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Petitioner alleges trustees have siphoned off money, seeks appropriate investigation; court issues notices to corporate affairs ministry, ED, CBDT and SEBI
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on a petition seeking a probe into the alleged money laundering by trustees of Mumbai's Lilawati Hospital.
Judges B Sudershan Reddy and SS Nijjar also sought a response from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), on a plea seeking investigation by appropriate agencies into the alleged tax evasion and money laundering by the trustees of the hospital.
The petition filed by Delhi resident Harsh Raghuvanshi names the trustees as Prabodh Mehta, Rashmi Mehta, Chetan Mehta and Bhavin Mehta.
Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the notice should be issued and all the respondents should be called to disclose facts which may have come to their knowledge and the steps taken by them against the trustees.
The bench tagged the petition along with that of a petition filed by Mr Jethmalani and others in which direction has been sought for bringing back black money stashed by Indians in banks abroad.
In the latest petition, it has been alleged that the Mehtas have siphoned off money from the hospital and through the hawala route this has been deposited in banks abroad, including Mauritius. It has also been alleged that money has been deposited in Liechtenstein Bank.
Satyam to pay $10 million for fraudulently overstating accounts; PwC to pay $7.5 million for deficient audits into the company’s statements enabling the fraud to go undetected
Washington/New Delhi: In a major development in the Satyam fraud case, US regulators on Tuesday fined the software firm and its auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India a combined $17.5 million for the accounts bungling that went undetected for several years.
The United States Securities Exchange Commission (US SEC) said Satyam Computer Services has agreed to pay a fine of $10 million towards settlement of charges of fraudulently "overstating the company's revenue, income and cash balances by more than $1 billion over five years".
Besides, the SEC has also asked PriceWaterhouse India (PW India), the former auditor of Satyam Computers, to pay $6 million in penalty for conducting "deficient audits of the company's financial statements and enabling a massive accounting fraud to go undetected for several years".
Also, the statement said, Lovelock & Lewes and Price Waterhouse Bangalore have agreed to pay the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) a $1.5 million penalty for their violations of PCAOB rules and standards in relation to the Satyam audit engagement, PTI reports.
"PW India violated its most fundamental duty as a public watchdog by failing to comply with some of the most elementary auditing standards and procedures in conducting the Satyam audits. The result of this failure was very harmful to Satyam shareholders, employees and vendors," said Robert Khuzami, director of SEC's Division of Enforcement.
While Satyam could not be contacted for comment, Deepak Kapoor, chairman of the PwC network of firms in India, said, "Our settlements with the SEC and PCAOB are positive steps and important milestones for PW India. The confession of fraud at Satyam by its chairman was a shock to the Indian business community and to all concerned."
Besides, the SEC statement said, PW India affiliates agreed to refrain from accepting any new US-based clients for six months, establish training programmes for its officers and employees on securities laws and accounting principles; institute new pre-opinion review controls; revise its audit policies and procedures; and appoint an independent monitor to ensure these measures are implemented.
Cheryl Scarboro, chief of the SEC's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Unit, said: "PW India failed to conduct even the most fundamental audit procedures.
Audit firms worldwide must take seriously their critical gate-keeping duties whenever they perform audit engagements for SEC-registered issuers and their affiliates, and conduct proper audits that exercise professional skepticism and care."
The SEC's order instituting administrative proceedings against the firms finds that PW India staff failed to conduct procedures to confirm Satyam's cash and cash equivalent balances or its accounts receivables, it said.
Specifically, the order finds that PW India's "failure to properly execute third-party confirmation procedures resulted in the fraud at Satyam going undetected" for years.
The SEC statement said that PW India's failures in auditing Satyam "were indicative of a quality control failure throughout PW India" because PW India staff "routinely relinquished control of the delivery and receipt of cash confirmations entirely to their audit clients and rarely, if ever, questioned the integrity of the confirmation responses they received from the client by following up with the banks".
In January 2008, Satyam Computer founder B Ramalinga Raju had admitted to committing an accounting fraud (of about Rs7,000 crore) spread over a period of five years.
SEC had filed a complaint in the US District Court alleging that former senior officials at Satyam used false invoices and forged bank statements to inflate the company's cash balances and make it appear far more profitable to investors.
Satyam's American depository shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange. After the fraud came to light, Satyam was taken over by the government and was later acquired by Mahindras.
With these arrests, a total 13 people have been arrested so far
New Delhi: Two officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have been arrested by the Delhi police on charges of helping pilots procure commercial pilot licences.
Ashok Chand, deputy commissioner of police (crime), told PTI that the two officials, MJ Bhattacharya and Mohammed K Ansari, were arrested by the Crime Branch yesterday. They are charged with helping pilots Hiren Nagar and Abhishek Kaushik procure commercial pilot licences.
With these arrests, a total of 13 people-some of them pilots-have been arrested in connection with the fake pilot licences case so far. Mr Nagar and Eknath Patil, described as a tout, were arrested by a Delhi police team in Ahmedabad on Monday. Mr Kaushik had allegedly obtained a licence by submitting forged marksheets to the DGCA.
"One has to clear three subjects-aviation meteorology, radio aids and instruments and air navigation-to secure an air transport pilot licences, which is mandatory for becoming a commander of an aircraft. However, these pilots failed in one or the other paper," Mr Chand said. During investigations, it had been revealed that Mr Kaushik got acquainted with Mr Nagar at a Flying School in Madhya Pradesh where they learned flying.
The DGCA is said to be in the process of scrutinising the licences of up to 4,000 pilots, following the discovery of the fake licences scam.

domain: finance


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Asters advised EBRD on USD 3 million loan to Ecosoft
Asters acted as legal counsel to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in connection with its USD 3 million financing to Ecosoft. The five-year loan will help the company to increase its production and storage capacity by purchasing additional injection moulding equipment.
The investment is supported by the European Union (EU) under the EU4Business Initiative, which is designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in those countries that will benefit from a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the EU (DCFTA).
Asters’ banking and finance team advising on the project consisted of partner Iryna Pokanay, counsel Gabriel Aslanian and associate Inna Bondarenko.
Redcliffe Partners supported EBRD in launch of renewable energy generation plant
Redcliffe Partners acted as a legal adviser to the EBRDin connection with the EUR 3.3 million financing of an Aquanova Development LLC loan facility for the construction of a small hydro power plant, Nyzhniy Bystryi.
The project was implemented in Phase II of the Ukraine Sustainable Energy Lending Facility (USELF), which was designed to promote renewable energy generation in Ukraine, an increasingly important factor in the country’s energy security.
Redcliffe’s advisory role in the transaction included conducting legal due diligence of the borrower, drafting legal documents under the transaction and legal assistance at the completion stage of the deal. Redcliffe’s team included Managing Partner Olexiy Soshenko, associate Evgeniy Vazhynskiy and junior associate Anatoliy Doludenko.
Clifford Chance advised the EBRD on the English law aspects of this financing.
Asters — legal counsel to ED&F Man
Asters acted as a legal counsel to ED&F Man in connection with the issue of a UAH 195 million customs guarantee by Ukrgasbank in favor of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine for ED&F Man. This project was the first in Ukraine to involve a customs guarantee issued by a Ukrainian bank. Asters’ team advising on the project was made up of partner Oleksiy Khomyakov and associate Oksana Legka.
Metinvest B.V. completed USD 2.3 billion debt restructuring
Baker McKenzie acted as legal counsel to Metinvest B.V., in connection with the restructuring of USD 2.3 billion worth of debt under its notes and pre-export finance (PXF) loan facilities. Baker McKenzie assisted Metinvest B.V alongside with Allen & Overy. Under the terms of the restructuring, three series of guaranteed notes (due in 2016, 2017 and 2018) were cancelled and delisted, and replaced with new listed senior secured notes totaling approximately USD 1.2 billion due in December 2021. Additionally, four PXF syndicated loan facilities were amended, restated and consolidated into a single loan facility for the approximate amount of USD 1.1 billion due in June 2021. Baker McKenzie’s international team was led by partner Serhiy Chorny from the Kyiv office and partners Ian Jack and Roy Pearce from the London office. Key input in Kyiv was provided by Hanna Shtepa, Maksym Hlotov, Stepanyda Badovska, Ganna Smyrnova, Anna Boyko and Bogdan Dyakovych.
AVELLUM acted as a Ukrainian law counsel to the bondholder group composed of holders of guaranteed notes issued by Metinvest B.V. The AVELLUM team included partner Glib Bondar; counsel Igor Lozenko; senior associate Taras Dmukhovskyy, and associates Taras Stadniichuk and Orest Franchuk.
CMS advised on one of CEE’s largest ever restructurings
CMS Cameron McKenna has advised the creditors’ committee and the broader creditor group on the restructuring of the bank debt of DTEK. This complex transaction involved the composite restructuring of numerous previously unrelated facilities made available by a diverse lender group. The CMS team advised on the English law restructuring, and also provided local legislative advice on various aspects of the restructuring, including in light of the situation evolving in Ukraine.
Partners Mark Segall and Ashley Smith led a large cross-border CMS team from London, Kyiv, Amsterdam, Zurich and Moscow. In Kyiv, the CMS Cameron McKenna team included senior associate Kateryna Chechulina of the Banking & International Finance team and senior associate Tetyana Dovgan along with associate Vitalii Mainarovych from the corporate team.


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Latitude: 51.5376 / 51°32'15"N
Longitude: -0.907 / 0°54'25"W
OS Eastings: 475900
OS Northings: 182639
OS Grid: SU759826
Mapcode National: GBR C4R.KH5
Mapcode Global: VHDWG.7MB5
Entry Name: West Hill House
Listing Date: 23 August 1973
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1047735
English Heritage Legacy ID: 246346
Location: Henley-on-Thames, South Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire, RG9
District: South Oxfordshire
Civil Parish: Henley-on-Thames
Built-Up Area: Henley-on-Thames
Traditional County: Oxfordshire
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Oxfordshire
Church of England Parish: Henley-on-Thames
Church of England Diocese: Oxford
1. WEST STREET
5355 (North Side)
No 4 (West Hill House)
SU 7582 1/173 23.8.73.
Late C17 and later facade but timber framing visible in west side wall.
Facade rendered and colourwashed, string courses between storeys and cornice
with blocking course. Later gambrel slate roof with pedimented dormers.
2 storeys and attics, 5 windows, sashes with glazing bars, in moulded
architraves. Central late C17 doorway with stone pilasters which have
draped decoration and pediment. 8 fielded, panelled door.
Nos 2 to 16 (even) form a group with the pavement in front of them and
with the building opposite Nos 6 and 8.
Listing NGR: SU7590082639
This text is from the original listing, and may not necessarily reflect the current setting of the building.
Other nearby listed buildings

domain: geography


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Often regarded as semi-autobiographical, Present Laughter follows a few days in the life of successful and self-obsessed actor Garry Essendine as he prepares to travel for a touring commitment. Amid a series of events bordering on farce, Garry must deal with interruptions including the numerous women who want to seduce him, placating his long-suffering secretary Monica Reed, avoiding his estranged wife Liz Essendine, being confronted by a crazed young playwright, and overcoming his fear of his own approacing fortieth birthday and impending mid-life crisis.
Top Billed Cast
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domain: artistic


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This reveal should be titled “Our ‘Rustic Glam Farmhouse’ Living Room (With A Little Bit of Boho & Country Thrown In)”. As much as I tried to stay true to my original mood board for our living room design, I couldn’t help but add in touches of whimsy through bright pops of yellow and fun fabrics.
This is the first room in Our DIY House that is fully complete and I’m madly in love with it.
It’s the perfect spot for playing, napping, cuddling and reading.
I don’t find it too stuffy, but it’s not too terribly casual either.
The colours I used are grey, chocolate brown, turquoise, red & yellow, but since I used neutrals on all of my base pieces I can switch up the colours any time I want!
Since we’re on a very tight budget with the decor of our home (like, zero would be optimal), a lot of the things in our living room were things we already had. I only purchased the area rug, a small amount of fabric and a couple of little decorative pieces.
The layout of the room is quite traditional – I really wanted the mantel to be free of clutter, so our TV is on top of a hutch opposite the mantel. Eventually I’d love to have two couches that face each other, but I still enjoy the furniture we have and I think it works in the room for now.
Where did I find everything? Here’s the list:
- Vintage club chair found for $5 at a thrift store that my mom reupholstered about 6 years ago
- DIY crochet granny square blanket
- Ikea kitchen cart that I painted
- Debbie Travis lamp from Canadian Tire that I purchased for 50% off about a year ago
- 10-year-old metal chair that I reupholstered
- Our custom DIY mantel & inexpensive decor (more on that in this post)
- Valspar paint in Seashell Grey from Lowes
- DIY throw pillow covers
- Wooden coffee table with baskets we had in our last home
- Leather couch from Ashley Furniture from our last home
- Ikea dining side table purchased from the Ikea “as-is” section we had in our last home
- Moroccan Trellis area rug in light grey from Rugs USA (bought on sale)
- Allen + Roth laminate flooring from Lowes
Overall, I’m incredibly happy with this space and I think it’s the perfect fit for our busy and growing family.
One room down, and there’s about 10 to go before I get too utterly exhausted to do anything more until baby comes!
(Or I may just snuggle with the furry pillows on my soft couch and take a nap. Yes, that also sounds like a good plan.)

domain: design


Habana honoured by sports minister
- 04 Jul 2013
Fifty-try hero Bryan Habana has been honoured by sports minister Fikile Mbalula, and donated his R50,000 reward to charity.
Habana reached the milestone of 50 Test tries two weekends ago when he scored twice against Samoa in the incoming series decider at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. He became only the sixth player in the history of the game to score 50 Test tries. The Springboks won the match 56-23.
Apart from a special trophy, Habana also received R50,000 from Sports and Recreation South Africa.
'I feel privileged to be honoured in this manner by our minister of sport,' said Habana, who scored his first Test try on debut against England at Twickenham in 2004. 'However, I think it’s only appropriate that I share the accolades with my team-mates, without whom I would not have been able to score any tries. To get one try for the Springboks was amazing – to reach 50 is almost unreal.'
Habana donated his prize money of R50,000 to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital.
'Madiba did so much for our wonderful country and this donation is just a small gesture to help his legacy live on forever,' said Habana. 'We all know how close children have always been to his heart and I think the building of this new hospital will ensure the world will forever know what Nelson Mandela was all about.'
Photo: Barry Aldworth/BackpagePix
‘Stormers have pack to take title’
What former Springbok coach NICK MALLETT had to say on SuperSport about Saturday's matches involving South African teams.
Bismarck back to brilliant best
Bismarck du Plessis provided the good-news story for South African rugby this past weekend, writes MARK KEOHANE in Business Day.
Bulls fullback Jesse Kriel always backs himself to have a go, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.


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Fast-rising female singer, Lyzzy Bae, has revealed that she will save Ghanaian Highlife music from dying.
In a recent interview on Accra-based Atinka FM, she told Candyman that she is here to revive high life music.
“Highlife is a piece of music our elders left us so we can’t leave it behind. I’m here to revive highlife, even if it’s dead I will resurrect it”, she disclosed.
The “Obaasima” singer also added that the highlife genre is for matured and smart artistes.
“Being a highlife musician makes you smart and matured because doing highlife is not easy. It’s not like the current trend of songs that you can use only two words to compose a song. You have to think before”, she revealed.
Lyzzy Bae is currently on radio and television tour with her new single titled “Slave Wife” which features Fameye.
THANK YOU for constantly reading our stories. Kindly like, comment and SHARE stories on all social media platforms for more entertaining updates!

domain: news


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Vinay V. Kumar
Vinay V. Kumar, Indian dentist, educator. Achievements include development of a new method for treatment of large mandibular condylar tumors. Recipient Doctor K S Ganapathy award, M R Ambedkar Dental College and Hospital, 2004, Int J. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical award, 2007.
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domain: medical


The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) – France’s national state-owned railway company – has selected 3YOURMIND to manage its digital qualified inventory and to streamline part identification for additive manufacturing.
SNCF operates over 32,000 km of rail route and runs over 14,000 trains daily. Such a crucial part of France’s infrastructure cannot afford costly delays in parts location or production.
As seen in the railway industry, several parts might be obsolete and might need replacement. AM has increasingly become a production candidate to address this issue. The thing is, identifying if an obsolete or/and a spare part needs to be manufactured can create costly delays.
Not to mention that it can easily become expensive to warehouse these spare parts. Furthermore, a lack of technical information, such as poor 3D drawings and messy ERP data for spare parts, can only contribute to preventable delays and redundancies.
With Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software provider 3YOURMIND on board, SNCF will benefit from a Digital Qualified Inventory. To this end, a standardized process for Identification, Evaluation and Digital part storage has been created to this end.
The software takes into account parameters such as 3D files, weight, material, tolerance, cost of the part, recurrence of use, and order constraints, is highly customizable, and allows the technical and economic specificities of each customer to be taken into account.
In this specific case, the AM part identifier functionalities and Digital Inventory will be leveraged to identify and qualify AM parts according to the right Material & Process. This module enables the customer to digitally spread AM knowledge within the organization.
SNCF can deploy this tool for regular parts monitoring, and will be able to easily supply its digital qualified inventory with parts for additive manufacturing.
The company plans to switch 100 references a year from conventional sourcing to additive manufacturing over the next three years, Laetitia Kirschner, AM leader at SNCF, said.
“This improved ability for inventory analysis and use case screening will help enhance our cost saving and shorten our lead times dramatically,” she added. “We are thrilled to partner with 3YOURMIND and reap the full benefits of additive manufacturing.”
In terms of results, 3YOURMIND’s platform was able to:
- Identify 10,3% of relevant AM parts over 30K+ spare parts
- Reduce their AM average part delivery time by 85% (10 days instead of 2.5 months)
- Save a considerable amount of money
“We at 3YOURMIND believe that in order to scale up and industrialize additive manufacturing, we need to find massive use cases,” Stephan Kühr, CEO at 3YOURMIND said. “Our digital qualified inventory allows SNCF to employ AM in such a use case, and will help revolutionize one of the cornerstone transportation industries in France.”
Remember, you can post job opportunities in the AM Industry on 3D ADEPT Media free of charge or look for a job via our job board. Make sure to follow us on our social networks and subscribe to our weekly newsletter : Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Instagram ! If you want to be featured in the next issue of our digital magazine or if you hear a story that needs to be heard, make sure you send it to firstname.lastname@example.org


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My adventure has finally begun and I’m in the Windy City! I am so happy to kick-start my travels here and offer you an insider’s guide to Chicago, one of my favorite places on earth. I first fell in love with the Windy City the summer of my 15th birthday. The fireworks over Lake Michigan, lively sidewalk cafes, and warm summer air captured my heart. I was spellbound. Three years later I moved to Chicago where I lived during the four years I attended University. One of the reasons I feel so at home in the city is because of the friendliness of the people who live here. Chicago has all of the perks of big city life- world famous culinary delights, nightlife that never sleeps, fantastic artwork, and beautiful public parks. Yet, I find it’s not overwhelming like New York can be, or sprawled out like Los Angelos. There is a grounded, small town feel here that I love. Even though I no longer live here I still visit often and find reasons to keep coming back. Here are a few of my favorite things to do in Chicago along with some general tips on how to best enjoy the “Second City.”
The best time to visit Chi-town is hands down during the months of May-September. Summer in the city is the best time to take advantage of festival season and enjoy some time on the beach. The months of October-April can be bitterly cold and yes, wind.
Public transportation is fairly dependable and you can get anywhere in the city this way. Both of the two main airports are accessible by train (the “L”) which is the best way to get around. If you’re staying for more than a few days, buy a Chicago CTA pass which will give you discounted prices on bus and subway fare. If you’re staying for a week, the 7 day pass is $28, otherwise it is $2.50 each way for buses and trains.
The grid-system is very easy to navigate by foot and a nice way to see the sights in warmer weather. Biking in the city can be nerve wrecking, but most streets have bike lanes. Parking is a nightmare in Chicago and best to be avoid no matter where you’re staying.
There are several hostels to choose from (I’ve stayed in the Getaway Hostel before), but make sure you ask how close they are to public transportation. Most hotels will be around $150 and up per night unless they are in the outskirts of the city. One hotel I would highly recommend is the Holiday Inn at Chicago Mart Plaza.* This hotel is located downtown overlooking the Chicago River. Most rooms have a panoramic view of the city skyline, and their Cityscape bar offers a delightful view as well. There is an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, and restaurant. The Brown Line subway is located within a few blocks of the hotel making it convenient to explore the city. Rates for two adults start at $75.00 per night (weekend rate, AAA discount applied). I’ve personally stayed at this hotel and was very impressed with the service and accommodation. For the price and convenient location, it can’t be beat! Of course, couch surfing is another option for a wallet conscious traveler hoping to interact with the locals!
Top 10 Things To Do
1) Stare at the penguins and giraffes at the free Lincoln Park Zoo and then visit the neighboring (also free) Chicago Botanic Garden.
2) Catch a view of the city at night from the 95th floor of the John Hancock tower while enjoying a cocktail at the Signature Room.
3) Every team can have a bad century, right? Don’t miss seeing the endeared Chicago Cubs play a baseball game at Wrigley Field.
4) Walk around the Old Town neighborhood and then catch a stand-up act at Second City, once home to famous SNL alums.
5) Eat a slice (or two or three) of Chicago style pizza at Giordano’s, my favorite pizza joint.
6) Walk around Millennium Park and take a self portrait in reflective Bean (also known as “Cloud Gate.”)
7) “On State Street, that great street, I just want to say, they do things that they don’t do on Broadway.” (Frank Sinatra) Head to the Theater District and enjoy some window shopping on State Street.
8) Al Capone is not the only sketchy part of Chicago’s history. Learn about the dark side of the Windy City by taking a Gangster’s and Ghosts bus tour through the city.
9) Take the Red Line to Chicago’s China Town and sample some of the homemade goodies at one of the Chinese bakeries or buy a surprise souvenir for a dollar.
10) Visit the impressive Chicago Art Institute and stare at some of my favorite pieces of work from Picasso and Degas.
Tourist Traps to Avoid
Navy Pier is one of the most overrated attractions in Chicago. Located on the old naval pier, in a generic shopping center it has an Imax theater, restaurants, and a Ferris wheel, however it is overpriced and designed to take your money. Michigan Avenue is also known as “Magnificent Mile” and has many high end stores, however it can be crowded and touristy, similar to Times Square. The Sears Tower is a famous building in the Chicago skyline, however it’s not necessary to pay for a ticket to the top. Go to the John Hancock building instead. Blue Man Group is a variety show with a huge reputation in Chicago, however for the price the entertainment is overblown. See a show at Second City instead.
“Kiss and ride on the CTA” Plan your trip around the city using public transportation with the Chicago Transit Authority website. You can also download a bus tracker app to your phone so you can reduce the time spent waiting around in the cold for the bus to arrive!
The Chicago Reader is a free magazine that publishes the scoop on local events and venues around the city. It also features articles on current news, and an adorable Matches section called, “I Saw You” which I can’t help perusing every time.
The Red Eye is another free publication with current news and events.
The Chicago Public Parks District often has free events at many parks throughout the year. Check here for an updated list of events.
Have you visited the Windy City? Would you like to in the future? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!Google+


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THE PLANT CENTRE
Trees, Shrubs & Plants
Our outdoor plant centre offers a wide variety of trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, herbs and seasonal bedding plants at affordable prices. Open 7 days a week with seasonal stock updates.
Perfect For Any Occasion
From baby showers to Christmas afternoon teas, The Larch Barn's afternoon tea is the perfect treat for to make any occasion extra special.
THE LARCH BARN'S PLOUGHMANS
A Traditional Lunch
The Larch Barn's Ploughman's lunch is full off fresh, locally supplied goodies. A flavoured sausage roll, a traditional pork pie, scotch egg, ham, beef, cheddar, stilton, dressed leaves, coleslaw, Tyrell's crisps, pickles and bread & butter.
We all offer a vegetarian and a mini version!
JOIN US FOR
Hot drink and a slice of homemade cake for £4
Fresh and Tasty
We think that fresh and local produce is even more tasty and therefore are keen to work with local businesses in and around Shropshire. We are continually sourcing as much local produce for our café as possible.

domain: food


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Investors should pay attention to Medicare's data release
Not that you need reminding, but a lot of things in the news have not been going well for biotech investing lately. Whether it was the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York hinting that the sector might be overvalued, or Senator Waxman sending the shot heard round the biotech world via his letter to Gilead Sciences, it feels like many headlines have conspired against biotech stocks these last few months. In the spirit of piling on, I’d like to add another thing you might want to put on your radar: last week’s Medicare data release. The news did not make much of a splash in biotech circles, but I think it deserves to at least be examined from an investor’s point of view.
In case you are unaware of the story, here is a quick primer. In the late 1970’s, a federal judge issued an injunction against the Department of Health and Human Services (known back then as Health, Education and Welfare) from disclosing reimbursement amounts that might personally identify individual physicians who provide services to the Medicare program. Since then, various organizations have fought to overturn the injunction, and Dow Jones finally succeeded in doing just that in May of last year. The ruling motivated the government last week to publish an unprecedented database that contains the number of services individual physicians performed in 2012, and the amount Medicare paid them. It will likely end up being a regular exercise.
The reason this should be on your investing radar is because it has prompted many local news outlets to question individual physicians about why they are spending money on some of the drugs we invest in. This article from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a good example.
Unlike when a patient picks up pills at a pharmacy (which are covered by Medicare through prescription drug plans), therapies that are administered by a physician are billed directly to them, and they then turnaround and seek reimbursement from payers such as Medicare. With dollar signs next to their names in print, I have seen physicians put in a position to defend everything from how they administer the Gaucher drug Cerezyme, to the prostate cancer drug Provenge, to common rheumatology infusions. Do a google news search for “Lucentis” and you will really see a lot of articles…and defensive eye doctors.
The question for investors is: will this in some way affect how various drugs are used going forward?
Before I answer the question, let me first say that I don’t think attacking the drug spending issue at an individual doctor level is a good thing for our country. In my opinion, the government has done the medical profession a disservice by including the payment information. Most physicians I know are honest and practice solely with their patients' best interests in mind. To hold them responsible for the drug pricing issue, and potentially cause angst about how their decisions might be perceived in the local newspaper does not seem wise. To be clear, the data release has already exposed a few bad actors, but I would ask why Medicare has not already gone after those people privately in the first place?
With that out of the way, I do think there is a chance this policy could indeed impact some drug revenues in the future. I can certainly understand why physicians would want to avoid being an outlier, so you might have to consider that dynamic when new specialty therapies come along that might put them on a list. I’d be on the lookout for drugs that have a unique way of standing out on the balance sheets of physicians who use them, especially ones for which there is an alternative that is traditionally billed in a different way. In other words, look for therapies that can, fairly or not, be singled out and questioned. Some of the ones I have already mentioned above are a good place to start. If they end up being truly impacted, it could easily turn into a slippery slope.
To be clear, I do not want to overstate the issue. This is something that will likely take a long time to play out. Plus, the data release only affects a small subset of therapies that are administered to the medicare population by a physician. However, it is one more thing for observant investors to keep on their radar.
If there is one thing overall you should take away from this, it is that there are many small items adding up that point in the direction of cost control. It is an important concept for stocks because many bulls will tell you the base case is that there are currently no mechanisms on the horizon for public payers to officially control costs. They are technically right about that, but a fallacy in the argument might be the under-the-radar, unofficial things that could nudge us there a lot sooner regardless. Whether it is Senator Waxman using the bully pulpit, or this issue of calling out physicians as the public face of spending, these things could certainly add up to start having a tangible impact on pricing and/or usage. Set your net present value calculations accordingly.
To review, last week’s Medicare data release means a few things for investors. First, take these under-the-radar things that could eventually affect the industry’s pricing power seriously. They are starting to add up. Second, try to formulate an idea in your head about which types of therapies could be impacted by future Medicare data releases. They will likely be ones that stick out easily when reading a physician’s annual bill alone. Third, valuing biotechnology companies is difficult, so you have to contemplate how a lot of different news items can potentially impact your holdings. Maybe this particular issue will blow over in a week, but it is still smart to at least keep it on your radar and see how it unfolds.
Who Am I?
I'm an individual investor from Kansas City. My focus is on biotech stocks, but I enjoy investing in all industries. I'm an old-school, buy and hold investor who believes the best way to outperform and grow capital is to own innovative companies with good management teams over the long-term. more>>


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Steady Truck Sales Edge Upwarrds in August.
Building on the momentum established during the first half of 2011, the South African Truck Market continued to reflect steady growth during the month of August. The total sales volume of 2 306 trucks, buses and vans with Gross Vehicle Mass ratings of more than 3 500 kg reported during the month to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa improved on the final audited volume of 2 248 units recorded during July by a margin of 2,6%. This resulted in the total market returning year-on-year growth, in the January-August period, of 23,8%, when compared to the equivalent first eight months of 2010.
The August, 2011 market composition was made up of 730 Medium Commercial Vehicles (GVM ratings between 3 501 kg and 8 500 kg), 419 Heavy Commercials (goods vehicles with GVM ratings between 8 501 kg and 16 500 kg), 1 075 Extra Heavy Commercials (goods vehicles with GVM ratings above 16 500 kg) and 82 passenger Buses with GVM ratings above 8 500 kg. (Please note that these volumes also include aggregated sales recorded by Associated Motor Holdings and Amalgamated Automobile Distributors, presently made up exclusively of Hyundai-branded MCV class products).
Dr. Casper Kruger, Vice President of Hino in South Africa, comments: "The South African truck market is exhibiting remarkable volume consistency as we progress through the third quarter of 2011. Individual monthly sales volumes recorded this year have averaged 2 212 units, and the results from the last three months have not deviated from this value by a margin of more than ten per cent. This performance is gratifying, given the generally lacklustre current trends in global economies, and recent outputs from the Kagiso Purchasing Managers' Index, which reflects the business climate in the local manufacturing sector. This index has returned overall readings of less than 50 in both the current and previous month's reports, indicating reduced confidence and some contraction of business activity in that sector".
Kruger continues: "The premium payload XHCV segment continues to lead the market growth, and in the latest year-to-date analysis, has captured 44,5% of the total available sales. This compares to 38,6% recorded for the whole of 2010, and reflects the dependence of the South African economy on long-distance road transport, both within and across the country's borders. The distribution-rich HCV segment, which is dominated by products of Japanese origin, improved its volume performance by a margin of 8% during August over the previous month's result, and at 18,1% overall market share year-to-date, has started starting to work its way back towards the 20% penetration position that it has occupied for much of the past decade. As Japanese product availability normalises after that country's Earthquake/Tsunami events of March, 2011, this segment can be expected to consolidate a position closer to its traditional level".
Kruger concludes: "Bus sales, at just less than 4% of the year-to-date total market mix, have now returned to penetration levels sustained prior to Soccer World Cup stimulation in 2009 and 2010. The performance of the entry-level MCV segment, however, has exhibited substantial levels of volatility thus far in 2011. This category's year-to-date overall market share currently stands at 34,7%, very close to its 2010 full year level of 34,3%, but monthly volumes during 2011 have fluctuated in a range of 362 units against a year-to-date average of 758 units, a volatility band of some 48%. Following strong deliveries to government users in the first quarter, MCV monthly volumes have shown a tendency to decline since March. This trend could be a product of individual model availability, given the dominance of Japanese-source vehicles in the truck portion of MCV sales, but, considering that vehicles in this category are utilised by a great variety of businesses, ranging from individual operators and small fleets in the private sector to central and local government entities and large national distribution networks, this is also likely to be a consequence of the softening business conditions currently being experienced in the broad consumer sector of the South African economy".

domain: economics


Volvo Trucks North America introduced an expansion of its Remote Diagnostics platform that allows over-the-air powertrain software and vehicle parameter updates across North America anywhere a cellular network is available.
The new Remote Programming solution will be available later this summer for all Volvo trucks equipped with Volvo-powered, 2017 GHG-compliant engines.
Volvo Trucks product market manager, Ash Makki, says that up to 75 percent of all software updates are neglected by customer’s industry-wide. This is mainly due to the time required to schedule, take a truck out of service and perform the update.
With Volvo’s Remote Programming, the engine software update procedure only takes 30 minutes, according to Makki. Fleet-specified vehicle parameter updates, such as speed limit settings, take as little as five to 10 minutes.
Volvo’s Remote Programming procedure:
1. The fleet manager is notified of an available software update and is prompted to authorize the download.
2. A service agent at Volvo Trucks Uptime Center verifies the truck is parked in a safe location and instructs the driver to leave the truck ignition switch in the ON position and initiates the update.
3. Once completed, the agent notifies the driver that they are safe to continue their route.
Along with its end-user benefits, Makki says the new efficiency will also benefit the dealer channel. It will remove vehicles requiring updates from a shop’s workload and allow dealers to spend more time completing maintenance and repairs.
Volvo Trucks is focusing its Remote Programming release solely for its new 2017 engines, but company executives acknowledge the possibility of OTA capabilities for certain earlier-model tractors equipped with Volvo power and Remote Diagnostics platform at a later time.
For more information, please contact a CIT Trucks dealership near you.
CIT Trucks, LLC is a full-line, commercial truck dealership group representing Kenworth Truck Company, Volvo Trucks North America, Mack Trucks, and Isuzu Commercial Trucks of America. Serving territories in Illinois, Missouri and Indiana, the dealerships offer the best in New and Used Truck Sales, an extensive Parts inventory, the finest in truck Service and maintenance, and state of the art Body repair. In addition, CIT Trucks offers in-house rental and leasing through Central Truck Leasing and finance solutions with Central Truck Finance to their customers. More information can be found at www.cittrucks.com.


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This 7 days, the Iowa-born, Nashville-based mostly increasing country star Hailey Whitters manufactured her debut at state radio. Her breakout single “Everything She Ain’t,” which was just named 1 of Rolling Stone‘s “Best Music of 2022 So Considerably,” debuted as the 5th most-added track on 32 stations on the state radio charts.
“I’ve dreamt about currently being on country radio because I was a tiny girl expanding up in the middle of nowhere Iowa,” Whitters demonstrates on this job milestone. “This yr marks 15 a long time in a ‘ten 12 months town’ for me and I’m feelin’ really fortunate to get to see this aspiration become a truth.”
“Everything She Ain’t” is the initially single from Whitters’ critically-acclaimed 3rd studio album Elevated that was produced earlier this year by means of Pigasus Records/Tracks & Daughters/Major Loud Information. Billboard praised the keep track of upon its launch and stated, “Whitters has proven herself a stellar songwriter and artist in equal measure… handclaps and sweet fiddle strains raise Whitters’ charming vocal and razor-sharp wordplay.” Yesterday, Billboard Country Update‘s Tom Roland posted an job interview with Whitters and the song’s co-writers Bryan Simpson and Ryan Tyndell about the origins of the music in their “Makin’ Tracks” column.
Previously this month, The New Yorker revealed an substantial characteristic with Whitters, chronicling the remaining two offered out performances of her debut headline Heartland Tour at her hometown honky tonk DanceMor Ballroom in Swisher, Iowa. Critic Kelefa Sanneh explained Lifted as “…a charming, playful, mischievous album about loving and leaving your household town” and referred to as Whitters “…one of the most interesting nation singers and songwriters doing the job currently.”
Pursuing her debut headline tour and performances at Tortuga Tunes Competition and Stagecoach earlier this year, Whitters will hit the street this summer time with Jon Pardi and Lainey Wilson on his Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour. Come across a comprehensive listing of tour dates by checking out HaileyWhitters.com.


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The Zwazwan Empire at its greatest extent
|Enter start year
|Today part of
The Zwazwan Empire refers to a period of the history of Zwazwamia wherein the state was at the height of its regional power and territorial expansion. The Empire's territory at its peak comprised modern day Zwazwamia and Amaia, with areas of modern-day Balakia also under its suzerainty.
The beginnings of the Zwazwan state can be traced to the aftermath of the collapse of the Great Horde, which created a power vacuum in eastern Vaniua. Among the Amaian and Voontic clans, the coastal Zwazwa clan rose to prominence through an inflow of both people and capital; as a majority-Pashaist territory, the Zwazwa clan's holdings were rare in the region, and the clan accepted Pashaist migrants from across Balakia who sought to escape persecution at the hands of the Zarasaist leadership of the new Vaniuan petty kingdoms.
Although Zwazwan imperial ambitions were curbed in the Balak-Zwazwan War and subsequent creation of the Balak Empire in 1866, the Zwazwan Empire would remain a secondary power until 1889, when Balak intervention in the War of Amaian Independence culminated in the independence of Amaia as a Zarasaist-majority state. Although Amaian independence had little impact on Zwazwamia's total population, the loss of the majority of its holdings and humilation at the hands of the rising Balak Empire eliminated its regional influence.

domain: library


The 600 largest cities in the world are expected to generate 65 percent of global GDP growth through 2025—the impact of IoT technologies can be substantial states McKinsey Global Institute.
With the Internet of Things World Forum rapidly approaching, I wanted to preview this year’s IoTWF Experience tours – which have been one of the most popular activities at the previous World Forums.
Dubai, already one of the most technologically advanced cities, is transforming into one of the smartest digital cities in the world. The IoTWF walking tours will illustrate many of the solutions that are going into this digital transformation as Dubai embraces the Internet of Things.
This digital transformation accelerated in October, 2013 when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, unveiled a smart city initiative aimed at creating a smarter living environment and smarter economy for the citizens of Dubai, and the destination for a smart tourism experience for visitors.
This year, the Experience tour will include many examples of Smart Living, Smart Economy, and Smart Tourism either deployed or in tests in Dubai. All of the stops on the Experience tour feed information back to the Command and Control Center – another stop on the Tour and the heart of the transformation – where information can be correlated and actions taken.
Some of the digital experiences in the tour will be familiar to anyone who has followed the Internet of Things space in the last few years, but at an advanced level. For example, we’ll see smart street lights that are not only Wi-Fi-connected but are also equipped with multi-purpose sensors. These sensors allow for adaptive lighting control (dimming, advanced scheduling) based on detected occupancy of the parking lot or street parking. These sensors also enable visitors to see parking space vacancy and be led (using an app on their phone) to available spaces – quite the smart living advantage for citizens and visitors alike. With these sensors, administrators will be able to get real time parking data, utilization analytics, and have real-time monitoring to determine both maintenance needs of the spaces and poles as well as public safety alerts.
An experience on the tour that will help build a smarter economy is an advanced ATM machine. The Wi-Fi connected ATMs can detect skimming devices, alert local law enforcement, and activate IP Surveillance cameras in the area to monitor and track the potential criminals.
Attendees will meet IoT enabled Smart Police Officers – another example on the Experience tour. Police will support the smarter economy and keep tourists and locals alike safe using enhanced IP enabled surveillance and sensors. This enhanced surveillance includes both the on-person and vehicle mounted cameras which can relay live video tracking information on suspicious vehicles while providing tactical information back to the Command and Control Center. With these, decisions can be made that integrate & correlate live information on police cars, police personnel, their status, and other sensor information.
Smart lighting, smart ATMs, and smarter safety are just a few of the superb examples of IoT in action that will be on display during the IoTWF Dubai Experience tour. In addition to the aforementioned smart examples, we’ll see smart cross-vertical solutions in transportation, environmental and energy monitoring, safety & security, banking, aviation, and education. This should be the best year yet for this popular part of the World Forum. Are you going? What would you like to see? Share in the comments.
If you haven’t yet registered for the IoTWF, request an invite today.


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Below is a list of the eggplant you can expect to find for this season. Eggplants will be available this year beginning around the 1st of May. The entire month of May up until early June is a good time to get your solanaceous plants in the ground.
Fun Fact: Eggplants are actually a fruit (and not a vegetable), just like tomatoes, potatoes, and chili peppers.
Asian eggplants are thin and long and do not need to be peeled. They are terrific for all kinds of dishes, especially middle eastern and Asian dishes and can be sliced in rounds for pizza or sliced long-wise and grilled for a few minutes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (oh that is good!).
Compared to Orient Express, fruits are similar in shape but lighter in color, ranging from light lavender to bright purple. It reaches sizes of around 8 inches (20 cm.). Maturing in as little as 65 days, this variety of eggplant is an excellent choice for gardeners with short growing seasons. Excellent for stir frying and grilling. (65 days)
Italian eggplants are more like the fat, black eggplant you are used to seeing in the supermarket, but they will be much nicer from your own garden. Use them like you would Asian eggplants and also for the traditional things like eggplant parmigiana when you need good thick slices.
A gorgeous white-and-pink blushed, Italian heirloom variety with a delicate, mild flavor, creamy consistency, and no bitterness. Considered one of the best for all uses by gourmets and gardeners alike. Plump, 3-4” across and 5” long. Not as early as some, but worth the wait. High yielding, heavy fruit with a creamy consistency and delicate flavor. Open pollinated. (88 Days)

domain: hobby


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Ages n' Ages we have been taught by our religions and spiritual gurus to be away from the materialistic world and into our souls. Get away from attachments, desires and just think about god to attain Moksha. For some reason I am realizing that getting materialistic is now become one of the steps towards god. Most of us have become dependent and insanely attached to technology in the digital for and internet which is all virtual. Just some major technical setback or a terrorist attack technically and... continue reading
Search results for "materialistic"
Interact, make friends, share tips and techniques, have fun. Dreamstime wants your ideas and thoughts whether you are a photographer, designer or regular user. Create a blog to tell your story, promote favorite images and photographers, post tutorials or simply exchange opinions with your with fellow dreamstimers.
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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY – WA#11Annotated Bibliography – WA#1MichaelWRTG 391 6382 Advanced Research WritingUniversity of Maryland University CollegeDate: 27 January 2019
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY – WA#12Ali, M. S. S., Gjylbegaj, V., & Balfagieh, M. (2017). The effects of using social media celebritiesfor product endorsements.International Journal of Arts & Sciences. 10(1), 339-350. Retrievedfrom?vid=18&sid=44e28a40-d873-4fb0-8edb-42ad065a1a31%40sessionmgr102The article tries to unfold how big businesses and corporations are using celebrities for theproduct endorsement on Social Media. It also explores the impact it makes among the millennialsocial media users. The article is based on the research which used in-depth interviews with 20millennials living in UAE; soliciting the information regarding product endorsement by theSocial Media celebrities. According to the author, the research generated positive results and theconsumers are influenced by the way product endorsement was done. It further explains theimportance of building trust among the consumers; in the end, consumers buy that product ifthey really trust it. The companies use celebrities to showcase their product or services to bridgethe trust because the consumers are likely to be convinced by the words of their favoritecelebrity. The article also compares the new digital marketing with traditional TV or News Papermarketing favoring online digital marketing; which is fresh and more likely to attract consumers,according to the author. Social Media users are more likely to shop online and buy instantly;which the author thinks will benefit the companies with more revenues in a short period of time.The research conducted in the article seems to be limited since the researcher used only oneSocial Media platform-Facebook and used a small number of people to take the sample data.With the rise of multiple social media platforms, future research should be more inclusive.Joshi, M. C., & Suman. (2017). Strategizing social media brand perception to influenceconsumer buying behavior.Amity Business Review. 18(2), 90-99. Retrieved from-1c82-4f6c-a8df-c3f876ba3761%40sessionmgr400The article tries to advocate how Social Media platform helped businesses to connect with alarge number of consumers and at very low cost. Businesses have changed the strategy toinfluence its consumers by recognizing their behaviors via social media. The author explores thetechniques used by big brands who communicate with their consumers on their Facebook Fanpages. The brands use the platform to provide information about the product, to receive feedbackfrom consumers etc. Social media brand perception is also another issue the article tries to dig in;how the consumers take the brands and the products which are advertised on social media. Socialmedia has created the biggest platform to create interaction. Consumers are not only affected bythe audio, video, or word contents of a product but also from the comments of fellow buyers. Theresearchers have used a snowball sampling technique to research on social media brand


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The objective of this CAREER project is to develop new models for protein conformational dynamics that encompass not only well-folded proteins, but lead to the application of structural biological tools to highly flexible macromolecular systems without defined structures, such as intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). A new NMR-based methodology will be implemented that utilizes carbon detected NMR to quantitatively characterize the properties of IDPs and the conformational transitions they often undergo upon binding other macromolecules. This research will yield new spectroscopic methods aimed at measuring conformational bias and dynamics in IDPs on the picoseconds-milliseconds timescales. The impact of the research protocol will be tested through studies of the microprocessor proteins DGCR8 and Drosha, which combine to affect the first step in the maturation of primary miRNA transcripts. Since its discovery ten years ago, miRNA has emerged as a major source of post-transcriptional gene regulation in multi-cellular organisms, but little is understood about the structural biology of the proteins involved in its biogenesis.
The integrated education objective of this CAREER project is to utilize NMR spectroscopy as a powerful example for middle and high school students of basic biological and chemical principles. The PI's partnerships with Penn State's Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day program, and the Higher Achievement Program, which brings students from disadvantaged backgrounds to Penn State for a summer emersion experience, will continue. To enable off-site outreach for communities across Pennsylvania, a portable demonstration laboratory is being built around a Terranova-MRI Earth's Field NMR system. This system is the size of two car batteries, weighs less than 15 kg, and is controlled by a standard laptop computer. Utilizing the natural magnetic field of the earth for educational NMR spectroscopy allows the PI to bring an informal education program to nearby rural school districts or underserved urban centers including Harrisburg and Reading. There the PI will provide hands on demonstrations of magnetic resonance at the interface of biology and chemistry to middle and high school students. Demonstrations with the Terranova will be supported by demonstrations of fundamental concepts such as Faraday induction and the phenomenon of resonance. Demonstration materials used for these events will be made available to members of the Nittany Chemical Society for independent use in order to broaden the impact of these educational activities. In addition, the Terranova system will be used for in-class demonstrations at both the freshman chemistry and graduate biophysics levels in order to further strengthen the association between real world magnetic resonance and classroom content. The ultimate goal of the educational component is to pique student's interest in biological chemistry in an effort to increase enrollment of top students in college and graduate education in this area.
|Effective start/end date||1/1/10 → 12/31/15|
- National Science Foundation: $968,442.00

domain: biology


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Hooked Yarn Sunflower Bee Pillow
Mount Vernon Member Price:$53.10
This cheerful Sunflower and Bee Hooked Pillow will add a splash of sunshine and cheer to your indoor space. Crafted with an acrylic/cotton yarn cover, this 18" x 18" pillow is filled with plush polyester filling and and includes a zipper closure.
Spot Clean When Necessary


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In recent years, the extent of our vulnerability to misinterpretation due to poorly characterized reagents has become an issue of great concern. Antibody reagents have been identified as a major source of error, contributing to the “reproducibility crisis.” In the current report, we define an additional dimension of the crisis; in particular, we define variation of the targets being analyzed. We report that natural variation in the immunoglobulin “constant” region alters the reactivity with commonly used subtype-specific anti-IgG reagents, resulting in cross-reactivity of polyclonal regents with inappropriate targets and blind spots of monoclonal reagents for desired targets. This raises the practical concern that numerous studies characterizing IgG subtypes in human disease may contain errors due to such previously unappreciated defects. These studies also focus attention on the broader concern that genetic variation may affect the performance of any laboratory or research test that uses antibodies for detection.
Heather L. Howie, Meghan Delaney, Xiaohong Wang, Lay See Er, Linda Kapp, Jenna N. Lebedev, James C. Zimring
Guidelines: The Editorial Board will only consider letters that we deem relevant and of interest to our readers. We will not post data that have not been subjected to peer review, nor will we post letters that are essentially a reiteration of another letter. We reserve the right to edit any letter for length, content, and clarity. Authors will be notified by e-mail if their letters were accepted. No appeals will be considered.
Specific requirements: All letters must be 400 words or fewer. You may enter the letter as plain text or HTML. The author's name and e-mail address are required, and will be posted with the letter. All possible conflicts of interest must be noted, even if they are not posted. If you wish to include a figure (keep in mind that non-peer-reviewed data will not be posted), please contact the editors directly at email@example.com.


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Health officials are urging residents and visitors to stay out of the water in Discovery Bay after dangerous levels of harmful algae were detected.
Marisa Van Dyke of the State Water Resources Control Board reported that recent lab results from water testing showed “significant” harmful algal blooms occurring in Discovery Bay. Multiple locations recorded a “danger” level, the highest threshold, she said.
Numerous Discovery Bay residents also had reported harmful algae, including in areas not sampled on June 4, she added.
The Regional Water Board staff confirmed danger levels of harmful algal bloom in water and scum samples from three coves within the bay — near the Discovery Bay Yacht Club, Windward Bay and Clipper Bay. The latter two had levels nearly 13 times higher than is safe.
Joe Doser, supervising environmental health specialist for Contra Costa Environmental Health, said the levels were “much higher” than last year.
Other impacted coves and bays within Discovery Bay include Reese Cove, Discovery Bay Harbor and Beaver Bay, according to officials. The bay is located in the southern area of the Delta with connections to Old River and Clifton Court Forebay.
Doser said officials are still studying why the levels are higher this year. One theory is the water was more stagnant because it didn’t rain as much.
“Poorer water flows are a factor,” he explained.
Doser recommended that people and pets avoid the water and not eat fish or shellfish caught in the bay.
“Dogs in particular — they get in the water and go crazy and lick their fur, and with their smaller body weights, they are more at risk,” he said.
Exposure to cyanobacteria and associated toxins can cause eye irritation, skin rash, mouth ulcers, vomiting, diarrhea and cold or flu-like symptoms, according to California Water Boards.
Discovery Bay resident Michael Greggans, who lives on Clipper Bay, said he’s not taking any chances so his kayaks will sit idle on boat ports above the pea-soup colored water surrounding his dock. He no longer swims in the bay’s water either.
“We had no idea it would be like this,” said the 11-year Discovery Bay resident. “You pay quite a premium to be out here and enjoy the water and you really can’t. It defeats the purpose.”
County health officials further recommended against touching or handling blue-green algae in the water or scum on the shoreline. It is also unsafe to drink or cook with water in these areas, they said in a statement late Monday. Environmental Health also has warning signs available for residents and businesses to post if needed.
The buildup of harmful algae, or cyanobacteria, creates a green, blue-green, white, red or brown coloring that may look like thick paint floating on the surface of slow-moving waterways. Some also form mats at the bottom of a water body, and others float at various depths, California Water Boards officials said.
Blooms are most common between June and September. They grow in warm, stagnant and nutrient-rich water, and are becoming increasingly common both in California and nationwide, according to the Contra Costa Environmental Health website.
To report a suspicious bloom, go to https://mywaterquality.ca.gov/habs/index.html.
Visit cchealth.org/eh/hab to learn more about harmful algae blooms. Or, see a video from the Calfornia Department of Water Resources at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=63&v=AqbM0ivJayw&feature=emb_title.


text: Here come the Suns, again. To celebrate the music of The Beatles and the Beatles' era, a veteran band of music makers featuring current and former Norwalk residents get together periodically to perform as Suns of Walrus. Just such a regrouping takes place this weekend, when Suns of Walrus appears on Saturday, May 26, at the Acoustic Café. Doors open at 8 p.m., show time is 8:45 p.m. The band consists of Matthew DeTroy on vocals and keyboards, David Webster on vocals and lead guitar, Don Mulvaney on vocals and drums, John Konya on bass guitar, and Philip DiCostanzo, on rhythm guitar and vocals.

domain: entertainment


It’s always fun (and maybe slightly amusing) to see how various celebrates and athletes age over the years. Some of them look exactly the same from when they were younger while others can drastically change. Sometimes it’s important to see where people came from and where they have ended up, and that’s especially the case for athletes. What did they look like in their high school and middle school days, and how do they look now? Here we take a look at a list of 20 then and now pictures of current NBA basketball stars.
Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for GQ


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What is egg white albumin. Short description
Albumin - a substance that produces industrially separating the eggs whites from the yolks and drying. Dry egg white albumin is well balanced and consequently has a high nutritional value.
Using molecular kitchen albumin
Optional buy albumin in the store, you can easily do it at home. To do this, pour the protein on the silicone mat and send it in the oven to dry at low temperature: 53-56 C. It will turn into a transparent, almost glass crust that Break and grind in a coffee grinder to a powder.
The use of molecular cuisine can be albumin to create bubbles. Imagine soap bubbles, but with exquisite taste. Prepare a foam of cranberry juice and garnish with a cocktail or take her to her coconut water and place bubbles on caramelized apricots cheese Thuile. Or create a foam on the basis of lychee syrup and put it on the oysters - a lot of options.
To the foam was stable and fluffy in liquid albumin and add a thickener such as a gum ksantantovaya. The main product should have a rich taste, because the foam is composed mostly of air, which makes it weak. For example, take the salt water or concentrated pomegranate or other fresh.
Albumin, egg protein analog, used to create well-irreversibly gel when mixed with other ingredients. There is a huge range of textures that can be achieved with it, but it requires a temperature accuracy, as well as during the preparation of eggs.
If we add to albumin gelling agent (gelatine, kappa or agar), and beat, the result is a dense stable foam, something like a marshmallow, depending on the consistency.
Methods of using ovalbumin protein
You can use it in two main ways: by means of rehydration and dry. To rehydrate the powder, combine 2 tsp 2 tablespoons warm water and leave so for some time. Gently mix. Do not whip if you do not want it to be instantly turned into foam. Avoid overheating, since the protein will roll immediately.
If you are using albumin to prepare the foam, also be sure to dilute it with warm liquid. Then aerate. Try to do this with aquarium compressor nebulizer or oxygen cylinders that are sold in pharmacies.
If dry powder is used to create a more concentrated flavor.
Recipe foam dry protein albumin
• 380 g of concentrated liquid, such as cranberry or pomegranate juice or coconut water;
• 1,5 g albumin;
• 1 g of xanthan gum.
Combine the liquid with albumin powder. Add the gum and mix again until it is completely dissolved. Attach a clean PVC pipe to the aquarium compressor and plug the other end into the spray mixture. Turn on the compressor and wait until foaming. Skimmer or foam with a spoon collect and pass on to the finished dish, you want to decorate.
Effects of egg albumin protein on human health
It is the basis of the protein albumin is necessary for both children and adults. This is actually the same chicken protein, only purified from bacteria and diseases that can be easily infected by eating fresh eggs, especially raw. Therefore, the replacement of natural eggs dry powder, if it is really high quality, absolutely harmless. In addition, due to ease of use and storage of albumin, culinary reviews about such a change is always the highest.
Subtleties use of egg albumin protein
• Increased acid and fat content in the bulk do not contribute to the formation of a stable and good lather.
• If the task is to make a foam with large bubbles - the use of the spray gun and a thickener required. Give time to a thickener and albumin solution in the bulk. Do not recommend using a blender, do not whip mass prematurely.
• Do not heat above 60 ° C * weight in order to avoid coagulation of albumin.
Successful experiments, opinions and outcomes, questions emerged when working in a review, please write here.


Multi-Objective Dynamic Economic Dispatch of Microgrid Systems Including Vehicle-to-Grid
AbstractBased on the characteristics of electric vehicles (EVs), this paper establishes the load models of EVs under the autonomous charging mode and the coordinated charging and discharging mode. Integrating the EVs into a microgrid system which includes wind turbines (WTs), photovoltaic arrays (PVs), diesel engines (DEs), fuel cells (FCs) and a storage battery (BS), this paper establishes multi-objective economic dispatch models of a microgrid, including the lowest operating cost, the least carbon dioxide emissions, and the lowest pollutant treatment cost. After converting the multi-objective functions to a single objective function by using the judgment matrix method, we analyze the dynamic economic dispatch of the microgrid system including vehicle-to-grid (V2G) with an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm under different operation control strategies. With the example system, the proposed models and strategies are verified and analyzed. Simulation results show that the microgrid system with EVs under the coordinated charging and discharging mode has better operation economics than the autonomous charging mode. Meanwhile, the greater the load fluctuation is, the higher the operating cost of the microgrid system is. View Full-Text
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Liu, H.; Ji, Y.; Zhuang, H.; Wu, H. Multi-Objective Dynamic Economic Dispatch of Microgrid Systems Including Vehicle-to-Grid. Energies 2015, 8, 4476-4495.
Liu H, Ji Y, Zhuang H, Wu H. Multi-Objective Dynamic Economic Dispatch of Microgrid Systems Including Vehicle-to-Grid. Energies. 2015; 8(5):4476-4495.Chicago/Turabian Style
Liu, Haitao; Ji, Yu; Zhuang, Huaidong; Wu, Hongbin. 2015. "Multi-Objective Dynamic Economic Dispatch of Microgrid Systems Including Vehicle-to-Grid." Energies 8, no. 5: 4476-4495.


EPA seeks details of Madison’s Lead Service Replacement Program
Madison's once-controversial program may now become a model for other cities
“Those books are the lead service contracts,” says Madison Water Utility operations clerk Amy Jones, gesturing over her shoulder to three massive binders stacked neatly on top of a filing cabinet.
The binders contain more than 8,000 contracts, one for every Madison homeowner who replaced their lead service line, the pipe that leads from a water main to a home. In Madison, the practice of using lead pipes for water services wasn’t discontinued until 1928.
“Nobody in this day and age wants to have a lead service,” says Jones. “People who are thinking about buying a house will call and ask if (the service) is lead.”
Thousands of lead service replacement contracts filed by Madison homeowners
But chances are it won’t be. That’s because of the utility’s Lead Service Replacement Program, which was largely completed in 2011. On the surface, the program sounds like a resounding success. In a little more than a decade, the city replaced nearly all of its lead services, bringing safer water to thousands of people living in older homes. Except that success almost didn’t happen at all.
“I and other people at Madison Water Utility have made national presentations. We’ve made sure that everybody knows Madison’s experience,” say chemist and independent consultant Abigail Cantor, P.E.
The experience, Cantor says, wasn’t an easy one. Now, three years after its completion, Madison’s Lead Service Replacement Program is drawing the attention of the EPA. The agency, which oversees drinking water regulations, is taking a hard look at how Madison undertook the enormous and unlikely task of replacing thousands lead pipes – pipes that were technically private property.
Testing Madison's water
The battle to get the lead out of Madison’s water started in 1991 with the passage of the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule, which required utilities to test drinking water inside older homes for lead. Although the rule is a federal law, it’s enforced on the local level by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
In 1992, Madison ran its first round of tests under the new rule, and the results weren’t good news. Elevated lead levels found in some of the homes meant the city had exceeded the EPA's action level for lead and would be required to bring those levels down.
“Madison was told that they need to optimize the lead in their water by getting (it) down to 5 parts per billion,” recalls Cantor, who was working for a consulting firm at the time. “Madison wanted to do some studies, and I got assigned to do this.”
Cantor conducted pipe loop studies to test the effects of chemicals in Madison's water
It was common knowledge in the water industry that lead services could corrode, causing the dangerous heavy metal to show up in a home’s drinking water. What wasn’t common knowledge was exactly how to prevent it. Most water utilities turned to chemicals.
“The Lead and Copper Rule is written as if lead in the water is a real simple thing. If you’re over the action level, simply put in a chemical and you’ll be fine. And that’s the way it still is today,” explains Cantor. “I did some studies of Madison’s water system to find a chemical that could be put in the water to control the lead. As far as anybody knew, that’s what you do. You’ve got to alter the chemistry of the water so that the lead stops going in.”
But Cantor says Madison soon found itself in a position where the simple answer wasn’t the answer at all.
“I ran all these tests using the chemicals that are prescribed by the rule … One of (the chemicals) increased the lead four times the amount of untreated water! I thought, ‘Something’s not right here. Everybody’s using this chemical and yet it can increase the level of lead.’”
One of the most common additives to control lead corrosion is phosphoric acid, but in Madison, that chemical was off the table because of growing concern over phosphorous contaminating area lakes and watersheds. So the city was left with just one option.
“Everything pointed to removing the lead service lines,” says Cantor, who reported her findings to Madison Water Utility in 1994.
“They said, ‘Okay, we’ve got to talk to the DNR.’ Basically the Lead and Copper Rule says you must put some kind of chemical in the water first. Because you’ve done a study offline, it’s not going to count. Then came years and years of discussion with the DNR about how Madison’ could skip the step of putting a chemical in the water.”
More than four years later, the DNR finally relented. Madison Water Utility would be allowed to skip trying out phosphoric acid in the water supply and could move straight to lead service replacement. But that part would be the toughest of all.
The public pushes back
It sounds simple: replace all the lead service lines in the city of Madison and solve the lead problem once and for all. But it wasn’t so simple, largely because of property lines.
“The water service lines to people’s homes are owned by the utility up to a certain point. It’s up to the property line,” explains Cantor. “And on the property line, there’s this little valve – it’s called a curb stop. The utility can do anything they want with that. But from the curb stop to the house, it’s the property owner.”
The utility had already begun replacing water services on its side of the valve, but if the rest of the pipe was still made of lead, there was little hope that it would make a difference when it came to lead levels inside the home.
“We knew that the lead service line was the source of the lead. Until you remove the (entire) lead service, you’re still going to have an ongoing source of lead,” says Joe Grande, water quality manager with the utility.
So Madison Water Utility needed action from the Common Council. An ordinance would be necessary to require thousands of homeowners to replace lead services on their sides as well. To lessen the financial burden for homeowners, the utility would pay for half the cost of replacement up to $1,000. Money for property owner reimbursements would come from antenna revenue – money the utility receives by providing space on its water towers for cellular antennas.
The proposal was instantly met with criticism. Not only did many Madisonians feel that public money shouldn’t be used to pay for private pipes, some didn’t believe that a real public health risk from lead services existed at all. Underscoring that belief was an opinion piece from the Wisconsin State Journal that ran days before the Council vote, with the headline, “Lead risk rings hollow.”
“It’s fascinating. I’m mystified,” says Cantor of the negative reaction. “First of all, it’s a federal law. Basically Madison had to comply. But the second thing is, if I had a lead service line, I would get it out so fast! And here was an opportunity to be subsidized to get it out.”
But Grande isn’t as surprised at the pushback.
“Lead is not something that you can see. You can’t taste it. You can’t smell it. It’s this kind of hidden contaminant,” he explains. “People will say, ‘I’ve lived in this home for 50 years. It’s not something that’s affected my health … This is a waste of money.’ I think that played into it.”
Madison Water Utility employee feeds new water service pipe in front of a Madison home
“A huge success”
In the winter of 2000, after months of wrangling over how it would work, the Common Council narrowly green lit Madison Water Utility’s Lead Service Replacement Program, the first of its kind in the country. The seemingly impossible step of replacing 8,000 lead water lines was now underway. By the end of 2012, it would be one of the crowning achievements of the utility.
“Certainly it’s something to be very proud of,” says Grande. His department still regularly tests for lead in Madison’s water, but he’s not worried about complying with the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule anymore. According to Grande, the problem of lead in drinking water has been almost completely eliminated in Madison because of the program. It’s something few other cities can say.
“It’s a huge success. Knowing that lead service lines are the principal source of lead in drinking water and doing what you can to remove lead services …We are light years ahead of other utilities that have decided to do the corrosion control chemicals, which they’ll do forever until they do replace the lead services.”
Now, as the EPA considers revising its Lead and Copper Rule for the first time, Madison is one of a handful of cities that they’re looking to for information that might someday help others dealing with lead.
“Now we know what the costs were. We know what some of the hurdles were. But we also know what the positive outcomes are,” says Grande, who insists that despite those hurdles, the city made the right decision.
“It was something the utility and the city decided was an important thing to do. In the end, I think this is where utilities are going to be pushed. There’s a growing concern in the regulatory industry and the drinking water industry in general that we’ve been talking about lead for two decades now, and little has happened from a lot of people’s perspective. In Madison, that’s different. We made the decision, we went forward and we did it.”


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I was blessed to start off 2016 in two beautiful countries one of which was Thailand. Thailand is flourishing with delicious food, kind people and so much culture!
I have to say this trip didn’t really turn out as expected. There were no elephants to befriend and there were no luxurious, tropical beaches where I could waste my days on. I guess I expected something like an Eat, Pray, Love type of scenario. Nonetheless these days spent in Bangkok were filled with experiences that I would not take back for the world.
- Thai people speak little to no English and have difficulty reading English too. You will have to play charades if you don’t know Thai. I suggest printing out addresses of the places you would like to visit written in the Thai language already. If you don’t do that, learning numbers in Thai is very helpful. The streets are in numerical order.
- All the places that tour websites and such tell you to go are actually pretty far. If you want to go to the beach or see elephants or go to the floating market you will have to take a bus or plane to get there. Plan ahead and put time and money aside for these trips if you really want to see these attractions. Most are outside of Bangkok, but there are still tons of activities you can do in the city.
- Kob Khun Ka = Thank you for women
- Kob Khun Krap = Thank you for men
- Leave some room in your luggage for presents and items you will buy in Thailand. You WILL go shopping. I suggest Chatachuk Weekend Market!
- If you are going to see the Grand Palace men must also cover up their knees and shoulders. Ladies make sure nothing is see through when covering up and that you wear loose clothing. They turned me down for a tight fitted top I was wearing.
- Breakfast in Thailand is pretty much what you would eat for lunch or dinner so get ready it will be delicious carbs all throughout your trip! Your stomach is going to be one happy camper!
- Thailand has working railway systems that can easily take you where you want to go. There are two main lines called the BTS train and the MRT. I took this everywhere and was even able to take it straight from the airport to my hotel.
Overall, Bangkok was a great learning experience for any traveler. The people are so warm and friendly. They will surely try to help you even if you cannot understand one another. It was fun trying to figure out things for myself in a country I’ve never been to and it was rewarding once I accomplished my goal.
There were a few other things that I experienced while I was in Thailand that really took me out of my comfort zone. However, I will save those details for another post. For now, keep dreaming about places you would like to visit and keep working towards that goal for your wanderlust hearts will truly be fulfilled once you arrive to your destination.
“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.” – Hilaire Beloc


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30 years ago today, we got The Joshua Tree. A front-heavy rock album. Not as consistently great as The Unforgettable Fire (1984). But it was the commercial peak U2 fans knew they were capable of. Suddenly, I was not alone in choosing U2 on the jukebox in my favorite pizza joints in Brockton, Massachsusetts. I was in my final weeks in junior high, surrounded by kids who loved Bon Jovi and Motley Crue, and they HATED U2. Come September, I was in a high school where if you didn't love U2, you were considered way out of touch. You could love R.E.M. You could secretly listen to New Order or Depeche Mode. Or you could be so far ahead of the curve like me and own three Pixies albums by 1989. But if you didn't express your love of U2, you were an automatic outsider.
Now the album itself does not move me like the next three U2 albums did. I still think Achtung Baby is their best masterpiece. But there are very few rock albums that open as strongly as The Joshua Tree. We're talking Led Zepplin IV or Back In Black-caliber openings. Where The Streets Have No Name is a soaring opening - peak classic U2. I Still haven't Found What I'm Looking For is this emotional gospel rock anthem. And despite its basic four bars, and resemblance to another Eno-produced four-bar classic, Once In A Lifetime, With Or Without You is still, still a great song thanks to the lyrics and Edge's galloping riffs. Then they follow that up with Bullet The Blue Sky, the leftist, violent song about Reagan's proxy wars, among other things. And then, THEN, U2 give us another anthem - the major-keyed song about heroin addiction, Running To Stand Still. Holy shit, this album. 30 years, kids.


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If it means getting wiser by the day, growing old is fine. But having wrinkles and tired skin aren’t.
Those days we spent working long hours in the office—back when Netflix marathons weren’t a thing—are finally catching up with us and showing in our faces. Sleep can only do so much. What options are we left with?
Some are fortunate and brave to get substances injected, or go under the knife to alter their appearances. However, those who would like to battle aging in a gentler, noninvasive manner, do so with Clarins Multi-Active products, which promise to restore a youthful glow.
If you’re keen on maintaining healthy and young-looking skin, take care of your fibroblasts. These are the cells in the connective tissue that produce collagen and other fibers. In other words, these are the gatekeepers of our youth.
Lack of sleep and stress lead to an overproduction of free radicals which attack and wear out this cell that’s responsible for the smooth, toned look of our skin. We’ll know it’s happening when we start getting fine lines, loss of radiance, and other symptoms of mature skin.
Clarins has created a line that targets the first signs of aging through new-generation capsules of the teasel extract, a powerful plant ingredient with antioxidants and revitalizing benefits. These protect fibroblasts and help promote a youthful-looking face.
The Multi-Active Jour utilizes these capsules to target fine lines. It also contains the myrothamnus extract, a South African plant with the capacity to survive water deprivation during dry seasons.
Best used during the daytime, this moisturizing cream with a melted texture is enriched with “radiance” pigments that immediately enhance skin’s luminosity. It comes with a fresh, subtle fragrance that makes it a joy to use.
The nourishing Multi-Active Nuit moisturizes as you sleep. It comes with ginger lily extract that helps compensate for the harmful effects of late nights and interrupted sleep. Together with the encapsulated teasel extract, this helps correct the appearance of lines by stimulating collagen synthesis.
Complement these products with the Multi-Active Treatment Essence Vitality, a refreshing essence that boosts skin vitality with the help of the acerola seed extract; and the Multi-Active Eye Revive Cream, a nongreasy antiaging treatment for the eyes.
Top off your hardworking antiaging skincare routine with the diligent use of sunscreen or BB cream, and enjoy your new young-looking skin.
Featured banner courtesy of Brett Robson

domain: health


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After the successful trip to Minsmere in June (thanks Sally!), we still have 1 remaining coach trip planned for 2017, and this will be to Pulborough Brooks in October. Hazel has been organising this one and here are the details:
Coach trip to RSPB Pulborough Brooks on Saturday 21 October 2017
This lovely reserve is set in the Arun Valley with views across wet meadows to the South Downs. We hope to see nuthatches and tits on the feeders by the visitor centre and fieldfares and redwings feasting on the berries in the hedgerows. On the brooks – geese, swans, passage waders and a variety of ducks including wigeon, teal and shoveler who will be arriving to spend the winter here.
The reserve has hides, trails and a good visitor centre with tea room.
The coach will leave Gravesend Rail Station, Clive Rd, Gravesend, at 8.30 am and leave Pulborough at about 4.00 pm.
Please take your RSPB membership card if you are a member. Note there is an entry charge for those who are not RSPB members of £5.
Tickets are £18.50 each and are available at Group meetings OR
Make cheques payable to Gravesend RSPB Local Group & send to Hazel Cullum, 10 Nursery Road, Meopham, Kent, DA13 0NF (01474 812626).
Please pay for tickets before the trip as the coach has to be paid for in advance.
If you have any questions, click on this link to contact Hazel by email.


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Who spiked the punch? Vodka or rum, mixed drinks or shots, get recipe ideas for your next party.
From baby animals to wild creatures to exotic pets, discover cute pictures and more about animals.
Is Oktoberfest your dream vacation? Learn about breweries, craft beers, kegs, beer gardens and more.
Think ordinary is boring? Explore the weird, the strange, the obscure, and the downright freaky.
What's your style? From your shoes to your accessories, make a statement with your clothing.
Whether you like romantic comedies or black comedies, have a laugh by Stumbling through funny films.
No more stick figures! Uncover your inner artist and the world of sketching, charcoals and pastels.
Are the hamsters at the pet store too tame for you? Learn about sugar gliders, bobcats, parrots and more.
Funny jokes, pictures or quotes...whatever your sense of humor, we have something to make you laugh.
If A=B and B=C, does A=C? Reason your way through logic games, puzzles, theories and more.
Whether in NYC, Miami, Vegas or LA, find out about the hottest lounges, bars or clubs.
Oil painting or face painting? Either way, Stumble for new ideas and you may just be the next Picasso.
Believe in ghosts or swear your house is haunted? Explore paranormal activity and phenomena.
It's been said that pets help you live longer. Sounds good to us! Learn about dogs, cats, fish and more.
Consider yourself the next Socrates? Explore different philosophies of life, morality and existence.
See amazing photos and get photography tips and ideas, from Polaroids to digital cameras.
Can I pick your brain for a minute? Learn about social, behavioral and cognitive psychology.


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Fire of fuel tank kills 123 people in Pakistan - TVWorld June 25, 7:58
Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-FitrSociety & Culture June 25, 5:18
Mexico knocks out Russia from FIFA Confederations Cup with 2-1 win in KazanSport June 24, 19:59
Putin visits Crimean youth camp ArtekSociety & Culture June 24, 19:42
Conflict around Qatar should be settled by diplomatic means - source at Foreign MinistryRussian Politics & Diplomacy June 24, 16:44
More than 237,000 fans attend Confederations Cup matches already - Deputy PM MutkoSport June 24, 15:03
Sistema's president hopes for dialogue with Rosneft on settlement agreementBusiness & Economy June 24, 14:56
CNN deletes article about meeting between Scaramucci and Russian Direct Investment FundWorld June 24, 13:12
Ukrainian Army units shell Donetsk Republic in first hours of newceasefireWorld June 24, 5:19
MOSCOW, June 25. /ITAR-TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will set up a cyber incident response center, the CSTO deputy secretary-general Khaibullo Latypov said at a seminar in Moscow on Wednesday.
According to Latypov, “The work is on the initial stage. Regulations on the center have been drafted.” “Then the issue will be coordinated by the CSTO countries. A decision on creating the center is expected to be signed by the heads of state,” Latypov said. Information security “became an important and inalienable element of collective security”, he added.
In April, CSTO Secretary-General Nikolai Bordyuzha initiated the decision on creating the cyber incident response center. “As for attacks on information, including from the territory of Ukraine, we’ll take them into account,” Bordyuzha said. “We’re trying to counter these attacks,” he noted.