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Explore Gallery of Black And White Canvas Wall Art Paiting
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VALDOSTA, Ga. — Police are warning residents about money related scams taking place in the Valdosta community.
The Valdosta Police Department is asking residents to be alert to money related scams happening in the community. VPD said there are residents that are getting telephone calls from people identifying themselves as VPD police officers, detectives and even the Chief of Police.
According to VPD, during the calls the suspect is telling residents that they have warrants, have citizenship/VISA issues and issues with social security. The suspect is also demanding payment through the use of gift cards or prepaid credit cards in order to settle these issues.
The suspects are also “spoofing” the number of VPD, which means VPD's telephone number shows up on your caller ID but the phone call actually comes from another location and not from anyone at VPD.
The police department does make calls to residents to follow up on cases as incidents are investigated, however VPD says they will never demand for any money to be paid.
If you receive one of these phone calls, please do not give them any information over the telephone. If you have any questions about a suspicious phone call, please call the Valdosta Police Department at 229-242-2602.

domain: news


Samsung M8800 Pixon 'an elegant option'
11 May 2009 — 10:38 AM
Samsung's latest mobile phones include a model that one reviewer says is "a very elegant option".
In a piece published through Live-PR, Perry Williams looks at the South Korean manufacturer's M8800 Pixon model and concludes the high-end gadget could be great for those looking for the most up-to-date features.
He states the phone combines "very attractive looks" with an eight-megapixel camera - fully capable of providing the best images with high-tech facilities like auto focus and an LED flash.
"These features allow you to easily capture the memorable moments of your life," Mr Williams explains, adding that the M8800 is also equipped with some "nice messaging features".
Also onboard the handset is GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth and infrared connectivity, as well as a 3.2-inch screen, microSD card support and an integrated stereo FM radio.
In November last year, Trusted Reviews' Sandra Vogel said the Pixon was her favourite of all the eight-megapixel cameraphones currently on the market.
News brought to you by envirofone.com specialists in recycling mobile phones
Mobile recycling could be an option for recipients of unwanted gifts30 December 2010 — 12:02 PM
People can get money for a phone they do not intend to use.
Selling mobile can create chance to buy HTC Desire HD29 December 2010 — 3:54 PM
People who enjoy a large screen may find all they want in the HTC Desire HD.


A few post back we had a look an an abstract of sorts, created from a clock. In this post I want to expose a little more of this machine. The original image was taken at the base of a clock tower, with the machinery being manufactured by E. Howard & Co. of Boston. As previously mentioned, they were known for precision watch and clock works. Some of these fine works graced the likes of the Wrigley Building in Chicago, the Ferry Building in San Francisco and the Clock Tower Building in New York, to name a few. What I have shown in the previous post and here are a part of the National Watch and Clock Museum's tower.
Looking inside the screened off window you can see one of the tower bells. A closer look can be had below.
Moving down to the base of the tower there is a room that houses the precision machinery that makes it all work. The challenge was to shoot those images through the glass windows in full daylight.
My curiosity had me wondering how this would look with a B&W treatment.
In some future posts we'll have some looks at the goodies from inside the museum. Most of the images from there were taken many months ago but only a few have been processed.
Until next time...
Be sure to swing by my Pinterest "Photography of Interest" board where you'll find some really great images.


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911 calls (Aug. 18, 2020)
There were 37 bookings at the San Joaquin County Jail in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. Tuesday. At that time, there were 1,384 people held at the jail, which has an official capacity of 1,550. When the jail is full, some inmates may be released early.
Weapon arrest: Officers conducted a traffic stop at 2 p.m. Monday at Channel and Grant streets. During a search of the vehicle, they located a loaded rifle and arrested DeAndre Taylor, 29, and David Lands, 33, on suspicion of weapons charges.
Robbery: The male victim, 22, withdrew money at 9:30 p.m. Monday from the ATM in the 400 block of Wilson Way when the suspect approached from behind and pressed an unknown object against his back and demanded his money. The victim handed over his cash and the suspect, an adult male, fled to an awaiting black sedan.
Robbery arrest: Related to a Watch Commander’s Daily entry from Aug. 15, officers conducted follow-up on the case at 10 p.m. Monday in the 4500 block of North El Dorado Street. The suspect, Vincent Arce, 19, was taken into custody on suspicion of robbery and a search was authored and served. Several items belonging to the victim were recovered.
Person shot: The victim was walking at 5:39 a.m. Monday in the 300 block of Northbank Court when the suspect vehicle pulled up alongside the victim and began shooting. The victim was struck and transported to an area hospital for treatment. There is no suspect description. The suspect vehicle is a dark colored SUV.
The Stockton Fire Department responded to 149 calls for service in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. Tuesday, including 110 medical calls, five grass fires, four vehicle accidents and two structure fires.


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ST. JOHN’S – Former West Indies batsman Sylvester Joseph is returning to regional cricket after a three-and-a-half-year absence.
And after playing just one season he has been appointed to captain the 14-member Leeward Islands team for the Caribbean Twenty20 Tournament in St Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.
The stylish right-handed batsman last played competitive cricket in 2008 in the Stanford 20/20 before taking a break from the game. On his return this year to local cricket for his club MedPath New Winthrope’s, Joseph did enough to earn him national selection again, and also as captain of the national team in the Leeward Islands 50 overs and 3- day tournaments.
Joseph said he was happy that the Leeward Islands’ selectors and the management of the various associations had entrusted him with that confidence to lead the team.
He noted that the Leeward Islands had very talented players, but they must have pride in themselves and always remember that they were representing the Leeward Islands.
Joseph, who captained the West Indies A Team and represented the West Indies senior team in five test matches and 13 ODIs from 2000 to 2005, said the Leeward Islands would not be taking any team for granted in the tournament, but added Trinidad & Tobago would be their biggest threat based on their experience and the resources they had.
Joseph said he was looking forward to working with his former captain and team-mate Stuart Williams, who is the coach of the team. He said that there must be a plan going into this tournament, and the players must be focus.
The full Leeward Islands team includes Devon Thomas, Gavin Tonge, Anthony Martin, Rahkeem Cornwall and Justin Athanase of Antigua & Barbuda, Kieran Powell (vice-captain), and Tonito Willett of Nevis, Javia Liburd of St. Kitts, Chesney Hughes, Jahmar Hamilton, Lyndel Richardson, Kelbert Walters and Shane Burton of Anguilla.The manager is Junie Mitcham of St. Kitts.
The Leeward Islands will open their campaign against Barbados on January 7 before taking on Trinidad & Tobago on January 9 at the Queen’s Park Oval. (windiescricket)†††
Back from exile - by Barbados Today November 29, 2012 Article by
Barbados Today Published on
November 29, 2012
November 29, 2012

domain: sports


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Dappy Pulls Out of V Festival
It seems like the V Fest line-up is ever changing, as not only did Frank Ocean cancel his appearance earlier this week, but Dappy has now pulled out of his performances too…
The N-Dubz rapper was due to take the 4Music stage this weekend in Chelmsford and Staffordshire, but has been removed from the bill for unspecified reasons and replaced by alternative rock group The Charlatans.
However, festival goers shouldnít be too disappointed, as they’ll still get the chance to see stars such as Nicki Minaj, Wiley and LMFAO put on a great show.
Let’s hope no more acts decide to do a disappearing act!

domain: entertainment


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In the complaint filed on Tuesday, Twitter’s lawyers said they were seeking to prevent Musk from further breaches of the agreement, and “force the completion of the merger to meet the few remaining conditions.”
“In April 2022, Elon Musk entered into a binding merger agreement with Twitter, promising to do everything in his power to complete the transaction,” the complaint states. “Now, less than three months later, Musk is refusing to honor his obligations to Twitter and its shareholders because the deal he signed is no longer in his personal interests.”
The deal is now likely heading into a lengthy court battle to determine whether Twitter can force Musk to close the deal and become its owner, or at least get him to pay the $1 billion stipulated in breakup fees in the original agreement.
After initially saying he wanted to buy Twitter to root out the bots, Musk in recent weeks has expressed concerns (without any clear evidence) that there are more bots on the platform than Twitter has publicly stated.
Twitter said in its complaint on Tuesday, “Having created a public scene for Twitter’s operation, and after proposing and then signing a seller-friendly merger agreement, Musk appears to believe that – unlike all other parties subject to the Delaware Contract Act – he is free to change his mind, and destroy the company, disrupting its operations, destroying shareholder value, and turning away.”
She later adds that Musk’s attempts to walk out of the deal and his “disregard for Twitter and its employees… are exposing Twitter to negative effects on its business operations, employees, and stock price.”
Indeed, Twitter stock, which reclaimed about 4% on Tuesday after a sharp drop on Monday, is trading 34% below its price on the day Twitter and Musk struck the deal, and 37% below Musk’s bid price, indicating doubts. Deep about closing the deal. At least at its original price. The sale price in the agreement, $54.20 per share outstanding, represents a 38% premium to the share price the day before Musk disclosed his stake in the company.
The document, for example, refers to Musk’s tweets in the days leading up to the agreement, in which he appeared to hint at launching a hostile takeover with a bid via his “Love Me Tender” and blank tweet followed by “Night.” He also referred to a tweet by Musk on Monday that included images of Musk laughing and suggesting that if Twitter sued him to enforce the deal, he would have to reveal the data on the bots he was requesting in court.
“To Musk, Twitter, its contributors’ interests, the deal Musk agreed to, and the court process to enforce it all appear to be a complicated joke,” the complaint reads.
In the filing, Twitter contested several of the ways Musk accused the company of violating the takeover agreement, including an allegation in his Friday letter that Twitter violated the deal by laying off two CEOs last month. Twitter alleges that Musk wanted the merger agreement to state that the company could not hire or fire employees at or above the vice president’s level, or “above a presumed violation of the normal course covenant” without Musk’s consent. The complaint states that “Twitter managed to hit this ruling before signing.”
In conjunction with the complaint, Twitter filed a request to speed up proceedings in the case, requesting a four-day trial over the dispute to be completed in September.
“The expedition is necessary to allow Twitter to secure the benefit of the transaction, to address Musk’s ongoing abuses, and to protect Twitter and its shareholders from the ongoing market risk and operational harm resulting from Musk’s bullying attempt to exit an airtight merger agreement,” the submissions.
“Avid problem solver. Extreme social media junkie. Beer buff. Coffee guru. Internet geek. Travel ninja.”


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Select () or exclude () categories to narrow your recipe search.
As you select categories, the number of matching recipes will update.
Find exactly what you're looking for with the web's most powerful recipe filtering tool.
"I hate to be the person to leave a bad comment but,This was a complete waste of my time. The beef tips combined with tomato sauce and flour in the pressure cooker literally turned the ingredients into some sort of thick orange looking slop. There are several different settings on a pressure cooker. None of these were disclosed.I am very ..."

domain: food


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The foreign policy of France from 1914 to 1945 / J. Néré
- Foreign policies of the great powers ; v. 7
Foreign policies of the Great Powers (Routledge (Firm)) ; v. 7.
- London ; New York : Routledge, 2002
Includes bibliographical references and index
Record last modified: 2008-08-14 11:24:00
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/bib75810

domain: library


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We designed this pendant with a natural organic flow in mind, the two tones of gold frame the sitting centre stone perfectly to make this a wonderfully elegant pendant.
18ct Yellow and 18ct White Gold Pendant
Natural Yellow 0.32ct Sapphire in a 3 Claw Setting and 9 Graduated Brilliant Cut Diamonds in a Grain Setting
Diamonds are F to G in colour
Running Freely on an 18ct Yellow Gold 18inch Trace Chain

domain: artistic


ERP in the cloud versus conventional ERP
When comparing a standard ERP with one in the cloud, we normally compare the advantages and technical or economic disadvantages. While these are important points, they fail to consider the greatest of all benefits. In the previous article: Is your company paying high costs for its ERP year after year? we saw the issue of hidden costs of a traditional ERP, but besides cost savings, the ERP in the cloud offers many other benefits.
In fact, the greatest benefit of Software as a Service (SaaS) is the new distribution of work and responsibilities involved, since a SaaS provider acquires with his contracts much more responsibility than conventional software provider.
New work distribution
The new division of labor means that the provider assumes responsibility for servers, backup, software, operating systems, databases, upgrades, migration, energy and cooling, facility space and staff costs. The provider can spread the cost over the entire customer base because they all use the same version of the software. This approach yields substantial economies of scale and management while reducing total cost of ownership.
IT load is then transferred from the company to the supplier. This shows a clear contrast to the ERP model in which companies must maintain costly data centers, buy software packages that may or may not use, and commit to expensive service contracts. With SaaS, customers can quickly increase or decrease according to business demands and pay only for what they use.
Risk of shared success
Along with responsibilities comes risks. The biggest change in the SaaS model is related to changing provider incentives. SaaS providers share the risk of success with customers for several reasons:
- In local deployments, most of the money is paid in advance, before the deployment is completed successfully. This creates the wrong incentive that discourages the provider to monitor and ensure customer success. In contrast, in most SaaS facilities, payment is by subscription, governed from a successful integration. SaaS provider and client share the same motivation: to make the system work as soon as possible.
- The SaaS model is based on a continuous stream of subscription revenue. To succeed, SaaS providers need that customers will renew every year. Must achieve continuous satisfaction for a SaaS provider to succeed.
- Change from a SaaS provider to another is much easier than with software installed locally. Irrecoverable data center costs and specialized training for staff are much lower. With fewer obstacles to change it means that SaaS providers should be alert to keep customers satisfied.
The final effect is a more cooperative relationship between SaaS providers and customers, generating a critical value for customers .
Other tangible benefits of SaaS
Other benefits of SaaS with traditional software architecture are:
- Automatic Updates: The provider assumes all responsibility for the updates.
- Real-time information: You can access the software from any computer with internet access.
- Flexible licensing: Subscription licenses per user may be adjusted annually.
- Ease of configuration: SaaS is easy to configure , allowing users to adapt the software to their needs.
- Total Expense Reduction: The SaaS software model changes from a capital to an operating expense and eliminates maintenance fees.
- Information Security: Information is safer with a provider in the cloud when stored in a company's own systems.
- Accelerated Innovation: SaaS provider is more encouraged to innovation than traditional software provider. His business is based precisely on providing value through constant innovation.
Cloud or SaaS, much more than increased functionality and reduced costs, involves a new win-win type of relationship with the provider. SaaS provider is required to provide its customers with value without interruption. This is reflected, mainly, in greater functionality at lower costs.
Viewed from a business point, the SaaS applied to an ERP is a release of technology, which allows greater flexibility and focus on what really matters: growing your business (rather than simply "run it").


The below topics are discussed in much more depth
This page provides a brief summary of the federal government's interest in housing.
Federal Home Loan Bank System Created 12 regional banks in 1932, supervised by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. Provides short-term credit to savings and loans.
Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) Created 1933. Refinanced residential mortgages in areas of economic distress.
Housing Act of 1934 Created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), to insure private mortgage loans on residential property and, by thus protecting lenders against loss, encourages the use of long-term mortgages with high loan-to-value ratios.
Housing Act of 1937 Created the United States Housing Authority (renamed the Federal Public Housing Administration in 1942, then Public Housing Administration in 1947). Subsidizes building of low-rent public housing by local authorities.
Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA, or "Fannie May") Provides a secondary market for FHA and VA mortgage loans by standing ready to purchase loans from financial institutions.
Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (the GI "Bill of Rights") Established the V A loan program guaranteeing home mortgage loans extended to veterans.
Farmers Home Administration Makes loans and grants for construction and repair of farm homes and assists rural self-help housing groups.
Housing Act of 1949 Created the Urban Redevelopment Agency and gave it the authority to subsidize three fourths of the cost of local slum clearance and urban renewal .
Housing Act of 1954 Modified urban redevelopment and renewal by requiring communities engaged in such activities to adopt code enforcement, relocation, and other measures that would prevent the further spread of urban blight.
Housing Act of 1964 Liberalized FHA procedures to speed the processing of FHA-insured mortgages.
Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 Established the Cabinet-level Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 Created the Model Cities Program authorizing grants to plan the coordination of health, education, welfare, housing, and employment programs for revitalizing selected districts in urban areas.
Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 Created the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA, or "Ginny May") taking over certain FHA mortgage functions from the FNMA.
Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 Authorized greater outlays for housing subsidy programs and rent supplements to moderate-income households.
Emergency Home Finance Act of 1970 Authorized the Home Loan Bank System to reduce interest rates on home mortgages by means of a federal subsidy.
Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) is a federal law requiring banks to use affirmative action in lending to "help meet the credit needs of their entire community, including low-and moderate-income neighborhoods."
The Homesteading and Neighborhood Restoration Act of 1995 provided grants to organizations that help facilitate the development of self-help home ownership opportunities .
Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) requires lenders to report data to the government contained in all mortgage applications whether approved or denied.
The above topics are discussed in much more depth


OSPREYS coach Lyn Jones reckons his players may be forced to dish out their own justice after branding Leicester as cheats.
Jones turned up the heat ahead of Sunday's Heineken Cup clash against the Tigers by lashing out at their off-the-ball tactics.
The Welsh regional boss was fuming at how the Tigers got their claws into his Ospreys during last Sunday's 30-12 defeat at Welford Road.
He claims Leicester took out his players off the ball as they came from behind to win. And now he has called on officials to get to grips with the issue or his players would use their "own rulebook" to sort it out. "There were a lot of complaints from my players of shirt pulling," said Jones.
"In the second half there were cases of players being targeted off the ball.
"But we won't put up with it and if the ref won't use the law book then we will have to use our own set of rules."
His comments are sure to fire up the Tigers for Sunday's rematch in Swansea.
Gavin Henson was among those allegedly targeted as he made his return to rugby after five months out injured.
He said: "At first I thought it was just me but I realised the full extent of what was going on when I watched the video afterwards. It contributed to some of their points and so with it the result."


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Our ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialists treat all conditions and disorders of the head and neck.
We provide you with fully professional consultations of experienced doctors. Our specialists offer you all their knowledge and skills. During every consultation our doctors use state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.
Diagnostic procedures are the basis of contemporary medicine; thanks to applying appropriate technology and tools, it is possible to detect a disease in its early stage, to make a precise diagnosis and to start appropriate treatment.
When conservative treatment does not bring expected results or is insufficient, we offer surgical treatment. State-of-the-art medical equipment for precision surgeries (such as a set of surgical endoscopes, helps us increase effectiveness and safety during operations, reduce post-surgical discomfort of patients and the risk of complications, and facilitates rapid recovery.
dr Aleksander Żmudziński – otolaryngology (ENT) specialist
mon. – fri. 9 am to 6 pm
sat. 9 am to 2 pm
telephone: +48 91 307 80 29
mobile: +48 793 138 757

domain: medical


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Chapter staff and members of the ABC Indiana
chapter received praise from a local charitable organization, the Shepherd Community Center
, after donating toys to hundreds of children in need. At their annual Holiday Fest, members and staff were asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy which were taken to the Shepherd Community Center where local parents were given appointment times to come and shop for their children.
The organization, which aims to help families break the cycle of poverty, filled up six rooms with the donated toys where the parents chose gifts to take home to their children for Christmas. There was also a gift-wrapping station to get the finishing touches needed to put the gifts underneath their tree at home.
“The love that was shown to these people who came to shop restored in many of them the belief that we are all in this together and that others that have never met them care about them and their children,” said John Blatzheim from the Shepherd Community Center. “I know that we at Shepherd will be carrying the message that ABC is an organization worth noticing.”
The ABC Indiana chapter showed just how easy it is to give back to the people that live in your community who are less fortunate.

domain: sociology


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Resuming their Premium League journey Chelsea will take on Everton on Saturday at Goodison Park, Liverpool.
The game between Everton and Chelsea gets underway at 12:45 pm from Goodison Park on Saturday, Sept. 12. The game will be supervised by Andre Marriner. UK viewers can catch the live coverage of the match on BT Sports; whereas the Indian and the USA football enthusiasts should stick to Star Sports 4 / HD 4 and NBC Universe to watch the game live.
The Toffees seem to be extremely depleted at the left-back for Saturday’s clash since many of their left-backs are sitting away due to injuries. Cleverley, Baines, Hibbert, Pienaar will be the definite truants whereas Bryan Oviedo be accessed in the late hours.
Midfielder Tom Cleverley is also likely to miss the game because of an ankle injury.
Clearing the fitness trial defender Brendan Galloway will be a part of the squad today, and Aaron Lennon will also present his first show for Martinez’s side.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who is set to undergo a knee surgery, will miss the show; Asmir Begovic will be there to take the charge of the goal. Oscar also needs a few more days to recover from his knee injury.
Captain John Terry is back to join the squad as he completes his one-match suspension and defender Papy Djilobodji will also make debut for the Blues today.
Everton: Funes Mori, Browning, McGeady, Osman, Lennon, Robles, Oviedo, Naismith, Besic, Deulofeu, Gibson
Chelsea: Blackman, Beeney, Aina, Djilobodji, Mikel, Ramires, Rahman, Zouma, Loftus-Cheek, Falcao, Kenedy, Traoré, Rémy


The LSSU (Large Scale Storage Unit) offers large scale temperature controlled storage capabilities specific to biotech, biorepository and pharmaceutical customers.
The LSSU also has the functionality of a blast freezer, providing the ability to be a part of the process for producing vaccines, medicine or any other biotech and pharmaceutical product.
The LSSU Compact offers stand-alone large scale temperature controlled capabilities similar to the LSSU on a smaller scale. The LSSU compact has a storage capacity of up to 3,200 kg. of finished fluid products in bottles, bags or vials per unit, with a temperature range from +10˚C to -80˚C.


Vehicle-mounted dust monitoring on the move for mining & urban applications
Dust is dynamic so why should dust monitoring be static?
Deep in a mine pit or on a city construction site, excessive dust levels pose a significant challenge to the health and safety of workers and communities. Monitoring this constantly shifting particulate matter is critical.
Acoem DustRover™ heralds a new direction in dust monitoring — a vehicle-mounted, next-generation mobile dust monitoring system that tracks dust on the move.
Designed using insights from decades of experience working with the mining industry — and used in some of the harshest mine environments on earth — DustRover™ provides a holistic view of site conditions with real-time dust data, direct from the source.
Based on an integrated smart technology platform, its simple “mount & go” configuration delivers the freedom to monitor, measure and mitigate dust on site, while enabling data-driven decisions.
DustRover™ is a highly scalable solution, catering for mining and urban vehicle fleets of all sizes. A compact vehicle dust monitoring system, it features:
- Programmable sensors that track variations in dust concentration & road surface temperature
- Dust monitors
- GPS module
- Data logger
- 3G/4G cellular router
- Acoem Airodis™ software.
The DustRover™ real-time roadmap and dashboard
Your site’s dust traffic is displayed on an intuitive and secure browser-based dashboard viewable on a workstation screen or any other internet-enabled device.
A simple “traffic light system” triggers an alarm signal, allowing users to pinpoint hotspots and activate dust suppression mechanisms.
DustRover™ enhances water truck intervention efficiency… And with the advent of autonomous vehicles, the future of mobile dust monitoring with DustRover™ has only just begun.
Precise data for optimal performance
A broad measurement range ensures performance at extremely high dust levels, making DustRover™ an ideal trending tool for monitoring peak dust events — detecting variations in dust concentration levels and particles as small as 0.3 micrometres (μm).
An optional ambient temperature and relative humidity sensor provides an even greater level of accuracy for assessing road surface conditions by giving users a more precise indication of the exact amount of water suppression required to prevent over saturation, avoiding increased tyre wear and higher costs.
Hyperlocal dust monitoring helps cities breathe easier
DustRover™ can also be easily deployed for hyperlocal dust mapping across urban environments, helping control excessive dust levels that can impact quality of life in communities.
Not just for mining… Vehicle-mounted dust monitoring for urban applications as well.
Its mobility and smart data capabilities make DustRover™ a forward-thinking system for monitoring particulate matter across our streets and neighbourhoods. Mounted onto any medium-sized or large vehicle such as a utility, 4×4 or construction dump truck, DustRover™ sensors capture real-time information and transmit data back to a traffic command centre. The operator can then take immediate action to implement dust control mitigation as required.
Key data insights from DustRover™ can empower authorities and city planners to redesign urban landscapes and traffic routes around dust trouble zones.
Dust monitoring for autonomous vehicles
As mines and industries shift towards driverless vehicles for haul trucks and transportation of materials, the need for a trusted automated mobile dust monitoring system becomes more apparent.
Without drivers to let command centres or supervisors know of hazardous dust conditions, the responsibility will fall to DustRover™ to be their eyes and ears on the ground — helping to mitigate excessive dust levels and provide management with timely and targeted information to implement optimal water suppression.
Discover more about DustRover™. Read the DustRover™ article, download the DustRover™ brochure and contact us at [email protected]
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Prof. Andrei Linde (Stanford University)
I will describe a large class of inflationary models, cosmological attractors, which can describe not only inflation, but also SUSY breaking and the cosmological constant. The simplest models of this class involve nilpotent chiral superfields. This allows to describe small SUSY breaking which does not lead to the infamous cosmological Polonyi field problem.
Dr Martin Bucher (APC Paris 7, CNRS and PLANCK)
Precise observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) have substantially narrowed the field of viable models for the early universe and for generating the seeds of large-scale structure. I will review the constraints imposed on models of inflation by current CMB observations and survey the future constraints to be anticipated, in particular through the search for B-mode polarization...
Prof. Augusto Sagnotti (SNS Pisa)
If Supersymmetry were realized in Nature, it ought to have been broken at a high scale during inflation. Indirect signs of this epoch have shown up in the results of the Planck satellite, which have provided evidence for a non-trivial CMB spectral tilt ns<1. I elaborate on models on "brane supersymmetry breaking", a peculiar and natural mechanism drawn from String Theory, to investigate...
Dr Alexander Westphal (DESY)
We present an analytic method for calculating the transition probability between two random Gaussian matrices with given eigenvalue spectra in the context of Dyson Brownian motion. We show that in the Coulomb gas language, in large N limit, memory of the initial state is preserved in the form of a universal linear potential acting on the eigenvalues. We compute the likelihood of any given...
Prof. Renata Kallosh (Stanford University)
We will discuss inflationary models compatible with the data, based on nonlinear realization of supersymmetry, as suggested by D3 brane physics of string theory. Relation to recent progress in understanding of soft limits of amplitudes in models with nonlinear symmetry will be presented.
Dr Giancarlo Cella (Pisa U., INFN and VIRGO)
A stochastic background of gravitational waves can be described as a superposition of several uncorrelated contributions. It can be of both cosmological and astrophysical origin. In the first case, it can constitute potentially a unique probe of the primordial universe. In the second, it can give precious information on stellar populations. After discussing how this kind of signal can be...


Boy George quits The Voice UK
- Bang Showbiz
- 5 July 2016
Boy George is not returning to 'The Voice UK' following its switch from BBC to rival ITV
Boy George is not returning to 'The Voice UK'.
The 55-year-old singer took to Twitter to reveal that he will not feature on the show following its switch from BBC to rival ITV.
He wrote: "Not doing this season of 'The Voice on ITV but sending @iamwill my love. Watch this space for what I am up to! (sic)."
His confirmation comes after co-star will.i.am revealed he will be back when the show returns to screens later this year.
Referencing the UK's recent decision to pull out of the European Union, the 41-year-old star said: "I'm delighted to be continuing 'The Voice UK' on ITV and being a voice of direction and guidance for the usual suspects ...I know 'The Voice' switched to ITV, but I'm not going to Brexit 'The Voice UK'. I'm happy to make ITV my home now. I love the UK."
The 'Boys & Girls' hitmaker - who has been a coach on the show since its UK debut in 2012 - will also serve as a panellist on spin-off 'The Voice Kids' when it starts in 2017.
Siobhan Green, head of entertainment at ITV, said: "We are thrilled to bits that will.i.am's signed up to ITV for 'The Voice UK' and 'The Voice Kids'. He's such an important part of the DNA of the show and that was one of the many reasons we had to have him in his chair.
"will's eye for talent, and unique and creative flair for mentoring means we can't wait to see what happens next."
Ricky Wilson has quit the show to go back on tour with his band The Kaiser Chiefs and Paloma Faith previously hinted that she isn't planning to return.


text:
Attending the Fab Academy in Barcelona, I document each week of intense learning as I come across new digital fabrication techniques.
This documentation is as much a report of what I do as a reflection on why I do so, and will hopefully guide me back to Oceania to spread and make good use of the knowledge gathered along the path.
--- summary of the assignment ---
Make an in-circuit programmer by milling the PCB (program it, so that you can use it to program your board in Electronics Design week, and in other weeks). Optionally, trying other processes.
what I did :
From a designed circuit board, I generated, milled and stuffed a programer.
Learning outcomes :
15.02.18 / We are diving into the reduced-scale world of resistance, capacitors and led. The timing is ideal, since the festival of light is on in Barcelona, an annual event in Poblenou which will keep the barrio awake at night using tons of electronics and LED. I keep on walking past many setups around the area, preparing for this weekend's festivities:
At home, I have fed my obsession for lattice "living" hinge systems. I like how the material itself can be "reprogrammed" to accept distortion. It is in many ways superior than adding connectors or hinges. I cut a few samples on both cardboard and plywood for testing purposes :
I have also moved on with the design of the green wall and think of using a cone made out of cardboard or plywood. I seek a way to calculate the flat shape which, once put together, will make a perfect cone :
I have reviewed my overall planning for the next months. Going through weekly assignments requires time, I must drop my expectations about working on my final project straight away. I decide to develop a working prototype first, learning different techniques as the program unfolds. After a few months, I hopefully will be more comfortable and faster with these tools, and able to develop the content for the educational project. I have also heard back from Laura Cipriani, and I am looking forward for our future chat.
In the last two days, we have covered two introductory classes about electronics, one about production, the other covering general concepts around computers and electronics. We have discussed coding languages, different types of microcontrollers and more.
On the same day we have had an intro of Grasshopper, Firefly and other plugins. I am looking forward to follow these tutorials soon. My end goal behind using Grasshopper is to design my green wall into a fully parametric design, defining the number of plants and size of each individual location according to how much space is available in the projected space.
16.02.18 / Joris and I are meeting up early to get used to the PCB cutting workflow. Joris has been personalising his PCB yesterday and he is ready to etch and cut it. We discover that the PCB from yesterday's lesson has been left in the milling machine already etched. We take the opportunity to finish the job and cut it out. But first, I get aquainted again with the set of tools available :
The precision milling machine we will use for the next few months is an monofab SRM-20 from Roland which manual can be found here It has a maximum axe operation of 203.2 x 152.4 x 60.5 mm and an adjustable rotation speed up to 7000rpm.This is quite impressive for a compact (451.0 x 426.6 x 426.2 mm) desktop machine. It will prove to be one of the most reliable machine of the lab.
When changing the end mill, there is a small risk of dropping it and breaking it. To get around that, Joris uses a roll of tape to pad the potential area of crash. We fit in a larger - 1/32 - end mill, launch the file designed to cut the outline out and soon after, we get our first PCB:
It is now time for Joris to etch and cut his own. I am tagging along. We are going to use the material already in place. Joris loads his design and begins the cut. We soon get to realise that the cut does not go through the whole layer of copper:
We must adjust the position of the origin on the z-axis. To do so, we select a space where there is no board, go to the origin on the z-axis, drop the position of the tool by 0.02mm, then reset the origin:
The rest of the cut goes as expected. Interestingly, due to either the PCB design or the settings for the z-axis, the tracing on Joris PCB is thiner than the initial design:
I leave the electronic room for now to run cutting and rastering tests on the laser cutter. I wish to have reference sheets for cardboard and plywood for future projects. I already have enough information about cardboard to immediately etch and cut a final reference. On plywood however, I spend time finding the right setting to get the strongest contrast possible when engraving without any traces of burns.
To do so, I initially increase the power. Once I reach the maximum setting, I drop the speed drastically. I get a result with a burnt area, so I slowly walk by way back towards faster speed. I finally get a satisfying result.
For these cuts and raster, I keep the frequency low on recommendation of Mikel. He mentions that any organic material should be cut with a low frequency to avoid catching on fire. I am also being shown a document that was hidden from us, with basic recommendations for many materials. That is a nice present to finish the week.
Joris invites me to visit a graphic design and animation school recently opened in the area. It is a new branch of a school already set up in Perpignan, where Joris has set up his Fablab. This school is absolutely sparkling, the entire building, a former printing facility, apparently the biggest one in Europe 30 years ago, has been entirely refurbished. At a larger scale, It is the whole district of Poblenou that is slowly victim of gentrification. However, with many recycling facilities around, it still keeps a very rough, industrial touch.
After a short presentation from other students, we get the vinyl cutter out to flock a few t-shirts. We are going to use a GX-24 vinyl cutter which manual can be found here. This model was first released in May 2005 and has proven to be the proud successor of 17 years of reliable and cost-effective machine for " ... producing banners, vehicle graphics, pinstriping, store displays, point-of-purchase materials, informational signs, backlit displays, flock heat transfers, stencils, and almost any other cut vinyl graphic.".
Now that I have been introduced to some concepts commun to all CNC machines, the vinyl cutter seems intuitive. We load the material, which width is automatically detected by the machine. We run a few tests (there is a button entirely dedicated to it, how convenient!) until the depth of the cut is set up correctly. We then run a second test with a text, which, apart from the flocking stage, is successful.
It is time to make my own TShirt. I find a black and white silhouette on the web, modify some bits and pieces and turn it into a vector using Inkscape. Copying and pasting from Inkscape to Cut Studio, my design is ready to be fed to the blade. The only unusual extra step is to "get the width" from the cutter, ensuring our design will fit in width.
While the cutting works fine, I struggle to flock my tshirt correctly. somehow I cannot seem to get the right temperature rise for the correct duration. The design tends to stick to the plastic rather than the fabric. I cut an extra shape to try it out later on at home.
Meanwhile outside, the festival of light has begun, and I get sucked into the crowd, drifting from one installation to the other. I notice than the installation of Natalie Jeremijenko has been relocated in a community garden in Poblenou, extending the duration of her formal exhibition at the CCCB. Her emblematic design, a red cross, is easy to spot and remember.
18.02.18 / Another menu for the website is overdue. After a few weeks, the content has grown expotentially, and the reader must have faster access to each week. So far, readers must scrool down a page to get access to the next week.
As a shortcut, I will add a sub-menu to the menu I already have, and give it a polish. I find an example of drop-down menu. I add it to a test-page, and give it identical visual identity as the rest of the page:
I populate the menu with all sub-menus required. I wish to keep the menu as minimal as possible, so I make the menu icon the top of the hierarchy. It will be the only thing showing when the reader scrolls down. When hovering, the reader will have access to 3 options : "about", "final project" and "daily updates".
Each week requires its own link, therefore I need a sub-sub-menu under daily update. Studying the code, I create a new class called "subsubmenu" and generate a new menu under the current menu. This way, the reader is not overwhelmed with links as soon as she/he/they hover over the icon menu.
Similarly to the former menu, I relocate the new menu onto the top right-hand corner of the page. This location has become the current norm for menus, and is out of the normal reading direction (according to "universal principles of design", a diagonal traced from the upper-left-hand cormer to the bottom right-hand corner).
Finally, I add a slighlty opaque background to maximise the readability of the menu and create a clear separation with the rest of the content.
Although I have added increment from the right-hand side, The text does not look organised. The fact that each line is individualy aligned with the right-hand side creates a steps-like effect, and it makes it difficult to grasp the organisational layers. I decide to center the menu. To me, it looks more natural.
I encounter small bumps on the way. For example, it takes me a while to understand the source of the indent in my menus. I realise that my menus are lists, and, by default, lists have indents. I get rid of this by specifying it in the code, getting rid of the default style of the list ("list-style: none;").
Since the menu is "fixed", It cannot be scrolled down. This is an issue since I have to fit one sub-menu for each week, and they are 18 of them. Therefore I decide to add a scroll bar to the sub-sub-menu. The style of the scroll bar by default does not fit the style of my website though. I find a description of personalised scroll bar, import and adjust it to fit my website.
The menu is ready, and I copy-paste it to all pages of my website. I have looked into a way to propagate a single piece of code to many webpage, but the only smart way I found was in php, which is not acceptable for security reason, according to the Fab Academy Gurus.
I also look at the website on my phone, and it is barely usable. My website is not responsive. It is a problem, I keep it for later.
19.02.18 / I draft a funding application for Fab Lab Akld. In collaboration with other charity organisations and a hackerspace, we put together an application to get some money and buy the basic tools for the lab : laser cutter, CNC machine, etc. A Fab Lab seems to match the focuses of this funding: young people, education and digital enablement. I previously approached The Spark Foundation for a smaller-scale project: setting up a small-scale, mobile Fabrication Lab.
Back to the Northen Hemisphere. As a group, we are going to test the limits of the PCB milling machine. By cutting the design below, we can test the definition of our machine :
Firstly, we import the .png into the fabmodules website. Then we specify the output format - here a Roland milling machine (.rml). For the traces, in the process dropdown menu, we specify the type of end mill used, here a 1/64inch (0.4mm) wide end mill:
then, after checking the size of the board, we specify the starting point of the milling process. Here, we want the origin of our milling process to be equivalent to the origin we will set up on the machine itself, therefore : "0,0,0".
Once the milling end, the end mill will go back to its neutral position. The trajectory between the last point cut and the neutral position might go straight through the board. To avoid the end mill and board to be damaged, we set up an extra translation upwards, ensuring the end mill is fully away from the board before heading back to its neutral position:
As an extra finishing touch, we could ensure the extra area of copper present on top of the board are etched. However, it extends the cutting time, therefore we decide to go with the number of offset by default:
We calculate and save the g-code for this cut. We can already see that below a specific value, the end mill is not able to follow the initial design.
Using similar workflow, we prepare the cut of the outline. A few settings differ :
we are saving our .rml files to the IAAC Cloud and head to the milling machine. This time I am in charge of operating the machine, and help the rest of the group. We select a board and verify it is straight, then stick it to a sacrificial layer using the same weak double-sided tape as with Joris.
We then load our cutting tool - 1/64 - and tighten it gently. We align the end mill a few millimeter away from the bottom left-hand corner of the board and set up our x/y axis. We then slowly move the end mill down until a few millimeters away from the stock, unlock the cutting tool to gently let it rest on the board. This is our origin on the z-axis, and all cuts will dive into the material from there. We lock the cutting tool again and raise it a bit to avoid it to scratch the board while being moved on the x or y axis.
Now the calibration is done, we prepare the machine for the cut. First we drop the speed and ensure the spindle is at full power. Dropping the speed will give us some time to check whether the cut is deep enough to go through the layer of copper. We then load our file and start the cut.
Pausing the cut and using the View command, we notice that, similar to what I experienced with Joris, the cut is not going fully through the layer of copper. We have two options : modifying the depth of the cut in the .rml file or dropping the origin of the machine on the z-axis, lying to it in order to cut a little deeper.
Since we are all gathered around the machine, we choose the second option. This time, we pretend that the board is as large as the cutting area, and therefore we have to mill down to set up the origin on the z-axis deeper. We switch the spindle on and slowly cut through the material, dropping the end mill at -0.1mm. We set up the new origin on the z-axis there, move back up and restart a new cut. This time, it goes through the layer of copper just fine. We are aware that the end mill, being quite deep into the material, might experience more side-pressure than intended, so we keep the speed low.
We then cut the outline of the test. Before doing so, we reset the origin of the z-axis back to its initial position. It cuts straight through. However one side was not calculated correctly by fabModules, so we simply unclip it out of the board.
We can clearly see the limitation of the machine. What can be taken from this? The top line shows the minimum distance required for two traces to be correctly separated by a cut. We can see that under .015, with our current setting, the precision milling machine can not cut this separation.
The bottom line tests the minimum thickness required for a trace. Under 0.010, after I clean up the board by scratching it gently to get rid of residues of copper, traces do not keep their integrity.
To sum it up, with this machine, and using these tools, I must keep my traces thickness over 0.010 with a separation of at least 0.015.
While I am in possession of the precision-drilling machine, I follow the same procedure for the ISP I selected , cutting out the circuit on a left-over with just enough space. I follow the same two-steps : tracing the circuit with the 1/64 end mill and cutting the outline with the 1/32 cutting tool.
20.02.18 / Let's put the pieces of the puzzle together. At the soldering station, I select and gather all microscopic components which will be required, as well as the basic soldering kit : solder station, 2-in-1 magnifying glass and lamp, some braid and a few test boards. I quickly make a third hand and gather some blue-tac to stick my board to the table.
I warm up on the test boards, reading a few articles describing the 101 of soldering. As this scale, materials heat up and cool down rapidly, and it seems that the laws of gravity and friction are challenging the natural order. I then move on to solder my board, helped by the excellent documentation available to put the right component at the right location in the right direction.
As a side-note, I have followed the recommendation from many tutors to have my coffee after soldering. unbeknownst as to whether this measure made any difference, I end up mounting all components on the board:
It is time to program the board for future use. During the preliminary testing, the programmer I connect my board to, a AMR mk2, blinks orange, meaning there is a short circuit happening somewhere. I start looking for short-circuits, testing every possible connection starting from the pin header and expanding outwards, using the documentation as a guide:
After trying every combinations possible, I still cannot locate the short-circuit. I re-test by board and, miraculously, the light is now green. I guess I can move on to the programming stage.
My own computer is a Wacom Mobile studio, running on Windows, with fancy next-generation USB ports which fits with nothing currently existing. Ilias offers his computer, with Ubuntu as an operating system. We set up the firmware together, specifying the ISP we use. Then, I scrupulously follow the steps described in the documentation, flashing my board, then testing the fuses, and finally turning my board into a proper programer. The last step is to get rid of the extra solder on the board so that it cannot be programed anymore :
These steps have never been explained to us so I refer to another student's documentation more advanced in electronics to find out. Makefile is required to have our type of programer selected and recognised as such by other devices. We then bootload the programer and set the fuses so this board will use the external clock (crystal). We finally disable the reset function so this programmer will never be reprogramed - it will become a programer forever.
I have now a new ISP programmer ready to go. I am looking forward to dive deeper into electronics later on to better grasp the nuts and bolts of it.
21.02.18 / To begin a new week, I tweak the website to make comments on picture easier to read :
I also proofread my daily updates of the very first week at the fab academy.
20.06.18 / LAST MINUTE ADDITIONe Here is a picture of the programer connected to a computer, and later on used to troubleshoot and bootlaod my Hello board :

domain: hobby


text:
I left Nizhny Novgorod after a 25 hour stay in the city. I had moderated a panel discussion there, having managed not to fall from my squeaky barstool onto the stage, had admired the Kremlin, climbed up to the fortress and down to the water’s edge, encountered a large, well-fed cat with a red neckband that had plopped down right in front of me onto the sidewalk, wanting to be pet, taken my breakfast looking out onto the River Oka, alongside a statue of Lenin that was pointing right at me.
Now, I come back to my senses – I’m good to go.
At the airport, I get out my passport for inspection and, after flipping open the passport book cover with the flying girl with the suitcase and starting to leaf through the dog-eared pages, I begin to think: this travel document of mine, which I was issued 18 years ago, has endured and survived. It’s nearly 20 years old; in two years, I’ll get a new one. All in all, this passport’s alive and kicking. It has survived trips to many cities and airports, rain and other forms of precipitation, as well as one car accident. Not once did it get tossed in a washing machine. I looked at the issue date – June 2003 – and thought about all the things that had happened since then.
18 years add up to an entire life, plenty of time to mature – from birth to entering adulthood and gaining one’s freedom – freedom to leave, to travel, to express yourself. A time span when decisions are made, a time of feelings, of long and short acquaintances with people, landscapes and ideas.
18 years – what do they add up to, and what will remain? Over the next 18 years, what will become important? What precisely makes us human, and which parts of humanity will not fade? How can I recognise, understand and hold on to the universal pattern that lies beyond those short-lived events and news items, or beyond feelings and emotions, that endures as calmly as the landscape that I see through my cabin window, as we gain altitude after taking off? I see darker and lighter green tracts of land, along with the white or silver reflection of a large river – winding off into the distance before splitting in two and then merging again.
My friend Alexey Kokorin, an atmospheric physicist, often mentions that rivers in the northern hemisphere generally flow from north to south, or from south to north, and because of the earth’s rotation they always flow a little off to the side, so to speak. That’s why the left riverbank is always flat, while the right is almost always raised. You can even demonstrate this using an apple. It’s not that easy getting a total view of earth from space – there are photographs, and good photographs at that – but you can’t touch or turn over the earth on a photograph.
Frank Gaudlitz, a German photographic artist, is currently preparing to take a trip through Russia, in a modified UAZ Patriot equipped with a solar panel, a shower, a kitchen, a multi-cooker and two cots. A few days ago, Frank was telling me about a similar trip he took through South America. He often thought about how many of the landscapes had not changed since Alexander von Humboldt beheld them: they looked at him, and he looked back at them.
Many lives, generations, families and nations have come and gone against the backdrop of those landscapes. People have moved, built, destroyed, planted, looked at the mountains, volcanoes and rivers, excavated earth, drew water, and demarcated borders. Frank photographed many people who live there today. And that’s exactly what he will do during his trip through Russia. His South America photobook contains nearly one hundred portraits of people standing self-confidently in their houses or apartments, wearing a wide range of clothing, in different poses, with various hairstyles and totally different personalities.
“Do you remember all of them?” I asked him. “Some, yes, and we are even still in touch; but of course I don’t remember everyone. When you interact with so many people and have travelled to all those places, you have to be able to let go, so that you make room for new experiences,” he replied. I nodded and continued to sip my black tea from a large juice glass – the only glasses that came with his Airbnb apartment. While we were talking, we’d forgotten to take the teabags out – so they steeped too long and were too strong for an evening cup of tea. But our conversation continued. The sound of cars drifted up from Grivtsova Lane. We closed the window, to keep the sounds of the city from interfering with our recording.
We spoke a lot about how to survive in such a diverse world, about ways to understand and make sense of the world’s tangled landscapes, places and stories. Because there’s simply no way to keep all these stories in your head or write them down. But they do make up the fabric of life, from which I – or he – can pick out one thread, keep spinning it for ourselves, or tie special knots with it, so as to show other people and the world: “Here’s what I found, heard, recorded, photographed – that’s how it was. As early as tomorrow, it will have passed.”
Frank will be turning 63 soon. He says this may be his last big trip. In future, he wants to spend more time in his house in Brandenburg, plant a garden, watch the plants he has planted slowly grow and change, embedded in a landscape that itself changes slowly, like when you look out of an airplane window or from an elevation. “Sometimes,” he says, “you have to take pause and stop what you’re doing. Sometimes I read the books of authors I used to love, and I realise that at some point they stop writing things that are of interest for the world; they write instead about their desires and phobias; this is good from a therapeutic standpoint, but it’s just not that interesting for me.”
Three years earlier, also during the summer, I had encountered a different Frank. He was a representative of a German political foundation and had travelled to Saint Petersburg with a group of active senior citizens. They wanted to learn more about the country and the city, in a person-to-person way. I spoke to the group at length about myself, my life at this time, and I spoke about this great personal story that’s not always apparent, but shrouded behind a wall of headlines and news stories. Afterwards, we spent a few hours just the two of us, Frank telling me about his life and me telling him about mine. He, too, was nearly 60. He had been born and raised in the GDR, had worked as a car mechanic, and had tried on several occasions to flee. On his eleventh attempt, he finally succeeded. After arriving in the Federal Republic, he embarked on a new career and started his training as a labour union leader. It was a long journey.
“So how does 40 feel different from 60?” I asked him at the time. He said it was his desire to have a garden, to grow plants, flowers, vegetables and fruit. It’s not so easy noticing small daily changes and keeping an eye on how flowers close their blossoms at night, or when a zucchini suddenly emerges from a bud, or when the first shoots rise up out of the ground and for reasons inexplicable stretch upwards toward the light, outside, into the world.
I think back to the dacha of my childhood, to watering the plants every evening, to the red currant bushes and the apple trees, each of which had a uniquely shaped trunk – I compared them to my relatives’ bodies. In many ways, my conversation with this Frank reminded me of my experiences in California. We had grown tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, peaches and figs. We picked the high-hanging wild oranges with a special stick. We juiced pomegranates, watched how rapidly the giant sunflowers grew (the birds ate almost all of the seeds) and even managed to grow a mouse melon plant. Today, I no longer have access to a garden; I am, however, moving into a new apartment that looks out onto a green courtyard, and it is close to an apple orchard.
I often think of a poem by W. H. Auden, “Who’s who”. It’s about two worlds, one in which one lives an active life, fighting one’s battles – and another in which one spends calm, reflective time at home, tending one’s garden ….
I was fascinated by this division of life into two worlds – on the one hand, travel, adventure, stepping out onto life’s stage, with lively words and deeds, energy, a spark in one’s eyes, embracing personal change and the world’s ebb and flow. On the other hand, quiet contemplation of garden life, making garden tools, observing how the evening light reflects off the house’s yellow wall, the sleepy mood of early nightfall, with the first stars appearing to an acoustic backdrop of insects, the abandoned road in a small town with small houses, cookie-cutter gardens and parked cars, which all people have abandoned once darkness falls and where the only living creature is the occasional raccoon.
I have always felt attracted to this first world, just like the last work-packed 25 hours in Nizhny Novgorod: lots of people, brief conversations, an auditorium, presentations, phone calls, a stage, dressing rooms, lights, a microphone, not enough hands to get everything done, a little nervous at first but then I start to make jokes and laugh, climb up and down stairs, grab a quick coffee, rush to get my flight, discuss other plans all the way to the airport, organise some other thing, send someone somewhere, jot things down in my planner.
A plane provides the time and space that is needed for a second format – call it a garden format, if you will. A place to lean back, look down at the earth through the cabin window, listen to music you haven’t heard for a long time – and compose this text.
Quite possibly, instead of the two figures in Auden’s poem being two different people, they are one. Where one side is always striving to be the other. Sometimes, the two sides coexist in unified time, and sometimes one is in the past, while the other is in the present. Switching from one to the other is a journey, too. Filled with geographic, botanical and other discoveries.
I hope that Frank’s journey through Russia will be a complete success. I look forward to our conversation a year from now.
About the author:
Angelina Davydova specializes in economic and political aspects of global and Russian climate policy, and has been covering the UN climate negotiations since 2008. She activley writes about the environment and contributes to Russian and international media as a journalist.
Published on February 2, 2022.


text:
Export controls can control not only the export of physical goods, but also the ‘intangibles’ associated with controlled items. Continue reading Can’t touch it, can’t see it? It’s still subject to export controls.
At least five Iranian companies designated by the European Union and other sanctions regimes for supporting Iran’s nuclear programme are advertising as suppliers on the NYSE-listed Alibaba Group’s Internet trading platform alibaba.com, Project Alpha has discovered. Continue reading Alibaba’s compliance challenge, part II: Iranian nuclear procurers
This paper considers how to strengthen United Nations Security Council sanctions which have been imposed on States that sponsor proliferation. Continue reading Strengthening UN sanctions on proliferators – lessons from the UN Panels of Experts
Alpha has spent a great deal of time working with manufacturers and exporters of proliferation-sensitive goods in order to reduce the risks that their products will reach programmes of concern. This work is important – for example, see the recent case study involving MKS instruments. However, it is not only goods that are shipped from a factory that present proliferation risks: goods sold via distributors and second hand items can also. Continue reading Procurement of Pressure Transducer via Ebay From China
Li Fang Wei and LIMMT
In 2009, Li Fang Wei and his Dalian (China) based LIMMT trading company were indicted by a court in New York (USA) on 118 counts of falsifying business records in order to use US financial institutions to receive payments for proliferation-sensitive goods transferred to Iran and other locations. This procurement case study seeks to provide industry with a concise example of the forms that illicit procurement can take. Continue reading Li Fang Wei and LIMMT
The government of Switzerland has prevented the export of ski lifts to North Korea. The Swiss government is believed to have taken this decision in line with the UN Security Council resolutions prohibition on the import of Luxury goods. Continue reading North Korea Sanctions: Swiss Government Prevents Ski Lift Sale
Illicit Procurement of a Fluid Control Product
· The robustness of the export compliance systems of distributors is key to preventing proliferation. The lack of awareness held by the stockist about export licensing requirements was shocking; it was Company C’s reputation at risk too.
· Buyers may pursue products with a lower technical specification if it might mean that they can avoid the control list. Companies should be fully aware of their products potential uses and full end-user checks should be carried out to mitigate this risk.
During the cold war, the Soviet Union engaged in a highly organised and sustained effort to procure sensitive technologies from abroad to advance its conventional military programmes. This procurement case study seeks to draw lessons from the Toshiba-Kongsberg case to highlight the financial and reputational risks posed to companies by their subsidiaries and business partners if adequate compliance systems are not in place; it also seeks to draw attention to the potential consequences for broader international security of illicit transfers. Continue reading The Toshiba-Kongsberg Case
Project Alpha researcher Daniel Salisbury published a piece with Susan Martin and David Takacs on The Conversation entitled ‘Chemical weapons and trade: preventing the next Syria’. Continue reading Chemical Weapons And Trade: Preventing The Next Syria
As a leading manufacturer of capacitance manometers, an item used to measure near-vacuum pressures in semiconductor, pharmaceutical or advanced coating processes, MKS products are perhaps the best example of a dual-use ‘chokepoint technology’ – an item without which some forms of gaseous uranium enrichment could falter or even be set back. Continue reading Preventing the Diversion of Sensitive Vacuum Measuring Equipment

domain: economics


Created on 2009-11-02 18:17:00
My notebook computer won’t go into hibernation after installing AP2700. I’m using the PCMCIA (PC Card) adapter to connect to my SYS-2722 analyzer.
The apibnt.sys driver for the PCMCIA card interface prevents the computer from entering hibernation. This is an issue for all computers running APWIN, AP2700, or ATS software that use the PCMCIA adapter. There are two ways to solve this issue, short of turning off hibernation.
1) Replace the PCMCIA interface with an AP USB-APIB Adapter. This adapter works with System Two Cascade / Cascade Plus / 2700 Series or ATS-2 instruments, and requires AP2700 v3.30 or ATS v1.60 or higher. It will not work with System One or System Two (pre Cascade).
2) Temporarily disable the PCMCIA card driver when not running the AP software, by following these steps:
1. Go to Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > System and click on the Device Manager button.
2. Go to View, and select Show Hidden devices.
3. The category "Non-Plug and Play Drivers" will be shown. Expand it, locate the apibnt driver, and double click on it.
4. Go to the driver tab. Click the Stop button, and change the Startup Type to Disabled.
5. To re-enable the driver, click the Start button and change the Startup Type to Automatic.


Apple is set to host its annual developer conference, WWDC 2023, on June 5. Typically, at WWDC, the company showcases next-gen operating systems for its iPhones, Mac computers, Apple Watch, iPads, and Apple TV. However, once in a while, the company unveils new hardware to keep the buzz alive. Notable Apple analyst and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims Apple will launch “several new Macs” next week. We have already seen the introduction of the new-gen M2-powered MacBook this year, though they were mostly soft launches (without any events). At the upcoming WWDC keynote, Apple is also expected to unveil a Reality headset – the company’s first AR/VR headset.
The same update is reiterated by Gurman in his latest tweet. The post reads, “I’m expecting three major focus areas next week: 1) several new Macs, 2) the mixed-reality headset, 3) the new OSs. With all of the new hardware and software, I expect the keynote to be one of Apple’s longest ever and easily exceed two hours.”
An Apple analyst earlier reported that Apple may launch a new 15-inch MacBook Air with an M2 SoC. It could be similar to the existing MacBook Air 13 with M2, but with a bigger body and likely a larger body. It means the laptop would feature a metal chassis and a non-touch LED display. Despite an LED display panel, the new MacBook Air may offer a native resolution of 2560×1664 pixels and 500nits brightness. Apple may also add an upgraded 1080p FaceTime camera and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity support. Due to a laptop’s large design, Apple may consider adding a bigger battery with faster charging support.
Gurman had also reported about Apple planning to launch an updated 13-inch MacBook Air, an entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro, a refreshed 24-inch iMac, the first Mac Pro with in-house chips, and an updated high-end MacBook Pro this year. We can expect the company to unveil one of these products at the upcoming WWDC.
Additionally, Apple is expected to launch its first AR/VR headset, dubbed to be called Reality Pro. The device is expected to look similar to existing VR headsets, which are akin to ski goggles. However, Apple may boast the device’s build quality and weight. The company is also reportedly working on a dedicated operating system for the headset. Several reports have pointed out that Apple might eventually kill the iPhone with AR glasses in the next few years. The Reality Pro headset is a stepping stone into that reality.
Other than the hardware, we will get a look at the new iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS. Details remain unclear, though Apple may add new privacy features to stand out against rivals.


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Maitre Hazem Ksouri, Tunisian lawyer and President of Free Tunisia Association has commented that the NGO feels vey worried about the situation of violence that is damaging Tunisia and its people due to ideological-religious intolerance by certain groups, with violent attitudes and acts contrary to human rights, at their most basic level, like every individual’s right to life.
These acts have recently culminated in with the recent treacherous assassination of the political leader Mohamed Brahmi.
And now in the past few days it has leaked to the media that there is an attempt to assassinate Dr. Olfa Youssef as a means to disarticulate the feminist movement in Tunisia on the occasion of Women s Day, because women are now the bulwark against wahhabism violence in Tunisia.
Not enough with attacking courageous women struggling for their freedom, it also leaked to the media that there is another assassination attempt, and this time against the poet Mohamed El Saghir Ouled Ahmed because of his addressing presidents and kings of the world exposing the project of the Renaissance Movement which aims to destroy the modern Tunisian State.
Free Tunisia Association is a NGO strongly convinced that a non-violent perspective humanizes´-or-softens the nature of the demanding fulfillment of rights, therefore it condems these criminal acts, because it considers that only through non-violence and dialogue the country can achieve a social change, towards a healthy democratic system.
"Non-violence is the constant awareness of the dignity and humanity of oneself and others--;-- it seeks truth and justice--;-- it renounces violence both in method and in attitude--;-- it is a courageous acceptance of active love and goodwill as the instrument with which to overcome evil and transform both oneself and others. It is the willingness to undergo suffering rather than inflict it. It excludes retaliation and flight."-- Wally Nelson, conscientious objector, civil rights activist--


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Midway Lanes in Mandan is accepting gifts and donations on behalf of RJR Maintenance and Management, where four bodies were found Monday morning as victims of homicide.
Mandan Police Chief Jason Ziegler on Tuesday identified the deceased as 52-year-old Robert Fakler, 42-year-old Adam Fuehrer, 45-year-old Lois Cobb and her husband, 50-year-old William Cobb.
Fakler was RJR's owner. The others were employees. Police have not released how they died.
Darin Helbling, manager of Midway Lanes nearby, said he's keeping a room available for RJR all this week. The public may drop off gifts and donations from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day through Friday, he said.
"I'm hoping businesses, companies, people drop stuff off for them," Helbling said as RJR employees and family members met Tuesday at Midway.
Helbling said he hopes RJR employees can use the space for meetings, food and gifts. He provided them with refreshments on Tuesday.
"Everything's free-flowing for them today," Helbling said.
Employees of RJR declined to be interviewed.
"No one will be making any comments, of the company or the family, right now," an RJR employee said.
RJR, a property management business just off Memorial Highway in Mandan, posted about the donation site on Facebook Tuesday morning.
"The support of our community has been an absolutely overwhelming experience. We are so thankful for all of you who lift our spirits in this time," RJR's update said.
One Mandan police car sat outside RJR early Tuesday afternoon as employees walked back from Midway Lanes.
RJR remained closed Tuesday, but in a subsequent Facebook post Tuesday, said it will be open 8 a.m. Wednesday.
"We will be spending this time discussing our process to move forward and grieve the great losses," another post said.


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A lonely factory worker's sexual fantasies come to life in this hardcore journey of desire and neon-soaked dreams
Fantastical sexual exploits that infuse hardcore reveries with surprising tenderness help lonely factory worker Sandro (Leandro Faria Lelo) pass the long days and scorching heat of inland Brazil’s dry summer season in writer-director Daniel Nolasco pulsating, neon-infused Tom of Finland-come-to-life wonderland of a film. Despite a meaningful friendship with a sharply observant colleague and an occasional lunchtime hook-up with a gorgeous young co-worker, Sandro longs for something more. When the leather-clad, muscle-bound Maicon (Rafael Theophilo) rolls into town, Sandro’s passion is inflamed, and takes him to places he’d only previously dared imagine. Exploring the fine line between innocent admiration and all-consuming desire, the film beckons viewers to dream just a little harder. This film contains sexually explicit content.
Cast: Leandro Faria Lelo, Allan Jacinto Santana, Renata Carvalho, Rafael Theophilo, Del Neto, Larissa Sisterolli, Marcelo D’Avilla, Leo Moreira Sá
Writer: Daniel Nolasco
Part of The 32nd Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival
Presented in partnership with Latin Reel and SCRUFF/Perry Street Software


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based on the novel by Johnston McCulley
dramatized by Yuri Rasovsky
studio performance by a full cast starring Val Kilmer
and featuring Ruth Livier, Elizabeth Peña, Armin Shimerman and Meshach Taylor
Ⓟ 2010, Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Zorro, a masked figure whose mission it is is to vindicate the poor and oppressed, cuts a romantic figure against the landscape of Spanish California, circa 1806.* The governor, Luis Quintero and a local garrison commander, Captain Ramon, are corrupt martinets who disenfranchise the wealthiest and most respected families and cheat and abuse the poor - all in order to consolidate their political influence, shore up their family bloodlines and enrich themselves. Zorro tracks these villains down to redress social injustice. Exactly who Zorro is and why he must go about his missions disguised is not explained in the story; but the listener is treated to a swashbuckling tale on the order of Robin Hood :-)
Armin Shimerman (who is perhaps best known for his television work as Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Principal Snyder on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) opens the narrative from a bartender's point of view. With a story like Zorro, an iconic adventure tale that has not been innocent of advancing certain Mexican stereotypes, there is the danger of rendering the story from a cartoonish and politically incorrect voice; but Armin Shimmerman tiptoes to the edge of this caricature without giving offense and sets the tone for a fun tale of adventure and romance.
Val Kilmer (memorable for his roles as Batman in the movie, Batman Returns and Doc Holliday in the movie, Tombstone) performs the roles of two characters: the fopish Don Diego and, of course the daring Zorro himself. Val Kilmer never pulls any punches: Always delivering his lines with the verve, slyness, humor or meekness as his roles demand. His performance (and his innate sexiness and talent) make it easy to see him, in the mind's eye, as Zorro!
The supporting cast, which includes a voice familiar to many audio book aficionados - Stefan Rudnicki as the friar, all step up and complete the picture that this audio drama draws. The Mark of Zorro is slickly produced: At times it feels like the live soundtrack to a movie! The sound effects are artfully edited in and the musical scoring for the most part works (There was one scene in which Classical music plays under Lolita's lines that didn't add anything, seemed out of place and was distracting.) This was a studio production and the producers had the luxury of providing all the audio cues to prompt the listener into this world. The Mark of Zorro is an enormous amount of fun! It doesn't succumb to cheesiness, there are a number of laugh-out-loud moments and, is family friendly :-)
*Being unfamiliar with Californian history and, as the story does not provide a specific time frame, I referenced The Legacy of the Fox: A Chronology of Zorro by Matthew Baugh with updates by Win Eckert, a fan-created web-site.
Other Stuff: The Mark of Zorro (based in the novel by Johnston McCulley; dramatized by Yuri Rasovsky; performed by a full cast starring Val Kilmer and featuring Ruth Livier, Elizabeth Peña, Armin Shimerman and Meshach Taylor) qualifies for:
I received a MP3-CD copy of The Mark of Zorro (based in the novel by Johnston McCulley; dramatized by Yuri Rasovsky; performed by a full cast starring Val Kilmer and featuring Ruth Livier, Elizabeth Peña, Armin Shimerman and Meshach Taylor) from Blackstone Audio, Inc. under reviewer auspices. The copy I received has a corrected cover from the web image above (Johnston McCulley's last name is misspelled on the cover art image featured on web-sites.) I had no involvement in the production of The Mark of Zorro (based in the novel by Johnston McCulley; dramatized by Yuri Rasovsky; performed by a full cast starring Val Kilmer and featuring Ruth Livier, Elizabeth Peña, Armin Shimerman and Meshach Taylor.) I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.


Hundreds detained as Beijing gears up for crucial party meeting
Hundreds of Chinese citizens converging on Beijing to air their grievances have been detained as authorities intensify security before the Communist Party of China (CPC) begins a sensitive party meeting over the weekend, reports said.world Updated: Nov 08, 2013 02:35 IST
Hundreds of Chinese citizens converging on Beijing to air their grievances have been detained as authorities intensify security before the Communist Party of China (CPC) begins a sensitive party meeting over the weekend, reports said.
The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee will be held in Beijing between November 9 and 12 and is expected to set the tone for China's development and reform in the next decade.
President Xi Jinping, also the CPC general secretary, will be chairing the meetings along with the top members of the CPC including the six members of the elite standing committee of the CPC politburo.
Historically, the third Plenum has been the platform for announcing far-reaching economic reforms including the opening up of the Chinese economy in the late ‘70s.
For many Chinese citizens from across the vast country with huge rural swathes, the gathering of the top leadership in Beijing provides them an opportunity to speak out of their troubles.
But hundreds of individuals have been detained from precisely doing that as authorities see them as examples of social instability and having the potential to disrupt or at least cast a shadow of unease over the secretive and sensitive CPC meeting.
“Police and officials have already detained or intercepted more than 300 former People's Liberation Army (PLA) officers who were hoping to have their cases heard ahead of the third plenary session,” a Radio Free Asia (RFA) report said.
“Basically, more than 300 people have been sent home under escort, while more than 1,000 are under tight surveillance or house arrest by authorities in all cities, provinces and autonomous regions,” Sun Enwei, a PLA veteran from the eastern province of Zhejiang, told RFA's Mandarin Service.
Many petitioners were allegedly rounded up by police and taken to Majialou, an unofficial detention center on the outskirts of the capital this week, Xu Lingyong, a disabled petitioner from the northern province of Shaanxi, said.
“They used security guards and police officers to force us onto buses,” he told RFA , adding: “They are clearing all those who come from other cities and provinces out of Beijing.”
A similar rounding up of people with grievances is done before every important meeting of the CPC. With social unrest apparently on the rise, the government is not willing to take a chance.
Security has evidently been tightened in the city with more security personnel seen patrolling the streets, bus, subway and railway stations. Sniffer dogs have also been deployed at many crowded parts of Beijing.
Following last week’s Tiananmen attack, guest houses and hotels have also been directed to be on alert for “suspicious” guests.