainment, live on stage from 12pm including Taz Entertainments, live music with Sophie Stott and Tom Scothern, performances from Just Imagine UK, Stage Door Youth Theatre and a sneak preview of Jack and The Beanstalk panto.
The event will also see the return of the magical torch lit procession before the ultimate finale live on stage with special guests Andy Whyment and Steve Royle, followed by the fantastic firework finale.
Andy Whyment, best known for his role as the loveable character Kirk from Coronation Street has also starred in Heartbeat, Where the Heart Is, Dancing on Ice and BBC sitcom the Royle Family.
Andy is also an ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!’ regular, having taken part in both the nineteenth series in 2019 where he came second and also ‘I’m a Celebrity… South Africa’ earlier this year.
In addition, comedian Steve Royle, finalist on Britain’s Got Talent, and BBC Radio Lancashire presenter, should provide plenty of laighs.
Nathan Cutler, Colne Town Council’s events officer, said: “Christmas in Colne is a much loved event for the people of Colne. The event brings the community together to start the festivities.
“We have a variety of free entertainment with something for everyone meaning people can have a free family day out without having to worry about the costs involved. We hope as many people as possible can join us for what will be a fantastic day.”
The event has also changed slighty in comparison to previous years with a new Christmas Village located inside The Fun House (formerly Earnies) which will feature more than 50 stalls, live entertainment and Santa’s Grotto.

domain: entertainment


text:
Tumulus (destroyed): OS Grid Reference – TL 613 633
Archaeology & History
This is one of at least five prehistoric tombs that were known to have existed in and around the Newmarket race-course. It could be seen five-hundred-and-odd yards northeast of the Ninescore Hill tumulus and about 280 yards southeast of its Newmarket Heath 2 companion. The site was shown as one of the “tumuli” on the 1834 OS-map (right) but, along with its friends, was destroyed sometime around 1883. Unlike its companions, no scar of its remains are visible from the air so we don’t know how big it was, but I’d assume the olde fella to be of a similar size and style to its close neighbours.
- Fox, Cyril, The Archaeology of the Cambridge Region, Cambridge University Press 1923.
- Royal Commission Ancient Historical Monuments, Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Cambridgeshire – Volume 2: North-East Cambridgeshire, HMSO: London 1972.
© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian


text:
Press Release Distribution
New Nissan Vehicles Press Releases+ XML/RSS
By Knight Nissan
The Resonance crossover indicates the coming direction of Nissan crossovers. The concept model wowed spectators with its engaging exterior, sophisticated interior, and innovative powertrain.
By Woodfield Nissan
An episode of the show “Megafactories” will examine the supercar from Nissan.
By Glendale Nissan
Glendale Heights dealership offering big saving on vehicles such as the 2012 Nissan Cube, the 2012 Nissan 370Z Roadster, and the Nissan Leaf.
Page updated every 10 minutes

domain: news


text:
BOC confiscates brand new ‘super sports car’
THE Port of Manila yesterday confiscated a brand new, ‘McLaren 620R’ “super sports car” after its importer misdeclared the shipment to avoid paying the right duties and taxes due to the government.
At a ‘virtual press conference,’ POM district collector, Michael Angelo Vargas and BOC spokesman, Atty. Vincent ‘Jett’ Maronilla, identified the erring consignee as, ‘Llorin Trading’ and the customs broker as Christine Joyce Tabusares.
Maronilla said the shipment, which arrived from Hong kong last July 16, 2020, was declared by the consignee as “brand new” ‘Porsche Cayman’ sports car, whose features is somewhat similar to a McLaren 620R, which, however, commands a much higher price.
He added the consignee merely paid P1.5 million in duties and taxes, which is way below the actual duties and taxes of more than P16 million as a brand-new McLaren 620R sells locally at more than P33 million.
Vargas said he immediately placed the shipment on alert after receiving intelligence information from the Intelligence Group under deputy commissioner Ranier Ramiro.
Moronilla added that smuggling charges are now being readied against the consignee and Tabusares.
Yesterday’s apprehension was the second time the POM busted a major smuggling attempt since Vargas assumed the post as district collector last month.
Last July 29, 2020, Vargas also presented to the media, 2X20 container vans of smuggled agricultural products (carrots), cigarettes, auto parts and used clothing from China worth more than P3.4 million. Paul M. Gutierrez

domain: economics


text:
The South Wing of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building was the first wing to be completed. The Department of State occupied this building from 1875 until 1947.
The EOP Library balconies, 1984. Walter Smalling, Jr.
The State Department Library was completed in 1876. The architect was
Alfred B. Mullett and William McPherson of Boston was the decorator. The
room was used as the State Department's library until 1949 when the State
Department finally moved the library from the building. The Library was
a popular tour stop in the late 19th century. Washington guide books of
the late 1800s have accounts of the elegance and beauty of the gold and
pearl-colored room. In addition to 60,000 volumes, the library contained
all the treaties signed between the U.S. and other countries. The
of Independence, the
Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Presidential
Seal, Washington's sword, and Franklin's crabtree walking stick were other items on display.
The room continued to serve as a small library from 1949-1974. The Ford Administration covered the shelves with wallboard and used the repainted room for meetings and receptions. In 1979, the room was restored for use as the library for the Executive Office of the President. In 1983, the rooms interior was repainted using the historic paint analysis by the National Park Service that revealed the original colors. The coved ceiling is the only original painted ceiling found in the building never painted over, and was cleaned to restore its beauty. The room is of cast iron and plaster construction; the floor is the original English Minton tile. The book shelves are cast iron and were originally covered in sheepskin. The roof restoration project undertaken in the early 1990s allowed for natural light to enter the room from the skylight for the first time since 1941.
Corner detail of the Library ceiling, 1984. Walter Smalling, Jr.
Today the room functions in its historic context - as a library. Today the library supports the Executive Office of the President agencies that are located within the White House Complex.
Return to the EEOB Tour

domain: library


text:
Narendra Modi Vs Rahul Gandhi: Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 7 Campaign Ends With Press Conferences
Narendra Modi Vs Rahul Gandhi: The high-voltage campaigning for the final phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 ended with the battle of press conferences. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a press conference for the first time in five years. BJP President accompanied PM Modi at the presser. During the same time Congress President Rahul Gandhi also held a media briefing.

domain: politics


text:
Determination of suitable areas for reforestation and afforestation with indigenous species
A. Mahdavi*, M. Ghasemi, A. Jafarzadeh
Department of Forest Sciences,Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilam, Ilam, Iran.
* Corresponding author’s E-mail: email@example.com
(Received: Aug. 07. 2016 Accepted: Jan. 14. 2017)
To be successful in tree establishment, an assessment of land suitability would be necessary. The aim of this study was determining the potential habitats of three native tree species (Quercus persica, Pistacia atlantica, Amygdalous scoparia) in Siahkoh region of Ilam County, using Boolean method and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). For this regard, the slope, aspect and hypsometric maps of the area were produced using topographic maps. To provide soil properties maps, 40 soil samples in depth of 30 cm were randomly taken from the defined region (about 954 ha). Soil sample properties such as pH, texture, electrical conductivity, and organic material were measured. Soil maps and soil data layers were produced in GIS environment. With respect to ecological needs of the selected tree species and combining of all provided maps, about 890 ha of the total area could be reforested or afforested. The results show that from the total suitable area, 368.72 ha (41.41 %) for Quercus persica, 353.44 ha (36.69 %) for Pistacia atlantica and 176.2 ha (19.78 %) for Amygdalus scoparia were found to be suitable for these species. The results of comparing the extracted suitability map with the existing 30 ha afforestation in the region show that, from 10 hectares afforested by each species, Quercus persica, Pistacia atlantica and Amygdalus scoparia 7.65, 3.11 and 4.25 ha are located in the high suitable areas, respectively.
Key words: Native species, Suitable areas, GIS, Forestation.
The changes in species diversity, structural diversity and abundance of non-native species are also common concerns that are parts of the international criteria for assessing sustainability of forestry practices (Kerns & Ohmann 2004). As the current crisis of species extinction has become apparent (Debinski et al. 1999), land managers and biologists have sought to identify important habitats to the reservation of species diversity (Mahdavi & Jamshidifard 2014). Understanding the potential distribution of rare plant species is a key component in managing and regulating land-use activities (Nock 2002). Therefore, with respect to the importance of protection guarantee and continuing of this valuable heritage (rare species) for the future generation, afforestation and reforestation should be done with a cautious selection (Zeng et al. 2007).
The selection of suitable species for planting is one of the most important factors in afforestation or reforestation activities to development and inter-planting of forests (Eslami et al. 2010). The wrong choice of suitable species or appropriate area according to site conditions and ecological needs of species would not have been producing desired results or most of species would be destroyed. The potential areas for afforestation and reforestation should be determined by an evaluation of climate, soil, topographical and environmental components, ecological needs of the species and the understanding of local biophysical limitations (Ceballos-Silva & Lopez-Blanco 2003).
Nowadays, due to rapidly increasing destruction of natural resources and problem of desertification, it seems to be essential to employ new techniques for accelerating the identification, control and management of natural resources (Sedighian 1996; Eshraghi 1996). The integration of multi - criteria evaluation within Geographic Information System (GIS) context helps users to improve the decision - making processes about these issues. There are many studies about the identifying of the potential habitat of plant or tree species. We referred to some of them here.
Gupta and Owais (2000) attempted using GIS techniques to determine the areas that have the potential for planting Cardamom elttaria in Ratechaha watershed in Askim at the North and East of India.
The results of the study showed that about 3.39 % and 55.21 % of the total areas have a very good and good potential for cultivation of this plant, respectively. Shahadat & Kwei (2003) used GIS for the selection of suitable areas for the afforestation of mangrove species in the coastal areas of Bangladesh.
They showed that the mangrove forest could be in both natural and artificial conditions in Bangladesh. Dilek et al. (2007) conducted a study about afforestation in Golbasi protected area in Turkey. They concluded that for determination of the afforestation area the hydrological landscape and erodibility of the sites should be considered. Abbasi et al. (2009) determined the potential suitable habitat for three industrial and Mediterranean trees species (cypress, black pine and olive) using RS and GIS techniques in forested areas of Armand in Chaharmahal-o- Bakhtiari Province.
In this study, various maps such as topography, geology, climate, soil, land use, forest cover, irrigated and dry farm lands and rangelands were prepared using TM data.
Results showed that about 1150 ha of the area for cypress species, 996 ha for black pine and 5199 ha for olive had the potential of suitable habitats. Eslami et al. (2010) investigated the application of GIS for the selection of suitable species for afforestation in Caspian forests of Iran.
They determined the ecological requirements of 16 species and also topographic and edaphic conditions of the area.
They used Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for weighing different map layers. Mahdavi & Jamshidifard (2014) determined the potential habitats of two rangeland species in semi-desert area of Qasre-Shirin based on soil factors using GIS. The results of their study showed that in total, two locations with surface area of 1677.3 ha and 1356 ha were suitable for growing of Salsola rigidia and Agropyon trichophorum, respectively.
The forest ecosystems of the study area (Siahkoh in Ilam County) are destroyed due to the vicinity to Ilam City as well as neighboring villages and excessive grazing which resulted in soil erosion and loss of the vegetation cover and also the species diversity in this region (Tolabi 2014). Hence, it is essential to adopt an appropriate way to conserve this forest ecosystem and to try in the reforestation, afforestation and development of forests by the native tree species. So, we should plant the native tree species resistant to drought and also be able to adaptto the area such as Oak, Pistachio and Almond.
The most important reason for choosing these three species is that they are indigenous species to the Zagros region and widely employed in the reforestation and afforestation activities in this region. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to determine the suitable areas for the three native species, Quercus persica, Pistacia atlantica and Amygdalous scoparia within GIS context in Siahkoh area, Ilam County.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study area (in Siahkoh region) covers an area of 954 ha located near the county of Ilam in Ilam Province, southwest of Iran. The studied area limited between 45° 24' east longitude and 31° 58' north latitude (Fig. 1). Its maximum elevation above sea level is 1850 m and minimum elevation is 1250 m. Rainfall is started in the first half of October and ends in early June. Summer is the dry like other places in Zagros region. The annual rainfall and temperature averaged 589 mm and 23.5°C, respectively (Fig. 2).
August with the average temperature of 48.3°C is the warmest month. The average minimum temperature in January is (9.7°C) (Ilam General Meteorological Office 2014).
Fig. 1. Map of the location of the study area in Ilam County and Iran.
Fig. 2. Omberotermic curve of Ilam station.
This research was conducted in four phases.
Phase 1. Identifying the study area and preparing the land use map
After the field survey and identifying the boundaries of the study area, the land use map was provided from General Natural Resource
Office in Ilam Province.
The different land uses were delineated on map for afforestation and reforestation activities including agricultural, rangeland, rocks and other suitable areas (Fig. 3). Some basic thematic maps also were provided from related organizations.
The land use map and the other required ones were created by Arc GIS 10.2 software.
Phase 2. Soil sampling and measuring soil characteristics
After identifying the suitable areas for afforestation and reforestation, soil sampling was carried out to determine soil characteristics of the area and also the soil requirements of some species. 40 profiles in depth of 0-30 cm were randomly digged and soil samples were taken. Among certain characteristics of the soil, the most influential factors were measured including: soil texture (using the particle size and hydrometer methods), electrical conductivity (by extraction method and EC apparatus), soil acidity (by pH meter) and soil organic matter (%) (Walkley Black method) (Xu et al. 2006; Mahdavi & Jamshidifard 2014).
Fig. 3. The land use map of study area.
Phase 3. Digitizing and creation of various required maps
After providing required topographic and physiographic maps, the slope, aspect and hypsometric maps were created using topographic map and Digital Elevation Model (DEM). In these maps, the elevation, aspects and slope were divided into 6, 4 and 4 classes, respectively.
The data layers of soil were also prepared based on characteristics of soil samples and Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation in ArcGIS. The layers of soil texture, depth, EC, pH and soil organic matter were classified into 3, 4, 4, 4 and 3 classes, respectively. For all polygons of resource and land capability map, the information on various soil parameters was
performed according to the land unit components as separate fields. Each field represented one of the soil factors prepared as a separate layer according to the land capability maps. In addition, an information layer was prepared for each of the investigated soil factors. Another data layer was provided concerning the waterways and streams map in the area. Hence, at first, the waterway and stream lines were digitized, then a waterways and streams map was drawn using a distance buffer of 50 m (Figs. 4-7).
Phase 4. Combining the provided data layers
The suitable habitats for all the three species on the map were specified by combination of the data layers and adjusting with soil and ecological needs of each species separately. The latter were provided from literature review, books and published articles about this species from similar areas in Zagros region. Thus in each ecological and environmental data layers, the suitable areas for growth and establishment of intended species were classified as a class (with numerical value of 1) and unsuitable areas for growth and establishment as another different class (with numerical value of zero). Boolean logic method was employed to weight the data layers in GIS. Boolean algebra is based on the basics of binary logical operations. It forms a mathematical structure that is based only upon the values 1 (true) and 0 (false). In addition, Boolean algebra provides different links that can be "true" or "false" but never both (Heywood et al. 2006). In this study the criterion maps were converted to 0–1 maps based on the constraints and then the Boolean operation was used to combine the maps. Finally, after combining all data layers, the suitable areas were identified for the growth and establishment of each species according to the ecological needs and ecological restrictions of each one, separately. Base on the resulted maps, we could measure the suitable areas for reforestation and afforestation of certain species. To check the adjustment of existing plantations of the three species in the region with maps of their potential suitable sites, the data layers of existing plantations boundaries were overlaid and then compared with the extracted maps.
Fig. 4. The map of soil texture (A) and soil pH (B) in the study area.
Fig. 5. The map of amount of organic matters (%) (A) and the depth (B).
Fig. 6. The map of soil EC (A) and slope (%)(B) in the study area.
Fig. 7. The map of aspect (A) and elevation (B) in the study area.
Results of soil tests
The results for soil samples characteristics are shown in Table 1.
Determination of the potential habitat for studied species
After providing the land uses map, the area of different land uses in the region were measured as follow: dry farming 42 ha, mixed of dry and
irrigated farming 10 ha, rocks and unplantable 12 ha and plantable areas 890.36 ha.
Identification of the best suitable areas for
The result of combination of soil data layers showed that in terms of EC, organic matters and texture, 890.36 ha (100 %) of the total plantable area had the suitable condition for Q. persica.
For other characteristics such as pH, depth, slope, aspect and elevation, the best suitable areas were defined as follow, 674.26 ha (75.72 %), 200 ha (24.47 %), 686.31 (77.8 %), 98.82 (11.9 %), 777.44 (87.31 %) of the total plantable areas, respectively. Finally, after combining all these data layers, 368.72 ha (41.4 %) of the plantable areas had the best conditions for
Q. persica afforestation and reforestation activities (Figs. 8-12).
Table 1. Soil analysis results.
13.33 - 23.33
12.5 - 36.67
47.5 - 64.17
1.19 - 4.46
0.19 - 0.06
7 - 7.56
35 - 0 cm depth
Fig. 8. The map of suitable area for Q. persica in terms of pH (A) and EC (B).
Fig. 9. The map of suitable area for Q. persica in terms of soil texture (A) and depth (B).
Fig. 10. The map of suitable area for Q. persica in terms of soil organic matters (A) and slope (B).
Fig. 11. The map of suitable area for Q. persica in terms of aspect (A) and elevation (B).
Fig. 12. The final map of the most suitable area for Q. persica.
Identification of the most suitable area for P. atlantica
According to the extracted soil data layers based on ecological needs of wild pistachio and combining all data layers for this species, the best suitable conditions areas were determined. The results of integration of all produced maps showed that in terms of EC and organic matters 890.36 ha (100 %) of the total plantable area has the suitable conditions for P. atlantica
reforestation and afforestation activities. For other characteristics such as pH, texture, depth, slope, aspect and elevation, the best suitable areas were defined as follow, 864.35 ha (97.7 %), 806.42 ha (90.79 %), 145.3 ha (16.31 %), 818.78 (91.96 %), 257.79 (32.8 %), 285.67 (32.8 %), of the total plantable areas, respectively. Finally, after combining all the data layers, 353.44 ha (36.69 %) of the plantable areas had the best conditions for P. atlantica plantation activities (Figs. 13-17).
Fig. 13. The map of suitable area for P. atlantica in terms of pH (A) and EC (B).
Fig. 14. The map of suitable area for P. atlantica in terms of depth (A) and soil texture (B).
Fig. 15. The map of suitable area for P. atlantica in terms of soil organic matter (A) and slope (B).
Fig. 16. The map of suitable area for P. atlantica in terms of aspect (A) and elevation (B).
Fig. 17. The final map of the most suitable area for P. atlanticain the study area.
Identification of the most suitable area for A. scoparia
The result of soil layers' combination for this species showed that 223.69 ha (25.12 %), 890.36 ha (100 %), 528.19 ha (59.32 %), 497.4 ha (55.82 %), 723.53 (82.38 %), 400.85 (45.2 %), 416.9
(46.73 %) and 487.25 ha (54.72 %) of total studied rangeland area had suitable conditions for A. scoparia in terms of pH, EC, organic matters, soil texture, depth, slope, aspect and elevation, respectively (Figs. 18-22).
Fig. 18. The map of suitable area for A. scoparia in terms of pH (A) and EC (B).
Fig. 19. The map of suitable area for A. scoparia in terms of soil texture (A) and depth (B).
Fig. 20. The map of suitable area for A. scoparia in terms of soil organic matters (A) and slope (B).
Fig. 21. The map of suitable area for A. scoparia in terms of aspect (A) and elevation (B).
The results of combining all the prepared maps for A. scoparia showed that 176.20 ha (about 19.78 % of the total plantable area had the best condition for almond afforestation and reforestation activities (Fig. 22).
The comparison of existing plantation boundaries with resulted suitable maps in the study area
In this stage, the areas of existing plantation of the three species in the study area were compared with their extracted suitable areas. The results showed that from 10 ha plantation in the study area, 7.65 ha, 4.25 ha and 3.11 ha were located in suitable areas for Q. persica, A. scoparia and P. atlantica, respectively (Fig. 23).
Fig. 22. The final map of the most suitable area for A. scoparia in the study area.
Fig. 23. The map of existing plantation of P. atlantica in the study area.
A considerable proportion of the remaining natural forests in Zagros regions has been severely degraded by the rural communities to produce primary materials. In their current restricted and degraded state, the remaining native forests face the potentially rapid and extreme stress of climate changes, droughts, pest outbreaks and forest fires. Therefore,
reforestation and afforestation with native species is an important approach for reducing and reversing biodiversity loss and mitigating climate changes. Afforestation and reforestation if done with proper planning and at appropriate sites with suitable native species can become a commercially viable good solution for many human needs without harming the balance and biodiversity of nature (Cunningham et al. 2015). The purpose of this study was to identify the suitable areas for plantation (reforestation and afforestation) of the three native important species in Siahkoh region of Ilam County.
The choice of appropriate species of trees and shrubs is a major factor determining success of an afforestation program.
Choice of species is therefore a decision that should be made while keeping in view the objectives of the program as well as the edaphic-climatic and socio-economic conditions prevailing in the area (Siyag 2014).
In this research, the selection of studied species was based on this fact that introduction of exotic species may cause major loss in biodiversity and species extinction either due to direct replacement by exotics or indirect effects on the forest ecosystem. In addition, there are 30 ha plantations of the selected species in the study area and we could examine the prepared suitable area maps with the existing plantation map of examined species.
The method of determining suitable areas for the three species was based on a multi-layered GIS approach, so that, after accessing to soil, terrain and climate species needs (Siyag 2014), we started searching the similar areas in the range of soil conditions and environmental characteristics. The applied approach in the study could be quite valuable in determining potential sites for the tree species with specialized habitat requirements.
It is important to find the suitable habitats for growing plants in order to establish successful reforestation and afforestation in Zagros regions. So, the relatively new techniques such as GIS and RS can be used to accelerate plantation activities.
Development of GIS could simplify the analysis of environmental gradients over large spatial scales and provides a tool to digitize the gradients.
These methods are reducing the failure possibility in reforming the plans and reducing costs with their acceptable accuracy.
GIS was used in this study to digitize and analyze the environmental variables. The results presented here was close to the hypothesized estimation that this approach would be able to predict habitat suitability for the three species.Most of the reviewed studies (inside and outside of Iran) have used this method to analyze the distribution of plant species and plant communities and determination of their potential habitat along environmental gradients (Franklin 1995; Austin 1998; Irvani 1999; Abbasi et al. 2009; Mahdavi & Jamshidifard 2014).
Afforestation and reforestation are important activities for restoration of terrestrial ecosystem productivity in arid and semiarid areas. Application of appropriate technology, institutional arrangements, and enabling conditions for participation by local communities are the necessary conditions of successful afforestation and reforestation programs in arid and semiarid zones. As a result of large-scale degradation of forest resources and widespread concern among governments and public institutions, afforestation and reforestation are considered as serious money – expending practices to prevent the land degradation.
A regional scale habitat mapping approach should be developed to meet this need using RS and GIS, and soil properties. These potential habitat maps provide effective tools for conservation and development planning as well as monitoring and management of plants (such as rare plant) habitat.
Recommendations for success of plantations
As global climate is changing, plant distributions are dynamic in both spatial and temporal dimensions which may need to be carefully interpreted, re-evaluated and updated by the new-available potential maps. It means that an exotic species may be sometimes preferable for afforestation and reforestation programs. A number of potential risks that may affect the accuracy of the method must be considered in the future researches, as follow: the location of potential habitat may be limited to one region which may result in the perception that the species grow under certain conditions when other areas were simply not examined. Selected environmental variables may not be sufficient to describe all the parameters of species habitat requirements.
Most land areas in the developing countries in arid and semiarid regions are likely to be grazed by livestock or by wild animals. Therefore, the plantation site may need to be fenced at least for several years till trees were too tall to be reached by the animals.


Street furniture has an important role in creating a community that is more liveable and appealing. Benches and tables in public spaces provide areas for socialising and relaxing outdoors. Signages help create order and provide direction, bollards aid in safety, and so on.
As the times change, city furniture remains as important. However, the design and purpose are evolving. Today’s designers are challenged to create public spaces that keep up with the current needs of society and shape environments which achieve their long-term goals.
Here are some of the recent trends which are becoming more common in cities or towns.
Street furniture can create or further promote the identity of a particular community if properly integrated into the public space. Take the red telephone booths in London, for instance. Even if they aren’t used for their primary purpose any longer, they remain an integral part of the city’s identity and urban landscape.
It is becoming more important to understand the community and its identity as well as its needs. For example, in Australia, there are certain suburbs where residents are mostly of the ageing population. As such, public spaces should be more senior-friendly. Designers can incorporate benches that aid with mobility and lighting which enhance visibility at dark.
To create designs which are ideal for your community, it helps to work with designers who are familiar with the locality. For example, if you are located in Adelaide, work with the Lonsdale-based Spark company if you want to buy street furniture Australia designers made. They have been providing landscape infrastructure products and projects for over 30 years to the Australian market. Get to know more at sparkfurniture.com.au.
A major challenge for city furniture designers is how to encourage the public to actually use the furniture for their intended purpose. One factor identified is to place them in the appropriate spots. For example, waste receptacles should be in heavy traffic areas instead of in empty spaces where they are usually located and left unused. This encourages the people to actually place their trash in the bins since they are conveniently within reach.
Appropriate placement can also make the space feel more welcoming and relaxing and can make the public feel more involved with their outdoor environment.
Innovative Australian street furniture design is becoming more common. Aside from functionality and aesthetic appeal, sustainability and technology are key components of the design process. In addition, as climates grow harsher over the years, designers are also working on improving durability and maintenance.
Smart street furniture
Smart and responsive devices and home environments are the norm in today’s technologically advanced world. More city planners and urban developers are seeking to bring the smart and responsive concepts to public spaces.
It is not surprising to find street furniture in Australia which also serve as charging stations and Wi-Fi hubs while functioning as park benches or bus stops too. There are even waste bins which can calculate the weight and temperature of the contents, as well as streetlights which are controlled by smartphone apps to increase their brightness. An outdoor digital signage can trap, harvest, and collect water which is stored in a reserve tank.
It won’t be long before you’ll find robot wheelie bins picking up trash in the park.


text:
Celebrate Earth Day with Bridgewater Community Gardens! (Rain date April 23)
Come dig into the soil, clean up the park, and lend a hand to help your fellow community members as we prepare the community gardens for spring planting. Stop in anytime through the day and join us for great Earth Day activities for the whole family!
The main highlights of the day will be:
1.The Bee’s Needs Pollinator Garden Work Party from 10 am to noon
Get your hands dirty preparing this garden for the spring. They’ll be cleaning up litter, cutting back plants, and spreading mulch.
2. Enjoy a Potluck Picnic from 12-1 PM. Feel free to bring something to share!
3. The Hodge Podge Community Garden Opening from 1-4PM.
Find out about Bridgewater’s first Community Garden! Lend a hand fixing beds, turning compost, moving soil, and meet your neighbours. Connect with your community, connect with the outdoors.
For more information, call 902 543 2274 or email [email protected]

domain: agronomy


An insider describes Maddox Jolie-celebration Pitt’s of his significant birthday.
Maddox Jolie-Pitt turns 21 today! With his family, the newly turned 21-year-old celebrated his birthday. Angelina Jolie’s first kid is named Maddox. He was taken in by her in 2002 from a Cambodian orphanage, and after Jolie married Brad Pitt, the Bullet Train star also became Maddox’s parent. Brangelina’s family has grown since then with the addition of five additional children, though their divorce was finally finalised in 2019.
In an interview with ET, a source talked about the birthday boy’s exciting day, saying that Maddox “will be assisting Zahara move to Atlanta” after spending the majority of the day on Friday with his family. Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Maddox’s sister, recently made news for celebrating her acceptance into Spelman College. Pitt expressed that he was “very proud” of his daughter in interviews while promoting his most recent film on the red carpet.
Pitt stated in a Vanity Fair interview, “She is so wise. At college, she’ll bloom much more.” He kept heaping on the compliments “It’s an exciting and lovely moment for her to follow her interests and discover her own path. I’m very happy.” Zahara is following in the footprints of her older sibling Maddox, who also left for college at Yonsei University in South Korea a few years ago.
Pitt also discussed his other daughter Shiloh, who has recently garnered notoriety, in a different interview. He praised her for her amazing dancing abilities “Yes, it makes one cry up, and she added, “I don’t know where she got it from. Here, I’m Mr. Two-Left-Feet.”


text:
WHO WE ARE?
Here at KTV Venue Stylists we are passionate about working with you to create the INSTA-WORTHY wedding day of your dreams. Founded in 2014, KTV is run by Creative Director and Head Stylist Monika. Monika and the KTV TEAM are based in KETTERING where they have their very own beautiful and bespoke SHOWROOM AND DESIGN STUDIO and deliver stunning venue styling and venue decor throughout Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, and the East Midlands. We do travel throughout the entire UK, so please do get in touch!


Donates(Search results - 79)
EntertainmentJul 28, 2021, 1:25 PM IST
Akshay Kumar turns 'good samaritan'; actor donates Rs 1 Crore to rebuild a school in Kashmir
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar recently donated Rs 1 Crore To rebuild a school in Kashmir. BSF tweets and shares the news
Top StoriesJul 1, 2021, 2:41 PM IST
SBI donates Rs 60 crore to PM Cares Fund on its foundation day for fight against COVID-19
Around 2.50 lakh employees of the country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI), have donated a sum of Rs.62.62 crore to the PM CARES Fund.
EntertainmentJun 15, 2021, 10:04 AM IST
Actor Sanchari Vijay declared dead at 3:34 am, donates organs; to be laid to rest with state honours
38-year-old National award winning actor Sanchari Vijay was confirmed dead at 3:34 am on June 15. The doctors, after taking consent from his family, began the retrieval of organs and seven patients were given his organs including corneas, kidneys, heart valves and liver to save their lives. The actor will be laid to rest with state honours in his native Chikmagalur.
EntertainmentJun 13, 2021, 1:38 PM IST
Hrithik Roshan turns good samaritan: Star supports a foundation, donates masks to frontline warriors
Hrithik Roshan has yet again made a significant contribution of masks to I Love Mumbai Foundation.
Top StoriesMay 17, 2021, 7:26 PM IST
Rajinikanth meets Stalin, donates Rs 50 lakh for Covid relief fund
The contribution from Rajinikanth comes days after industry colleagues Suriya, Ajith and Sivakarthikeyan recently donated to the same cause.
United StatesMay 11, 2021, 10:02 AM IST
Twitter donates $15 million for COVID-19 relief in India
Twitter CEO Jack Patrick Dorsey on Monday tweeted that the amount has been donated to three non-governmental organisations – Care, Aid India and Sewa International USA.
EntertainmentMay 10, 2021, 5:27 PM IST
Amitabh Bachchan donates Rs 2 crore to Delhi's Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Covid Care Centre, Read details
Amitabh Bachchan lends a helping hand amid Coronavirus second wave in the country, donates Rs 2 crore to Delhi's Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Covid Care Centre and arranged oxgen concentrators.
BusinessMay 4, 2021, 4:15 PM IST
Samsung donates a million LDS syringes that prevent vaccine wastage
The Low Dead Space (LDS) syringes minimize the amount of drug left in the device after injection, optimizing vaccine usage.
CRICKETApr 29, 2021, 5:56 PM IST
IPL 2021: Rajasthan Royals donates $1 million towards COVID Relief for India
Rajasthan Royals is a former champion of the Indian Premier League, having won its only title in 2008 under Shane Warne's leadership. India is currently going through the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and faces an acute shortage of oxygen.
Top StoriesApr 27, 2021, 4:03 PM IST
Karnataka govt donates over 8,000 books to 'Library Man' of Mysuru who lost library in fire incident
On April 9, a fire destroyed hundreds of books, including Kannada copies of religious scripts like the Bhagwad Gita and Quran, that had been collected by 62-year-old Syed Ishaq at his library in Shantinagar area over the last ten years.
Top StoriesApr 26, 2021, 8:41 PM IST
Covid-19: MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar donates 15 Oxygen concentrators to help affected families
Founder Trustee of NBF & Member of Parliament Sri Rajeev Chandrasekhar donated 15 oxygen concentrators to Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya who along with NBF will identify patients who would urgently need oxygen concentrator support
CRICKETApr 26, 2021, 5:03 PM IST
IPL 2021: Pat Cummins donates $50,000 for 'purchase of oxygen supplies' in India
Pat Cummins is an Australian pacer who currently plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. India is currently undergoing the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, while there has been an acute shortage of enough oxygen to treat the patients.
India NewsJan 28, 2021, 1:09 PM IST
Suvendu Adhikari donates 2.40 lakhs for Ram Mandir construction in Ayodhya
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari donated 2 lakh 40 thousand rupees for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He handed over the money to the workers of Vishva Hindu Parishad at Shyambazar on Wednesday (January 27). The former MP is said to have paid the money from his pension allowance.
Positive StoriesDec 11, 2020, 8:43 PM IST
Bengaluru: Muslim Man Donates Land For Lord Hanuman Temple
A Muslim man has donated land worth over Rs 50 lakh for a temple in Hoskote tehsil of Bengaluru Rural district, Karnataka. HMG Basha, has donated 1.5 'guntas' of land for the construction of a Lord Hanuman temple.


text:
SHANGHAI — More Chinese companies will default on bond payments in 2020 as they face a wall of maturities, higher financing costs for weak issuers and a government less inclined to bail them out, rating agency S&P Global said in a report Thursday.
Following a year of record defaults in 2019, S&P said it expected defaults to rise even further as Chinese firms face 6.5 trillion yuan ($945 billion) in effective maturities in 2020. That figure includes put options that allow investors to demand early repayment but does not include short-term debt that will be issued and come due within 2020.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Local government financing vehicles (LGFV) face the most repayment pressure, with about 2 trillion yuan in effective maturities, S&P said.
Issuers will also face offshore maturities of more than $90 billion.
While strong issuers are unlikely to face significant pressure, weak companies “are not getting financing at costs and durations needed for a sustainable capital structure,” the report said.

domain: finance


text:
Choose your room
We are fantastically positioned in a perfect location!
The beach of Riccione-Marano and their great clubs are just a step away.
By day he will offer you the chance to relax and grab a tan or break a sweat with a variety of sports activities. In the evening you will be immersed in Riccione's intense nightlife, enjoying it until sunrise.
Bus stop number 41 is a mere 100 meters away. In minutes you will be connected to Viale Dante and Viale Ceccarini, the beating heart of Riccione, famous for their trendy boutiques, the ever flowing bars and clubs, and the best restaurants and pubs in town.
We offer you a lot of services included in the price, take a look:
- Buffet Breakfast from 7.00am to 13.00pm with cappuccino, coffee, milk, the, sweets, cakes, cereals, yogurt, ham, cheese and more...
- Air conditiong
- Reception open 24 hours/24
- Cocktail bar/Snack bar open 24 hours/24
- Happy hour
- Computer station
- Wi-Fi access
- Bicycles rental
- Relax garden
- Covered veranda
- Satellite TV room, DVD player
- Beach services on request
- Discounts at restaurants and pubs
- Price reductions for clubs and amusement parks
- Tourist Information at your request, free city maps, help with itineraries, and public transportation
- Credit and Debit cards accepted
- People younger than 18 must show a parent authorisation at check-in
- Check-in from 14:00-23:00 early or late arrival please advise us by phone.
- Check-out 12:00.
- Small pets allowed only upon management authorisation


Upchurch Rolls at Area 6 MG Championships
Clint Upchurch (1190.2663) cruised to victory in the Open division, along with the top overall score for the match, during the USPSA Area 6 Multi-Gun Championships at South River Gun Club in Covington, Ga., recently. The win continues Upchurch’s rapid 3-gun ascent after winning a 3GN Wild Card at the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals in Sept., followed by a division win at the Adams Arms Ozark 3-Gun Championship in Missouri. (Eds. note: Be sure to check out 3-Gun Nation this week to see Clint Upchurch in action during USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals—Versus, Thurs., 3 PM, EST.)
Chris Patty (983.5634) came in second in Open, followed by Jack Travers (919.6503), Ronald Shores, Sr. (879.3855) and Greg Queen (864.1013)
Chris Sechiatano (1097.2040) placed second overall, edging out the Tactical division over Noveske’s Rob Romero (1092.6150). Stefan Wiggins (1079.0201) placed third in Tactical, followed by Jeff Cramblit (1005.6761) and Todd Kennedy (1004.8038).
In Heavy Metal Limited, Michael Fordyce (1085.2276) bested Bryan Ray (1016.1591), a 3GN Shoot-Off qualifier at Ozark in September. Chad Drewery (913.5514), Timothy Jernigan (466.2501) and Xiaoyuan Liu (411.1429) rounded out the division standings.
In Limited, Thomas Carpenter (1102.9764) knocked off Noveske’s Tod Litt (1000.8033) for top honors. Edwin Gideons (978.3451) took third, followed by Ryan Nowell (872.1346) and William Jones (861.2080), rounding out the top five.
Kennedy also took high law enforcement, while Rockcastle Shooting Center’s Ben Fortin (854.5426) won high military. Travers turned in the top senior score. FNH USA’s Diana Liedorff (721.2698) won high lady honors, and Benjamin Manning (765.7700) turned in the best junior finish.


text:
This in exchange for a small price premium. Select mortgage lenders?provide this type of preliminary mortgage
loan financing to their clients, as we do.You might have to fill out a detailed?questionnaire and pull together a
package deal for every unit that you want to finance. In the past, these may well have been numerous of the
roadblocks which you encountered in acquiring your buyer?mortgage completed. Getting mentioned that, now you've one
time and time financing supplied by our special time lenders having a good knowledge of time mortgages.See how?we
can?assist refinance time or initial time buyers that are purchase buyer.?Some should have solutions about time
loans even Non warantable time financing out there. Irrespective of if or not?for buy time and seeking to obtain
solutions about Non warantable time mortgage financing.
Unique lenders have a variety of buy straight down schedules. For instance, some lenders will charge you a stage
to obtain decrease the price . Other people may perhaps perhaps well cost a point to obtain straight down the tempo
by only 1 quarter. Test with your mortgage officer for guidance on these choices.
This indicates extra buying energy, and if your future position employment shows substantial raises coming, then
this choice may perhaps be seriously viable for you personally like a starting program. It is possible to find
typically 3 unique indexes which you start with, when considering which rather first time buyer mortgage loan loan
There's some lenders who use their individual value tag of money as an index, rather than making use of other
indices. The first time buyer rate refinance home loan being changed to a fixed price home loan, need to be
considered, when you are thinking about a long phrase investment in a home.When thinking about purchasing straight
down your fascination pace talk together with your home loan expert to see if buying the interest cost lower will
be worth it to you and in your ideal awareness.
Simply because the average American house owner sells or refinances on average every all years or so, occasionally
it does not make a whole lot of sense to invest the additional money to buy down the price of curiosity.
This is finished to ensure a constant margin for your lender, whose personal expense of funding will commonly be
related to your index will protect their earnings at the stage they wish to obtain. We're right here to get likely
the most effective prices and terms for you, with out any challenges.


text:
Abrasive Grain / Grit / Powder, Inorganic Physical Properties Numerous shape and size options are usually readily available from READE as large as 50 mm grinding and tuling media down to as small as 20 - 100 nanometer particles.
Silicon Carbide SiC Crystal Substrate Wafer …
Silicon Carbide SiC Crystal Substrate Wafer Carborundum 4H 6H N Type 2inch 3inch 4inch(id:10596060). View product details of Silicon Carbide SiC Crystal Substrate Wafer Carborundum 4H 6H N Type 2inch 3inch 4inch from Homray Material Technology Co.,Ltd
Silicon Carbide powder/micro-powder with the content of SiC more than 98.5%, the particle size 200mesh,320mesh or even 600mesh Silicon carbide is an ideal compound deoxidizer, desulfurizer.ca and si has a strong affinity with oxygen. Especially
Boron Carbide & Boron Carbide Powders : Available …
Boron Carbide Powders Concern "Zaporozhabrasiv" - UK Abrasives, Inc. ISO 9002 Partnership Production Typical Manufacturing Process of Boron Carbide powder Concern “Zaporozhabrasiv” (ISO 9002 registered production facility). Produces feed stock of Boron
Silicon Carbide | AMERICAN ELEMENTS
Silicon Carbide is a ceramic material with numerous appliions in the manufacturing, automotive, defense, electronics, lighting, and steel industries. Ultra high purity, high purity, submicron and nanopowder forms may be considered.
Silicon Carbide - Dragon Abrasives Group Ltd.
Silicon Carbide, China, manufacturer, supplier, exporter, Dragon Abrasives Group Ltd.. Source for silicon carbide, electro mineral, abrasives here. Address: Anshanxi Road 265# ZhengZhou Henan China Tianjin Tianjin China
CVD SILICON CARBIDE™ - Dow Chemical Company
CVD SILICON CARBIDE — Engineered to Perform Controlled resistivity grades of CVD SILICON CARBIDE excel in high temperature (>1500 C), wear and chemical resistance performance. Controlled resistivity CVD SILICON CARBIDE is available in two grades. SC
Tungsten Carbide Powder Grades or by telephone: +86 592 5129696
Silicon Carbide in the CIS: Production, Market and …
6.2. Silicon Carbide Market Development Forecast in Russia Appliion. Addresses of producers and consumers of silicon carbide in the CIS List of tables Table 1. Grades of silicon carbide Table 2. Chemical composition of silicon carbide grinding materials
Silicon Carbide_sanders flap disc
Pure silicon carbide is colorless crystals. The density is from 3.06 to 3.20. The hardness is about 9.5 degrees Mohs. It is general colorless powder particles. After grinding, it can be used as grinding powder, polish paper can be made, and the friction surface
However, several other grades exist as well, such as SiAlON bonded silicon carbide and clay bonded silicon carbide. The latter is generally reserved for refractory appliions, and manufacturers typically make and/or keep several variations of it on site.
What is Rock Tuler Grit?
Rock tuler grit is a man-made silicon carbide abrasive. It is inexpensive, extremely hard, and crushes into sharp, angular particles. These properties make it an effective abrasive for cutting, shaping, and smoothing rocks and other hard materials.
Shinano Electric Refining Co., Ltd. | Ultrafine Powder …
The “SER/SER-A Series” is a line of ultrafine powder consisting of green silicon carbide. Products are grouped according to purity, into the SER Series and SER-A Series. The products come in a range of grain sizes and purity grades, so users can select the right one for their particular appliion.
Excellent Wear, Light Impact. Seal Rings, Compacting Powder Metal, Blades, Wear Rolls, Valve Components. COBALT BINDER VM-6T 14.89 91.8 Medium 94.00 6.00-----High Hardness for Wear Appliions. Light Impact. Oil Field Tooling COBALT BINDER
Abrasive Powders - Silicon Carbide - Agar Scientific
Extec Abrasive Powders are carefully formulated for use in distilled water mixtures and available in standard particle sizes and grades. Silicon Carbide (SiC) powders are recommended for fine grinding and rough polishing. Particle sizes from 120 to 1000 grit Supplied
US4217335A - Process for producing β-silicon carbide …
A process for producing a β-silicon carbide powder is disclosed wherein a ternary mixture of carbon, silicon and silica powders mixed in amounts falling within the region defined by the points O, P, Q and R in the FIGURE are reacted in an oxidizing atmosphere.
Silicon Carbide Grit For Tuling or Lapping - Gemcuts
Silicon Carbide Grit These bags of silicon carbide powders are ideal for topping up grit kits and the most economical way to purchase grit for larger tulers and lapping jobs. Silicon carbide powder is available in two grades. It can be loosely graded or finely graded.
Beta Silicon Carbide - Recommended
Alpha silicon carbide (α-SiC) is the most commonly encountered polymorph. The beta modifiion (β-SiC), with a zinc blende crystal structure (similar to diamond), is formed at temperatures below 1700 C. The β-SiC micro-powder made by EnoMaterial is a high
Industrial raw material to refractories
product egory We supply industrial raw material to refractories fused alumina, silicon carbide, boron carbide, metallic silicon, ferro silicon nitride, fused silica, andalusite, zirconia We buy, mill, and recycle refractory bricks, production scrap, broken-down material
Silicon Carbide (SiC): Properties and appliions | …
Silicon carbide has been the most widely used material for the use of structural ceramics. Characteristics such as relatively low thermal expansion, high force-to-weight radius, high thermal conductivity, hardness, resistance to abrasion and corrosion, and most importantly, the maintenance of elastic resistance at temperatures up to 1650 ° C, have led to a wide range of uses.
Manufacturers of Silicon Carbide | Sublime Technologies
Silicon Carbide Producer South Africa’s first silicon carbide (SiC) manufacturer, Sublime Technologies, is a leading provider that specialises in reliable supply and consistent production quality. Sublime Technologies produces two grades of silicon carbide: crude crystalline silicon carbide and metallurgical-grade silicon carbide.
Tungsten carbide for molding - CY Carbide MFG. Co., Ltd.
Grade Binder Grain Size Density Hardness T.R.S Referenced Grades Appliions Example (%) ≥N/mm2 MH10F 10 Submicron 14.45 91.8 3800 FD15/FB15/EF10 Excellent wear resistance, suitable for progressive dies, for stamping of semi-conductor, Icpackaging

domain: chemistry


text:
Editor’s Note: The following arrest and incident reports were supplied by the Abilene Police Department. All information below comes from reports made by responding officers, and all suspects are considered not guilty unless determined otherwise in a court of law.
1300 block of Cherry Street
A victim reported her vehicle was damaged in south Abilene.
4500 block of S 1st Street – Identity Theft
A victim reported identity theft.
30400 block of Fannin Street – Assault Impede Breath
A victim reported he was assaulted by a friend two days prior.
3600 block of Sayles Boulevard – Assault
A high school student reported he was assaulted by a fellow high school student.
1700 block of S 3rd Street – Burglary of Habitation
A victim reported a television worth $300 was reported stolen from her apartment. The suspects broke a window and climbed through.
400 block of Meander Street – Publish/Threaten to Publish Intimate Visual Material
A victim reported a suspect posted a nude video of her on social media.
300 block of Ross Avenue – Burglary of Vehicle
Two speakers worth more than $450 were reported stolen in south Abilene.
4500 block of S 1st Street – Unauthorized Use of Vehicle
An Abilene business reported a vehicle was stolen.
3000 block of N 6th Street – Criminal Mischief
A report was taken for criminal mischief in north Abilene.
5600 block of S 1st Street – Theft of Service
A theft was reported in south Abilene.
800 block of T&P Lane – Theft of Motor Vehicle
A vehicle was reported stolen from an Abilene business.
2800 block of Clinton Street – Theft of Property
A victim reported a known suspect stole her dog worth $300.
Darryl Peoples – Warrant
Peoples was contacted in reference to an outstanding warrant and was arrested.
Jacob Hinojosa – Warrant
Hinojosa was contacted during a disturbance in progress and was arrested on an outstanding warrant.
Luis Patino – Warrant
Patino was contacted in reference to an outstanding warrant and was arrested.

domain: law


^ Back to Top
- To assist communities especially the poor and socially excluded (women, marginalized and disadvantaged groups and the physically challenged) to have secured access and control over land, with focus on food security.
- To promote economic activities towards income generation and employment, especially for the poor, disadvantaged, marginalized and other socially excluded population.
- To assist communities benefit from their natural resources, while maintaining the unique ecology through conservation and biodiversity protection
- To enhance sustainable decision making, through the integration of geo-spatial tools like GIS and GPS in development.
- To strengthen capacities of community based organizations, municipal councils and government departments through training, partnership, networking and lobby/advocacy.


text:
Gröhe: “Urgent need for antibiotics that work against communicable diseases“
WHO publishes global list of drug-resistant ‘priority pathogens‘
Responding to an initiative from the Federal Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) published on 27 February 2017 the first ever list of resistant bacteria that currently pose the greatest threat to human health. The list is meant to guide research, discovery and the development of new antibiotics – one objective of WHO’s Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.
“ We need effective antibiotics now and in the future to be able to treat communicable diseases with good patient outcomes. With our German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy, we spearhead the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Internationally, we have also put this issue on the agenda of the meeting of the 20 leading industrialised and emerging economies and support the implementation of WHO’s Global Action Plan. This is because diseases and resistant pathogens know no borders – they must be controlled on a global scale. Today’s list of priority pathogens is a major basis for concerted action against international health threats.
Concurring with Germany’s proposal, the G7 Health Ministers endorsed, in their 2015 Declaration, the continuous identification, assessment, and agreement of pathogens that are of greatest concern globally. Following the request from the Federal Ministry of Health, therefore, WHO drew up a global priority pathogens list of resistant bacteria for which new antimicrobials should be urgently developed.
WHO’s priority pathogens list is meant to guide the research and development of new antibiotics going forward and ensure that research is fully in line with public health needs. The list was developed under the leadership of Prof. Evelina Taconelli of Tübingen University and Dr. Nicola Magrini of WHO, together with renowned experts. In methodological terms, the list clearly differs from existing surveys of resistant pathogens in that it was developed using a special technique (multi-criteria decision analysis -MCDA). To reliably rank the pathogens by priority, the experts drew on criteria such as relevant mortality rates, healthcare burden and prevalence of resistance among the population as well as trend developments of resistance.
Fighting antimicrobial resistance has been a major priority of the Federal Ministry of Health. With our German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy (DART), Germany has been pursuing a cross-sectoral approach to controlling AMR for quite a long time now. In recent years, moreover, Germany has championed the fight against AMR in the context of WHO, the EU and the G7 and also made the issue a priority of Germany’s G20 Presidency in 2017. Actually, the first ever G20 Health Ministers‘ Meeting will be held on 19 and 20 May 2017.
List of resistant bacteria that currently pose the greatest threat to human health (press release on the WHO website)
Brochure of the German Federal Government on National Antibiotic Resistance Strategies (DART)


text:
Construction firms, agricultural operations, landscaping companies, and businesses operating within many other industries all need access to equipment to perform their valuable work. Unfortunately, heavy equipment can be extremely expensive.
Business owners whose companies are still getting off the ground often struggle with the decision as to whether to buy or lease their equipment, especially if they can’t afford to purchase it outright. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of whether it’s better to lease or finance equipment, but this article will offer some insight into the issue that might help.
What’s the Difference?
Both leasing and financing equipment involves making monthly payments. The two strategies differ primarily in ownership. When businesses lease equipment, they do not own it, meaning they will have to renew their leases at the end of their terms if they want continued access to the machinery. Equipment leases resemble rental agreements, while equipment financing involves taking out a business loan.
Businesses that finance equipment purchases will only have to make payments until the loan has been repaid, at which point they own the equipment in full. Those who want to purchase equipment via financing can go look at Equify to find a qualified lender.
What is Considered Equipment?
When most business owners think about leasing or financing equipment, they immediately conjure up images of heavy machinery like backhoes, skid-steers, and large tractors. In reality, the term “equipment” can encompass anything from office appliances to company cars, as well. Not all lenders finance all types of business equipment, so it’s important to do some research into what types of loans they offer before choosing one.
Types of Leases
The two main categories of equipment are operating leases and capital leases. Operating leases tend to have lower monthly payments. They allow business owners to use the equipment for the duration of the lease’s term, then when it expires, business owners have the option of paying the then-fair market value for it if they want to buy it.
Capital leases tend to have higher payments, but they’re structured more like equipment loans. As with operating leases, business owners may be offered the option of purchasing the equipment when the lease term has expired. However, the price will be much lower than the market value.
While equipment leases cover only the use of the equipment for the duration of the lease term and may or may not include a provision for purchasing it when the term expires, equipment financing allows businesses to take out loans to actually purchase the equipment. The lender will pay for all or part of the price of buying it outright, then the borrower will pay it back with interest over time. Once it’s paid off, the business will own the equipment free and clear.
Pros of Leasing Equipment
Equipment leases don’t require a down payment or collateral. Their terms vary but are often flexible and typically include provisions for payment of repairs by the equipment’s owner. When the term of the lease has expired, business owners have the option of upgrading to newer or more advanced machinery instead of renewing the lease or purchasing the equipment.
Cons of Leasing Equipment
The primary disadvantage of leasing equipment is the price. Although technically leases don’t come with interest payments, business owners often find that they wind up paying more to use the equipment than they would have if they had financed the purchase of their own machines. Those who take out operational leases will find that at the end of the lease term, they’re left in a similar position to when they started since they won’t receive a discount on the equipment if they want to buy it.
Pros of Financing
Financing is a great option for durable equipment that will retain its value well over time. Depending on the borrower’s credit score, business history, and other factors, the interest should be low and the monthly payments roughly comparable to the monthly payments associated with capital leases. Once the loan has been paid off, the business will own the equipment outright and there will be no need to pay an additional purchase price. Overall, the long-term cost of equipment financing tends to be lower than leasing.
It’s easy to qualify for an equipment loan and there’s no need to put up collateral since the equipment itself could be liquidated to pay for the lender’s costs if the buyer fails to make timely payments. It’s always better to take out equipment loans than regular short-term loans, as the interest rates will be better.
Cons of Financing
Some lenders may require a down-payment of up to 20%, although it’s often possible to find lenders that will finance equipment for $0 down. Financing equipment also requires some extra research, since businesses won’t have the option to switch to newer or updated equipment at the end of their loan terms as they would with a lease. Just make sure the tool or machine will retain its value well over time to make the most of the investment and avoid the need for immediate replacement.
Most Important Considerations
The most important factors to consider when choosing whether to lease or finance are how much money the business has available and how quickly the equipment’s value will depreciate over time. If the equipment will be useful for many years to come and the company can afford to make a small down-payment, start looking for a lender. Otherwise, consider a short-term lease.
The Bottom Line
Most business owners find that equipment financing is a more cost-effective solution than leasing if they plan to use the equipment for the foreseeable future, but no one solution’s best for everyone. Make sure to consider available options, company finances, and anticipated depreciation of the value of the equipment before signing a lease or applying for a loan. When in doubt or when unable to qualify for a loan, sign a short-term rather than a long-term lease to keep options open for the future when the term expires.


text:
Journalist Jane Mayer issued another twisted attack on her own Enemy No. 1, the libertarian industrialist Koch brothers, from her New Yorker magazine perch. “Who Sponsored The Hate?”, posted March 15, left no doubt as to who she thinks is responsible for the current Trumpian climate of political vituperation.
Mayer recently released Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, which focuses on the Koch brothers. For years she has issued dark, often conspiratorial threats about the Midwestern oil and chemical industrialists, guilty of trying to convince voters of the rightness of their beliefs, to the abject horror of a big-government left which has spent a generation trying to do the same thing, eiher through their own billionaires (George Soros, Ted Turner) or actual government money.
Mayer began with the now-standard liberal line that conservative ideologues are reaping what they sowed with the rise of Trump and his supporters:
....But, in fact, the influence of the Kochs and their fellow big donors is manifest in Trump’s use of incendiary and irresponsibly divisive rhetoric. Only a few years ago, it was they who were sponsoring the hate.
The power of that sentence depends mightily on how one defines “a few years ago” and hate.” For Mayer, the former definition apparently includes the early 1960s and the John Birch Society, which years ago became a nonfactor in American politics, thanks to traditional conservatives like William F. Buckley.
From the second paragraph you know the revelations will be a bit stale. 2010?
Over the July 4th weekend of 2010, I attended the fourth annual Defending the American Dream Summit, in Austin, Texas, which served in part as a training session for local Tea Party activists. The summit was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, which purported to be a nonpartisan grass-roots political-advocacy group devoted to the cause of small government, free markets, and liberty. It was in fact an organization that had been founded and heavily funded by the Kochs, whose early activism was entwined in fearmongering and racial intolerance.
The Kochs’ father, Fred Koch, the founder of Koch Industries, the hugely profitable private oil-and-chemical company that his sons inherited, was one of the original members of the John Birch Society, the ultra-conservative group that accused political opponents of treason and was at its core segregationist. After the Supreme Court ruled in favor of desegregating America’s public schools, in 1954, the Birchers launched a nationwide crusade to impeach Chief Justice Earl Warren. In 1960, Fred Koch wrote a self-published book describing welfare programs as a secret government plot to lure rural blacks into cities so that they could foment “a vicious race war.”....
It’s not fair to visit the sins of the father on the sons, but Charles and David have their own dubious record of involvement with racist institutions. They themselves belonged to the John Birch Society, and, in the late sixties, Charles was a trustee at a place called the Freedom School, outside Colorado Springs, which had no black students because, its director explained to the Times, “it might present a housing problem because some of his students are segregationists.”
Mayer called the Freedom School “the first step in the Koch’s lifelong crusade to use their vast fortune to reshape American academia and politics along the lines of their own ideology.” She then returned to the somewhat-present. But where was the “hate”?
That was long ago, and, of course, many people’s views on race have evolved during the decades since. In more recent years, the Kochs have made large donations to the United Negro College Fund. But, in a 2011 interview with The Weekly Standard, David Koch echoed specious claims, made by conservative gadfly Dinesh D’Souza, that Obama was somehow African rather than American in his outlook. He claimed that Obama, who was born in America and abandoned by his Kenyan father as a toddler, nonetheless derived his “radical” views from his African heritage....
That’s pretty weak for either racism or “hate.”
And then there was Mayer’s horrified reaction to Sen. Ted Cruz saying (again, back in 2010) that there were communists on the faculty of Harvard Law School when he attended in the early 1990s. Mayer is obsessed with this particular anecdote, reporting on it for the New Yorker in February 2013 over the headline “Is Senator Ted Cruz Our New McCarthy?” then writing a followup with Cruz's response, and repeating the story for her current blog post:
The luncheon speaker at the summit was Ted Cruz, who was formerly the solicitor general of Texas. The Kochs may now be dismayed at Trump’s rhetoric, but, at the time, no one objected when Cruz said that Harvard Law School, which he and Obama both attended, had been infiltrated by communists. “There were fewer declared Republicans in the faculty when we were there than communists,” Cruz said. “There was one Republican. But there were twelve who would say they were Marxists who believed in the communists overthrowing the United States government”....The same incendiary style characterized the big donors’ fight against the Affordable Care Act....
That’s where Mayer found “angry mobs” only on the right, spurred on by Koch-affiliated groups: “...Traditional town-hall meetings, at which local congressmen met with their constituents, were overtaken by angry mobs...”
Most of which were spurred on by liberal supporters of Obama-care, often union reps, as Mary Katharine Ham revealed in a Weekly Standard cover story.
More misrepresentations followed, including the “racist epithets” directed at black congressmen at a Capitol Hill rally that no one ever actually documented, before Mayer righteously concluded:
If the big donors in the Republican Party are now recognizing that such discourse isn’t just ugly but also potentially dangerous, as the outbursts of violence at Trump’s rallies demonstrate, then that’s a welcome change. But for the same donors who poured gasoline on the flames, when the winds were blowing the way they wanted, to now complain that Trump’s campaign is out of control is, well, for want of another word, rich.


The Great Plains Art Museum’s last exhibit for 2013 will be “The Degeneration of the Family Farm” by Randy Waln. The exhibition will run Sept. 30 through Dec. 15, and the artist will be present for a First Friday reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 4.
Waln’s exhibit pairs historic photographs of farm families with interpretative photographs of the farm’s present state. The black and white historical photographs were taken by family members to document their lives and times on the farm. The digital prints of the decaying and now abandoned farmstead with their highly saturated color and richly developed textural surfaces contrast with the historical photos. The colorless images of people from the past give a presence to the images of the place still present, revealing the bond between the two.
While the exhibition has abundant, bright and cheerful color, there is a sense of melancholy of past and passing. It seems that soon, perhaps, nothing will remain but memories.
Waln said about his work: “I don’t consider myself to be a photographer. I have too much respect for photographers to do that. I started out as a traditional printmaker, making woodcuts, etchings, and lithographs. To me photography is not an end, but a means. I still consider myself to be a printmaker; only my tools have changed. All I’ve ever wanted to do as an artist is create meaningful images. My original intent was an exhibition of just the color prints, but the coincidence of the family pictures and the prints on my computer made it apparent that together they were not only more meaningful, but also more universal in the story they tell.”
The Great Plains Art Museum is open to the public 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1:30 to 5 p.m. Sundays (closed Mondays, holiday weekends and between exhibitions). There is no admission charge. For more information, call 402-472-6220, e-mail email@example.com or visit www.unl.edu/plains/gallery/gallery.shtml.


text:
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (IVCM) is a new tool for skin microcirculation. However, the measure of quantitative blood cell flow (QBCF) has not been standardized. We studied the inter-investigator and the intra-capillary reproducibility of the manual measure of QBCF on IVCM videos and investigated if a software program might help measure QBCF and be sensitive to vascular occlusion tests. METHODS: The inter-investigator reproducibility of the manual QBCF was evaluated on 107 videos. The intra-capillary reproducibility of QBCF measured manually and by 2 semi-automatic procedures based on Image J software analysis was evaluated on 19 capillaries. One of the semi-automatic methods (peaks of luminous intensity) was also used to measure the QBCF during vascular occlusion tests. RESULTS: The manual measure did not show a good inter-investigator reproducibility (Pearson's coefficient <0.5). The 'peaks of luminous intensity' method was found to have a good intra-capillary reproducibility and to be sensitive to vascular occlusion. CONCLUSION: Differently from the manual count, the count of peaks of luminous intensity by Image J software seems to be promising to measure QBCF. The future is to create software allowing for real-time measure of the QBCF based on the peaks of luminous intensity inside the capillaries recorded by IVCM.
Scheda prodotto non validato
Scheda prodotto in fase di analisi da parte dello staff di validazione
|Titolo:||Quantification of capillary blood cell flow using reflectance confocal microscopy|
|Rivista:||SKIN RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY|
|Citazione:||Cinotti, E., Gergelé, L., Perrot, J.L., Dominé, A., Labeille, B., Borelli, P., et al. (2014). Quantification of capillary blood cell flow using reflectance confocal microscopy. SKIN RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, 20(3), 373-378.|
|Appare nelle tipologie:||1.1 Articolo in rivista|
File in questo prodotto:

domain: medical


Tokyo: Toyota Motor Corp.’s new CEO Koji Sato unveiled the beginnings of a long-awaited plan to electrify the automaker’s vehicle lineup during his first press conference, but stopped short of outlining concrete steps about how exactly the company will match its EV rivals abroad.
The Japanese automaker, often describing itself as a mobility company whose wish is to change the future of cars, on Friday said it will release 10 new EV models by 2026 and sell 1.5 million battery electric vehicles annually while “strengthening hybrids and plug-in hybrids” in order to honor its pledge to halve emissions by 2035 and become carbon neutral by 2050.
“We must first do what we can and start by electrifying,” Sato said in his first public appearance since becoming CEO and president on April 1. But he didn’t fully embrace a 100 per cent electric future as many other automakers have done, with several slides during Friday’s presentation reinforcing Toyota’s strategy of taking a multi-pathway approach to carbon neutrality.
In developed markets, Toyota’s plan is to enhance the performance of its bZ series of EVs and in North America, have a locally produced battery SUV by 2025 as well as increase battery plant production. In China, it plans to add two locally developed electric models by 2024. In Asia more broadly, Toyota will also focus on battery pick-up trucks and compact electric cars.
Building a dedicated EV production platform from scratch while navigating lingering pandemic measures, supply chain snags and semiconductor shortages is top priority for Toyota as Sato looks to shepherd the Japanese carmaker, which expects to produce as many as 10.6 million cars this year, into a new age of electrification and intelligent vehicles.
“I thought they would talk about Toyota’s values, manufacturing and kaizen in a general way, but it was nice to know the company’s stance on electrification, intelligence and diversification,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Tatsuo Yoshida said, referring to the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement. “They surprisingly talked about things that they might have been planning and thinking, but never really revealed.”
As the world’s biggest car manufacturer with some 370,000 staff globally, and Japan’s largest employer, decarbonizing Toyota is paramount for the island nation’s mission of slashing emissions, phasing out fossil fuels and mitigating climate change. Toyota was at pains to point out during the 90-minute press conference that while it sees carbon as the enemy, it’s important to not leave anyone behind in the shift to a greener future.
The 53-year-old, who previously led Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus and its motorsport division Gazoo Racing, said in February he would take an “EV first” approach, vowing to overhaul battery production and manufacturing platforms by 2026 with Lexus as the plan’s centerpiece. The realigned plan, when it’s announced in its entirety, will likely place Toyota in more direct competition with the two biggest players in the global EV arena: Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. and China’s BYD Co.
Asked about President Joe Biden’s historic climate bill that encourages electric car production in the US and the sourcing of EV supply chain components outside of China, Executive Vice President Yoichi Miyazaki said Toyota would consider further North American production should demand warrant, without elaborating.
In December 2021, Toyota pledged to sell 3.5 million EVs annually by 2030 however battery EVs accounted for just 16,000 of the 9.5 million cars it sold in the fiscal year ending March 2022. Former CEO Akio Toyoda, who is now Toyota’s chairman, for years defended his stance that the company should continue to offer customers a range of vehicles options, including those powered by hybrid electric or traditional internal combustion engines.
“It’s important that we don’t waver from our multi-pathway strategy,” Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said Friday.
Expectations were high last year when Toyota rolled out its inaugural EV, the bZ4X. That ended in disappointment for customers, however, when thousands of cars were recalled due to concerns that the tires could fall off because the wheels weren’t bolted on tightly enough.
Shares in Toyota dipped slightly in Tokyo trading, down 0.4 per cent.