text:
Singing News TV is a next-generation streaming service for the whole family. SNTV offers the best in Southern Gospel Music, news, concerts, videos, interviews, and more plus thousands of hours of family-friendly shows, movies, and documentaries. Watch LIVE concerts from most of the major events around the world. Also…watch your favorite concerts on demand 24/7.
Select artists or songs with ease.
After you make your purchase, you can download the app on your phone, tablet, and most smart TVs including Roku, Amazon FireTV, and AppleTV.
For more information call our office at: 1-800-527-5226.
Roger, Connie, and Eli Fortner continue the musical & spiritual legacy of their family, the McKameys in this hourlong special with new songs and old favorites. You'll also enjoy insightful interviews by the group plus special guest interviews by Ruben and Peg Bean shot on location at their home.


text:
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien on Monday expressed his disappointment over the fact that a convoy carrying humanitarian aid for people in eastern Aleppo, Syria, got stuck on the Turkish-Syrian border for a week now, and cannot reach the city.
"I am pained and disappointed that a United Nations convoy has yet to cross into Syria from Turkey, and safely reach eastern Aleppo, where up to 275,000 people remain trapped without food, water, proper shelter or medical care," O’Brien said in a press release.
O’Brien also stressed that humanitarian access should be provided elsewhere regardless political and military situation.
"Humanitarian aid must remain neutral, impartial and free of political and military agendas. The United Nations and our partners remain ready to meet people's needs regardless of who or where people are," he added.
Almost 14 million Syrian people remain in deep need of receiving humanitarian aid, which cannot be delivered due to continuous fighting, according to UN estimates.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting numerous opposition groups, as well as terrorist formations, such as the Daesh militant group, which is prohibited in many countries, including Russia and the United States.

domain: sociology


The Vanguard Staff
EDMOND, OK – Julius Jones, facing the death penalty for the 1999 murder of Edmond businessman Paul Howell, has found help from Republican state lawmakers this week, according to a press statement from “Justice for Julius (JFJ).”
The GOP legislators, including two representing Edmond, have asked Gov. Kevin Stitt to grant clemency to Jones who has maintained his innocence and offered evidence that he was wrongfully convicted.
JFJ noted that the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board Nov. 1 voted 3-1 to recommend Jones’ sentence be commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole, “citing doubts about Jones’ guilt and inequities in sentencing.”
Rep. Mize said the death penalty should never be used when an inmate’s guilt is in question, arguing, “The last thing the state should be doing is taking the life of someone who may be innocent.”
He added, “There is too much doubt here, especially given that Julius Jones’ codefendant has confessed to being the real murderer. We can’t move forward with an execution under these circumstances in good conscience. I hope and pray Gov. Stitt accepts the recommendation of his Parole Board.”
Rep. Stinson released a statement, supporting the Pardon and Parole Board recommendation for clemency.
“Paul Howell’s murder was a terrible tragedy for his family and this entire community,” said Rep. Stinson. “More than two decades later, however, I have many constituents who still have questions. Our judicial system gives judges and juries the responsibility to determine guilt and sentencing.”
“However, the Pardon and Parole Board also plays a role in this system, and in this case they have recommended clemency. For that reason, I am asking Gov. Stitt to take him off of death row and accept the recommendation of his Pardon and Parole Board,” he added.
Other GOP lawmakers, in addition to Stinson and Mize, calling for clemency include, Rep. John Talley, Rep. Logan Phillips and Rep. Kevin McDugle, said JFJ.
Rep. McDugle added, “Putting someone to death should be the highest bar to meet, and when there is doubt we just can’t do it!” Earlier this year, he wrote a letter to Gov. Kevin Stitt asking him to commute Jones’ sentence and avoid a “grave miscarriage of justice.”
“If we believe, as conservatives, in law and order and the criminal justice system, then we have to make sure the system is getting it right,” said Talley. “In this case, the Pardon and Parole Board spent several hours looking at the case, during two separate hearings, and determined that it may not have. We should not execute a man in that context.”
“You just can’t be sure in this case,” said Phillips. “There is a lot of information – including an alibi, a witness description and a confession from another man who says he’s the real killer – that the jury never heard. With so much uncertainty, I urge the Governor to take the recommendation sent to him twice now by his Pardon and Parole Board.”


text:
Friday, October 31, 2008
Peter... Dude...This is killer. Seriously, love those lines. Still wish somebody had the guts to dress up as Doc Manhattan at the halloween party though...-Ian H
LOVE Rorschach. Great interpretation.
Sweet Jesus.This encapsulates everything that is Ror.Dude,poster. Make it, now. You gotta.
Post a Comment

domain: artistic


text:
For thousands of years, Big Houses represented the physical, cultural, political, and spiritual core of First Nation communities.
We are proud to have worked together with the Heiltsuk First Nation as they embarked on the ambitious project of building the first Big House in the modern village of Bella Bella, BC.
Our promotional materials helped with the necessary fundraising and community engagement to make this project a reality. We developed a brochure and short film featuring community voices to document the significance of a Bella Bella Big House in strengthening cultural identity.
We were happy to participate in the opening in 2019!


text:
Dr. Jeff Young, a psychologist who specializes in sleep, mood and anxiety disorders at UCLA, and his private practice in Encino, CA, is with us today to talk about the Oculus Quest 2. Oculus Quest 2 is a virtual reality (VR) headset that is now owned by Facebook Technologies. It’s an all-in-one gaming library of inspiring games and experiences. There is no better person to tell us all about this virtual reality headset experience than Dr. Jeff because he is a user and understands the technology.
Welcome Dr. Jeff to “Lying On The Beach On Camera.”

domain: psychology


Honda and Subaru Mount Adapter for Gentex Mirror. This mount is made to convert any factory Cam Lock style mirror to fit the Gentex rearview mirrors, most popular with Honda and Subaru vehicles.
MITO Corporation was founded in 1974 to satisfy a market need for a consistent, high quality sales and distribution service for premium market electronic goods. MITO's goal is to offer quality products from quality vendors. They are proud to represent to the Automotive Aftermarket industry what are traditionally Original Equipment products. Products from companies like Gentex, MUTH, and Johnson Controls Inc.
MITO is proud of its record of providing and maintaining high quality in both product and service. This is accomplished through a tight product quality assurance program to guarantee specification, conformance, and reliability. The quality program is controlled from receipt, customization, inspection, and distribution of all products to agreed delivery schedules.


Our world was shaken this spring by something we never saw coming: a global pandemic. COVID-19 took the world by storm and sheltering in place in our homes became our way of life. Businesses locked up, economies shut down, and society almost stood still. Every person, whether infected or not, was touched in some way by COVID-19; it has completely reshaped the way society functions. One of those things that COVID-19 changed was voting. In a typical voting year, voters stand shoulder to shoulder in line, possibly for hours, as they wait to cast their vote. Then, they handle ballots and touch screens to make their selections. Clearly a potential toxic stew of community transmission of the coronavirus, things had to change. Voting has been a relatively consistent and standard process for the last several decades, so, under the rule of a global pandemic, election officials and policymakers scrambled to find new ways to mitigate the threat of COVID-19. For many, this meant reviewing their state’s continuity of government constitutional provisions, continuity of legislatures during emergencies plans, election emergency statutes and election contingency plans at the state and local levels. Officials and policymakers had to address both the practical and legal issues around facilitating elections, while also decreasing the potential for spreading the virus. The two most popular strategies enacted to mitigate risk of COVID-19 while voting were postponing the date of an election, as well as extending the ability to vote absentee (by mail) to all voters, sometimes even requiring it. Source: https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/state-action-on-covid-19-and-elections.aspx Two Ways the Coronavirus Could Permanently Change American Politics The coronavirus has changed the way American society did many things, including the way we vote and hold elections. Here are two ways the coronavirus could change American politics, potentially permanently: #1: Mail-in Voting Many are hesitant to wait in long lines, shoulder to shoulder, to cast their ballots. A poll released at the end of April found almost 40% of adults supported holding elections exclusively by mail, double the amount from 2018, and 56% of people stated everyone should be allowed to vote by mail without having to apply and provide a specific reason. Each state has its own guidelines regarding mail-in voting in the upcoming general election. Some mail absentee applications to all registered voters. Some — like Indiana — mail applications to those who request them. Mail-in voting remains a topic of ongoing discussion within every state and at the national level. #2: Political Campaigning With going door-to-door and holding fundraisers and mass rallies out of the question, politicians have had to adapt the way they campaign for office. Many have turned to virtual campaigns, holding video conferences with constituents and livestreaming speeches. Perhaps the shift to virtual campaigning will become the norm in future election cycles. Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/495761-five-ways-the-coronavirus-could-change-american-politics
Who can vote? To vote in the 2020 general election, you must:
Make sure you register to vote in time for the 2020 general election! Did you know you must register to vote at least 29 days before an election? That means you need to register by Oct. 5 to vote in the general election Nov. 3. If you still need to register to vote or update your address, or would like to check your registration status, visit indianavoters.in.gov and follow the links on the screen. This site can also help you find your polling location, review the ballot and get to know the candidates, and obtain absentee ballot information and other resources. Over 4.5 million Hoosiers have registered to vote. Make sure to join that list. Registering to vote is the first step in assuring your voice is heard on the local and national levels. As you evaluate the candidates and determine who to support, remember elected officials play a very important role in ensuring your electric cooperative can continue providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity. Elected officials from the local level to the state, all the way up to Indiana’s Congressional delegation and even the president, have an impact on your local electric cooperative. You can help your local electric cooperative by backing candidates who support positive energy policies and assist the efforts of Indiana’s electric cooperatives to power the businesses and communities they serve. Let’s continue supporting candidates who support Indiana’s electric cooperatives as they are key partners in helping rural Indiana grow and thrive. Supporting Democracy: Volunteer to Work the Polls Registering to vote and participating in an election are fundamental rights and privileges of living in a democracy. By registering to vote in the Nov. 3 general election, you are engaging in the heart of democracy and exercising your constitutional rights. Want to take it one step further? To further support your community, your country, and democracy itself, you can volunteer to work the polls on Election Day. To work the polls you must be a registered voter and a resident of the county in which you wish to work, and you must be at least 18 years old. Poll workers can earn up to $150 for their service, depending on the county. Our democracy depends upon individuals like you taking the initiative and responsibility to uphold our freedoms. If you would like to serve your community as a poll worker, contact your county election administrator or local party representative. Visit www.in.gov/sos/elections/2674.htm to find out how to sign up. Are Virtual Elections the Future? Public health and safety are at the forefront of people’s minds, and the pandemic has many rethinking what it means to vote safely. Some are calling for increased virtual voting options. Twenty-three U.S. states and the District of Columbia already allow some voters to return absentee ballots via email, and five other states let some voters to do so using a web portal. Many argue that instead of debating whether online voting should exist, we should explore the most secure way to facilitate electronic voting. Electronic voting would not only protect public health and safety during a pandemic but would also expand access to those serving in the military abroad as well as those with disabilities. As we focus on safety and voting integrity, electronic virtual voting options are likely in the future of America’s democracy.
It’s that time again: after months of candidacy announcements and campaigning, Hoosiers will head to the polls to cast their votes in the
Categories: News Releases
Electric cooperative consumer-owners are no strangers to the democratic process. In fact, civic participation is baked into the cooperative experience because the consumer-owners of the cooperative directly elect its leadership every year at the annual meeting.
Categories: Indiana Cooperatives in the News
Indiana’s electric cooperatives applaud today’s announcement at South Central Indiana REMC by Gov. Eric Holcomb that he has allocated $100 million toward rural broadband expansion as part of his Next Level Connections infrastructure plan.
A study released Monday by the Purdue Center for Regional Development estimates Indiana could gain nearly $12 billion in economic benefits if broadband were deployed in the rural areas of the state. The report, commissioned by Indiana Electric Cooperatives and Tipmont REMC and funded by CoBank, further estimates a return of nearly $4 to the local economy for every dollar spent on the necessary infrastructure.


Cambridge bus passengers will have an additional two stops in the town centre due to route changes taking effect later this month.
From Monday 16 July, the bus will follow a new route through Cambridge town centre, via Victoria, Alpha, Anzac and Duke streets, before continuing to Leamington.
The bus stop on Victoria Street, near Commerce Street, will no longer be served. Instead, passengers will be able to use new stops built by Waipa District Council on Anzac Street and by the Town Hall.
Meanwhile, in Leamington the terminus will move from Cook Street to Shakespeare Street, outside the medical centre.
The changes have been made following feedback to Waipa District Council from the Cambridge community.
Fares remain unchanged.
Waikato Regional Council public transport operations manager Edwin Swaris said moving the terminus in Leamington would provide shelter and improve safety for passengers.
“It also means the Leamington loop will be completed at both the end of the Hamilton to Leamington journey, as well as at the start of the return journey.”
There are also some minor changes to the departure times from Cambridge on weekends and public holidays, cutting the bus waiting time in Cambridge. These changes are:
- 7.30am service from Leamington will leave Cambridge at 7.40am, not 7.45am as in current timetable
- 10.30am service from Leamington will leave Cambridge at 10.40am, not 10.45am as in current timetable
- 3.10pm service from Leamington will leave Cambridge at 3.20pm, not 3.25pm as in current timetable.
The changes are being advertised on the buses and on www.busit.co.nz.
Newly designed printed timetables will be available on the bus and at the transport centre from next week, as well as in district council offices and the library.


Changes in conductivity in highly aligned carbon nanotubes could help a new paint detect cracks in structures like the foundation of wind turbines, such as this one in Romania's Tihuta Pass. (Source: Rsocol/Wikipedia Commons)
gsmith, this paint was developed in the UK, not the US, and when I reported this it was in a prototype stage, so I doubt if it's being used here. However, some of the comments in the message board below list a few articles by Charles Murray on various US attempts at detecting faults in similar structures using wireless sensor networks.
Ann, do you know if this paint is currently being used on any bridges in the US? I can't remember the stats or which bridge, when the US last bridge collapsed a report indicated there were a lot of bridges that needed repair. This type of paint even if it is just in a testing phase would serve a good purpose. I would be most interested in the any report that would be created from data collected at the various test sites.
Chuck, thanks for the links and info on this form of energy harvesting. It's also interesting to hear that bridges are already being built with wireless sensor networks for detecting structural problems. This research was done in Scotland, though, and the study makes it sound like they don't have those installed there for remote fault detection.
Thanks for the links, Chuck. I see you were writing about this back in 2009. One interesting aspect is that some of this is made possible because of lower power needs from sensors and other devices. So the advances is not just greater ability to harvest energy, but also that not as much energy is required.
The fan is designed specifically for woodstoves. There are a few different brands, but they seem to be practically identical. They all come in two sizes and I have the "large" size. The fan is designed only to distribute the heat in one room; it's not powerful enough for more than that. Most heat sources aren't, except for whole-house forced air furnace systems. I've always thought those were unnecessarily and ridiculously complex and expensive.
The woodstove is our major source of heat. It's unhelpfully located at one end of the (smallish) house's long axis (and not relocatable without great hassle and expense), so two small ceiling fans distribute the heat farther. But the farthest rooms tend to get cold in winter. About half way from the stove is a forced air propane wall heater for backup, but I rarely use it except on winter mornings before the woodstove cranks up. I hear that Vermonters adhere to the same principal as Scots and Brits: "put on a sweater!" Sounds like us here at my house.
Do you wear your ugly Christmas sweater while fighting zombies, or simply chill in front of your homemade entertainment center while your automated cat feeder keeps your feline friend at bay? Whatever you prefer, one of the following gadgets is sure to get your DIY motor running.
Marine mussels and their interaction with the ocean environment has inspired a breakthrough in developing a nontoxic coating for organic electronic components that also could speed up the manufacturing process.
Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies.
You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived.
So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.


text:
STAR PLUS NACH BALIYE SEASON 6 WINNERS ARE
RITHVIK DHANJANI AND ASHA NEGI
After the long wait of lovely and daily shop viewers of world. Today on 1st of February 2014 at 11:20 pm star plus team and jury announced the winners of nach baliye 6. The winners of nach baliye season 6 is Rithvik dhanjani and Asha negi.Gautam and karan host of the most popular show announced the name of winners with full suspense. India got the nach baliye season 6 winners.Star plus nach baliye season 6 watched by millions of viewers of India and abroad.Vidya Balan and farhan khan also came to this show for their upcoming bollywood movie promotion “SHAADI KE SIDE EFFECT” .
WINNERS CELEBRATION WITH CASH PRIZE AND CAR:
Winners Rithvik and Asha got the cash prize of 35 lakh Indian rupees with Renault duster car. Winners also got the additional prize of couple holiday stay in Australia sponsored by the production team of “shaadi ke side effect”. Winner choreographer also got the reward prize of 5 lakh rupees. Of course the trophy of nach baliye season 6.
Winners of star plus nach baliye season 6 Rithvik said ” we have no words to thanks the audience who loved us and voted a lot. thank you audience“. Nach baliye season 6 winners parents also enjoyed the season 6 show. Nach baliye star plus show is most popular and renounced in India for t.v drama couples dancing.
Finalist of nach baliye season 6
The four finalist of nach baliye season 6 were Rithvik- asha,Gurmeet-Devina,Vinod-Raksha,Ripu- shivangi. All the finalist were good dancer but the audience opted the favourite couple of nach baliye with millions of votes.Star plus viewers are more closely to the Rithvik-Asha due to their popularity in the show of PAVITRA RISHTA.Pavitra rishta aired weekdays of monday to friday on zee t.v. All the audience chosen the winner of nach baliye season 6 Rithvik- Asha.

domain: entertainment


text:
Tunnel Racer is an addicting, single-player game where you must race through a series of tunnels in the quickest time possible. This amazing game is a...
Tunnel Racer is a pixel racing game with challenging levels and addictive gameplay. With the goal of becoming the master of the world’s toughest tunnel, this 3D racing game features stunning graphics and an amazing soundtrack. The player’s goal is to go through a series of gauntlets in order to reach the finish line. Along the way, many obstacles and surprises await you in This amazing game . It’s time to stop playing games on your cell phone and start playing games on your computer! Check out This game today!
Play Tunnel Racer . Explore new worlds, Race against time and your opponents, Compete with
Move Left: Arrow Left
Move Right: Arrow Right
Move Forward: Arrow Up
Move Back: Arrow Down
Spacebar to jump

domain: hobby


The aftermath of Osama Bin Laden’s assassination finds many in the left and liberal community seeking to hold on to their worldview by praising the attack and its conclusion and by attributing it entirely to President Barack Obama. Doing so, however, presents this group with some major problems. First, it is now quite clear that the intelligence information that led to the successful raid was compiled over many years, and key intelligence was in fact gathered during the years of the Bush administration. Most important of all was the identification of Bin Laden’s “courier,” a man who on a regular basis kept the al-Qaeda chief in touch with the world outside of his million-dollar compound.
As the front-page New York Times report by Mark Mazzetti and Helene Cooper points out, intelligence agencies had been trying for close to a decade to identify the man. They learned of him, however, when “detainees at the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, had given the courier’s pseudonym to American interrogators and said that the man was a protégé of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the confessed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks.” They learned his real name four years ago — when the government was led by the very men liberals despised the most, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
President Obama, of course, deserves the credit for planning the mission to take down Osama Bin Laden, and for giving the go ahead to the secret Navy SEAL team. As the report explains, “he had to approve the final plan to send operatives into the compound where the administration believed that Bin Laden was hiding.” I do not intend to take that accomplishment away from the president. But my point is simple: were it not for the prior work of the Bush/Cheney administration, President Obama would not be in the position to have put the operation into effect.
Moreover, it is also clear that much of the information that led to the courier’s identity came from the so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques,” the very mechanism that regularly led to charges of torture, abuse of power, illegal U.S. spying techniques, waterboarding, rendition, and questioning in secret facilities abroad where those interrogating the detainees did not have to abide by methods forbidden to be used within the United States.
In another Times story by Mazzetti, Cooper, and Peter Baker, the journalists put it this way:
The raid was the culmination of years of painstaking intelligence work, including the interrogation of C.I.A. detainees in secret prisons in Eastern Europe, where sometimes what was not said was as useful as what was. Intelligence agencies eavesdropped on telephone calls and e-mails of the courier’s Arab family in a Persian Gulf state and pored over satellite images of the compound in Abbottabad to determine a “pattern of life” that might decide whether the operation would be worth the risk.
Indeed, as the intelligence reporter Michael Isikoff, now with NBC News, reported yesterday:
The trail that led to the doorstep of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan began years earlier with aggressive interrogations of al-Qaida detainees at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and CIA ‘black site’ prisons overseas, according to U.S. officials.
It was those sometimes controversial interrogations that first produced descriptions of members of bin Laden’s courier network, including one critical Middle Eastern courier who along with his brother was protecting bin Laden at his heavily fortified compound in Abbottabad on Sunday.
According to Isikoff, early information about the courier for Bin Laden came from none other than “Mohammed al-Qahtani, who was subjected to some of the most humiliating interrogations at Guantanamo. Among the enhanced interrogation techniques used on him were being forced to wear a woman’s bra, being led around on a leash and forced to perform dog tricks and being subjected to cold temperatures that twice required his hospitalization, according to a later U.S. military report.”
Others have disputed this, but Isikoff, who wrote for Newsweek and covered the intelligence community for years, is known to have reliable sources and to be a reporter who does not write what he has not been able to confirm. He does say that no information came from waterboarding itself, but clearly, if at a later date Khaled Sheikh Mohammed or Qahtani came forth with solid information, one could clearly argue that the fear of being waterboarded again encouraged them to start talking and to give solid information. As Isikoff puts it, “After Qahtani was subjected to some of the humiliating interrogations at Guantanamo that later became public, he started to cooperate and, for a while, provided a wealth of information about al-Qaida, including references to the courier in question, the U.S. official said.”
Finally, Isikoff also writes that:
[A] senior U.S. intelligence official told NBC News investigative producer Robert Windrem that both Mohammed, who was repeatedly waterboarded by the CIA, and al Libi, who was aggressively interrogated but not waterboarded, provided the nom de guerre of the courier. Mohammed was among the “high-value detainees” subjected to specially approved “enhanced” interrogations at secret sites overseas, including CIA-run prisons in Poland, Romania, Thailand and elsewhere, according to U.S. officials.
As Mark Hemingway points out in The Washington Examiner, with a great facetious headline, “’Cheney’s assassination squad’ just killed bin Laden.” The top secret Seal Team Six, also known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, was singled out for attack in an article that appeared on the website The Raw Story, which quoted noted leftist journalist and New Yorker columnist Seymour Hersh, who during the Bush administration attacked the team as Cheney’s personal assassination squad. Calling it an “executive assassination ring,” Hersh said the following, as milblogger Bill Roggio summarized in a 2009 Weekly Standard article:
“After 9/11, I haven’t written about this yet, but the Central Intelligence Agency was very deeply involved in domestic activities against people they thought to be enemies of the state. Without any legal authority for it. They haven’t been called on it yet.”
Hersh then went on to describe a second area of extra-legal operations: the Joint Special Operations Command. “It is a special wing of our special operations community that is set up independently,” he explained. “They do not report to anybody, except in the Bush-Cheney days, they reported directly to the Cheney office. … Congress has no oversight of it.”
“It’s an executive assassination ring essentially, and it’s been going on and on and on,” Hersh stated. “Under President Bush’s authority, they’ve been going into countries, not talking to the ambassador or the CIA station chief, and finding people on a list and executing them and leaving. That’s been going on, in the name of all of us.”
Precisely, and as we have learned today, Osama Bin Laden supposedly put up resistance, which led to his being killed, although U.S. officials including John Brennan acknowledged that Bin Laden was not armed, leaving it questionable what kind of “resistance” it was that forced the team to kill him.
In my estimate, one made by others as well, the team was instructed not to take him alive, in order to avert the possibility of scores of Islamists demanding his freedom, and putting Osama Bin Laden in the position of being a martyr for Islam, which he would obviously try to make himself. That today both Hamas, Hezbollah, and the armed wing of Fatah have all praised him as a militant leader and martyr makes it rather certain that this would have resulted had Bin Laden be taken alive. But in essence, that the SEAL team killed him means that they were indeed engaging in targeted assassination, precisely the kind that Israel is regularly criticized for by “human rights” groups when it eliminates anti-Israel terrorists in foreign countries by Mossad hit teams.
Hemingway asks, “Now that a Democratic President has employed JSOC to take out Osama bin Laden, will the fever swamps of the Left continue to assert that it’s just a Bush/Cheney plot to run around unjustifiably killing people?” The answer is yes, and they have already started.
Driving home today, I heard a report on radio news that a representative of Human Rights Watch condemned the killing of Bin Laden and said that what was now required was an official “homicide investigation!” (I have not been able to find this on the organization’s website, and was not able to take down the name of the individual who said this). But one can look no further than Glenm Greenwald’s at Salon.com. He writes sarcastically about Bin Laden’s killing that there is “nothing like putting a bullet in someone’s skull and dumping their corpse into an ocean to rejuvenate that can-do American sense of optimism.”
So, let us not pussyfoot. Obama ordered a targeted assassination of Osama Bin Laden, which is why most likely the first spin on the event, later retracted by administration officials, is that there was armed resistance and that bin Laden used his wife as a human shield. Victor Davis Hanson is correct when he writes: “It’s also easier to conduct assassinations abroad if the Commander-in-Chief is liberal.” You won’t find a Seymour Hersh article in The New Yorker condemning Barack Obama for using a secret assassination squad to carry out illegal actions. Instead, you’ll no doubt find a Hendrik Hertzberg column next week praising Obama for a great success, and for doing what George W. Bush was not able to. As Hanson writes, “Obama the law professor can assassinate bin Laden in Pakistan, dump his body in the ocean, and with first-person emphasis boast of our brilliant mission in a way Bush the Texan could not get away with.” Had the raid taken place during Bush’s tenure in office, we could be assured to find the pundits screaming about how the “cowboy President” hurt America’s image abroad by engaging in an inhumane military action that violated international law, as well as our Pakistan ally’s sovereignty.
So we are faced with liberals getting praised for precisely what would be condemned if a Republican and conservative had been Commander-in-Chief. Such are the times in which we live. So while we rightfully celebrate the justice that has been done by the death of the mass murderer Osama Bin Laden, let us also pause to give credit to the work done by the previous administration, which allowed Barack Obama to pull the brave action of our military off and to end with such great success.


text:
Japanese director Kazuyoshi Kumakiri is celebrating after his new movie My Man was named Best Film at the Moscow International Film Festival on Saturday (28Jun14).
The romantic drama became the first Japanese release to take the title in 15 years; Kaneto Shindo's Will to Live last won in 1999.
Thor's Tadanobu Asano also claimed Best Actor for his portrayal of a man who falls in love with a girl he adopts after she becomes an orphan following the tsunami that struck the Japanese island of Hokkaido in 1993. The story is based on the novel by Kazuki Sakuraba.
Asano's victory at the Russian event came 31 years after fellow countryman Yoshi Kato landed the same prize for his role in Hometown in 1959.
The ‘Luther’ actor is one of the hot favourites to take over from Daniel Craig.
Perry made more than any other musician this year including rival Taylor Swift and boyband One Direction.
Mumford and Sons launch their video for newest single 'The Wolf', featuring footage from Bonnaroo.
Filming has begun on the all-female reboot of the classic comedy and now we’ve been given a sneak peek at the ladies’ uniforms.
Bully have just unveiled their debut album 'Feels Like' and now the four-piece have launched an audio for their first single 'Milkman'.
Iggy made her feelings about ‘Pretty Girls’ clear on Sunday, but has Britney Spears fired back?


robot (may be car) for the movement of underground waste pipes of small diameter (159 mm). Need to be able to broadcast the image on the tablet (Android) or laptop. There should be the possibility of movement of the robot in automatic mode the inside of the pipe and manual radio control. Must be able to determine location (GPS or other). Should be installed the tracker to determine the exact location.


text:
Biography of Walther Kruse
Walther Kruse studied in Berlin, in particular as a pupil of Rudolf Virchow (821-1902), and obtained his doctorate in 1888. From 1889 to 1892 was head of the bacteriological laboratory of the zoological station in Naples. Late in 1892 he participated in an expedition to Egypt to study dysentery. From 1893 he was assistant to Karl Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Flügge (1847-1923) at the hygienical institute in Breslau. He was habilitated for hygiene in Bonn in 1894.
Kruse in 1897 became titular professor, in 1898 extraordinarius of hygiene and head of the bacteriological department at the hygienical institute in Bonn. In 1900 he came to Königsberg as ordinarius, 1911 to Bonn, and in 1913 accepted an invitation to Leipzig.
Kruse’s work particulalrly concerns studies of protozoa and the bacteriology of intestinal infection. During an epidmic of dysentery in the Ruhr area he succeeded in finding the dysentery bacillus (Shiga-Kruse bacillus), descibed in Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift, 1900; 26: 637.
During the years 1890 to 1892 Kruse published on blood parasites in frogs, birds, and man.

domain: library


Neutral care packages contain:
- 1 medical item, 1/3 odds on all 3 large healing items.
- One jackpot slot with a 25% chance of heirloom on round 1 and 75% on rounds 2 and 3.
- One utility or weapon modification.
The medical items are:
- Phoenix kit (33%)
- Shield Battery (34%)
- Med kit (33%)
The Jackpot tile when rolling an heirloom weapon, these odds change with the round the pack was dropped on [R1|R2|R3]:
- Kraber 50 cal. (45%|30%|10%)
- “Power” weapon (35%|40%|35%), currently prowler.
- “Short” weapon (20%|30%|55%), currently peacekeeper.
When rolling a dud:
- Evo shield level 3: 40%
- Restoration Armour (level 4 non evo body armour): 10%
- Cooldown Helmet (Level 4 helmet): 20%
- Guardian angel backpack (Level 4 backpack): 20%
- Self-resurrection (Level 4 knockdown shield): 10%
For the utility and weapon parts slot.
Various items with 6% odds
- Level 3 backpack, phoenix kit, level 3 knockdown shield, skull piercer rifling, shotgun bolt level 3, extended heavy mag level 3, standard or sniper stock level 3, barrel stabiliser level 3.
- Sniper mag level 3 (4%)
- 2-4x, 4-8x and 1x digital threat optics (10%)
- Mobile respawn beacon (2%)
- 4-10x digital threat sniper optics and turbocharger (5%)
Lifeline packages contain one medical item slot, one dud slot that contains only purple level items and one utility slot, the utility slot has a small chance to contain two items instead of one or contain a second purple basic item.
Neutral care packages have a white beam, lifeline care packages have a deep blue beam.
Apart from this guide, if you want us to cover any other guide related to the game “Apex Legends do let us know in the comment section. We’re happy to do that for our readers. We’ve also covered few more guides related to this game, kindly check the related posts section below.
Written by: SandTag


text:
Channel your inner rock star on Sunset Boulevard
Dishevelled strawberry blonde hair, a cigarette dangling perilously from the corner of her rosebud mouth, a voice that’s seduction personified.music Updated: Jul 15, 2012 01:23 IST
Dishevelled strawberry blonde hair, a cigarette dangling perilously from the corner of her rosebud mouth, a voice that’s seduction personified. Dressed in ripped jeans, a white peasant top and sparkly silver Converse high tops, she’s taking fervent swigs from a Styrofoam cup, the contents of which I’m only presuming to be coffee. She gives me a wink and saunters back to what she calls her ‘lair’.
It’s way past the witching hour and I’m walking back to my hotel, the legendary Sunset Marquis, after a night out on LA’s notorious Sunset Strip just around the corner when, suddenly, there she is, practicing her scales while pacing up and down the pavement in front of our hotel, the Sunset Marquis.
Her name, I was to learn later, was Satine. And her lair was the hotel’s in-house recording studio, (aptly) named Nightbird. Satine, like many other musically gifted hopefuls, flocks nightly to this studio to record her demos in hopes of making it big one day.
Sunset Marquis is one of those ‘music’ hotels that have become synonymous with LA’s predilection for pop. It was here that Bad Girl of rock-n-roll Courtney Love scribbled her infamous suicide note in 1995. She later wrote a song titled ‘Sunset Marquis’ that was to be (but never featured) on her 2010 album, Nobody’s Daughter. Local legend has it that she even penned a second song, ‘How dirty girls get clean’, on the hotel’s stationary.
Besides Love, the studio has seen legends such as Madonna, Aerosmith, Phil Collins and Nelly Furtado record here.
But you don’t need to be a superstar or even a guest of the hotel to rent out the Nightbird Studio, designed by acoustician George Augsburger. Anyone with about $1,000 (about Rs 56,000) to spare can come in, book the studio for 12 hours, use its state-of-the-art audio and video equipment and cut a demo album — all in one night, if they so wish.
What’s more, the studio has its own entrance and exit, a 24-hour food-and-beverage service and even massage services for those exhausting gaps between recording sessions.
Intrigued by the concept of the music hotel, I decided to pop into The Mosser in San Francisco a few days later, as I drove up the California coast. Situated between ’Frisco’s shopping area of Union Square and the Moscone Convention Center, this 166-room boutique hotel also has its own recording studio, called Studio Paradiso and featuring everything from four tracking rooms and a control room to its own musical instruments and even a professional studio engineer to make sure you sound as good as you possibly can.
Bands such as Amber Asylum and Bonfire Madigan have used Studio Paradiso’s facilities over the years, at the relatively reasonable rate of $500 (about Rs 28,000) for 10 hours.
On America’s East Coast, in New York, the 12-year-old Tribeca Grand Hotel in Manhattan is fast earning a reputation as a great music hotel of a different sort. The Tribeca Grand does not have a recording studio, but its Church Bar is often the venue for diverse curated music programmes that feature cutting-edge selections, weekly DJs and an adjacent private lounge legendary for its live bands. The hotel also regularly plays host to new and up-and-coming bands, thereby encouraging fresh talent.
Speaking of which, if by any stroke of luck Satine does become another mononymic musical sensation, you know where you read about her first.
First Published: Jul 15, 2012 01:22 IST


text:
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - More and more young people in Arizona, including teenagers, are dying suddenly because of the synthetic drug fentanyl.
The Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) tracks opioid and fentanyl overdose deaths and the numbers skyrocketed during 2020.
For nearly six consecutive months in 2020, healthcare workers recorded more than 200 fentanyl-related deaths per month.
Yavapai County community devastated by fentanyl
Hannah Cupp was 17. She had a loving family, a job and plans to go to cosmetology school. Her life suddenly ended on Saturday, March 22, 2020.
On that fateful Saturday, Cupp's family thought she was just sleeping in. Hannah’s younger sister went into her bedroom to wake her up, but something was wrong.
Sommer Cupp, Hannah Cupp's mother
"She put our dog at the end of Hannah’s bed, and our dog immediately went up to Hannah and immediately walked away," said Hannah's mother, Sommer Cupp. "I went in there and touched her shoulder, and she was really cold and hard. I touched her shoulder, I noticed there was stuff coming out of her nose, and blood. When I saw the blood, I went running to Mike."
The coroner ruled that Hannah had died overnight after ingesting fentanyl.
"She passed from what was equal to three grains of salt of synthetic fentanyl that she touched on a Percocet pill," said Sommer.
As Hannah’s parents traced her steps before her sudden death, they suspect her insecurities, along with a new boyfriend, may have been factors.
Mike Cupp, Hannah Cupp's father
"I think she was vulnerable," said Hannah's father Mike Cupp. "I think she was weak, and this young man had preyed on that."
Community organizers see patterns in deaths
Hannah was one of five kids in the community who died in 2020 because of fentanyl. In Yavapai County, the number of fentanyl deaths stood at 40 in 2020, compared to 9 in 2019. A deadly spike unlike any other drug before.
"Not to this magnitude, we haven’t, and the other really unusual circumstance we’re seeing is that teenagers are dying. In our county, we’ve had nine teenagers who have died. Five of them in 2020," said Executive Director of Matforce, Merilee Fowler. "The thing that’s unusual about these fentanyl deaths is oftentimes, they’re good kids, but they might be dabbling in drugs a little bit, but they have no idea they’re taking this fentanyl pill and that one pill can kill them. So that’s a very unusual situation for us."
Matforce is a community organization aimed at preventing substance abuse. Organizers have looked into each of the recent teenage fentanyl deaths and have found a pattern.
"We know that kids are feeling stressed, they’re feeling lonely, and I definitely think that it’s had an effect on the opioid epidemic," said Fowler.
Like many adults, Fowler says kids turn to pills to help them feel better.
"I tell all parents they need to monitor their kid's social media. They need to be aware of what’s going on. We’ve identified cases where they’re getting the pills through Instagram or other social media sites."
"Be aware of your kids’ online activities. Look at their Snapchat. Check their rooms. It could be a fatal mistake not doing that," said Sgt. Jared Winfrey with the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office's Partners Against Narcotics Trafficking (PANT) Task Force.
Fentanyl deaths in Yavapai County surge
A tiny amount of fentanyl could be potentially fatal. When DEA officials handle fentanyl seizures, they wear hazmat suits and work under a hood with special ventilation, making sure to touch or breathe in the drug.
"Anywhere from 50 to 100 times more powerful than heroin, but it’s packaged in a way, in these tablets, to where it seems fairly innocent," said Sgt. Winfrey.
The PANT Task Force has seen an influx of fentanyl-laced pills in their community. Sgt. Winfrey says fentanyl is on track to become the number one killer when it comes to drug overdoses in Yavapai County.
"It’s completely different, in that one pill can kill. It has, as we’ve seen that with Hannah," said Sgt. Winfrey.
Fentanyl-laced pills come in many different colors and shapes.
"People will commonly refer to the blue, M30 pills as 'blues,'" said Sgt. Winfrey. "In text messages, they’ll send a blue M&M, or they’ll call it 'Perks' or 'M30s.'"
As kids in the small community continue to see their peers die from fentanyl, Sgt. Winfrey says some have become proactive in turning in local dealers.
"The kids in the area are furious, and they’ve demanded change," said Sgt. Winfrey. "They’re putting it on social media, and they’re calling Silent Witness and giving us the information we need to make an arrest."
As for Hannah’s family, they’ve become proactive as well, hoping their loss will bring awareness to other parents, and prevent another child from dying from fentanyl use.
"We felt we did everything we could correctly as a loving family," her father said. "She’s supposed to be here with us in this house, but she’s not."
Continuing Coverage: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/tag/opioid-epidemic
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Hotline
Arizona Department of Health Services Opioid Assistance and Referral Line
AZDHS resources on the Opioid Epidemic
Tune in to FOX 10 Phoenix for the latest news

domain: news


text:
Fun Fact Friday is a meme hosted by Lettora at I’m Booked! If you’d like to join and do your own Fun Fact Friday, just ask! At I’m Booked! Every week we’ll give you five new, fun facts.
This week’s five facts:
1. Did you know that the character Jace Wayland in City of Bones film could have been played by Alex Pettyfer or Sterling Knight.
2. Agatha Christie is the worlds bestselling fiction writer. She wrote 78 crime novels that sold over 2 billion copies.
3. The English word for book comes from the Danish word bog which means birch tree.
4. In The Hunger Games film, they used half-thawed blueberries to portray the deadly nightlock berries.
5. Leo Tolstoy, writer of War and Peace, had his wife, Sophia, hand write 7 copies of his manuscript. Thank goodness for modern technology! 13 children later he left her at age 82.


text:
Interesting Ideas Kitchen Design Layout 5 photos you are viewing is section of the Kitchen Remodeling Layout Ideas submit which I have posted on my blog. I have been striving to decide on the most effective ahead of right before I add the images to my site. If you like this impression, you can help save and print it. How to keep it fairly uncomplicated, remember to simply click “obtain whole impression ” underneath the picture. At the time the picture is open up in complete, please correct simply click and then help you save as. Finished. The graphic has been correctly saved on your Laptop, notebook, pill or on your smartphone.
My hope, as operator and admin of this website, hopefully the images of the Interesting Ideas Kitchen Design Layout 5 might supply suggestions, inspiration and support you in choosing the most acceptable for your dwelling. Without a doubt, developing, decorating or renovating a dwelling, is not an effortless factor to do. Necessary awareness, creative value and careful thought in executing that. If you want to use professional solutions, then the results can absolutely be very satisfactory. Really don’t wait to talk to and actively disclose your needs so that the result is greatest. The inside design and style of a household is 1 of the critical factors that can not be done in inconsequential. If all has been performed in a significant and correct, then the final result will of study course understood a dream that was so gorgeous and comfy.
I dedicate this website to all of you who require a reference about the House. Be sure to search this web site, simply because there are a ton of write-up, class and of program high high-quality impression collections that can offer gratification to you.
Make your dream home now! Give your most effective to your home, then the outcome will not betray your efforts. Never neglect to share this picture to good friends, relations and acquaintances in social media. Thank you.
Description for Interesting Ideas Kitchen Design Layout 5
|1||Title:||Interesting Ideas Kitchen Design Layout 5|
|2||Upload by:||Tina B. Michael|
|3||Upload date:||September 19, 2018|

domain: design


text:
Friday 17th November, 10.30am to 5pm
This professional development initiative gives artists the unique opportunity to find out exactly what happens in a public art judging panel, and experience examples of artist’s applications, by becoming a panel member of a public art selection process.
Initiated by Mayo County Council’s Arts Office in collaboration with artist Aideen Barry, the Fake Public Art Panel day allows 12 artists to assess a range of applications, all fake, but based on real examples that are submitted for commissions. The participants will get a great insight into the style, quality and content of applications, how much time each judge spends looking at the submissions and how decisions are reached. Max 12 artists.
Lough Lannagh, Castlebar
Please contact the Arts Office to book places via:
Tel: 094 904 7471 or 094 904 7558
Fake Public Art Panel | Workshop with Aideen Barry and Gaynor Seville, Castlebar


text:
Cruised down for a quickie McKenzie River Trail campout. Settled in at Trail Bridge Campground about halfway on the trail 3 miles south of the Blue Pool.
Trail clear except for a few snow patches which should be melted out soon, and one blowdown.
The trail is very challenging and fun to climb, you don't notice how much lava rock is there until you ride UP the trail. Koosah is really impressive right now with the incredible volume of water rushing down the falls.
The next day did a King *Castle* Rock run where the trail was in prime shape. View from atop Castle Rock is limited due to Norcal fire haziness.
Grabbed a McKenzie "Monster" burger on the way out in Vida, and it was good, but i swear the waitress was cluckin out somethin fierce.
Often hyped, yet certainly the MRT area is so worthy of riding. Get a map and hit it.
skooks, it's time for you to hit the MRT and the new stuff at post canyon and blackrock! road trip! lol. all of the above pretty much apply, but i think the heat under colonnade is probably frying his brain cells.
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!

domain: geography


text:
Claim this bonus at the casino cashier.
The minimum deposit to qualify for the bonus offer is $25.
The bonus is valid for depositing players.
The bonus is only available on such games as WGS City of Gold.
Enjoy the bonus together with 95% match bonus up to $380. All the best!
Wagering Requirements – 40xB
Bonus valid till 2018-06-09


text:
Continuing from yesterday, I sewed the blocks into rows and then
the rows together to make the quilt flimsy. The line of red you see hanging from the top is the binding. I’m hoping to find time to quilt and bind this before the weekend so it can go to someone who needs it.
But you can see what a fast and easy quilt this is. The blocks are 6″ which is part of the reason it is fast. This particular quilt measures 58 x 69″ which is a very good size for wrapping in or crawling under for a nap. I do hope some of you will soon have one to show us.


text:
Thus far, we have posted deep-dives on the first nine of our 2017 Predictions for Industry and Global Supply Chains. We trust that our Supply Chain Matters readers are garnering insights from these prediction sand they have been helpful for setting objectives and work agendas in the coming year.
We have one prediction remaining which for this year is our final Prediction Ten, which for each year, dives into what we foresee as unique industry-specific supply chain challenges or environments for the coming year. This year’s industry-specific challenges were especially challenging in that we contemplated adding a lot of industries, more so than prior years. In the end, we will hone in on those industries that merit additional monitoring and updates in the coming months.
As Editor, I has also decided for the purposes of brevity and reader interest, to present each industry in a separate Supply Chain Matters blog posting. We will be posting these industry-specific predictions in a faster cadence.
We begin, to perhaps no one’s surprise, with the North America based Automotive sector.
Automotive Supply Chains Residing Across North America
We cite unique challenges for automotive supply chains residing across North America for two specific reasons. One relates to the ongoing industry dynamics related to accommodating product demand mix with inventory and capacity levels. The other with the potential impact of the new Trump Administration policies related to both North America and global trade that has certain automakers in the cross-hairs of direct Presidential criticism, and of U.S. Congressional efforts directed at U.S. corporate tax reform policies.
Record low gasoline prices in the first-half of the year boosted U.S. light vehicle auto sales to hit a record high of 17.6 million vehicles in 2016. That number was only slightly larger than the 17.5 million vehicles sold in 2015. Strong sales momentum in December reflecting 1.7 million vehicles sold during the last month had pushed the seasonally adjusted annual selling pace momentum to 18.4 million vehicles.
Of the total vehicles sold in the U.S. during 2016, 60 percent were classified as higher-margin light trucks. Promotional discounts heavily influenced sales of sedans and compacts, with the growth in demand for pricier pick-up trucks and SUV’s generally boosting auto maker profit margins. That helped to fund innovation efforts directed at autonomous vehicle technologies and efforts to meet stricter emission standards in future years. At the end of the year, the industry-wide average of new vehicle unsold inventories was the equivalent of three months, while the average of U.S. big-three automakers averaged upwards of 100 days of unsold inventories.
Looking to 2017, some auto dealers were uncertain if the sales momentum would last, given the current length post-recession sales cycle and the growing credit burden of U.S. and North American consumers in outstanding auto loans. Finished goods inventory levels for certain auto and truck models trended higher in the final quarter and some U.S. based OEM’s elected to curtail factory output levels and lower inventories in late December and January. Factory headcount cutbacks were further being exercised.
The challenge for automotive product management, supply chain management, sales and operations planning teams in 2017 will therefore be effectively managing model and volume mix sales and production output and overall inventory levels while maintaining or exceeding line-of-business goals related to product margins and profitability. To cite just one-example, the traditionally largest selling sedan in the U.S. market has been the Toyota Camry. As we publish this prediction in early February, Toyota reported a 25 percent decline in Camry demand while the smaller RAV 4 SUV outsold the Camry in January.
A singular planning framework can sometimes be a daunting challenge for automotive producers with independent product business groups. The problem can come-down to unaligned business processes and a lack of consistent data and information standards. In October, we featured a Supply Chain Matters commentary reporting on how Ford Motor was addressing such challenges in an effort towards a singular, global S&OP planning framework.
From the longer-term perspective, consumer affinity towards ride-sharing services, higher tech electronics and autonomous vehicle capabilities and IoT enabled vehicle services weighs heavy on future model product planning. The open question is how long will most North American consumers favor trucks and all forms of SUV’s vs more fuel-efficient smaller cars and traditional sedans. It usually comes down to the average cost of gasoline and on the continuation of promotional buying incentives. It’s a constant back and forth among product management and supply chain teams shepherded by longer-term goal setting from sales and operations planning teams.
Tesla the Disruptor
There remains the presence of industry disruptor Tesla Motors, which has successfully captured consumer brand loyalty through leveraged advanced technology in alternative energy powered vehicle models. Tesla has broken the mold in the notions of a vertically integrated supply chain, and is now, with the acquisition of Solar City, rebranding the company to be one of alternative energy. Thus, far has the bulk of its supply chain strategy anchored in the U.S. but that may have to change to accommodate two evident challenges. In order to support required broader annual global sales growth and especially for the over 300,000 booked orders for the Model 3, production volumes need to expand significantly the strategy to source and construct the huge lithium-ion gigafactory in the U.S. may well turn out to be a brilliant decision in the light of increased U.S. protectionism forces. If the U.S. Congress adopts corporate tax reform that exempts exports and taxes imports, Tesla may well find itself in a strategic advantage with other alternative energy powered vehicles who sell in the United States and globally.
Global Sourcing Dynamics
Automotive executives, both global and domestic, with U.S. and North America production and supply chain presence had their primary attention focused on incoming U.S. President Trump and his vow to stop job losses at U.S. automotive factories in favor of job gains within other countries. In January, The Wall Street Journal observed: “Few industries have spent as much time in Mr. trump’s crosshairs as the U.S. auto sector.” Trump stunningly defeated his rival by winning key U.S. Midwest states whose populations have a high dependency on automotive industry and services focused employment.
Mr. Trump’s statements on trade, border or import taxes have rattled auto executives. The President has signaled intent to re-negotiate trade policies within the existing North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and to impose added tariffs or a border tax on automotive imports from Canada, China, Mexico, and other countries. Mr. Trump specifically targeted Ford, General Motors, and Toyota for prior decisions to source new auto production manufacturing in Mexico. Auto executives have been packaging strategy announcements to invest more in U.S. based manufacturing.
The strategic stakes are high in that the entire industry has become globally integrated in production and supply chain component and finished goods flow. Mexico was especially being positioned as a North American product hub for lower margin vehicles and as a lower cost manufacturing hub for thousands of automotive component parts.
The larger concerns rest with the imposition of a border or import tax in conjunction with overall corporate tax reform. Such added costs may well tip the balance in landed costs significantly impacting existing margins and overall profitability. Imposing anywhere from a 20 percent to as much as a 40 percent tax on imports to the U.S. could force consumers to pay thousands more for new vehicles and similarly double-digit increases for auto component and aftermarket parts. Each could have a profound impact on future product demand and as we all know, it is quite difficult to predict the outcome of a political process.
As we pen our industry-specific predictions, such proposals remain a matter of speculation and a focus on intense lobbying efforts directed at the U.S. Congress. Where such efforts lead to will ebb and flow during the year, but a certainty is that automotive supply chains will have their teams quite involved in all levels of supply chain sourcing analysis and in supplier contingency planning. Supply chains that have a high product value-added profile dependency for importing component and finished goods parts into the U.S. will especially be challenged.
Further, there is the reality that automotive supply chains must continue to be globally focused to remain competitive and thus countries such as Mexico will continue to play a pivotal role in supply chain strategy. Bottom-line, the environment will be dynamic, and automotive supply chain teams will have little option but to serve as strategic advisors and counselors to line-of-business and product management teams.
This concludes our 2017 prediction related specially to automotive. In our next posting, related to Prediction Ten, we will dive into Commercial Aerospace manufacturers and respective supply chains.
Readers are reminded to review all our prior 2017 predictions postings. And a final reminder, all ten of our 2017 predictions will be available in a full research report which we expect to be available for downloading by February 10th.
© Copyright 2017. The Ferrari Consulting and Research Group and the Supply Chain Matters® blog. All rights reserved.
Our ongoing Supply Chain Matters commentaries regarding certain product design flaws, quality conformance shortfalls and subsequent efforts at covering-up such flaws have drawn similar takeaways, but it now appears that the stakes are growing far higher.
In the case of the diesel engine emissions manipulation scandal involving Volkswagen, the financial, legal and brand impact implications remain ongoing. A company noted for a somewhat tops-down management style and an engineering-driven culture and among one of the two top global producers is learning some tough lessons because of this scandal. Financially, the global tally is now exceeding $20 billion in product recall, legal settlement, and other costs with potentially more remaining.
Last week, in response to U.S. Justice Department investigative efforts, VW admitted guilt in the manipulation of auto emissions standards along with efforts to cover-up such activities. Six individual VW executives were criminally indicted because of the emissions cheating case. One was once responsible for ensuring that vehicles complied with U.S. emissions standards. Five others had senior leadership roles in the product development organization in Germany.
In its plea agreement, VW admitted that its supervisors and employees agreed to deceive regulators and customers regarding the actual emissions performance of engines. According to published reports, the indictment states that some of the supervisors encouraged employees to create software to evade emissions standards.
A published report by both the New York Times, Reuters, and global business network CNBC, cites content taken directly from the U.S. Justice Department indictment. Noted is man identified as “Supervisor B,” who overruled nervous subordinates and allegedly instructed them to develop the overriding software program to defeat emissions readings. According to the court documents, this supervisor instructed the subordinates to not get caught.
Further noted in this report is a statement from the federal indictment indicating: “In 2012, for example, senior executives rebuffed a group of Volkswagen engineers who had discovered the illegal software. The engineers were told to destroy the documents they had prepared showing how the software worked.”
The whole affair represents the first time that the U.S. Justice Department has elected to pursue responsible individual employees as well as companies themselves in such criminal investigation cases and the admission of guilt.
Also last week, a U.S federal grand jury indicted three former Takata Corp. executives, charging them with conspiring to provide auto makers with misleading test reports on rupture-prone air bag inflators at the center of unprecedented products recalls involving upwards of 42 million vehicles involving multiple brands. These executives held senior positions overseeing air bag product management and engineering at the Japan based supplier. Takata itself separately pleaded guilty to criminal wire fraud and agreed to pay $1 billion to resolve a two-year long U.S. Justice Department probe of the supplier’s handling of air bags that risk rupturing and spraying shrapnel in vehicle cabins. The safety problem is linked to 11 deaths and 184 injuries in the U.S. alone. According to court documents, a senior Takata executive at one point directed a junior engineer to remove data showing ruptures during testing from a report later given to an auto maker
Product and quality management professionals with on-the-job experience in regulated industry environments have likely encountered certain situations of organizational tendencies to cover-up potential product, process, or software design flaws. Such tendencies can sometimes come from verbal directives from above to “make the problem go-away.” Often, pressures to make operational and financial performance milestones can motivate such actions.
Yet, with each passing year, the scope and implications of such actions have grown to unprecedented dimensions. And now, these latest actions point to executives and individuals collectively being held criminally accountable for their specific actions.
We need to be clear, we are not at-all dismissing any of these actions and behavior.
Instead, we observe that product and quality management professionals have now been placed in a more precarious role.
Accommodate pressures to make problems go away so that business goals and performance bonuses are met, or stand on principled legal grounds to do the right thing for customers, corporate and individual legal protections. The challenge becomes ever more magnified as increasingly specifications, process performance activities and management actions are stored in digital files and available for internal or external review.
Such actions represent a slippery slope, one that probably does not get adequate attention in employee and management leadership training, but surely will in the coming months.
The notions of “make the problem go-away’ needs to be supplanted by “we all need to do the right thing” for customers and employees. It starts with corporate leadership, culture, ethics and resolve.
Unfortunately, in today’s global business climate of intense pressures for results, the challenge appears to be more elusive, and individual careers and reputations may well suffer the consequences.
© Copyright 2016. The Ferrari Consulting and Research Group and the Supply Chain Matters® blog. All rights reserved.
Deep Dive on 2017 Prediction Four: Increased Anti-Trade Geopolitical Forces Provide Added Global Sourcing Challenges
The following Supply Chain Matters blog is part of our ongoing series of deep dives into each of our previously unveiled ten 2017 Predictions for Industry and Global Supply Chains.
At the start of the New Year, our parent, the Ferrari Consulting and Research Group along with our Supply Chain Matters blog as a broadcast medium, provide a series of predictions for the coming year. These predictions are shared in the spirit of assisting industry specific and global supply chain cross-functional teams in helping to set management objectives for the year ahead. Our further goal is helping our readers and clients to prepare supply chain management and line-of-business teams in establishing impactful programs, initiatives, and educational agendas.
The context for these predictions includes a broad cross-functional umbrella of supply chain strategy, planning, execution, product lifecycle management, procurement, manufacturing, transportation, logistics and customer service management.
In an earlier Supply Chain Matters blog postings, we provided deep dives related to:
In this deep-dive series posting, we drill down on Prediction Four.
2017 Prediction Four: Increased Anti-Trade Geopolitical Forces Will Provide Added Sourcing Challenges for Industry Supply Chains
In our predictions concerning 2016, we stated that major developments surrounding global trade policies would occupy the attention of many industry supply chain organizations during the year. Our context was the potential adoption of major global trade agreement such as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), China’s competing One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative, and the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (T-TIP). Geopolitical events turned quite negative in terms of expanded global trade and thus the attention of industry supply chains never materialized.
For 2017, our prediction remains that major developments surrounding global trade policies will occupy the attention of many industry supply chain organizations during the year, but now from a far different and perhaps opposite perspective.
Across the globe, growing gaps in income inequality and rising political discontent against elements of domestic and international status quo are fueling a growing backlash towards global trade and unfettered open markets. With heightened global tensions now turning toward more anti-trade and possibly more protectionist rhetoric among developed nations, industry supply chains must now be prepared to deal with potential near and longer term implications that such policies will bring about.
A global environment that begins to turn hostile toward open global trade policies could result in increased import tariffs and added protectionist measures among trading nations, particularly China and the United States. According to the IMF’s October 2016 World Economic Outlook: “In short, turning back the clock on trade can only deepen and prolong the world economy’s doldrums.”
As we pen this prediction in early January, the World Bank declared that political and policy uncertainty in China, Europe, and the United States and in other major global economies are at unprecedented levels. There are fears that the Administration of Donald Trump could trigger a trade war with China and Mexico with threats to impose higher import tariffs for components and products entering the United States. The bank cautions that such a trade war may offset any gains from corporate tax cuts for U.S. businesses.
Further as we pen this prediction, proposals being floated by the Republican Party dominated U.S. Congress that are being directed at corporate tax reform feature border adjustment concepts. Essentially, the concept is applying taxes based on where a product is sold rather than where it is made or where the producer’s operations or executives are based. Imports would not be deducted as a cost of doing business, while exports would be exempted from taxes. The Wall Street Journal and other business media have already raised awareness as to the potential impact on industries that sell most their products domestically while sourcing most production externally in lower cost manufacturing regions. Examples are toys, consumer electronics, apparel and footwear and other products. Such concepts, if enacted, will place a far different financial perspective related to lower-cost production sourcing.
We anticipate that industry supply chain network models will undergo continuous analysis and scrutiny in the coming year as respective supply chain teams assess various changing landed cost and tax factors among product management models. That will likely require a lot of analytical modeling to ascertain impacts to product margins and line-of-business financial metrics. They could further impact today’s contract manufacturing services model in the notions of where bill-of-material components originate from and where final products are shipped to.
Global trade issues indeed percolate in the coming year and they will likely be complex and confusing to sort out in terms of which will ultimately come to fruition. We concur with the IMF and the World Bank assessments that the Trump Administration could well be part of the epicenter of anti-trade disruption rhetoric to fulfill the political promise of Make America Great Again, and that may well include heightened trade tensions involving China or other lower-cost manufacturing nations.
Global trade advisory firms and consultants will be quite busy in 2017 in advising clients of potential implications of more protectionist trade policies or the heightened risk factors for certain global markets.
As noted in Prediction One, the ability to analyze and share important information, and to educate the business and C-Suite executives on supply chain impacts and/or risk tradeoffs of changed trade policies that potentially impact existing global and product innovation sourcing will be an important differentiator and competency throughout 2017. Collaboration among product sourcing, product development and supply chain strategy teams is essential. Organizations should further consider the value of organizing centralized, dedicated sourcing strategy and impact teams responsible for ad-hoc analysis while fostering a common foundation of analysis data and information. In essence, the task may be more of multiple scenario based analysis predicated on different input and output factors.
Our takeaway is that an assumed static global sourcing strategy could prove to be rather risky in 2017. Technology supporting more analytically focused analysis and decision-making will likely play a very important role in the coming year.
This concludes our Prediction Four drill-down. In our next posting of this series, we will dive into Prediction Five that predicts continued turbulence across global transportation networks.
© Copyright 2016. The Ferrari Consulting and Research Group and the Supply Chain Matters® blog. All rights reserved.
This week, Tesla Motors announced that the innovative auto manufacturer reluctantly fell short in its 2016 operational milestone goal to deliver between 80,000 to 90,000 vehicles to customers during 2016.
The electric vehicle manufacturer delivered a reported 22,200 vehicles to worldwide customers during the December-ending quarter. When added to prior quarter deliveries, total year 2016 deliveries were approximately 76,230 vehicles, a shortfall amounting to just over 3700 vehicles to the 80,000 threshold.
Q4 vehicle deliveries were impacted by what Tesla described as short-term production challenges that began at the end of October and extended through early December. This delay was attributed to the transition to new autopilot hardware needing to be installed in vehicles.
In July, Israeli-based advanced technology camera supplier Mobileye elected to drop Tesla as a customer, and according to news reports, the cause was attributed to “disagreements about how the technology was deployed.” Earlier in May, a fatal crash involving a Model S operating on semiautonomous mode autopilot control had reportedly motivated the decision to drop Tesla at contract renewal time because this supplier wanted more control as to how its camera technology would be operationally deployed. Tesla has since indicated that its autopilot system will rely more on its radar sensors and advanced software to detect obstacles, rather than the forward-facing camera.
In its published update, Tesla indicated that teams were ultimately able to recover and fulfill its Q4 production goal, but the delay led to cars missing shipping cutoffs for Europe and Asia based customer deliveries. As manufacturing and supply chain teams know all too well, the best planning can often be impacted by unplanned events or disruptions, and the ability to recover quickly is what really matters. In addition to the 22,200 recorded deliveries in Q4, about 6450 vehicles were in various stages of transit to customers at the end of the quarter. These in-transit vehicles will be counted in the Q1-2017 revenue bucket.
As we have noted in prior Tesla focused commentaries, the company’s unique and self-perceived conservative customer fulfillment model is made-to-order and self-distribution driven, and calls for not recording full revenue until a car is manufactured and physically delivered into the hands of a customer with all ownership paperwork correctly transferred and acknowledged. For internationally focused deliveries, the fulfillment cycle is literally many weeks.
Readers could surmise that Tesla indeed had the capability to actually exceed its 2016 customer delivery goals of between 80,000 to 90,000 vehicles. A total of 83, 922 vehicles were produced during the full year.
We believe Tesla should be lauded for consistently adhering to its conservative customer fulfillment policies of complete physical delivery, and for efforts to fulfill Q4 operational delivery milestones despite a noteworthy supply glitch involving a modified supply plan.
Perhaps in the future, customer delivery hurdles will be overcome by formally inviting the customers to Tesla manufacturing facilities to participate in a formal physical delivery transfer process that includes a maiden test driving experience on a test track. Who knows!
To get back to serious, CEO Elon Musk Tesla has committed to investors that the company would have the capability to produce upwards of 500,000 vehicles annually by the end of 2018. More than 300,000 people have put down deposits to reserve the newly announced Model 3, scheduled for 2018 delivery. That represents over a six-fold scaling from 2016 operational performance. If there is going to be a notion of how to improve required production and delivery scale in the months to come, it will likely center on more innovative and globally centric vehicle manufacturing and distribution processes.
Musk has challenged Tesla engineering teams to the principles of “you build the machines that build the machine.” In other words, the context is in thinking that the factory is the ultimate product of engineering, and that you design a factory with similar principles as in designing an advanced computer with needs for many interlinking operational performance requirements. In November, the company acquired German consulting firm Grohmann Engineering to add specific manufacturing automation engineering expertise.
Much work remains, but then again, Tesla has always been a manufacturer that thinks and acts beyond industry convention.
© Copyright 2016. The Ferrari Consulting and Research Group and the Supply Chain Matters® blog. All rights reserved.
What is fast becoming a new norm for business risk is that of a direct public attack via a Twitter “tweet” from U.S. President Elect Donald Trump. Before formally taking office on January 20th, Mr. Trump has already attacked corporations such as United Technologies for presumably outsourcing U.S. jobs to Mexico. Other public confrontations have involved Boeing and Northup Grumman for perceived excessive development costs related to new U.S. government aircraft.
Today, this Presidential social media campaign took on direct industry supply chain implications.
In a series of Twitter postings, the President Elect took direct aim at General Motors regarding the Chevrolet Cruze model. Mr. Trump accused GM of importing this vehicle from Mexico to U.S. dealers without having to pay U.S. import duties. GM quickly responded that the bulk of the Cruze was produced in a plant in Lordstown, Ohio.
Trump’s other automotive industry target has been Ford Motor, who had previously announced plans last February to build and staff a new manufacturing facility in Mexico to produce smaller vehicles. An editorial at the time published by The Wall Street Journal reflected that Ford’s strategic sourcing moves were indicators of a strategy to offset the signing of a new labor agreement among its U.S. unionized work force, which raised direct labor costs to nearly $30 per hour in the coming years. Mexico’s direct labor rates were indicated as being one-fifth that of unionized workers in the U.S.
Today, Ford suddenly scrapped its plans to build the previously announced $1.6 billion small car factory in Mexico in favor of a modified plan that would share production among existing plants in the U.S. and Mexico. Ford’s CEO Mark Fields took to the business airwaves to declare a new meeting of the minds regarding the incoming POTUS to include a planned $700 million incremental investment in the Flat Rock Michigan assembly plant.
We call reader attention to a CNBC business network report which we believe provides far more insight as to what is really at-stake in this developing direct public confrontation of U.S. auto manufacturers. That insight involves the current automotive value-chain of parts and component sourcing.
The CNBC report notes that under the existing North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) the parts components that make-up a finished automobile and truck are increasingly sourced in Mexico. In 2015 alone, 60 percent of the $5 billion in direct foreign investment associated with Mexico’s automotive industry sector was associated with parts and component manufacturing. As we have previously noted on this blog, Mexico’s direct labor costs averaging in some cases $2.50 per hour are a compelling attraction for parts producers, especially when various global OEM producers demand that a contiguous component supply chain be developed to support both Mexican and other North American production needs.
In 2014, we called Supply Chain Matters reader attention to the then prevalent trend that for the automotive industry, Mexico was fast becoming a North America production and global export production hub. We echoed that global automotive brands BMW, Honda, Kia, Mazda, Nissan, Volkswagen, Nissan, and others had announced strategic Mexican production sourcing decisions that amounted to billions of dollars of investment. This was beyond U.S. automotive branded companies, reflecting that Mexico would soon become an alternative global automotive manufacturing hub for smaller, lower-margin vehicle line-ups.
The CNBC report cites U.S. trade data for the first 10 months of 2016 indicating that “parts imports from Mexico totaled $89.6 billion, dwarfing the next biggest import nations, Canada with $54 billion and Japan, at $44 billion. While vehicles were the main imports from Canada and Japan, more than half- $46.8 billion of the automotive-related imports from Mexico- were vehicle parts in that 10-month period. U.S. government data show that car parts imports into the U.S. nearly doubled in the past five years.”
It would appear to this blog, that Mr. Trump has gathered advisors who appear very knowledgeable of automotive supply chain sourcing strategies particularly as it relates to current NAFTA agreements. The Trump campaign promises to thwart the exodus of U.S. jobs has obviously already begun, and the stakes are threatened import tariffs involving imported auto parts originating from Mexico and Canada. Thus far, it would appear that Ford has been willing to meet the incoming Administration halfway with new concessions. Perhaps, GM and others will follow in a meeting of minds or the Republican dominated Congress will act on Trump’s threatened NAFTA agenda.
With the first direct skirmishes involving public confrontation underway and other U.S. based industry supply chains should be prepared for an environment of changing assumptions related to the landed cost of component sourcing.
Where all of this give, and take ultimately lands is very much uncertain especially in the new tendencies toward direct confrontation. The sheer facts of dramatically different direct labor costs among Mexico and the U.S. workers remains. Worker productivity and automation are the new variants in global sourcing coupled with threatened new import tariffs or open market retaliation.
Preparation and timely detailed knowledge of component sourcing and production costs coupled with backup contingency sourcing plans are fast becoming a required capability in this evolving new era of populism and anti-global trade.

domain: economics


A security personnel stops motorists at a checkpoint during a government-imposed lockdown in Kabul on Wednesday. AFP
Differences over the prisoner release question have been complicating US brokered attempts to create a lasting peace agreement to end more than 18 years of conflict in Afghanistan.
Afghan National Army soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint outside Bagram prison, north of Kabul. Reuters
"The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan released 100 Taliban prisoners today based on their health condition, age and length of remaining sentence, as part of our efforts for peace," said Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the Afghan National Security Council, which has been negotiating with the Taliban.
Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen in a message to The Associated Press said the insurgent group doesn't know who the government is releasing without verification. He said the Taliban withdrew a technical team to oversee the releases because of delays by the government.
In a tweet, Shaheen admonished the government for refusing to release the first 15 Taliban they requested who were on the list.
"They should be released based on our list,” Shaheen told AP. The list of Taliban and government personnel to be released were part of the negotiations that led to the signing of the US-Taliban peace deal.
Meanwhile, in recent days Washington has expressed its frustration with the political turmoil in Kabul as President Ashraf Ghani and his rival in last year’s presidential polls squabble over power sharing amid allegations of election fraud.
Earlier this week, the US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs tweeted a harsh statement expressing frustration at the continued political turmoil roiling in Kabul.
The State Department tweeted: "As the world gets slammed by COVID-19, with devastating economic consequences for all, donors are frustrated and fed up by personal agendas being advanced ahead of the welfare of the Afghan people.”
Afghanistan has imposed a lockdown in several cities to curb the spread of the new virus and has so far recorded 444 confirmed cases and 14 deaths.
Meanwhile, at least seven Afghan civilians were killed when the Taliban attacked security forces in northern Balkh province, local officials said Wednesday.
A February pact between the United States and the Taliban, under which US-led international forces will withdraw in phases in exchange for Taliban security guarantees, is the best chance to reduce US military involvement in Afghanistan.
But peace hinges on talks between the US-backed Afghan government and the militants. A prisoner exchange is meant to build confidence on both sides for those talks.
Despite this week's setbacks over the prisoner releases, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday said progress had been made since he visited Kabul on March 23 and also met Taliban officials in Qatar to iron out the differences.
Calm prevailed across much of Afghanistan, with officials not reporting any major clashes between the two foes since the truce began on Friday to mark the Muslim festival of Eid Al Adha.
The government has decided to free top militant commander Anas Haqqani and two other Taliban commanders in a prisoner swap, a deal that could pave the way for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Militants have struck again in Afghanistan killing or wounding several innocent people and such cowardly, cruel acts should end. The country has witnessed too much bloodshed and the worst affected
President Ghani met US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in Kabul during the past week to discuss ways to inject momentum in the stalled peace negotiations with Taliban representatives being held in Qatar. After his talks in Kabul, Khalilzad went to Qatar.
President Erdogan prayed to the Almighty Allah that these appointments would contribute to the country’s development and progress, wishing the UAE and its people continued progress and prosperity.
The Space Centre wrote, Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi alongside a free-flying AstroBee robotic helper at the KIBO laboratory module aboard the International Space Station.
The Abu Dhabi Court for Family and Civil and Administrative Cases obligated a wife to pay her husband Dhs5,000 in compensation for the material and moral damage he incurred, after she hit him in the face with a phone.


text:
Surrounded by beautiful countryside and accommodating up to twelve people, this stunning barn conversion is a perfect choice for family groups wishing to holiday or perhaps to celebrate a special occasion in style.
Great Snoring, Norfolk
Set in a tranquil rural village, this large, welcoming and rambling Georgian house boasts features from the Victorian and Edwardian-eras and makes an ideal base for a large family get-together.
Standing within 30-acres of beautiful private grounds and parkland, this magnificent 18th century Grade-II listed country house offers stunning accommodation and unparalleled views across The Wash.
Let with us


text:
Criterion’s new Blu-ray of Michael Radford’s 1984 (1984) offers an impressive 4K restoration of this grim and gritty dystopian fantasy faithfully adapted from George Orwell’s novel.
Criterion’s exemplary Blu-ray release of Alan Pakula’s second feature, Klute (1971), offers a superb 4K scan from the original negative and extensive extras which highlight the film’s importance in the evolution of American cinema at a particularly turbulent time in both politics and popular culture, with a particular emphasis on Jane Fonda’s development as both actor and activist.
The Criterion Collection presents a new 4K restoration of Elia Kazan’s best film, A Face in the Crowd (1957). The excellent image showcases two of the finest performances of the 1950s: Andy Griffith in his screen debut as the countryboy-turned-demagogue Lonesome Rhodes and Patricia Neal as the smalltown radio reporter who discovers him and facilitates his rise to national stardom.
Criterion have released an excellent Blu-ray of Ken Loach’s Palme d’or-winning I, Daniel Blake (2016), supplemented with a commentary track from Loach and writer Paul Laverty, an illuminating behind-the-scenes documentary, and a feature-length account of the director’s life and career. One of the best disks released so far this year.
Criterion’s release of Felipe Cazals’ Canoa: A Shameful Memory (1976) makes available a key film in Mexican cinema history. A devastating depiction of political violence, the film uses radical techniques to deconstruct a brutal incident which actually occurred in the small town of San Miguel Canoa in 1968.


text:
|License:||Free to try|
|Op. System:||Windows 7/Vista/XP|
|File size:||610 KB|
Publisher description for ZbornToy
The design of ZbornToy has the amount of parameters reduced to a minimum, while still providing a vast amount of control over every Aspect of it. The goal has been to achieve the performance and feel of a full blown render engine when it comes to the results. Yet it is ment to be not only easily accessible, but fast and fluent so that it is fun and even playful to use. Lighting supports shadows and soft shadows and is kept within the plugin for a maximum portability to other compositing packages that support after effects plugins. Sources of light are by means of a direct light, a point light and environmental illumination. The environmental illumination is based on panoramic or spherical maps. It includes occlusion approximations and independent Reflection settings. The reflection is directly tied together with the shading section and gets diffused and colored according the surface definitions.


text:
Clinton has a new guest op-ed Wednesday in the Deseret News, the public media organ of the Church of Latter Day Saints. It’s a clear sign of just how much the map has expanded, with polls showing a strangely close and divided race in deep-red Utah. In the piece, Clinton draws on the public criticisms against Trump by the likes of Mitt Romney, Utah Governor Gary Herbert, and former South Dakota Senator Larry Pressler. The latter has endorsed her, and has also compared Trump’s Muslim immigrant ban to the infamous “Extermination Order” of 1838 against the early Mormon community in Missouri.
The message here is clear: Demagoguery against one religious minority group can soon be turned against any other. But she also goes further to draw a connection between modern liberalism and Mormonism’s own long tradition of collectivism.
Americans don’t have to agree on everything. We never have. But when it comes to religion, we strive to be accepting of everyone around us. That’s because we need each other. And we know that it so often takes a village—or a ward—working together to build the change we hope to see.
And then there’s this interesting closing, in which a Democrat is now actually able to confidently put the election in religious terms for a red-state audience:
Generations of LDS leaders, from Joseph Smith and Brigham Young to Gordon Hinckley and Thomas Monson, have noted the infinite blessings we have received from the Constitution of the United States. The next president will swear an oath to preserve, protect and defend that document for successive generations. And if you give me the honor to serve as your president, I will fight every day to carry out that sacred responsibility.