President Nicolae Timofti today chaired a meeting of the Supreme Security Council.
The participants in the meeting discussed two topics:
1. Moldova’s information security and the capacities of the competent institutions to ensure information security.
2. The impact of the developments in the region on Moldova.
The decision of the Supreme Security Council No 01 / 1-02-05 comes below:
"The Supreme Security Council recognises and reconfirms that ensuring information security is a basic element in ensuring national security and contributes to building an information society in Moldova, based on the citizens' trust in information technologies and electronic communications.
Hearing reports unveiled by Information and Communications Technology Minister Pavel Filip, Intelligence and Security Service Director Mihai Balan, Prosecutor General Corneliu Gurin, Interior Minister Dorin Recean and Centre for Special Telecommunications General Director Sergei Popovici on the information security of Moldova and capacities of the competent authorities, the Supreme Security Council to ensure the security of information.
The quick development of information and communication technologies has led to the creation of a dynamic cyber space without borders. International experience shows a positive impact of the information and communication infrastructure on the development of modern society, which is to develop the opportunities of access to information and public information resources in all areas of human activity, as well as to enhance the residents’ level of employment, by creating new jobs. Therefore, building an information society is of utmost importance for the development of the country and must be carried out in such a way, that all citizens could benefit from its results.
In this respect, the Moldovan government approved, by decision No 857 from 31.10.2013, the National Strategy for Information Society Development - Digital Moldova 2020 and the Action Plan on its implementation, developed by the Information and Communication Technology Ministry. Creating conditions for increasing the security and trust level in the digital space and the key actions for creating these conditions are addressed in the Strategy for the first time ever and form a special chapter of the abovementioned Action Plan.
Using new technology generates more development opportunities, as well as many risks and vulnerabilities that require special attention and should be a major concern of the state and the sides involved in the process.
These risks are characterised by asymmetry, strong dynamics and global nature, making them difficult to identify and counteract by measures proportionate to the impact of their materialisation.
Preventing and combating cyber attacks, including the crime in this field, is one of the priorities of international organisations, and their rapid worldwide growth by about 600 per cent against 2005 shows the urgency of the need to take measures to protect the information infrastructure of Moldova against possible risks linked to the illegal activity in the field.
Thus, in the banking system alone, starting from 2010 to 2012, a growth of information threats of 1,773 per cent was registered, and the damage caused by them increased about 13-fold, amounting to 13,172,248 lei.
One of the premises of this criminal dynamic is the fact that cybercrime is constantly using the latest technologies, which often reduces possibility to counter cyber attacks to a minimum.
The importance of the problem was outlined in the National Security Concept and the National Security Strategy of Moldova, which, by setting the goals of the national security system, covered both the threats in the field of information technology, and ensuring information security. Thus, the today's meeting is part of a string of measures to implement the Concept and Strategy - political and legal provisions that allow adaptation to domestic and foreign developments in national security policy, identifying specific segments of the national security system that needs reforming , developing a realistic plan of reforms.
The need for a complex and effective approach of the process of ensuring national cyberspace security has significantly increased over the past years. This includes national critical infrastructure, to ensure and protect information classified as state secret, prevent and combat computer crimes, extremism and terrorism in cyberspace.
Moldova has recently made a series of actions to strengthen the information security capabilities.
Following the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, on 22 February 2007, Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, on 2 February 2009 and the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse on 19 December 2011, Moldova became an active player in the implementation of a common criminal policy, in the fight against cyber crime, including offences of online sexual exploitation of children.
A nationally important step was the development and approval of the Law No 20 from 3 February 2009 on the prevention and combating of cybercrime, which clearly establishes the duties of public authorities and institutions in charge of preventing and combating cybercrime, as well as developing proposals to ensure information security.
It is also worth to be mentioned the Law No 91 from 27.06.2014 on electronic signature and electronic document, created to increase the security level of electronic signatures, as well as adjustment to international standards and recommendations in the field of infrastructure of public keys.
To adjust the legislation in force to the provisions of Directive 2006/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council from 15 March 2006 on the retention of data generated or processed in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or of public communications networks and amending Directive 2002/58/EC concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector, Council Directive 2008/114/EC from 8 December 2008 on the identification and designation of European critical infrastructures and the assessment of the need to improve their protection, Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council from 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children, the draft amending and supplementing more legislative and regulatory issues was developed.
These amendments will exclude more legislative barriers in the process of ensuring information security by competent bodies.
At the same time, the state agencies’ response to the risks and threats coming from cyberspace activities entails the need for an effective cooperation, based on fast data exchange between all sides in ensuring information security.
To this effect, the joint Action Plan on preventing and combating cybercrime, published in Official Paper No. 228-232 / 1532 from 10.18.2013, was developed and approved by the joint order of the Prosecutor General's Office, General Police Inspectorate of the Interior Ministry, Security and Intelligence Service, National Institute of Justice, National Bank, Communications and Information Technology Ministry, Defence Ministry, Customs Service of the Finance Ministry, State Agency on Intellectual Property, State Agency on Morality Protection, National Centre for Personal Data Protection and Centre of Special Telecommunications State Enterprise.
Despite the undertaken actions, the continuous analysis of vulnerabilities in the operation of electronic networks, used in central public institutions, proved a number of impediments to ensuring information security.
A systemic approach and a state policy in the field of information security, which would unify the necessary legal, organisational, technical, technological and physical protection of the Moldovan cyberspace as well as clear the regulation of the roles and competences of relevant authorities, are also missing.
To improve the activity of ensuring the state’s information security, preventing and combating cybercrime, an urgent need persists to developing and implement the information security concept of Moldova, the information security strategy of Moldova, including an action plan for the establishment and implementation of the National System of information protection, the Law on the security of critical infrastructure, that will contain elements of physical assurance, cybernetics and technical information systems, and electronic communications for managing critical infrastructure objects and other strictly necessary acts (special requirements, regulations, instructions, recommendations).
To achieve the abovementioned objectives, the Supreme Security Council.
I. To recommend that the parliament of Moldova considers, as priority, the draft legislative acts dealing with the sectors of information security, prevention and combating information and telecommunications offences, and the goal of which is to ensure a management of the national information security, adjusted to the international standards.
II. To recommend that the Moldovan government:
1. Ensures the enforcement of the action plan on the implementation of the National Strategy for Information Society Development, Digital Moldova 2020, approved under the Government Decision No 857 from 31 October 2013;.
2. Ensures the creation of the national centre for reaction to security incidents (CERT), which additionally to the basic duties, will define a joint instrument in carrying out the campaigns of informing the state, companies and citizens about the information crimes, threats and ways of preventing them;.
3. Ensures the working out and promotion of draft legislative acts concerning the fields of information security, preventing and combating information and telecommunication offences (including a draft law on the amendment and completion of legislative acts, adopted by the cabinet under the Decision No 784 from 25 September 2014), and which aim at ensuring a management of the national information security, adjusted to the international standards;.
4. Ensures the elaboration, approval and implementation of a string of proactive and reactive measures to reduce possible information vulnerabilities, risks and dangers, diminish the impact of information threats, attacks and incidents coming from the cybernetic space;.
5. Ensures the further development of the special governmental system of telecommunications of the public administration authorities (protected governmental data transfer network) on all the territory of Moldova;.
6. Ensures the working out and approval of a national programme for continuous education of civil servants, private sector employees and the residents on possible cybernetic vulnerabilities, risks and dangers coming from an inadequate use of applications, information technologies and electronic communications, as well as about the evil impact of the cybernetic attacks, threats and incidents;.
7. Ensures the working out and approval of a draft law on ratification of an additional protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime.
III. To recommend that the Intelligence and Security Service, jointly with the other competent authorities:
1. Ensures the elaboration of a concept of Moldova’s information security and the strategy of Moldova’s information security, as well as to boost actions aimed at reducing the impact of potential risks to the information security;.
2. Ensures the working out of a plan on creation and implementation of a state complex system of information protection, which would unify the legal, organisational, technical, technological and physical measures of protection of Moldova’s cybernetic space.
IV. To recommend that the Prosecutor General’s Office, jointly with the government and the Intelligence and Security Service, ensure the carrying out of the action plan in the field of prevention and combating the cyber crime, published in the Official Paper No 228-232/1532 from 18 October 2013.
V. The authorities in charge will inform the Supreme Security Council about the fulfilment of the provisions of this decision each semester.
President of Moldova, head of the Supreme Security Council.”.


text:
New year, new taco. On January 4, something that has never happened at Rubio’s before will take place. In celebration of their 40th anniversary this year, Rubio’s culinary team is introducing a new take on The Original Fish Taco ®.
The new Baja Grilled Fish Taco launches in Rubio’s locations across California, Arizona and Nevada on January 4. Featuring grilled, wild-caught Mahi Mahi, the new Baja Grilled Fish Taco is topped with fresh-made guacamole, salsa fresca, cotija cheese, crisp cabbage and a new creamy Baja sauce, served on a warm stone-ground corn tortilla.
Also this month, every Rubio’s will hold a 40th Anniversary party on January 25. Rubio’s Rewards members can participate in a contest, both in-store and online, to win ’80s-inspired gear and free Rubio’s. Rewards members can earn entries for every visit the week of January 23, and 50 winners will receive a limited-edition Rubio’s Member

domain: food


Zamil Air Conditioners plant is a vertically integrated setup with in-house design and development facilities including a psychometric laboratory. Besides the air-conditioner’s assembly processes following manufacturing facilities are available:
- Sheet Metal Shop with power presses ranging from 63 TON to 400 TONs
- Heat Exchanger Shops both for conventional copper tube heat exchangers and highly efficient cost effective MCHX (Micro Channel Heat Exchanger) Aluminum Coils
- Injection Molding Shop with capacity up to 1200 TON
- Tube Shop with in-house facility to manufacture copper tubings
- Paint Shops for powder coating
ZAMIL’s Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems are designed to maintain good indoor air quality through adequate ventilation with filtration and provide total thermal comfort.
HAVC systems are among the largest energy consumers in any premise. The choice and design of the HAVC system makes the difference in any living and working environment. This is why we strive to design quality systems that are cost-competitive while successfully providing quality air, lower energy cost and easier maintenance.
- Paint Shop
- Injection molding
- Ultrasonic blower welding
- Indoor Unit Line / Special Projects
- CNC Machine
- R&D Facility
- System Tubing shop


You may have noticed that there are careers out there that just never go out of style. There are jobs that are always in demand because they run society and are required no matter who you are or where you live. One major sector that fits this definition perfectly is HVAC careers in Dallas, TX.
HVAC is a profession that emerged in the last hundred years but will always remain in some way, shape or form for centuries to come. The reason for this is that the need for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning is global and as more buildings and more homes are built, there will be a greater need to heat and cool them in extreme climates around the world. This is why HVAC technician jobs in Dallas, TX will always be plentiful and pay well.
It’s also very practical for you to choose HVAC careers in Dallas, TX because increasingly fewer people are going for that profession. Baby boomers are retiring in hoards and millennials typically aren’t going for jobs that require a lot of physical and technical prowess. This means, there is a huge untapped market that you can fully exploit.
Here are 6 reasons why you should consider HVAC as a career choice for the future.
It Employs Problem Solving
You won’t ever come across a profession that is more demanding in terms of problem-solving than HVAC careers in Dallas, TX. Since every situation is different, you’ll need to employ critical thinking skills to adapt to every situation. You will need to think outside the box and adapt to, at times, extreme circumstances.
Heating and cooling appliances not only require a soft hand but high levels of critical thinking in order to diagnose and fix. Sometimes when an appliance seems done for, a very simple and integral part can be replaced to get it going again.
This type of work is not only rewarding, but it pays very well. It also keeps morale high since challenging situations arise every day for you to solve.
It Is Mostly Field Work
There is a change of pace in the HVAC field every now and then. You always have the chance of tackling something new every day as well as getting out of the office. Not only is this a great stimulator for the brain, but it is also much healthier for the human body.
You will get to meet new people every day and stand, instead of sitting, for most of your work which is extremely healthy for the human body. If you’re doing different things all throughout the week, you will maintain a healthy attitude as well.
There Is a Lot of Variety
Since there is a lot of field work involved within HVAC technician jobs in Dallas, TX you are mostly involved in working on different types of problems. This allows a lot of variety in your work. You can install air conditioners, repair furnaces, fix gas leaks, work on air purification systems, humidifiers, etc.
All this keeps the job fresh and doesn’t let you grow tired of the same grind every single day. It’s also a very rewarding profession since it allows you to see the result of your work in real time.
A Sense of Accomplishment
There’s nothing like having a practical job to give you a sense of accomplishment. You can have a job in the field of business, accounting, writing, etc. However, something you do with your bare hands and can see the result of immediately just can’t be competed with.
HVAC technician jobs in Dallas, TX, will give you the satisfaction of having accomplished something that can objectively improve people’s lives. You can prevent people from having to spend extravagantly on repairs and from installing a new heating or cooling units. You can also prevent gas leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning by fixing old furnaces.
Not to mention, you can help people feel comfortable in extreme weather. Hence, a career in HVAC really does give you opportunities to make a household happier and more content with their lives every single day.
Since HVAC is a field where there is always plenty of work available, you won’t have to worry about job security. People will always have refrigerators, air conditioners, heaters, thermostats, etc. to fix. As new buildings are being constructed, people will need air conditioners, heating units, and entire central heating units to be installed in them in order to keep them warm or cool, depending on the situation.
While the economy fluctuates different jobs will be in demand and go out of style. However, HVAC jobs can’t be outsourced because they serve the local economy and locals rely on them in order to get things done.
While many say that HVAC jobs are seasonal, that’s just not the case since HVAC careers in Dallas, TX are always in demand. In the winter, there is a need to service, repair and install heating units, in the summer the same goes for cooling units, ACs and refrigerators, and in the spring or autumn, there are always calls placed for servicing these units.
Hefty Pay Checks
The potential for a great income in the field of HVAC careers is huge. This is not only because there is always work available to repair and install new units for cooling and heating, but because the millennial generation and the Generation Z are increasingly characterized by their preference for softer professions. In this situation, work for certified HVAC professionals is plentiful.
The high demand for trained HVAC professionals is translating into high paying jobs. Not only that, there is high-income potential in HVAC careers in Dallas, TX.
If you want to pursue HVAC careers in Dallas, TX and work for the best in the business, then don’t shy away from calling One Hour Heating and Air. Their services have been the benchmark of trust and professionalism for over thirty years!


text:
Sep 29, 2011
Nice Sexy curves you got Loren :startled:
Yeah, I've always felt that model railroading had the potential to be sensuous. )
Will be working on the river bed next. Picked up some rocks near Mt Shasta that I plan to pulverize into talos for the river bank.
Progress at last.
Only three weeks since last progress! I must be setting a new speed record.
After staring at the gray whale for weeks on end I decided I didn't like the mountain contours so I dynamited, (sharp knife) about 2 million tons of rock, (blue foam) and began the process of adding rock castings made from Bragdon's cast resin. Kind of slow going, but so was the building of Rome. I'll be covering about 2/3 of the mountain with castings and then after painting them I'll begin adding talos and then go to the river bed area. Trees, shrubs, grass and bushes will then follow. Onward.......
I even went back after the pictures were taken and made some more cuts in the foam. Now I know kind of how Michelangelo must have felt.....'a little off the top, no, some off the sides too.'
Yes, FINALY ! I'll bring up my modules so you can work on them too
Jeff, get behind the line. He promised to do mine first.
Loren, it never look good at the beginning, but slowly each layer will add more color and life. Soon, the gray whale will be no more.
Ok guys, no crowding or pushing and shoving......there's plenty of room at the pig trough.
At this point I have to tell you the story of my pink Castle Crags module back about 4 or 5 years ago. That's the one with the moving cars.
I had just completed the pink foam basic shape and had run out of time to do any painting on it before I traveled to Portland for either a GTE or WGH show, I forget which.
When I set it up and had the track connected and had left for the evening, (Friday night), little did I know that Robin and Chris from our CZM club in Portland were just about to puke looking at the pink monster. When they were sure I was out of the building, they (borrowed) the mountain top, took it home and proceeded to bathe it in gray paint. Kind of reminds you of the gray whale I've been working on doesn't it.
Well, the next morning I got back to the expo hall before Chris and Robin had returned with the mountain top and I was flabbergasted that someone would steal my pink mountain, even though it did resemble Pepto Bismol, that pink stuff for acid indigestion. I guess the pink mountain made Chris and Robin sick to their stomach.
I was standing there trying to imagine someone really hating my mountain that much to have to steal it when in they walked with a gray mountain that looked suspiciously like my pink one that was missing. To make a long story short, they confessed to 'just having to take it home and fix/paint it'
End of story, but I did end up paying them for three cans of gray spray paint.
So, what does pink have to do with what is going on now you ask? I was looking at my blue foam last night and got equally as nauseous as Chris and Robin probably had been, so just a few minutes ago I found some gray paint and proceeded to turn it back into solid granite gray.
I did coat the blue foam last night with a layer of plaster cloth, followed by a coating of Sculptamold, the reason being that I find it easier to plant trees if I am punching through a thin layer of Sculptamold covered plaster cloth. I use an ice pick type of instrument found at any train show in the hobby tools display booth. Punch a hole, fill with undiluted Elmer's or other type of hobby tack glue and insert the tree trunk and leave it to set.
If I'm planting trees thin enough to allow the forest floor to be seen, then I either use green spray paint or thick Elmer's for adhesive and spread different shades of green and earthen colors of ground foam for the forest floor. This module will have lots of exposed rock and rock talos covering much of the surface so I'm leaving most of the surface the basic gray.
These photos show the new gray paint and about 2/3rds of the rock castings before I begin to do the detailing with rock and then greenery.
Well, that's my progress for the last 24 hours. I'm also doing taxes, so who knows how long before I can break out of my deepening depression and gloom and get back to some fun stuff.
Great work! Roughly how many trees do you think you will use for this module?
Hi Loren, The 'white' is the Sculptamold? Jim
I'll answer both your question Chris and also Jim's with this post. This module will have deciduous as well as evergreen trees on it and I estimate roughly 300 give or take. I think really good looking, easily made, economical deciduous trees have yet to be invented. Sort of like the issue with realistic water features. I've not tried several water options and I'm not real happy with what I've done thus far, but that is another subject.
When you see 100 trees next to each other, it is disappointing as to how little space they can take up depending upon how closely they are spaced to each other. Just ask Jim as he is an expert in tree planting, both in Z and HO. BTW, for those who have not seen Jim's "How to" on making HO scale evergreen trees, it would be very enlightening to view it. Jim show them the link.......
The white you see in the previous pictures is mostly cast resin rocks made from Joel Bragdon's rock molds. Really good Z scale rock molds are kind of hard to come by since the actual rocks used in Joel's master mold making adventures in the great out doors have details that for the most part are rather large for Z scale. Proper scaled rock molds are available, but not in profusion.
The molds I used are coated with a white primer prior to pouring and the white paint attaches itself to the cast resin, thus the white appearance. The cast resin turns white in the first place.
You could make it easier on yourself by using a gray primer on the molds and the rocks would come out gray colored depending on how thoroughly you coated the molds prior to pouring. You'd still have to color the material used between rock castings. I'll cast a few more rocks with gray primer to show example.
I am not aware if Joel has ever built any Z scale scenery, but when I helped him with Tom Miller's layout construction several years back, Joel liked to use a caulking gun to fill in the joints between rock castings. I prefer instead using the Sculptamold which is used on my modules. Both caulking and Sculptamold have some draw backs because you have to spend some pretty good effort to make the fill in areas look like the rocks from the molds. Seems that no technique for scenery making is fool proof and easy.
God spoke and it was so, we however have to work a lot harder to make it look real........
Thanks Loren. I thought they (the rocks) weren't Sculptamold, but knowing you are an expert in its use I thought I would try to learn something new. Correct until you get to HO scale or larger it takes a lot of trees to fill a given space.
Thanks for the kind words about my evergreen trees. Since I have your permission let me post the link that has the tree info in it. I have a thread on another site and in 15 months I have over 101,000 views. Quite astonishing really. The thread contains virtually everthing I know about model railroading, from benchwork to photography. It seems to be worth while with the view count as the ultimate proof of life. The thread is valid for all scales Z, N, HO, S, and O. Anything a new or old modeler may need is in the thread pages. Somewhere inside are the tree building pages as well as using a new product for rocks and using plastic garden webbing instead of more traditional ways of making scenery. Click this and enjoy. http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25919
Here's a sneak peek. Thanks, Loren
You need my permission to post your link material? I don't think so. You don't need my permission for anything you do. I salute you and your excellence.
Oh, and I hate that word expert. Comes from two words.....ex, meaning has been, and spurt, a small drip.
And no one in their right mind would ever question 101,000 views. Maybe we should start calling you the modeling guru? I won't ask what Gayle calls you )
Here are a couple shots of castings with gray primer. I don't always fill the seams between castings. You can hide seams with bushes and such....the easy way out. There is a lot of seam work needed though before any painting of the castings.
Lookin' good Loren I like the new look!!
Finally.......movement on the Gray Whale
My how time flys when you aren't getting anything done. I began my "Gray Whale" module as it is affectionately known back on Sept 28th 2011 and last posted progress on Mardh 31 2013.
It has been two years now and not much was accomplished in modeling until this last month in which I have gotten the Whale just about done........still lacking a bunch of trees, bushes and the stream bed which I have been inquiring about lately in another thread.
You recall the condition of the module way bach in 2013, and here are pictures just now taken to show comparrison. The plan is to have water poured this week and the rest of the scenery finished by mid month April........maybe in time to celebrate tax day (
Excellent work. It looks so real.
Great to see you back at it. I know how you feel. I started an extension and got caught up in side jobs and I am getting that itch I will say that is the nice thing about trains. They will be there waiting when you get back. Show those finished shots with trains to get me motivated!
Great module, superb rock work.
Damn fine work there, sir.
I like the "spray the track" method of rusting up the rails - and your great sense of balance to the scenery.
Photo #1 has to be the most realistic train scenery I have ever seen. Possibly you could get rid of the perimeter borders and go into business of creating new land, That is spectacular!!!!!
Looks great! That will become a nice piece of river. Maybe you should put a raft on river before the 'water' is cured.

domain: hobby


text:
November 4, 2019
5 Questions With… Jani Saastamoinen
5 Questions with Jani Saastamoinen
1. Where were you/what did you do before working at Seriously?
For all my life I’ve been working with music and sound production, as well as running my own production company. I also have a few bands and an international D&B DJ career on the side.
2. What is your current role at Seriously?
I am the audio designer at Seriously, which means I do everything involving sound for in-game and in-video production. I also voice-act most of the characters in the game.
3. What’s your favorite part about your job?
The best part is having all of the creative freedom. Every day is different. I especially enjoy when I get to do voices for the characters. It feels great to throw myself into the moment. Also, working with such talented people is beyond amazing.
4. Who is your favorite Fiend or Slug and why?
Hmm. If I have to choose one it’s definitely Temper. He has such a great onward attitude, even though he is a bit reckless at times. I always lose my voice when (voice acting) his – haha.
5. When you are not working at Seriously or playing Best Fiends, what do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy spending time with my family and watching a good movie every now and then. And of course performing or playing with either of my bands is great fun too.

domain: artistic


text: Scientific evidence has shown that food choices and certain dietary supplements can improve health and symptoms of disease. As a result, many Americans are self-prescribing and spending in excess of $30 billion annually on herbal and dietary supplements to address their health concerns. It is important for health care providers to receive timely, evidence-based information in order to address the risks and benefits of supplements with their patients. In this dynamic partnership with patients, it is also crucial that providers are also aware of regulatory issues, dosing, and product potency. To address these needs, world-renowned faculty will present a concise, clinically relevant overview of natural supplements in evidence-based practice, with an emphasis on disease states. This conference is a must-attend for anyone wanting to acquire a wide-range of knowledge and expertise for addressing and managing dietary supplement use.

domain: literature


text:
Download Spot satellite images
Spot satellite images
The SPOT (from French "Satellite pour l'Observation de la Terre") series has been supplying high-resolution, wide-area optical imagery since 1986. Conceived by the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), five satellites were launched between 1986 and 2015 (SPOT 1, SPOT 2, SPOT 3, SPOT 4, SPOT 5), and in revealing Earth’s surface in detail they led to new applications in :
Land use and land cover,
The impacts of natural disasters,
The latest satellites in the series, SPOT 6 and SPOT 7, are commercial satellites owned by Airbus Defence and Space, and assure data continuity through to 2024.
All of the SPOT satellites provide imagery in Panchromatic and Multispectral bands with a swath of 60 km.
SPOT Series Missions
SPOT 1 was launched on 22 February 1986. SPOT 2 was launched on 22 January 1990. SPOT 3 was launched on 26 September 1993. SPOT 4 was launched on 24 March 1998. SPOT 5 was launched on 4 May 2002. SPOT 6 was launched 9 September 2012. SPOT 7 was launched 30 June 2014.
SPOT satellites (Satellites Pour l'Observation de la Terre) were designed by CNES to study the Earth. From 1986 to 2015, the series of 5 satellites were able to take images of the planet with improved resolution with each generation of satellites (from 20 m to 2.5 m). In order to perpetuate and enhance these data, the SPOT World Heritage (SWH) program runned by CNES make available for free to the public the SPOT 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 archive. These are images (60x60 km) acquired from 1986 until 2015 in L1A level (radiometric egalization, no geometric correction) (CNES).
Spot 1-5 archives images are subject to Open 2.0 ETALAB Licence. For any use of the product we should be grateful if you mention CNES support within SWH Programme by adding: "SPOT images acquired by CNES's Spot World Heritage Programme" and to provide CNES any information regarding their use (publication, project/study report, meeting presentation...) at: email@example.com (CNES).

domain: geography


A Taranaki dairy herd recovered from salmonella overnight after a pelletised mineral supplement was withdrawn from their diet last spring.
A national study has since found pelletised magnesium supplement presents a high risk of salmonella in dairy cattle.
Salmonella bacteria are present in low numbers in the gut of many cows.
Affected animals spread the bacteria in large numbers in their faeces and milk.
Often only a few animals are infected by the original source and the disease spreads because infected animals contaminate water or feed. Salmonella bacteria can live and multiply for months in wet, swampy ground.
Symptoms include a sudden milk drop, high temperature, depression and a very watery scour. Some animals die.
Brian and Marian McDonald were among 16 Taranaki farmers who suffered large losses during a salmonella outbreak last spring.
The week before Christmas, the couple learned of a strong link to the disease from minerals in the supplementary feed they were giving their cows.
They had just spent $45,000 on a new in-shed system that supplied their cows with palm kernel meal, biscuit meal and minerals. After they removed the pelletised mineral, the health of their 280-cow herd changed dramatically.
"They stopped scouring within 24 hours," McDonald said. "The weather was rough when I stopped the mineral - not the conditions I would associate with cows firming up."
They had already sought professional advice about removing the minerals and were told they were unlikely to be the cause. "If I'd removed the mineral straight away, the cost would have been minimal, but that was the last thing to do, on the advice I was getting."
McDonald said the outbreak cost the couple at least $130,000 in lost production, dead animals, veterinary bills, the purchase of calves and a milk capacity adjustment payment to Fonterra.
"The cows were scouring the whole spring. I was constantly taking their temperature.
"I thought it was the time of year. It was reasonably wet and there was a lot of moisture in the grass. 'The cows were really loose and were going off their milk, but they'd come back."
Initially, he wasn't too concerned, and thought they would come right.
"When it really took hold, the numbers with salmonella went from 10 one day to 50 in three days and 200 within a week.
"Looking back now, I wonder how I handled it. I didn't know the cause, how to fix it, or if it was going to go away. Getting up in the morning was scary because I never knew what I was going to see."
McDonald said the smooth season this year highlighted to him how sick his cows were last year. Some of his cows were infected with salmonella twice and a few contracted it three times.
Worried about the effect of the disease on the herd's in-calf rate, he thought an empty rate of 10 per cent, after being 6 per cent in 2010-11 was not too bad, even though it almost doubled.
Only a third of the herd got in- calf in the first six weeks of artificial breeding last season, so this season's calving was spread out.
However, he received a dispensation to induce more than 4 per cent of his cows and calving was finished by the first week of October.
The outbreak appeared to have had little other effect on the herd this year.
"AB [artificial breeding] has been really good. I had a 92 per cent submission rate in the first four weeks and used no CIDRs [hormone treatment], so I'm more than happy."
At present, his cows were producing just under 2 kilograms of milksolids a day.
His production last season was 7 per cent down on the 2010-11 season, but he estimated it was 10 to 12 per cent below what could have been achieved in such good conditions.
This season's spread-out calving had lowered his early production, but it was now 8 per cent ahead of last season. Production this November was 70 per cent ahead of November last year when the herd was hard hit by salmonella.
In one five-day period last November, he supplied no milk to Fonterra and at times he was milking only 80 cows.
He said he was "extremely edgy" at the start of this spring.
"If the cows were slightly scouring, I wondered if it was was starting again."
He now gives his cows magnesium in a powder form.
Any farmer facing such a situation should not try to sort it out alone, he said.
Talking to others affected by the outbreak made a huge difference at the time.
It was also important to get away from the farm, he said. Watching his granddaughter have a swimming lesson was therapeutic.
He was still amazed at the support the couple received.
"Farmers were offering me cows - even for this season if I didn't get enough in calf - and they brought food to the house so we didn't have to worry about meals.
"The support was incredible. It certainly helped us get through it."
Mrs McDonald said the unknowns about the outbreak last spring were emotionally exhausting. Her husband's many interests off the farm helped him cope.
Magnesium pellets linked to salmonella outbreak
Feeding a pelletised magnesium supplement to dairy cattle poses a high risk for a salmonella infection, a nationwide study has found.
The study of 110 dairy herds shows the use of continuous troughs, pelletised magnesium supplements and palm kernel meal can increase the chances of a salmonella outbreak similar to the one that affected 16 Taranaki dairy herds last spring.
Massey University epidemiologist Mark Stevenson attributes part of the rise in the number of salmonella outbreaks over the past three or four years to the intensification of dairy farming.
He said the association between the use of pelletised magnesium supplement and increased salmonella use was discovered in a small study of Taranaki herds he undertook during last year's outbreak. The link had not been reported in international scientific literature before.
In the national study, farmers were asked about herd demographics, the amount and type of feeds offered including mineral supplements, the storage and mixing of ingredients and effluent management.
Stevenson said it appeared both the amount and the formulation of magnesium used on farms had a role in triggering the disease.
He is advising farmers to seek advice from vets or nutritionists on the dosage and formulation of magnesium.
Cows need extra magnesium in spring to prevent grass staggers, because the level in pasture falls during rapid growth.
He said that given the strong link between pelletised magnesium and salmonella risk, Fertco's voluntary withdrawal of its product, Mineral Boost, from the market in January for redevelopment was an important intervention.
Monitoring the incidence of salmonella using data from veterinary diagnostic laboratories, would show whether the removal of the product was successful.
Already, preliminary data showed the number of cases so far this spring was well below the same time last year.
Because continuous troughs provided several cows access to feed at once, a daily variation of supplement intake per cow was likely.
Fluctuations in intake could affect the balance of bacteria in the rumen, allowing salmonella to multiply and trigger the disease, he said.
But he is still advising dairy farmers to ensure they store and handle all supplementary feeds, in a way that reduces the likelihood of contamination from birds and rodents.
He said others who worked with cattle feed, such as feed importers, transporters and compounders, should also adopt proper storage and handling methods.
Significant inroads into understanding last spring's salmonella outbreak had been made in a short time because vets, Massey University, Fonterra, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the New Zealand Veterinary Association and the industry had adopted a co- ordinated and collaborative approach to it, he said.
- © Fairfax NZ News
There is a proposal for a $28m sporting complex at New Plymouth's TSB Stadium. Is that a want or a need?Related story: (See story)
Get Taranaki's frequent news and sport updates
Choose an iconic Taranaki photo as wallpaper for your computer


text:
Export consulting South America: Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay / Paraguay
South America is a very diverse and dynamic region but with one point in common: these markets demand technology and innovation.
Brazil: The South American giant is a key market in the region. With a population of 210 million, the country is among the 10 largest economies in the world and is rich in natural resources, needing sustainable solutions to promote its development. Not only the notorious advanced agricultural sector, but also a diversified industry eager for innovative solutions sets the tone for the Swiss. Despite the ups and downs of its cyclical economy, the country has numerous opportunities in sectors such as life sciences, agricultural industry, cleantech and infrastructure.
Chile: Chile is an attractive market for Swiss SMEs and an ideal pilot country and hub in Latin America. Compared to other Latin countries, it offers political and economic stability, legal certainty and a business friendly environment. The relation to Switzerland is well established with a Free Trade Agreement (EFTA), a double tax treaty and investment protection agreement, having already attracted numerous Swiss companies.
Especially Cleantech companies and innovative SMEs of other sectors like Life Sciences have great opportunities in Chile.
Argentina: Argentina is the third largest economic power in Latin America (after Brazil and Mexico). The country has a traditional export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Despite the turbulences in recent years, high-tech and innovation are still required for the traditional Argentine industry, main opportunities are in the agriculture sector, food industry, and medtech.
Uruguay / Paraguay: Although smaller markets, Uruguay and Paraguay can be of interest from Swiss SMEs. Both countries are part of the Mercosur and well-integrated into the region. Uruguay, in special, showcases good experiences as a reginal logistic hub and is an interesting alternative for companies trying to increase efficiency in the region.
Register for a free basic consultation and find out more about the opportunities in the different countries.
|Organizer||Switzerland Global Enterprise|
|Call duration||1 hrs|
|Cost of participating||The basic consulting is part of the public service and is free of charge for Swiss and SME from Liechtenstein.|
What can you expect from your consultation?
Find out more in this short advisory video.
Switzerland Global Enterprise


text:
Blog: by Nathalie Schooling
We are in the business of understanding the journey of our clients’ customers, and what still amazes me is how many companies forget the fundamental ‘first impression’. This refers to the very beginning stage of the customer/client/guest/passenger/member/patient journey, and why customer journey mapping is one of the most valuable CX exercises a company can invest in. It’s an incredible tool if facilitated properly and on a regular basis, especially when you have changes or new service/product offerings.
Just putting yourself in your customers shoes at the starting point of their interaction with your brand can be a serious eye-opener. Depending on your industry, this would typically be called the arrival/arrive/onboarding stage. Getting this stage right certainly goes a long way in terms of how the relationship will develop over time. Nailing it will ensure that you don’t waste time, effort, and revenue in reparations down the line.
Let me give you an example. My son and I went on a short vacay during the September holidays to Mauritius. Unfortunately, flights are few, and the only one we could get landed at night. We left Cape Town very early that morning (followed by waiting for a connecting flight from Jozi) and finally arrived at the airport in Mauritius at 21h30. We were not exactly oozing with charm after such a long day of travel.
Once we got through passport control (not a friendly experience), we were shuffled onto a tour bus built for people no taller than 5ft. The driver of the bus, who hardly spoke a word of English, was also the baggage handler, so we sat on the muggy, cramped bus while suitcases were loaded (adding more time to this endless journey). With no water to quench our thirst, and no idea of what time we would be leaving, we weren’t sure if we should rush back to the airport to scavenge for something to drink. After an hour of waiting on the bus and then another hour of travelling on said bus, we arrived in pitch darkness at the resort. Parched, achy, hot, grumpy, hungry, and frankly a bit shaken by the bus driver who thought he was Pascal Wehrlein (a German-Mauritian racing car driver), we were ‘greeted’ by someone who was clearly a trainee porter and who looked like he had never seen a tour bus filled with Saffers before.
We poured out of the bus, not quite sure what to expect next. Just getting the luggage sorted took another 30 minutes! Next, we were told to sit and wait for someone to ‘check us in’. Talk about anxiety – we were the last in the queue. Eventually, a woman handed me a tablet so that I could retype all the information I had already provided when booking this holiday. It was now well past 22h00.
We were then told to hurry if we wanted dinner before the ‘restaurant’ would close – a fancy name for what was in fact, a canteen. There we were given the option to select from the tired remains of food available, and then directed to revisit reception to collect our key cards.
There was zero explanation about the resort, or an offer to chat through all the facilities the next morning. We were just given our key cards and pointed in the direction of our room.
Through our travel agent, I had specifically booked a room with two king beds, but the room we were assigned had just one queen bed. I was now beside myself.
This lovely treat of a holiday, which we were terribly excited about, was not starting on a great note. I asked to be moved to the room that I had paid for, but the housekeeping folks said that the hotel was fully booked and that they had no other rooms available. After much discussion, a single bed was delivered, I unpacked… and then stewed until I eventually drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I sent a rather uptight text to my travel agent, with pictures attached. I was seething. I won’t bore you with further details but, after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, we eventually got the room that I had booked and paid for. This meant repacking suitcases and unpacking suitcases. Again! This exercise pretty much took up the first official day of our holiday, including needing to sleep for most of the next day as I was utterly exhausted.
To give credit where credit is due, the guest relations manager did her very best to go out of her way to apologise and offered us two complimentary massages as a token of their apology. This was a sweet gesture, but the arrival part of our experience was so disappointing, and it really did steal two days out of a 6-day holiday.
My son and I enjoyed the four remaining days, but I certainly won’t be a returning guest, nor will I recommend the resort.
What could have been done differently?
Let’s look at some very simple tweaks that would have absolutely changed the game.
First, know your customer. In this case: your guests. We are from South Africa, where most people can speak English but very few understand French. Generally, the SA guests check in at night so the bus transport company that represents the resort’s brand should have someone on board at the airport who can speak English, to welcome guests, hand each person a bottle of cold water, and brief travellers on what to expect (how long the bus trip is, what happens on arrival at the hotel, etc.). If that is too much of a stretch, a bottle of water and a note from the hotel explaining the process would be better than nothing. You want your guests/customers/clients to feel “supported” right from the get-go.
South African tourists are this particular hotel group’s main source of sales – so I ask you, with tears in my eyes, why choose a trainee porter who hardly speaks English to be the ‘face’ that greets a swarm of 50 new guests who are not in the best of moods? Just to be clear – everyone on the bus was grumpy at this point. It would have made all the difference if there was someone who spoke English, was fully trained, and was competent to welcome the guests.
Know that your customer is going to face a long journey from the airport, understand their emotional state, and know that if you ‘on-board’ with genuine kindness at this point, it will be the customers’ ‘moment of truth’. You need to get this right.
Slip-ups happen, but it is SO much harder to win back a disgruntled customer whose expectations have not been met at the arrival point than to retain a temporarily disappointed client who has already been through enjoyable interactions with your brand.
Typically, it’s financial institutions and retailers who use customer journey mapping to good effect, but as the example I’ve provided shows, businesses should invest in this powerful tool that allows you to put themselves in your customer’s shoes, understand their high points and pain points when engaging with your business, and highlight opportunities for quick win areas where you should be making improvements.
Improve your customer/client experience
nlightencx. shares with you, our latest CX tips, trends and articles on how to create the ultimate experience for your customers.

domain: travel


text:
This instruction sheet is for guidance only and not intended to override any legal provision. In case of any dispute the provisions under the EPF & MP Act 1952 and the Schemes framed there under, as amended from time to time, will prevail
For any clarification the employers or subscribers can contact the Public Relations Officer of the Regional/Sub-Regional Office. Full fledged grievance redresal machinery is in place to address any grievance. The Officer-in-Charge of the concerned offices are also available on specified dates with prior appointment.
No person is authorised by EPFO to act as consultant or impart any advice on its behalf. If any one decides to avail the service of any consultant, he may do so at his risk and responsibility.
All the forms are available free of cost from the EPF Office. The forms and instructions are available for download from the EPFO website http://www.epfindia.nic.in
Services to Employees
Services to Employers

domain: law


text:
WHY AO BIOLOGIX WAS FORMED
Antioxidants are powerful healers as they help restore and stabilize every cell in the body. Some antioxidants are so powerful at restoring health and wellness they are considered super antioxidants.
These antioxidants have a serious problem if they are not stored and delivered properly leading to oxidation which strips the potency of their healing ability – even super antioxidants.
As a physician treating all kinds of ailments, Dan Purser MD spent decades searching for super antioxidant products that would give his patients the results they desperately needed. He found the available products weren’t delivered in a way keeping the antioxidants pure and potent. Instead of being the powerful healers he knew them to be, his patients were still suffering.
Watching patients suffer from shingles, arthritis and countless other painful and debilitating conditions, Dr. Purser finally decided that, if he couldn’t find products that would make a real difference in his patients’ health, he would create them himself.
Dan Purser MD knew how difficult it would be to maintain super antioxidants in their pure and potent state. So he teamed up with biotechnology engineer, Stephen Pitcher. Stephen had decades of expertise developing and patenting delivery systems that could maintain antioxidant purity.
Together, this physician-bioengineer duo developed premium super antioxidant products that brought life-changing relief. AO Biologix was formed to deliver the healing benefits of super antioxidants through patented delivery technologies that maintain their efficacy and potency.
Meet the Physician & Engineer Behind Shingular
Dan Purser MD | Chief Medical Officer & Creator
Dan Purser MD works with older patients, treating complex medical conditions that cause severe pain and dramatically decrease their quality of life. He sees the benefits of glutathione in supporting antioxidant activity, detoxification and immune function every day in his practice. Joining forces with Stephen Pitcher, he is able to deliver GSH in a viable form that can raise natural levels of GSH in the blood helping his patients increase their needed glutathione levels.
Stephen Pitcher | Engineer & Formulator
Stephen Pitcher, Founder and President of Scientific Technology Development, utilizes his extensive expertise in topical anti-aging solutions, wound healing, and new device technologies. Literally a rocket scientist, he knows technology can solve the limitations of other glutathione products. It requires developing patented and patent-pending technology, but together these two innovators give their patients a way to stop the suffering.

domain: chemistry


text:
Cardiac patient gets relief from atrial fibrillation
Feb 12, 2020
The healing hope and wholeness Adventist Health strives to inspire often touches the hearts of the communities it serves. Sometimes, that touch is literal, and patients find their physical hearts healed along with their spirits.
That kind of healing is what Sheila Thompson was seeking when she came to Adventist Health Portland’s Northwest Regional Heart and Vascular. After going through treatment for breast cancer, she discovered she had developed atrial fibrillation — often call Afib.
With her heart beating irregularly and, sometimes, too rapidly, Sheila felt fatigued in her body and foggy in her brain. Often she was stuck on her couch from weariness. Afib also increased her risk of stroke.
Looking for relief from atrial fibrillation
Sheila worked with Adventist Health cardiac electrophysiologist Brian Moyers to correct her Afib. They began with more conservative treatments, starting with medication. After trying several different drugs without relief, Sheila also underwent several cardioversions, procedures that attempt to reset the heart rhythm to normal through electrical shocks.
When those options failed to correct Sheila’s atrial fibrillation, Dr. Moyers recommended cardiac ablation. During this surgery, small scars are made in specific areas of the heart to stop faulty electrical signals from causing irregular heartbeats.
Searching for Afib options
Sheila’s first ablation had positive results, which lasted about six months. Her second ablation was less successful. That happens for about 12 to 15% of ablation patients.
Sheila was running out of options. One choice was to have a more extensive form of ablation that would leave her entirely dependent on a pacemaker for the rest of her life.
Another choice for atrial fibrillation treatment
Knowing Sheila wanted to avoid a pacemaker if possible, Dr. Moyers suggested she visit with Dr. Thomas Molloy, Adventist Health Portland medical director of cardiac surgery. “He scheduled me for every cardiac test,” Sheila recalls. “They were very thorough. They’re like a special ops team.”
When Sheila’s results were in, Dr. Molloy recognized she was a candidate for cryomaze, a form of cardiac ablation that uses extreme cold to create the scars that block faulty heart signals. For the small number of Afib patients who don’t get long-term relief from typical ablations, cryomaze offers a success rate of as much as 90%.
Like night and day
After her cryomaze surgery, Sheila is a believer. “It’s like night and day,” she says. Her brain began to clear, and her energy level improved. “My main focus is getting stuff done, and now I feel like I have enough energy to tackle it.”
Instead of sitting on her couch, Sheila has moved her couch out while she remodels her floating home on Portland’s Willamette River. And now that she’s not on medication that causes sun sensitivity, Sheila is “feeling better and looking forward to the summer.”
Adventist Health Portland values every chance to connect heart to heart with people while sharing the loving and healing power of Jesus Christ. That’s why the cardiac team at Northwest Regional Heart and Vascular appreciates their opportunity to heal patients mind, body, spirit…and especially heart.

domain: medical


Introduction to AI Innovation:
Picture this: a world where technology/AI isn’t just a buzzword, but a driving force transforming businesses in extraordinary ways. That’s the reality we’re living in, thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI). It’s not a distant dream anymore – AI has arrived, and it’s reshaping the way businesses operate.
The question now is not whether to adopt AI, but how quickly and effectively you can do it. Recent research by EY in April 2023 shows that a whopping 90% of tech leaders are already using AI models like Bing Chat and ChatGPT.What’s more, 80% are gearing up to invest even more in AI. This isn’t just a trend; it’s a revolution that’s changing the game for good.
And here’s the best part: the enterprise AI business model isn’t just for big players. It’s for everyone, from the biggest companies to the newest startups. It’s like a rising tide that lifts all boats. AI is making waves in finance, education, automobiles, construction, healthcare – you name it.
Understanding AI in Business
Step into the world of technology, where Artificial Intelligence (AI) shines like a star of endless possibilities. It’s like a powerful blend of creativity and magic, bringing together cool things like Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computer Vision, and even Robotics Process Automation. Each of these tech wonders adds a special touch to the AI mix, making it super useful for businesses in lots of ways.
Let’s briefly jump into these technologies and how these technologies are changing the way businesses operate:
Artificial Intelligence AI: The Fusion of Science and Intuition
Think of AI as a powerful fusion of science and intuition. It’s like taking the best of human intelligence and encoding it into machines. Through complex algorithms and data-driven processes, AI empowers computers to analyze vast amounts of information, make informed decisions, and adapt their responses based on the situation at hand. In other words, AI transforms mere machines into intelligent problem solvers, unlocking unprecedented opportunities for businesses across industries.
Machine Learning: The Digital Apprentice
Machine Learning is like having a digital apprentice that not only learns from you but becomes better than you over time. By feeding these digital learners with data, they develop the ability to recognize patterns, make predictions, and refine their performance. Generative AI enterprise use cases include automating routine tasks, enhancing customer experiences, and optimizing decision-making processes. As these digital apprentices evolve, businesses reap the rewards of increased efficiency and agility.
Deep Learning: Unveiling the Layers of Insight
Delving deeper into the AI landscape, we encounter Deep Learning, a subset of Machine Learning. Deep Learning mimics the intricate structure of the human brain, consisting of interconnected layers that process information. These neural networks have the remarkable capacity to analyze vast and complex datasets, uncovering hidden insights that traditional algorithms might miss. Applications range from image and speech recognition to medical diagnosis, driving advancements that were once confined to the realm of science fiction.
Natural Language Processing (NLP): Bridging Human and Machine Communication
Ever wished you could hold a natural conversation with a machine? NLP makes that wish a reality. This remarkable technology equips machines with the ability to understand and generate human language. From chatbots providing instant customer support to voice assistants translating spoken words into actionable commands, NLP transforms human-machine interactions, fostering seamless communication across digital landscapes.
Computer Vision: The Digital Eye
In an age where visual information dominates, Computer Vision emerges as a pivotal AI component. Through sophisticated algorithms, machines gain the ability to interpret images and videos, enabling them to detect objects, recognize faces, and even understand the emotional context behind visual cues. Industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and retail leverage Computer Vision to enhance quality control, automate processes, and enrich customer experiences.
Robotics Process Automation (RPA): Efficiency Amplified
RPAs can be termed as your bot assistants that are tirelessly dedicated to streamlining repetitive tasks for you. This is the essence of Robotics Process Automation (RPA). Software bots navigate through workflows, mimicking human actions to handle data entry, invoice processing, and other routine activities. By liberating human resources from mundane tasks, RPA frees up valuable time and resources, enabling businesses to focus on strategic initiatives and innovation.
Application and opportunities
Logistics & Delivery: Adapting Seamless Journeys
Behind every successful product lies an intricate journey, from production lines to the hands of the consumer. AI finds its place in supply chain management, harmonizing data and offering insights that streamline customs processes. Yet, the true gem lies in predictive analytics – envision optimized routes, demand prediction, and seamless inventory management, ensuring products reach consumers at precisely the right moment.
Examples of AI in Logistics & Delivery:
- AI in Route Optimization
Optimizes delivery routes using real-time data for efficient deliveries.
- AI in Warehouse Management
Predicts demand, manages inventory, and automates warehouse tasks for improved efficiency.
Customer Service: Elevating Engagement and Satisfaction
In an age of multi-channel interactions, ensuring consistent and exceptional customer service poses a challenge. AI steps in as an ever-vigilant “gatekeeper,” adeptly handling routine queries, availability inquiries, and straightforward exchanges. This strategic AI deployment allows human staff to focus on more intricate and sensitive customer concerns, ushering in a new era of service excellence.
Examples of AI in Customer Service:
- Chatbots for Instant Support
Software: ManyChat, Zendesk Answer Bot
Customers interact with AI-powered chatbots on websites or messaging platforms, providing instant responses to common queries, and guiding users through troubleshooting steps.
- Personalized Recommendations
Software: Salesforce Einstein, Dynamic Yield
AI analyzes customer data and behaviors for personalized recommendations, enhancing experiences, and driving upselling.
Customer Relationship Management: Insights for Personalization
AI’s transformative impact extends to customer relationship management, revolutionizing the way businesses connect with their audience. By analyzing massive datasets, AI-infused CRM systems uncover invaluable insights into customer behaviors, preferences, and more. This data-driven approach empowers businesses to anticipate customer needs, tailor experiences, and foster lasting relationships.
Examples of AI in CRM:
- Automated Customer Insights
Software: Salesforce Einstein
AI-driven CRM platforms analyze vast amounts of customer data to identify patterns and trends, providing businesses with valuable insights for personalized marketing strategies and improved customer experiences.
- Predictive Lead Scoring
AI in CRM uses machine learning algorithms to assess the likelihood of leads becoming successful conversions. This helps sales teams prioritize high-potential leads and focus their efforts more effectively.
Translation: A Bridge Across Language Barriers
AI transcends language barriers, acting as a universal translator that connects businesses with new markets. By eliminating linguistic obstacles, AI propels cross-cultural communication, enabling expansion into previously untapped territories and fostering global connections.
Examples of AI in Translation:
- Neural Machine Translation
Software: Google Translate, DeepL
Businesses are utilizing NMT software to automatically translate large volumes of text, such as customer reviews or product descriptions, with improved accuracy and natural language understanding.
- Multilingual Chatbots
Software: IBM Watson Assistant, Microsoft Bot Framework
AI-powered chatbot platforms incorporate translation capabilities to enable businesses to provide customer support and engage with users in multiple languages, enhancing global communication and accessibility.
Behavior Prediction: Illuminating Customer Intent
Thanks to AI’s prowess in analyzing vast datasets, businesses gain the ability to foresee customer actions and preferences. This predictive capability is akin to having a crystal ball that reveals the next moves of your customers, empowering businesses to shape experiences and forge stronger connections.
Examples of AI in Behavior Prediction:
- Customer Purchase Prediction
Software: Meta Pixels, Salesforce Einstein
AI analyzes historical customer data, browsing patterns, and purchase behaviors to predict future buying preferences to provide tailored recommendations according to the needs.
Decision Making: Precision Informed by Data
In a world where intuition meets data, AI emerges as a reliable decision-making partner. By analyzing variables, projecting outcomes, and leveraging relevant data, AI-guided decision-making becomes a beacon of accuracy, delivering results that resonate.
Examples of AI in Decision-Making:
- Better Decision-making Process
Software: Decisimo, Meet Cody AI
AI helps businesses analyze data and brings the best suggestions that can potentially lead organizations toward growth.
Cybersecurity: Fortifying Digital Boundaries
The digital landscape teems with possibilities, but it’s equally vulnerable to intrusion. AI plays a pivotal role in cybersecurity by shifting from a reactive to a proactive stance. By establishing a baseline of normal network activity, AI detects deviations and potential threats, fortifying digital boundaries and heightening security measures.
Examples of AI in Cybersecurity
- Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems
AI-powered IDPS software can detect and mitigate potential cyber threats like unauthorized access, malware, and data breaches, thereby enhancing the overall security posture of a business.
- Automated Threat Response:
Software: DemistoSecurity orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR)
These platforms can automatically analyze and prioritize security alerts, correlate data from multiple sources, and initiate predefined response actions, reducing the time and effort required to mitigate cyber threats.
Content Creation: Crafting Value with Efficiency
AI redefines content creation, tailoring personalized messages and informing strategies through insightful data analysis. It not only accelerates content creation but also optimizes distribution, maximizing impact and reaching the intended audience more effectively.
Examples of AI in Content Creation
- Automated Social Media Posts
AI-powered platforms analyze user engagement patterns and historical data to generate optimized social media content schedules. These tools recommend posting times, curating relevant articles, and even drafting post captions, streamlining content creation, and maximizing audience reach.
Digital Marketing: Precision Targeting
AI revolutionizes digital marketing, transforming it into a finely tuned art of targeted messaging. By analyzing extensive datasets and automating content distribution, AI ensures that marketing efforts are laser-focused, effectively reaching the right audience on the right channels.
Examples of AI in Digital Marketing:
- Personalized Email Campaigns
Software: Mailchimp, Sendinblue
These software leverage AI algorithms to segment audiences, analyze user behavior, and craft personalized email campaigns.
Manufacturing: Envisioning a More Efficient Future
While robots are already integral to manufacturing, AI introduces a new dimension with its analytical capabilities. AI enhances predictive maintenance, minimizes supply chain forecasting errors, and optimizes energy consumption through demand forecasts. The result? A manufacturing landscape that’s both leaner and more productive.
Examples of AI in Manufacturing:
- Predictive Maintenance
Software: IBM Maximo
AI-driven software analyzes sensor data from machinery in real time to predict equipment failures, allowing businesses to schedule maintenance before breakdowns occur, reducing downtime and increasing operational efficiency.
- Quality Control
Software: Cognex In-Sight
Visual inspection systems use AI algorithms to detect defects and variations in products during the manufacturing process, ensuring consistent quality and reducing the need for manual inspection.
In our journey through the many ways AI shapes businesses, it’s clear we’re on the edge of something big. When businesses welcome these amazing new ideas, they can change entire industries, make things work better, and make customers happier. Every part of business, like making decisions and talking to customers, is ready to jump ahead. When we mix our smart thinking with AI’s special skills, we’re setting the stage for a future full of endless possibilities and new definitions of success.
Visit our blogs section for more content:


• pressure source for carrying out pneumatic
tests of the vessels working under pressure;
• independent source of pressure.
It is specially developed for a complete set of test benches thanks to what has lower
cost in comparison with the big compressors providing the required pressure.
The compressor unit is calculated on long continuous work.
The control system of installation in the automatic mode supports pressure in cylinders in
the set limits also provides shutdown of installation at emergence of an emergency.
Provides a reserve of compressed air to 150 l.
Existence of step adjustment of volume of air in cylinders (50 - 100 - 150 l) allows to reduce
time of receiving a high pressure.
• installation of creation and supply of compressed air:
- compressor unit;
- the block of cylinders 2kh50l (in PKTBA-UK-3),
3kh50l (in PKTBA-UK-1, PKTBA-UK-2);
- equipment of control, regulation and management;
- system of a binding and automatic equipment;
• set ZIP.


text:
Bad weather, bugs and boredom -- DJ and the boys in Camp Lots-o-Fun's cabin six are starting to call it Camp Not-so-Fun. To make matters worse, one of the boys has it in for DJ. But DJ isn't about to let that bother him. His lively imagination and wit ensure there's never a dull moment. A bear in the woods, monsters in the lake and a hermit's ghost make for a week at summer camp that none of the boys in cabin six will soon forget.
This book takes students through the exciting adventures of dinosaur hunting until they find one and have to quickly retrace their steps back to safety.
A young boy and his best buddy Butterscotch search for hidden treasure, save the city from an angry monster, and patrol a kingdom. Amazing adventures ensue as brave boy knight saves the day!
Jake and his younger brother Tommy are visiting family at a beach house on the coast. Having already lost a race to his cousin Lexie, Jake can't resist a second chance at victory when she challenges him again. Only this time it's a boat race-to the legendary Smuggler's Cave and back. The ocean is deep and choppy, and the boat is harder to control than Jake thought it would be. When he and Tommy reach Smuggler's Cave, the unthinkable happens. The boat capsizes, and they are swept into the cave. Lexie comes to their rescue, but the rising tide prevents them from escaping, and the three of them soon realize they are trapped.
Devin and Nadia are in a desperate race to stop a multinational corporation from gaining control of the food supply and destroying their mother's career in the process. While Devin and Nadia spend summer vacation at a university camp for little kids, Nadia as a counselor and Devin as an unwilling participant, their mother's research project is vandalized and her motives are questioned. Devin, Nadia and Simon stumble upon shady characters, corporate conspiracy and a plot to take over the nation's food supply with genetically modified fertilizer.
Brace yourself for the scariest field trip of your life! Bumbling, cowardly Eugene is forced to transfer to a new school in northern Michigan,Äîin the middle of the year, and in the middle of a blizzard. Eugene is used to weird things happening in his life, but this new place feels really bad. He has no idea how bad it,Äôs going to get until he meets his new English teacher, ,ÄúMing the Merciless.,Äù To save his classmates from a fatal graduation from Ming,Äôs School of the Brass Monkeys, Eugene must deliver an unfinished book to a legendary teacher named McGinty, who is hiding in the underworld. With the help of some renegade teachers and his new friends, he begins an epic journey to find McGinty. Will Eugene survive the Cliffs of Notes and the Sea of Hot Lunches? Will he reach McGinty in time to expose Ming,Äôs plot? A great choice for the reluctant reader, Brass Monkeys is action-packed and full of twists and turns. It,Äôs sure to keep readers guessing until the very end.
A retelling of the Grimm Brother's beloved tale about five animals who travel together to Bremen, and encounter an unexpected result along the way.

domain: library


text:
Super Heroes conquer the best casino sites UK
You can now join the super heroes in Yggdrasil’s spanking new video slot, and help them to defend the Earth from baddies. It’s worth doing it at Unibet casino where you have your chance to get your share of £25,000 cash prize pool!
The main prize of £5,000 goes to the player who manages to get the highest coin win on this brand-new Super Heroes casino game. But since 200 of the best players will be rewarded, there are quite a lot of chances to win something. Plus, 500 of the best players will be automatically added into the “pick and click” raffle where we have another £5,000 to win in cash prizes!
Keep up with the leaderboard
Unibet is one of our best casino sites UK and we are confident you’ll have a rather good time helping out these Super Heroes. Throughout this slot you can expect lots of special features such as Free Spins, Wild Reels, Mystery Wins, and the unique Hero Feature.
This campaign runs until 3rd November, so you better start today and you can keep track of your position on the live leaderboard.
Opt in required. New customers to Casino page only. 1x per customer. Min. Buy in £10. Bonus value 100% of Buy in. Max. Bonus £300. 40x Wagering, Max Redeemable £4,000. 50 Free Spins with x35 wagering will be awarded after the Buy in Bonus is completed, Max Redeemable £1,000. Bonus expires after 7 days. Stake contributions, player, country, currency, game restrictions and terms apply.
Available through Nov 12, 2020 or until 10,000 offers claimed. Verified new casino accounts only. Bonus issued after verification; 7-day expiry; 50 redemption points required. Slots only, game contributions vary. £100 max win. Terms apply.
New players only * £20 min deposit * 100% up to £100 Bonus * Bonus wins are capped at £500 * To withdraw bonus & related wins, wager 30 x (bonus amount) within 90 days * Wagering req. vary by game * This offer may not be combined with any other offer * Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time * General withdrawal restrictions & full T&Cs apply
Terms & Conditions apply. New players only. 18+ Min Deposit £20. Wagering requirement apply 35x. Offer valid for 72h.

domain: game


A Fife dental nurse who lied about killing a pensioner to protect her boyfriend was spared a prison sentence today (Wednesday 3 October) at a court hearing in Edinburgh.
Twenty-year-old Tiegan Carruthers was in a speeding Mazda car driven by her boyfriend Gregg Anderson when he knocked down and killed Linda Dunn, 68, who was crossing the road in Leven, Fife.
The pensioner was struck by the bumper and bonnet of the speeding car, before being thrown six feet into the air, and ended up lying in the road.
A family friend said: "Linda's sudden, tragic and needless death has shocked and traumatized the family, friends and neighbours who loved her. She had no companion or children, but her rich life was full of friends and family spread around the world."
Anderson, 27, a warehouse worker from East Wemyss, Fife, was driving without a licence or insurance at the time; he was jailed for six years and banned from driving for seven-and-a-half years.
His girlfriend initially took the blame for the accident to protect her boyfriend, she was seen after the crash screaming and crying and saying she was "going to jail".
What the Judge said
Speaking at the hearing at the High Court of Edinburgh, Judge Lord Uist told Carruthers that she would be spared jail time, despite the fact that his "initial inclination had been to impose a significant period of detention."
But he said that because of her age, lack of previous offending and background information supplied to him he would impose a community payback order. She will be under supervision for two years and have to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work.
How the lies unfolded
The dental nurse told police, "I couldn't see anything. Then she hit off the bonnet first, then the windscreen, then off. I went into shock and my partner grabbed the wheel and pulled the car to the side."
She also pretended to insurers that she was the driver and got a courtesy car after telling them: "The police have already told me it's not my fault and there's nothing for me to worry about but I'm not going to get charged with anything against me. It's a complete accident and the lady walked out in front of me."
But when police started examining CCTV footage of the crash they saw that Anderson had been driving the Mazda car.
Anderson admitted causing the death of Miss Dunn by driving dangerously at excessive speed and failing to observe the pedestrian crossing.
Prior to the fatal collision he had ignored 'no entry' signs, drove the wrong way in a pedestrian area and also admitted driving without insurance and a licence.
The court heard that Anderson had previously served a one-year driving ban and been fined for careless driving and refusing to take a breath test and his licence had expired.
He had not applied to have it reinstated and because he was convicted of an alcohol related offence the DVLA would have carried out an investigation to decide if a licence request should be granted.
Free will 'carved away'
Defence counsel Tony Lenehan, for Carruthers, said: "Her sense of free will and independent mind has never been strong and as it was even that had been carved away by the nature of her relationship with the co-accused."
He added: "Whatever happens today, she will have, what is to my mind, the advantage of a forced separation from Anderson."


text:
Winnipeg police released a composite sketch of the man they believe was the last person to see Thelma Krull more than two years ago and are asking for the public’s help to identify him.
Game-used Winnipeg Jets hockey sticks are finding their way into the hands of inner-city youth thanks to Red River College and True North Sports and Entertainment.
A court won't hear a call to remove protesters from the Parker lands until November.
An NDP leadership candidate says he’d fund $500,000 worth of long-term treatment beds for those suffering complex addictions and/or mental health issues, if he becomes Manitoba’s next premier.
A day after Winnipeg Police Service and Statistics Canada figures showed the city’s violent crime rose drastically in 2016, the union that represents Winnipeg police took aim at the mayor.
Five organizations in Manitoba are receiving a combined $2 million in federal funding to address gender equality in the province.
The Manitoba Hydro Torch Relay for the Canada Summer Games rolls into Winnipeg tomorrow, just days before the opening ceremonies are set to kick off.
The second annual Provincial Memorial Monument special ceremony hosted by MADD Canada’s Manitoba chapter will take place on Aug. 27.
Premier Brian Pallister hasn’t talked much about steering his canoe lately.
A day after Winnipeg police shot a man in St. Boniface, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) is looking for witnesses to step forward with information.

domain: sociology


text:
Latinization of St. Thomas Church
The Christian Church of India is a mother church founded during the time of the Apostles of Christ. As in the case of Rome or Antioch, the church was led by Bishops who were appointed by Patriarchs. Archdeacons led the believers using the interactions during the public meetings within the churches. They followed the Eastern liturgy based on the Testament of St. Thomas. The Portuguese missionaries came across in Kerala this traditional sect with a long history and a rich heritage, having their own peculiar customs, language and mode of worship.
The main intention of Latinization was to take absolute control of the pepper trade and also of the pepper farmers. The visit of Menezes to the main pepper trading centers before the Synod of Diamper at Udayamperoor is significant. Historians say that the Nasranis distanced themselves from the Portuguese after the Synod of Diamper at Udayamperoor. Following the visit of Bishop Menezes after the Synod, a new trade link was established on the Atlantic Ocean. The helpless people had to yield to it. Total control of merchandise transfer thus reached the hands of the Portuguese.
Moves were afoot for the spiritual renaissance of the St. Thomas Christians and also to take over their spiritual leadership. The first move was the introduction of Latin rites. But the bid to force them to give up Syriac did not work. In CE 1601, Goa received a Papal Bull from Pope Clement VIII appointing Francis Ross as the Archbishop of Angamaly. This again, was a step aimed at bringing St.Thomas Christians under the Latin regime. Once the Portuguese gained control over the Persian Gulf, they were able to block the journey of Arab traders as well as of the Bishops from Mesopotamia. The Christians in Kerala were forced to break their ties with Persia. Bishops had to come to Kerala in disguise. Those who came under the protection of Rome were also imprisoned by the Portuguese.
At the same time, the Franciscan Churches came up in Kochi and Vypin Fort with Kodungalloor as the mission centre. Franciscans were much ahead of others in missionary activities. Dominicans and Jesuits also functioned in Kochi and Kollam under the protection of the Portuguese. Jesuits won the race in this score. The Portuguese were also encouraged to marry Kerala women. Portuguese family names became popular in the coastal areas and Kochi. Their children were known as Eurasians, Topasis and Anglo Indians. But they could not influence the St. Thomas Nasranis. It is as a result of Coventhas becoming popular that foreign names became popular in Kerala. They also popularized Latin Almanac and the biographies of their Saints. Coventhas and their seminaries were the promoters of modernization. They also introduced modern farming practices, and the concept Eco Christianity, which were practiced by the priests of the seminaries mainly in the plantations. Rev Fr. Kuriakose Elias was its main proponent.
The reforms in the Trent Council:
The Roman Church established its supremacy among the native churches only after and because the Portuguese established their colonies and successfully implemented there, a unique combination of trade and, missionary activities supporting Rome. Portugal implemented the reforms initiated by Rome on the strength of its being the colonial ruler. The nineteenth global synod that met at Trent, a small town on the Alpine border between Germany and Italy, during the time of Pope Paul III, is known as the Trent Synod. This synod was convened at a time when colonization was gaining strength under the tutelage of the Portuguese King, with the setting up of the dioceses in Kochi, Goa, Malacca and Macau. The Portuguese King started implementing the Trent Council reforms from 1564. He called upon the missionaries and rulers to make the colonies in Asia and Africa aware of the Trent Council decisions.

domain: history


text:
to experience the full functionality of mail.com.
August 09, 2020
McGruder's late 3 helps Clippers edge Trail Blazers 122-117
Clippers coach Doc Rivers rested Kawhi Leonard and sat Paul George for the final five minutes following Los Angeles' plan to ...
August 01, 2020
McCollum, Lillard help Blazers get past Memphis in OT
CJ McCollum scored 33 points, teaming with Damian Lillard for 11 of Portland's 16 in overtime, and the Trail Blazers pulled ...
July 31, 2020
James' layup late lifts Lakers past Clippers, 103-101
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers showed some rust. They knocked it off with time to spare. Anthony Davis scored 34 ...
March 03, 2020
NBA to players: Avoid high-fives as virus concern grows
The NBA has told players to avoid high-fiving fans and strangers and avoid taking any item for autographs, the league’s ...
February 18, 2020
Surprise! Raptors, Heat, Grizzlies and Thunder in good place
The oddsmakers in Las Vegas usually know what they’re talking about. But even they get things wrong from time to time, and ...
February 12, 2020
Williamson's 31 points pushes Pelicans past Blazers, 138-117
Zion Williamson has recorded his first 30-point performance just nine games into his NBA career. Williamson scored 31 points ...
In order to enable essential services and functionality on our site and to collect data on how visitors interact with our site, products and services we use tools such as cookies.

domain: sports


text:
The CEO of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), Alexei Rakhmanov, on Monday, told media today that the construction work on the two Project 11356 frigates that the Russian defence firm is building for the Indian Navy was progressing as per a revised schedule, with the delivery timeline witnessing a minor delay.
“Currently, the construction of the ships is proceeding according to the updated completion and testing schedules. Some items are slightly behind schedule (less than 6 months). Test runs of diesel generators have been carried out on the first of the frigates, preparations are underway for factory mooring tests,” Rakhmanov said.
The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) inked a deal for four project 11356 frigates in 2018. While two naval vessels were to be made in Russia, the remaining ones were to be constructed by India’s state-run Goa Shipyard Limited under a license from the Saint Petersburg-headquartered company.
Fitted with anti-aircraft missiles (Brahmos), torpedoes, and the A-190 100mm artillery guns, the Project 11356 frigates are considered one of the most potent naval ships against enemy submarines and warships.
Additionally, combat helicopters, including Ka-27 choppers, can be deployed on these vessels, giving more teeth to their capabilities in ocean waters, particularly for anti-submarine warfare.
The frigates can cruise at a maximum speed of 30 knots and stay afloat in the seas for nearly 30 days without refueling at a naval base.
The project 11356 warships are 124.8 meters long and can carry almost 4,000 tons of material. They also feature a flight deck for choppers that could be pressed into service during anti-submarine operations.

domain: news


text:
When the government of Ontario struck the Capital Markets Modernization Taskforce back in February, 17 years had passed since the last policy review of the province’s securities regulatory framework.
Think for a moment about just some of the things that hit international markets over that period: the 2008 global financial crisis, the interminable Brexit process, the renegotiation of NAFTA and a wider re-shuffling of national trade policy driven by the Trump administration, and the granddaddy calamity of them all — the COVID-19 pandemic. World-shifting events have been popping up frequently since 2003, so it should come as no surprise that the taskforce’s consultation report leans heavily toward drawing new investment capital to Ontario and cutting red tape.
Maybe a little too heavily? The report signals its ambitions right out of the gate in the first section on “improving regulatory structure,” which leads with a proposal to “[incorporate] the fostering of capital formation and competitive capital markets to the OSC’s mandate to encourage economic growth.”
Neil Gross spent 30 years as a lawyer litigating loss claims for investors; he now runs his own consulting firm. He says tasking the OSC — a regulatory agency — with fostering “growth” (generally a job for governments, not regulators) risks sowing confusion and suspicion about the OSC’s true purpose.
“It’s not controversial to say that markets must be competitive — that’s what markets are for,” he says. “The question is whether the regulator itself should be pursuing growth, which is something you expect governments to do.
“It would call into question [the OSC’s] priorities. There’s a risk of creating a perception of something fishy going on — a perception that could tend to repel capital rather than attract it. It’s a job that would be best left to a single-issue agency.”
The paper’s remaining proposals don’t rise to that level of controversy. “Many of the proposals are things we’ve been talking about in this province for years, even decades,” says Barbara Hendrickson of BAX Securities Law in Toronto.
There’s a pitch to separate the OSC’s regulatory and adjudicative functions — to put distance between the people making the rules and the ones enforcing them.
It’s overdue, says Gross. “Right now, if you’re hauled before the OSC on an enforcement matter, you quickly get the impression that you’re facing an agency that is the rule-maker, judge, jury and executioner all in one,” he says. “It’s hard to see fairness in that.”
Multiple proposals would cut back on paperwork: “streamlining” the requirement for publicly-listed companies to deliver quarterly reports, limiting the requirement that companies doing public offerings issue prospectuses, giving issuers more leeway to “test the waters” with potential investors before issuing prospectuses, moving to an “access equals delivery” model that would allow companies to post documents online instead of mailing them out to shareholders. The idea behind all of these ideas is to reduce the cost of both doing business and raising capital.
“I very much like the concept of ‘access equals delivery,’” says Rebecca Cowdery, a partner in securities and capital markets law at BLG in Toronto. “Investors are getting massive piles of paper every year that no one reads. It makes no sense.”
There are proposals in the paper meant to enhance competition. One would prohibit “bundling” of capital market and commercial lending services — the practice of commercial lenders requiring clients to hire affiliate investment dealers to help them raise capital. Another would require banks to offer their customers the option of purchasing investment products from independent firms — to expand their “shelf” to include non-proprietary products — unless they can offer a “detailed rationale” for not doing so.
“Now, banks will say they do that already,” says Cowdery. “I think this might be difficult to implement — the situation is more nuanced than the report makes out. But mutual fund managers need someone to sell their products and the idea of opening up financial institutions in this way is certainly worth a look.”
The paper proposes ways to streamline enforcement, such as making the “non-financial elements of orders and settlements” from other Canadian securities regulators automatically reciprocal (“which makes a lot of sense, frankly,” says Gross). It also contemplates giving the OSC more power to “freeze, seize or otherwise preserve property” in cases where monetary sanctions have been ordered — even granting the commission the ability to deny drivers’ licences to people who haven’t paid their penalties.
The task force is suggesting changes to the two capital markets self-regulatory organizations (SROs), the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA). It calls for a merger of the two SROs, calling the dual system “outdated and confusing to investors.” It suggests the OSC be given more powers to oversee the SROs.
Gross has been calling for a deeper reform — one that would mandate the appointment to SRO boards of more people with “lived experience” as investors, to ensure the boards act in the “best interest of the investment community as a whole.”
“The IIROC recently moved to have board members with real backgrounds in investor issues on its board — retail, mom-and-pop investors, not institutional ones,” he says. “The MFDA hasn’t done that. What it has done is issue reports on its vision of the future, of a new super-SRO that would include investor representation. It’s a little disappointing they’re not embracing the idea for the present.”
Hendrickson, meanwhile, has a larger question about the timing of the taskforce: why now? Along with B.C., Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Yukon, Ontario is a partner in the Cooperative Capital Markets Regulatory System, an effort to streamline capital markets regulation nationwide. Many of the recommendations in the task force’s report only really make sense if they’re implemented nationally, she says — and introducing them regionally would “create even more fragmentation in our Canadian markets.”
“Pursuing these changes at the provincial level is inconsistent with the idea of a national regulator,” she says.
“Currently, even though we have made great strides through the Canadian Securities Administrators process to streamline securities regulation across Canada, we still have different regimes in effect in different provinces — for example, in the crowdfunding and offering memorandum prospectus exemptions for private placements. A go-it-alone approach by Ontario would result in even more fragmented rules.
“Given the size of the Canadian capital markets, it’s not practical for an issuer to have to comply with one prospectus exemption in Ontario and another one in British Columbia. Canada is just too small a marketplace. Similarly, market participants from outside of Canada looking at our markets are put off by the different regulatory regimes in the different provinces. They take their deals and capital elsewhere. That’s why we need harmonization across Canada.”
Gross, meanwhile, says he sees the report as a solid beginning. “Everything has to start somewhere,” he says. “There’s a statutory requirement to review the Securities Act periodically and it hasn’t been done in a long time. So the provincial government deserves credit for undertaking the task.
“And Ontario has an outsized influence on securities law in Canada, so it may be that these recommendations get picked up elsewhere.”