text:
Asset Management, Financial Regulation, Mergers and Acquisitions, Company Law, Renewable energy and infrastructure, International sanctions and export control, Intellectual Property, Technology and digitalisation, Capital Markets
New Partners in 2022
We are pleased to announce that Snorre Nordmo, Hedvig Bugge Reiersen, Lars Erik Lien, Charlie Pope and Lars Erik Steinkjer have been appointed partners in Wikborg Rein from 1 January 2022.
We have assisted Aeternum Management with the establishment of an alternative investment fund
Wikborg Rein has assisted Aeternum Management AS (the AIFM) with the establishment of Aeternum Capital AS (the Fund). The management of the Fund will be led by the recognised Vegard Søraunet as CEO and CIO.

domain: economics


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Council Bluffs St. Albert jumped on Glenwood for an early 21-9 lead and then closed the game on a 21-10 run to down Glenwood 71-61 on Saturday.
“I thought we played real well after the first quarter,” said Glenwood coach Curt Schulte. “I thought three quarters we played pretty well. We outscored them in the second quarter and the third quarter. And they out-scored us in the fourth but a lot of that was due to us fouling and them hitting free throws. I thought we played three quarters of really good basketball.”
After St. Albert took a 21-9 lead after a quarter, the Rams bounced back to hit 8-of-12 shots in the second quarter. The hot shooting and Schulte’s switch up to a 1-2-2 zone helped slow the Falcons. Glenwood trailed 35-30 at the half.
“We got down early, we couldn’t stop their dribble penetration in the first quarter so we went to a 1-2-2 zone and that really helped us out,” Schulte said.
The Falcons came out to open the third quarter like they did the first. Connor Thomas’ three-pointer gave St. Albert their biggest lead to that point at 46-36 with just over four minutes to go in the third quarter.
But Glenwood would narrow the gap, shutting out the Falcons the rest of the frame on a 9-0 run.
A bucket by the Rams’ Cole Darrow gave Glenwood its first lead of the game at 50-49 with just over five minutes to play in the game. But the lead would be short-lived. Thomas hit another three pointer to go up 52-50 and after a Ram miss, Nick VanShoelen added another three to make it 55-50 with about four minutes to go. Glenwood never got closer than five points the rest of the way. The Falcons scored 22 of the game’s final 32 points.
Cole Darrow scored a career-high 33 points in the loss. The 33 points are the most by a Ram player in Schulte’s five years as head coach. Taylor Kaufman added 13 points and 13 rebounds for Glenwood.
Steve O’Neill led St. Albert with 19 points.
Rare is the team that can get out shot from the field and the three point line and out rebounded by 14 on its home court and still manage to pull out the win.
I guess that makes the Glenwood boys a rare breed. The Rams withstood several Clarinda rallies on a night they didn’t’ play best to pull out a 60-56 Hawkeye 10 Conference win on Thursday in Glenwood.
“We really couldn’t put them away,” said Schulte, whose team knocked off the Cardinals 70-49 in December. “We’d get up by seven or eight on a little run and they’d hit a three and boom, they’re back within a couple. My hat is tipped to Clarinda, they are much improved team from the last time we played them earlier in the year. They did some great things and just kept hanging around.”
Glenwood seemed determined to use its defense in the transition game to speed up the clock. In the first two quarters alone, the Rams played man-to-man and a zone defense and a utilized two different full and three-quarter court pressed to confuse the Cardinals.
“Our defense kind of created offense for us,” said Schulte. “We mixed a lot of different defenses in with our press and zone. We threw a lot of different defenses at them and I think it confused them a little bit and created some turnovers for us.”
After leading 15-10 after a quarter, Glenwood opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run capped by Taylor Kaufman’s fast break layup with 4:05 to go in the first half. But the Cardinals, as would be the story over the final three quarters, wouldn’t go away. Clarinda outscored Glenwood 12-4 over the final four minutes to trim that lead to 27-25 at the break.
In the third, Alex Hiatt’s three pointer tied the game with 4:17 to go. A layup and three free throws by Cole Darrow sandwiched around a Kaufman layup – thanks to three straight Cardinal turnovers – pushed Glenwood back ahead 39-32 with 1:48 to go in the third. But, once again, Clarinda responded with a run of its own, scoring the final five points of the quarter to trail just 40-37 heading into the final frame.
A pair of three pointers by Brandon Sweet, bracketed by a three by Darrow, left the score knotted at 43-43 with just over five minutes to go. Consecutive buckets by Darrow, Kaufman and a putback by Lawler keyed a 6-2 Glenwood run to that appeared to wrestled the momentum away from the Cardinals with a 52-45 lead with 3:40 to go.
However, the Cardinals would continue their comeback ways. A dunk by Jared Stansbury stirred the Cardinals’ comeback. Clarinda’s 6-2 run cut the Rams’ lead to three with just over two minutes to play. After Darrow’s runner made it 55-51, Kramer Samuelson answered with a three pointer to cut the lead two 56-54 with 1:31 to go. The two point margin was as close as the Cardinals would get. Glenwood hit 4-of-6 free throws down stretch to seal the win.
“We played real well against them the first time and I thought we played well tonight in spurts but they out rebounded us and a lot of loose balls came up their way. My hats tipped to them coming in here and playing like they did.”
The two teams combined for 35 total fouls and both teams shot well below their season averages from the field. Glenwood hit on 23-of-56 shots (41 percent) and the Cardinals 25-of-54 (46.2). Clarinda held a 43-29 rebounding edge but Glenwood forced 25 Cardinal turnovers.
“It was a very physical game,” he said. “We both banged pretty good. We had to to compete with them. They out rebounded us in the first half big time and probably in the game. We told the guys if we wanted to win this one we had to rebound and we had to be physical. We couldn’t back down and we didn’t.”
Glenwood was led by Taylor Kaufman with 22 points and eight rebounds. Cole Darrow added 21.
Clarinda was led by Tyler Steeve with 19 points.

domain: sports


text:
The Kitpas Dustless Art Chalk 12 Colours are smooth, vibrant and durable. They are great for kids with creative little mindz who not only like to create masterpieces on sidewalks but on paper and canvases too!
All Kitpas Chalks are made from completely safe and non toxic materials such ascalcium carbonate (found in toothpaste) and scallop seashells.
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Recommended Age: 3+ Warning. Not suitable for children under 36 months. Choking hazard due to small parts.

domain: design


text:
THE DOOM OF THE HOLY CITY
When Jesus had left the precincts of the Temple, he was going away; and his disciples came to him to point out to him the buildings of the Temple area. He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? This is the truth I tell you–one stone will not be left here upon another that will not be thrown down.”
It may well be that at least some of the disciples had not been very often to Jerusalem. They were Galilaeans, men of the highlands and of the country, fishermen who knew the lakeside far better than they knew the city. Some of them at least would be like country folk come up to London for a visit, staggered by what they saw; and well they might be, for there was nothing quite like the Temple in the ancient world.
The summit of Mount Sion had been dug away to leave a plateau of 1,000 feet square. At the far end of it was the Temple itself (the naos, GSN3485). It was built of white marble plated with gold, and it shone in the sun so that a man could scarcely bear to look at it. Between the lower city and the Temple mount lay the valley of the Tyropoeon, and across this valley stretched a colossal bridge. Its arches had a span of 41 1/2 feet, and its spring stones were 24 feet long by 6 inches thick. The Temple area was surrounded by great porches, Solomon’s Porch and the Royal Porch. These porches were upheld by pillars, cut out of solid blocks of marble in one piece. They were 37 1/2 feet high, and of such a thickness that three men linked together could scarcely put their arms round them. At the corners of the Temple angle stones have been found which measure from 20 to 40 feet in length, and which weigh more than 100 tons. How they were ever cut and placed in position is one of the mysteries of ancient engineering.
Little wonder that the Galilaean fishermen looked and called Jesus’ attention to them.
Jesus answered that the day would come when not one of these stones would be left standing upon the other–and Jesus was right. In A.D. 70 the Romans, finally exasperated by the rebellious intransigence of the Jews, gave up all attempt at pacification and turned to destruction, and Jerusalem and the Temple were laid waste so that Jesus’ prophecy literally came true.
Here speaks Jesus the prophet. Jesus knew that the way of power politics can end only in doom. The man and the nation which will not take the way of God are heading for disaster–even in material things. The man and the nation which refuse the dream of God will find their own dreams shattered also.
Back to: Barclay’s Commentary

domain: history


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President’s summary of Membership
The majority of respondents to the survey felt that the Chapter was organized in an efficient fashion to facilitate its operation. Most of the respondents were long time members of the chapter.
While some felt the need for a change in the current bylaws the majority did not agree. Of concern, was that several had not received a copy of the bylaws and that they should be posted on the website for access.
The majority felt that the rallies were generally meeting their needs, but more social time activities as well as coach identification placards could help to better identify members and foster communications.
The majority of respondents indicated a willingness to travel 100 miles or more to a rally. Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Michigan were the states members would be willing to visit. State Park rallies pulled a 50/50 response depending on the facilities and costs. Respondents preferred private campgrounds and fairgrounds to dry camping.
Respondents would like to see more games, crafts and entertainment planned at rallies to enhance group participation.
A majority does not want to pay more than $15.00 for a rally fee. Meal preferences were across the board with potlucks, cookouts, catered meals and eating out in restaurants all seeming favorable to members.
Members want to meet with friends at rallies, enjoy social activities and also have planned rally activities.
We were split on the size of rallies, which have averaged 28-30 coaches over the years, but that number appears to be decreasing of late.
The majority of members, that responded, have hosted a rally, and we were split on utilizing the assistance of experienced rally masters to help with a rally. It would appear that we have a limited number of members willing to host a rally and that there is a core group that hosts rallies each year.
Access to the MWC website continues to be a problem. Many are on the site only monthly or never. But by the same token almost all have access to a computer and the internet. This raises the question that the website needs to be easier to access by members if we are going to rapidly increase communications. Also the need to provide training on website access as well as utilization of the MWC Facebook page.
The Newsletter appears to be the primary source of information by our members as well as person to person contact.
Most felt that it was important for the Nat. Director to have specific input from the membership or Executive Board prior to a vote on a National (FMCA) issue or election.
The majority of respondents have been members of the club for over 5 years.
There were many positives and negatives listed regarding our rallies and we will use this information to seek improvements to our chapter during the next and succeeding years.

domain: sociology


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Chief Executive Officer's
letter to stakeholders
Italtile's ESG journey to sustainable value creation
The reports in this section provide insight into our approach and commitment to environment, social and governance ("ESG")imperatives and sustainable value creation – and to the journey we are undertaking to improve our efforts in this regard.
We recognise that it is logical that companies with high ESG scores show stronger growth, are perceived better by stakeholders and are better equipped to thrive over the long term, based on the premise that issues such as bad governance or environmental problems damage profitability.
Increasingly frequently in the listed environment, shareholders identify ESG credentials as having an impact on their decision to invest in companies. Furthermore, ESG awareness continues to grow among consumers who prefer to associate with brands that have admirable reputations and align their words with their actions. In an Old Mutual Morningstar survey*, 95% of millennials affirmed that they are interested in sustainable investments and 90% want their investments tailored to match their values. If one considers that the baby boomer generation is expected to transfer US$30 trillion in wealth* to these young prospective investors over the forthcoming decades, the significance is clear.
Notwithstanding the global shift in awareness, sustainable value creation is not a new concept to our business.
Founded over 51 years ago, Italtile is a Proudly South African company, with deep roots in this country. We are mindful that this long-standing heritage is testament to the contribution of the people we employ across the Group – and to our key stakeholders and the natural environment we operate in – who support the continued growth of Italtile. In this context, we are cognisant of our duty to responsibly advance the sustainability of our business and our surrounding communities.
In Our business at a glance, the Chairman outlines the Board's focus on ESG sustainability, through transformation, creating jobs and contributing to local communities and by conducting our operations in an ethical and responsible manner to continue to reduce our carbon footprint and enhance the natural environment. The Chairman also discusses our investment in dovetailing our innovation strategy with our sustainability strategy, illustrating how ESG data is incorporated into our investment decision-making processes.
|*||https://moneymarketing.co.za, 6 July 2020|
COMMITMENT TO KEY UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Our core values are partnership, empowerment, fairness, human dignity, integrity, excellence, honesty and servant leadership. These values underpin our approach to sustainability and are supported by rigorous ethics, sound governance and robust risk management processes and structures.
Our efforts to address environmental, social and governance challenges and contribute to transformation in our business align with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals ("SDGs") to promote sustainability by eliminating extreme poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring prosperity for all. We recognise these SDGs as being of vital importance to driving economic growth, addressing social and economic instability and promoting short, medium and long-term sustainability.
Although not a signatory to the UN Global Compact, we have identified the following SDGs to which we believe we can contribute the most and on which we can have the most impact. Our contribution to these SDGs is largely determined by the evolving landscape in our operating markets, as well as the interests and issues raised by our stakeholders.
|Goal||Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.||Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation.||Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.||Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by regulating emissions and promoting developments in renewable energy.||Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
COMMUNICATING OUR ESG MESSAGES
During the year under review, we continued to implement our well-established open-door policy in terms of our key stakeholders, including regular engagements with our top 25 local and international institutional and private shareholders, as well as prospective investors and other interested parties.
The following commentary outlines the key areas of interest and concern expressed by these groups. I have confined the content to the most frequently asked questions and compartmentalised the information under the following categories: environment, social and governance.
In addition, given the material impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and trading markets in the fourth quarter of the review period, I have included a dedicated section dealing with the concerns and queries raised in this regard, which I trust will provide comfort to stakeholders.
Property investment portfolio report
What are the different ways that the Company emits greenhouse gases ("GHGs")? Does the Group measure its carbon footprint? Are there targets in place?
Ceramic Industries, in which we have a 95% stake, uses natural gas to evaporate water from ceramic slips and pressed tiles as well as to fire ceramic tiles and sanitaryware. GHGs are indirectly emitted through consumption of electricity in the production process and diesel in transportation to deliver product. Through sustained investment in innovative technology and processes, our factories are amongst the most energy efficient in the world. The Environmental report provides further in-depth detail.
Does the Group have plans to reduce emissions and manage exposure to climate risks (and, if so, what are they)?
Ceramic Industries consistently re-invests in the latest technology that is more efficient, reduces waste and minimises consumption. Our Betta sanitaryware plant in South Africa and our Centaurus plant in Australia both utilise 1 MW solar power plants to offset consumption currently supplied by electricity generated from gas or coal consumption. A 3 MW solar installation is planned for our Vereeniging site by the end of 2021, which will reduce reliance on non-renewable energy and generate up to 25% of energy requirements (at peak generation in the day) on the site. We will also continue to roll out solar installations to a number of our stores. The environmental and property portfolio reports of this document provide further in-depth detail.
What natural resources does the Company consume, extract, degrade, toxify or otherwise harm (and to what extent)?
Ceramic Industries' operations consume natural gas (3,6 million GJ per annum). We extract clays, feldspars and granites, which are beneficiated to form inert ceramic tiles and sanitaryware (570 000 tons per annum). We consume 27 000 tons of glaze per year in the production of ceramic tiles and sanitaryware. We also form PMMA and ABS sheets into bathtubs, which we reinforce with fibreglass and resins (2 550 tons).
Ceramic Industries conducts mining activities in open cast quarries that supply clay for the manufacturing process. Concurrent rehabilitation is practised to ensure minimum disturbed environment at any time. When the quarries reach the end of their useful life, the Company completes rehabilitation measures to restore the site to a safe and natural state.
Ezee Tiles production processes consume 185 000 MT of silica sand per annum; 2 800 MTs of dolomite/calcium carbonate per annum and 1 800 000 L of water per annum. The business does not create any harmful toxins.
Outside of climate risks, does the Company have an environmental risk reduction plan (and, if so, what is the plan)?
The Group's sustainability agenda is promoted through the use of cost-effective, energy efficient practices in the construction of new buildings and the renovation of older buildings. Optimal use of natural light, solar technology, new-generation efficient lighting, water-saving taps, rain water harvesting and environmentally sensitive building materials is prioritised. Our factories at Ceramic Industries use the latest technology in their operations and rank among the most energy efficient in the world. The Environmental report provides more detail in terms of our plan to reduce the Group's carbon footprint, including reducing consumption of water and energy and improving waste management.
HR and Training report
Support for communities report
Does the Group measure employee turnover and what is the three-year trend?
Yes, employee turnover is measured on an annual basis. The three-year trend is: 2018: 7,6%; 2019: 9,3% and 2020: ??%. Assuming up, we can say "The reduced headcount is performance-related and a result of an ongoing productivity drive in the business to optimise the returns on all resources and assets."
Does the Group measure employee satisfaction and what is the three-year trend?
An independent evaluation is conducted annually to assess the quality of engagement with our employees. The score has consistently improved over the past three years, from 73% and 74% in the two prior years, to 77% in the current year, our best score to date.
Has the Group made significant investment in its human resources over the review period?
Investment in training and development as a percentage of costs to the business is significant. Over the past year R15,6 million was incurred on various training initiatives.
What strategies does the Group employ to attract, retain and promote qualified talent?
The Group pays well above the prescribed minimum wage and our salary scale complies with all relevant legislation. Our remuneration philosophy is governed by the principles of equity, fairness and affordability, ensuring alignment between management and shareholder requirements.
In addition, the Group's share schemes (including a broadbased scheme for all levels of staff) is designed to incentivise employees to participate in the growth and profitability of the business.
Our policy is to attract the best calibre of people by being the employer of choice in our industry through ensuring our employees are appropriately remunerated, incentivised through profit share and partnerships, and equipped through training and skills development to perform their jobs.
What are the Group's policies related to discrimination, harassment, healthy working conditions and fair wages?
We practise zero-tolerance of discrimination and harassment in the workplace. In 2018, we introduced diversity, equity and inclusion workshops to the business, the purpose of which is to entrench the culture of inclusion by acknowledging differences and equipping diverse employees to build better relationships.
Our working conditions comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act No 85 of 1993 and other relevant legislation, regulations and codes of practice in South Africa and other jurisdictions in which we operate. We conduct regular health and safety audits across all retail stores and supply chain businesses. The most recent audits conducted during the current year continued to yield improved results, achieved through various training and monitoring initiatives.
In terms of fair wages, we pay well above the prescribed minimum wage and our salary scale complies with all relevant legislation. Our remuneration philosophy is governed by the principles of equity, fairness and affordability, ensuring alignment between management and shareholder requirements.
In terms of Ceramic Industries, all of the South African factories undergo the Sedex Member Ethical Trade Audit ("SMETA") — a global accreditation. The SMETA audit process comprises four pillars: labour standards; health and safety; business ethics and the environment.
What environmental, social and other ethical standards does the Company require of its various counterparties?
The Group has adopted a formal code of business and ethics and we strive to ensure our business partners share the same philosophy in terms of ESG matters.
Does the Group implement a CSI programme?
The Group's CSI programme is conducted by the Italtile and Ceramic Foundation, as well as through our retail brands. Our franchisees also participate in local community initiatives at their own discretion. The Supporting our communities report of this document outlines the Group's support for our communities through charitable activities conducted during the review period.
What is the Company's approach to maintaining positive customer relationships and brand reputation?
Management is extremely mindful of retaining the loyalty and goodwill of our customers. The Group operates call-in and online support and conducts a range of measures to evaluate customer satisfaction sentiment, including Mystery Shoppers, in-store surveys, Net Promoter Score and an independent brand health monitor.
How healthy is the relationship between the Group and the franchise network and how does the Group engage with and support franchisees?
The management team engages with franchisees on a regular and frequent basis through franchisee forums; personal contact; call-in and online support; regular store visits and annual brand conferences. We regard our franchisees as valued partners and the low franchisee churn is a clear reflection of the good relationship with them.
Is the CEO's compensation linked to the Group's performance and if so, what are the linked KPIs?
Remuneration is linked to Company performance and based on a specific formula, including operational performance metrics. Compensation includes a cash bonus element and shares. The Remuneration report provides extensive detail.
Are the other executive managers also subject to performance-related KPIs?
Yes. All managers in the business are assessed and compensated according to pre-determined KPIs, which are aligned to Group goals. Across the management team, including the CEO, performance against KPIs is rated on a scale: superior achieve (exceeded target), achieve (achieved target) and underachieve (failed to meet target).
How are management incentives designed to prioritise long-term value creation?
The Group's remuneration policy subscribes to the King IV recommendations and principles, including:
- incentive-based results are linked to achieving demanding performance conditions consistent with shareholder interest over the short, medium and long term; and
- performance measures and targets for incentive plans are structured to operate efficiently throughout the business cycle and support the business strategy.
The Group's incentive schemes are designed to encourage and reward delivery of its strategic priorities over the short, medium and long-term. The short-term incentive focuses on achieving business targets in that financial year, while the long-term incentive closely aligns the interests of executives with shareholders over the longer term. The long-term incentive encourages directors and prescribed officers to build a shareholding in the Company, which sustains ongoing performance and the creation of shareholder value. Given the Group's philosophy of partnership, greater weighting is applied to long-term incentives. Refer to the Remuneration Committee Report for detailed information regarding management compensation.
Does the compensation of any manager depend on any ESG-related KPIs?
ESG-related criteria have been added to the performance scorecard of the CEO and all executive management with effect from FY2021.
What are the Board's long-term financial and strategic targets for the Company?
Sustainable, responsible growth in the interests of all stakeholders. Continued growth in headline earnings per share.
Is there a management succession plan?
There is a detailed succession plan in place for the Chairman, CEO and key individuals within the organisation.
Does the Company have a whistle-blower policy?
The Group makes use of a whistle-blowing line managed by independent third parties. Details of matters reported are forwarded directly to the Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee, Executive Directors and Internal Audit in the case of Italtile and to the CEO in the case of Ceramic Industries. All reports are actioned by management.
Is there a process for approving Company transactions with related parties?
All products are supplied on an arm's length basis to related parties. There is a Chinese wall in place regarding customer information between Italtile and Ceramic Industries. This was a condition of the Competition Tribunal when they approved the deal for Italtile to acquire Ceramic Industries.
Is there a process by which a minority shareholder can get a proposal on the voting agenda?
A submission may be made in writing to the Board at any time.
What is the Company's strategy for managing reputational and business risk?
The Group's flat organisational structure ensures that significant issues of reputational business risk are rapidly escalated from management level to the appropriate Board Committees. The CEO, supported by the relevant Board members and communication team, is responsible for implementing the strategies and managing issues and crises.
|COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY|
In order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments in our respective trading jurisdictions, being South Africa, the rest of Africa, and Australia, issued directives commencing March 2020 to lock down business activities, including retail and manufacturing operations, for varying lengths of time. The implications of these measures on our business were material, specifically on the results reported for the fourth quarter of FY2020, commencing 1 April and concluding on 30 June 2020. It is therefore appropriate for me to address the key issues which arose relating to the impact on the business up to the conclusion of the reporting period and the projected impact on the business in the future.
I have focused on the primary areas of interest or concern to our stakeholders.
How and to what extent were your operations affected by the pandemic during the review period?
The Group's results for the year are best analysed in the context of the progression of the pandemic which commenced in March 2020 in our various trading markets.
Total system-wide turnover for the year of R9,3 billion (2019: R10,0 billion) was 7% lower than the prior comparable period. Total retail store turnover declined 3,9% compared to the previous corresponding period, while like-for-like retail store turnover decreased by 6,2%. Prior to the lockdown in South Africa, up to 27 March, retail store sales were up 5,4% year on year. During the lockdown only marginal sales were recorded in April. In May and June following the easing of restrictions, retail sales grew 3% and 11% respectively.
Supply chain sales decreased by 6,1% compared to the previous corresponding period. Prior to the lockdown, sales had decreased 1,4% year on year.
Manufacturing sales for the review period declined by 8,8% compared to the previous corresponding period; prior to the lockdown, sales were flat year on year.
Encouragingly, retail sales growth of 14% and 17% were recorded in July and August 2020 respectively, exceeding our expectations. There is, however, significant uncertainty regarding the sustainability of this strong growth given the economy's weak fundamentals. It is difficult at this point to ascertain to what extent growth is driven by pent-up demand following restrictions and, furthermore, how sustainable the source of disposable income is (our preliminary analysis is that it probably derives from debt payment holidays; funds previously spent on transport and leisure activities; retrenchment pay; TERS/other COVID-19 relief funds; and lower interest rates).
Have you breached, or might you breach, any covenants as a result of the pandemic?
Will raising additional capital be necessary to weather the crisis? And if so, would you raise debt or equity?
The Group negotiated a short-term contingency facility prior to the lockdown, which has not been utilised.
Has the pandemic impacted on the Group's debtors' book?
There has been no material impact on the debtors' book, which remains healthy.
In response to the pandemic, have you:
reduced or delayed any investment spending plans and if so where?
We postponed an upgrade to one of our factories and delayed some new store openings. Subsequent to year end, and given strong cash reserves, we have reinstated the roughly R800 million capex programme, which will be implemented over the next 12 to 18 months.
made any changes to executive and Board compensation?
Salary and fee sacrifices were made by the Chairman, CEO, prescribed officers, executive and non-executive directors as follows:
- Chairman and CEO: 35% salary sacrifice for three months;
- CFO and prescribed officers: 30% salary sacrifice for three months;
- Other executive management: 25% salary sacrifice for three months; and
- Non-executive directors: 30% fee sacrifice for three months.
In addition, the standard annual salary and fee increases implemented traditionally on 1 July have been waived.
made any changes to share buy-back plans or the dividend?
The Group continues to buy back shares in line with the 2019 AGM resolution and Board mandate. Over the past 12 months shares valued at R243 million have been bought back. The dividend cover remains at two-and-a-half times and given strong cash reserves, a full-year dividend was paid.
provided extraordinary non-contractual financial flexibility to any customers, suppliers, or business partners?
made any additional coronavirus-related donations (cash, supplies, human resources), or shifted any business operations to fulfil crisis needs to help fight the pandemic?
The Group's Italtile and Ceramic Foundation made a cash donation to the Solidarity Fund and donations of cash, personal protective equipment and food parcels to needy organisations. Our Ezee Tile business, which manufactures adhesives, commenced production of hand and surface sanitisers (compliant with World Health Organization ("WHO") standards) for our stores and other operations.
What is your prognosis for the business in terms of future sustainability?
We have clear strategies in place to continue to optimise on improvements made in the business to extract growth and gain market share.
The Group's cash generating ability, robust cash reserves and engrained disciplines of working capital management and cost leadership will continue to be a significant advantage for the business in the COVID-19 era. There is a strong focus on value thinking and management will continue to aggressively review the Group's cost base and return on assets and resources.
The safety of our customers, employees and neighbouring communities is a key priority for the Group and extensive measures are, and will remain, in place in our stores and factories to ensure operational health and safety protocols comply with prescribed government regulations to curb the spread of the virus. We will continue to practice zero tolerance on non-compliance.
The reports which follow elaborate on our journey to sustainable value creation, and include:
> environment; and


The cost for NNC is divided between the Nordic countries.
Each country decides how to cover its cost. Therefore the charges for Vnrs may differ between Nordic counties.
As all active Vnrs are invoiced, please remember to withdraw all unnecessary Vnrs.
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text:
If you teach social studies in Louisiana right now, you know it can be challenging to find resources that align to the state assessment. Your textbooks, foldables, videos, and other resources are not bad – they just aren’t enough! The recent shifts in social studies require students to use a set of sources and what they have learned in social studies to answer questions that look nothing like “traditional” elementary social studies tests. The rigor has increased, and students are expected to analyze sources, make inferences based on prior knowledge, and explain their reasoning.
The resources included in this set were designed to work with what you already have, while focusing on key themes and standards. Through the DBQs, students will analyze sources, debate, and write essays similar to those on the LEAP. The slideshows and interactive notebook pages provide explicit instruction, which is also critical for learning. Response journal prompts allow students to internalize what they have learned and to express their understanding in writing. Quizzes and assessments are aligned to the LEAP, and standards are available at the beginning of the documents.
Also included in this set is a suggested pacing guide, aligned to the Louisiana Scope and Sequence and letting you know when to complete the activities in that document. Directions for using each of the resources are included – sometimes with pictures! Management, engagement, and organization tips are sprinkled throughout the resources, and everything was written with the COMPASS evaluation rubric in mind.
Following the suggested pacing in this unit will take approximately 20 instructional days.
By purchasing this unit, you will receive:
1 – Suggested Pacing
2 – Introduction to Debates (Instructions for conducting this lesson)
3 - Geography Basics Slideshow
4 - Geography Basics Interactive Notebook
5 – Geography Basics Quiz
6 - Geography and the Indigenous People of America DBQ
7 – What Does it Mean to be Civilized? DBQ
8 - Civilization Interactive Notebook Pages
9 - Preparing for Research (Instructions for conducting this lesson)
10 – Conducting Research (Instructions for conducting this lesson)
11 – Tips for Workstation Days
12 – Bonus: United States Regions Slideshow (can be used as a workstation)
13 – Bonus: United States Regions Interactive Notebook (can be used as a workstation)
14 – Suggested Grades
Please note that a unit assessment is not included, but a link is provided to the Indigenous Cultures assessment found on the Louisiana Believes website. Also, note that the "Geography Basics" and "United States Regions" material can be found in the 4th Grade Unit 1 set as well.

domain: geography


text:
Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Drones Weren’t Performing Live
The hundreds of coordinated Intel drones actually performed earlier in the week.
For tech nerds like us at The Drive, one of the highlights of last night's Super Bowl halftime show was Lady Gaga's opening number, in which a swarm of Intel drones danced in meticulously choreographed precision in the sky behind the singer while she performed on the roof of Houston's NRG Stadium before she descended onto the field to sing for the assembled crowd.
Well...not quite. As it turns out, Gaga's inspired pre-jump installment of Dancing With Drones didn't occur live. It was taped several days in advance, according to The Verge, which received word from Intel. The whole bit where Gaga performed "God Bless America" and Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" in front of a constellation of unmanned autonomous vehicles that formed, among other shapes, the American flag? Pre-recorded.
Blame the Federal Aviation Administration and its pesky no-fly zone around the stadium, which apparently did not include a halftime show exemption. The FAA shut down the airspace for more than 30 miles around the Super Bowl—a ban, the agency clearly stated, that also included UAVs.
Live or not, however, the drone show was still one hell of a spectacle. Intel used 300 of its Shooting Star drones—quadcopters roughly the size of a hubcap—for the performance, according to The Verge. Each Shooting Star weighs roughly an ounce, can fly for about 20 minutes on a charge, and comes equipped with LEDs that can blast out light in four billion different colors.

domain: news


Seeing as I'm not really a fan of PDAs (public displays of affection) I certainly won't be kissing in the back row during the film they're showing tonight on the Big Screen that's been erected in Lyric Square, in Hammersmith. I just saw Bush Bloke, David Wood, tweet a picture of it and by the looks of that sky I would advise any keen back-row-snoggers/movie fans to take waterproofs:
During the day they've been showing the racing at Ascot and looks like they've (optimistically) provided deckchairs for viewers. Tonight you can go down for free and watch The Social Network (a film I'm actually still yet to see). I have to be honest and say that I think it's a bizarre concept showing a full feature length film in the middle of a busy high street at rush hour but that doesn't mean I don't like it, I just prefer watching films in the comfort of my own home. I should be honest and say that for the same reason I have "issues" even going to the cinema.
Yet it's a lovely free initiative by Hammersmith Business Improvement District, an organisation I've blogged about previously, and I wanted to make you all aware so enjoy if you do pop down!


|Publication number||US5586836 A|
|Application number||US 08/241,127|
|Publication date||Dec 24, 1996|
|Filing date||May 11, 1994|
|Priority date||May 11, 1994|
|Publication number||08241127, 241127, US 5586836 A, US 5586836A, US-A-5586836, US5586836 A, US5586836A|
|Inventors||Steven R. Morrow|
|Original Assignee||Bcm Engineers, Inc.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (13), Referenced by (5), Classifications (5), Legal Events (4)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
The present invention relates to the removal and remediation of subsurface contaminants as a mixed stream of gases and liquids, commonly referred to as two phase vacuum extraction. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems used to provide the motive power for extracting a two phase stream and transferring it from a well head to treatment equipment.
Processes for the vacuum withdrawal of the liquid and gaseous phases of contaminants from the ground are disclosed in the prior art. These processes are known as "two phase" vacuum extraction systems and generally employ a single vacuum generating device to remove both the liquid and gaseous phase contaminants through a single well casing. The two phase stream is then separated into gaseous and liquid streams, and the separate streams are each treated to remove contaminants. A device such as a knock out pot separates the two phases of the extracted material withdrawn by the vacuum pump. After separation, effluent in the gaseous phase is conducted through appropriate treatment steps, while the liquid phase is fed to a system such as an air stripper to remove volatile organic compounds. In some instances, the air stripper is eliminated and the liquid stream is piped directly into a sump that collects the liquid for further processing, such as pumping the liquid through a granular activated carbon (GAC) contaminant removal system.
It is also known that liquid ring vacuum pumps are useful as the source of vacuum in two phase vacuum extraction systems. Liquid ring vacuum pumps have a number of advantages over other types of vacuum generators in these applications. One advantage of liquid ring vacuum pumps is their high vacuum capability, which approaches a full atmosphere of negative pressure. Consequently, liquid ring vacuum pumps can provide the maximum possible vacuum driving force to induce the required vapor-liquid flow. Secondly, liquid ring vacuum pumps have the ability to function with a two phase flow of liquid and vapor constantly flowing through them during the operation of a two phase extraction system. Therefore, slugs of liquid or other changes in the composition of the pump influent do not adversely affect pump performance. Finally, contaminant removal in liquid ring vacuum pumps is relatively easy compared to other types of high vacuum pumps which allow lubricating oil to contact the gases passing through them. The lubricating oil can be contaminated and degraded by the hydrocarbons that are extracted from soil and groundwater at the sites where two phase vacuum extraction is used for remediation. These hydrocarbons are easily dealt with when liquid ring vacuum pumps are operated with water as a sealant. The hydrocarbons are typically only slightly water soluble and can usually be removed from the water by passing it through a granular activated carbon filter. Additional advantages of liquid ring vacuum pumps are that they are operable over a wide range of flow rates and suction resistances, they are dependable due to their small number of moving parts, and they are quiet relative to other types of high vacuum machinery.
On the other hand, a disadvantage of liquid ring vacuum pumps for application at sites undergoing two phase vacuum extraction remediation has been the requirement of a constant throughput of water to maintain the liquid ring seal essential to the pump's operation and to remove the heat of compression that would otherwise result in a temperature rise that decreases pump capacity. Supplying, treating, and disposing of this sealing water or "make up" water increases the complexity and cost of two phase vacuum extraction projects. Typically, the liquid ring vacuum pump uses a supply of sealing water from a public water system. Additionally, the prior art has disclosed that the liquid effluent from the liquid ring vacuum pump discharge vapor separator may be drawn off and added to the flow in the make up water line. Such systems thus partially recycle the water from the liquid ring vacuum pump, and decrease but do not eliminate the need for make up water. However, the higher temperature of the recycled water created by the heat of compression in the liquid ring vacuum pump reduces its performance.
Thus, the requirement of a source of make up water remains a significant drawback to the use of liquid ring vacuum pumps and limits the applicability of two phase vacuum extraction systems. In a typical vacuum extraction application, a liquid ring vacuum pump needs about 5 gallons per minute in a constant flow, and much of this flow must currently be derived from a public water system.
Another disadvantage of liquid ring vacuum pumps results from the intimate mixing and heating of the extracted soil vapors and the seal water that takes place in the pump. This mixing and heating causes the vapors to attain a very high humidity, approaching or at saturation. When the vapors leave the liquid ring vacuum pump they are separated from the water in a cyclone or other vapor/liquid separating device. However, high humidity reduces the capacity of vapor phase remediation equipment such as granular activated carbon filters that is often used to remove contaminants from the discharged vapors. Calgon Corporation, a supplier of granular activated carbon, has published a chart that indicates that the capacity of granular activated carbon to adsorb tri-chloroethene (TCE, a common contaminant removed in two phase vacuum extraction processes) is four times lower at 95% relative humidity than at 50% relative humidity. The high humidity typical of soil gases extracted with ground water in a two phase stream and the increased humidity resulting from the effects of passing those gases through a liquid ring vacuum pump therefore significantly decreases efficiency and increases the costs of treating the extracted vapors when using a humidity sensitive system such as granular activated carbon. It would therefore be desirable to dehumidify the gaseous stream exiting from the liquid ring vacuum pump. However, the efficient removal of moisture usually requires a net input of energy into the system. Since the cost of energy adds to the operating costs of the system, it would be further desirable to reduce the net amount of energy required to effect moisture removal.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for reducing the make up water requirement in two phase vacuum extraction systems that utilize liquid ring vacuum pumps. It is a further object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus whereby the energy required to dehumidify the gaseous effluent stream is reduced. Additionally it is an object of the present invention to provide for recovering a non-aqueous phase such as gasoline or chlorinated solvent that may be extracted from the subsurface by two phase vacuum extraction.
The present invention improves on previous systems by making use of the water extracted from the ground during remediation. In one configuration, the extracted groundwater is used to reduce the temperature of the seal water in a recirculating liquid ring vacuum pump, and thereby reduces the need for service water makeup. Preferably, the extracted groundwater provides substantially all of the service water makeup required for the operation of the liquid ring vacuum pump. In certain embodiments, the present invention also includes the use of cool, extracted groundwater to condense water vapor and contaminants from the extracted vapor stream. The warmer water exiting the liquid ring vacuum pumps and/or a condenser is used to reheat the vapor stream, thereby lowering its relative humidity so that the efficiency of the vapor treatment component of a two phase vacuum extraction system is increased.
The use of the water extracted under the power of the two phase vacuum extraction system to serve its sealing, cooling and/or heating requirements as disclosed herein is called "bootstrapping." Bootstrapping provides the benefit of allowing two phase vacuum extraction operations independent of additional make up water supplies and thereby permits operation in remote locations and minimizes or eliminates the costs of purchased make up water. Reducing or eliminating the need for additional make up water also provides a major benefit by significantly reducing the volume of water throughput in the system, thereby facilitating the treatment and disposal of waste water. Moreover, achieving vapor condensation and dehumidification without relying on external energy sources contributes to ease of installation and operation at locations where such utilities are not readily available, and also reduces costs.
The recovery of non-aqueous phase liquid from a vessel under vacuum, such as a knock out pot, is also disclosed. Such recovery has heretofore not been possible. The benefits of this recovery include the recycling of the product, or at a minimum, the reduction of the costs associated with its treatment and disposal, as compared to the costs of routing the non-aqueous phase liquid through the remediation equipment. Methods and apparatus whereby the knock out pot can recover contaminants that are of a higher or lower density than water are disclosed.
FIGS. 1A-1B are a schematic of an embodiment of the system of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A-2B are a schematic of another embodiment of the system of the present invention.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages described above and is shown schematically in FIGS. 1A-1B, which illustrate a representative embodiment of the present invention. It will be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the specific arrangement illustrated.
As seen in FIG. 1A, the inlet 100 of the system of the present invention is connected to a source of liquids and gases flowing in a single stream; such an influent stream is the typical result of the operation of a two phase vacuum extraction system. The two phase influent stream that enters at the inlet 100 is separated into a gaseous stream and a liquid stream by the knockout pot 102. Cool, extracted groundwater is collected in the knockout pot 102, and a pump 103 transfers this liquid to a filter 104. The pump 103 is most preferably a centrifugal pump of the type well known in the art, and the filter 104 preferably has a screen size of about 50 microns. The gaseous stream from the knockout pot 102 is drawn through the vacuum pump and then discharged into a vapor liquid separator 108, where vacuum pump seal water is removed from the gaseous stream. The liquid from the knockout pot 102 is transferred by a pump 103 through a filter 104 and into a contaminant removal system 120, shown in FIG. 1B. After filtration, the cool extracted water flows to a liquid-liquid heat exchanger 106 where the extracted water cools the warm recirculating seal water stream received from the vapor liquid separator 108. This heat exchange reduces the temperature of the recirculating seal water with the consequence that the liquid ring vacuum pump capacity is optimized. Simultaneously, the temperature of the extracted ground water is increased which facilitates the removal of contaminants in the air stripper 122, shown in FIG. 1B.
Another aspect of the present invention involves the level control of the knockout pot 102. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, an upper level switch 302 and a lower level switch 303 monitor the level of water in the knockout pot 102. The lower level switch 303 is set to permit liquid contaminants that are lighter than water, such as gasoline, to be removed from the water in the reservoir by flowing over a weir 308 while preventing water from flowing over the weir. In other words, water is allowed to accumulate in the reservoir until the upper limit switch 302 that defines the upper water level in the reservoir is tripped. Since contaminants such as gasoline are less dense and less conductive than water, the upper and lower level switches 302,303 can be float type or conductivity type, and thus can be adjusted so they are only tripped when immersed in a layer of water. The rising water causes the contaminant to spill over the weir 308 and it is then removed using a pump when switch 304 is activated, as shown. The pump 307 is most preferably a positive displacement gear pump. Although a certain amount of contaminant remains on top of the water, this residual is easily decanted, typically after remediation is complete.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to the control of the flow rate of the cool extracted water within the system. Maintaining a steady flow is particularly important in optimizing the exchange of heat in the plate heat exchanger 106. Typical trailer-mounted vacuum extraction systems do not use continuously variable valves, instead, open/close solenoid valves are used. However, these valves present a disadvantage because surges or dramatic changes in pressure and flow rate can result from their operation. Therefore, in preferred embodiments of the present invention, the flow of the system is controlled by a double valve system 310 that substantially eliminates surges without requiring the expense and complexity of continuously variable active valves. The double valve system 310 is seen in both FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B and preferably comprises a solenoid valve 312 and a throttling valve 314 that is hand set to an initial flow. The throttling valve 314 controls the flow from the vessel, and is set so that the flow is equal to the flow into the vessel. Any difference between the flow in and the flow out of the vessel is accounted for by opening the solenoid valve 312 to increase the outflow, or by stopping the pump 103,123 to decrease.
Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2B, another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. In this embodiment, cool water from the knock out pot 102 is used to condense vapors from the air stream. To further reduce its relative humidity the air stream is subsequently reheated using warm water from the liquid ring vacuum pump discharge. Thus, as seen in FIG. 2A, a two phase influent stream enters at the inlet 100 and is separated into a gaseous stream and a liquid stream by the knock out pot 102. The gaseous stream is drawn through the vacuum pump and discharged into the vapor liquid separator 108, where seal water is removed from the gaseous stream, as explained above with reference to FIG. 1A. The liquid from the knock out pot 102 is transferred by a pump 105 through a filter 107 and into a contaminant removal system 120, shown in FIG. 2B and explained above with reference to FIG. 1B. The water from the contaminant removal system 120 then flows to a break tank 205, shown in FIG. 2A, which can also receive water from a service water source 130, as explained above. Additionally, water from a well may be supplied by a well water line 131. These various sources of cool water are supplied to the break tank 205 as needed, and as explained above, the liquid level in the break tank is monitored and controlled.
From the break tank 205, a portion of the cool water flows to a vapor dehumidifier cooling section 208 seen in FIG. 2B, however, as seen in FIG. 2A, a portion of the water is routed to the liquid ring vacuum pump 110 to provide seal water. Alternatively, the flow may be discharged in a discharge line 210. In the dehumidifier condensing section 208 the water cools the warm vapor stream received from the vapor liquid separator 108. The water stream from the dehumidifier condensing section 208 is combined with the water stream from the dehumidifier reheat section 206. The combined stream is routed through an air cooled heat exchanger 222 and treated in the granular activated carbon filter system 120. The water is then returned to the break tank 205. The air cooled heat exchanger 222 further reduces the temperature of the recirculating water stream, so that it provides cool seal water for the liquid ring vacuum pump 110. Alternatively, the air cooled heat exchanger 222 is used to directly reduce the temperature of the water discharge of the liquid ring vacuum pump 110.
Thus, any water treated in the granular activated carbon system 120 may then be discharged or, more preferably, is routed to a break tank 205 that serves as a reservoir and allows control of the water balance in the system. From the break tank 205, seal water is either drawn out under vacuum, or is pumped on flow control to the liquid ring vacuum pump 110. Excess water produced from the two phase vacuum extraction process is overflowed or pumped to another part of the system for further treatment or disposal. If only a small amount of water is present in the two phase influent stream 100, and there is a net loss of water from the system loop, make up water from an external service line 130 or well line 131 can be added to the break tank 205. Any makeup water from a potable source is added from above the maximum liquid level in the break tank 205 so that there can be no backflow of potentially contaminated water into the supply connected to the service water line 130. An irreversible hydraulic break is provided, hence the name of the vessel.
Thus, as disclosed and described above, the present invention provides improved methods of removing contaminants from a contaminated site by applying a vacuum from a liquid ring vacuum pump to withdraw a two phase stream into a conduit. The two phase stream is then discharged into a knock out pot to create a liquid stream and a gaseous stream. With respect to the liquid stream, at least a portion of the non-aqueous phase liquid contaminants are separated in the knockout pot due to the difference in density between the contaminants and the water. Remaining contaminants in the liquid stream are treated in accordance with approved techniques. The vapor stream also may contain contaminants and is similarly treated to effect their removal. Contaminants are thus removed from the site as free phase product that separates from the collected groundwater while within the knockout pot, as liquid contaminants removed from the extracted groundwater by filtration or other treatment, and as gaseous contaminants removed from the extracted vapor stream by filtration or other treatment.
In one embodiment where the contaminant has a lower density than water, the method of the present invention preferably includes removing contaminants floating on the water by flowing the contaminants over a weir, sensing an upper water level in the reservoir, shutting off the flow of liquid to the reservoir, and reducing the water level in the reservoir to permit additional inflow. In another embodiment, the system is modified to achieve the same result where the contaminant has a higher density than water and collects at the bottom of the reservoir section. In such an embodiment, the dense contaminant level would rise, forcing water over the weir until a limit switch is tripped, activating a pump (with an inlet located at the bottom of the reservoir) that removes the contaminant. Thus, the disclosed system takes advantage of the relative density difference between the contaminant and the water, and either flows contaminant over the top of the weir or determines when contaminant level within the reservoir is sufficient to permit it to be conveniently drained from the bottom of the reservoir.
The invention improves upon known systems by supplying a source of make up water to the liquid ring vacuum pump that is comprised of at least a portion of the liquid stream collected by the knock out pot. The invention also uses the cool water from the knock out pot to condense vapors from the gaseous discharge stream. The seal water from the liquid ring vacuum pump creates a heated discharge stream, and the present invention provides an additional improvement by supplying at least a portion of this heated discharge stream to a dehumidifier connected to the gaseous stream, whereby the relative humidity of the gaseous stream is reduced prior to the step of removing contaminants from the gaseous stream, which as noted above increases the efficiency of contaminant removal.
Although certain embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated above and described with particularity, these embodiments are provided for purposes of illustration and are not meant to limit the present invention. Upon review of the foregoing specification and drawings, those of ordinary skill will immediately realize numerous adaptations and modifications of the disclosed system. These additional embodiments, however, will be within the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, in order to ascertain the scope of the present invention, attention is directed to the appended claims.
|Cited Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US4424068 *||Dec 6, 1982||Jan 3, 1984||Mcmillan John F||Separator and method for separation of oil, gas and water|
|US4616700 *||Sep 18, 1984||Oct 14, 1986||Hydril Company||Automatic well test system and method|
|US4817711 *||May 27, 1987||Apr 4, 1989||Jeambey Calhoun G||System for recovery of petroleum from petroleum impregnated media|
|US4890673 *||Feb 1, 1988||Jan 2, 1990||Midwest Water Resource, Inc.||Method of removing volatile contaminants from contaminated earth strata|
|US4982788 *||Mar 10, 1989||Jan 8, 1991||Donnelly Lawrence A||Apparatus and method for removing volatile contaminants from the ground|
|US4992174 *||Jun 8, 1989||Feb 12, 1991||Environmental Science & Engineering, Inc.||Fixed bed bioreactor remediation system|
|US5050676 *||Sep 27, 1989||Sep 24, 1991||Xerox Corporation||Process for two phase vacuum extraction of soil contaminants|
|US5076360 *||Apr 4, 1990||Dec 31, 1991||Dames & Moore||Priming methods for vacuum extraction wells|
|US5076727 *||Jul 30, 1990||Dec 31, 1991||Shell Oil Company||In situ decontamination of spills and landfills by focussed microwave/radio frequency heating and a closed-loop vapor flushing and vacuum recovery system|
|US5172764 *||Feb 7, 1991||Dec 22, 1992||Xerox Corporation||Process and apparatus for groundwater extraction using a high vacuum process|
|US5197541 *||Jul 15, 1991||Mar 30, 1993||Xerox Corporation||Apparatus for two phase vacuum extraction of soil contaminants|
|US5358357 *||Apr 30, 1993||Oct 25, 1994||Xerox Corporation||Process and apparatus for high vacuum groundwater extraction|
|US5441365 *||Apr 29, 1994||Aug 15, 1995||Xerox Corporation||Apparatus and process for treating contaminated soil gases and liquids|
|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US5857522 *||May 3, 1996||Jan 12, 1999||Baker Hughes Incorporated||Fluid handling system for use in drilling of wellbores|
|US6305473||Aug 17, 1998||Oct 23, 2001||Leggette, Brashears And Graham||Vacuum extraction apparatus and process|
|US20040231513 *||Apr 21, 2004||Nov 25, 2004||Perkins James A.||System for inline stripping of soil contaminants|
|US20110211911 *||Mar 1, 2011||Sep 1, 2011||Wavefront Technology Solutions Inc.||Method and apparatus for enhancing multiphase extraction of contaminants|
|CN105370248A *||Aug 30, 2014||Mar 2, 2016||中石化重庆涪陵页岩气勘探开发有限公司||Shale gas well gas testing and production device and flow|
|U.S. Classification||405/128.2, 166/267|
|Sep 26, 1994||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: BCM ENGINEERS, INC.
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:MORROW, STEVEN R.;REEL/FRAME:007154/0019
Effective date: 19940901
|Jul 18, 2000||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|Dec 24, 2000||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|Feb 27, 2001||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20001224


text:
AmaZulu Traditional Prime Minister, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi is describing the gathering at former President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead, as an Act of Treason.
He says the large gathering of supporters – many of whom were not wearing masks – put lives at risk.
Buthelezi also blames Zuma’s lawyers for letting him down.
He says they should have advised him of the consequences of not complying with the Constitutional Court’s order.
Buthelezi says Zuma’s supporters are challenging the state and are therefore challenging all law-abiding citizens.
Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail for failing to appear before the State Capture Inquiry.


text:
Looking for recipes to celebrate one of the most famous holidays in the USA? With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, A Cup of Kathy has all the inspiration you need to put together the best Cinco de Mayo celebration ever. Featuring a sparkling margarita and guacamole with a twist, here are two delicious recipes for your Mexican-themed celebration. Let’s make it a fiesta to remember!
This delightful and fun Margarita recipe from Better Homes and Gardens makes six delicious servings and may just become your new favorite margarita. It’s already become mine – I did have to test the recipe out.
1 cup white (blanco) tequila
2/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup agave nectar
1-1/2 cups sparkling wine or champagne
Lime peel strips or very thin lime slices
Mix half of the tequila, lime juice, and agave nectar in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake for five seconds and strain the mixture into three glasses. Repeat with remaining tequila, juice and agave nectar. Top each serving with sparkling wine; add a lime peel strip and additional lime juice to taste.
How about a twist to your usual Guacamole, using Better Homes and Gardens’ recipe to replace cilantro with basil? It’s a favorite of mine because while I’m not a cilantro fan, I do like basil.
2 ripe, medium avocados, halved, seeded, and peeled
¾ cup snipped fresh basil
½ cup chopped seeded tomato
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
¼ to ½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper or few drops bottled hot pepper sauce
Use a fork to mash the avocado in a bowl. Stir in the basil, tomato, green onion, lime juice, salt and red pepper. Serve immediately with tortilla chips. Makes about two cups (16 two-tablespoon servings).
HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO?
Drop me a line in the comments below.
I’d love to hear from you.
The Cinco de Mayo holiday in Mexico is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla and commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the massive French forces of Napoleon III on May 5, 1862, at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day – that’s celebrated on September16th.
Longmont, Colorado, USA, plays host to an interesting Cinco de Mayo celebration. Thousands of people attend this annual event not just to enjoy the food, but also for shopping, car shows, family activities and especially the Chihuahua beauty contest, which awards cash prizes and crowns a King and a Queen Chihuahua.
According to the California Avocado Commission, more than 81 million avocados are consumed by Americans on Cinco de Mayo. That’s a whole lot of guacamole!
People in the USA spend more than $2.9 billion on margaritas annually, which is approximately 14% of the country’s cocktail sales, according to Bloomberg. Cinco de Mayo is considered the biggest day for margarita sales in the USA.
Cinco de Mayo celebrations are not restricted to Mexico and the USA; the day is celebrated around the world. In Sydney, Australia, a competition called Margarita Showdown is held on May 5th. Five local bar teams compete against each other to make the best margarita at this annual event. The judging panel consists of the regular patrons; to become a judge, each person pays an entry fee and tastes five drinks before voting for the best one.
Similar to the Margarita Showdown event, Vancouver, Canada, holds an annual Cinco de Mayo skydiving event for people interested in adventure sports. It’s followed by a mustache contest, along with tacos and mojitos and evening festivities.

domain: food


text:
I can’t believe it’s August already. The past few months have passed in a blur of editing and excessive chocolate consumption, but I’ve finally finished The Gloaming!
The release date will be announced very, very soon, and the cover reveal will take place at the same time. Pre-orders will also go up at that time, so if you’re really keen, you can get in ahead of the game and have it automatically delivered to your e-reading device on release day. I’ll post the link as soon as it’s available.
I’ve been working on the blurb for The Gloaming over the past month or so, and I’m finally happy with it. Well, mostly happy with it. Depending on reader feedback, I might make some more changes. But for now, it’s fine as it is.
Some of my wonderful Twitter followers helped me to make the blurb FAR better than it would have been otherwise, and I’m immensely grateful to them. While I couldn’t use all of their feedback for this particular project, I carefully considered every piece of advice and wrote it down for future reference.
While I was waiting for The Gloaming to come back from the editor, I took some time to start submitting my short stories again. I’m pleased to announce that Marked for Life was sold to Aurealis Magazine!
To be honest, I nearly passed out when I saw the news. I’d gotten really positive feedback from the slush readers (seriously, I almost cried because of how nice they were), but I still didn’t expect to actually get in. It seemed like an impossible dream. Now it’s a dream come true. 🙂
Last month, I had the pleasure of beta reading an upcoming book by one of my favourite authors: Jeremy Bates. I would describe his earlier work as atmospheric horror, and while I don’t write horror, his ability to capture the essence of a scene has been strongly influential in my own writing. His new book, which is based on the Russian Sleep Experiment creepypasta, will be out on August 27. If that sounds like something you might be interested in, it’s definitely worth checking out.
- Publish The Gloaming. I’m on track to succeed with this one. The release date has been set and almost everything is in place. I just need to get the manuscript typeset (my formatting team is doing this right now), upload the final file to each site, and finish off the cover (i.e. change the spine width based on the final page count).
- Overcome my aversion to marketing. I’ve made definite progress on this one, too. I read a brilliant book about the subject, and it’s completely changed my perspective. I’m going to write a blog post about it at some point.
- Finish The Rabbit in the Moon & start querying. I haven’t made any more progress towards this goal. Will I finish it before the end of the year? Maybe. But I seriously doubt I will be ready to query, and I don’t want to rush things if it’s not up to par. We’ll see what happens.
- Sell 3+ short stories to SFWA-approved markets. To be honest, I think this goal was a little too ambitious. The rejections I’ve received so far have been positive and encouraging, but I think my writing skills are not quite good enough to crack the pro markets yet. Does that mean I’m giving up? Absolutely not. It’s important for writers to approach their craft fearlessly. After all, if you don’t try, you’ll never succeed. So with that in mind, I will keep submitting until I achieve this goal, whether it’s in a year, two years, or ten years.
- Get better at writing endings. While I haven’t mastered endings yet, I can definitely say that I’ve improved. The trick, I’ve found, is to plan the final lines early on (around the same time I plan the first few lines). I’m going to stay mindful of this in the future.
That’s all the news I have for now, but I’ll post again when pre-orders open for The Gloaming. And maybe before then if I don’t get insanely busy again.

domain: hobby


Digiboil 65 litre turbo boiler 3500 watt
temporarily sold out
* Liters and Gallon Graduations
* Stainless steel tap with barb and 1/2 thread
* Triple element control (so you can adjust the power from 500watts, 1000watts, 1500watts, 2000watts, 2500watts, 3000watts and 3500watts! )
* Compatible with the reflux and pot still that we sell (NOTE: when using our pot or reflux stills do not use more than 1900watts)
* Easy to use
* Great for use as a hot liquor tank, boiler, or hot water urn
* Concealed element for easy cleaning
* Compatible with reflux and pot still. Stainless clamps will secure distillation lid air tight (NOTE: if you are using the reflux or pot still you need to also purchase the 65 litre alcoengine Distillation lid
* Can also be used for sous vide cooking
Want to save some power? Neopren jacket/parker available
This will reduce your heat loss by about 200-300 watts.
220- 240v option is 3500watts
Q. Can I use this on a standard 10amp power socket in my house?
A. Out of the box this unit needs to be manufactured with a 15amp power socket. With that said you can convert this to a 10amp compatible device in two different ways. You can either:
1. Purchase a device like this Ampfibian Mini 15amp to 10amp adaptor. If you do this you will be able to run the Digiboil however if you turn on all three elements you will trip the circuit breaker. For this reason you will only be able to use a maximum of 2 of the elements. (not all three)
2. Alternatively you can remove the cord and replace the cord on this device with a 10amp cord but if you do this you need to also disconnect the larger element so this is disabled in the unit.
So yes you can run this device on a 10amp power socket however only if you are happy to have 1300watts less power as a result.


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A Quiet Flame
A Bernie Gunther Novel
Bernie Gunther returns to trail a serial killer in 1950's Buenos Aires When he introduced Bernie Gunther in the original Berlin Noir trilogy, Philip Kerr immediately established himself as a thriller writer on par with Raymond Chandler. His new Bernie Gunther novels have won him comparisons with Alan Furst, John le Carré, and Graham Greene. A Quiet...

domain: entertainment


The Major League Baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint -- except for 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the normal 162-game schedule being trimmed down to a 60-game format where each matchup will take on greater importance.
Get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App
The Boston Red Sox will open up their new season with a three-game series versus the Baltimore Orioles beginning July 24 at Fenway Park.
WE GOT PLANS. pic.twitter.com/gQ9hAUyCef— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 6, 2020
Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker announced last week that local pro teams could begin hosting games without fans later this month. Red Sox president Sam Kennedy told reporters in late June that he's "hopeful" of having fans at Fenway Park at some point during the 2020 season, but he's not sure if it will happen.
In an effort to combat COVID-19, each team's schedule has been built to minimize travel as much as possible. The Red Sox, for example, will only play American League East and National League East teams. Boston has 10 games against each of its four divisional rivals, and the remaining 20 games are with NL East opponents.
The Red Sox will take on the rival New York Yankees for the first time beginning July 31 with a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Seven of their 10 games versus the Yankees will be played in New York. The Sox also will play the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals at Fenway Park in a three-game series from Aug. 28 to Aug. 30.
Boston's final series of the regular season will be played against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park from Sept. 25 to Sept. 27.


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Country Life Biotin 10mg 120 Vegetarian Capsules
Biotin is a water soluble B vitamin that supports the formation of keratin, a building block for skin, hair and nails. Biotin also supports energy metabolism.
Other Ingredients: Cellulose (capsule shell), cellulose, medium chain triglycerides, silica.
Directions: Adults take one (1) capsule daily with food. As a reminder, discuss the supplements and medications that you take with your health care providers.
CAUTION: If you are pregnant or nursing, taking medication or planning a surgery, consult your doctor before using this product. If any adverse reactions occur, stop taking the product and consult your doctor.
|Total Health Discount Vitamins - We Make Good Health Affordable! In the Discount Vitamin business since 1985. We are located in a 12,000 sq. ft. store in Farmingdale, NY. Choose from over 26,000 Vitamin, Herb, Supplement, Sports Nutrition or Gluten Free Products from 350 Top Selling Vitamin and Natural Foods Manufacturers.
*Free Shipping on Internet Orders over $85. $6.95 on Ground Shipping United States only (contiguous 48 states). All Free Shipping Offers are a maximum of 5lbs.
At Total Health We Make Good Health Affordable
Call Us Toll Free At 1-800-283-2833
Total Health Network Corp. 120 Rt. 110, Suite 1, Farmingdale, NY 11735
Total Health is not an authorized seller of Standard Process Inc. products and is in no way favored by, affiliated with, authorized, sponsored or related to Standard Process Inc.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Free shipping on your whole order when you purchase any product from any of the following brands...
|Designs for Health|
|Total Health Vitamins|
|Garden of Life|
|NTI - Propax|

domain: medical


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Attendance Marketing Toolkit
Official Image Library
Our online image library grants you access to thousands of high-resolution photos of Toronto, Brampton and Mississauga. You’ll find spectacular shots of the famous landmarks, attractions, neighbourhoods and special events that define the Toronto area. Also includes logo files in all the formats you’ll need.
Video: Let Yourself In
All the ways to discover Toronto – the places, the people, the stories. Welcome to Canada’s Downtown.
Video: Toronto Girlfriends Getaway (Summer Series)
Sip, savour, share and seize the night with your girlfriends in the city.
Video: Toronto Couples Getaway (Summer Series)
Enchant, rekindle, surprise, dazzle and delight your partner with summer dates in the city.
Video: Toronto Family Getaway (Summer Series)
Venture, connect, play, laugh and amaze yourself with summer activities and events in the city.
Video: June in Toronto (Summer Series)
Sail, sway, sing, love and celebrate the beginning of your summer in Toronto.
Video: July in Toronto (Summer Series)
Indulge, groove, chase, refresh and rhumba your way through the city.
Video: August in Toronto (Summer Series)
Strut in the streets at Toronto Caribbean Carnival, dine on Greek food at Taste of the Danforth, watch a Rogers Cup tennis match and enjoy a thrilling time around the city.
Video: Toronto Summer Sports (Summer Series)
Cheer for the Blue Jays with the Rogers Centre roof open, feel the rush of the Honda Indy cars zooming around Exhibition Place and watch Toronto FC kick their way to a win at BMO Field.
Video: Fall in Toronto (Fall Series)
Grab your pumpkin spice latte and watch Hollywood’s hottest celebrities walk the TIFF red carpet, roar with laughter at JFL42 and witness Toronto’s artistic scene come to life at Nuit Blanche.
Video: Toronto Couples Getaway (Fall Series)
Enjoy a romantic dinner at the CN Tower’s 360 restaurant, get hooked on the aquatic life at Ripley’s Aquarium and take a crisp autumn stroll around the Casa Loma grounds.
Video: Toronto Family Getaway (Fall Series)
Start hockey season early by visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame, take selfies with the mighty dinosaurs at the Royal Ontario Museum and gaze in wonder at the Planet Jellies gallery in the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada..
Video: Toronto Girlfriends Getaway (Fall Series)
Attend a TIFF premiere and mingle among the movie stars, shop till you drop along Mink Mile and visit Yonge-Dundas Square for a whole variety of restaurants to choose from.
Video: Celebrities Talk Toronto
Find out what your favourite TIFF celebrities love about Toronto.


Turnbull Buntline PAST PRODUCT – No longer for sale
Turnbull Restoration & Manufacturing Co. Buntline Single Action Army. Each Buntline features color case hardening frame, hammer and loading gate with the balance of the revolver charcoal blued. The unique ladder sight is only available on this Turnbull version.
A limited run will be produced at this time featuring the color case hardened frame and hammer.
Single Action Revolver
American Black Walnut


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The Kennebec Valley Art Association will hold its annual meeting on
Monday, April 22nd at 6:30 p.m. at the Harlow Gallery.
Business will include:
Voting in new and returning board members. Learn about plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Harlow Gallery this year, and how to get involved! A look back at 2012, and join us in honoring some key volunteers.
Please plan to bring a dessert or beverage to share during the break, and save that date!
54th Annual Meeting of the Kennebec Valley Art Association
Monday, April 22, 2013, 6:30 pm at the Harlow Gallery
Welcome and approval of Minutes from 2012–Marie Giguere, Secretary
Minutes from last years meeting are available here: 2012 Annual Meeting minutes
Highlights of 2012 at the Harlow – Julie Barter, Board Member
Financial Overview – Karen Johnson, Treasurer
Election of Board Members
50 years of art and growth and overview of the past, and plans for celebrating our 50th anniversary – Deborah Fahy, Executive Director
Volunteer Appreciation – Nancy Barron, Program Director and Volunteer Coordinator
Reception – dessert potluck & networking


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Tributes paid to councillor who died this week
Tributes are being paid to a Mansfield councillor who died this week.
Lee Probert, a Labour member who was councillor for the Yeoman Hill ward, passed away on Monday morning after a short illness.
She won her seat during last year’s elections.
Mayor of Mansfield Kate Allsop said: “I am so saddened by the loss of Lee, she has been an excellent ward councillor and she was warm and genuine.
“Lee cared greatly for her community and always worked hard to ensure she helped those who came to her.
Air ambulance called in after medical emergency in Kirkby
Reports from the courts: defendants from the Mansfield and Ashfield areas
Mansfield man watched sick child porn on Twitter and tried to mislead police
Students at The Garibaldi School in Mansfield achieve highest A-level results in school's history
Work is underway on Mansfield's new memorial garden and pocket park
“But she did so much more than just respond; she was proactively involved with many projects and everything she did was with a smile and a friendly chat.
“I will miss her greatly and my condolences are with her family friends and colleagues.”
Coun Probert was elected as ward member for the Yeoman Hill Ward in May 2015 and was an active member of the Labour group.
Leader, Councillor Sonya Ward, said: “Lee was in office for just over a year. However in that time she made a real impact.
“She was dedicated to her residents and passionate about improving her ward.
“Soon after being elected, she organised a successful fundraising Memory Walk for the Alzheimer’s Society, and she planned to make this an annual event. She was also an active volunteer for the Samaritans, Mansfield Soup Kitchen and other causes.
“Lee felt passionately about improving services for people with mental health problems, and pioneered the Mental Health Champion role at Mansfield District Council.
“Her commitment to the community was appreciated by her district and county council colleagues, alike.
“People’s lives were enriched by having Lee in them. We will remember her fondly for her beaming smile, her warmth, sense of humour and her tenacity, and she will be very much missed.”
Chief executive of Mansfield District Council, Bev Smith, added: “Coun Probert approached her role with enthusiasm, passion and commitment to make a difference within her community.
“She was the first member become a mental health champion, promoting a wider understanding of the impact that mental health has on individuals.”


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Summary: Two classic arcade games make their way onto the PS3. While some old-school game design does get in the way, I still had an absolute blast hacking and slashing my way through hoards of awesome fantasy creatures. It's even more fun when you get some friends to join you. Overall both games are very brief, but provided you like the gameplay enough it can have replay value. At least until Two classic arcade games make their way onto the PS3.
Summary: I had to buy this when I saw it. All these classic D&D-based games (BG2 and Torment are among the best RPGs of all time) on TWO DVDs and updated for compatibility on Win7? So worth owning! Thank you, Atari! The games themselves are scaled surprisingly well on a widescreen monitor and the portraits, text and buttons all look fantastic. Even so, you can run the game in windowed mode if you so desire. The audio is excellent.
Summary: This is an ok game. I'm running XP but the game hesitates for a second or so when I click the main character to react to some event or attack. My character also jumps at times forward or back for no apparent reason. It may be my machine; It's only 3 years old. I had it built for gaming, but it doesn't run older games well for some reason. I have so far been unable to resolve the issue.


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Senior Manager, Credit
Funding Societies | Modalku is the largest SME digital financing platform in Southeast Asia. We are licensed in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and registered in Malaysia. We are backed by Sequoia India and Softbank Ventures Asia Corp amongst many others and provides business financing to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which is crowdfunded by individual and institutional investors. And here at Funding Societies | Modalku we live by our core values:
- Serve with Obsession: Build win-win relationships for the long-term by having a customer obsession.
- Grow Relentlessly: Strive to become our best, most authentic selves.
- Enable Teamwork, Disable Politics: Only by forging togetherness, we help each other succeed.
- Test Measure Act: Stay curious and reinvent ourselves, through innovation and experimentation.
- Focus on Impact: Create impact through bias for action and tangible results.
- Oversee the company’s credit administration matters while also ensuring that all credit related activities are in compliance with both internal policies and external regulatory requirements; including credit underwriting, operations and collection activities.
- Leading and managing a team of credit and collection professionals in ensuring all key metrics assigned are met.
- Implement and ensure customer selection and acceptance framework to be within the acceptable credit decisioning framework and in compliance with internal and external guidelines/procedures/limits.
- Identify emerging and material risks within product portfolio and provide recommendations and solutions to Management team on credit & recovery risk portfolio management.
- Provide subject matter expert recommendations, advice, input/counsel to relevant stakeholders inclusive of Business Unit, Credit & Risk Committees or Management, as and when needed.
- Execute and implement a continuous improvement approach to collections risk strategy through analytics of performance data.
- Provide feedback and guidance on the best practices and advise on acceptable structure of financing applications to business unit.
- Develop, enhance and monitor the performance of the credit scoring systems and statistical models in credit decision.
- Manage and monitor the efficacy of credit policies, procedures and supporting mechanisms in controlling credit & recovery risk and making appropriate credit & recovery related recommendations.
What are we looking for:
- Minimum 7 years of experience in credit (underwriting & operations) and recovery/collections.
- Strong analytical and problem solving skills with ability to analyse and interpret credit and repayment data.
- Ability to execute and drive projects to completion in a timely manner.
- Experience in handling SME portfolio.
- Strong knowledge of lending principles and credit management in Financial Service environment.
- Knowledge and experience in financial product development.
- Experience in managing a team and work collaboratively with cross functional/department team members across the company.
- Performance driven and ability to work under pressure to meet targets.
- Time off - We would love you to take time off to rest and rejuvenate. We offer flexible paid vacations as well as many other observed holidays by country. We also like to have our people take a day off for special days like birthdays and work anniversaries.
- Flexible Working - We believe in giving back the control of work & life to our people. We trust our people and love to provide the space to accommodate each and everyone's working style and personal life.
- Medical Benefits - We offer health insurance coverage for our employees and dependents. Our people focus on our mission knowing we have their back for their loved ones too.
- Mental Health and Wellness - We understand that our team productivity is directly linked to our mental and physical health. Hence we have Wellness Wednesdays and we engage partners to provide well-being coaching. And we have our Great FSMK Workout sessions too to keep everyone healthy and fit!
- Learning & Development - We believe learning should never end and we support everyone with curated learning programs on our internal learning platform.
- Tech Support - We provide a company laptop for our employees and the best possible support for the right equipment/tools to enable high productivity

domain: finance


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Law no. 46/2015 “On Postal Services in the Republic of Albania”
This law lays down the rules for the delivery and provision of postal services and universal postal service, as well as the conditions for access to the postal network in the Republic of Albania. It also specifies the institutions responsible for regulating the postal service, as well as the rights and obligations of postal service providers and users in the Republic of Albania.
Official Journal Number 85, May 2015.
Law no. 9901, dated 14.04.2008 “On Traders and Businesses”, as amended;
This law regulates the status of a trader, the founding and administration of companies, the rights and obligations of founders, partners and shareholders, the reorganization and liquidation of companies. Business companies are corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies and joint stock companies.
Law no. 9918, dated 19.05.2008 “On Electronic Communications in the Republic of Albania”, as amended;
This law, inter alia, aims at establishing the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP) as a regulatory body in the field of electronic communications and postal service, which oversees the regulatory framework set out in this law by the law on postal service. and development policies set by the Council of Ministers.
Decision of the Council of Ministers no. 1039, dated 16.12.2015 “On the Establishment of Procedures for the Issuance, Production, Use and Trading of the Albanian Postage Stamp”.
This decision sets forth the rules for the issuance, production, use, thematic and marketing of the Albanian postage stamp by the Albanian Post Company, in accordance with the international rules of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
Decision of the Council of Ministers no.241, dated 31.03.2011 “On the performance by the“ Albanian Post ”sh.a. of the Postal, Financial and other Services, which are in accordance with the activity of this post, for the Governing Institutions Central and Local Government, Other Public Institutions and State-owned Business Associations ”, amended by Council of Ministers Decision no. 81, dated 28.01.2015.
This law stipulates that:
The Prime Minister’s Office, Ministries, Public Sector Institutions, whose activity relies on public property, state, local government institutions, and state-owned commercial companies, both on their own behalf and in the service of citizens and vice versa, to carry through “Albanian Post” sh.a, the following services: a) postal services; b) financial services, which do not contradict current legislation; c) Services, which are in accordance with the activity of “Albanian Post” sh.a., which are charged with the decision of the Council of Ministers or the minister that covers the activity of postal services.
The aforementioned institutions (with the exception of state-owned commercial companies after being removed by DCM No. 81, dated 28.01.2015) for other services, which are in accordance with the activity of “Albanian Post” sh.a., as a first provider, should address this post. If these services are not provided by Albanian Post sh.a, then they may be provided to other operators.
For the services provided, according to this decision, “Albanian Post” sh.a. will apply market value oriented tariffs.
The Minister of State for Innovation and Public Administration is in charge of implementing this decision
Decision of the Council of Ministers no.595, dated 31.08.2006 “On the approval of Direct Mail tariffs”;
This law approves the “Direct Mail” postage tariffs for the boundaries of the reserved area
Official Journal Number 96, September 2006.
Decision of the Council of Ministers no. 539, dated 01.08.2003 “On the approval of the document on the policy of development of postal services in the Republic of Albania”;
Official Journal Number 70, August 2003.
Decision of the Council of Ministers no. 446, dated 26.09.2002 “On the approval of basic postal tariffs”;
This law approves the postal tariffs of basic services provided by the public operator Albanian Post sh.a.
Official Journal Number 58, September 2002.
Decision of the Council of Ministers no. 27, dated 20.01.2001 “On the placement of mailboxes in residential buildings and institutions”.
This law defines the placement of mailboxes throughout all projects for new buildings, residential buildings, socio-cultural institutions and production entities. Mailboxes and their type are to be decided by investors themselves, depending on the function of the building.
Official Journal Number 09, March 2001.
Instruction no. 1, dated 22.01.2016 of the Minister of State for Innovation and Public Administration “On the Determination of Rules for the Functioning of the State Commission on the Albanian Postal Stamp”;
Instruction no. 2, dated 22.01.2016 of the Minister of State for Innovation and Public Administration “On the Quantity of Postage Stamps in Storage”;


The hard disk is the hardware where our files are stored and its correct operation will make the computer and our work develop optimally.
If we are technical personnel or we are working for a company, it is advisable to have the status of our hard drives monitored so as not to suffer critical loss of information.
Signs that the hard drive may be damaged
- The computer freezes frequently.
- It turns on or off much slower than usual.
- You hear a kind of “Click” within the same hard drive
- Blue screen shots appear with error codes indicating that the hard drive has possible problems.
Diagnosis using crystal disk info software
The Crystal Disk Info is a free software that allows us to make a quick diagnosis of the health of our hard disk.
Crystal Disk Info Color Code
- Green, The hard drive is new or like new, there is no possibility of failure.
- Blue, The hard drive is fine and working properly.
- Yellow, This color warns that there are damaged physical sectors on the disk plates with high possibilities of error and data loss (It is recommended to replace it).
- Red, Damaged hard drive with impending critical failure (Replacement recommended).
- Gray, It is detected by the system with irreversible damage.
Download the software
|Crystal Disk Info|
You can download the rapid diagnostic software from the author’s official website by following the link that we put on our website.
Also visit their official page here
Download the latest stable version of Crytal Disk Info here