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A Brisbane NBN installer ran a fake jobs program so he could steal unemployed workers' identities and lodge half-a-million dollars worth of fraudulent tax returns.
Ryan McCarthy, 27, pleaded guilty to 106 charges related to identity theft and dishonesty between September 2015 and July 2016.
McCarthy placed fake job adverts on the internet for storeman and driver positions at real and fake companies, the Brisbane District Court heard on Friday.
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He then telephone interviewed job seekers from across the country before advising them via email they had been selected for the non-existent positions
The supposedly successful applicants were then asked to supply their driver's licence, bank and tax details, Judge Gregory Koppenol says.
"And to assist in the fraudulent ruse, their shirt size," he added.
McCarthy then used the identity details to create or access the workers' My Gov accounts, lodging 62 fake tax returns in their names worth $558, 584.04.
The court heard McCarthy was so convincing during the lengthy telephone interviews, some workers turned up for their first day of work at some of the companies.
The Australian Taxation Office paid out $187, 796.41 before the sophisticated fraud using 63 bank accounts was detected.
Judge Koppenol said McCarthy's "despicable" actions exploited vulnerable workers.
"People who had been unemployed, sometimes for long periods of time, spoke about the pride and happiness they experienced when they were offered a job," he said.
"Then about the crushing conclusion when they realised there was no job and their identification information had been taken for fraudulent purposes."
Judge Koppenol said McCarthy's fraud on the revenue of "our great country" stripped money from the community that otherwise may have funded health and education.
"I place a great deal of emphasis on the impact your offending had on the victims, on the people who were exploited," he said.
"I (also) take a very dim view of anyone who engages in activity that represents a fraud on the revenue (of the country)."
Defence lawyer Robert Gordon told the court McCarthy had been motivated by drug debts.
He was sentenced to five years in prison, eligible for parole after 18 months with an order to repay the ATO once he is released.
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There is always a temptation in religious communities to control and possess all the ways God works and not give credit to anyone who is not part of the group or not of like mind. In today's Gospel the apostles forbid a man from casting out demons because he is not "part of their group" of followers of Jesus. The same narrowness of mind shows up in the first reading. Joshua complains that two Israelites are speaking for God with the power of God's spirit. They were not part of the seventy helpers at the special ceremony. Moses answers much like Jesus.
The reading from the Book of Numbers presents us with a colorful image: "The Lord...took some of the spirit that was upon Moses and put it on seventy elders...and they prophesied." This caused some jealousy and resentment among the people, and Moses cried out: "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord's Spirit would be given to them."
A prophetic vision does not mean some strange ability to know the future, but rather a sense of special insight into God's mind and heart. Jesus had his own unique prophetic vision: one that revealed the love, the wisdom and the compassion of the Father to all of us. But then He commissioned His faithful followers to do the same. He literally took His Spirit and poured it on each and all of the believers at Pentecost and He continues to do the same, especially through the ministry of His church.
The Gospel shows us some of the first followers of Jesus protesting to Him that some who were not of their "company" were casting out demons in His name. This sense of possessiveness and arrogance continues to plague the followers of the Lord. We all tend to get caught up in the debate about who are really "the elect", who really belong to the Lord, who really can speak and work in His name.
Our own arrogance can separate us from Him; it can lead us to abuse those who are poor or dependent on us; it can make us selfish and self centered; we can become insensitive and uncaring. And this leads to divisiveness. We draw lines; we get carried away with our own importance, or our own way of following Jesus, or our own particular devotions or acts of piety. Then we are tempted to condemn or criticize - or ignore - all others who act or think differently.
The disciples are told they belong to Christ. The phrase is literally, "in the name of Christ." This name is powerful enough, not only to cast out demons, but to gather others together into the person of Christ. If we are not prophetic in our faith, even our charity may be misguided. We may do good for others - for all the wrong reasons. And, if we are not careful we can be led away from the Lord by our senses, our physical desires, and our faulty vision. That is why Jesus says so harshly "if your hand, or your foot, or your eye causes you to sin, cut it off, pluck it out."
The God that Jesus reveals is a God of unfathomable love. The revelation that Jesus came to bring is much more than dogmatic pronouncements or theological definitions of who the Father is and what God is all about. Jesus continually reminds us of the words of Isaiah: "God has written our names in the palm of His hand." (Is. 49) He reveals through His words, and His life and death, that we are already saved; that we are loved beyond all measure by a God who loves recklessly and extravagantly; that we are all "important" in His eyes, no matter who we are or what we do. Every human being has this relationship with God - everyone has been given this gift. Every one of us is a member of the elect. Grace is not exclusive but universal.
Jesus pulls no punches; He makes it very clear that to be true disciples, we must open our eyes to the revelation that He brings; we must look at the world around us, and at one another, through His eyes, and live by the prophetic vision of His Gospel. It is that which allows us to claim that we belong to Him.
Our daily experiences of God act as signposts. They point to the fact that the only thing that matters is that we seek to be with God in what we do and how we think, how we feel and image the world and ourselves - that we find the joy, the mystery and wonder of ordinary living - and in allowing ourselves to be open to His presence, our relationship with Him becomes deeper and stronger - as does our relationship to one another.
These moments challenge us to look at how we are living our lives, and they show us how much more we need to do things in a loving way that allows the world to see the face of God through us.

domain: literature


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The first patient treated at MD Anderson with proton therapy had prostate cancer and started treatment in 2006. Since then we have treated thousands of men who have prostate cancer with proton therapy.
About prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the U.S., but there is good news. If detected early, prostate cancer has a five-year survival rate of nearly 99%.
Prostate cancer occurs when cells in the prostate (a gland in the male reproductive system found below the bladder in front of the rectum) grow and multiply uncontrollably, damaging surrounding tissue and interfering with the normal function of the prostate. The cancer cells can then spread to other parts of the body.
While surgery and radiation therapy may have similar outcomes for early-stage prostate cancer, radiation therapy is the primary option for locally advanced prostate cancer and can also be used for localized prostate cancer. For larger or more aggressive tumors, radiation therapy may be used in combination with hormone therapy. At MD Anderson, patients have the option to choose a newer and more precise form of radiation therapy called proton therapy.
In the fall of 2020, Bill Middelthon felt something like a canker sore in his mouth. Normally, canker sores heal on their own in about 2 to 3 weeks. So, when the sore in his mouth persisted, he made an appointment with a local periodontist in his hometown of Miami, Florida. His doctor recommended a biopsy. The results showed a type of head and neck cancer called squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue.
After the tumor was removed surgically, he did two things: quit smoking cigars and made an appointment at MD Anderson.
“My local oncologist wanted me to start radiation therapy,” Bill says.
Bill was concerned about the potential side effects of having radiation on his mouth. His son, Matthew, had a friend who had minimal side effects after receiving proton therapy for a similar diagnosis at MD Andersons. So, Bill decided to make an appointment at MD Anderson.
A life-changing second opinion for head and neck cancer
Bill remembers the ease he felt when setting up his first appointment at MD Anderson. “Shonie Pickron in Business Services led me through the appointment process and helped me prepare,” says Bill.
In January 2021, Bill made the trip to Houston to meet head and neck surgeon Carol Lewis, M.D., and radiation oncologist Steven Frank, M.D. They determined that he did not require radiation treatment. Instead, they recommended he undergo monitoring every three months.
“If it wasn’t for MD Anderson, I would have received unnecessary radiation to my mouth,” Bill says. Relieved, he returned home to Florida.
Facing a second cancer diagnosis
During a routine checkup that August, bloodwork showed that Bill’s prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were elevated. His local urologist put him on active surveillance, also known as “watchful waiting.” A month later when his levels increased, it was time for a biopsy.
By January 2022, Bill was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The biopsy showed four spots in his prostate where the cancer was present. “There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to get back to MD Anderson as soon as I could,” says Bill.
Prostate cancer treatment: proton therapy and the NOVA fiducial marker
On June 28, Bill returned to MD Anderson to see Dr. Frank. This time, Bill’s care team recommended he receive NOVA fiducial markers followed by proton therapy.
The NOVA technique, pioneered at MD Anderson, uses a positive MRI signal to provide more precise planning and localization of the tumor in the prostate. This pinpoints the exact location of the tumor before a patient receives radiation.
“The NOVA fiducial marker creates a precise guide from an MRI or CT scan to help physicians guide proton therapy. Without the fiducial marker, the tumor is harder to see, making treatment more difficult,” says Frank. “This allows patients to be treated with the maximum radiation dosage and reduces exposure to nearby healthy tissue.”
Bill credits his many radiation therapists at MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center and nurse practitioner Ian Moore for helping him through treatment. “They were very professional and answered all my questions,” Bill says.
Advice for other cancer patients
After a two-month stay in Houston, Bill returned home to Florida. He returns to Houston for follow-up appointments with Dr. Lewis every three months and with Dr. Frank every six months.
Bill encourages other men to keep a watch on their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and to get a second opinion if they have doubts about their diagnosis or treatment plan.
“Local doctors can get you to a certain point, but when your PSA goes up and they say surgery, get to MD Anderson,” Bill says. “I was blessed to be treated by doctors and medical staff who are experts in their area of care.”
Disclosure: Steven Frank, M.D., and MD Anderson Cancer Center licensed IP related to NOVA fiducial markers to C4 Imaging, LLC, and Dr. Frank holds equity in the company.
Request an appointment at MD Anderson online or by calling 1-877-632-6789.
Benefits of proton therapy treatment for prostate cancer
There are many benefits of proton therapy treatment for prostate cancer at the MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center including:
- Precise, accurate delivery of even high radiation doses to kill cancerous cells in the prostate
- Minimal impact to surrounding, healthy tissues and vital organs, such as the bladder and rectum
- Less invasive – treatment is painless and requires no downtime
- Provided in a comfortable, outpatient setting with free parking
Share Your Story
Tell us how you are confronting cancer. Your story may provide strength and support to others who are facing cancer.

domain: health


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The Americans who can't hide from coronavirus
The stock markets are in bad shape, but for the millions of Americans who aren’t invested in stocks, coronavirus is presenting a far more imminent concern.
Why it matters: Quarantines usually work with at least 90% participation, but many Americans lack the flexibility to work remotely, take a sick day or absorb having schools close.
- And today, the World Health Organization raised its global risk assessment for the novel coronavirus to its highest risk level as countries struggle with containing the spread of the virus.
The big picture: People in service jobs or low-wage workers could disproportionately lose some income, compared to those with advanced education or more-skilled professions.
- Rural Americans sometimes have less reliable internet access for remote work and remote schooling.
- Parents may have to scramble as children get pulled out of school and day care.
- Students on free and reduced lunch risk going without a meal if schools close.
- Undocumented immigrants are less likely to call off work or check into a health care facility from lack of health insurance and ICE fears.
- Health care workers risk getting sick if an outbreak brings in an influx of patients to the emergency room.
- Public transit users could be in trouble if trains and buses shut down.
Flashback: After the SARS pandemic in 2005, a report from the SARS commission concluded there were no repercussions for cities that didn't follow federal quarantine orders.
- Paid sick leave, which Americans aren't guaranteed, would have been a great incentive for hourly-wage workers to stay home, the author wrote.
What they're saying:
- "We have to think about the vulnerable subpopulations. What about those who work for hourly wages without sick pay? What about those who can’t afford to stay home if there is an outbreak? We should consider how to support the needs of all vulnerable populations to curb the spread of disease," Chris Coughlin, professor at the Wake Forest University School of Law, tells Axios.
Mick Mulvaney at CPAC Friday “Are you going to see some schools shut down? Probably. May you see impacts on public transportation? Sure. But we do this. We know how to handle this."
- National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow Friday called the market downturn a "short-term market plunge" and said, "I don't think at this point it's going to have much of an impact."
Still, technological advances have Americans better equipped for teleworking, digital medical services and take-home assignments for students.
- More than 1 in 20 Americans say they usually work from home, Labor Department data shows.
The bottom line: "I understand this situation may seem overwhelming and that disruption to everyday life may be severe, but these are things that people need to start thinking about now," said the CDC's Nancy Messonnier.
Go deeper: Full coronavirus coverage

domain: news


An aircraft, King Air 350, crashed Sunday afternoon near Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja runway after reporting engine failure.
The plane was said to be on the way to Minna, Niger State.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika via his Twitter account on Sunday broke the sad news
He asked the citizens to remain calm and wait for the outcome of investigation by the military, “while we pray for the departed soul/souls if any”.
Three bodies have been recovered as at press time while recue operations are still on.


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Tyler, The Creator confirmed that he won't be dropping another project before the end of 2023 during an update on his Instagram Story, Sunday. Instead, he says that the deluxe version of Call Me If You Get Lost, titled The Estate Sale, is his project for the year.
"THE ESTATE SALE OUT NOW," Tyler wrote over the tracklist. "My release for 2023." When RapTV reposted the update on Instagram, fans weren't worried, instead expressing their excitement for albums that are dropping this year. "Alr, where is for all the dogs im tired of drake bs," one fan wrote. Another commented: "We need Drake to drop rn, not Tyler."
Read More: Tyler, The Creator Blesses Fans With "Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale"
Tyler, The Creator Performs At Coachella
The latest update comes after a misunderstanding stemming from an interview Pharrell and Tyler did with GQ, which resulted in speculation that Tyler was planning to drop soon. During the conversation, which was published in August, Tyler told Pharrell, "I gotta cr*zy one comin' very soon. Very soon." After the comment gained traction online, Tyler clarified on Twitter that the conversation actually went down back in February and he was referencing The Estate Sale. "From feb, estate sale out now," he wrote.
Tyler, The Creator Isn't Dropping In 2023
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While Tyler didn't intend to tease more new music in the interview, Pharrell confirmed that new N.E.R.D. projects are in the works. "Listen, you'll have something to ride to," he told Tyler. "I mean, look, like I told you, they're big choruses, but you know, out of nowhere, I'll just come out of nowhere with the three-bar, crazy-nuts chords that go three-bar to four-bar to eight-bar. It's good bro, it's good. This is like that feeling that I felt when we made In Search Of.... I won't sit here and tell you that they were hits. I knew it was different, and I knew there won't be nothing out there like this. But I'm talking about the feeling. I wanted to do everything. I wanted feelings."
Read More: Tyler, The Creator Clarifies Comments About New Music
The post Tyler The Creator Updates Fans On Music Release Plans appeared first on HotNewHipHop.


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0.8 Mt/a solvent de-asphalting unit
Location: Shandong Provice, China
Start-up time: August 2015
Subcritical extraction process and super critical stripping process were adopted in this unit where the solvent consisted of mixture of propane and butane. After heavy oil, such as offshore oil, was fed into atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit to get diesel and wax oil fraction, the rest of fraction, VR, was sent to solvent deasphalting unit. The characteristics of feed were unstable, high colloid-content and high viscosity, which led to adhension and block. After comparing with some vendors, client finally asked ZEHUA to design internals of this project.
Two design key points should be considered as following. The first one is that there should be supplied specified channels above feed inlet for coalescence of asphaltene and colloid from feed, then to make them settled into bottom of column. Secondly, prevent continuous phase backmixing in section of reverse flow of two phases.
Based on above two key points, the following proposal was supplied with ZEHUA’s know-how for extraction technology.
(1) SP-D series packing was adopted in order to supply channels for coalescence of asphatene and colloid above feed inlet.
(2) Redistributors were adopted and optimized in order to eliminate vertical backmixing, adhension and block.
(3) Inlet distributor was adopted to reduce disorderly flow and improve initial distribution of continuous phase and dispersion phase.
Products were able to meet requirements since unit ran in Aug. 2015. DOA and DAO were cut clearly. Carbon residue of DAO, was less than 3, could meet feed requirements of downstream unit, hydrocracking unit.
This solvent deasphalting unit was the first unit to get DAO product as a feed to hydrocracking by extracting VR from atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit of processing heavy oil, which unit also got gasoline, diesel and wax oil. It was a bond unit between atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit and hydrocracking unit. It was so meaningful that the unit successfully ran.

domain: chemistry


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Woke up early this morning about 4:30. Penciled pages until I couldn’t focus anymore, which wasn’t too long with this humidity. I think I need to put my model sheet up on my second monitor along with the other reference I’m using. Characters should evolve as you draw them but not over a couple pages. I spent too much of my early morning energy writing down plans for the behind the scenes project. I need to stop thinking about that until the weekend or at least until I get more of a buffer done.
All I’m going to focus on tomorrow is drawing and inking. I just need to tighten up the sketches I have done so far. Might let myself ink in between pages since it helped me get my second wind yesterday. I want to enjoy myself and get lost in the work. I might split the next batch up because seven pages at a time is a lot to get done. Smaller victories are important with motivation. I’d hate to get six pages done in a day and be kicking myself for not getting all of them. Better to set an obtainable goal.

domain: hobby


US, UK universities rank world’s top universities in 2013
United States or the United Kingdom universities ranked of the world’s top 10 universities in 2013, Christian Science Monitor reported on Friday. Britain’s leading higher education publication, The Times Higher Education, released its
2013-2014 version of the annual global ranking of the world’s top universities. Schools in the US and the UK take all top 10 spots and over half of the top 100.
Switzerland earned the top-ranked school outside of the US or UK at number 14, and Japan’s University of Tokyo landed as the highest Asian school at number 23. India and Russia continue to struggle, placing no institutions in the top 100 for the second year in a row.
The editor of the rankings, Phil Baty, pointed to a pattern of “clustering”among elite universities: Boston, Mass. has more universities on the list than China, Switzerland, or Australia. And London has more than all of Japan. Mr. Baty notes fears that regional schools may be slipping while elite institutions thrive.
The study’s methodology relies on Global Institutional Profiles database, and measures schools on their teaching, research, industry income, and international outlook.


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Play gameDeath From Above's itch.io page
Ranked from 4 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
3rd party assets (graphics,sounds,etc)
"WASD to move, Space to use shield (last about 3 seconds, only absorbs bullets, running into enemies still does damage.) Collect coins and diamonds for points. Collect the teal Diamond to win. Ships reset after all 3 have been destroyed.
Energy = Times Shield can be used
Health = Times Player can be hit before dying
Firerate = How quickly Player fires bullets
-- Can you beat the game on Hardest?-- "
Mac OS 10.9.5
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domain: game


After two straight appearances in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, the USF Lady Dons are not exactly a surprise team.
This week, however, they get a chance to make a very big impression on the Bay Area and beyond.
Wednesday night at 7, the Lady Dons will host the Cal Bears and their high-profile new head coach, Marianne Stanley. Sunday afternoon at 4, at Memorial Gym, they'll take on Tara VanDerveer and her Stanford Cardinal, the nation's No. 1-ranked team.
Bill Nepfel and Mary Hile-Nepfel know that if their squad can somehow squeeze out a pair of victories, there's no doubt it will break into the Top 25.
"The last two years have put us in the national spotlight," Bill Nepfel said. "Our team has received tremendous recognition for its accomplishments. To finish last season ranked No. 16 was a great accomplishment. It's an indication of what people think about our program, and it gives this year's team something to shoot for."
The Lady Dons are 3-1, and are coming off an impressive road win at perennial Big Ten power Ohio State, 73-62, last weekend.
"Our offensive balance in that game was very important," Nepfel said. "Having four players in double figures took the pressure off a couple of players who thought they had to carry the scoring load."
USF has three players averaging in double figures, guard Brittany Linde (16.3 ppg), center Julie Murdent (15.3 ppg), who has done a nice job replacing the departed Valerie Gillon and forward Andrea Kagie (11.3 ppg), the first player off the Lady Dons' bench. Other starters Jamie Shadian and Renee Demirdjian have played well, too.
Cal (1-2) is coming off its first victory of the season, 71-66 over Boise State at Harmon Gym Saturday, while Stanford (6-0) won three games to win the Wahine Classic in Honolulu. The Cards got a scare in the tournament final, though, beating Michigan by just three points, 77-74.
It will be a busy week for both the Bears and Cardinal.
Cal will host Long Beach State Friday night and Fresno State Monday night, while Stanford hosts Massachusetts, which dealt the Cardinal a year-opening loss last season, Friday night at Maples Pavilion.
UC Santa Cruz wins
OAKLAND - Emily Tryon had 19 points and nine rebounds and the Banana Slugs (1-3) gained their first victory of the season with a 62-53 triumph over host Patten.
The Lady Lions (0-5) were led by Guadalupe Ojeda's 20 points and 14 rebounds.
SJS men beat Pepperdine
MALIBU - Olivier Saint-Jean had a game-high 27 points and 12 rebounds to help San Jose State to a 70-64 win over Pepperdine.
Pepperdine led 32-28 at the half and built an eight-point lead early in the second half before San Jose State rallied.
The Spartans took the lead for good on a basket by Saint-Jean at 43-42 with 12:58 remaining.
San Jose State led by as many as 10 points, 64-54, following a basket by Brad Quinet with 3:22 left.
Quinet had 15 points for the Spartans (3-1), who are off to their best start in 10 seasons. Johnson led Pepperdine (1-3) with 19 points.
Pepperdine was 3-for-17, or 17.6 percent, from the free-throw line.<


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Comfort Hotel Roma Airport Fiumicino
Via Tempio della Fortuna , 52b
Phone: (39) 06 65029681
Fax: (39) 06 6523713
Arts & Museums
This museum is the result of detailed research by Domenico Agostinelli, a passionate collector, who managed to amass over 40,000 pieces during his travels in Italy and abroad. The museum aims to protect a heritage that is fast disappearing and in fact the collection consists of objects made by local craftspeople. The shelves of the rooms are full of equipment, machines, toys and other items that are part of Italian history. Fascinating. Admission is free.
If you are a true movie fan and want to know about the history of cinema, Museo Internazionale del Cinema e Dello Spettacolo will offer you all the details. You will be able to find here all the books, classic photographs, essays, visual, sound and silent cinema collections, as well as all the historical theaters, cinemas and laboratories that would be a pleasant antique surprise. A definite must-visit for cinema buffs! For more information, call ahead.
The Franciscan museum contains an interesting and little-known collection of objects. There are wonderful paintings dating as far back as 1300, and 20,000 articles that tell the story of St Francis and other members of this religious order. The collection includes prints, coins, seals, drawings and objects of everyday use. It is rather difficult to reach as it is on the major ring road but it certainly deserves a visit. Admission is Free.
Located in an area that boasts many interesting museums like Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico "Luigi Pigorini" and Museo dell'Alto Medioevo, Museo Storico delle Poste e delle Telecomunicazioni , too has many fascinating things to show you. The perfect place for philatelists, this museum has a great collection, including the Cavallini stamps from Sardinia. The journey of Italian telecommunications, from the telegraph to the television holds your attention.
The razor blade was invented in 1902 by King Campbell Gillette, a plug salesman. This everyday disposable item has been collected and displayed in this original museum. In fact, it is not the blades themselves but the paper they are wrapped in that stimulated the urge to make this collection. The wrappers from the 1920s and 1930s paint a picture of the period with rhymes or themes such as animals, means of transport, advertising slogans for cosmetics, medicinal cigarettes etc. The collection has been put together by Alfonso Tozzi and numbers around 21,000 items.
This museum covers the period between the end of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance. The collection includes extremely valuable finds, such as swords made of engraved silver and gold, buckles and tacks for horses, as well as more frivolous items like jewelry with painted ceramic pearls and what can only be called the first European collapsible seat. Religious works depicting Celtic designs engraved in stone and rich embroidery from the garments worn by medieval priests are well worth seeing.
The many prehistoric finds in Italy and elsewhere in the world have brought Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico "Luigi Pigorini" into being. The items include mammoth tusks and teeth, as well as human bones. The atrium encloses a reconstruction of Guattari cave with a real skull from the Neanderthal era. The first floor holds an ethnographic collection of pottery, jewelry, masks and fabrics. On the second floor you will find archaeological discoveries and tomb reconstructions. The museum often holds exhibitions on ethnological themes. There are many guided tours, informative descriptions, pictures and reconstructions, designed to captivate children of all ages.
Il Museo Nazionale delle Arti e Tradizioni Popolari was established in 1911 with the aim of becoming a source of information on all kinds of traditions in Italian society. Today, it is of great historical significance, what with its records on the way of life in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. You will find this museum extremely valuable should you want any information on historic transport systems, hunting practices, festivals, rituals, the life cycle, agriculture and more. Even for anyone with the slightest interest in history, this museum is absolutely fascinating.
Housed inside the Museum of Roman Civilization (Museo della Civiltà Romana), Planetario e Museo Astronomico is a great place to visit if you're interested in science and technology. A much more modern version of the city's original planetarium, it provides an educational experience that is also fascinating. The planetarium and museum make a great pair, for the idea is to show visitors that scientific discoveries must also be placed in a historical context. The museum houses some wonderful models of the planets and the universe. Astronomical videogames make the experience extremely interactive.
The building that houses this museum is rather like those painted by De Chirico. The museum was founded by Mussolini to commemorate the 2000 years that had passed since the empire of Augustus. There are scale models of Roman monuments such as the Trajan Column and the labyrinths below the Colosseum. The most important item is a giant model of Rome in the 4th Century CE showing famous palaces in their original state during the reign of Emperor Constantine. Check out the website for more details.
This is a somewhat unusual setting for a museum, but the old electricity power station on Via Ostiense will not cause visitors any problems. The statues are exhibited next to old pieces of machinery that once were used in the station. The statues on exhibition belong to the Capitoline Museums and were found during the turn of the 20th Century. The large spaces available mean that enormous sculptural works can be displayed. Among the pieces there is the Esquiline Venus, the statues that used to be placed in Largo Argentina, and a mosaic showing hunting scenes which was originally the floor a noble's villa at the time of Emperor Constantine.
American Academy in Rome provides support to all the budding and famous artists, painters, architectures and sculptors. This gives a platform mainly to all the American artists to showcase and exhibit their work throughout Europe. The Academy awards some of the scholars with the Rome Prize during application for exceptional works with an invitation to Rome, to develop their artistic talents in a place that best inspires their skills. They also offer their space for historical exhibitions, public lectures, and concerts. Call ahead or check out their website for event schedules and more information.

domain: artistic


On New Year’s Eve the interregional environmental organization «SPOK» (Republic of Karelia), «Kola Biodiversity Conservation Center » (Murmansk region), «Silver Taiga Foundation» (Komi Republic), «Green Wave» (St. Petersburg), WWF Arkhangelsk and also Greenpeace Russia send a letter to the Father Frost whose home is situated in Veliki Ustyug (Vologda region of Russia). The environmental organizations of the north-west of Russia asked the all-powerful Father Frost to help them to preserve valuable forests of Vologda region from destruction.
Dear our Colleagues!
We wish you only happiness and fortune in the coming New Year!
May our joint projects be successful and useful for everyone!
Silver Taiga team
The Forest Dialogue held in Objachevo (Priluzje district of Komi) was initiated by the administration of Priluzje district and Priluzje forestry unit. The urgent forest use issues were discussed during the Dialogue.
Among the participants of the Dialogue “Forest relations: problems and ways out” were: the heads of the district Council and Administration, Priluzje and Letka forestry units, representatives of Mondi Syktyvkar and Luzales ltd., the heads of the administration of all rural settlements of Priluzje district, activists of the district social entities – Priluzje branch of “Komi Voityr”, the district Council of Elders and the district Council of Veterans. The representatives of the Komi State Forestry Service, Komi State Council and Silver Taiga Foundation participated in the Dialogue as well. Therefore, all interested parties (municipal officials, forest business, state forestry service, social entities and local population) took part in the discussion of the local forest use problems.
What problems were discussed? According to Alexander Boiko, the economic development manager of the district Administration, the local population complains about loggings close to the villages, breaking of roads and brook bridges by the heavy vehicles. There are also complaints about late transportation of wood out of logging sites. Another problem according to Alexander Boiko is that the outside logging companies which are operating in the district don’t pay anything to the district budget and losses of their activity are not covered at all.
Andrei Navalikhin, department head of the Komi State Forestry Service, presented a forestry legislative review, problems raised due to legislative imperfection and possible ways out of these problems.
According to Andrei issues devoted to the participation of the local population in forest management and local forest use are not properly developed in the Forestry Code 2006 compared to the previous one. The situation is eased a bit by the Legislative Act of the Komi Republic №136 “Management of forest relations on the territory of the Komi Republic”. As for loggings close to the villages (according to the legislation this is a commercial forest area and that is why it is rented out to the logging companies), Andrei proposed two possible ways out taking into consideration the current forestry legislation. The first one – to rent out this area to the local government and so to delegate all management functions to the local authorities. But it is impossible to fulfill all the functions on the local level. The second one – legislative initiative on development of «social forests» as a type of a designated area. Andrei also gave the participants to understand that according to the Forestry Code there are no any green (protected) areas close to the villages and such areas can be developed and legalized only as one of the designated area types.
The discussion was continued by the head of Priluzje forestry unit Alexander Kindsfater. He told that the opinions of the local population concerning the use of the forests close to the villages differ. Even now many people are not satisfied that forest sites available for local population use are far from the villages.
Alexander noticed that that the problem is urgent and each situation should be analyzed individually. This idea was also supported by the head of Letka forestry unit Sergei Ketov. The leasing area of some logging companies (Luzales ltd., Northern Timber Company ltd.) is really very close to the villages. It should be mentioned, that Luzales ltd. has refused to cut on some area for the benefit of the local population.
The following issues were also brought up: control over loggings, state of the forest area after cutting. «Unfortunately, according to the legislation there can be only two types of a law violation: illegal cutting outside the leasing area and destruction of young trees», – said Andrei Navalikhin. – Moreover, the State Forestry Service can carry out an inspection of the leaseholders only once in three years». Besides, the quality of control has also suffered because of the staff reduction: it has reduced six times over the last 10 years. In this connection Andrei paid the participants’ attention on the fact that an extraordinary inspection can be done only according to the request of the local population. That is why the more people act in this direction, the less violations are done.
Head of the district Council of Elders Semen Tugolukov agreed with this opinion: it is necessary to conduct a departmental and a public control. By the way, according to the participants of the Dialogue it is necessary to conduct a public control not only in the forest: once again the issue of non-purpose use of wood, allocated for buildings by the local population was brought up. The first necessary condition of public control conduction is information awareness. Not by accident Semen Tugolukov remembered, that Mondi Syktyvkar sends letters to a wide range of the interested parties asking about forest areas important for the local population. They also attach maps to the letters. As for Luzales ltd. they don’t have such experience yet. We wish the other logging companies would also do the same. Besides, the participants of the Forest Dialogue proposed to each settlement to have a map of nearby forest areas which are under lease in order to be informed about the general situation.
Head of Priluzje branch of “Komi Voityr” Konstantin Serditov spoke about the role of non-governmental organizations in regulation of forest relations. He mentioned that the Community Council, the district Council of Elders and Priluzje branch of “Komi Voityr” regularly raise forest use issues. Konstantin presented concrete proposals of the non-governmental organizations, for example, some amendments to the legislative act of the Komi Republic «Regulation of forest relations on the territory of the Komi Republic».
The participants of the Forest Dialogue proposed to the non-governmental organizations and the forestry units to update the maps important for the local population. It was also suggested Luzales ltd. to send out the preliminary plan of cutting to agree it with the local population. All the participants agreed to initiate the development and adoption of a normative act concerning public hearings on the issue of forest area leasing on the regional level because due to the changes in the federal legislation it is not necessary now to conduct public hearings and they are practically not conducted. All these conclusions are included into the final document of the Forest Dialogue.
Sustainable forest management and forest use are possible only when the opinions of all forest stakeholders are taken into consideration. That is why it is very important to arrange a negotiation process between the stakeholders. The Forest Dialogue gives such opportunity. The representatives of Priluzje district have participated in the Forest Dialogues conducted by Silver Taiga Foundation for several times already and so they have decided to transfer this experience to their district. The director of Silver Taiga Foundation Yury Pautov was invited to manage the Dialogue in Priluzje.
It looks like the first Forest Dialogue in Priluzje district has become a platform not only for the problem discussions but also for findings of better solutions, mutual understanding and cooperation.
Translated by Anastasia Popova
The regular meeting of the Model River Mezen project Working Group took place on November, 22. It was devoted to 2013 working results and also to intermediate results of the first project stage and activity planning for the nearest future.
Silver Taiga ecologist Nikolai Shuktomov informed the participants of the meeting about the results of October expedition under annual monitoring of natural salmon reproduction conditions and efficiency in Mezen river basin and about an initiative of nonmigratory fish species monitoring by «AgroUdora» cooperative.
Environmental NGOs and «Lesozavod №1» ltd. have signed an agreement for high conservation value forests (HCVF) conservation on the forest area leased by the company.
On November 12, 2013 a conference was held in the Ministry of Industry, Transport and Communication of the Komi Republic. The participants of the conference discussed the possibility of cuttings in Verkhnaya Vashka pristine forests massif located on the border of Komi and Arkhangelsk regions.
The conference was initiated by the management team of «Lesozavod №1» ltd.. The company is carrying out an investment project in the Komi Republic and its leasing area is fully located inside the most valuable part of the given pristine forests massif.
The representatives of Silver Taiga Foundation informed the management body of «Lesozavod №1» ltd. about the problem that they could face during their products realization in the international market as soon as the company had applied for the project in 2008. This is because Verkhnaya Vashka pristine forests massif belongs to high conservation value forests (HCVF). Such forests should be conserved as the last untouched wild nature massifs, which are of high national and international value. Moreover, the FSC-certified companies have hard limitation for cutting in these forest massifs as well as purchasing of wood out of the given massifs from outside suppliers is concerned.
«Lesozavod №1» started its work only in September this year. So it doesn’t have enough harvesting power. That is why the company has concluded harvesting and production-sharing contracts with other companies, in particular with forest branch of Ilim Group in Koryazhma. The last one is FSC-certified and is not entitled to harvest in Verkhnaya Vashka massif and to purchase wood out it. Mondi Syktyvkar has also refused from purchasing of paperwood out of the given massif. The management body of «Lesozavod №1» ltd. has addressed a request to Komi government to help in its critical situation.
Besides the representatives of the Ministry of Industry, Transport and Communication of the Komi Republic, there were the representatives of Ilim Group, Mondi Syktyvkar, the Komi State Forestry Agency, administration of Ust-Vym district of Komi («Lesozavod №1» is situated in this district of Komi), and Russian environmental organizations – WWF Russia, Greenpeace Russia, Arkhangelsk ecological initiative, Silver Taiga Foundation.
During the active discussion of the problem the representatives of the Komi State Forestry Agency suggested new leasing area to «Lesozavod №1» located outside Verkhnaya Vashka massif and also on the left bank of Vychegda river in Ust-Vym forestry unit close to the company location.
Unfortunately, the representatives of «Lesozavod №1» were not satisfied with the proposed area to lease. The environmental organizations agreed to compromise – give a part of the massif centre for cutting upon condition that an additional area in the other part of this valuable massif will be conserved.
Finally different variants of Verkhnaya Vashka massif centre territorial changes and possible cutting area for «Lesozavod №1» for the short and long term were proposed for consideration.
After stormy discussions and approval procedures environmental NGOs and «Lesozavod №1» have found a mutually acceptable variant. The “greens” gave nod to cutting of several quarters in north-east part of Verkhnaya Vashka massif in exchange for the company guarantee not to cut and not to build road infrastructure in its central and western parts (see Scheme 2).
It must be noted, that Verkhnaya Vashka pristine forests massif is located on the border of Komi and Arkhangelsk regions. Moreover, representatives of Arkhangelsk party have already agreed a regional nature reserve creation within the border territory (see Scheme 1). The representatives of Silver Taiga Foundation and the Komi scientific community have also proposed a regional nature reserve creation in the centre of the massif inside the Komi Republic. It means that the central and most valuable for biodiversity and wild nature conservation part of Verkhnaya Vashka massif could be a large interregional Special Protected Natural Area in perspective.
These reasons turned to be convincing both for officials and for business. Finally, on November, 22 the management team of «Lesozavod №1» ltd., Silver Taiga Foundation and WWF Arkhangelsk signed an Agreement for high conservation value forests (HCVF) conservation on the part of Verkhnaya Vashka massif territory leased by the company. According to the Agreement the company should not cut and build any roads within the zone of strict conservation during the whole leasing period until 2059. The buffer zone has also been agreed. And the company can cut there only by agreement of biodiversity conservation measures with the environmental organizations on regional and federal levels. The rest leasing area can be under logging. This compromise decision will contribute to conserve HCVF of Verkhnaya Vashka pristine forests area as much as possible. Moreover, it will give an opportunity to «Lesozavod №1» to develop its activity.
Translated by Anastasia Popova
The annual exploration expedition was held in the end of October. Among the participants of the expedition were: the representatives of Silver Foundation; Federal State Institution “Komirybvod”; Udora regional committee for environmental conservation; department for state control, monitoring and aquatic bioresources protection; indigenous people community “Udorachi” and a volunteer.
This expedition was already the third one under the project. It was focused on monitoring of Atlantic salmon breeding area population as the Atlantic salmon is the most sensitive species. The expedition participants investigated the upper reaches of the river Mezen and its tributaries: Verkhnaya and Nizhnaya Puzla, Pyssa and Elva. The main objectives of the expedition were to count the number of salmon spawning nests and to evaluate conditions for salmon reproduction on these breeding tributaries. At the same time, the expedition participants monitored and analyzed poaching situation. According to ichthyologists, the overfishing is in particular the main reason of fish resources decrease in the recent decade.
There were much less salmon spawning nests this time on Pyssa and Elva compared to the last year. According to the local people observation, salmon comes to these rivers a little later and this year spawning period has prolonged because of the weather conditions. However, the situation didn’t differ much in the upper reaches of the river Mezen and in Verkhnaya and Nizhnaya Puzla compared to the last year. Nevertheless, it is too early to make some conclusions. Minimum five years of monitoring are needed to define at least a short-term dynamics.
Unfortunately, according to the expedition participants, the signs of poaching on spawning tributaries are getting more and more year by year. Moreover, there have never been fixed any illegal fences for fish on Verkhnaya Puzla before. But now there are such fences there – in the entry and upper.
According to Silver Taiga ecologist Nikolai Shuktomov, this expedition differed from the previous ones of 2011 and 2012 by participation in it of an independent supervision body specialist – the representative of Priluzje department for state control, monitoring and aquatic bioresources protection. There was also Silver Taiga volunteer among the expedition participants. It was his first significant field expedition.
According to the expedition arrangers, it is important to enlarge the variety of the participants and participating organizations as it helps the society to realize the emergency of salmon resources.
What is the annual monitoring necessary for? It is known, that almost no monitoring of salmon has been done on the river Mezen and its tributaries for a long time. The academics of the Polar Institute of Scientific Fishery and Oceanography (Murmansk) have researched the Atlantic salmon on the sea only. Meanwhile, to define the main reasons of salmon population degradation in Mezen river and to develop the salmon rehabilitation program together with the Arkhangelsk region, such investigations are extremely needed.
Translated by Anastasia Popova
The workshop on methods of aquatic bioresources control and its practical use was held on October, 31st in Glotovo village (Udora district of Komi). Members of the local branch of «AgroUdora» cooperative participated in the workshop.
As is known, the population of Glotovo village and near-by villages is combined into a cooperative and pursues a fishery according to quotas on the floods of Irva river – Irva lakes. The five lakes have a status of a fishing ground and they are under lease of the cooperative. But it doesn’t mean at all that they are managed sustainably.
Local activists from forest districts of the Komi Republic (Priluzje, Udora and Kortkeros) together with the representatives of Silver Taiga Foundation took part in the training seminar organized by the Russian National FSC office in Ustja district of the Arkhangelsk region.
The first day of the seminar was devoted to the introduction of sustainable forest management principals, FSC activities and its office in Russia, Russian national forest management standard according to FSC, each of the forest stakeholders’ rights and possibilities. Round-table discussion “Forest sector of the north-west of Russia and participation of the population in forest management” was also held during the first day. The issue was mainly presented by the example of Ustja district. Nevertheless, all participants of the seminar took an active part in the discussion. There were representatives of the local communities, non-governmental organizations, timber companies, scientific institutions from Arkhangelsk, Leningrad, Vologda, Kostroma, Karelia and Komi regions.
It should be specially mentioned that the representatives of the local self-government such as the head of Ustja district and his deputy for social issues, heads of almost every village municipality were interested in the discussion.
During the period of August through to September, another Polish delegation visited the Komi Model Forest. It was the second visit of specialists from Poland during this time. While the first delegation was represented by the state forest service (forestry specialists from two regions: Poznan and Olsztyn), the second team (who have finished their tour today) included academicians from the Poznan University of Natural Sciences.
Both groups came to Komi within the frameworks of the international project “Baltic Landscapes” developing innovative approaches to sustainable landscapes management via establishment of the Model Forests network. In their work the project partners – representatives of seven member-countries – are guided by the Model Forest concept focused on interaction of all stakeholders at municipal, regional, and local levels for provision of landscapes management with account of up-to-date requirements and interests of each party. Both for the Polish foresters and academicians of the Poznan university, one of the key participants of the “Baltic Landscapes” project, experience in partnership building for natural resources management accumulated in our republic during the years of the “Komi Model Forest” project implementation turned out to be extremely interesting.
Students from Politovo Udora region, took part in an environmental areastudy expedition “Long Live Salmon”. Together with Dina Chuprova, the initiator of this event, just for a few summer days the students could work not only in their village, but in other places – Muchkas, Patrakovo, Latyug and Bolshaya Pyssa.
The main goal of the group was to know how fisheries resources of the Mezen River had been used throughout its history. So, students had meetings and conversations with the old-timers and fishermen, the inhabitants of these villages. First of all, they paid attention to the most valuable species of fish, Atlantic salmon, the population of which unfortunately is reduced in the Mezen River now. When interviewing fishermen, the guys tried to learn about their traditions and unwritten rules formed by different generations and strictly followed by locals to ensure the sparing use of the river resources.
In conversations with old-timers the students were particularly interested in changes that had occurred over the past decade with the Mezen River and its tributaries, with the places of traditional fishing, with the attitude of people to nature. The guys also learnt a lot about the features of Atlantic salmon, which migrates from the sea into fresh water to spawn, got to know the origin of local place names, many of which are associated with fishing. Students took interesting photos capturing traditional fishing spots, antique fishing equipment and tackle, and their interlocutors.
All documents, including local fishermen’s stories, myths and legends about Mezen Salmon are being analyzed by now. According to the results of the summer job organized in the framework of Model River Mezen Project, Yana Pahneva, Maria Trofimova and Alex Mikhailov are preparing an information board and a PowerPoint presentation.
Translated by Ksenia Matyusheva