Quantum Flash Review – Is it Scam? – Broker for Bitcoin
In the world of cryptocurrency, Bitcoin has become a household name. With its exponential growth and potential for high returns, more and more people are looking to get involved in Bitcoin trading. However, choosing a reliable broker is essential to ensure a safe and seamless trading experience. In this review, we will take a closer look at Quantum Flash, a broker that specializes in Bitcoin trading. We will examine its features, benefits, and potential drawbacks, as well as address any scam allegations that may exist.
Background on Bitcoin Trading
Bitcoin is a digital currency that operates on a decentralized network called the blockchain. It was created in 2009 by an anonymous person or group of people using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin offers several unique features, such as its limited supply, pseudo-anonymity, and ability to facilitate fast and secure transactions.
Bitcoin trading involves buying and selling Bitcoin in order to profit from its price fluctuations. This type of trading has gained immense popularity over the years due to the potential for high returns and the 24/7 nature of the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin trading offers several benefits, including high liquidity, low transaction fees, and the ability to trade with leverage.
Overview of Quantum Flash
Quantum Flash is an online brokerage platform that specializes in Bitcoin trading. It offers a user-friendly interface and a range of tools and features designed to assist traders in making informed trading decisions. The platform provides access to real-time market data, trading charts, and indicators, allowing users to analyze the market and execute trades efficiently.
Quantum Flash offers a range of services to cater to traders of all experience levels. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced trader, Quantum Flash provides the tools and support you need to navigate the world of Bitcoin trading.
Pros and Cons of Using Quantum Flash
There are several advantages to using Quantum Flash as your Bitcoin trading broker:
User-friendly interface for beginners: Quantum Flash's platform is designed with beginners in mind. The intuitive interface and step-by-step guides make it easy for new traders to navigate the platform and execute trades.
Wide range of trading tools and indicators: Quantum Flash offers a comprehensive suite of trading tools and indicators. Whether you prefer technical analysis or fundamental analysis, Quantum Flash provides the tools you need to make informed trading decisions.
Competitive fees and low spreads: Quantum Flash offers competitive fees and low spreads, allowing traders to keep more of their profits. This is especially important for frequent traders who execute multiple trades in a day.
- Excellent customer support: Quantum Flash prides itself on its customer support. The platform offers 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, and phone. The support team is knowledgeable and responsive, ensuring that any issues or queries are addressed promptly.
While Quantum Flash offers many advantages, there are a few potential drawbacks to consider:
Limited cryptocurrency options: Quantum Flash primarily focuses on Bitcoin trading. While Bitcoin is the most popular and widely traded cryptocurrency, some traders may prefer to have access to a wider range of cryptocurrencies.
Lack of educational resources for beginners: While Quantum Flash is beginner-friendly, it lacks comprehensive educational resources for traders who are new to Bitcoin trading. Traders may need to seek additional educational material from external sources.
Restricted access in certain countries: Quantum Flash may not be available to traders in certain countries due to regulatory restrictions. It is important to check if the platform is accessible in your country before signing up.
Quantum Flash Scam Allegations – Debunking the Myths
There have been some scam allegations against Quantum Flash circulating online. However, it is important to approach these allegations with caution and conduct proper due diligence.
Quantum Flash operates within the regulatory framework governing brokers. This means that it is subject to certain rules and regulations designed to protect traders. Before signing up with any broker, it is crucial to verify its regulatory status. Quantum Flash provides information about its regulatory status on its website, ensuring transparency and accountability.
To ensure the safety of your funds, it is advisable to choose a broker that is regulated by a reputable financial authority. This provides an additional layer of protection and ensures that the broker adheres to industry best practices.
Safety and Security of Funds with Quantum Flash
Quantum Flash takes the safety and security of its clients' funds seriously. The platform implements several security measures to protect user funds and personal information.
Quantum Flash utilizes encryption technology to secure all transactions and communications on its platform. This ensures that your personal and financial information is protected from unauthorized access. Additionally, Quantum Flash employs strict verification procedures to prevent identity theft and fraud.
Client funds are held in segregated accounts, separate from the broker's operational funds. This means that even in the unlikely event of the broker's insolvency, client funds are protected and can be returned to the rightful owners.
Registering and Getting Started with Quantum Flash
Getting started with Quantum Flash is a straightforward process. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to register an account:
- Visit the Quantum Flash website and click on the "Sign Up" button.
- Fill in the required personal information, such as your name, email address, and phone number.
- Create a secure password for your account.
- Agree to the terms and conditions and complete the registration process.
- Once your account is created, you will need to verify your identity. This typically involves providing a copy of your ID and proof of address.
- After your identity is verified, you can proceed to deposit funds into your account and start trading.
Quantum Flash accepts a range of deposit methods, including bank transfers, credit/debit cards, and popular e-wallets. The minimum deposit amount may vary depending on the deposit method chosen.
Trading with Quantum Flash
Basic Trading Concepts
Before you start trading on Quantum Flash, it is important to familiarize yourself with some basic trading concepts. These concepts will help you understand how trading works and how to manage your risks effectively.
Buying and selling: In trading, you can either buy or sell an asset. When you buy, you are going long on the asset, with the expectation that its price will rise. When you sell, you are going short on the asset, with the expectation that its price will fall.
Order types: Quantum Flash offers various order types, including market orders, limit orders, and stop orders. A market order is executed immediately at the current market price. A limit order allows you to set a specific price at which you want to buy or sell. A stop order is used to limit losses by automatically closing a trade when the price reaches a certain level.
Leverage and margin trading: Quantum Flash offers leverage, which allows you to trade with more capital than you have in your account. This can amplify your potential profits, but also your potential losses. Margin trading involves borrowing funds from the broker to open larger positions. It is important to understand the risks associated with leverage and margin trading before using them.
- Risk management: Managing your risk is crucial in trading. Setting stop-loss orders can help limit your losses if the market moves against your position. It is also important to diversify your portfolio and never risk more than you can afford to lose.
Using Quantum Flash Trading Tools
Quantum Flash provides a range of trading tools and indicators to assist you in making informed trading decisions. These tools can help you analyze the market and identify potential trading opportunities. Here are some of the key tools available:
Trading charts: Quantum Flash offers real-time trading charts with multiple timeframes. You can customize the charts by adding indicators, drawing tools, and other technical analysis tools.
Technical indicators: Quantum Flash provides a wide range of technical indicators, such as moving averages, Bollinger Bands, and Relative Strength Index (RSI). These indicators can help you identify trends, support and resistance levels, and potential entry and exit points.
Economic calendar: Quantum Flash's economic calendar provides information on upcoming economic events and their potential impact on the market. This can help you plan your trades and avoid high volatility periods.
Placing Trades on Quantum Flash
Placing trades on Quantum Flash is a straightforward process. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to place trades:
- Log in to your Quantum Flash account.
- Navigate to the trading interface.
- Select the cryptocurrency pair you want to trade.
- Choose the order type, such as market order or limit order.
- Enter the quantity and price at which you want to buy or sell.
- Review the details of your trade and click on the "Submit" button to execute the trade.
Quantum Flash provides a user-friendly trading interface that displays all the necessary information, such as current market prices, order book, and your open positions. The platform also allows you to set stop-loss and take-profit levels to manage your trades effectively.
Withdrawing Funds from Quantum Flash
Withdrawing funds from Quantum Flash is a simple process. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to withdraw funds:
- Log in to your Quantum Flash account.
- Navigate to the withdrawal section.
- Choose the withdrawal method, such as bank transfer or e-wallet.
- Enter the amount you wish to withdraw.
- Review the withdrawal details and submit the withdrawal request.
It is important to note that Quantum Flash may charge withdrawal fees, which can vary depending on the withdrawal method chosen. The processing time for withdrawals may also vary, ranging from a few hours to several business days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Quantum Flash a regulated broker?
- Yes, Quantum Flash operates within the regulatory framework governing brokers. It is important to verify the regulatory status of any broker before signing up.
How can I contact Quantum Flash


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April 19, 2023
4 Min Read
It's rare to see a new kind of material used for packaging, but it's even rarer when that material is highly sustainable and centuries old.
The breakthrough new, yet old packaging that mimics ancient terracotta containers in India is coming to the US. And it brings a decidedly modern twist: the packaging can be made on-demand using 21st century technology.
The ingenious packaging comes from GaeaStar, a Berlin, Germany, and San Francisco-based technology company that creates compostable “drink to dust” cups and bowls made from clay, water, and salt that exemplify penultimate circularity.
Application possibilities include branded on-the-go cups for a coffee shop or juice bar, welcome drinks in a hotel lobby, or trendy ice cream containers such as used by Berlin ice cream manufacturer “Rosa Canina” or “Eisweiler.”
Here are six things to know about Earth Cups and GaeaStar packaging.
1. The packaging concept was sparked while drinking tea in India.
Several years ago, GaeaStar founder Sanjeev Mankotia was enjoying a cup of tea with a cousin in their native country, India.
Known as “kuhlars,” the cups were made of terracotta, a material used for containers that stretches back some 5,000 years.
“After drinking from a handmade cup purchased from the vendor, my cousin smashed it on the ground,” he relates. “She said that it was not littering because these cups were made of dirt and go right back to the earth.”
It was a profound aha moment.
2. The packaging concept received a modern upgrade using 21st-century additive manufacturing.
Mankotia's goal with the packaging is to provide sustainable, low-cost, high-end products that drastically reduce waste and pollution. But to get there he first had to have a practical production process. That led him to 3D printing, a nimble and scalable manufacturing technique.
Mankotia says the printing process takes about 30 seconds, a speed faster than most 3D printers. However, he aims to cut that time. “Our long-term plans are to continue to scale and enhance our additive manufacturing technology to produce the products in under 10 seconds.”
After printing, the containers are strengthened structurally using a brief combination of heat and pressure, a process known as sintering. The result mimics earthenware.
3. Business model is for decentralized, on-demand local manufacturing.
“The result of our decentralized, on-demand manufacturing model is that our manufacturing site in Germany serves customers in that country,” Mankotia explains. “By simplifying the logistics, eliminating long shipping distances, and using readily available raw materials, we’ve reduced economic and environmental costs.”
4. Advantages include strength, low costs, favorable first impressions, and custom options.
Surprisingly, the GaeaStar’s eggshell-thin clay containers are 10x stronger than paper cups.
Mankotia likes to point out that the all-natural ingredients are “dirt cheap” and make local sourcing possible to keep costs low and sustainability high.
GaeaStar packaging is cost-competitive with competitive with paper or plastic alternatives, he says.
The packaging also provides a superior on-the-go dining experience versus standard paper or plastic foodservice packaging. And the terracotta has natural superior insulator properties appropriate for hot or cold food or drinks from ice cream to coffee.
The cups have been printed in two standard sizes: small, which is 225 mL/7.6 ounce; and medium, which is 340mL/11.5 ounce.
Bowl sizes are small, which is 75mL/2.5 ounce; medium, which is 150 mL/5.1 ounce; and large, which is 300mL/10.1 ounce.
The packaging is adaptable to regional and customer preferences.
“We can offer custom cups, bowls, plates, and more depending on a customer’s need,” Mankotia adds, including other container sizes and “special features. For example, we can customize smaller containers specifically for espresso shots and add a logo for personalized branding.”
5. GaeaStar packaging is reusable and composts under normal conditions.
Mankotia points out that “more than 90% of US plastic waste is never recycled, and that most products marketed as ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable’ require special and expensive processing that’s not generally available. Our disposable solution removes the need to recycle entirely.”
Cups can be easily broken after use and collected for composting.
Alternately, the packaging can be hand washed and reused until the customer is ready to dispose of it. Mankotia knows of customers who have reused them as pots for small plants.
6. GaeaStar’s plans include US pilot and tabletop manufacturing.
After generating orders exceeding a million units in Germany, GaeaStar raised $6.5 million in seed funding from Morningside Technology Ventures, At Inc. Ventures, Dart Labs Ventures, Sand Hill Angels, VSC Ventures, and Climate Capital Ventures to bring its products to the US starting on the West Coast by opening its first US micro-manufacturing center in the San Francisco Bay area.
The company is developing a pilot project with California-based Verve Coffee Roasters, which will replace plastic cups with Earth Cups.
Mankotia also has big plans to downsize the production model.
“We’re a technology company at our core, so our ultimate vision is to develop a tabletop version of GaeaStar’s machine in a variety of businesses across the globe so that companies will be able to customize the output and print on demand,” he says.
About the Author(s)
Senior Technical Editor, Packaging Digest and PlasticsToday
Rick Lingle is Senior Technical Editor, Packaging Digest and PlasticsToday. He’s been a packaging media journalist since 1985 specializing in food, beverage and plastic markets. He has a chemistry degree from Clarke College and has worked in food industry R&D for Standard Brands/Nabisco and the R.T. French Co. Reach him at [email protected] or 630-481-1426.
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domain: design


Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the Election Commission will announce the 12th national parliamentary polls schedule in a day or two.
She urged the country’s people to contain the ongoing arson terrorism in the country.
On Tuesday (November 14), the Prime Minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones of 10,041 structures and houses under 157 development projects including Sheikh Hasina Swarani (Purbachal Expressway) and first Elevated Expressway in Chattogram involving Tk 97,471 crores under 24 ministries and divisions.
She opened and laid foundation stones of the development projects from her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka through a video conferencing.
Of the projects, 4,644 were various development infrastructures and 5,397 houses for the landless and homeless people under the Ashrayan-2 project across the country.
The beneficiaries were connected to the event virtually from a total of 101 places, including 64 DC offices throughout the country. The total estimated cost of the projects is Tk 97,471 crore.
Noting that Bangladesh has gained the status of a developing country, she said the continuation of the government is essential to sustain this momentum.
Without mentioning BNP she took a swipe at the opposition party saying it doesn’t want to join the upcoming 12th parliamentary elections, fearing its performance could be as bad as in the 2008 polls.
In the 2008 election, Awami League gained a landslide victory with 233 seats out of 300 constituencies, while BNP won only 30 seats.
“Those who secured only 30 seats will have no desire to run the election. They are attempting to invite sufferings for the people of Bangladesh creating an abnormal situation by foiling the election,” she said, not mentioning the name of BNP. In 2008 vote BNP secured 29 seats and later added another in a bye-election.
She said AL also won the 2014 election overcoming arson violence and attempts to foil the vote.
We’ve come (to power) being elected by the people time and again. Awami League never formed the government by any other means but the democratic way.
All the electoral reforms – from enactment of a law over constitution of election commission to introduction of transparent ballot boxes— were done following Awami League’s proposals only to ensure the people’s voting rights.
PM Hasina said her government started the development of Bangladesh from the grassroots level so that the people can enjoy urban facilities even staying in villages.
The PM said the blockade programme and arson violence has been launched when the people are living in peace and the country witnessing its rapid progress.
The normal life of the people and the academic activities of the students particularly those who are sitting for the annual examinations are hampered due to the arson violence, she said.
Hasina said her government has increased the literacy rate to 76.6 percent now from only 45 percent during the BNP government of 2001-6.
She wished that good sense would prevail upon them and they would stop this destruction and arson violence.
The prime minister, however, asked the countrymen to resist this arson violence for the sake of protecting their own lives and assets.
Among the infrastructures, the prime minister unveiled foundation stones of or opened 4,644 infrastructures under different projects as well as distributed 5,397 houses, constructed under Ashrayan-2 project at 132 upazilas in 46 districts, among landless and homeless families across the country.
At the event, the PM declared more 11 districts and 60 upazilas as landless and homeless-free units following the distribution of the Ashrayan houses on Tuesday.
A total of 32 districts and 394 upazilas have so far become landless and homeless family-free ones.
The 4,644 infrastructures include 2023 Government Primary School Bhabans, 1800 Madrasha Bhaban, 299 Academic Bhaban and 40 Administrative Bhaban under Technical and Madrasha Education Division, 952 Academic cum Research Bhaban under Secondary and Higher Education Division, 12 student dormitory Bhaban, 222 disaster management centres, 128 chief judicial magistrate Bhaban, sub-register office Bhaban in 46 districts, 110 flood shelter centres, 25 Mujib Killa, 20 bridges, 22 complexes under the Social Welfare Ministry, 34 Bhaban under the Health Services Division, 7 student mess, 16 dormitories, 23 ICU, 79 community clinic, 46 Medical College Bhaban, 24 Nursing College Bhaban, tennis infrastructural development in 25 districts, 13 Kriya (Sports) School Bhaban, 26 BKSP Training Centre, 20 child daycare centres, 38 SPM with double pipelines, constructions of 10 gas pipelines, installment of 26 refining units , 24 mine digging, 140 gas plant purchase and installment, construction of 33 pipelines, 18 infrastructures of Sheikh Hasina Textile Engineering College, 11 Textile Institute infrastructures, 40 technical training centre and 14 Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Centre Bhaban.


Making Healthy Changes
- Mandy Bell, Beals Elementary School
- Access to Healthy Foods
One student on the FUTP 60 team has started to make some changes regarding school lunch. She had the students take a survey on what was the favorite school lunch, least favorite, and what they would like to see on the menu. She then chose one of those meals and is working with the district dieticians to design a veggie pizza. The veggie pizza will be on the menu sometime in April. She is also presenting this project to the district wellness committee, along with her future plans for next year.


As in many metropolitan regions of Europe, the town and country planners in the most advanced urban region of Holland (Randstad) are facing an increasingly dynamic form of urban development.The current transformation of urban forms (throughout urban Europe) into diverse polycentric configurations, at a metropolitan level, is not merely the latest whim in urban growth but is instead a result of the complex new worldwide and interregional dimensions of social and economic flows which exist, in different proportions and on different scales, in urban spaces.With regards metropolitan planning, it is essential to create and rejuvenate the institutions’ ability to face growing spatial complexity at a regional and metropolitan level. In this sense, Dutch planners are now facing a dilemma. One tendency consists of increasing the ability to limit active planning in order to further development at a regional level, above all by giving new legal and financial tools to strategic regional plans (e.g. regional policy and development bodies).This tendency may lead to institutional conflicts within the varied institutional landscape of Holland’s urban regions.The second option does not choose to broaden the governing powers of regional planning but rather to increase its joint strategic capacity by improving coordination and communication between intermediate regional planning bodies.The authors highlight that the second option is better suited to the mutability of urban spaces.
|Nummer van het tijdschrift||11|
|Status||Published - 2007|


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Israeli warplanes today rocketed suspected Hizbullah targets in South Lebanon. Two Israeli warplanes fired a total of four rockets into the hills of Iqlim Al-Touffah, just north of the zone Israel occupies in the South. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the air raid, the first into Lebanon this year.
Earlier today, Hizbullah guerrillas fired machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades at an Israeli patrol inside the zone, wounding three soldiers. Hizbullah claimed responsibility for the attack. An Israeli military source in the zone said one guerrilla was killed in the clash and his body taken to Marjayoun hospital. There was no immediate comment from Hizbullah on the reported death.
In Israel, an army spokesman confirmed the guerrilla attack and the Israeli air raid saying ? a paratroopers division on operational duty this morning clashed with terrorists and killed at least one "terrorist" in the Soujoud area in the eastern sector of the security zone. The spokesman added three Israeli soldiers were very lightly wounded and were transferred to hospital for treatment. He also said during the incident guerrillas fired shells at Israeli forces operating in the same area.
Today's casualties brought to nine the number of Israeli soldiers wounded in guerrilla attacks since the beginning of the year.
President Elias Al-Hrawi today reiterated his call for the necessity of introducing amendments to the law of optional civil marriage in the country, considering the issue takes a wide national perspective. He stressed the necessity of the law to those Lebanese who wish to marry in a civil manners, enabling them to get married in their country without having to travel to other countries outside.
Hrawi was quoted by deputy Abdel Rahim Mourad who visited him at the presidential palace in Baabda today. Mourad also reported Hrawi as saying he will present his suggestion to parliament after the sessions scheduled for budget discussions. The president received today Industry Minister Nadim Salem and discussed with him issues related to his ministry and to the situation of the industrial sector in the country.
Prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri today headed a meeting of the National Decision Bloc this morning at the Government Palace. Discussions centered on the budget deficit, municipal elections and recent statements by Israeli officials concerning the implementation of resolution 425. After the meeting, the bloc stressed the unity of the Lebanese-Syrian tracks. It also refused all conditions set by the recent Israeli proposal concerning UN resolution 425.
Hariri later held talks with the American charge d'affairs in Lebanon, Greg Perry. After the meeting, he revealed a judicial expert from the American Finance Ministry will arrive to Lebanon next week to hold discussions with Lebanese officials on issues related to drug trade. Perry said Lebanon made many steps in the direction of limiting drug dealing in the country which he described as very dangerous.
At Boustrous Palace today, the Algerian ambassador to Lebanon Al-Hassan Bou Faris today held talks with the foreign ministry's secretary general Zafer Al-Hassan concerning recent developments in Algeria and the Lebanese suggestion calling for an active Arab grouping to help Algeria. The Algerian ambassador criticized recent statements by some Lebanese officials concerning the massacre of civilians in Algeria. He also reiterated his country's rejection to any foreign intervention in its internal affairs.
But he added his country which received a delegation from the Arab league recently does not reject initiative of aid. He said the delegation expressed Arab solidarity with Algeria and its people condemning all acts of violence and massacres. The Algerian ambassador said solidarity with his country can only be expressed in a form similar to that of the Arab League.
Al-Hassan also held talks today with the Tunisian ambassador to Lebanon who later reveled s number of ministers in his country including the Minister of Tourism are expected to visit Lebanon in the coming months. Also at the foreign ministry today, Argentine's ambassador to Lebanon discussed preparations for the Argentinean president Carlos Menem's official visit to Lebanon scheduled on February the 2nd. The foreign ministry also announced today that Lebanon will hold diplomatic ties with the government of Lativia which will be represented by an un-residing ambassador to the country.
The Luxurious Hotel in the heart of Kaslik, Jounieh, Lebanon
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domain: news


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We’re celebrating Cultural Diversity Month in April! Check out these series--there’s a detective for every holiday destination.
Follows Mma Ramotste, a recently bereaved woman, as she sets up the only woman-run Private Detective Agency in Botswana and her attempts to get it off the ground. She gets help from Mma Makutsi, her new secretary, and Mr. JLB Matekoni, the owner and super mechanic of the wonderful Speedy Motors. Mma Ramotste takes on cases, meets many new people who need her help - from a woman who thinks the man who has turned up at her door is not her father, to another lady who has a boyfriend who may or may not be faithful to her. Based on the books by Alexander McCall Smith.

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The Underrated masterpiece
Much has been said over the years about Stanley Kubrick’s filmography, and though most people tend to go for his Hallmark movies like Dr Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange and especially, 2001: A Space Odyssey, most viewers or even followers of his body of work, tend to forget about his most underrated movie, and, quite possibly, one of the most beautiful films ever made. It’s not overselling it when I say that, along with 2001, this is quite possibly his most striking film from a purely visual perspective.
Back in 1973, and after the release and political backlash of A Clockwork Orange, Kubrick had begun working on a film about Napoleon, which later had to be abandoned due to the release and consequent financial failure of a film with a very similar subject matter: Serguei Bondarchuck’s Waterloo. Given that Kubrick had done a massive amount of research on the 18th Century, he decided he might as well use it for another movie that took place in the same time period. Having read a lot of classical literature, he turned his attention to William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, but found after reading it, that the cinematographic format would be most unsuitable to adapt the material faithfully and that it might be more appropriate to do it like a serial. He then turned his attention to another one of Thackeray’s books, The Luck of Barry Lyndon, one of his most unknown novels and a book that had hardly been reprinted since the 18th Century. This book, Kubrick felt, would be the ideal material for his new movie. He then started looking for the best film crew members in the business to help him realize his vision. First off, he contacted Production Designer Ken Adam, with whom he had worked previously in Dr Strangelove, who after a very strenuous working relationship during the filming of that movie, was reluctant to come back in his employ. Ken Adam, at first, recommended a friend of his for the job, but after an unsuccessful attempt by Kubrick of employing the man, he asked Adam once again, who reluctantly accepted and was the main architect in convincing Kubrick that the movie had to be shot in location rather than in Studio, which would later prove to come with its own set of problems.
Location scouting and shooting in Ireland and first hiccups.
The decision was made really early on to go shoot in Ireland, as it would be the most picturesque of places in terms of landscapes to do it. The crew took over the entire top floor of the Ard Rí Hotel in Waterford and rented from the local Volkswagen dealership 8 minibuses, 8 cars, 8 vans and 4 saloon cars. Kubrick used his entire crew, as well as his daughter, to go scouting for locations. They were given a page each from the script each morning and sent separately on their various scouting assignments. They, most often than not, would get into difficulty, from a logistical point of view, due to the stubbornness of Kubrick of visiting or shooting in some places that, given the rough nature of the terrain were almost impossible to navigate through. The crew also drew from the local talent to assist in the costume design, hair dressing and to act as extras. Kubrick also recruited the services of the local militia to use them as soldiers in all the battle scenes. Some local musical talent was also recruited to provide folklore music for the dancing sequences. It was during this period, whilst scouting for locations and due to the ever changing decisions made by Kubrick about where to shoot, that Production Designer Ken Adam suffered a nervous breakdown that would cause him to retire from the production. His psychiatrist strongly advised him to abandon the production and that his working relationship with Kubrick was proving to be toxic for his mental health. After a few weeks, he got better; although the constant stream of phone calls from Kubrick inquiring after his health, did not help.
With the shooting back on schedule, the photography would prove to be one more bump on the road of what was becoming a fairly problematic shoot.
The photography of the movie would become the single most challenging aspect of the entire filmmaking process.
Lighting problems and IRA threats.
After the decision was made to shoot in location, Kubrick decided that he wanted to shoot the entire movie, interior and exterior shots, with natural light, without the aid of artificial light sources. This would prove to be quite challenging due to the very nature of shooting outdoors with the ever changing weather conditions and the limited capabilities of the Camera set ups available back in the day. In order to achieve this, the cameras were outfitted with a special Zeiss lens that had originally been designed for NASA for outer space photography. The retrofitting process was difficult and shots, especially for at night and indoor scenes, only lit by hundreds and hundreds of candles, would be the trickier ones. The Zeiss lens had an aperture system that, given the natural light provided at any given time of the day, would require the lens to be opened up or closed down accordingly. This and the use of 18th Century paintings by author William Hogarth, as a reference for framing, would give the movie its unique live painting quality. And it would be rewarded with an Oscar for Best Photography by John Alcott.
Shooting went as smoothly as it could, given the conditions and the character of who was behind the camera, when another problem arose that would force Kubrick and his production crew to abandon Ireland overnight. Trouble had been brewing for a while in Northern Ireland with the IRA, and some threats had been directed at the crew and especially Kubrick, who decided to move production to England and Germany,where the rest of the movie would be finished. And that would be the end of their Irish adventure.
Casting choices had always been polemical, to say the least, when it came to Stanley Kubrick. None more so than when he elected Ryan O’Neal to portray the main character in Barry Lyndon. His apparently lack of on-screen charisma and limited dramatic range wouldn’t put him on the top of the list to portray a character with such a remarkable dramatic arc. The way Kubrick chose to tell his story, though, in such a detached manner as to not make you relate to any of the characters on an emotional level, made him, in my opinion, the actor best suited to play the part ,and a decision that Kubrick fiercely defended when asked about it. To play the part of Lady Lyndon, he chose Marisa Berenson, a former Vogue model and an actress with limited on -screen experience, that given her limited amount of dialogue scenes and her natural beauty, proved to be another smart decision on Kubrick’s part. But what really proved to be the breakthrough performance of the entire film was the selection of Leon Vitali, to play the troubled and emotionally dependant Lord Bullingdon, son of Charles and Lady Lyndon. He would later become Kubrick’s assistant and forego his acting career. The rest of the cast was completed with the appearance of most of Kubrick’s recurring cast members.
For the soundtrack of the movie, Kubrick decided to use pieces of classical music by Handel and Schubert and all this was arranged by composer Leonard Rosenman, who won an Oscar for his efforts. The explanation by Kubrick of deciding not to use an original soundtrack was that, for him, having all these wonderful compositions available to him and which so well represented what he musically wanted to convey in the movie, he couldn’t possibly envision himself using other material than this. That was a commonplace practice throughout his career and the use of an original soundtrack was mostly a rare occurrence.
Financial and critical reception
The movie was, unfortunately, not the financial success Warner Bros was hoping for in the United States, but it faired much better in the Europen market.
From a critical point of view, the movie was received coldly in most critical circles; critics at the time failing to see through the undisputable technical merits of the movie and brushing it off as another glacial exercise on style by Kubrick with no emotional warmth to it. Most of the same critics who would later, over the years, come to appreciate the film for its artistic and, not only technical achievements, and regard it as one of the most important movies ever made in their list of best movies in Cinema History.
Granted the movie is not something that is for everyone. Its slow pace and duration probably put off a lot of people back in the day. This is not to say that it’s a film in which nothing much happens. Quite the contrary. Over a running time of over 3 hours we are witness to all the changes experienced by its main character ,but, as good or bad as these experiences may be, and with the aid of an improbable third person narration coupled with the cold and detached manner in which Kubrick chose to tell the story, we watch those changes rather than feel them along with Barry. And it’s a storytelling tool that Kubrick had every intention of using. We’re not supposed to feel any sympathy for a character in whose dramatic development Chance plays a main role. This is something that is summed up perfectly on the film’s poster art work; what we understand to be the lower half of Barry’s body holding a pistol in his hand and stepping on a Rose with his left foot. All of this conveys precisely the main narrative of the film; the pistol signifying the three Duels throughout his life that will determine his destiny, and the Rose that signifies the beauty in his life that will inevitably be destroyed by his own hand. It’s a tale of Chance and its consequences. Examples of this are peppered throughout the movie; in various scenes during the movie we see our main protagonist playing cards, each of which are there to show us a particular development in the character; from naivety and love at the very beginning of the movie, to unscrupulous behaviour halfway through the story, to utter resignation and defeat at the very end. The movie is filled with “what ifs”in the development of the story. Had the character not been orphaned as such a young age, had he not fallen in love with the wrong woman….And in all of this, the PISTOL, signifying the Three Duels in the movie, that will play a significant part in his story. The painting- like framing in the movie with its constant zoom out shots, are there to, not only establish the character’s surroundings, but to also show us that he’s just part, and sometimes a tiny part, of his surroundings. He’s just a cog in the machinery of his own life. He, ultimately, has no control over it. Everything has been left to chance and his fruitless attempts to belong to a High Society, in which, due to his low social stature by birth, has no chance of being a part of, are doomed to failure. The movie begs repeated viewing to catch all the nuances, but it’s well worth your time.
What we’re left with it’s one of the most beautiful looking movies ever made with gorgeous Production and Costume Design, superb Photography, marvellous soundtrack and the expert guiding hand of one the best directors who ever lived.
The movie has gone through several home media iterations over the years; from VHS to Laserdisc, DVD and, ultimately Bluray. Given the love and care with which the Kubrick Estate has treated the different remastering processes over the years, it’s no surprise that the movie has always looked the best it possibly could. The biggest change to the home media presentation of the movie came about in the early 2000s with the new remaster for DVD in both picture and especially sound. The movie was given a brand new Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound mix that would later be upgraded to a DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 for the Bluray. Despite what many purist might say, this new sound mix proves to be a massive improvement over the original Monoaural Sound for both the VHS and later on, the Laserdisc. Dialogues are clearer and the music is rendered beautifully in all channels. It’s predominantly a front heavy mix, being as it is a dialogue heavy movie. There’s not much surround activity for the battle scenes, though the existence of a LFE channel gives these more oomph in the bass department. A clear improvement and the best the movie has ever sounded. As for picture quality, the way to go is the Bluray. Contrary to the Laserdisc and DVD, the colours in this transfer pop out more, there’s definitly more detail in close up shots and mid to wide range shots, more nuances in clothing and faces; although this movie having been shot the way it was, with the predominant use of natural light, the image is always going to look a tad soft, but this is definitively the best way to watch it.
So that concludes my comment on Barry Lyndon. If you’re familiar with Kubrick’s filmography, but haven’t checked this one out yet, definitively do. And even if you’re not into Kubrick movies, you owe it to yourself to watch it at least once.
Until next time and thanks for reading.
Hola. Si soy sincera le digo que no tengo un amplio abanico de conocimientos de cine , Y sobre todo del genero de ciencia ficción y aventura, el cual demuestra que le apasiona. Pero espero poder aprender más por medio de su blog. Lo felicito por la iniciativa.
Pero mi comentario va dirigido básicamente a esta película de Barry Lyndon. Que a pesar de su larga y lenta reproducción me ha encantado. Su fotografía, vestuario, escenarios y el léxico formalmente exquisito del ingles me ha llevado a pensar en lo rápido que llevamos la rutina diaria de la vida de hoy en día. Triste la historia del personaje y el ver como degrada su vida por algo que finalmente nunca encuentra. Parece que la evolución humana no ha avanzado. Hay tantos/as desgraciadamente personajes como Barry en cualquier parte, que decepciona. En fin.
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domain: artistic


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MCU’s Iron Man aka Tony Stark needs no introduction to any hardcore entertainment consumer. But Robert Downey Jr., the actor who plays this mega mind tech giant might need some. Not that we don’t recognize him from his back-to-back blockbusters like the Sherlock series, Tropic Thunder and Zodiac. But some added nitty-gritty on his early troubled life might give us the indispensable advice of being persistent in our life.
The drug habits at a young age
Robert was born to an actor and filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., who made his debut at the age of five in the movie Ponders (1979). His father, who was a drug addict himself, handed Jr. marijuana at the age of 6. Robert later revealed that substance abuse was the only way his father knew to express love towards him. His career and drug abuse both were tracing an upward trajectory, until one fine day in 1996 he was pressed with charges for driving drunk, possessing firearms, and heroine. In jail, he had tormenting days and often would wake up next to his pool of blood.
Cut to 2004, the life took a phenomenal spin, when he met Susan Nicole Levin at the set of thriller movie Gothika. But she revolved not to marry him until he gave up drug addiction. Downey who fell in love with her committed to mending his cracked life. And till this day, they harbour the love for each other. Previous to Susan, he dated Sarah Jessica and was married to Deborah Falconer (1992-2004) but his addiction took a toll on these relationships.
A tightly packed schedule of Iron man
With the ill-fated demise of Tony Stark in the battle of Endgame, the actor is no short of an ambitious career plan. At present, Marvel’s What If…?, an animation series is waiting in the lobby of release. The actor currently is juggling an array of interesting projects.
All-star Weekend: The movie explores the narrative of two truck drivers who are basketball worshippers and are die-hard fans of LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Robert essays the role of Mexican who will further stir the life of these characters into uncharted life and death crossover.
John Brinkley Biopic: John was a charlatan in the early 20th century. His deception revolves around fake medicines, and other associated trickery only to be knowns as the most notorious con men in history. Downey will portray this character. However, the project has not witnessed any further development after its announcement.
Apart from this, the actor was roped in for an adaptation of Pinocchio. But again, the details stay thin. The actor was also rumored to be secured by DCEU for its future project. More so, much of the hiatus has been created for reincarnating Iron Man back in MCU by employing various means like AI, time-heist extra. At present, these theories seem fictitious. But we never know what the future whip out for us.
Downey has risen to the mantle of one of the most bankable actors in showtime business from being the hopeless drug addict in his early life. Today, he has netted several accolades, critical acclaims, and nominations for Academy Awards. With many marvelous projects still bagged, there is a long way to go for Robert.


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Read Daily Updated Light Novel, Web Novel, Chinese Novel, Japanese And Korean Novel Online.
This chapter is updated by Wuxia.Blog
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The top floor…
Si Zhengting stood on the balcony and silently looked afar, as though he were a statue.
He had not slept the night before, and thus, he looked slightly haggard. However, he had no intention of moving.
What happened last night still affected him deeply. It felt as though a chunk of his heart had been ripped out of his chest, and it was still dripping blood.
He inhaled sharply on his cigarette, the pungent nicotine rushing into his lungs. The burning sensation was painful and caused him to cough twice. He put his cigarette out violently on the ashtray.
She had left him five years ago for money.
What a laughable yet sad reason.
He was too angry the day before to listen to her explanations. However, his anger had an entire night to simmer. It had since been quelled, and his wits had returned to him.
Si Zhengting turned around and picked up his cell phone, which had been powered off. He turned it on and soon saw 109 missed calls from Zhuang Nainai on his display, alongside four or five from Madam Ding.
Just as Si Zhengting turned on his phone, he received an incoming call from Ding Mengya.
Si Zhengting paused for a moment, staring at the vibrating phone in his hand silently. Then, he picked up the call. Ding Mengya sounded as though she had aged five or six years after a night. Her voice slightly hoarse, she rasped, “Who doesn’t make mistakes when they are young and reckless? I was in the wrong at first all those years ago. I should not have tested her. The first time I offered her money, she turned me down firmly. I sent her money later on, and she only took thirty thousand then. Now that I think about it, perhaps she’d had her own difficulties back then.”
Even while saying this, Ding Mengya was well aware that Si Zhengting’s upright personality caused him to have very high standards when it came to romantic relationships.
No matter the reason, Zhuang Nainai had taken the money and had given up on him. From his point of view, that was an injury that had been inflicted on him.
After saying what was on her mind, Ding Mengya had nothing more to say.
As soon as Ding Mengya hung up the phone, he received another call from Si Jingyu. It was a lot more direct and crude, and she cut to the chase, “What are you intending to do? If you’re unable to bear it, then just divorce her.”
Si Zhengting’s eyes narrowed and he furrowed his brows.
He should not have let her go five years ago. How could he possibly divorce her now?
Jingyu continued, “If you don’t want a divorce, then try to live well. Living well together for the years to come is the most important thing. People cannot live in their own memories forever.”
Her last sentence was riddled with emotion. It was unclear if she was referring to him or to herself.
Upon ending the call, Si Zhengting threw his cell phone onto the table. He fixed his gaze and paused before calling, “Ji Chen!”
Ji Chen came when called. He stood respectfully before Si Zhengting and carefully stole a gaze at him. “Sir.”
“Find out what happened to Zhuang Nainai five years ago.”
After replying, Ji Chen looked up and observed Si Zhengting’s silent form. He could not resist saying, “Sir, actually… about what happened five years ago, wouldn’t you have a clearer picture if you asked Madam about it?”
Upon hearing this, Si Zhengting jerked his head up.
Ji Chen hurriedly lowered his head. Even so, he could feel Si Zhengting’s gaze boring a hole into his head.
Ji Chen kept his head lowered and rushed out of the office. Just as he exited the office, he saw Zhuang Nainai standing at the door, staring at him blankly.
Ji Chen deliberated for a moment before steeling himself and returning into the office. “Sir, Madam is here, you…”
Si Zhengting paused before coldly saying, “Let her in.”
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text:
The long-awaited Apple Watch is finally here. Apple last week officially unveiled its first smart watch, immediately propelling what was a tech-geek fashion statement into the mainstream.
The Apple Watch shares many software features with established smart watch brands such as the Sony SmartWatch and Samsung’s Galaxy Gear. Where Apple’s product shines, as always, is in its hardware design. The Apple Watch features a sleek, classic watch look and includes a “Digital Crown” (jog dial) that can be used to zoom and scroll content on the watch face.
Available early next year, the Apple Watch is set to help the smart watch category more than double in 2015. Research firm Canalys is predicting that wearable band shipments will hit 43.2 million units next year, an increase of 129% over 2014 shipments. The firm’s report suggests that smart watches will make up around 28.2 million of next year’s wearable band shipments.
“By creating a new user interface tailored to its tiny display, Apple has a produced a smart watch that mass-market consumers will actually want to wear,” said, Daniel Matte, an analyst at Canalys. “The sleek software, variety of designs and reasonable entry price make for a compelling new product. Apple must still prove, however, that the final product will deliver adequate battery life for consumers.”
In the short term, Canalys sees the Apple Watch dominating the smart watch category. The coming transition from specialized bands such as the Jawbone to more smartphone-like wrist-wear will likely be hastened by Apple’s new product. As seen in the tablet market, however, Apple’s competitors are prepared to quickly offer lower-priced alternatives, bringing smart watches to a wider market.
“The basic band vendors, such as Fitbit and Jawbone, will enjoy the advantages of their lower pricing for the immediate future,’ said Chris Jones, principal analyst and VP for Canalys. “Eventually, however, stronger smart band competitors to the Apple Watch will likely emerge and push smart band pricing down, threatening the basic bands. This market will undergo disruption similar to that suffered by feature phones when smart phone prices fell.”


text:
World-famous soup-maker Campbell is moving its commercial offices to Cambourne, bringing 250 jobs to the area.
Weston Medical announced year-end results showing a loss of 10.
The UK's second biggest cable company, Telewest, has reported losses of nearly GBP 2 billion in 2001.
More than three million extra people took up surfing the web in the UK in January.
Global spending on information and communication technology grew less than four per cent last year from USD 2.
Software Workers is pleased to announce that the company has secured its seed funding from a private investor.
Generics Group at Harston lost 12.
It's official - money's stickier than sex on the internet.
UK software firm Autonomy is moving into the 3G market after signing a deal with Hutchison.
Revenues from wireless e-business increased almost 50 per cent last year to USD 110 billion, research reveals.
All participants in the Cambridge Network 'Voice of high-tech' online opinion poll, which ran in January/February 2002, believed that their organisations' outlook for 2002 would be better or the same as it was in 2001.
Tiny ex-jockey Ray Still fitted the bill perfectly when producers of the next Harry Potter blockbuster were looking for a stand-in for child star Daniel Radcliffe.
Administrators called in to rescue ailing Cambridge firm Simoco Digital are optimistic a buyer will be found, but say jobs could go.
Cambridgeshire is lagging behind the rest of the UK when it comes to adopting broadband access to the internet.
Cambridgeshire County Council has awarded an 840,000 contract to a Birmingham recruitment consultancy.
Scientists are inventing 'smart machines' that can read people's minds - or at least the expressions on their faces.
Two thousand pounds is available to help women working and studying in Cambridge.
Banking firm HBOS slid 3 per cent on the market yesterday (Weds)after announcing plans to raise 1.
IBM has entered a massive USD 4 billion technology partnership with credit card giant American Express.


Tools and tips to setup x11vnc for remote Ubuntu desktop
Using old HP DL380 G5 to provide firmware flashing host.
An example of how to repack a BIOS only ISO image for BIOS/UEFI dual boot
How to upgrade Ubuntu after becoming stranded on End-of-Life release (18.10 to 20.04 LTS).
The simple way to convert Ubuntu VM from bios to UEFI boot
How to run OpenVAS via AWS
Some tips on how to install and boot alternate Linux kernel with Ubuntu
Tips on building collectd Debian package


text:
Thanks to a tweet by dear Charlie Martin over at The Tattler at Pajamas Media, calling attention to Stacy McCain writing at his finest on Leftist blogger Joe Bageant’s proper place in intellectual history on the occasion of his passing, I give you this morsel and bid you go read the whole thing:
Far from being a blighted backwater inhabited by the downtrodden offscourings of benighted humanity, as Bageant would have his progressive readers believe, Winchester is in fact a thriving community where the population has more than doubled in the past three decades.
So if residents of Frederick County, Va., voted Republican by a 2-to-1 margin in 2004 (Bush 68%, Kerry 31%) why shouldn’t they? The pro-growth economic policies of the GOP have been very good for their community. If you want to seek out a “false consciousness” in need of explanation, you’d be much more obligated to look at ultra-affluent D.C. suburbs like Alexandria and Arlington, which in 2004 went for John Kerry by 2-to-1 margins.
But progressives are never required to defend their class-warfare theories against evidence that a whole lot of rich people vote Democrat. No, it is only working-class votes for the GOP which agitate the Left into declaring that the proletariat is somehow being hoodwinked and bamboozled. And this was the task to which Joe Bageant applied himself….
Probably worth pointing out in this context: I used to be a Democrat, having been raised up on the same weird political stew of an old-fashioned Protestant work ethic and class-warfare resentment of “The Rich” that seems to have congealed into Bageant’s progressive populism.
Such a worldview, based on the once-ubiquitous idea of Democrats as the party of the “little guy,” evaporates on first contact with actual facts about (a) how the market economy really works, and (b) what Democratic policies really do to the “little guy.”
Ah, yes, facts — it was my first contact with those facts in the fall of 2008 that made me a former Democrat, too.

domain: politics


text:
Jonathan Meades has written and performed in more than 50 television shows on predominantly topographical subjects such as shacks, garden cities, megastructures, buildings associated with vertigo, beer, pigs, and the architecture of Hitler and Stalin. His credits include Jonathan Meades: Off Kilter (2009), Jonathan Meades on France (2012), The Joys of Essex (2013). His films, Bunkers, Brutalism, Bloodymindedness: Concrete Poetry, were broadcast on BBC4 in 2014.
His books include: An Encyclopaedia of Myself, which won the Best Memoir Award in the Spear's Book Awards 2014, three works of fiction: Filthy English, Pompey and The Fowler Family Business and several anthologies including the Museum Without Walls.
"Meades has an endless curiosity about people and what becomes of them; his writing gives the everyday world of 1950s Britain a full colour, respiring immediacy... It's a true literary achievement." Simon Heffer, Literary Review

domain: library


In Virginia, Gilespie has lost. Trump claims it is because Gilespie did not embrace him. New jersey elected a Democrat for a Governor also. In both Virginia and New Jersey these were not close races as both Democrats won by good margins of 9% and 13%.
The Virginia House of Delegates picked up 14 more Democrats along with selecting the first transgender to be a in a state legislature. This would be enough Delegates to flip the House to the Democrats. Democratic candidates for Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General were also elected in Virginia.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio won a second term.
The Maine Medicaid Expansion was approved by a 17% margin. Maine was the first state to put the decision to a vote. In Utah and Idaho, there are efforts to place a similar initiative on next year’s ballot.
It is not on the chart; but, Detroit’s Mayor Mike Duggan won also.
A big evening for nation wide state Democrats.


text:
France’s supreme court orders further selective distribution appeal
France’s Cour de Cassation has told a lower court to re-hear a case involving a selective distribution dispute between skincare company Caudalie and a pharmaceutical marketplace it had accused of unlawfully selling its products.
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text:
Saturday February 9, 2019
Somali farmers and exporters have started selling local agricultural produce to a new market in Turkey, with the first exports of lemons and sesame recently shipped from Mogadishu.Bashiir Abdirabbi Hassan heads a Somali company that has started exporting lemons. He says the new trade route with Turkey is a golden opportunity to boost the Somali economy, especially as some other markets have shrunk.
His company sources the lemons from farmers in Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle, and Hiran regions and has exported 1,600 bags of lemon to Turkey since January.
“Initially, we used to export farm products to UAE, but for the last for four seasons, the UAE market has not been doing well,” Hassan told Radio Ergo. “Now we have started this new route. Turkish demand is better, and we have made good progress.”
Hassan aims to export 25 tons of lemon a year depending on the demand.
“The companies contact us for the order then we organise and ship the cargo to Turkey. On their side they send the money via money transfer companies,” he said.
Faduma Ali Hussein, a farmer in Mahaday town, Lower Shabelle, exported 150 bags of dried lemons to Turkey this month, after seizing on the new market opening.
She invested $80,000 in lemon trees on her 25-hectare farm two years ago but failed to find a market for the lemons she harvested. She took the initiative to dry and store the fruit.
“I have exported all my dried lemons to Turkey, and I appreciate this new trade channel. I exported the lemons that I had been keeping in a store for the last two years,” she said.
Several companies including Hassan’s have invested in lemon farmers in these three southern regions.
Abdullahi Ahmeday Qasim, a farmer in Jambalul village just outside Afgooye town, received an investment loan of$6,000 from export traders to grow lemons.
He told Radio Ergo that he hopes his farm and business will recover after two poor years.
“The traders give us loans which help us to double production. In case the harvest drops unexpectedly, they will extend the loan repayments for us to overcome the challenges,” he said.
Somalia’s trade deal with Turkey signed in 2018 covers a wide range of farm products. Mumin Group, based in Mogadishu, has exported 84 tons of sesame to Turkey since January.
Abdiweli Abdullahi Mumin, a company official, told Radio Ergo they had exported $126,000 worth of sesame.
“The market for sesame has not been good in Somalia and that led many farmers to stop planting it, but production is now increasing since this new market was opened,” he said.
According to Mumin, the company expects to export 28,000 tons of sesame this year.
Radio Ergo made attempts to contact sesame farmers, most of whom live in Al-Shabaab controlled areas, but these have not yet been successful.

domain: agronomy


DETROIT (AP) — Jordan Poole stepped up in Stephen Curry’s absence to score 22 of his season-high 32 points in the first half, Andrew Wiggins had 27 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Detroit Pistons 105-102 on Friday night.
Golden State started the fourth quarter with a 16-point lead and held on to win after Detroit’s Jerami Grant and Frank Jackson missed 3-pointers in the closing seconds.
The NBA-leading Warriors sat out Curry with a bruised hip, a night after he had 20 of his 40 points in a fourth-quarter comeback victory at Cleveland. They also were without Draymond Green because of a bruised thigh.
Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick, had 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. Jackson scored a season-high 27 points.


text: School has begun! This week we have been talking about families and what some of the chores are that mommies, daddies and children do around the house. If we lived on a farm or if your family has a garden, there are many garden chores to do in the fall. This week some of our classes went on a potato and carrot hunt. Using a garden fork we loosened the soil and pulled up potatoes and some really big carrots! Oooh! Ahhh! The pumpkins are looking good too, perfect for Halloween!


Adam Lind is in deep trouble these days, even by Adam Lind standards.
Lind was arrested for domestic assault back in November, and that brush with the law seems to have set Chelsea Houska’s first baby daddy into a downward spiral that will likely have him serving hard time in the near future.
Shortly after that first incident, Lind was arrested again, this time for violating a restraining order against a second ex.
Needless to say, none of this did him any favors in his two simultaneous custody battles, particularly after it was revealed that Lind tested positive for meth just minutes before a scheduled visit with his youngest daughter.
For obvious reasons, Chelsea Houska was awarded sole custody of her daughter Aubree, a move she’s no doubt very happy about in the wake of recent developments in the life of Outlaw Lind.
According to Radar Online, a warrant has been issued for Lind’s arrest in response to his deadbeat ways:
“He has a warrant out for his arrest for being behind on child support,” a spokesperson for the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office in tells Radar.
"The warrant is for $2,025.”
Houska obviously makes much more money than Lind, whose earnings probably hover near the zero range, so not surprisingly, the payments are owed to his second baby mama, Taylor Halbur:
“He owes her over $16,000 in child support,” a source tells Radar.
“Petitioner Lind was ordered to pay child support for Paislee Lind $500 per month,” the sheriff’s office spokesman confirms.
One insider adds that Lind has not only failed to pay child support, he’s also made no effort to spend time with his daughters.
“He hasn’t seen Paislee since August,” that source claims.
“He doesn’t call or check in. She doesn’t even see his family.”
It’s not illegal to be an absentee father, but it is strange that Lind has been battling both of his exes for custody and visitation rights, even though he seems to have little interest in being involved in his daughters’ lives.
“He has the potential to be a good dad when there aren’t obstacles in his way,” the source says in Lind’s defense.
“At the end of the day all that matters though is his actions and his effort and it’s just not there. He only works on his cars and sleeps a lot.”
We’ll believe that bit about his potential when we see it.
In the meantime, expect Lind to be taken into custody sometime very soon.
Watch Teen Mom 2 online to remind yourself of just how big of a bullet Chelsea dodged.


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ALLIANCE, OH (WOIO) - Authorities are busy this week trying to figure out who is responsible for vandalizing 41 gravestones in the Alliance City Cemetery.
"I don't know what people are thinking to vandalize a cemetery, that's pretty low," said Pat Nelson.
The crime reportedly took place sometime over the Easter weekend, and this isn't the first time the resting place has been targeted by thugs.
Many of the headstones destroyed were in a section where war veterans were buried. Officials tell 19 Action News have had enough and want whomever responsible to be caught.
"Here we go again," said Mitch Kirby of the Alliance Cemetery. "It happens three or four times a year. I couldn't imagine how a family member would feel to see their loved ones grave disrespected in this manner."
Kirby sent out this warning to the vandals, "It's very disrespectful and if we catch you, you will be prosecuted."
Cemetery officials say they will cover the cost - estimated to be several thousand dollars - to make the necessary repairs.
They are also looking into installing surveillance cameras.


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Official Artist Boulder Sports Hall of Fame
As the Official Artist for the Boulder Sports Hall of Fame Carrie Diaz, is commissioned to paint the sports hall of fame inductees most memorable sports moment. This painting is then given to the athlete as their award as they are inducted into the Boulder Sports Hall of Fame.
Boulder Colorado is recognized as a mecca for endurance sports, the City of Boulder honors one of the greatest athletes who have enriched the local community by living and training here. By celebrating sports heroes who have called Boulder home, the Boulder Sports Hall of Fame encourages athletes from around the works to visit Boulder for a season or a lifetime, and join a try tradition of excellence.


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FYI: I do not get any money for endorsing PicMonkey. I simply chose this program because it is available for free use to anyone. And it is fun!
So here we are...our final week. We've learned so much, haven't we? What a journey! From the basics of photography all the way to where we are now: editing our photographs.
I like to think of editing as the gift of digital photography. There is certainly a need for capturing an image in-camera that is properly exposed (or over/under if that's what you intended) and does not need to be messed with in an editing program. That should always be our goal as photographers. But there is something about the editing process that can take our image and add even more creativity to it. It can compliment what we already tried to achieve in-camera.
It is not much different from shooting film. Different film types do different things to photographs: a greenish hue, a yellowish hue, a bit of grain, muted colors or colors that pop, etc. I believe that as digital photographers, we still yearn for that unique quality to each photograph. And by editing our photographs and adding specific touches to them, we are essentially recreating that.
Over the years I have found myself trying to minimize my editing. I want the challenge of capturing a photograph in-camera that I am completely pleased with, and one that I don't want to mess with after. But that doesn't always happen, or I find that the image just feels a little lack-luster and I want to add something special to.
In the beginning of my career as a digital photographer, I found myself easily going overboard with editing. There were/are so many things to do with an image! It's fun to mess around and play with different techniques. And I believe that this is a phase almost everyone goes through, because it's just so much fun! And eventually, over time, you learn what you like and what you don't, what compliments an image and what distracts from it, and what your own style is. But first, you have to play around! Try everything! It's all part of the learning process.
For the purpose of this course, we will be using PicMonkey, a free online editing program available to everyone! I personally use Photoshop CC and Lightroom to edit my photographs, but they are expensive programs (well worth the investment if you plan on making a living doing photography) that not everyone has access to. PicMonkey is the perfect program to get you started and take your photos to the next level!
I will be using the photographs from the shoot in week 5 for this process, because I want to bring you from the beginning right through the end. So let's get started!
Basic Editing Techniques
There are a few basic editing techniques I use right away when uploading a photo. Those include the following:
- exposure (is it too light? too dark?)
- contrast (do the darks and lights pop?)
- saturation levels (are the colors too saturated or too muted?)
- sharpness (is my image sharp and crisp enough, or do i want to boost the sharpness?)
- crop and straighten (is my image framed the way I want, or do I want to crop something out? also, is it straight?)
- temperature/white balance (does my image look too yellow? too blue? too red?)
So those are the basics that I always check when uploading an image. Because I try very hard to get a good image in-camera, I often don't have to mess with a lot of these basics for every image.
I want to run through the steps of starting to use PicMonkey. First, go to their website here.
Once you are on their website, you will see the home screen that looks like this:
Once you have loaded an image, it will bring you to a screen which looks like this:
I'm going to start by uploading this image into PicMonkey:
So, just taking a quick look at this, it is pretty well exposed. I like the values here, and I don't see anything over/under exposed. But I want to boost the exposure just a bit to make the whites whiter. They seem a little gray to me because they are slightly darkened. So let's make that brighter...
We've lost some of the contrast and color pop that was in the photo in the original state. I'm not a fan of this washed out look because we have so few colors grabbing our attention already. When I see a photo like this, I want to see colors pop from the basic background.
Now, we have another option called "highlights." This basically brings out all the highlights in the photo a little bit more, while keeping the saturation and contrast in place. So I boosted the "highlights" to 18 and I got this:
We've retained more of the color and contrast, but made the whites brighter in the background. Perfect! Now I want to just boost the contrast a wee bit to make the lights and darks pop even more. You will find contrast on the same editing panel to the left under "exposure." I boosted the contrast to a 4. It doesn't take much. Depends on your photo. I just needed it a little bit. My result is this:
Just a subtle difference, but I liked it better than without a contrast boost. Now that we've done that, next on my list is to check is to check my saturation. Do my colors pop? Are the reds too red, or not red enough? Saturation is found under the "colors" option. It's very easy to overdo the saturation on an image. You may like the way the red in the shoes and shirt pop, but I always check the skin to see if the tones are even and not too unnatural. Here's an example of going too far with the saturation:
The next thing we would check is the temperature of the photo. Often, if you are shooting inside under incandescent lights the temperature (or white balance) can end up being very yellow in a photograph. To fix that you would want to use the "temperature" option under the color menu. If your photo is too yellow, slide the bar over to the blue side. And vise-versa. I am pretty pleased with the temperature in this photograph, so I'm not going to mess with it.
Next on our list is "sharpness." I often don't sharpen a photograph unless I feel that I want some details to be very clear. This image doesn't really require it, but if you had an upclose shot of a face, you may want to sharpen the features a bit, which can really bring out the eyes. Here's an example:
The last thing I always check for is crop and straightening. Do I like the image the way it is, or would I like to crop something out on the left or right? If so, you can use the cropping tool on the menu at the top. And if you find your image is quite straight (I am so obsessed with this!), go down to the "rotate" menu and use the straightening tools.
So those are all the basic editing techniques I use when uploading a photo. As I said before, I often don't need to do many of these because the particular photo just doesn't require it. Use your best judgement...if you are super happy with an image, don't change it! But if you find it could use a little extra help to make it even better, then go for it!
Creative editing takes less thought and more intuition. You have to look at the overall photograph and decide what kind of feel it has. Does it have a soft feel? A vibrant feel? An urban feel? A hazy feel? Most of the time I go by my intuition about a certain photograph and what I want it to say, and from there I am able to easily figure out what kind of creative editing I would like to add to my photograph.
You want whatever creative editing you choose to add to your photograph, not distract from it. This is key. Sometimes it's easy to go overboard and end up with an image that is so far from the original, that you lose the original intention. There is a balance between what comes out of the camera and what you end up with after editing. You always want to edit a photograph to compliment what's already going on in the image.
I'm going to choose a few photographs from the shoot and show you how I would edit them and why. Most of the time I will take a photograph and know immediately how I will post process it, so choosing a style tends to happen naturally and instinctively. The more you shoot and the more you edit, you will develop this too! But for now, play around with all that's available, decide what you like and what you don't, and HAVE FUN!
Okay, let's get started. I'm going to choose this photograph to start:
Just looking at this image I know I want to sharpen it a bit to bring some clarity to her face, especially the eyes. Beyond that, I try to see what colors I like in the photographs and what would compliment them. I really love the gray of the pavement and how that goes nicely with her blue jeans, and then I notice a similar gray in her sweater. I love green and blue tints on photos with a lot of gray, and my new favorite is a yellowish haze.
When I bring this photo into PicMonkey, the first thing I'll do is sharpen it under the basic edits menu bar. When you are done your basic edits, click on the second icon down on the left to get to the "effects." This is where all the creative editing happens!
You'll see a variety of effects that you can use. Each one does something different. I know that for this photograph I want something that will add a bit of a green/blue hue and also pop the colors a bit. I went down to the "Intrepid" effect and tried that out:
Now, I like that. I like the effect it has on the colors already present in the photograph. I like how it's added a slight vignette around the edges which adds a neat touch to the pavement in the background and allows the focus to be even more on her face. However, it's a bit strong for my tastes. Luckily, PicMonkey allows you to adjust the strength of each effect. YAY! So you need to find the slider bar that says "fade":
The effect is muted a bit and leaves more of her natural skin tone present. That's the one thing you want to be careful of when adding effects: always check the skin colors and make sure you didn't make your subject look like a green alien by mistake! Hey, it happens...
When your colors seem to be a bit off, I often like to think of the color wheel and which colors compliment others:
So because her face is looking more green/blue to me now, I can add a little overlay of a yellow/orange to even it out a little if I want. To do this, I went down into the "Toolbox" under the effects menu. From there I selected the "Tint" option which opened up a box like this:
Under the "color" I selected a nice shade of a light orange/yellow. I played around with the different advanced options and chose "screen" as my filter. Screen lightens an image at the same time as adding the tint. You can play around with all the different options under "advanced" because each photo will require a unique setting. I then faded the tint to 87% so it very minimally changed the tones:
Now, the next thing you can do if you have a subject close enough is to do some "touch ups" on their skin. Are there any blemishes they would like removed? Perhaps you want to smooth our their skin a bit to create a more even tone? PicMonkey allows you to do all of that and more! To find the touch-ups, go to the options on the left and select the little lipstick icon:
I decided to airbrush her face just a bit to smooth out the skin, but for this you want to make sure your fade is pretty high because otherwise it can look very unnatural. Just go over the skin with an appropriate brush size and presto! Smooth skin!
Now, I think this photo is looking pretty good. Almost done. But I'm just not satisfied with the contrast. It seems like we lost some of it with the effects we added. So, I'm going to go back into the "basic edits" and boost that contrast just a bit. This is the final image:
So here's the before and after:
It's really amazing just how much you can add to a photograph, isn't it? I'm going to pull a few other photographs from the shoot and edit them using PicMonkey and tell you exactly what I did.
- Exposure: Highlights 19%
- Exposure: Contrast 5%
- Sharpen: Sharpness 3%
- Film Stock: Tri-X 0%
- Exposure: Brightness 21%
- Exposure: Brightness 11%
- Exposure: Contrast 20%
- Sharpen: Sharpness 5%
- Polaroid Film 50%
- Boost 12%
- Exposure: Brightness 8%
- Exposure: Shadows 18%
- Exposure: Contrast 8%
- Sharpen: Sharpness 5%
- Time Machine: Norma 67%
- Intrepid 32%
- Exposure: Shadows 15%
- Exposure: Contrast 16%
- Sharpen: Sharpness 3%
- Dusk 67%
- Boost 17%
- Exposure: Brightness 25%
- Exposure: Shadows 14%
- Boost 10%
- Yester Color 59%
- Color: Saturation 13%
- Exposure: Contrast 32%
- Cross process: Red: 56%
- Tint: yellow: advanced: hardlight: 68%
Editing is such a creative process in itself. The ways to create a unique image are just endless! Over time, you will streamline your editing and discover what you like and prefer. Don't be afraid to play around. Try it all! If you are planning on taking photography to the next level and eventually make a living with it, I would recommend looking into the following programs:
Another thing to keep in mind is to provide some consistency to your edits. If you have photographs from one shoot, try to edit them all similarly. A mix of color and black and white photographs are fine, but keep the editing effects consistent throughout the shoot. This will provide you with a very cohesive group of photographs to present to clients.
But go experiment and have fun! Editing is one of the most creative elements of digital photography.


text:
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Seventy-s event h session
2–27 August 2010
Implementation of the International Convention on the Elim ination of All Forms of Racial D iscrimination
List of themes to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the sixteenth to nineteenth periodic reports of Romania (CERD/C/ROU/16-19)
The following is a list of themes identified by the Country Rapporteur in connection with the consideration of the sixteenth to nineteenth periodic reports of Romania. The list is meant to guide the dialogue between the State party delegation and the Committee and does not require written replies. This is not an exhaustive list as other issues will be raised in the course of the dialogue.
1.Scarcity of reliable demographic indicators and composition of the population:
(a)Measures taken by the State party to understand its demographic composition and determine progress and trends in the elimination of racial discrimination, such as: identification surveys to assess the situation of different minority groups and non-citizens residing in the State party; collection of information through the use of languages, mother tongues, social surveys; or development of measurable indicators and their analysis (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 6-7).
2.The Convention in domestic law; legislative and policy framework for its implementation, judicial recourse and compensation (arts. 1, 2, 6):
(a)Progress in the implementation of existing legal, policy, and institutional frameworks to combat racial discrimination, including changes following entry into the European Union and adhesion to relevant European Union legislation (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, para. 9);
(b)Organizational chart and status of the institutional mechanisms available for combating racial discrimination and their coordinating mechanisms, including the National Agency for Roma, the National Council for Combating Discrimination, the Ombudsman, the Commission for Anti-Poverty and Promotion of Social Inclusion, and the Council of National Minorities (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 28 ff.);
(c)Measures taken to strengthen the National Council for Combating Discrimination to fully align it to the Paris Principles, as well as information on reviews of the work of this council (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 27, 52 ff.);
(d)The existing instances in the State party mandated to receive allegations of racial discrimination, including information on how conflict of competence is avoided among them, statistical data on the number of registered racial discrimination complaints in the last five years, and their follow-up (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 22, 29, 59 ff.).
3.Discrimination against Roma (arts. 2, 3, 5, and 7):
(a)The implementation of any special measures for the advancement of members of the Roma communities (CERD/C/304/Add.85, para. 15; CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 125, 167);
(b)Progress to address substantive discrimination experienced by Roma children in schools and to implement the 2004 Government notice on the banning of school segregation (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 125, 179 ff.);
(c)Implementation and progress of the National Strategy for Improving the Situation of the Roma in all spheres and results of evaluations by the National Agency for Roma (CERD/C/304/Add.85, para. 15; CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 34, 123 ff., 130);
(d)Implementation of existing initiatives to ensure social inclusion of members of minorities and their equal footing with the rest of the population, in particular regarding the identified priorities of the National Strategy for Improving the Situation of the Roma (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 34, 124 ff.);
(e)Access to housing and measures to address cases of geographical residential isolation (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 141, 316, 319 ff.);
(f)Information on measures to counter discrimination in access to employment and results of the National Action Plan for Employment (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 139, 285, 286 ff.);
(g)Information on the efforts to decrease the resistance of certain local authorities to use minority languages and to increase the institutional recruitment of members of the Roma community with a view to fostering intercultural dialogue and understanding among public authorities and civil servants (CERD/C/304/Add.85 para. 17; CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 438 ff.);
(h)The results of awareness-raising activities and human rights education promoting multicultural dialogue aimed at the public at large and information on any programmes of support to the culture of national and ethnic minorities, in particular the Roma (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 432 ff.);
(i)The impact of specific human rights education and training programmes to public officials, among others, law enforcement officials, members of the judiciary, teachers, social workers, and health personnel, on entrenched discriminatory attitudes and perceptions (CERD/C/ROU/16-19 paras. 453 ff.).
4.Racist speech, inflammatory statements by public officials, the harassment of certain groups (art. 4):
(a)The extent to which existing legislation prohibiting all forms of racial discrimination has been applied to counter racist propaganda, organizations and activities, including in the mass media, sports, politics and government officials, and on the Internet (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 187 ff.);
(b)Measures carried out to prevent and counteract inflammatory statements by public authorities, hate speech, the harassment of certain groups (including Jews, Roma and other minorities) (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, para. 207 ff.).
5.Responsibilities with regard to non-citizens, in particular in their equal enjoyment before the law of civil, economic, social and cultural rights (arts. 2 and 5):
(a)State protection of asylum-seekers and refugees (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 145 ff.);
(b)Measures, including legislative provisions, to address reported instances of exploitation of foreign workers by some employers (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 148 ff.).
6.The right to equal participation in cultural activities of minorities (art. 5)
(a)Examples of the programmes carried out to recognize and promote the cultural rights of different national minorities and progress in the implementation of such initiatives (CERD/C/ROU/16-19, paras. 40, 89, 456 ff.).

domain: law


If you think Bigfoot exists, you might be a Republican: Study finds that political affiliation plays a role in what you conspiracy theories you believe in
- Republicans more likely to believe that global warming is a hoax
- Democrats less likely to believe that aliens crash landed at Roswell
- But theories surrounding the Kennedy assassination divide opinion
Ever questioned whether the moon landings were faked, whether aliens really crash landed at Roswell or whether there was more to the Kennedy assassination than Lee Harvey Oswald and a lone rifle?
Your view on popular conspiracy theories depends on your political affiliation, according to new findings.
A study of registered voters in the US has found that whether you believe in Bigfoot or think that global warming is a myth depends on which side of the political fence you sit.
Contentious: Opinion was almost literally split in half when US voters were asked whether they though there was a bigger force than Lee Harvey Oswald, right, acting alone in the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy, left
Sceptics: You're more likely to be a Democrat than a Republican if you think the Moon landings were faked
According to the poll, carried out by the Public Policy Institute, when it comes to some of the most famous conspiracy theories out there, American opinion is split right along party lines.
While a staggering 37 per cent of those surveyed overall believe that global warming is a hoax, it is more likely that you are a Republican if you hold that view.
For almost 60 per cent of Republicans asked thought that the phenomenon was made up while just 11 per cent of Democrats polled agreed.
Republicans are also more likely to believe that aliens crash landed at Roswell in 1947. Around a fifth of those surveyed in total believe that particular conspiracy theory, but just 18 per cent of Democrats believe that a flying saucer came down in New Mexico, compared to 27 per cent of Republicans asked.
About 35 percent of Republicans and Independents believe a secretive group of worldwide elite are trying to set up a totalitarian government known as the New World Order.
But that number falls to just 15 per cent if you quiz a Democrat.
Party politics: Naturally, more Republicans believe that Democrat President Barack Obama, left, is the anti-christ than his own party's supporters, but more Democrats believe that George W Bush misled the US over Saddam Hussein's WMDs stock than Republicans
Unsurprisingly, political affiliation influenced voters' opinions on a number of conspiracy theories involving the US's two most recent leaders.
Asked if current White House incumbent Barack Obama is the anti-Christ, a fifth of Republicans said yes compared to a meagre six per cent of those polled who support President Obama's Democratic party.
And when it comes to the Iraq war and whether Republican ex-President George W Bush misled Americans over Saddam Hussein's WMDs, more than 70 per cent of Democrats say that he did and just 13 per cent of Republicans agree.
And questioned if former Iraqi leader Hussein was connected with the 9/11 terrorist attacks, just over a fifth of Democrats think he was compared to a third of Republicans.
Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
Conspiracy? The twin towers of the World Trade Center pour smoke in New York in this September 11, 2001. Many Americans believe Saddam Hussein was involved in the attacks
But when it comes to some of history's most debated theories, opinion seems to be more divided regardless of political persuasion.
Around seven per cent of Americans believe that the 1969 moon landings were faked, with seven per cent of Democrats quizzed believing that the iconic images of Neil Armstrong taking one giant leap were mocked up, and four per cent of Republicans holding similar views.
Just over half of those polled believe that there was a wider conspiracy involved in the 1963 assassination of President John F Kennedy, with both Democrats and Republicans split almost 50/50 in their views.
And around 15 per cent of both Democrats and Republicans believe in Bigfoot.
Some of the more bizarre conspiracies bought by voters include the idea that Sir Paul McCartney died in 1965 and was replaced by a lookalike so that the Beatles could carry on with their chart success - five per cent believe that is true - with nine per cent worried that the Government is adding fluoride to the water deliberately for sinister means and, surprisingly, four per cent believing in lizard people.
Staggering: Five per cent of US voters believe that Paul McCartney, left, died in 1965 and was replaced by a lookalike in the Beatles
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text:
pdp Green Consulting were commissioned by Westerleigh Group PLC to undertake a Drainage Impact Assessment (DIA) for a new crematorium at Melrose in Scotland.
The purpose of the study was to mitigate the risk of flooding both on site and to third parties, as a result of the development. The site specific hydraulics and hydrology were estimated and used to develop a surface water management solution.
Close liaison with The Scottish Environment Protection Agency was key to the success of the project as the site was in an National Scenic Area; at the foot of “Eildon Hill North”. Our client was keen to preserve the natural tranquil environment and provide a Sustainable Drainage scheme (SuDS) that enhanced the natural assets.
A detailed study of the site was undertaken to establish existing greenfield run-off rates. These were used as limiting values for the post development discharge rates. Lag times and estimation of run-off hydrographs were used to calculate the volume of storage required during heavy rainfall. A study of the area geology indicated that the most feasible and cost effective solution involved attenuation of heavy flows within soft landscaped ponds. Swales were suggested, as a conveyance channel, which further enhanced the projects natural environmental setting.
Pdp Green used the information to compile a report for the client which outlined a hierarchal approach to providing the most cost effective sustainable Drainage Solution available at a sensitive ecological and environmentally important site.

domain: geography


This year, SPUR celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its work in San José. To commemorate all we’ve learned and accomplished together, we asked a dozen SPUR and South Bay leaders to reflect on what San José was like at the time, what SPUR brought to the city and how both have evolved over the past decade.
During the last two academic years, SPUR has been fortunate to host a talented group of policy researchers through partnerships with graduate school fellowship and practicum programs. Their research has contributed to SPUR’s work, including policy changes and proposed legislation at the regional and state levels. Learn more about the work they’ve done with SPUR and what they’ve gone on to do after collaborating with us.
After a 50-year hiatus, the White House is hosting its second-ever Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. In an effort to frame the agenda for the conference, a coalition of organizations has released a report proposing 30 federal policy recommendations. Three of SPUR’s top priorities at the state and local level are among those recommendations, and they are now firmly in the national spotlight as the conference approaches.
Gas appliances in California homes and buildings generate four times as much lung-damaging nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution as the state's gas power plants, and roughly two thirds as much NOx as all of the state’s passenger cars. To meet federal air quality standards that protect health, air quality regulators in California must phase out the sale of gas appliances and implement equity-centered implementation plans for transitioning homes to electric alternatives like heat pumps – which produce no onsite air pollution.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed by President Biden last month, is the largest ever federal investment in fighting climate change. While we as Americans should be taking a victory lap for this momentous achievement, we should not for one moment think that the investments in the IRA are alone sufficient to tackle climate change. To win this generation’s greatest fight, we will need major continued investments at the federal, state and local levels. That’s why SPUR is supporting Prop. 30, a measure which would make historic investments in fighting climate change — investments that pay off in the form of fuel cost savings and avoided premature deaths, asthma attacks and cleaner air.


text:
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|| "A well-paced and well-organized story, a surprise ending, and an ability to capture the great bond between dogs and people." -BooklistThe dog days of summer have just begun, and Melanie Travis is looking forward to savoring each lazy afternoon. And where better to enjoy herself than at her Aunt Peg's Fourth of July barbeque? It sounds ideal, until an uninvited guest proves that even the laziest dog day of the year can suddenly turn vicious. . ."Abundant with dog lore, this lighthearted adventure will charm dog fanciers and cozy fans." --Publishers WeeklyMelanie knew someone should have kept Barry Turk on a short leash. The star Poodle handler and lady killer had a habit of chicanery that bred contempt in the dog show circuit. But when Barry is shot dead in his own driveway, even Melanie is stunned at how unsporting the competition can get. Now, as Melanie digs for clues deep under Connecticut's well-groomed surface, she finds herself sniffing around in the...
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text:
Oh, how I have missed blogging! The 2021 year was a hectic one with weddings, engagements, high school seniors & more! I took more on last year than I ever have in my 7 years of photography, which went a lot better than I anticipated! Since I am a one-man-band here, I had to take a step back on blogging just so I could keep an appropriate turnaround time for my client’s galleries!
Since things have slowed down as we welcome winter in Illinois, I have set aside time to showcase some of the work I created this past year. I am picking up right where I left off with a fall senior session that was photographed right in the heart of Downtown Naperville!
I love when high school seniors go all out with their outfits for their session, as you can see Kristen did an amazing job with! Kristen did a lot of her shopping at a small boutique back in Bourbonnais, IL. I loved that she was getting compliments from strangers as we were walking downtown Naperville! She didn’t miss a beat with a summer to fall transition look, and a bright moment with that blazer, obsessed! I encourage seniors to express themselves through their outfits and to not miss out on statement pieces, whether it’s a hat, jewelry, a blazer, or a cardigan… it’s easy to throw those pieces on and off to get a couple of different looks from one style!
I also have to give credit to her makeup artist: https://www.instagram.com/rw.browandmakeup/