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Hana Al Hammadi (Abu Dhabi)
Despite all aspects of urban and civilized development, the sea remains a source of passion for many interested in documenting nature through the photograph, taking the relationship of the people of the Gulf with the waves and “the sword” as a legacy of creativity and a belief in the visual language in its ability to spot treasures meters away from underwater. Khaled Al Hosani, the photographer, and his love for the world of underwater photography pushed him to do more than 350 dives, as the marine nature seduced him with its magic, and he found it worthy of documentation to reveal the secrets of the depths.
Al Hosani, who recently won the annual competition organized by the Emirates Diving Association entitled “My Number Online 2021”, won first place in the “Photo” category, and second place in the “Video” category, with the participation of more than 100 underwater photography enthusiasts: “.. the underwater image It makes me more inspired, as there are small fish, corals and coral reefs, all of which are worlds from which the photographer draws several ideas, but rather a special outlet to achieve inner entertainment..” Here Al-Hosani explains the impact of these images on his thinking and psyche, adding that he is working to integrate these images through Producing special videos supported by music that he is keen to choose, and then publishing them on his “Instagram” website.
He added: “The aquatic environment in the diving sites is full of wonderfully beautiful marine creatures, and the photographer is the one who transmits this beauty from under the water through his lenses,” adding: “Underwater photography has different standards than the common photography, due to the surrounding water conditions such as planning the picture is one of the most important The reasons for its success, and choosing the right time to take it, especially in outdoor photos, also choosing the right lenses, as there is a difference between the micro lens and the nature lens and portrait, and the angle of taking pictures greatly affects its distinction, in addition to its saturated and pure pots.” He says: “What arouses curiosity and passion for marine creatures is that they have a different society from ours and different conditions. These creatures live by different laws in exceptional circumstances, and pursue different and strange life paths that attract us to this mysterious world.”
About the picture he took of “the gill bare,” he says: “These microorganisms are characterized by their small size, but they are in fact very beautiful. Pointing out that the “video”, which won second place, lists the depiction of the underwater world of marine life in all its details and the indescribable beauty, as the beauty of the bottom cannot be translated by visual language through snapshots, and the tongue is unable to describe the aesthetic secrets at the bottom, and it cannot be explained This beauty lives and is seen only by those who dive and discover the secrets of life under water.
Al Hosani shows that it is not the first time he has won this competition, but rather he won many victories, as in 2018 he won the silver for the most beautiful picture in the UAE, and in 2019 he won the “bronze” in the “accurate photography and video silver” category, and in 2020 the “silver”. In the “black and white” category, and in 2021, the gold for photos and second place in the video category.

domain: hobby


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Appliqué Coasters – Near to Completion
I took opportunity of the long weekend over the National Day holidays to catch up on my sewing. Was working hard on the appliqué coasters & they are near completion!
This is such a fun & easy project and I hope to be able to complete them by this weekend. The coasters are reversible, which make them all more meaningful. I’ve just finished quilting the top & sewing on the borders, which I’ll share in my next posting.
Here are the completed blocks…

domain: artistic


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Sunil Srivastava, Managing Director, Balaji Railroad Systems Ltd, comments on the dismal state of the Indian Railways, delayed projects, and the government´s role in improving the sector.
100 per cent FDI under automatic route is permitted in Indian Railways. Do you think that this has improved the investor sentiment?
While this is a step in the right direction, I do not think there is any major change in investor sentiment yet. This does open up a large number of opportunities for global investors, but the track record of IR has not been very investor friendly. Also on a few occasions global tenders have been recalled which has further dented the image of IR in the international community. So, while the global investors are keen to get into this sector in India and are happy with this development, a lot more needs to be done by IR to actually get large investments flowing in. IR can make a beginning by having internationally accepted contract documentation in place, which will give confidence to the investor community.
In the recent budget, Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu announced an investment plan of Rs 8.50 lakh crore till 2019. Do you think this plan is adequate for the turnaround of the railways?
The National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTDPC) estimated that Indian Railways should invest Rs 900 billion in the 12th Plan, Rs 1.9 trillion in the 13th Plan, and Rs 4.6 trillion in the 15th Plan to regain its lost share in the transport sector. This amount is adequate, and is based on the funds needed for completion of the existing shelf of projects and doubling, new lines, gauge conversion, signal & telecom works, work¡shops, and electrification. However, a lot will depend on prioritisation and timely completion of projects. If this does not happen, then this amount may fall woefully short.
Recently the Modi Government has allowed the formation of an SPV for efficient rail evacuation systems to the major ports. How will it benefit IR?
The formation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to provide efficient rail evacuation systems to major ports willenhance their handling capacity and efficiency. Ports handle nearly 90 per cent of the EXIM trade of the country by volume and are critical to enhance competitiveness of the country in the international trade.
One of the key determinants for efficiency of the ports is evacuation and hinterland connectivity. Though the major ports and Indian Railways have taken up many connectivity projects, there is an urgent need for focussed attention and substantial allocation of resources. The government is also keen on increasing the percentage of cargo being evacuated through rail from major ports, which stands at 28 per cent now. major ports have identified a shelf of nearly 40 projects, which includes the last mile connectivity projects and internal port rail projects which would require an estimated investment of Rs 2,372 crore.
The SPV would be funded by all the 12 major ports and IR. major ports would contribute 90 per cent of the equity, with IR contributing the rest. The SPV will help IR in raising the required funds for the implementation of these projects as well as provide IR with additional traffic (which is today going by road); thereby, generating revenue and increasing IR market share in EXIM traffic.
To what degree has the ´Make in India´ campaign helped the sector?
Currently, there is no visible improvement in the sector due to the ´Make in India´ campaign. Going forward, with more clarity in the campaign and related policies, there could be a jump in the investment for manu¡facturing railway rolling stock. Personally, I am not very optimistic about this.
What are the reasons due to which many projects tend to get delayed or stalled? Is there a huge chunk of delayed projects that the sector is dealing with?
The main cause is lack of adequate funding for a large number of new lines, doubling of line, and gauge conversion. In several cases, the fault lay with the railway ministers who in their bid to appease their constituency or woo fellow parliamentarians went about announcing projects without funding and follow-up. In the recent past, i.e., last three-four years, the cost of land in most of the states has increased manifold. In addition to this, the process of acquisition has become much lengthier, and for the last two years, land acquisition has practically come to a standstill. Some of the projects are suffering due to delay in clearance from forest, wildlife, etc.
On many projects, the ban on mining and the declaration of earth as minor mineral has created severe shortage of quarry pro¡ducts, including earth work. Many projects in North Eastern Region, J&K and Naxal affected areas of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, and Maharashtra are suffering on account of law & order problems.
As per a study carried out in December 2014, there were 274 projects missing completion targets. Of these 274 projects, 236 have no date of commissioning. The white paper on Indian Railways presented by Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Railways, mentions that the shelf of pending projects is estimated at Rs 491,510 crore on the basis of originally estimated costs.
What solutions would you suggest to overcome these hurdles?
There is need to focus on projects which are remunerative and yield returns to IR. For financing socially desirable projects, a separate mechanism needs to be worked out which insulates IR from losses arising on this account.
What steps do you expect from the government to make the public private partnership model viable in the sector?
For successful implementation of PPP projects, appropriate risk allocation between public and private needs to be done. Experience indicates that private sector is averse to taking all construction, financing, and traffic risks in rail infrastructure projects. The viability of the individual projects could determine the option to be exercised for arranging the necessary finances. In this regard, the Indian Railways would be required to lay down certain benchmarks for appraisal which would be acceptable to the market to enable the relevant projects to be financed. For decent rates of return, there has to be an assurance that railway projects will garner a certain amount of traffic which IR has to guarantee as they have a monopoly over rail operations.
What changes in terms of reforms or policies would you expect from the government for bringing the sector on growth path?
Indian Railways is presently organised in terms of several functional departments like civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, signal and telecom. It should be reorganised in terms of business lines such as infrastructure development & management; freight transportation, passenger transportation, parcel and miscellaneous activities should similarly be organised as separate profit-centres by IR. If IR is really serious about PPP, then first organisational and institutional deficiencies inhibiting PPP need to be identified and addressed, and the existing PPP policy framework should be reviewed in the light of hitherto poor response and PPP experience.
Indian Railways´ (IR) contribution to the national GDP stands at one per cent for the last five years, and it has been continuously falling, while the road sector´s share of national GDP has witnessed a jump of 4.9 per cent in 2012-13. Can you please apprise us of the reasons for the dismal growth of IR?
One of the primary reasons for the dismal performance is the projection of Indian Railways as an essential public service to be made accessible to all at subsidised rates, particularly users of lower class passenger services and suburban sections. The passenger traffic imposes an enormous burden on the railways´ earnings. While passenger services consume nearly 60 per cent of the network capacity, they contribute to only 33 per cent of the earnings. To counter the growing costs and poor passenger fare earnings, the government has frequently resorted to cross-subsidisation. Lower operational priority and over saturation have implications on the quality of service of freight trains and severely restrict IR´s ability to meet customer expectations. IR does not perceive or define the freight business in terms of delivering transport or logistics solutions. A major reason why Indian Railways has suffered a steady decline in its share in freight and passenger transport is that its network is plagued by infrastructural and carrying-capacity constraints. This has forced IR to focus on bulk cargo and forego the immense opportunity for growth in non-bulk and non-train-load segments.
Railways´ customers have negative perceptions on its handling of demurrage (detention of rolling stock at terminals) and disposal of claims. Parcel size of cargo is presently restricted between the range of 2,400 metric tonne to 3,800 metric tonne, and therefore, cuts out many customers even in the bulk cargo segment. IR does not take responsibility for last-mile connectivity, nor does it incentivise customers to invest in such facilities. There is no institutional arrangement to attract and aggregate traffic of smaller parcel sizes (less than train-loads). As a result, IR is losing out in high potential markets like fast-growing consumer durables and information technology (CDIT), fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), hazardous chemicals, bulk cement, fly ash, automobiles, and containerised cargo; where their share is low or negligible. This traffic now moves mostly by road. Despite the higher growth witnessed in freight traffic during the last decade, IR´s performance is much below the potential. The main challenges faced by IR are the constraints of infrastructure, particularly line capacity on busy routes, and terminal detentions on account of underinvestment.

domain: finance


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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Review
Kieran's Rating: 9/10
Player Affinity Composite Rating: 8.0/10
(4 reviews total)
In recent years we have seen an expansion in the spy thriller genre. Whether it is the "new Bond" series or the "Bourne" trilogy, the action-oriented movies like the "Mission: Impossible" series and Salt
, or contemporary affairs such as Body of Lies
spies are all over the place. This new adaptation of the John le Carré novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
sets out to be a much more complex and grounded affair than the usual spy flicks.
In 1973, a failed operation in Budapest forces Control (John Hurt), the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (better known as the Circus) and his loyal deputy George Smiley (Gary Oldman) to resign in disgrace. A year later, the new head of the Circus, Sir Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), believes the time is right to share intelligence with the Americans about their top source in Moscow named Witchcraft. But a returning agent, Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy) reports that one of the top men at the Circus is a Soviet Mole. Smiley is brought from the cold in to investigate these claims with Circus handler Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) and ex-police officer Mendel (Roger Lloyd-Park). He digs deeper to find out a secret that could rock the British intelligence establishment.
Coming off the back of Let the Right One In,
Tomas Alfredson makes a very complex, slow-burning thriller. The mystery is unveiled gradually and Alfredson shows a stark, cold world of espionage. Even the interior of the Circus’ headquarters, is a dark, soulless place particularly because of the historical exterior. There is no glamor in this world; action is kept to a minimum and when it does happen it is very quick and brutal. This stark tone is established early on with a slow, tense build up and a subtle score to cue you in that something is wrong. It then results in an innocent woman getting shot in the head. Alfredson and the writing team certainly capture the plot of the novel and the tone of realism while taking some chances to make the movie their own.
The cast is akin to a "Harry Potter" movie, a.k.a some of the best British actors around. Everyone is natural and captures his character. Oldman is not quiet the Smiley in the novel, who is described as having a chubby and frog/toad-like appearance as well as a nice if cool and lonely man. Oldman gives us his own version of Smiley, a harsher person who's very internal, but he is still a very intelligent and focused man who is easily the best man to solve this case.
Hardy makes Ricki Tarr out as a very soft-spoken and meek man, who just happens to be an MI6 assassin and field officer. He is almost like a lost boy thrown into a complex world. Jones developed a strange accent as he is very accurate to the character in the book. Firth too gives a strong performance as one of the few people at the Circus who shows competence. The lesser-known Cumberbatch shows why he is an emerging actor and pretty much; he has the second biggest role in the movie.
The plot is loosely based on real-life double agent Kim Philby and le Carre’s experience with him. The actual plot seems simple enough, but there is so much more to it in the way this mystery unfolds. It is impossible to show all the character backgrounds and internal politics described in the novel, but Alfredson did what he could to show it. Some of the characters were pushed aside as a result, but Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
is a strong adaptation, both a smart spy thriller and a period piece. Rating: 9/10
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
is the sort of film I feel the need to warn people about before they see it. It's being called a slow-burner, but that would imply a kind of growth in heat and some semblance of it to begin with. Rather, the film is glacial in both pace and emotion, and when the action does flare up, its often as quick and unexpected as it is brutal. There's no room for emotion in le Carré's world: sympathy ends in punishment, and some audience members will wonder why at all we should care about a retro mole hunt at the top of British intelligence when it's never assured what's at stake. This is a complex, uncompromising portrayal of the bureaucracy at the heart of real Cold War intelligence that can make you feel two steps behind when nothing is happening and the smartest one in the room once you've finally caught up. Indeed, the concentration that it takes can make it easy to overlook the universally brilliant performances, the beautiful visuals and the way Alfredson's camera shows the psychological damage that takes effect once war moves off the battlefield. Make no mistake, "Tinker Tailor" is a unique take on the spy genre that champions plot above all else, one where the frontline is all around you and minutia is everything. Just don't expect a comforting pat on the head once it's all played out." Rating: 8/10
Steven thought: "It admittedly sounds pathetic to rebuke a film for not playing to the interests of the feeble-minded general public, but in a film this loaded with talent, one that’s sure to attract moviegoers outside of the select circle for which it’s intended, a cold shoulder seems harsh. Audiences need to be aware the film is unrelentingly slow and completely plot-driven, that little reward comes at the end of the two-hour tunnel. That’s not to say the filmmaking of “Tinker Tailor” lacks any semblance of quality. In fact, it’s masterfully constructed; the script and Alfredson’s direction simply choose to be uncompromising in the vision for and presentation of le Carré’s story. Slow burn would be the best way to describe the suspense, but there’s no bomb at the end of the fuse. Alfredson, a force to be reckoned with in the future, consciously mutes any big reveals or moments when culmination seems in sight, and the moments the story sucks you in or gives you a piece of the puzzle, it always finds a way to languish and lose your attention. At least there’s a sense of comfort in knowing this was an artistic choice, not simply the result of ignorant filmmaking. At the same time, apathy — artistically rationalized or not — is not an emotion anyone enjoys leaving a movie theater with." Rating: 5.5/10
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
is a superior thriller that accomplishes the unfathomable in condensing John LeCarre's masterful British espionage novel into an appropriately dense but followable two-hour film. And shockingly, not a ton of important detail is lost in the translation. Alfredson (following up the sensational Let the Right One In
) deserves a great deal of credit for making the slow-burn source material really smolder on screen. The gorgeous cinematography of Hoyte Van Hoytema and the breathtakingly tense score from Alberto Iglesias certainly help. But the best-in-show award goes to screenwriters O'Connor and Straughan. I wish this came out a year earlier so The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
team could take note. This is how you adapt a long novel for the movies." Rating: 9.5/10


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Alia Bhatt has taken out some time from her hectic schedule to spend some time with her girl gang. The group has taken off to one of the hottest destinations of the season Maldives. The actress is accompanied by her BFF Ankansha Ranjan Kapoor and Anushka Ranjan Kapoor on the tropical island. And the girl gang has been sharing some breathtaking snaps on Instagram.
Alia Bhatt Blends Right in With her Maldives Crystal Blue Water As She Strikes pose in her bikini
While pool, Beach, and spa are given on the island Alia is also making use of white sand on the beach in the crystal water on the island. On Sunday, Alia gave us a glimpse of the dreamy location as she shared photos of herself posing on the white sand beach. In the photos, the actress can be seen wearing a stunning color-blocked bikini with her hair in true beach waves style.
let’s see the caption and the pictures:
View this post on Instagram

domain: travel


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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Blog Action Day for Poverty
With UK headlines showing the highest rate of unemployment, in seventeen years and the highest rate of inflation in sixteen - on top of the market turmoil of the last three weeks, and the credit crunch of the last eighteen months, suddenly you can see that poverty is a reality around the corner for a lot more people than it was this time last year.
But that's just the UK, where to be honest absolute poverty (i.e. living on less than US$1 a day) is unheard of. But at the same time yesterday, the UN was warning that the global financial crisis has pretty much crashed the chances of achieving any of the Millenium Development Goals for those living in absoloute poverty. And the World Health Report has come up with some alarming figures on the widening health gap in health and life expectancy between rich and poor.
Already, the hike in food prices is affecting poorer people in most countries, let alone the poorest of the poor who already could not afford to buy food. And if you cannot eat, you get ill, and if you get ill, you cannot work, and if you cannot work, you cannot earn money to pay for food - and so it goes, and so it goes...
In short, the global credit crunch has done in for the world's poor. But it's not the bankers who created the problem that will suffer. First it is the poor Americans who were conned in to taking out loans that they could never have repaid and who are now bankrupt and homeless. Next it will be the poor of Africa and Asia who find aid budgets squeezed, protectionism closing down the markets they were just hoping might help them earn a decent living and discover that food, fuel and other essentials are increasingly priced beyond their means. And while the rest of us will have four or five lean years, and some may lose homes and jobs, most of us in the West will come out of it OK and alive.
But there are kids alive today in Zimbabwe and Pakistan who will not be this time next year because of the credit crunch. Credit they would never have had access to in their wildest dreams.
You can understand now why there is a clamour for criminal investigations. But what justice will there be for the poor, yet again shafted by crisis not of their making? Precious little I fear from the global banking system and the governments of wealthy nations.
God looks on, but is He weeping or angry?


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President Trump didn't have a serious challenger in the New Hampshire primary, but he still turned out enough voters to more than double former President Barack Obama's 2012 vote total in the state, indicating that the Republican base is all-in on Trump as he prepares to face the eventual Democratic nominee in a reelection battle this November.
With 87 percent of precincts reporting, Trump secured more than 120,000 votes in the Granite State. In 2012, Obama managed just 49,080 total votes in New Hampshire. The gap between the two presidents is likely to increase as more precincts report their totals Wednesday.
It also dwarfs the total of other incumbent presidents: then-President George W. Bush received 53,962 votes in the largely-uncontested GOP primary in New Hampshire in 2004. And in 1996, incumbent President Bill Clinton received 76,797 votes in New Hampshire's primary.
It follows a coordinated effort by the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign to drive up turnout for Trump in New Hampshire -- something the other incumbents didn't do. Trump himself revved up his supporters at a packed and fiery rally in Manchester, N.H., on Monday, the eve of the state's primary.
"Nine months from now, we are going to retake the House of Representatives, we are going to hold the Senate, and we are going to keep the White House," Trump said to thunderous applause. "We have so much more enthusiasm, it's not even close. They're all fighting each other."
In the line to get into Trump's Monday rally, many of his voters seemed to have a zeal uncommon for supporters of an incumbent president.
Jay McDonald of North Providence, R.I., said he “100 percent" supported Trump four years ago and "nothing’s changed.” McDonald said he’s "maybe more angry that they could do that [impeachment] to a president and get away with it over nothing."
"Hopefully he picks up more voters – the independent people – over that,” McDonald said.
Democrats largely owned the turnout in New Hampshire Tuesday -- first and second place finishers Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg combined for almost 140,000 votes with 87 percent reporting -- but the Democratic primary is still wide open and there was almost nothing at stake for Trump in the New Hampshire race. His only primary challenger on the ballot was former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who had less than 10 percent of the GOP vote with 87 percent in.
The throngs that showed up for Trump's Monday rally at Southern New Hampshire University were more than the school's venue could hold with its 11,000 capacity, and the president took the opportunity to tout his accomplishments and knock Democrats in front of the large audience.
"To support working families, we have reduced the cost of child care, expanded paid leave, and given 40 million American families an average of $2,200 more in their pockets thanks to the Republican child tax credit," Trump asserted. "We are the party of equal opportunity for all Americans.
He added: "While the extreme left has been wasting America's time with this vile hoax, we've been killing terrorists, creating jobs, raising wages, enacting fair trade deals, securing our borders, and lifting up citizens of every race, color, religion, and creed!"
The Trump campaign also touted a record turnout for an incumbent in the Iowa caucuses, which came on the same night that Democratic turnout fell well below expectations.
About 176,000 Iowa Democrats attended their precinct caucuses, a slight uptick from 2016 but fewer than expected. That total is nowhere near the party's 2008 numbers, when roughly 238,000 Iowans participated in the kickoff clash among Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, onetime Iowa favorite John Edwards, and a handful of others.
“It was lower than I expected,” said former Iowa Democratic Party executive director Norm Sterzenbach, who has been advising Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s campaign. “It was definitely lower than what the conventional wisdom was.”
The New Hampshire numbers come as the president's supporters have been fired up in recent days: Just last week Trump was acquitted of two articles of impeachment, gave a largely well-received State of the Union and ran up the score in Iowa. Meanwhile, Democrats have been running attack ads on each other, dealing with the fallout of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tearing up Trump's speech at the end of the State of the Union and roiling from an Iowa caucus debacle that still does not have an official winner.
When asked about the Democratic field outside of the president's New Hampshire rally, one of Trump's fervent supporters, Air Force Veteran Mike Grunwald, gave a frank assessment of the party's chances to unseat Trump in November.
"They're all going to lose," he said.
Fox News Gregg Re and Paul Steinhauser, as well as the Associated Press contributed to this report.

domain: news


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Impairments in the capacity for cognitive emotion regulation (ER) have been shown in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Investigations of cognitive ER tasks during fMRI have detected alterations in neural activity associated with cognitive ER in depressed compared to healthy adults. Despite these compelling findings, to date, there have been studies examining the neural correlates of cognitive ER in depressed versus healthy children. The proposed training and research plans are intended to provide the skill and experience necessary to become a developmental affective neuroscientist focused on addressing this critical gap in the literature. The specific hypothesis behind the proposed research is that neural circuits underlying cognitive ER may provide valid neurobehavioral markers of childhood MDD. Depressed children are expected to exhibit positive correlations between neural activity in ventral brain regions (e.g., the amygdala) thought to be responsible for appraising emotion stimuli, and neural activity in dorsal brain regions thought to underlie cognitive strategies for reappraising emotional experiences (e.g. prefrontal cortices [PFC]). Healthy children are expected to exhibit the inverse relationship. Using the same fMRI paradigm proposed in this application, initial preliminary findings appear to support this hypothesis. The feasibility of the research plan is enhanced by the availability of a large NIMH R01 study population of depressed and healthy children. Utilizing this sample, first a pilot study aimed at examining the construct validity of fMRI as a neurobiological assessment tool of children's cognitive ER is planned. The pilot study will provide opportunities to modify and optimize the fMRI task. Next, the cognitive ER task developed will be used to test the hypothesis about differences in neural circuitry in a larger sub-group of healthy and depressed children.
The second aim i s based on empirical evidence suggesting that dysfunctional neural activity in emotion processing and ER brain regions in adult samples are strongly correlated with impaired cognitive ER processes. Over 4 decades of cognitive-behavioral findings have implicated these same dysfunctional cognitive ER processes and subsequent maladaptive strategies (e.g., suppression and rumination) in the development and course of MDD. Thus, examining the neurodevelopmental substrates of cognitive ER during childhood may provide the opportunity to identify neurobehavioral markers of risk for and/or the diagnosis of MDD in childhood. Early identification of neurobehavioral markers may contribute to the advancement of novel preventive interventions aimed at minimizing the burden of MDD on the public health. To date, no study has used fMRI to examine the neural substrates of ER in healthy and depressed children. The unique mentorship and training opportunities available to the applicant would provide the necessary education and experience to launch a career as an independent scientist in the field of Translational Developmental Neuroscience. A future program of research examining the neurobehavioral underpinnings of abnormal ER development in mood-disordered children is planned.
Training outlined in this proposal will enable the candidate to become a developmental affective neuroscientist, with unique expertise that could significantly increase our understanding of the neural circuitry involved in the development of mood disorders in depressed and healthy children. Despite highly suggestive findings using fMRI in depressed adults and behavioral data in depressed children, no studies to date have investigated cognitive emotion regulation during fMRI in depressed children. The proposed study has the potential to provide neural markers of childhood depression, which could lead to earlier identification of MDD and implementation of novel preventive interventions aimed at minimizing the burden of this mental health issue on the public.
|Luby, Joan L; Belden, Andy C; Jackson, Joshua J et al. (2016) Early Childhood Depression and Alterations in the Trajectory of Gray Matter Maturation in Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence. JAMA Psychiatry 73:31-8|
|Murphy, Eric R; Barch, Deanna M; Pagliaccio, David et al. (2016) Functional connectivity of the amygdala and subgenual cingulate during cognitive reappraisal of emotions in children with MDD history is associated with rumination. Dev Cogn Neurosci 18:89-100|
|Pagliaccio, David; Luby, Joan L; Bogdan, Ryan et al. (2015) Amygdala functional connectivity, HPA axis genetic variation, and life stress in children and relations to anxiety and emotion regulation. J Abnorm Psychol 124:817-33|
|Belden, Andy C; Pagliaccio, David; Murphy, Eric R et al. (2015) Neural Activation During Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Previously Depressed Compared to Healthy Children: Evidence of Specific Alterations. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 54:771-81|
|Pagliaccio, David; Luby, Joan L; Bogdan, Ryan et al. (2015) HPA axis genetic variation, pubertal status, and sex interact to predict amygdala and hippocampus responses to negative emotional faces in school-age children. Neuroimage 109:1-11|
|Belden, Andy C; Barch, Deanna M; Oakberg, Timothy J et al. (2015) Anterior insula volume and guilt: neurobehavioral markers of recurrence after early childhood major depressive disorder. JAMA Psychiatry 72:40-8|
|Pagliaccio, David; Luby, Joan L; Luking, Katherine R et al. (2014) Brain-behavior relationships in the experience and regulation of negative emotion in healthy children: implications for risk for childhood depression. Dev Psychopathol 26:1289-303|
|Luby, Joan L; Gaffrey, Michael S; Tillman, Rebecca et al. (2014) Trajectories of preschool disorders to full DSM depression at school age and early adolescence: continuity of preschool depression. Am J Psychiatry 171:768-76|
|Pagliaccio, David; Luby, Joan L; Bogdan, Ryan et al. (2014) Stress-system genes and life stress predict cortisol levels and amygdala and hippocampal volumes in children. Neuropsychopharmacology 39:1245-53|
|Belden, Andy C; Luby, Joan L; Pagliaccio, David et al. (2014) Neural activation associated with the cognitive emotion regulation of sadness in healthy children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 9:136-47|
Showing the most recent 10 out of 23 publications

domain: biology


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Systems Biology of Immune Cells at the Genomic Level
Aly Azeem Khan, IGSB/CBC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, co-authored with collaborators at Genentech, Washington University, New York University, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, a new study published online in advance of print in Science Magazine. The report identifies a novel genomic regulatory element that guides the assembly of IRF4 and BATF complexes in T cells, and investigates the functional implication of these interactions. IRF4 plays a critical role in T cell differentiation (among other cells) and in regulating the immune response. Until now, it remained unsolved how IRF4 was recruited to target genes in T cells. The discovery of the interacting partner and corresponding genomic regulatory element ends an intense hunt that has been under way for years.
Two major gifts will build momentum behind the University of Chicago’s leadership in biomedical computation by assembling experts in the field and furnishing them with the tools to use “big data” to understand and treat disease. Kevin White and Robert Grossman will lead the Pancreatic Cancer Genomic Medicine Initiative, which aims to improve care for patients with this disease using genomic and physiological data.
Barbara Stranger and colleagues take a systems approach, integrating GWAS, eQTL and protein interaction data, to demonstrate that loci associated with inflammatory disease susceptibility are enriched for genomic signatures of recent evolutionary selection. Their analyses suggest that natural selection for pathogen-defense mechanisms through human evolution may underlie modern susceptibility to inflammatory diseases.
The annual list, published by Federal Computer Week, recognizes government, industry and academic leaders who have played pivotal roles in the federal government IT community.
In response to the community-wide interest in High Throughput Screening, the Chicago Biomedical Consortium is offering a 1:1 HTS Matching Grant Program to help fund innovative small molecule discovery. The intent of this program is to support pilot projects involving bio medically-relevant targets using a HTS facility located at one of the CBC universities, including the IGSB’s Cellular Screening Center.
By mapping the bindings sites of nuclear receptors, chromatin state markers and transcription factors associated with breast cancer, IGSB Director Kevin White and colleagues construct a network representing different types of regulatory relationships. Their analyses identifies transcriptions factors with previously unsuspected roles in breast cancer and enables predictions of responses to therapy.

domain: health


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It’s Kreinik Calling! where Dena Lenham from Kreinik Manufacturing Company shares inspiration and innovation with threads!
Threads for needlework and embroidery aren’t just for color, they can also be used for special effects. Today, you can stitch with reflective thread or conductive thread, for instance. You can add an extra dimension, another layer of uniqueness, the element of surprise, or maybe just some humor to any project by using threads designed for special effects.
If you don’t want to experiment with LEDs and wires yet, try something old-school: glow-in-the-dark threads. I have seen people from ages 3 to 90-something “ooh” and “aah” over an item that glows in the dark. We have glowsticks, necklaces, bracelets, costumes, nail polish…Amazon even sells glow-in-the-dark toilet paper…not to mention fireflies, ostracods, millipedes, anglerfish, pygmy sharks, and certain squid that naturally luminesce. So it’s just human nature, and nature-nature, to go for the glow.
Here are four ideas for using glow-in-the-dark threads in your embroidery:
- Replicating Items That Naturally Glow
- Halloween Stitching
- For Comedy Purposes
- To Impress Your Friends
To replicate items that naturally glow (or reflect light) in real life: the moon, fireflies, stars, a street lamp, candle flame, cat’s eyes, ghost riders, a halo, lights on a robot, lightening, radioactive skeletons, spider web, jelly fish, etc. You get the idea. If it naturally glows and you are stitching a replica of it, you need to use glow-in-the-dark threads.
2. For Halloween. This goes without saying. Can you take a stitched ghost seriously if it doesn’t glow? Is it truly creep-tacular if a stitched bat doesn’t have beaming eyes? How boring if a stitched haunted house doesn’t have glowing orbs or spider webs in the windows. Halloween themes are meant to be fun and creative. This is the most obvious time to glow if there ever was one. You can easily slip an extra layer of fun into Halloween designs by using glow-in-the-dark threads.
3. For a joke. Just think of the fun you can have stitching surprises into designs with a thread that doesn’t show up until it’s dark. (Side note: This is where I recommend Kreinik 052F Grapefruit, a neutral white/yellow/beige that seems to blend into anything. Choose this color in different thread weights—ie, Filament, Fine Braid, Medium Braid, Ribbon—depending on your stitch technique and ground material.) We once heard about a quilt made for a teenager; the design was traditional, but the quilter (her mom) used glow-in-the-dark threads to quilt messages and designs. As you can imagine, it was a hit among all ages. One of my favorite projects is a stitched spider web, with glow-in-the-dark thread (052F) creating a message throughout the labyrinth of lines. One wife spooked her husband when her newly finished cross-stitch moon glowed as he got up in the night. You get the idea; sneak a hidden layer into your designs with the thread.
4. To impress your friends. “Ooh I want to see” has been heard more times that you can imagine at the Kreinik offices. When a glow-in-the-dark project came back from the stitcher, we converged in the darkest room, the bathroom, to await the surprise. Many visitors got to see some pretty cool stuff in that bathroom…well, you know what I mean. Everyone wants to see a glow-in-the-dark project, and then they all want to know “How did you do that?” Your secret is safe with us and the tribe of needleworkers: glow-in-the-dark threads.
So whether you are stitching Halloween projects this month, or working on Christmas ornaments (think stars, moon, streetlamp, candle), work some glow-in-the-dark threads into the mix. They’re just plain fun and you will surprise everyone.
Sources and side notes:
Kreinik glow-in-the-dark thread colors carry an “F” (for fluorescent) next to the color number. So look for 052F, 053F, 054F etc in any of the metallic thread sizes here. Here is a video showing the threads in action and many of these free Halloween cross stitch patterns also use glow-in-the-dark threads!

domain: design


BALOCCO, Italy — The Latest on Fiat Chrysler’s new business plan (all times local):
Fiat Chrysler’s premium brand, Alfa Romeo, is still targeting 400,000 in annual sales, but now for 2022, having missed the initial goal of this year.
Alfa Romeo has grown from 66,000 vehicles a year in 2014 to 170,000 a year forecast for 2018. That is well-shy of the 400,000 mark the carmaker had set out in its last five-year business plan in 2014.
Brand chief Timothy Kuniskis told an investor presentation that Alfa will roll out seven new launches over the five-year period, including updates of the Giulia and Giulietta passenger vehicles.
He said “the timing of our expansion plans couldn’t be more optimal” given the premium market is forecast to grow at twice the rate of the mainstream passenger car segment. Like the Jeep and Maserati brands, Alfa will put a fresh focus on electrified powertrains and discontinue diesel.
The head of Fiat Chrysler’s luxury brand Maserati says they are targeting Tesla with their five-year plan to launch all of its vehicles also with electrified versions.
Brand chief Timothy Kuniskis said Maserati is entering an exclusive deal with Ferrari for all future powertrains, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full-battery electric, while it eliminates diesel engines. Ferrari was part of the Fiat Chrysler portfolio until its 2016 spinoff and the two companies share a CEO, Sergio Marchionne.
The brand will introduce two brand new vehicles over the five-year plan, including an all-electric supercar named “Alfieri” that will accelerate from 0-100 kilometres an hour around two seconds. The other new vehicle will be a larger utility vehicle.
He added: “with an all-electric supercar, it may look like we are targeting Tesla. We are.”
He said Maserati targets sales of 100,000 cars a year and 15-per cent margins by 2022, from 50,000 sales in 2017.
Jeep brand chief Mike Manley says all Jeep vehicles will have an electrified version by the end of the company’s five-year business plan to make the brand more environmentally friendly.
Manley said that Jeep currently sells around 1.9 million vehicles a year. He did not give a target for sales in 2022 but said that currently one in every 17 utility vehicles sold in the world is a Jeep and he expects that to be one in 12 by 2022.
Manley said that transformation to more environmentally friendly technology will include dropping diesel engines in Europe and the Middle East. He said Jeep should be more able than most brands to recoup the investment in electrification because the technology will also enhance torque controls, something he believes Jeep customers are willing to pay for.
Jeep will enter three new segments: a small city-car size SUV targeting customers accustomed to sedans and hatchback, larger SUVs with three rows of seats which comprise the largest segment in key markets and the extra-large SUV.
Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has told investors that he expects Fiat will reach zero debt by the end of this month, and maintained a promise to wear a tie to make the announcement.
The 65-year-old Italian-Canadian manager is famous for unfailingly wearing navy blue cashmere sweaters and never a tie, no matter the event. But as he announced the approach of the zero-debt milestone, Marchionne unzipped a knit cardigan to reveal a blue tie — the first, he said, he has worn in a decade.
Marchionne said debt is “a legacy that has dogged both Fiat and Chrysler for decades,” and that erasing it “is a fundamental change in how this company is perceived. It is a significant milestone in the process of healing of a structural weakness.”
The CEO said that the day-long presentation of a new business plan would focus on Jeep SUVs, Ram trucks and premium brands Maserati and Alfo Romeo. He said: “these brands comprise the most significant part of our revenues.”
Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is outlining his business plan for the automaker’s next five years in his last big presentation to investors before retiring next year.
The presentation Friday of the 2018-2022 business plan marks Marchionne’s grand finale, 14 years to the day after he was named Fiat CEO. During that time he has merged Fiat with U.S. carmaker Chrysler and spun off the industrial vehicle business and sports carmaker Ferrari.
Markets will be watching for Fiat’s plans in Italy, where Marchionne has focused production on the premium Maserati and Alfa Romeo brands; the United States, where Fiat Chrysler has led the strategy of dumping passenger cars for higher-margin trucks and crossovers; and China.
Marchionne has said a successor would come from within the company.


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New online tour operator, Dream Holidays, has announced that the company has started trading with the aim of establishing itself as one of the UK’s leading specialists featuring Greece and Cyprus.The operator is both ATOL and ABTA bonded.
Competitive commission rates are offered to agents, with bookings taken via Viewdata and the Website.
Initially, the operator will be offering departures from Gatwick and Manchester and will feature a range of accommodation including self-catering apartments and five-star all-inclusive hotels. Package holidays, flight-only and accommodation-only bookings are also available to Cyprus and six Greek islands, including Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, Kos, Santorini and Zante.
As an example of prices, seven night holidays to Greece and Cyprus lead in at £189 per person including flights from Gatwick and resort transfers.
For more information call 0845-676 7877 or see www.dreamholidaysltd.com


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Cities that were once lavish and prosperous in the past are now only sleeping ruins.
There are places that were extremely glorious in the past, they are extremely busy religious, economic, and political centers, and there are even places that have reached the pinnacle of human architecture.
However, through the upheavals of history, they were gradually forgotten and buried by time. Now people can only find remnants that prove these places once existed.
Sanchi is a beautiful small village located in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is famous for about 50 monuments along with 3 stupas, many Buddhist monasteries dating back a long time.
In which, the most famous is the Great Stupa of Sanchi, one of the important Buddhist monuments and also the largest remaining Buddhist stupa in India, reflecting the unique architectural art. This is also rated as one of the structures The most sophisticated in the world.
These huge stupas are semicircular structures with a small central chamber containing the relics of the Buddha.
The Great Stupa of Sanchi was built to represent the life and journey of the Buddha, from his birth to his nirvana. Besides, Sanchi is the place where Buddhist art and architecture undergoes the process of rise, development and death.
Machu Picchu, Peru
The ruins of Machu Picchu may be one of the most mysterious ancient ruins in the world.
It is often called the “lost city of the Incas” and was only discovered in 1911 by American archaeologist Hiram Bingham. It is located on a ridge in the Urubamba valley in Peru.
It was built in the classical Inca style and is surrounded by many natural hot springs, rice terraces, many temples, warehouses and other beautiful structures.
The Incas began to build this city around 1400 under the orders of the emperor to Pachacuti.
The works here are so strange and delicate that scientists even suspect that Machu Picchu was actually built by aliens because at that time, Inca technology could not build these structures. such architecture.
Great Zimbabwe, Africa
Great Zimbabwe was a major settlement in Iron Age Africa, built by indigenous Africans between 1250 and 1450 AD.
It is the largest of about 250 similarly dated non-mortar stone structures in Africa.
During its heyday, Greater Zimbabwe covered an area of between 60,000 and 90,000 square kilometers and an estimated 18,000 inhabitants.
In the Shona language, “Zimbabwe” means “houses of stone” or “revered houses”.
This place was built with massive stone walls, up to a few meters thick, works built of monolithic stone, conical towers decorated with typical patterns and textures, … is a surviving example. It shows the amazing architecture and construction technology of the ancient Africans.
Palmyra is an ancient city of Syria, where there are many unique architectural works left over from ancient times. Palmyra is also mentioned in the bible.
Palmyra belonged to many different dynasties and cultures before becoming part of the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD.
The city was once extremely prosperous and wealthy, a center of agricultural production, commerce, pastoralism, and a stopover for merchants traveling along the Silk Road.
The ruins that remain today show how glorious Palmyra’s past was. However, today this citadel has been greatly damaged by time and ravages of war.
Ancient city of Nimrud, Iraq
Nimrud is an ancient Assyrian city that served as the capital of the world’s first empire – the Assyrian Empire for over 150 years, until 717 BC.
Located about 35km south of the Iraqi city of Mosul, Nimrud covers an area of about 3.5 km² and holds many ancient works of extremely valuable value to mankind.
Typical works here can be mentioned as the giant palaces of the Assyrian kings, the ancient tomb of the Assyrian queen, the temple of war god Ninurta or the temple of the writing god Nabu, etc.
Countless precious treasures have been discovered, including crowns, gold jewelry, ivory bowls, etc. The ancient Assyrian architectural art here is also considered to have no competition. .
Tanis, also known as Djanet, was one of the richest trading centers that ever existed in ancient Egypt, it was also the capital of several Egyptian dynasties.
The city is one of the closest ports to Asian seaports. It is located in the Nile Delta, northeast of Cairo, eventually disappearing under an alluvial plain when the flow of the Nile is altered.
Although it is not as famous as other historical sites of Egypt, it is one of the largest archaeological sites ever found. The royal tombs at Tanis contain artifacts that are judged to be comparable to the treasures of King Tutankhamun.
The ancient city of Pompeii is located in western Italy, near the Bay of Naples. According to the surviving records, 10 great tribes together built the city of Pompeii.
This place is famous as a place for entertainment and enjoyment of the aristocracy and merchants with luxurious taverns. Archaeological remains show that at that time Pompeii had more than 100 taverns while the city had only about 20,000 inhabitants.
However, this flashy city was completely destroyed in an eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 79, leaving more than 5,000 people and the entire structure buried under a layer of hot lava up to 20m thick.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
The history of Angkor can be traced back to the 9th century, which witnessed the prosperity and glory of the Khmer empire. Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world with an area of 162.6 hectares with thousands of large and small temples.
It was originally built as a Hindu temple of the Khmer Empire, but then gradually converted into a Buddhist temple at the end of the 12th century.
It houses some of the most splendid architectural and religious masterpieces in Southeast Asia, including more than 1200 steles and numerous towers, large and small, with intricate reliefs.
City of Petra, Jordan
The ancient city of Petra located on the slopes of Mount Hor in Jordan is famous for its unique architectural works carved directly into the mountain. It was known as the ancient Rekem and was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom of Nabatea.
No one knows when Petra was formed, only that it has existed for a long time and holds a prime position on the trade route connecting West Asia and ancient Egypt.
The city’s heyday was about 2000 years ago, with an estimated population of 20,000. This place has massive architectural works such as theaters, tombs, temples, etc. The Romans have annexed this land and continue to bring Petra to flourish.
However, between the 4th and 7th centuries, Petra was devastated by a series of strong earthquakes. The city was abandoned and gradually fell into oblivion.
Ephesus in Turkey is considered as an excellent museum that holds many cultural values of mankind. This place was once the center of the Mediterranean, built by the Romans about 3000 years ago.
This is also where the temple of the hunting goddess Artemis – one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, even the first temple dedicated to the Virgin Mary is located in Ephesus.
Experiencing the ups and downs of history, the decline of maritime trade and political upheavals, the city was gradually destroyed and forgotten over time.
This city had been dormant for about 1500 years until it was discovered by archaeologists in 1860.
Today, with less than 20% of the area excavated, Ephesus remains one of the most sought-after archaeological sites in the world.
According to Traffic
at Blogtuan.info – Source: 2sao.vn – Read the original article here

domain: geography


Good ideas: Hybrid garbage trucks
Hybrid buses seem to be all the rage these days in many cities — and including Grand River Transit. If hybrid buses make sense, then why are there no hybrid garbage trucks?
Especially when operating suburban-type routes, garbage and recycling trucks make very frequent stops. This means they lose quite a lot of energy to braking, which could and should be recaptured. From each of their frequent stops, they have to accelerate their massive weight — and here an electric motor would do a much better job than a diesel one, I would think.
As with buses, the hybrid drive should make the diesel engine last longer and of course improve fuel use. In addition, there is the significant external benefit of lower diesel emissions and, especially, less noise. Garbage trucks struggling to accelerate with their diesels is a truly awful sound in the mornings.
So hybrid power makes sense for garbage trucks at least as much as it does for buses. Why aren’t they on the roads, then? My uninformed guess is that it has to do with them being owned and operated by private companies as opposed to the public transit operators that buy hybrid buses. GRT’s hybrid buses cost around 50% more than the regular ones, and that probably has something to do with it as well.
Upon investigation: within the last year or two such trucks have appeared, not just in hybrid electric form, but also as hydraulic hybrids. The industry group Calstart has a Hybrid Truck Users Forum that is working on hybrid refuse trucks, and impending U.S. government emissions standards seem to be pushing manufacturers in this direction. New York City is trying out a few competing versions, and will probably set the example for others. With increased demand, competition and scale will drive down costs, and I suspect hybrid garbage trucks will become the norm for new purchases within a couple of years.


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Now Everyone Can Reborn Again!
In order to quit smoking, one must through the process after quit smoking timeline. Some will have a rough time while in a quit process, like depression, poor concentration, aggression and restlessness. On the other hand, after the process, some say it was feeling like they’re “reborn again.” If before it was hard to breath, but after through all the process, it’s easy to breathe without any problems. There’re a few processes while someone through a healing timeline after quit smoking.
In fact, 20 minutes after starting from quit smoking, the blood pressure and the pulse rate will decrease to its standard value. On the other side, the temperature of hand and feet, increases to normal. After 8 hours, Oxygen level in blood increases to normal, and carbon monoxide level, decreases. When it comes to day one, the chances of being at risk of heart attack, decreases after quit smoking timeline. The benefit not just end of day one, it continues to show the benefit until the timeline after quit smoking reach the end of its day.
When it comes to day two after quit smoking timeline, the nerve endings that damage due to smoking timeline, begins to regrowth with the sense of smell and tastes return to normal, increases after stop smoking timeline. In the day 3, the benefit goes to the lungs, when the entire nicotine turned into another chemical, the body will get 100% free from nicotine, while 90% generated nicotine inside the body, it will be released through urine. The lungs’ ability increases due to relaxing of bronchial tubes. Besides that, breathing also become easier.
Quit Smoking Timeline
After quit smoking timeline between day 5 to day 30, normal blood circulation improves a lot and its glow upon the teeth and gums. Walking also becomes faster, and lung function increases up to 30%. Not just that, sleep also comfortable and concentration increases high. Chronic cough disappears, anxiety, restlessness and depression all reduce to normal state like non-smoking people. Up to one until nine months, lungs overall have been cleaned and cilia regrow, increasing to handle mucus, reduce infection, and body’s energy increases. Up to one year, the risk of coronary heart diseases is half of that smoker.
Come for five years, the risk of cancer and mouth, throat and esophagus are half of a smokers. On top of that, the Lung Cancer death rate for the average ex-smoker (one pack a day) decreases a lot by almost half. For a former smoker, their chance for stroke risk is reduced almost with non-smokers who quit smoking up from 5 to 15 years after quit smoking timeline. At this rate, the result in a life without smoking, increased as you can imagine. When it comes to 10 years, the lung cancer death rate is similar to non-smoking, Risk of the cancer such as cancer mouth, pancreas, throat, bladder, cervix and esophagus all decreases. Soon when it reaches 15 years, the risk of coronary heart diseases equal with a nonsmoker. The conclusion is, there’re still had a time to fix the problems due at smoking, as long as the intention to change still burned.

domain: medical


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AMR Corp., bankrupt parent company of American Airlines, and US Airways Group Inc. responded to the Department of Justice’s challenge of the merger of the two airlines, claiming that the DOJ fails to offer any “coherent rationale” supporting its lawsuit filed to block the merger.
The lawsuit, filed on Aug. 13 by DOJ, six state attorneys general and the District of Columbia, claims that the merger, if permitted, would reduce competition and increase airfares for consumers. American and US Airways, however, claim that the challenge ignores that the combined network of the two major carriers will increase competition against other major carriers, while opening up new routes for travelers and generally meeting the increased demand of consumers.
One of DOJ’s arguments against the merger is that competition on connecting service would be reduced. The airlines argue, however, that DOJ’s focus on “more than 1,000” overlapping routes is misleading. Of the 623 domestic nonstop routes operated by American and US Airways, there is competition between the two carriers on 17 nonstops, with most of those overlaps being served by other carriers. The remaining 994 are one-stop connecting routes that American claims represent a mere fraction of the 13,000 operated by it and US Airways. American also points out that on almost half the routes cited by DOJ in its challenge, the airlines carry less than 10 percent of the passengers in those respective markets, and once the merger is complete, “almost 90% of the passengers on these routes will continue to be served by at least three airlines.”
Trial is set for November 2013.

domain: economics


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Lake Hévíz is one of the world’s largest thermal lakes; nestled in the Hungarian countryside near Lake Balaton, it draws wellness seekers from far and wide. On this luxurious, full-day outing, head to Lake Hévíz by private plane from Budapest. As you fly, take in some of the Hungarian countryside’s most beautiful vistas. Once you arrive, you can enjoy hours relaxing in the hot, thermal waters, paddling past water lilies as you soak. After a full day out, hop back in your private plane and soar back to Budapest.
This 8-hour, private tour begins from your Budapest accommodation, where you’ll be picked up in the morning — at a time according to your preferences — and taken straight to the Budöars Airport. There, meet your pilot and enjoy a glass of Champagne before climbing aboard your three-person aircraft and taking off.As you fly, your pilot will point out some of the beautiful sights you’ll pass, from Lake Balaton — known as the “Hungarian Sea” because of its size — to the splendor of Hungary’s national parks and nature reserves.Once you arrive at the Sámellék Airport, stretch your legs before stepping into a private vehicle, which will take you directly to the thermal town of Hévíz. Discover the beauty of Lake Hévíz, and its healing powers, when you go for a dip in its waters. The lake has served as a natural, thermal spa for thousands of years, supplied by underground springs and perfectly warm in temperature.Enjoy hours of blissful relaxation before hopping back into a taxi, which will take you back to Sármellék Airport. Climb aboard your private plane and soar back to Budapest. Upon your arrival in the Hungarian capital, you’ll be transported directly back to your accommodation, ensuring a comfortable experience.


Magda Saleh, a legendary Egyptian ballerina, will be honored by New York-based dance and theater troupe “From the Horse’s Mouth” next month. The dance/theater production, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, is set to spotlight Saleh’s influence and impact in the world of ballet, particularly in Egypt, as part of an event entitled “A footnote in Ballet History?”, taking place between March 13 to 17 in New York. An entire program is dedicated to the renowned ballerina, where there will be a screening of two documentaries about the history of Egyptian dance, followed by a panel discussion in which Saleh will be participating.
One of these documentaries is “Egypt Dances”, a 1977 film narrated by and starring Saleh, which will be screened to guests on March 17. The film explores the history of Egyptian dance, such as the traditional folk dances of the Arab Gharb Bedouin, the dancing horses of Giza, and the dances of the Fadigga Nubians of Aswan. Right after the screening, the Bolshoi Academy of Ballet graduate will sit for a panel discussion. Additionally, four performances exploring traditional Egyptian dance will take place during the five-day event.
Magda Saleh, who was born to a Scottish mother and an Egyptian father, has made her mark as one of the most influential figures in Egyptian art and culture. After graduating from Moscow’s prestigious Bolshoi Academy of Ballet, she went on to perform on the stage of the Khedival Opera in the 1960s, become the founding director of the New Cairo Opera House-National Cultural Center, and receive a number of distinctions including the Order of Merit from President Gamal Abdel Nasser. She currently resides in New York, though she continues to actively promote Egyptian culture and art across the United States.


THE MANY USES OF AUTOMOTIVE LUBRICANTS
The term automotive lubricants is a broad term that can represent various automotive products. Automotive lubricants are essential for protecting and extending the life of the most costly parts of your car or truck. However, using the incorrect lubricant for the wrong goal can be destructive and costly.
Are you familiar with the many automotive lubricants and their varying uses? If not – or if you require a refresher, we’ve split it down for you!
First off, we will discuss the most typical automotive lubricant. Can you imagine what it is? That’s right . . .
Engine oil is specifically designed to assist avoid foaming and guard against the engine deteriorating and rusting over time. It is, therefore, an essential part of regular vehicle maintenance. Engine oil is changed through routine oil changes and is occasionally referred to as motor oil.
This is the type of automotive lubricant that you would most frequently see utilised in vehicles.
It comprises base oils that have been upgraded with various additives, including viscosity index improvers for multi-grade oils, detergents, and antiwear additives. Internal combustion motors are lubricated using motor oil.
Motor oil’s primary purposes are to lessen wear on moving parts and to clean the engine of varnish and sludge.
It also neutralizes acids from fuel and oxidation of the lubricant, improves the sealing of piston rings, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts.
There are many other types of lubricants, but there are also multiple uses for automotive oil. The most common is wheel-bearing grease, which comes in standard and high-temperature formats—wheel-bearing grease functions in steering and suspension to prevent wear and tear. Audible squeaking can often be attended to when grease is required, and it is often used by attaching a grease gun to grease fittings. In addition to wheel-bearing grease, there are waterproof greases for metal-to-metal joints and electronic greases that won’t conduct electricity for electrical connections.
Automotive grease comprises three main components.
- Base oil
The base oil is composed of synthetic oil made up of a metallic soap that may contain lithium, polyurea.
Meanwhile, oil additives make it feasible for automotive grease to perform different functions other than lubrication.
Let’s bring a peek at what automotive oil accomplishes.
When lubrication is required at extremely high temperatures, such as in a manual transmission, car differential, gear oil is utilised. Gear oil has a greater viscosity, somewhere around 75. Therefore, industrial gear oil is more suitable for high-temperature situations due to its thicker consistency.
This oil is generally utilised for transmissions, transfer points, and differentials in automobiles, trucks, and other machinery.
Gear oil usually has an increased viscosity and contains intense pressure (EP) additives that consist of phosphorus-sulfur mixes to cope with the sliding movement of hypoid bevel gears and combat wear.
Grease is used in the rest and steering joints to stop any premature wear and tear. It is made from petroleum and thickeners. The lubricating grease can be petroleum or synthetic and can change viscosity.
Additionally, antiwear and extreme pressure additives can be added to formulate greases for specific applications, such as high-speed bearings, very cold or very hot conditions, open gears, extreme loads or high moisture conditions, to name a few.
Thickeners can be combined or formulated with additional chemicals to produce more complex thickeners for specific applications requiring a high tolerance for extremely high temperatures, like disc brakes in some vehicles that use this type of grease for their wheel bearings.
Transmission oil is a brilliantly coloured oil that helps to keep your transmission running smoothly. It accomplishes this by performing some tasks, such as lubricating, cooling, safeguarding, and conditioning the transmission and all its moving parts. The bright colouration of information fluid makes it effortless to detect leaks so that you can keep your transmission operating smoothly.
An automatic transmission lubricates the moving parts and provides hydraulic pressure and friction to make the internal parts work. Transmission fluid in both manual and automated transmissions also helps to keep the information cool.
Shifting gears is a strenuous task for a car, and transmission fluid allows a vehicle to shift easily without wearing down its parts. While manual massage oil or fluid has existed in some shape or form since the advent of automobiles, automatic transmission fluid was developed in the 1940s and has played an essential role in cars ever since.


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Title: Structure based design of novel 6,5 heterobicyclic mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors leading to the discovery of imidazo[1,5-a] pyrazine G-479.
Journal: Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters 20141001
Title: Synthesis and anticancer activity of oxindole derived imidazo[1,5-a]pyrazines.
Journal: European journal of medicinal chemistry 20110601
Title: Imidazo[1,5-a]pyrazines: orally efficacious inhibitors of mTORC1 and mTORC2.
Journal: Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters 20110401
Title: Synthesis of substituted imidazo[1,5-a]pyrazines via mono-, di-, and directed remote metalation strategies.
Journal: Organic letters 20091119
Title: Kinase inhibitors for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.
Journal: Purinergic signalling 20090301
Title: A novel synthesis of highly substituted imidazo[1,5-a]pyrazine derivatives by 3-CR/2-CR sequence.
Journal: Molecular diversity 20090201
Title: Palladium-catalyzed direct heck arylation of dual pi-deficient/pi-excessive heteroaromatics. Synthesis of C-5 arylated imidazo[1,5-a]pyrazines.
Journal: Organic letters 20080717
Title: Novel 2-phenylquinolin-7-yl-derived imidazo[1,5-a]pyrazines as potent insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) inhibitors.
Journal: Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry 20080201
Title: Synthesis and c-Src inhibitory activity of imidazo[1,5-a]pyrazine derivatives as an agent for treatment of acute ischemic stroke.
Journal: Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry 20070115
268203-93-6 | 3-(1-methyl-7-oxo-3-propyl-6,7-dihydro-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidin-5-yl)-N-(2-(1-methylpyrrolidin-2-yl)ethyl)-4-propoxybenzenesulfonamide | AA007MNN | MFCD20275557
227776-28-5 | 4-[2-(1,3-Dihydro-1,3dioxo-2h-isoindol-yl)ethyl]-1-piperazinecarboxylic acid, 1,1-dimethylethyl ester | AA007NTJ | MFCD07367887


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Juan Matute, deputy director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA Luskin, spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the emergence of electronic geofences that slow down or shut down e-scooters to enforce rules of the road. Cities across California are testing the technology, which erects invisible fences to enforce speed and parking restrictions and, in some places, create dead zones. The rules change from neighborhood to neighborhood and have caused confusion and frustration among riders whose rented e-scooters come to a halt. Cities and scooter companies negotiate the restrictions, but “these aren’t on the books,” Matute said. “Given that what the companies are asked to do changes week to week, it can be hard for an individual to keep up with what’s permitted and what each company’s restrictions are.”
Juan Matute, deputy director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA Luskin, spoke to Fox Business about reports that Google Maps will soon launch advertising on the app — to the tune of $11 billion in annual revenues within four years, according to some estimates. The app has become so popular that its users are not expected to strongly object to the ads. “Google has developed a high-quality mapping product with a significant user base over the past two decades. That they haven’t fully monetized it sooner is the anomaly,” Matute said. Linking people with information about nearby businesses, services and events is a useful service, he added. Google has also announced plans to integrate bike riding, ridesharing and transit information into their maps. “Google Maps helps transit and commuters,” Matute said. “It provides them with easy-to-understand, actionable information in context, which can help them make informed travel decisions.”
Brian Taylor, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA Luskin, spoke to Mashable about the prospects for relief on “America’s worst freeway” — Los Angeles’ congested 405. Mayor Eric Garcetti has called for a transportation revolution that encourages ridesharing and emission-free cars and expands the system of rail, subways and electrified buses — all by the time the 2028 Olympics come to town. The plan includes a new public transit system through the 405 corridor. However, Taylor cautioned, “if that freeway becomes free flowing, it is an invitation to use it.” Los Angeles has built an enormous commuter rail system, yet public transit use is plummeting and auto ownership is rising, he said. Though it has been met with suspicion and hostility, his solution to fixing the 405 — charging motorists to use it — is the surest way to change ingrained driving habits, said Taylor, a professor of urban planning. He concluded, “There must be consequences to driving.”
Brian Taylor, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA Luskin, spoke with CalMatters about ways to change the habits of Californians who are reluctant to give up their cars. “If we can create environments where traveling by other means becomes easier and easier, people will drive less,” Taylor said. “The challenge is the transition.” He added that increasing housing density could help create pedestrian-friendly cities that render automobiles such a hassle that they become an undesirable accessory. CalMatters also spoke to Kevin de León, UCLA Luskin senior analyst and policymaker-in-residence, about the dual challenge of taking on the fossil fuel industry and convincing consumers to change their ways. “You are talking about persuading [millions of] individual car drivers in the largest state in the union to drive zero-emission vehicles, or take public transportation, or ride a bike, or walk, or rideshare,” de León said. “We drive internal-combustion cars in part because they are easy.”
Juan Matute, deputy director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA Luskin, spoke to the Minneapolis Star Tribune about the Twin Cities’ love-hate relationship with electric scooters. Transportation experts say the scooters are just the beginning of a wave of shared “micro-mobility” devices. “As the scooter market gets saturated, we’ll see different devices with this business model,” Matute predicted. “Companies are working on new and niche products like electric tricycles and three-wheeled scooters. They will be more accessible and appealing to people who are over 30 and want more stability than a scooter.” He added that a two-passenger electric bike is also in the works, and Los Angeles riders are currently testing non-pedal e-bikes, a sort of bike-and-scooter hybrid that has a seat and a throttle.
Brian Taylor, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA Luskin, spoke with KCRW’s Greater L.A. program about several freeway expansion plans in the region. For motorists hoping the projects would bring lighter traffic, Taylor tempered expectations. As the region grows, more people and goods will need to move around and the expanded freeways will eventually clog up again, he said. The key to relieving congestion is charging for the use of the road, which is “wildly unpopular” among motorists and elected officials, he said. The urban planning professor also linked the planned High Desert Freeway project, which would connect Palmdale and Lancaster with the Victorville area, to the affordable housing debate in the L.A. Basin. With resistance to higher-density housing near L.A.’s transit corridors, “we end up building out on the fringe, and then we have to accommodate the demand for the traffic out there,” he said.
Michael Manville, associate professor of urban planning, spoke with Curbed LA about a proposal to eliminate parking requirements for newly constructed apartment and condo buildings in downtown Los Angeles. Parking minimums have been “an unmitigated disaster,” Manville said. “Right now, it’s illegal to build for a tenant who doesn’t care if their car is in the same building with them” or who doesn’t own a car at all, he said. The requirement to include parking spots in residential buildings has been blamed for higher housing costs, the construction of unsightly garages and the exacerbation of climate change. “When you require parking, you really do encourage driving,” Manville said. Removing the parking requirement is an “absolutely necessary” step, one of many needed to help Angelenos drive less, he said.
Juan Matute, deputy director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA Luskin, spoke to the Los Angeles Times about a study attempting to tally the carbon footprint of electric scooters. The research measured several factors: the energy-intensive materials that go into making the vehicles; the driving required to collect, charge and redistribute them; and the shortened lifespan of scooters battered by use on urban streets or attacked by vandals. The study concluded that e-scooters aren’t as eco-friendly as they may seem. While traveling a mile by scooter is better than driving the same distance by car, it’s worse than biking, walking or taking a bus — the modes of transportation that scooters most often replace, the researchers from North Carolina State University found. “That actual trip somebody’s taking on the scooter — that’s pretty green,” Matute said. “What’s not green is everything you don’t see.”
An article on Streetsblog USA featured a report authored by Associate Professor of Urban Planning Michael Manville on the transit funding initiative Measure M. Voters approved the measure overwhelmingly in 2016, largely due to a political campaign that focused on boosting the economy and easing traffic, but not on transforming the region’s car culture, the report noted. “Voters were expressly not offered a vision of a more multimodal or environmentally sustainable Los Angeles; they were mostly offered instead a vision of more jobs, better roads and easier driving,” Manville wrote. The transportation investments ushered in by Measure M have not led to higher use of public transit. “Los Angeles has a hard road in front of it in making the vision of Measure M a reality,” the report said. “An electoral victory is the end of a political process, but only the beginning of a policy process.”


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Hiking Clubs and Organizations- Canada
Welcome to WebWalking.com's index of hiking clubs and organizations in Canada. Browse the list below to find a group to hike with or to talk with about your favorite hikes. These outdoor orgainzations provide information about local trails and events as well as opportunities to explore the outdoors with guided tours.
- Active Living - Go For Green Canadian organization.
- Alberta Trailnet
- The Alpine Club of Canada
- Barefoot in Toronto
- The Bruce Trail Organization
- East Coast Trail, Newfoundland, Canada
- Hike Ontario
- International Appalachian Trail
- Ottawa Rambling Club
- Prairie Pathfinders - Manitoba
- Randonee Aventure Montreal, Quebec
- Sierra Club Atlantic Canada
- Victoria Club Tread: British Columbia.
- Voyageur Trail Association Ontario, Canada.


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Unilever is marking the 100th birthday of the iconic Wall’s ice cream brand with two new product launches.
The supplier is launching a limited-edition 100 Year Rocket Lolly and a new Birthday Cake variety of Viennetta. Both new products are available now.
The Rocket Lolly contains blueberry, strawberry and blackcurrent flavours, and is inspired by the Wall’s Sky Ray Rocket that was created in 1966. It contains 44 calories and a maximum of 9.9g of sugar per portion.
Magnum reimagines classic flavours with Magnum Remix launch
Meanwhile, the Birthday Cake Viennetta combines vanilla and strawberry flavour ice creams in chocolate layers and is topped with multi-coloured sprinkles, with no artificial colours or flavours across any of its ingredients. Its launch also comes as Viennetta marks its 40th year.
Horacio Cal, ice cream marketing director at Unilever UK&I, said: “For 100 years, Wall’s has brought happiness to the nation with its delicious ice cream delights. Our iconic ice cream has been right at the heart of many celebrations, get togethers, holidays and summer days, and we couldn’t be prouder.”
“To celebrate this momentous occasion, we are continuing to brighten up freezers across the country with a selection of new products for our ice cream lovers to try – from the reinvention of the iconic Rocket Lolly to the family favourite Viennetta in a fitting Birthday cake flavour. Our new products are the perfect way to help shoppers and retailers mark the special occasion with us. Bring on the next 100 years!”
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domain: food


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Necedah man gets 30 years for assaulting 3 children
MAUSTON – A 43-year-old Necedah man was sentenced Friday in Juneau County Circuit Court to 30 years in prison for the sexual assault of three children.
Neil J. Becerra also was given 25 years of extended supervision to follow his prison sentence for three counts of first-degree repeated sexual assault of a child. Sauk County Judge Patrick Taggart, acting as a substitute judge in the Juneau County case, also ordered Becerra to have no contact with his victims and their mothers, have no contact with minors, not possess pornography, maintain absolute sobriety, provide a DNA sample, undergo sexually transmitted disease testing and provide results to the victims and undergo any counseling deemed necessary.
"In considering these types of crimes, this is the most aggravated I've seen in 21 years," Taggart told Becerra during the sentencing, according to a news release from the Wisconsin Attorney General's Office.
Taggart said Becerra is an extreme danger to children and the public, according to the news release.
On June 19, 2014, Becerra pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting a child from ages 4 to 10 on at least three occasions from 1998 to 2004, according to the release. He pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old child on at lest three occasions from 2012 to 2013 and to sexually assaulting a third child, ages 7 to 9, on at least three occasions from 2011 to 2013, according to the release.
Becerra previously was convicted of second-degree sexual assault of a child.

domain: sociology


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Mexico City’s government will speed up COVID-19 vaccinations to its more than 9 million inhabitants starting next week as infections and hospitalizations have risen significantly, mostly among younger people, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday.
The number of people in Mexico City hospitalized with COVID-19 rose by 650 from last week to 1,871. Infections are hitting 18- to 39-year-olds, many of them unvaccinated, the hardest, according to the mayor’s office.
“This increase we’re seeing in hospitalizations, the only way to reduce it is getting vaccinated and being mindful of sanitary measures,” said Sheinbaum.
Sheinbaum gave the green light for all residents over 30 years of age to get vaccinated anywhere in the city as of Tuesday.
“Go get vaccinated … getting vaccinated is fundamental so you don’t get the disease,” Sheinbaum said.
Some 63% of Mexico City residents have received at least one vaccine dose and 38.5% have had the two doses, as Sheinbaum’s government aims to have at least one dose given to 74% of residents and to have 41% fully vaccinated by July 26.
Several days this week, Mexico posted its biggest daily increases in new COVID-19 infections since February, as a fresh wave of contagion threatened to undermine the government’s efforts.
As of Thursday, Mexico has registered 2,629,648 total infections and 235,740 deaths since the pandemic began. The government has said the real number of cases is likely significantly higher, and separate data published recently suggested the actual death toll could be 60% higher than the official count.
Despite the new surge, Sheinbaum said Mexico City was not planning to re-impose confinement measures or suspend activities.
“We’re not aiming to reduce any activities: social, economic or cultural … The goal is to vaccinate,” said Sheinbaum.
The Yucatan Times Newsroom


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SearchSkip to Search Results
Nakita S. Valerio, 2017 “Remembering the Departure of Moroccan Jews” Before the end of the Second World War, Morocco’s Jewish community numbered approximately 240,000 people and was one of the largest and oldest populations of Jews in the Arab-Muslim world. Between 1948 and 1968, the vast...
This dissertation targets the topic of rescue of Jews in the Holocaust in World War II. It offers a thorough examination of the defiance mechanics of rescue and looks at how precisely rescuers undermine the pillars of totalitarian regimes. The locus for the empirical part is the Slovak State, a...
This study explores a period of vibrant political life in Imperial Russia through the prism of electoral politics, a powerful modernizing force. In the early twentieth century, the empire embraced practices which transformed the power balance between the imperial centers and borderlands, with...

domain: library


Got a 2K7 600 and really want to replace the stock red rear cowl with a carbon fiber one. I cannot find one anywhere! I would have thought that this would be easy to find. Anyone have the skinny on where I can pick one up???


See who is celebrating long service at the TTC: 35 years, 30 years, 25 years, 20 years, 10 years, 5 years of service!For more on this titled Fall milestones
CEO’s Report – September commentary
Looking back at 100 years in business, and how Toronto and the TTC have grown up together, there’s no doubt that public transit has played a massive role in the development of our city. In 1921, Adult fares were set at seven cents and tickets were four for 25 cents. Ridership in the TTC’s first full year of service (1922) was 187 million.For more on this titled CEO’s Report – September commentary
September Board Period Service Changes
Service adjustments will be made on many routes in response to changed ridership since the start of pandemic and ongoing provincial reopening plans. Routes with higher or increasing utilization will have service levels improved. This will apply the new guidelines for planning crowding approved in the 2021 Annual Service Plan.For more on this titled September Board Period Service Changes
TTC, Toronto Archives collaborate on virtual photo exhibit
The TTC has kicked off its 100th anniversary celebration with archival exhibits at select stations across the system. Riders of all ages are sure to get a kick from viewing historic photos of the TTC’s progress over the past century.For more on this titled TTC, Toronto Archives collaborate on virtual photo exhibit
Advancing to the next level.
COVID-19 positive tests update.
Chislett, Cotter, Delay, Fraser, Lobe, MacDonald, Marks, Moores, Moritz, Robarts, Shepherd, Snelgrove, Thomas, Westlake, Wilcox, Young, Zilli.
TTC 1921-2021. On September 1, 1921, the Toronto Transportation Commission began serving the citizens of a rapidly growing Toronto when it took over a mix of private and municipal street railways within the city.


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| April 01, 2013
North Korea Keeps Talking
North Korea is threatening attacks on the U.S., reports CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera. The country's bluster doesn't appear to be backed up by action--there's been no mobilization of troops anywhere in the country.
Sorry, we do not have a transcript available for this video at this time.


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Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cheznei S. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Cheznei, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
I hope my legacy will be my positive impact on people. Not just in the beauty industry, but also on a personal level. I believe when people look at me from the outside they always believe I’m something other than I am until I begin speaking and articulating. My career as a licensed esthetician helps me to express my personality more and share my beauty artistry skills with others to bring out their best self and beauty.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
As a young girl, I’ve always had a very versatile style and always loved detailed oriented things. While I was in 10th grade, I began my exploration with eyelashes and makeup and learned how to apply my own from watching YouTube videos and later practicing applying eyelash strips on my friends at school. Later in life, I began to sell my own mink strips in ‘Beauty Exchange’, and graduating from esthetician school in 2018. My first opportunity to work and show my skill set out of school was at amazing lash studio, where I learned ALOT about discipline, customer service and professionalism in the beauty industry. I feel as though estheticians are somewhat of therapists because we aid in assisting people to feel more confident and beautiful while also listening and empathizing with them and their daily life. What sets me apart from others is that I feel as though people can feel like their true natural selves with me. I know that I exude welcoming energy to allow my clients to feel comfortable to want to return to me for my servicing, outside of the glamour. I am most proud of all the knowledge I’ve retained and how far I’ve come. I believe one of the most important things to know is to always be a student, especially in this industry. There are so many new techniques and skills constantly developing throughout the years and it’s important to always remain a student in life.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
One of the most effective strategies that has helped me with growing clientele is having superb customer service. I always, always want my clients to have the best experiences when receiving my services and to return back to me happy. It can be extremely challenging sometimes dealing with difficult clients and remaining professional but I keep in mind that I want all of my clients satisfied before leaving my chair and to know that I truly care about them and their concerns.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Before I became a licensed esthetician I was a former jeweler on my journey to getting my diamontology certification, in which I never finished but it was such a cool job! I loved dressing up and would always receive compliments while diamond selling at work. Selling mink eyelash strips on the side was actually my little hustle before I professionally got into esthetics. I used to make my own makeup tutorials showing off different looks with my five different lash styles I had from my collection. I later had the opportunity to have my lashes sold in ‘Beauty Exchange’, one of Miami’s most popular beauty supply chains. Right before enrolling into esthetics school I secured my first rental space in wynwood where I was offering mink lash services. At that time it was 2018 and I had began to learn and experience the professional side of the beauty industry that I wanted to adapt more so that I can grow my business and services bigger and better than I could ever imagine. Since then, I have still been on my path to growing my business with new services tactics, and listening to my clients.
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/chez.esthetique
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCkYYRgCPFbx7TJXqTz617kw


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POLUKHIN, Andrei Aleksandrovich
Awards and achievements of the educational program. The Agronomy educational program was recognized as the leader of agricultural education within implementation of the project Best Educational Programs of Innovative Russia.
Oryol State Agrarian University offers some other best educational projects in the field of Agriculture and Fishery:
Teaching staff. Ninety-five percent of teachers have an academic degree. Practitioners with an experience in production, research and management, are also engaged in the educational process.
University partners within the educational program. The faculty interacts with agrarian universities, scientific and commercial organizations which are potential employers (the Dubovitskoe agricultural company, the Avangard-Agro-Oryol holding, the Maxim Gorky potato producing company, etc.)
Students’ and alumni’s achievements. Student M.V. Ozerov is the winner of the Baystudy scholarship program of the BayerCropScience company, the winner of the distance tour of the Second All-Russian Scientific Forum “Science of the Future is Science of the Youth.”
The faculty is proud of its alumni such as E.S. Cherny, Head of the Department of the Directorate of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance for the Oryol and Kursk Regions; I.I. Drap, Head of the peasant (farming) household; A.S. Gorbachev, a regional agronomist at the Miratorg-Oryol agro-industrial holding, and others.
Facilities and resources. All departments are fully computerized, have an internet connection and state-of-the-art information products. The faculty has the region’s only museum of soils and agronomical ores, abundant herbaria of agricultural plants and pests, well-designed thematic benches, environmental and biogeochemical laboratories, experimental field, necessary educational areas. Students have access to reading rooms of the agricultural library. Students can do sports at the sports complex, attend studios and circles of the youth center, go on regular tours around places of historical interest. The university has comfortable dormitories and refectories.
Opportunities for students. Scholarships of the President and the Government of the Russian Federation, the Oryol Region Governor, social Russian and foreign foundations are annually awarded to students for academic merit, scientific activities, social activism.
Internships are undertaken at research institutions (the All-Russian Research Institute of Legumes and Groat Crops, the All-Russian Research Institute for Horticultural Plant Breeding, the Shatilovo Agricultural Experiment Station), the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, the Russian Agricultural Center, and abroad (in England, Germany, France, Poland, and other countries).
Student research work can be implemented at the Integration research and production center.
Employment prospects. The faculty alumni are employed at the services of phytosanitary monitoring, examination, plant diagnostics and quarantine, at the customs, at agricultural organizations, in farms, etc.
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domain: agronomy