Local developers are taking another shot at redeveloping the Colorado National Guard Armory site in north Boulder.
Bruce Dierking's Circle D Companies and Jim Loftus' Loftus Developments this week submitted a concept review application to the city for a mixed-use development — featuring mixed-density residential, a brewpub, retail, restaurants and arts-oriented spaces like galleries and studios — for the 8.55-acre site off Broadway and Lee Hill Road.
Prior to the formal submittal, Dierking hosted community meetings and met with city staff members about the development.
Jeff Hirt, a city planner, told the Daily Camera last month that Dierking's initial plans fit the goals for the area as the city worked to update its subcommunity plan for north Broadway.
"I think we have a plan that we feel pretty good about and have been receiving a pretty good reception," Dierking said Wednesday.
The concept plans describe the armory as "an integral piece of the puzzle in furthering the character of this diverse and energetic part of Boulder."
The plan is predominantly residential with some neighborhood-scale restaurants and retail along Broadway. The smokestack-adorned mess hall building would be repurposed into a brew pub.
Longmont's Oskar Blues Brewery and Comida have expressed interest in the development, Dierking and the owners of the respective companies said Wednesday.
"We're intrigued; we want a location (in Boulder)," said Dale Katechis, Oskar Blues' founder. "We just haven't found anything that suits our needs yet and this one made us take a second and a third look."
Oskar Blues' concepts include Home Made Liquids & Solids tap house and restaurant, CHUBurger quick-service burger restaurant and bar, and CyclHops bike shop and cantina. If Oskar Blues were to open at The Armory, the brewpub likely would resemble the Home Made Liquids & Solids restaurant at 1555 S. Hover St. in Longmont, Katechis said.
Comida founder Rayme Rossello — who, along with Pam Proto, opened a Proto's Pizza at 4670 Broadway in 2004 — said the location would fit Comida well.
"It's obviously very, very preliminary. It's essentially three years away," she said. "But I'm very interested in being in Boulder."
The concept plan indicates the following for the site that would be four blocks, divided by 13th Street and Zamia Avenue:
Block One: A public area for neighborhood gatherings; an arts pavilion with studio space; a brew pub filling the converted mess hall; ground-level retail and flex retail space; and about 75 residential units consisting primarily of one- and two-bedroom sites.
Block Two: The southwest corner of Broadway and Zamia would have a mirror image of Block One's massing and architecture with retail on the ground level and two stories of residential above. The remainder of the block would have New York and Chicago-esque townhouse walk-ups with a third story of flats above. Block Two would have 127 residential units.
Blocks Three and Four: Similar in scale and density to the adjacent Holiday Neighborhood. The blocks are expected to be sold to a homebuilder and plans likely could be submitted for review under a separate process.
Circle D Companies and Loftus Developments are under contract to purchase the site, but have not closed the deal, Dierking said.
Because the agreement would be a basic sale — as opposed to past proposals that would have involved a costly relocation of the armory — Dierking said he is optimistic this purchase agreement is better positioned to succeed.
Greg Dorman, resource director for the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, confirmed that the Boulder armory is under contract. The transaction is expected to close by this time next year, he said.
The units that were based at the Boulder site have been dispersed to other armories, or readiness centers in Sterling, Aurora and Fort Collins, he said.
Some personnel remain on site to maintain equipment and stewardship of that property.
Once the sale closes, members of the detachment would rejoin their units at the respective readiness centers, he said.
In 2005, Loftus contracted with the Colorado Army National Guard to redevelop the local armory and build a 56,000-square-foot grocery store and at least 200 condos, flats and live-work studios.
After receiving neighborhood opposition to the scale of the proposal, Loftus revised the plans to reduce the size of the grocery store and amount of housing.
In the spring of 2006, Loftus withdrew his proposal as the city and state hashed out plans for the Colorado National Guard's operations and how the costs associated with the relocation would affect the density of the armory development.
The Colorado Army National Guard has had operations on north Broadway since 1956 when it moved from a building on University Avenue.
Contact Camera Business Writer Alicia Wallace at 303-473-1332 or email@example.com.


Johannes is an Hamburg based freelance Digital Art Director and UI Designer with a passion for great User Experience and a bit of >>WOW<< inside his designs.
Don´t be shy, scroll down.
yomo - the mobile bankingaccount powered with love by Sparkasse
Johannes supports yomo as an UI Designer and Art Director. He works on the App, Corporate Design and website. Thanks to Guillaume Kashima for the nice illustrations. yomo.de
buerozimmer - the Freelance Studio for Digital Design, Illustration and Developement of digital Products. The Studio contains the following 3 freelancers, Lukas Schardt, Laura Vogiatzis and Johannes Zimmer
pictory - together with the buerozimmer team, Johannes creates a new iOS and Android App where the user can share their pictures in groups without any registration.
Johannes is not shy, he can talk, so why don´t talk to him.
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Eight Big Tech platforms are on track to account for 10.0% of all global ad spend by 2030: WARC
A new WARC analysis of the advertising investments of eight major digital platforms has highlighted the importance of “Big Tech” to the health of the global advertising economy.
Eight Big Tech platforms, namely Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Baidu, Meta, Microsoft, Netflix and Tencent, are on track to account for 10.0% of all global advertising investment by 2030, she said.
These results are published by WARC, the international marketing intelligence service, as part of its WARC Media suite.
Ad spend by Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Baidu, Meta, Microsoft, Netflix and Tencent in 2021 totaled $46.6 billion (+49.4%, year-on-year), or 6.0% of all advertising investments worldwide. On the current trajectory, Big Tech’s share of global ad spend will exceed 10.0% by 2030.
Big tech ad spend is also growing faster (+49.4%) than categories such as media and publishing (+34%), technology and electronics (+26%) and retail. (+21%). WARC’s analysis found that Big Tech contributed more than a tenth (10.4%) of the growth in all global ad spend in 2021.
Amazon becomes the biggest spender in the world
In 2009, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos infamously claimed that “advertising is the price you pay for a mundane product or service.” Fast forward to 2021 and Amazon spent $16.9 billion on ads (+55.0% year-over-year), the most spent ever by a single company over a 12-month period.
However, Amazon’s spending model appears to be self-financing: investing in advertising helps Amazon attract shoppers to its e-commerce platform, which in turn increases the revenue it derives from advertisements in retail media – as well as ad spend on products like Twitch and Freevee.
The second-largest advertiser within Big Tech is Alibaba, which invested $8.8 billion (+84.4%) in 2021. Fueled by China’s booming e-commerce market, Alibaba increased its share of spending total ad spend in the Big Tech category, rising from 2.9% in 2014. to 19% in 2021 – surpassing Google-owner Alphabet for the first time in total ad spend ($7.9 billion, +47.0% ).
Of the companies analyzed by WARC, Microsoft has the lowest commitment to advertising. It invested $1.5 billion in 2021, a sum that has remained stable since 2016. However, that could change in light of the potential acquisition of gaming company Activision Blizzard and Microsoft’s growing ambitions in the game. metaverse space.
Big Tech ad spend as a percentage of total sales declines
While Big Tech companies are investing huge sums in advertising in absolute terms, these platforms are also growing their revenue at a remarkable rate.
In many cases, Big Tech brands invest a lower percentage of their total sales in advertising. These companies do not feel bound by rules to maintain levels of ad spend relative to total sales, as might be found in categories such as CPG or automotive.
The notable exception is Meta, owner of Facebook, which has accelerated its advertising investments. Meta ad spend as a percentage of sales has grown from just 0.8% in 2017 to 2.5% in 2021.
Alex Brownsell, chief content officer at WARC Media and author of the report, said: “Big Tech companies have come a long way from being ad spend skeptics to becoming top spenders. in the world. As their dominance in the mobile-focused digital commerce market increases, their share of total global ad spend is likely to grow as well.
“It underscores that while digital native brands can succeed in the short term without the support of ad spend, long-term success often hinges on the willingness to invest in performance-enhancing and brand-strengthening advertising.”
Latest market information:
- Latin America sees the biggest drop in Netflix subscribers.
- 59% of urban Americans are choosing shorter trips in 2022.
- One in four Mexicans used a buy it now, pay later service in the first quarter of 2022.
- China and South Korea lead in e-commerce sales.
- 80% of urban Indians online follow influencers on social media.
- Australian linear TV audiences show strong growth in 2021.
Europe, Middle East and Africa
- A third of gaming revenue in the EMEA region comes from advertising.
- Polish consumers are most concerned about inflation in the EMEA region.
- A third of UK chain retail sales were online in 2021.

domain: news


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AstraZeneca has enlisted RenalytixAI to help it develop precision medicine strategies for managing patients with chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidneys and metabolism.
The project is slated to move through multiple phases: First, the two companies aim to evaluate the ability of artificial-intelligence-powered diagnostics to guide the treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease.
This includes RenalytixAI’s commercially available KidneyIntelX platform, through clinical studies conducted at Mount Sinai Health System, where the technology was originally developed.
If it is successful in improving health outcomes, additional randomized studies will be launched to assess the adoption of new potassium-binding drugs, the companies said.
“By using a more personalized approach, our initial goal is to help realize improved outcomes for more than 240,000 patients with chronic kidney disease within the Mount Sinai Health System,” said Barbara Murphy, department chair and dean at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine and board member of RenalytixAI.
The companies also hope to improve adherence to existing therapeutics by identifying groups of patients who may have a high risk of dropping off their treatment, while also boosting clinical trial recruitment. Initial results are expected in early 2021.
“This collaborative approach reflects the shared vision of AstraZeneca and RenalytixAI to develop meaningful solutions to tackle significant challenges in healthcare in a holistic way,” said Tarek Rabah, vice president of AstraZeneca’s renal and cardiovascular efforts. “An important component of our work is identifying patients with significant unmet need and providing them with more personalized interventions.”

domain: medical


Paste a url where
can be downloaded
- Type: SPH
- Class: ship
- Part Count: 56
- Mods: 2
- Squad (stock)
Designed to be as far from it’s namesake as possible, one must not mistake this butterfly to be a pushover, as it will quickly put you in your place. Designed to be highly maneuverable and an extremely competent dogfighter, it capitalizes on both in spades. The design is based on the fluttering insects so common on the KSC grounds, and Draerospace engineers thought that would translate into a craft that could strike fear into the hearts of GMI. They have succeeded. Also, it’s extremely advanced AI is programmed to hunt down and destroy any GMI forces, to the point it will attempt to run over any Kerbal siding with GMI in the same hangar as it. A fearsome drone, made with pride for HKA.
A mod aircraft called DI-16
Butterfly Drone Fighter. Built with 56 of the finest parts, its root part is probeStackSmall.
Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.2.2.
Do you really want to downvote this?
Don't forget, people build craft at all skill levels, just 'cos something is 'newbish' doesn't mean it needs hatin'.
It will cost you 5 of your own points to downvote


Is everyone going turbo already? With stricter emissions regulations, automakers may have to ditch naturally aspirated engines for more fuel efficient downsized turbocharged units.
Ferrari was seen testing what sounded like a turbocharged engine earlier this year, which means that turbocharged Ferraris are on their way. All models have naturally aspirated engines at the moment, but according to a recent report from MotorTrend magazine, the automaker will switch to turbocharged cars when the current lineup is replaced in the following years.
The turbo engines will make Ferraris more fuel efficient and even more powerful. Their shift though, is not only from emissions standards but also Formula 1 regulations. Next season's race will see naturally aspirated 2.4 liter V8 engines be replaced by 1.6 liter turbocharged V6 units.
If you’re new to the world of motorcycling, then you might think that when it comes time to fix your bike, you should take it to a shop. However, unlike your standard car, most bikes come with parts that are easily replaceable, meaning that you can usually perform routine maintenance on your own. That will save you time and money in the long run, as well as help you make the most out of your ride. Read more
There are a huge number of car accidents occurring around the country every day. And understanding the causes of these incidents is one of the best ways of ensuring your stay safe on the roads. Read more
Most people spend around six months learning to drive before obtaining their license. They often gain excellent road skills during that time. However, something happens within the next couple of years, and they seem to forget everything they learned. Bad habits creep in, and drivers become considerably more dangerous on the roads. To highlight the severity of the issue, we wanted to draw your attention towards some of the consequences you can expect to experience. We hope this article will shock you into improving your approach and making sure you are always as safe as possible when behind the wheel. Read more


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Ronnie Moore has implored his Hartlepool United players to be “brave” for tomorrow night’s crunch FA Cup tie.
Pools have reached something of a crossroads of their season ahead of the visit of Salford City in the second-round replay.
The players have to be hungry, they have to have the desire, you can’t teach them that, it’s in your DNA!
A victory over the non-league outfit could prove a turning point but Moore’s side must start finding the net.
Since putting three past Leyton Orient, there have been just two goals in the last four matches – one was an OG and the other a penalty.
Moore told SportMail the players must show hunger and guts after seeing his side fail to find the Portsmouth net on Saturday, despite having several good openings and set-pieces.
“At the moment I don’t think there are enough people who want to score,” he said.
“Some of the corners and free-kicks were crying out to be put in.
“But no-one has got on the end of them.
“Jake’s had one bad one and we’ll let him off with that, but he’s whipped in some good ones.
“The players have to be hungry, they have to have the desire, you can’t teach them that, it’s in your DNA!
“You can’t teach them that.
“I’ve said it before, if you are not scoring from open play, that makes those set-pieces vital.
“You need deliveries and they have been but you need your strikers, centre-halves prepared to get in there where it hurts.
“You have to be brave, you might get a boot, a punch, you might get your nose broken, it’s all for the cause.
“Do they want to score or stay pretty?”
While Portsmouth romped home 4-0 there were no lack of opening for Pools – Rakish Bingham, Rhys Oates, Scott Fenwick, Matthew Bates and Nicky Featherstone all having chances.
All but the 83rd-minute opportunity for Featherstone came when Pools were still in contention.
The midfielder, wearing the captain’s armband afer Carl Magnay had come off, had broke into the box after combining with Mikael Mandron but failed to get a shot off.
Moore was not singling out the 27-year-old but believes it is symtomatic of the state Pools are in when in front of goal.
“Nicky had done the hard part by getting in there and when he’d got half a yard he should have hit it,” said the manager.
“We are trying to score the perfect goal but that doesn’t always happen – you have to take opportunities when they come along.
“There were free-kicks, good deliveries we just could not get on the end of it.”
Salford had the Saturday off after their Northern Premier Division match against Whitby Town was off because of a waterlogged pitch at Moor Lane.
Pools did not get back into town until around 1am and they were back in training yesterday.

domain: sports


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It wouldn’t be an election without reports that voters are having problems. The American Civil Liberties Union and League of Women Voters of New Jersey hotline is reporting phone calls coming from concerned voters who believed they had registered — only to find out they were not on the rolls and had to vote by provisional ballot.
Between 8,000 and 10,000 newly registered voters, who met the Oct. 14 deadline, didn’t have their applications processed in time to have their names appear in the poll books and had to vote via provisional ballot.
“We were expecting this,” said league president Anne Ruach Nicolas, saying that many of the calls were also from out of state people who did not receive absentee ballots.
“A lot of them are students. … Some who were close drove to the state to vote. Others were just too far away,” Ruach Nicolas said.
The state Department of the Public Advocate is also saying courts were swamped all day with voters not on the rolls looking for court orders to allow them to vote in the booths. Otherwise, they would have to vote by provisional ballot. Some who are not registered are having to ask judges to let them vote because they attempted to vote but did not wind up in the official book — called a “good faith” argument.
“We’re hearing that judges are generally sympathetic to claims of a good faith effort,” said Public Advocate spokeswoman Laurie Brewer.
The Public Advocate is crediting these situations to record turnout numbers. Problems that have been reported with machine problems or people not receiving these provisional ballots from poll workers is “isolated,” Brewer said.

domain: sociology


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Rwanda has a number of unique delights to offer travelers. Parc National des Volcans in the Virunga volcanoes is home to the mountain gorillas to which Dian Fossey dedicated her life. Nyungwe Forest, one of the largest mountain forests in Central Africa, is renowned for its large troops of colobus monkeys and rich variety of orchids. Akagera National Park is a savannah park with elephants, hippo and crocodile. Lake kivu is a beautiful inland sea enclosed by steep terraced hillsides. There are a large variety of birds. Rwanda has a rich culture with its second city, butare, having one of the finest culture museums in Africa.
|05Nights / 06 Days||AED 6055|
Rwanda is one of the most incredibly beautiful places of the African continent and Rwandan tourism is one of the most fast developing industries of Rwanda. It is called "The land of a Thousand Hills" as almost all of Rwanda is at high elevation, with a geography dominated by mountains, Rwanda is a green undulating landscape of hills, gardens and tea plantations with mountains in the west, savanna in the east, and numerous lakes throughout the country. The country is blessed with a very favorable climate, fine food, lodging facilities and a rich cultural heritage of arts and crafts.
Surrounded by Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania, Rwanda is a small country in Central Africa with forests, mountains, lakes, landscapes, attractive beaches extremely rich wildlife reserve. It also has national parks, national museum, eco tourism and scope for many exciting tourist activities like biking, trekking, mountain biking and shopping facilities. Travel to Rwanda will give a complete over view of Rwandan culture, history and wild life. It offers tourists a one of a kind journey featuring one-third of the world remaining Mountain Gorillas, one-third of Africa's bird species, several species of primates, volcanoes, game reserve, resorts and islands on the expansive Lake Kivu, graceful dancers, artistic crafts and friendly people.
Travel to Rwanda any time except in the rainy season of mid March to mid May. The main attractions to visit while traveling in Rwanda includes Kinigi, Kigali, Gisenvi, Vironga, Parc National de l' Akagera, Parc National des Volcanoes, Lake Muhazi, Lake Kivu, Chyangugu, Butare, Nyungwe National Park etc. Travel guide to Rwanda will help the people to reach the small landlocked territory of Central Africa and know about Rwanda the "land of thousand hills" with a complete over view of Rwandan culture, history and wild life. Divided by the Rift valley, the city of Rwanda is surrounded by mountain ranges running from north to south of the country.
The main languages spoken in Rwanda are French and Kinyarwanda. Apart from it English is also spoken by the Rwandan people. To reach Rwanda the first thing you need is a legal passport. Visa is mandatory for all except for the residents of UK, Uganda, USA, Congo, Sweden, Burundi, Kenya and many others. Rwanda can be visited all throughout the year except in the rainy season of mid March to mid May. The European winter is the appropriate time for watching the birds of different species. Gorilla trekking is not suitable during the dry season.
Among the well known places to see in Rwanda Goma, Kibuye, Kigali, Gisenyi are the popular names. Rwandan wild life attracts a huge number of tourists every year with the main attractions in the northern part of the country are the dangerous volcanic mountains preserved by the Volcanoes National Park and the dense tropical forests. On the other hand rest part of the country is dominated by lakes, rivers, valleys and hills. Akagera National Park in eastern Rwanda and Parc National des Volcanoes is the home place for many endangered species.

domain: geography


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I stayed at the Appia Lafayette for one night this month before catching the the TGV south. it suited me perfectly. Although I arrived hours before I expected the room to be vacant it was free letting me freshen up from a long flight and then spend a whole day sight-seeing without worrying about my luggage. I found the staff... More
- Also Known As:
- Hotel Appia La Fayette
- Appia La Fayette Paris
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- Having ideally located between the Eastern Railway station and the Railway station of the North, in a calm side street, the Appia La Fayette, is a hotel 3 stars, with 42 rooms, recently renovated. ... more less
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Agoda, Venere, Travelocity, HotelsClick and Priceline so you can book your Appia la Fayette Hotel reservations with confidence. We help millions of travellers each month to find the perfect hotel for both holiday and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.

domain: travel


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Everyone wants to look like a lil glazed doughnut right? Well, let me tell you about this bomb af rainbow unicorn highlighter for just £4.99.
I Heart Makeup, by the makers of Revolution and Freedom makeup, have the most gorgeous, shimmery, pigmented highlights you will ever see in your life, and come in cute heart shaped packaging.
I always wanted to know what the hype was with these rainbow highlighters, so picked up Unicorn Hearts and swatched it on the back of my hand – lord, give me strength. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life.
Today, I tested out this beaut on my face with my unicorn makeup brush (I mean, what else would I use?) and THE GLOW. You may be put of purchasing the product initially as it’s red, blue, green, yellow and purple… but when it’s on it doesn’t look these colours at all, it blends into a beautiful icey shimmer and it doesn’t look ‘too much’ – well, how much highlighter is too much?
I’d love to test out more of their range, like their chocolate eyeshadow palettes (Too Faced dupes!) and their golden highlighters. For now I have their Iced Hearts baked blusher (another cute shimmery number) and this Unicorn Hearts highlighter to keep me going. All my glittery needs are fulfilled for now.

domain: artistic


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Cold Pressed Oils
Ex Tax: ₹100.00
BULL DRIVEN COLD PRESSED CASTOR OIL
Castor oil is a colorless to very pale yellow liquid with mild or no odor or taste. Cold-pressed using WOODEN EXTRACTOR which was used by our f..
Ex Tax: ₹750.00
Desi Cow Ghee BenefitsDesi Cow Ghee, is a class of clarified butter that originated in ancient India. It is commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine, cuisine of the Indian subcontin..
Ex Tax: ₹360.00
Home Made Cow Ghee, may be a category of butter that originated in ancient India. It's usually utilized in middle eastern cooking, cooking of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asi..
Ex Tax: ₹300.00
Original organic Kasturi Turmeric / kasturi manjal from our own Farm . Actually kastrimanjal never be in yellow colour.
Botanical Name: Curcuma aromatica
How to find Pure Kas..
Ex Tax: ₹450.00
Virgin Cold Pressed Coconut OilThe main difference between regular coconut oil and virgin coconut oil is in the process and extraction of the oil. Naatigrains virgin coconut o..
Ex Tax: ₹190.00
Wood Pressed Coconut Oil
Wood pressed coconut oil or popularly known as mara chekku ennai in Tamil, Naatigrains follows wood pressed or cold pressed traditional method for crushin..
Ex Tax: ₹240.00
Wood Pressed Gingelly OilGingelly oil or sesame oil is obtained from sesame seeds. In Naatigrains, the oil is processed authentically by crushing the sesame seeds using wooden axis..
Ex Tax: ₹300.00
Wood Pressed Groundnut OilWood Pressed Groundnut Oil is predominantly used as cooking oil in the southern part of India for centuries. Unlike refined oil, the peanut oil in Naatigr..
Ex Tax: ₹170.00
Wood Pressed Mustard OilIn Naatigrains, the fresh mustard oil is extracted from sun dried and organic mustard seeds by using the ancient wood pressed method. The wood pressed musta..
Ex Tax: ₹150.00
Wood pressed Neem oil
During cold pressing, the oil from the Neem seed is Wood pressed by a traditional Ghani / Marachekku at temperatures not exceeding 120 degrees Fahrenheit, to..
Cold Pressed Oils started becoming a part of our daily conversations! At Naatigrains, we follow the Traditional Indian method, Ghani, on obtaining Oils through pressing high Quality Organic nuts & seeds The cold pressed Oil method of extraction ensures the highest quality and maximum benefits of flavor, aroma, and nutritional value, making these oils great for cooking and skin care requirements. They contain zero grams of trans fatty acids and are naturally cholesterol-free.
Wood pressed oil (mara chekku ennai), are a pure and chemical free and , unrefined form of Oils making these oils great for cooking and skin care requirements.
Buy Organic Cold Pressed Oil Online from Naatigrains at great price. Shop from a wide range of organic cold pressed oil products and get it delivered at your doorstep.

domain: food


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Turquoise Jasper Stone Bracelet with Wish Sterling Silver Charm
Turquoise Jasper Handmade Beaded Bracelet -Known as the stone of friendship, creativity and encouragement.
Wish Charm - A Dandelion is known to symbolize wishes, joy & celebration. As you put on this Wishbeaded sterling silver charm bracelet, close your eyes, breathe and make a wish!
-Each beaded Wish Turquoise Jasper charm bracelet is accented with two Pyrite stones worn to bring good luck and good fortune to the wearer.
- Turquoise Jasper stones are natural therefore Turquoise Jasper bracelet's color may slightly vary from Turquoise Jasper bracelet to Turquoise Jasper bracelet. Each and every Turquoise Jasper bracelet is truly unique.
-Sterling silver charm


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The third and final oil company, Terracore, has abandoned its application to drill for oil in Santa Barbara County!
Terracore has announced that it no longer is pursuing an application to drill new oil wells in Cat Canyon, in the northern part of Santa Barbara County. The company ended its multiyear pursuit to get an application to drill over 200 new oil wells. They would have single-handedly skyrocketed our county’s greenhouse gas emissions at a time when the science is clear that we cannot build any new fossil fuel infrastructure and have a chance at a liveable–let alone healthy–climate.
This is the product of years of work by organizers, including our partners Safe Energy Now!, Food and Water Watch, Lideres Campesinas, SBCAN, CAUSE, Sierra Club, and EDC, among many others. See the full press release and the work done by many different organizations here:
This is a clear victory for the climate and humanity. It is also an indictment of oil companies who have made it abundantly clear that they care only about their profits. As soon as the economic conditions were no longer favorable due to COVID, they easily abandoned their workers alongside the project. As Movement Generation, alongside brilliant grassroots organizers, have aptly observed: while the transition away from fossil fuels is inevitable, justice is not. It requires us building a just transition here at home.
The transition is also inevitable, but it may not happen quickly enough. We need to ensure that no new oil projects are pursued across the United States–not just here in Santa Barbara County. Transitioning our economy away from emissions-intensive projects and ensuring workers are protected requires us to take action at a national level now. Trump has made it abundantly clear that he aims to open up more public lands for fossil fuel extraction; to him, this is all a game. If you haven’t voted today yet, make sure to vote!


If you get me talking about all the reasons I love living in Bend, you may not get me to stop! My husband and I moved to Bend years ago and we've decided there's no better place to call home. We love Bend because it's a community where people wave at you, say "hello" and help their neighbors. It's a friendly place that's growing quickly, but still has a fun, entrepreneurial vibe and unrivaled outdoor activities.
NorthWest Crossing Community
The community of NorthWest Crossing is all about livability. Following the “traditional neighborhood development” concept of neighborhood design that is being embraced all across the country, NorthWest Crossing was thoughtfully designed to provide residents with neighborhood conveniences like restaurants, shops, parks, schools and trails. I love the pedestrian-friendly streets that invite neighbors to rely less on vehicles.
Did you know that every home in NorthWest Crossing is required to be Earth Advantage™ Certified? This is a high performance home building program that addresses issues such as energy efficiency, recycling, building materials, landscaping, water and indoor air quality.
Even the thriving neighborhood has been built with the environment in mind. Two of the retail buildings were among the first in Oregon to receive LEED-CS designation at a silver level from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). They also won the Green Building 2008 Awards of Excellence administered by the National Commercial Builders Council (NCBC) of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
👇 HOMES FOR SALE IN NORTHWEST CROSSING👇
Check the Bend-LaPine School District website for current enrollment boundaries.
High Lakes Elementary School
2500 NW High Lakes Lp., Bend
2017-2018 Student enrollment: 626
William E. Miller Elementary School
300 NW Crosby Dr., Bend
2017-2018 Student enrollment: 650
Pacific Crest Middle School
3030 NW Elwood Lane, Bend
2017-2018 Student enrollment: 746
Summit High School
2855 NW Clearwater Dr., Bend
2017-2018 Student enrollment: 1,529
QUESTIONS about Real Estate or moving to Bend?
- Call or Text Nora: 541-728-4020
- Looking for things to do in Bend, click here: BEND EVENTS PAGE


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We’ve been leaked a video which could not be a more perfect distillation of Scientology as it exists in 2014.
This thing, well, it’s — it’s beautiful.
Before we show it to you, we want to help you put it in context. The few remaining Scientologists in Atlanta, like other cities in the U.S., are [...]
Scientologists call themselves “the most ethical people on the planet” because, well, founder L. Ron Hubbard told them to say that, and Ron had a great talent for saying things that were the complete opposite of what they meant.
var hupso_services_t=new Array(“Twitter”,”Facebook”,”Google Plus”,”Pinterest”,”Digg”,”Reddit”);var hupso_toolbar_size_t=”small”;var hupso_counters_lang = “en_US”;var hupso_url_t=”http://tonyortega.org/2014/08/20/scientology-ethics-raising-money-from-ferguson-stealing-j-k-rowlings-image/”;var hupso_title_t=”Scientology ethics: Raising money from [...]
We love our tipsters. They are constantly alerting us to interesting stuff about Scientology. Some of it is just strange, like this rabbit hole we went down yesterday. Is it important? Probably not. But we thought readers might find it amusing. So here we go.
On Sunday, a couple of pages appeared online from a [...]
Our readers know that we are huge fans of A Queer and Pleasant Danger, Kate Bornstein’s remarkable memoir about her experience in Scientology’s “Sea Org” and her later transformation into a nationally-celebrated trans performance artist.
Kate’s book Gender Outlaw is considered a classic in the field, and she’s constantly in demand for speaking engagements [...]
Let’s start off the work week with Surviving Scientology’s newest podcast as host Jeffrey Augustine has back former Scientology spokesman Mike Rinder.
We really like the question Jeff starts off with — he asks Rinder’s opinion of the performance by another Scientology mouthpiece, Sylvia Stanard at this summer’s Chautauqua, which we featured here.
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Tom Cruise, KSW!
Karen de la Carriere continues her series of interviews with Camilla Andersson, a longtime Scientology Sea Org member who only left the organization in the last two years.
Last time, we told you that Camilla had been put on a round-the-clock project to put together a wedding photo album for Tom Cruise [...]
In January, we told you about Barbara Cordova Oliver, 56, a longtime Scientologist who had vanished after having a mental breakdown at her 80-year-old mother Arlene’s house in the Los Angeles area last December.
Barbara had been a fixture at Scientology’s Hollywood Celebrity Center, where she ran something called Artists for a Better World. [...]
When we heard that one of Scientology’s mouthpieces would be speaking at this year’s Chautauqua, we assumed it would be a non-event. It’s been a long time since Chautauqua had much of an effect on popular culture or made the news. And we figured the religious liberals at the yearly conference were just trying to [...]
Camilla Andersson spent 29 years in Scientology’s hardcore “Sea Organization” — many of those years at the secretive “Int Base” east of Los Angeles — and walked away to freedom only two years ago. Now, she’s talking publicly for the first time about what she saw inside Scientology’s most elite facilities, spending years in the [...]
Even as more people leave and Scientology continues inexorably to dwindle, the church never gives up trying to spread its message, sometimes in subtle ways.
The latest example is a campaign we learned about before Scientology has even been able to launch it. It’s the newest ad from the Florida chapter of its anti-psychiatry front [...]


British American Tobacco (BAT) has announced a substantial write-down of approximately $31.5 billion in the value of certain U.S. cigarette brands, signaling a stark acknowledgment that the traditional tobacco market is facing an uncertain future.
The company made this announcement in response to mounting regulatory restrictions and increased awareness of health risks, which have led to declining cigarette volumes in various markets.
BAT, renowned for its cigarette brands such as Lucky Strike and Dunhill, highlighted several factors contributing to this decision.
Firstly, the U.S. market is grappling with economic challenges, as some consumers, burdened by inflation, are opting for lower-cost cigarette brands.
Additionally, the emergence of illicit disposable vapes has intensified competition in BAT’s U.S. cigarette division.
These challenges, coupled with the broader trend of decreasing smoking rates, have compelled BAT to reevaluate the treatment of some of its U.S. brands on its balance sheet.
Consequently, it intends to cap the value of these brands with a finite lifetime of 30 years.
This shift will result in a non-cash adjusting impairment charge of approximately $31.5 billion, affecting brands like Newport, Camel, Pall Mall, and Natural American Spirit.
Tadeu Marroco, BAT’s Chief Executive, characterized this move as “accounting catching up with reality.”
He expressed the belief that cigarettes would not vanish entirely within 30 years but acknowledged that it was no longer justifiable to assign an indefinite value of around $80 billion to these brands on BAT’s balance sheet.
Furthermore, BAT will begin amortizing the remaining value of its U.S. combustibles brands in 2024, becoming the first major tobacco player to acknowledge that the value of its tobacco brands has an expiry date.
In response to this announcement, BAT’s shares experienced an initial drop of over 8%, reaching four-and-a-half-year lows, resulting in a loss of approximately £4 billion in the company’s market value.
Imperial Brands, a rival in the tobacco industry, also saw its shares decline by more than 2%.
Like its competitors, BAT has been actively investing in smoking alternatives such as vaping.
On this front, BAT unveiled a new target to generate 50% of its revenues from non-combustible products by 2025, with expectations of breaking even in this “new categories” business by 2023, one year ahead of the initial projection.
Analysts, including James Edwardes Jones of RBC Capital Markets, expressed their support for BAT’s ambition in light of the significant charge.
This move highlights the industry’s challenges and raises questions about the future prospects of traditional cigarettes.
BAT anticipates its full-year revenue growth to fall toward the lower end of its 3-5% range and foresees low single-digit growth in revenue and adjusted profit from operations in 2024.


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domain: hobby


One of the most compact and affordable sports cars that car fans want back is the Toyota MR2. Toyota introduced it in 1984 and sold it until 2007 in three generations. The MR2 was always a great handling and lively performing two-seater model with great driving dynamics.
Toyota invested in the GT86 sports model in recent years. But many car enthusiasts think what they should do instead is to remake the MR2. They feel that it would have a better impact on the market than the GT 86, which is not the global bestseller Toyota hoped it would be.
Even though the 2004 to 2006 GTO wasn’t a successful model, it was a good and powerful muscle car with great features. But it did miss the mark, so Pontiac enthusiasts all over the world deserve another model. However, this time it should be a proper muscle car and an instant classic.
GM has several components and advanced platforms like the Alpha that could be the basis for a modern-day GTO. And the power is no problem since GM has one of the best lineups of performance V8s in the world. Many car fans would be delighted to see a modern-day GTO hit the streets and racetracks.
With a 6.2-liter V8, 412 HP, precise steering, and neutral handling, the Chevrolet SS rival Europe’s finest sports sedans. But what most people don’t know is that they rebadged Holden from Australia as a Chevrolet and fine-tuned it for U.S. customers. The performance numbers are respectable since a 0 to 60 mph sprint is possible in just 4.7 seconds.
The top speed is over 150 mph. So, the Chevrolet SS is for people who need a practical sedan but who want a sports car. So, although they discontinued the SS, most people would love to see it come back.
The Fleetwood name was in use from 1934 to 1992 on various models. But it’s been decades since Cadillac used the Fleetwood name as a designation for its flagship model. So, car fans all over the world feel this legendary brand needs to dust off this famous nameplate.
They could use it on a new prestigious model that could battle their foreign competitors. Even though the new CT6 model is a truly amazing luxury car, Cadillac can do better. In fact, they need to present an over the top sedan with all the best features and big power.
In 1963, they unveiled the Buick Riviera. Almost immediately, it became one of the most interesting cars on the American market. The combination of sleek and elegant styling, a modern interior, and the powerful Buick Nailhead engine made the Riviera an instant bestseller.
Also, it was the first real competitor to the famous Ford Thunderbird. The Riviera stayed in production until 1993. But the first three generations, especially the GS, remained the most desirable luxury muscle cars Detroit ever produced.
The Grand Wagoneer is one of the cars most car enthusiasts want to see again. Happily, Chrysler will introduce the 21st-century version of the legendary Wagoneer in 2019 as the 2020 model. All anyone knows so far is that they will build the new Grand Wagoneer on a modified Cherokee chassis.
Also, it will feature more luxurious features, powerful engines, and possibly a cool Woodgrain panel option. Car enthusiasts and collectors alike would love to see the Wagoneer make a comeback. It brought something special to the car market and could still do so today.
One of the best news from Ford is the return of the legendary Bronco for the 2020/2021 model year. In the sea of shapeless modern SUVs, the return of a classic boxy Bronco with a powerful engine and true off-road usability is refreshing. It would be more than a welcomed addition to the lineup.
Although there isn’t much information on the car, it will look something like the Bronco Concept Ford introduced in the early 2000s. They will definitely use Eco Boost turbo engine, but Bronco fans are hoping they will feature a good old naturally-aspirated V8 under the hood.
One of the most interesting compact and affordable cars is the legendary Honda CRX. They built it from 1983 to 1991, basing it on the Civic. However, it came with a lower and sportier body and only two seats. Since it was light, nimble, and had precise steering, the CRX was a true sports car except with front-wheel drive and up to 140 HP.
But the biggest selling points of this model were the extremely light body of just 1,800 pounds and the high revving four-cylinder engine. Honda never repeated the success of the CRX and most of their fans feel their lineup can use a car like this.
They conceived the idea for the Subaru BRAT or “Bi-Drive Recreational All-Terrain Transporter” in the late `70s. In fact, Subaru designed it to take advantage of the popularity of compact trucks in America. However, there were steep import taxes for foreign trucks that would kill all of Subaru’s profits.
So the company thought of a genius way of selling the truck as a passenger car by installing two seats in the back. The BRAT became popular and legendary in its own right. So, today’s Subaru could use some of that charm and uniqueness to revive its magic.
Today, the Lincoln brand struggles with recognition and its future is unclear. Divided between the production of old-fashioned sedans and modern upscale SUV models, Lincoln needs a signature car, something that will remind its customers what this brand is all about. So, how about a cool, luxury coupe like the legendary Mark III?
Lincoln introduced the Mark III in late 1968, building it on a Thunderbird chassis using the new, powerful 460 V8 engine. The front was dominated by a big chrome grille, reminiscent of Rolls Royce models. The hideaway headlights were an interesting touch and the trunk had a cool-looking spare wheel hump with Continental lettering. In combination with the vinyl top, all that made the Mark III design unique and special.
Toyota might have the GT86 as its entry-level sports car. But somehow, this model lacks the coolness and appeal of the original Celica. Built on a standard Toyota Carina basis, the Celica was one step above the popular Corolla in terms of size, technology, and engine power.
Toyota presented the new Celica to their American buyers in 1970 with two body styles, a regular two-door coupe, and a hardtop fastback. The Celica proved to be popular, so by the end of 1977, they sold more than 200,000 of them. The best versions were with the 2.0 and 2.2-liter engines. They delivered a solid performance and satisfying driving dynamics at a modest price.
The Scout was a small and usable off-road SUV with choices of engines ranging from the 2.5-liter straight four to the 4.4-liter V8. They introduced it in 1961 and produced it until 1980. The International Harvester company still exists today, so it has the capacity to produce a new-age Scout.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any rumors of this happening anytime soon. But, there is an army of classic SUV fans who are craving a small, compact, and attractive SUV with an unmistakable design and off-road capabilities.
There’s no need to explain this one in too much detail. The Viper is the quintessential American sports car with tons of power, a fantastic design, and thrilling performance. And as such, its demise truly affected Viper enthusiasts globally. Everyone knows that Chrysler can produce it again. They just need to find a financially stable model because the car industry without the Viper is a boring mess.
These are the 25 discontinued cars we would love to see back. While that is a possibility for some of them, others will never see the light of day again. If you happen to see one of them, be sure to snap it up while it is still available.


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State senator believes voters should decide on Nebraskan gay rights
State Sen. Brad Ashford said it is time for Nebraska to talk about gay marriage. He also said voters should decide what rights gay couples have.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision gave same-sex couples federal benefits in states that recognize gay marriage; however, that doesn’t include Nebraska.
“I think we ought to give people of Nebraska an opportunity on this,” Ashford said.
Ashford said the state’s marriage law is restrictive. He believes families and companies won’t invest in Nebraska unless that law changes.
“We’ve talked to many who have moved to Iowa (because gay couples can get federal benefits in that state),” Ashford said.
Gov. Dave Heineman said private companies in the state can offer benefits if they choose.
“What the private sector does with shareholder money and if they want to pay those benefits, they can,” he said.
Ashford said gay couples in Nebraska will still get hit with taxes if the state laws don’t change. He said it’s time to take up the issue again.
“Do we want this restrictive, very, very restrictive, law in the books?” he asked.
The Legislature’s judiciary committee will hold a public hearing in November.

domain: law


From managing hot pursuits of an intelligence target halfway around the world, to real-time intelligence gathering at the scene at a far away location, to the firing of a lethal precision missile at a top terrorist - modern armies no longer consider these unmanned combat systems just expensive toys. Censorship strictly blocks reports about the full use of these apparata by the IDF, but based on the performance of similar systems used by other Western armies - some of which are much less technologically advanced than those used in Israel - it is easy to imagine what is going on.
A few weeks ago, former and current IDF Air Force commanders, defense industry leaders, and senior Ministry of Defense officials gathered for a secret celebration at the Palmachim Air Force Base to mark the 40th anniversary of the Air Force's first UAV squadron, which has become part of the IDF's "long arm". It is not the only UAV squadron. At another base in central Israel, an even more advanced UAV is in operation. It is the cutting edge in IDF unmanned vehicles, capable of reaching any place that the Israeli intelligence community might want to go. Even Iran.
However, Dr. David Harari, the pioneer of Israel's UAV program, did not attend the celebration at Palmachim. He was too busy preparing for an important international conference on unmanned vehicles to take place for the first time in Tel Aviv. Military leaders, developers, well-known aeronautical engineers, investigators, pilots and top executives from leading defense companies from all over the world will come to Israel to see for themselves the weapons powerhouse that has grown in the Middle East, primarily due to the breakthrough in the field of unmanned vehicles.
Dr. Harari, who received the Israel Prize in Engineering from the President and the Prime Minister on Independence Day, is 70 years old, and a former Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) employee, does not forget for a moment how it all began. "When I began working on the UAV program, from home, people at IAI laughed at me and at my staff," he recalls. "This was in the late 1970s and most of the people working at IAI did not believe in me, including the board members. Everyone was focusing on the exciting and prestigious flagship project - the Lavie jet fighter. But - between us - the Lavie was easier to develop. They could have approached Boeing, gotten some inspiration, and built it. At the time, there were no unmanned vehicles anywhere, and we had to make something out of nothing. We were stubborn, even though they made fun of us. They called us children playing with toys. Take a look now where the Lavie is now and where the UAV's have reached.
Operation Peace for Galilee in 1982 was the UAV's first rite of passage, where the first UAV Zahavan (Scout) was used, and the Air Force's appetite was whetted. "The Zahavan could only fly for four hours and it weighed 220 kg. Its camera weighed 25 kg. When we wanted to expand the capabilities of the next UAV, we had to build a new and bigger plane. It's all a matter of evolution."
As a superpower in unmanned vehicles, Israel claims a place of honor at the top of the world's large weapons exporters alongside the US, France, the UK, and Russia. Ministry of Defense data show that Israeli defense industry sales reached $9.6 billion last year. Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: ESLT; TASE: ESLT) and Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1), who compete head to head in global markets, are responsible for a large portion of these sales.
In response to questions about what happens now, and how to retain its place at the top of a saturated market, IAI president and CEO Itzhak Nissan said that the world of unmanned vehicles is just like life - you don't look back. "We are always looking forward, searching for new features and new software, those that can push us ahead, and we run forward with them. You have to create a vision, to think quickly, and mainly to decide that there is no time for delay. You have to win. This is how we created an empire, and this is how we are going to remain one."
Following is an overview of a few unmanned vehicles that are under development in Israel:
Land - Guardium
IAI and Elbit Systems jointly set up a venture, Genius, to develop and manufacture the Guardium unmanned land combat vehicle for patrols and other missions. The Guardium can reach a speed of 80 km/h and can carry a payload of up to 300 kilograms, including state-of-the-art sensors and cameras for intelligence gathering. The IDF has been using to patrol the border with the Gaza Strip since 2008.
Elbit Systems president and CEO Joseph Ackerman says, "Unmanned land vehicles is a very difficult field. The world hasn’t yet grasped their potential. The IDF has a few vehicles, but they are 15 years behind the use of UAVs in terms of mass use. We haven’t yet been able to persuade potential foreign customers that these vehicles are worthwhile financially, and it should be remembered that land forces are much more conservative than airmen. All they talk about is procuring hundreds of manned armored vehicles and it hard for them to change their combat doctrine."
Sea - unmanned surface vehicles
Elbit Systems has only displayed its Silver Marlin unmanned surface vehicle (USV) and most Western militaries prefer merely to look, and in these times of defense cutbacks, no one is standing in a queue to invest capital in systems that are unproven in operations. But the company is patient and strongly believes that USVs can carry out a wide range of missions by remote control. The Silver Marlin can locate mines, carry out search and rescue operations, and quickly reach suspicious ships in all sea conditions to provide intelligence about the intentions of their crews.
The Silver Marlin is equipped with Elbit Systems' electro-optical systems for intelligence missions, satellite communications, and weapons systems. The USV's computer command systems were adapted from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems.
Elbit Systems has also developed the Stingray USV, which basically resembles a jet ski, for the protection of seaports and other missions, such as emergency management, damage assessment, and artillery practice against moving targets.
Israel could very well become one of the first countries in the world to use USVs operationally. The Navy's challenges are expanding and becoming more complex, including intercepting flotillas, arms smuggling by sea to Gaza, and enemy infiltration and suicide ships, together with expanding missions in the Red Sea arena, and now the protection of Israel's natural gas discoveries and infrastructures in its special economic zone in the Mediterranean.
Air - hovering Mirages and Bats
The second intifada and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and thinking about the future battlefield have spurred development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Current systems are only the beginning. Unmanned hovering vehicles are quiet and stealthy systems that hover of alleyways used by terrorists and provide nearby troops with real-time intelligence on development just around the corner.
IAI has developed the Mirage, a small, silent hovering platform for day and night urban warfare that weighs just four kilograms and has two rotors. It is operated by the infantry or special forces for reconnaissance and surveillance of targets of the enemy, even watching them through the window if they go indoors.
IAI has also unveiled the Bat, a real-time intelligence unmanned hovering platform for ground forces. The Bat's rotors are powered via a cable from a land vehicle, so it has unlimited time in the air. IAI says that the Bat can be deployed within a minute.
For more complex missions, IAI is developing the Cheetah vertical take-off and landing UAV.
Helicopters - Picadors and Flying Mules
"Unmanned helicopters are still pretty basic and a lot still needs to be done," Air Force UAV deputy squadron commander Major Gil told "Globes".
This is about to change. Two Yavne-based companies are developing unmanned helicopters. Aeronautics Ltd. has developed the Picador for naval intelligence and reconnaissance missions. A prototype can be seen at a company hangar. The grey, payload-carrying and oddly shaped machine is far from being a polished finished product ready for marketing.
Urban Aeronautics Ltd., founder Dr. Rafi Yoeli has developed the AirMule for medavac and logistics missions. "The leading cause of death of helicopters is something hitting the rotors," he told "Globes", explaining the unmanned helicopters internal rotor, which enables it to fly along narrow river channels, near buildings, and in forests, and to land and takeoff almost anywhere.
For Yoeli, the AirMule is the answer for evacuating wounded soldiers under fire. The two air-conditioned evacuation cabins are equipped with cameras that send real-time images to the doctors at the landing zone, as well as and microphones.
UAV leaders IAI and Elbit Systems are also battling upstarts like Aeronautics, which are nipping at their heels. Aeronautics's Dominator 2 is based on the AD-42 twin-engine light plane made by Austria's Diamond Aircraft Industries GmbH, which has amassed tens of thousands of operational hours worldwide. Aeronautics CEO Avi Leumi saw its potential and the result is a UAV that weighs two tons - more than double the weight of classic IAI and Elbit Systems UAVs - and can carry a variety of payloads 450 kilometers, spend up to 30 hours in air and reach an altitude of 30,000 feet.
"The platform already had all the necessary certification and we simply added the systems to make it unmanned using the flight management system that we developed," Leumi told "Globes". "This makes it possible to carry out marine reconnaissance and intelligence missions at all ranges using the satellite communications system that we developed."
Aeronautics has set up a production line for the Dominator and is waiting for orders. The IDF, however, prefers two other UAVs. Until the IDF recognizes the potential of Leumi's products, he hopes that he can sell the Dominator to other countries' national security agencies and armies for border patrol, monitoring of sensitive facilities, wide area intelligence, and other missions. But he knows that the way to the hearts of customers in Brazil, Canada, Singapore, and elsewhere is through the IDF, and that the best sales promotion campaign that Israeli defense companies have is the Israel Air Force.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 24, 2011
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2011


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Organizations cannot scale their operations with technology unless the work itself changes for those whom technology serves.
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Following revelations last July by the French newspaper Le Parisien that declassified official French Government papers showing the extent of plutonium fall-out from atmospheric atomic weapons tests in Moruroa Atoll in French Polynesia in the South Pacific tests in the 1960s and 70s (www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/03/french-nuclear-tests-polynesia-declassified), new revelations have exposed the hidden truth that the atmospheric spread of radioactive fallout from earlier French nuclear tests conducted in in Algeria in the 1960s was much larger that the French army admitted at the time.( www.france24.com/en/20140214-map-shows-huge-radiation-spread-french-saharan-nuclear-tests/)Reports by the France 24 TV station on 15 February now suggest that the fallout from the tests at Reggane stretched across all of West Africa, across the Mediterranean and up to southern Europe.
AFP reports that the documents were released in 2013 following appeals from military veterans who say their current ill health is linked to exposure to dangerous levels of radiation.One map shows that 13 days after France detonated its first nuclear device, "Gerboise Bleue" (Blue Jerboa), in February 1960, radioactive particles ranged from the Central African Republic to Sicily and southern Spain. Gerboise Bleue was “more than three times as powerful as the bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945.” At the time, the French military authorities said the fallout from the explosion was limited to the desert and that radiation levels were “generally low”.
But associations representing military veterans of France’s nuclear tests in the 1960s and 1970s are demanding that the government admits it knew that the fallout from Saharan tests was dangerous.“ In the 1960s the norms governing acceptable levels of radiation were much less strict than they are now,” said Bruno Barillot, an expert in nuclear tests who is representing veterans’ groups.“And the medical evidence we have now shows clearly that exposure to this radiation can set off serious illnesses more than three decades later,” he told Le Parisien (http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/le-document-choc-sur-la-bombe-a-en-algerie-14-02-2014-3590523.php)
Barillot added that the declassified documents showed that the army at the time was aware that even the 1960s safety levels were largely surpassed and that significant quantities of airborne radioactive particles, particularly iodine 131 and caesium 137, could have been inhaled by large numbers of people in north Africa.But he also complained that the government had been extremely selective in terms of what documents to release.
The Parisen article points out that “if it can be demonstrated that the fallout of the bomb tests spread dangerous levels radiation over large parts of North Africa, many more demands for compensation from individuals and from national governments could be in the pipeline.
I found this suggestion interesting, as I had been involved in research on this issue over twenty years, when I did research for the now retired Labour MP, Llew Smith. In October 1993, he asked in a written question to the Secretary of State for Defence whether he would “ask his French counterpart for information provided by the French nuclear authorities under article 34 of the Euratom treaty since 1963 in connection with French atmospheric nuclear tests in Reganne, Algeria?”
In reply the junior defence minister Jonathan Aitken answered “ No. Article 34 of the Euratom treaty does not apply to military activities.” (Hansard, Tuesday 26 October 1993, Column 519)
Yet just over two years late, when Labour MEP Alex Smith – for whom I also did research-asked the European Commission “What technical information, as provided by the French Government, was in the possession of the Commission on the environmental and safety implications of nuclear tests on, respectively: 12 February 1960, being the eve of France's first test in Algeria — 1 July 1966, being the eve of France's first test in Mururoa — 4 September 1995, being the eve of France's first test in Mururoa of its current testing programme; and which independent external individuals or institutions have been consulted by the Commission to assist in the evaluation of the documentation provided by France on its nuclear tests?” he was told by was told by EC Environment Commissioner Bjerregaard on 14 February 1996:
“ France notified to the Commission on 23 July 1959 its intention to carry out a nuclear explosion in the Sahara desert and the additional safety measures envisaged. The Commission replied on 11 August 1959 and gave a favaourable opinion while proposing some modifications. These concerned the timing of the explosion with regard to meteorological conditions, the volume of radioactive dust generated in relation to the characteristics of the soil, and the need to comply with the dose limits in the basic safety standards that were laid down by the Council on 2 February 1959.
France carried out the first explosion on 13 February 1960. Subsequent tests were carried out taking similar safety measures. No further notifications to the Commission in terms of Article 34 of the Euratom Treaty were received, neither at the start of nuclear testing at Mururoa in 1966 nor before underground testing was resumed on 5 September 1995. The Commission has throughout this period continued to assess the impact of nuclear testing on levels of environmental radioactivity on the basis of the monitoring data transmitted by France and by other potentially affected Member States in terms of Article 36 of the Euratom Treaty.
Such data were available for French Polynesia at the time France announced in June 1995 that it would resume nuclear testing. Additional data were requested by the Commission and received in the course of subsequent months, including some data pertaining to levels of radioactivity at and around the test sites. Moreover information relevant to the potential radiological consequences of underground nuclear testing was provided as part of the documentation which the Commission received on 17 October 1995.” (P-0116/1996).
So clearly Euratom's remit did apply to military nuclear activities, despite the MOD denial.From 1960 to 1996, France carried out 210 nuclear tests, 17 in the Algerian Sahara and 193 in French Polynesia in the South Pacific.
Le Parisien revealed that the documents "lifted the lid on one of the biggest secrets of the French army". It said papers showed that on 17 July 1974, a test exposed Tahiti to 500 times the maximum allowed level of plutonium fallout.Richard Oldham, a member of the Polynesia nuclear workers' association Mururoa e Tatou, told Radio New Zealand International: "It's the right for our future generations to
About 150,000 veterans and civilians worked on, or were present during, nuclear tests, including 127,000 in Polynesia. But of 800 dossiers, only 11 people have received compensation, the Guardian has reported..
During the Mururoa tests in French Polynesia in the late 1960s, one veteran described how he was stationed in shorts and a T-shirt on a boat only about 15 miles from the explosion before having to sail immediately to the area of the vast mushroom cloud to examine the damage, the Guardian records.Others on different tests wore shorts and had no sunglasses; they were told simply to shield their eyes and turn their backs at the time of the explosion.
In an oral Parliamentary answer earlier this month at defence questions, junior defence minister Anna Soubry told Labour ‘s Emma Lewell-Buck, MP for South Shields: “It is important for me to make clear that the Government continue to recognise, and be grateful to, all the servicemen who participated in the British nuclear testing programme. Like all veterans, they are entitled to a comprehensive range of support from the veterans welfare service at the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, which can also put them in contact with other organisations that can help with specific issues…” and she added “…I am aware of the argument that is being advanced by the survivors, but there is no evidence to support their claims, and I do not think that it would be right to set up a £25 million benevolent fund when no proper basis for it has been provided. I am always available to listen to arguments, but so far I have heard no good argument to support that case.” (Hansard, 3 February 2014: Column 16)I wonder when we will learn the whole truth of British nuclear tests.


U.S. warplanes flying over Syria today find themselves operating within the range of Russian S-400 surface-to-air missiles . While the U.S. military is unlikely to intentionally attack Russian forces in Syria, the situation highlights the importance of suppressing enemy air defenses—one major tactic U.S. flyers have long relied upon is radar jamming, or saturating enemy radars with “noise” and false signals so that they can’t track and fire upon friendly airplanes. The U.S. Navy has relied on the ALQ-99 jamming system for nearly half a century, even as opposing radars grew in ability. However, by the beginning of the next decade it will begin fielding the superior Next Generation Jammer, boasting significant electronic-attack and signal-intelligence capabilities.
The powerful ALQ-99 tactical jamming pod first entered U.S. Navy service in 1971, carried by the EA-6 Prowler, an electronic-warfare variant of the A-6 Intruder carrier-based attack plane with a four-man crew. The U.S. Air Force eventually supplemented the Prowler with faster and larger EF-111 Ravens , informally known as Spark Varks because of the intense static buildup their jammers generated. Both planes proved effective in suppressing air defenses in Iraq and Libya. However, the Raven was withdrawn from service early in 1998, as the imminent retirement of the F-111 fleet made it prohibitively expensive to operate. Seventeen years later, the Navy retired its aging EA-6s in favor of new EA-18G Growlers—special electronic-warfare variants of the F-18 Super Hornet. The two-seat Growlers are much faster and better armed, but must rely on automation to make up for the reduction in crew size.
The Marine Corps will continue to fly its Prowlers until retirement in 2019, leaving the Growler as the sole remaining tactical jammer. Overall, demand for jamming aircraft has remained high even as the quantity has diminished. The jammers have even proven useful in the war against ISIS by scrambling ISIS communications and disabling roadside bombs .
Jamming, however, is not a panacea against enemy radars—it sharply degrades their effective range but does not neutralize them entirely, and jamming aircraft have to be careful not to get too close to the defenses they are scrambling. Furthermore, while the analog-based ALQ-99 has abundant power, new radars boast greater power as well, and are more capable of switching frequencies and networking with friendly sensors to overcome the effects of jamming.
Enter the Next Generation Jammer program, the first documents for which were released by the Pentagon in 2004, with the aim of bringing jamming into the digital age. The NGJ had originally been envisioned as an automated pod for use on single-seat F-35 Lightning stealth fighters, which would serve in all three branches of the military. However, this concept proved much more expensive and time-consuming than expected—which could summarize be the F-35 program in a nutshell. Instead, the Pentagon eventually decided to focus on re-equipping the Navy Growlers with the new jamming system, and in 2013 chose the design proposed by Raytheon over three major competitors.
The NGJ is designed to work against a full spectrum of radars, but different radars will require different countermeasures, which Raytheon is developing on a staggered schedule. The upcoming Increment 1 pods are designed to jam mid-band engagement radars commonly used by ground-based surface-to-air missiles, which pose the greatest threat to U.S. aircraft today. Once available, the EA-18 will carry two of the mid-band pods—one under each wing.
However, the Growler will retain a single fuselage-mounted ALQ-99 pod optimized for jamming low-band radars until the Increment 2 NGJ pod is ready further into the 2020s. Low-band or surveillance radars have a broader scanning area, and are effective at tracking enemy aircraft—even stealth fighters!—but are too imprecise for targeting weapons. Nonetheless, surveillance radars help the more narrowly focused engagement radars know where to look for enemies, and a forewarned engagement radar can ambush a stealth fighter at short range. Thus, as the number of stealth aircraft swells with the production of the F-35, jamming low-band radars will become more and more important.
Eventually, Raytheon also plans to develop an Increment 3 system for jamming high-band engagement radars, which are common on fighter planes.
The fifteen-foot NGJ pods employ an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar with gallium nitride components that amplify radio energy. Program manager Capt. John Bailey claimed in a seminar that the NGJ can generate ten times the radiated isotropic power level of the preceding ALQ-99, and that the signal is “cleaner,” minimizing the collateral interference with friendly signals. Just as importantly, the NGJ can jam multiple frequencies—Captain Bailey claims four times as many—and is designed to be an “agile” jammer, capable of analyzing new enemy signals and adjusting its own frequencies to counter them literally on the fly. Moreover, because the NGJ is a digital solid-state open-architecture system, it can be upgraded with new “threat libraries” of hostile hardware, allowing it to be easily—and cheaply—upgraded to match new adversary capabilities. Finally, the NGJ pods can do all of this without draining power from the Growler carrying it, thanks to its ram air turbine.


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Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, was literally in the eye of the storm, following a mild controversy with members of the National Assembly over the status of the federal government-promoted Nigeria Special Economic Zones Investment Company (NSEZC), a special purpose vehicle designed to build infrastructure and drive industrialisation across the geo-political zones. In this interview, with Ndubuisi Francis, Enelamah says the fog over its ownership has been cleared. He also addresses other pertinent issues. Excerpts:
Having spent about four years in office, what would you consider as some of your achievements?
The more I spend time in public service, the more I understand the power of partnership. Partnership, in the sense of different stakeholders coming together, to guarantee harmony. And I say this in the context of public service, to the people that you have come to serve, sometimes it’s humbling you realise that you serve best when you serve a wider team that’s working together for the common good. And if I step back and reflect on the three and half years that we have been here, I have to start by saying that when I was given the opportunity to serve, the first thing was that I took bearing from the vision of the president. And the vision of the president ,which I think is relevant is the three-point agenda, which is securing the nation, fighting corruption and importantly the economy. What became clear (same point I made about understanding the power of partnership) is that it’s always important to remember that unless you work as a team, you won’t be effective.
So, if you think about the economic agenda, for instance, part of the broader vision on the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan which was developed after the first year when we had something called the Strategic Implementation Plan, which is part of the things you have to get right to stabilise an economy that was already going into recession. Within that context, the plan we have for the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment is situated. I will just to make a couple of comments on the ERGP. One is that, in terms of the objectives, I think it’s right. There are three objectives that remain highly relevant; one is to focus on quality growth, two is investing in our people, I’m very obsessed with the issue of enabling environment, which is one priority of our ministry and I believe that if you sort that out, you will fix Nigeria. Third is trade. This, as you know, deals with your interactions both domestically and internationally. What we focused on was: how do we create a relationship or partnership that will foster trade, both domestic and international trade? How do we recognise favourable trade agreements or relationships? The fourth area we focused on was micro, small and medium enterprises. You will agree with me that if you can champion the course of MSMEs to the point that we will address most of our problems. If every MSME created jobs, then you will be looking at more jobs than we need. The final area is investment, which is why these three pillars are tied together–industry, trade and investment. The good news is that on each of these things, we have achieved major reports, several initiatives and some still on-going.
I talked about industrialisation, being the pillar of our five-point agenda in Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. Under industrialisation, there are three policies that we are pursuing– that we think will make an impact on industries or industrialisation overtime.
The first one is that we have established an industrial council, something called Nigerian Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council, which the membership is made up of leading stakeholders in the private sector and senior members of government, ministers, CBN Governor and it’s chaired by the vice president and I am the vice chair. The whole idea of this industrial council is that we look at the critical issues affecting industry, with a bias for implementation. There are six broad areas we focus on which are critical –infrastructure, financing for industry, policy stability, skills acquisition and vocational training, trade and market access and finally working with the states. From the point of view of basically making sure that the things industrialists and manufacturers want from the state, whether it’s in terms of land, addressing multiple taxation and so on, they are addressed. The second area, which is where this question is focused on is that we also decided that we would do industrial infrastructure. First, we look at all the countries that have been industrialised, in fact, the rapidly industrialised countries in the last 30 years. We saw a common trend; we recognised that when it comes to infrastructure, it’s simply too complex. We also understand that industry is so important that they prioritise infrastructure for industry, and they concentrated their efforts in terms of power, transportation and logistics to make sure those places became very competitive centres of excellence and that does a lot when it comes to rapid industrialisation. Nigeria has talked about it for 30 years, but we have never really added concerted effort to break the back of this problem and doing it. So, one of the things we focus on is doing it. We also focused on sector reforms within industry– what are those sectors or areas within the industry or commodities or products where we have a comparative advantage, where we ought to have specific policies that will help grow those things here and produce them here? And normally, agro-processing— you know Nigeria is very endowed when it comes to agriculture and petrochemicals. In those two areas, we have come up with various policies to address particular commodities or products. So, if you like tomatoes, cassava, oil palm, cashew nuts, cocoa, these are things that we did in the past and the point is that how do we ensure that we produce them in sufficient quantities and quality and also process them?
And we have done a number of things. You then come back to the question of industrial clusters and special economic zones. When the president went to China in 2016, I went with him. He visited a number of special economic zones in China and it was an eye-opener. While there, we met one of the top advisers, who is a chief economist at the World Bank, who is now in the business of advising other countries on what they did. We invited him—he came and shared their experience with us. When we came back, we now decided to launch project made in Nigeria for exports. This is because if you can produce to the point where you are competitive enough to export, then you will be competitive enough theoretically as well and addressing problem of basically import. And in order to do that, you come back to industrial infrastructure, and knowing that we can’t afford the resources, the know-how or capacity to do it all alone, we decided to pursue a strategy of public and private partnership with other players who are interested. We targeted raising $500 million in the first instance to just build this industrial infrastructure, but in a way that will be done to world class standards, using world class governance, management and policies and operations. We called that initiative Nigeria Special Economic Zones Investment Company. I’m sure you have heard the talk about a private company, the so-called private company uses private-public partnership which the president supervised a signing ceremony with these other investors on February 8. It was a high point of more than one year of work. So, trying to dismiss that effort as the main effort of one man is mind-boggling. It’s just one of those surprises which you have to deal with operating in Nigeria because it raises the question of what more could you have done. If the president of a country sits over a ceremony where investors come in, we are talking about the likes of Afrexim Bank, AfDB, African Finance Corporation , Bank of Industry and Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority… Now, these five players with the federal government owning 25 per cent through the Ministry of Finance Incorporated were those that came together; two of them came as observers, two signed the agreement. Afrexim Bank and Bank of Industry and one signed an MoU to complete their work–Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority. And all that work has progressed since then. The reason that is important is because you’re targeting raising $500 million with the federal government providing 25 per cent and we have been working on that, and we are looking to establish world-class modern industrial parks across the country. We are also looking to revamp two existing industrial parks that the government owns—Calabar industrial park and the one in Kano. And all that is on-going because we have gotten approval. What we are doing now is attempt to establish three more as a module. We have one in Lekki where we are trying to do one for export of textile, garments and another one in Abia State and it’s a huge site— about 9,000 hectares and another one in Katsina for cotton and all these things have received approval and we are now going through the budget process, which has been a subject of media attention in the last several weeks.
The whole idea is that this will continue for the next 10 years. What do we want to achieve with these? We believe that if we do this right, we will be able to generate over $30 billion of exports. And this could become an annual stuff once it reaches maturity. The research also showed that we will create 1.5 million direct jobs, and for each direct job we create, you create six or more indirect jobs. So, we are basically looking at 10 million jobs. We also want to move manufacturing industry from 10 per cent of GDP to 20 per cent. This is an extremely important initiative of the government and it is important it’s reported right so that people can understand and support it.
First, we have worked with the senate on this. They actually helped to select some places where we are doing the feasibility studies and expansion. So, if you go to 2017/2018 budget, you will see it. What happened was I believe that some mischief makers went to the senate and told them to watch it; that it looks like a private thing. That made them raise the question that, how come we are trying to establish Nigeria Special Economic Zones Company, whereas for example, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) can do it? And if you are partnering the private sector you can’t tell them to come and buy shares, they cannot buy shares, it’s an agency. So, telling NEPZA to do it is ill-advised unless NEPZA will register the company. And we are working with NEPZA; we have a steering committee where we included them. However, mind you, it’s not necessarily a bad thing that questions are being asked. The important thing is those questions need to be addressed and we need to stay focused and achieve the result. And my recommendation to the government will be that the engagement must continue and also the investment must continue. We have passed the point of no return; the president has supervised the signing agreement and they are legal agreement. Work is ongoing and I believe we will implement them the right way.
When you say budget, I told you that the target we are trying to raise is $500 million, so 25 per cent is obviously $125 million.
Will $500 million be enough to set up three special economic zones and provide facilities for them?
These things have a multiplier effect. If you look at my previous background, I was in the equity business. $500 million is the equity. This means that any company capitalising $500 million, first of all, can raise multiples of that effect. The reason they are interested is not just because they will contribute the equity, but also because they will provide the infrastructural financing, the project financing. In fact organisations like African Finance Corporation told us that their main interest is infrastructure, inside and outside– infrastructure as project finance. But obviously, we are saying come together as a club first, own this umbrella company that will supervise and provide management and goodwill. It also gives us an opportunity to work with the rest of the government, so the special economic zones will be included in our plan. It will be the focal point in terms of making sure that the projects actually receive attention and are properly implemented to world class standards.
You said attracting investments is one of your major focuses. Will you be able to put a number to how much you have been able to achieve in this regard?
Investments can be looked at in different forms, there’s foreign and domestic investment, there’s portfolio investment and then there’s direct investment. Let me focus on direct investment. If you look at foreign direct investment for instance, when we came in, it had declined because of the oil price and pressures on the currency. What we did was to strengthen the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission. We also re-launched the Export Expansion Grant. We are now starting monitoring and all those things were to engage businesses and various stakeholders. The first sign that you monitor is the commitment people make; the investments people have announced. I will give you another example: when the president was in China last year for the Forum on China—Africa Cooperation( FOCAC) as it is called, we met with the Ruyi Group, one of the largest and most successful Chinese international textile garment companies. They committed to invest $2 billion in Nigeria. If we go ahead with our industrial infrastructure now; if you look at the investments that were announced just for last year, the commitment people announced at the state level and federal, which is by Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), it’s over $90 billion, the year before it was over $70 billion, the year before that it was over $60 billion. Now, the challenge for us as a country and as a ministry is how much of this do we convert. And we must convert more. The conversion rate of this commitment people have shown is the key. And that’s why we know that Nigeria has the potential. I do believe that we are well on our way but we must go back to that enabling environment because what they need is the right environment so that when they put in their investment, they will suffer loss.
The credit goes to NIPC primarily; what they did was to basically look at what should be pioneer industries and because we need investment, we have chosen to be brothers, none of any industries here in Nigeria that has not achieved maturity. When you want to invest, you should consider it a pioneer industry.
The issue of African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) comes to mind. Nigeria is yet to sign. What is your take on that?
I will answer that question in two parts, the first part is that, the African Union summit, which is the highest decision-making body for heads of government and state, made the decision rightly that they need to improve intra African trade. If you look at every other region in the world, the African trade hovers around 15 per cent; that is trade within. So we are way behind. The AU summit is right on a lot of things: why don’t we enter an agreement that will create the rules and basis right by recommending collaboration?. But having 12 to 18 months for a country framework agreement, most people decided to get the agreement signed by the heads of state and then go, engage your people, get into the details of the agreement, terms of the agreement. Then have to do what programmes as I call it. This is where you spell out in detail what you’re going to do. So, right now, when it became clear, that was re-inforcing the framework agreement in Nigeria, which was a different pattern, I think, probably the beginning of it. For most of our stakeholders, understanding the prowess of this agreement said, you know that you need to understand what’s in it. The president considered that and he wisely decided that he will hold up, let’s do those stakeholders’ engagement. You don’t know what the consequences are, you may end up compromising something or making it a dumping ground. So on the basis of that, they decided to not sign it, not to sign immediately. That work took over a year to be completed. Now, having finished that work, the president now asked for impact assessment, the pros and cons. So he set up a committee chaired by myself and the chief of staff to the president, basically to oversee a technical group. I am hopeful that the president will sign the agreement which includes remedies and plan of action and how we will engage and make the most of it. The point is let’s do it well and I think Nigeria has such strategic importance. By doing it well, we can provide leadership.
I expected you and your team to take a more vigorous campaign of encouraging Nigerians to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods. What is your take, sir?
Yes to an extent, it is the duty of the government plus plus. I said plus plus because first government has a duty to make it viable to produce here, the enabling environment so that people can produce here. Secondly, government has a duty to lead by example. But we have put some measures in place and those are landmark measures. Look at Executive Order number three, government has committed itself and said 40 per cent of whatever it buys will be made in Nigeria and of course that directive has gone out to all our ministries, departments and agencies. Government also put up an Executive Order number 5 saying that where services (it could be technical services) can be provided by Nigerians, please use them first. Now, what are we doing to market, to promote or advertise? That’s the part that is collective, because those that are producing goods will advertise their products and government will do an umbrella advertisement. Made in Nigeria is good; we took to cabinet, a comprehensive proposal with the Ministry of Information and Culture about made in Nigeria which was approved and of course the implementation. Like you said, I wish it’s more vigorous. We have to be ahead of ourselves. That’s why I said the goods have to be there. We have to help them to increase that local value. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
On export promotion, your policy on ease of doing business is being hamstrung by the problems you have at the seaports. For instance, about two months ago, some exporters were lamenting that cashew nuts billed for export were held up at the seaport for about eight months. How do you juxtapose that with your export promotion mantra?
If you are not careful, you forget that you can’t actually work alone. The ports, which as we know is all about Customs, talking about technology right, must cooperate with us. If not, our efforts will be a struggle. There are at least three that we are doing, but we need to speed it up. We need technology for clearing goods at the ports, we need infrastructure to evacuate goods at the ports, and that infrastructure includes distributing the ports. As you know, the other day, government approved another port in Warri and it’s a multi-billion dollar project. There’s an ongoing effort to build ports around the South-south and the final thing I will say is that you need better collaboration and policies, for people bringing their goods, whether in terms of standards, someone trying to do inspection. Government has a policy that they are trying to make sure that the particular arm of government that will enforce that will respect that policy and enforce it. So there is a lot of work being done to create better synergy and collaboration.
Why is it difficult to open up the ports?
Your question is a good one. To establish a port is very capital intensive and you have to see it through. If you don’t see it through, you have an abandoned project. That’s why you need continuity and the arms of government working together. Look at the Lekki seaport, which they have been working on. They have to raise the funds to $2 billion, as it turns out, they only have the equity part. It’s taking them two years. That’s why it’s important that this one we are doing now, where the government has said we will lead the efforts with Chinese. Now on SMEs and ease of exports, I will say a couple of things. One is that there’s an agency that is focused singularly on exports and that’s Nigeria Export Promotion Council and they are one of the agencies under my ministry and they are very proactive. Also, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council and its secretariat are focused on ease of doing business and it’s focused on making life easier. Thirdly, various trade associations… that’s why for each of these products there’s an association. They are there to promote exports. Just people need to plug the eyebrows and I do believe that when people plug it, they will get information.


It is essential to conserve water because it plays a critical role in all earth lives. There are some which make us realise that why should we conserve water.
It makes water available for recreational purposes – Much of our freshwater is used for watering lawns, trees, flowers, and vegetable gardens.
“As We understand that why we need to conserve in water conservation chapter. Now let us take a look at an initiative has taken by the state and the central government to conserve water.”