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Balta Dam offers opportunities for ‘a little getaway’
BALTA — After an early spring thaw, the water at Balta Dam quietly disappeared under a new layer of snow from a late April blizzard, but the geese and ducks didn’t seem to mind.
Locked up for winter, the buildings around the dam stood ready to open to campers in a few weeks. The lakes separating the dam would soon hold more swimming humans than waterfowl, but birds would still find places to nest nearby.
Most of the time, Balta Dam is as quiet as the sleepy town of Balta, located just to the northeast.
Balta sits 16 miles to the southwest of Rugby. Most visitors take North Dakota Highway 3 and turn west on 52nd Street Northeast to get there.
The Pierce County recreation spot is a favorite of locals who want a quick, casual getaway on a hot summer day.
The Balta Dam offers a section for swimming, ramps for small boats and watercraft, and campsites. Visitors in RVs will find a few places for electrical hookups and sewer service for a suggested fee of $15 per night.
The Balta Wildlife Club members who maintain and oversee the site say visitors should drop their money in a collection box. The club trusts the campground users to pay for their stay.
A statement from the club said visitors sometimes pay more than $15; sometimes, they don’t pay at all. But the club’s board members say they hope most campers pay to use their campsites.
The campground holds even more sites for primitive camping. The usage fee for those sites is $10 per night.
Campers can find indoor restrooms and an outdoor shower available at the dam.
Members say the Balta Wildlife Club began in the mid- to late-1950s.
The dam was built to prevent flooding in the area in the 1930s, according to Jim Zacher, who sits on the Balta Wildlife Club’s board. The dam now separates two small lakes, known as East Lake and West Lake.
Zacher said the original dam broke in 1935. After federal and state workers began work to replace the dam later that year, townspeople and government agencies made dam maintenance a priority. Improvements and other dam-related work became one responsibility for the Balta Wildlife Club after it was formed.
The club began with a large membership, which dwindled to just three members in 1997.
Members say the club has always been volunteer-based.
“No one in the club takes even a penny in pay,” a statement from the club said.
In 1997, club membership built up again. Members and other volunteers raised funds for several improvements at the Balta Dam to make it more accessible for recreation and fishing. The Pierce County Park Board paid for the majority of the improvements.
The club built restrooms, new boat docks, and boat ramps. The club put in a road, boat ramp, and parking lot near the undeveloped East Lake. Zacher said the club continues to add new conveniences for campers. He noted that in 2021, the club added electricity hookups for RVs.
In summer 2006, the tiny town of Balta suffered damage in a major windstorm. Balta Wildlife Club members say the majority of buildings near the dam were damaged. With funds from sources such as the state Garrison Diversion Project, which raises money for recreation on North Dakota waterways, the club paid to rebuild restrooms, picnic shelters, and a main building near the dam.
Funds also paid for a concession stand and grandstand near the dam. Those buildings see most of its use during the Balta Demolition Derby, which usually happens the first weekend in August, the same day as St. Therese the Little Flower Catholic Parish Corn Feed.
In addition to its support from the Pierce County Park Board, The Balta Wildlife Club also raises funds for its own operation through a fall supper and fundraising activities through the Rugby Eagles Club.
Another event attracting campers in early August is the Balta Street Dance, an event sponsored by the Balta Bar and Grill. Visitors to the campground travel just half a mile to the tiny town, then return to their campsites after an evening of live music and fun.
“It seems with the dam, someone’s camping there off and on all summer long,” said Kathy Halvorson, whose daughter, Stephanie, owns the Balta Bar and Grill.
“On Memorial Day Weekend, Labor Day Weekend, some people have family reunions out there and it gets to be a full house over the weekend,” Halvorson said. “Of course, when we have the street dance, or the corn feed and demo derby, the campsites fill up.
“People like it for recreation,” Halvorson said of the dam. “People are out there in their SkiDoos and watercraft. They have picnics and there’s a little bit of fishing sometimes.
“For anyone who has campers and doesn’t want to travel too far, it’s a little getaway,” Halvorson said, noting most people come to Balta from neighboring Rugby or Anamoose.
Other visitors come from farther away. Some come from cities such as Minot for family reunions.
Some people even come to Balta from out-of-state, because they grew up in Balta, according to Halvorson. Many families time their visit to coincide with the Balta Street Dance, Halvorson noted.
Halvorson said the visitors seemed to miss the atmosphere a small town offers “and they like to see that it’s still thriving, maybe, or there are still a few things going on.”
According to information from the North Dakota Department of Game and Fish, the small dam’s surface area spans 105 acres. The water’s maximum depth is about 15 feet. After a large winterkill in 2018, the department restocked the lake with Northern Pike.
In addition to water recreation, the dam provides a home for a variety of waterfowl to interest birdwatchers during the area’s mostly quieter times between holidays.
“Because it’s small, you’re not going to have the big state park feel, where the campground’s really full and you have to wait for the showers and things like that,” Halvorson said of Balta Dam.
And even in the off-season, locals find plenty to do around the dam and small town.
“We’ve got snowmobilers today,” Halvorson said, looking out the window as a group parked their snowmobiles in front of the bar to grab a bite to eat after riding around the countryside.

domain: geography


A model-based supply chain leverages high fidelity engineering data that includes all required, technically accurate product manufacturing information (PMI); including (but not limited to) GD&T, component level materials, assembly level BOMs, and configuration specifications.
Discrete manufacturers who want to secure their ability to be a player in the supply chains of the future need to prioritize making data accessible and shareable at scale.
Here are three reasons why.
1. The demand for data all across the supply chain is sky high.
Supply chain disruptions during the pandemic brought ‘supply chain risk’ under the microscope. Everyone from OEMs to governments to start-ups to venture capitalists are now pouring resources into establishing best practices and solutions for understanding and profiling risk.
Wherever risk is discovered, an immediate demand for better data, transparency and insight follows. The implication for manufacturers is clear: access to data and supplier visibility will be a key requirement for any player in any supply chain in any industry going forward.
2. Your current system for sharing data and collaborating has gaps.
Going purely on odds, it’s almost a certainty that your existing process has gaps in it that you’re not aware of. For example:
- data is missing;
- files are being shared in ways that go against your own policies;
- information exists in someone’s hard drive, or email inbox, and nowhere else; and
- there are numerous systems designed to work together in ways that only a handful of people truly understand.
In more than 200 assessments of discrete manufacturing operations spanning 15 years, we’ve found that big discrepancies between how solutions are built versus how they’re actually being used occur 82% of the time.
3. You don’t need a fully mature model-based system in place in order to security share high fidelity data and insight.
Value can be achieved by simply sharing 3D and 2D visuals along with other existing documentation in technical data packages (TDPs).
How? By automating the publishing and sharing of file-less CAD and non-CAD content, giving everyone who needs it access to the latest, officially-released models and data – as a secure snapshot of federated information at that point and time.
Connecting people across the value chain to engineering data – and the engineers responsible for it – can have huge impacts on the bottom line. The technology for achieving this is already here, and had been proven successful within many enterprises and industries.
For an excellent primer on how to get started, get our new eBook, How to Leverage Model-Based Engineering Data Across Your Supply Chain with Half the Cost (And None of the Fear).


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My Struggle for Peace is a remarkable political document offering insights into the complex workings of the young Israeli political system, set against the backdrop of the disintegration of the country's fragile armistice with the Arab states. Replete with the diarist's candid comments on Israel's first generation leaders and world statesmen of the day, the diary also tells the dramatic human story of a political career cut shortthe removal of an unusually sensitive, dedicated, and talented public servant. My Struggle for Peace is, above all, an intimate record of the decline of Moshe Sharett's moderate approach and the rise of more "activist-militant" trends in Israeli society, culminating in the Suez/Sinai war of 1956. The diary challenges the popular narrative that Israel's confrontation with its neighbors was unavoidable by offering daily evidence of Sharett's statesmanship, moderation, diplomacy, and concern for Israel's place in international affairs.
This long-awaited 3-volume English abridgement of Sharett's Yoman Ishi [Personal diary] (Ma'ariv, 1978) maintains the integrity, flavor, and impact of the 8-volume Hebrew original and includes additional documentary material that was not accessible at the time.
The volumes are also available to purchase individually.
3-volume set (1953-1956): https://iupress.org/97802530432521
Volume 1 (1953-1954): https://iupress.org/9780253037350
Volume 2 (1955): https://iupress.org/9780253037589
Volume 3 (1956): https://iupress.org/9780253037626
About the Author
Moshe Sharett (1894-1965) was Israel's first Foreign Minister (1948-1956) and its second Prime Minister (1954-1955).
Neil Caplan is author of The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Contested Histories and of Futile Diplomacy, a 4-volume documentary history of Arab-Israeli negotiations. He is author (with Laura Zittrain Eisenberg) of Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace: Patterns, Problems, Possibilities.
Yaakov Sharett is a retired diplomat, journalist, editor, and translator in Tel Aviv. He is Director of the Moshe Sharett Heritage Society and chief editor of a dozen volumes of his father's letters, papers and speeches, including the original diary published in 1978.
Moshe Sharett was a compulsive writer. He enjoyed the very act of writing, the flavour of the words and the quest for precision of expression . . . This is by no means a diary kept at leisure. Most of it was written under the extremely heavy pressure of work and great mental strain, very often in the middle of the night when he was on the verge of physical exhaustion. Standing out above all [the Diary's revelations] is the moral force which dominated Sharett's personality. This extraordinary diary, besides being a unique human document, is a treasure trove for the student of Israel's contemporary history and invaluable for the understanding of one of its crucial periods.

domain: literature


text:
Illustrative GEMPACK Computations in a General Equilibrium Model with Melitz Sectors
One way to learn about the theoretical properties of a model is to construct and apply a simple numerical version. This is also a good preparation for creating policy-relevant models. Here we describe MelitzGE, a simplified Melitz general equilibrium model implemented with stylized data. Using MelitzGE we start by conducting simulations for which the results can be known a priori. Test simulations such as these check the coding of models. They can also expose theoretical properties. For example, a MelitzGE test simulation of the effects of a uniform 1% world-wide increase in employment shows a uniform increase in consumption of more than 1%, determined by the substitution elasticity σ. Sorting out why this is so helps us understand how love of variety and scale operate in Melitz. Next we conduct tariff simulations. Using the Balistreri-Rutherford decomposition discussed in Chap. 5, we find that Melitz love-of-variety and productivity effects tend to cancel out leaving welfare determined by phenomena familiar from Armington: terms-of-trade and efficiency effects. Recognition that these effects depend on tariff levels and trade-flow sensitivity to tariff changes leads to an investigation of the equivalence between Armington and Melitz models when calibrated to produce similar trade sensitivities. The GEMPACK code for our computations is in an appendix. As illustrated in this chapter and the next, GEMPACK is ideal software for Melitz-style CGE modelling. Nevertheless, readers will not need to be familiar with GEMPACK or follow the GEMPACK code to understand the chapter.
KeywordsTest simulations Melitz in GEMPACK Welfare decomposition Armington-Melitz equivalence
- Abayasiri-Silva, K., & Horridge, J. M. (1998). Economies of scale and imperfect competition in an applied general equilibrium model of the Australian economy (Chap. 14). In: K. J. Arrow, Y.-K. Ng & X. Yang (Eds.), Increasing returns and economic analysis (pp. 307–334 ). Great Britain: Macmillan Press Ltd; New York:St. Martin’s Press, Inc.Google Scholar
- Arkolakis, C., Demidova, S., Klenow, P. and Rodriguez-Clare, A. (2008). “Endogenous variety and the gains from trade?” American Economic Review, 98(2), 444–450.Google Scholar
- Balistreri, E., & Rutherford T. (2013). Computing general equilibrium theories of monopolistic competition and heterogeneous firms (Chap. 23). In: P. B. Dixon & D. W. Jorgenson (Eds.), Handbook of computable general equilibrium modeling (pp. 1513–1570.). Amsterdam:Elsevier.Google Scholar
- Dixon, P. B., Parmenter, B. R., Sutton J., Vincent, D. P. (1982). ORANI: A multisectoral model of the Australian economy. Contributions to economic analysis 142 (pp. xviii + 372). North-Holland Publishing Company.Google Scholar
- Dixon, P. B., Koopman R. B., and Rimmer, M.T. (2013). The MONASH style of CGE modeling: a framework for practical policy analysis (Chap. 2). In: P. B. Dixon & D. W. Jorgenson (Eds.), Handbook of computable general equilibrium modeling (pp. 23–102). Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
- Horridge, J. M. (1987). The long-term costs of protection: Experimental analysis with different closures of an Australian computable general equilibrium model. Ph. D. thesis (pp. xii+315+appendices). University of Melbourne.Google Scholar
- Johansen, L. (1960), A multisectoral study of economic growth. Contributions to economic analysis 21 (pp. vii +177). North-Holland Publishing Company.Google Scholar
- Swaminathan, P., & Hertel, T. (1996), Introducing monopolistic competition into the GTAP model. GTAP Technical Paper No. 6, available at https://www.gtap.agecon.purdue.edu/resources/download/1565.pdf.


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The Salus University master’s in O&P (MSOP) program received candidacy accreditation by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE). Attainment of the candidate for accreditation status does not ensure the program will be granted full accreditation, but it expects to welcome the inaugural cohort of students in the Fall 2022 semester. The program will be the 14th nationwide and will be integrated into the College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation.
“The MSOP program is committed to developing and nurturing orthotic-prosthetic student leaders while providing them with a well-rounded master’s degree focused on cultural humility, diversity, and person-centered care. There will be a strong emphasis on inclusion to promote an environment of students belonging within the classroom,” the university said in a press release.
The first cohort of around 24 students will be led by Chad Duncan, PhD, CRC, CPO, chair and program director; Julie McCulley Quinlan, MPO, MS, CPO, ATC, instructor; Ernstha Jovin, administrative assistant; and Kevin Cianfrani, lab manager.

domain: news


text:
Staff at a hospital have said they have never faced anything like coronavirus before, but are now better prepared to fight a second wave of potential infections.
The team at University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie said lessons have been learned about the virus and they now know how to treat it.
The NHS Lanarkshire staff have adapted the way they work – from implementing one-way systems to how they put on and take off personal protective equipment (PPE).
Speaking to ITV News, Margaret Harkins, intensive care ward manager, said: “I’ve been an ICU nurse for about 19 years now and this is so different to anything we’ve seen before.”
Charlene Fairlie, intensive care staff nurse, added: “I think we’re progressing every day.
“We’re getting better, we’re knowing more, we know how to react to these patients, and we’re better prepared now if we did have a second wave or a third wave.”
The hospital took its first coronavirus patient in early March.
Ami Ewart, an intensive care staff nurse, said fighting on the frontline had been “physically and emotionally” draining.
Dr Rachel Fraser, senior anaesthetic registrar, added: “NHS as a whole is understaffed, underfunded. And I think this pandemic has brought that again to light.
“And it’s brought that to everyone’s front of their minds, so I hope that will continue to improve as the pandemic evolves.”
NHS Lanarkshire stopped hospitals from becoming overwhelmed by repurposing community health centres for Covid-19 triage.
Around 60% who go in are deemed fit enough to recover at home.
Patient Sean Campbell, 28, has spent almost four weeks in hospital after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
After almost two weeks on a ventilator, he is now on dialysis and relearning to walk.
He told ITV News: “Coronavirus is kind of affecting a lot of people’s kidneys at the moment, and I’m still not sure what’s wrong with mine as well.
“It’s not been an easy ride.”
Mr Campbell said he is in the “best place for recovering”, but has found being away from his family the “hardest part”.
Once out, he said he is most looking forward to tucking into a KFC.
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domain: health


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Retired ATF officer Mark Rusin of Lombard will discuss his debut novel Justice for Dallas at Lexington Square Lombard on Wednesday, November 13 at 2 p.m. Rusin formerly worked as an inspector for U.S. Customs, security director for Chicago Savings and Loan, and a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) before retiring locally and accepting a position as evening security guard for Lexington Square Lombard.
Justice for Dallas is a fictional account based on the real life murder of a family in 1984. As an ATF officer, Rusin investigated the crime and it haunted him for years “It was an unbelievable investigation from beginning to end and I just had to write about it,” said Rusin. “I worked on the book for seven years.” It was published last month, and is available on amazon.com as well as on www.markrusin.com
The residents of Lexington have been interested in Rusin’s background and curious about his novel. “I will talk a little bit about how the book came to be, and we’ll do a book signing,” said Rusin. The event is free and open to the public. For additional information call 630-576-4800.
Lexington Square is a premier independent and licensed assisted living community that offers memory support and a lifestyle rich with experiences that make life worth living. For more information, contact 630-576-4800 or visit their website at www.lexingtonsquares.com.


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Over the holiday weekend, Senator Heidi Heitkamp was asked about whether or not she’d like President Barack Obama to campaign for her here in North Dakota this election cycle.
Her response was swift and firm in the negative:
- Rob Port (@robport) September 2, 2018
This is the latest example of Heitkamp doing election year flip-flops on her support for her party’s presidents and presidential candidates.
In 2008 Heitkamp, then eight years removed from a failed gubernatorial campaign and still four years away from the narrow victory which put her in the U.S. Senate, took some time at the Democratic party’s national convention to expound on video about the greatness of then-candidate Barack Obama.
“I’m sure Barack Obama is going to be amazing,” she said in video (see it here) that was originally posted on YouTube by Chad Nodland, a former blogger who at the time was one of North Dakota’s representatives to the Democratic National Committee. Heitkamp was also effusive in her praise of Hillary Clinton in that video too. Nodland apparently took it in a hotel hallway at the 2008 Democratic national convention.
Click here to continue reading Rob Port's Say Anything blog.


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Chris (Simpsons artist) is beloved around the world (with over one million fans on Facebook) for his bizarre […]
With the winter holidays coming up, I think it is safe to say we have all earned a […]
“When it comes to silencing women, Western culture has thousands of years of practise.” And so classicist Mary […]
Well, let’s see. 1. The tickets are cheap. Really cheap (£6 at the door)- I mean it’s like […]
There are very few films that create the kind of legacy that Psycho holds. It is a cinematic […]
Screen sequels have a long line of casualties: Jaws lost its bite, Spiderman it’s thread and lest said […]
Super Mario Odyssey is widely considered the best Super Mario game we’ve had for years now, potentially since […]
An underwater concert? Sure!
The Addams Family Musical maintained the humor and appeal found in Charles Addams’ classic series while simultaneously keeping […]
What makes Alfred Hitchcock one of the greatest directors of all time? Quite possibly his ability to bring tension to the screen that grips viewers and terrifies audiences.

domain: entertainment


text:
Starting a compact business enterprise out of your dwelling, featuring goods or providers like business enterprise consulting, pictures, selling on the world-wide-web or a Multi-level marketing? You are now confronted with tracking all your expenditures and revenues for your business enterprise and you unquestionably never have the revenue still to interact a bookkeeper or accountant. If your business enterprise is a sole proprietorship, whether it be a Canadian Proprietorship or a US-dependent Proprietorship, you do not require an accountant to post your firm financials (textbooks) to the IRS (Usa) or Earnings Canada). Your business enterprise income and losses are described as component of your annual personalized revenue tax. For this compact business enterprise get started-up, you would not need to obtain extravagant accounting software, like Fast Publications or AccPac to track your business enterprise.
Only as component of incorporating Bizfare Organization Inc in 2005 was it a requirement to interact an accountant. My accountant did insist on applying Fast Publications software for my business enterprise accounting. Up until then applying a easy spreadsheet template served my business enterprise accounting needs for around 10 a long time. This easy spreadsheet accounting stood the test of multiple audits by Earnings Canada (CRA and Earnings Canada Merchandise and Products and services Tax. Both equally the hardcopy columnar pad and an electronic spreadsheet version of my economical textbooks were approved by Earnings Canada. (BTW the audits disclosed extra strategies for me to declare again added taxes for the past three a long time! Now which is my style of audit!)
In your new get started-up business enterprise venture, you most likely will deliver someplace amongst ten to thirty accounting transactions for each month. These transactions would be things like Cost, Earnings (profits), Liability (Personal loan) style transactions and Income Tax (Federal + Condition/Provincial) Assortment/Deductions. These transactions are more broken down into many Small business Accounts. All the Accounts you established up for your business enterprise is referred to as a Chart of Accounts. Recording your business enterprise economical transactions (Journal Entries) can be executed with pen and ink on an accounting columnar pad or electronically with your personal computer applying a spreadsheet software (MS Excel, Open up Workplace, Star Workplace).
Whether you hire electronic or hardcopy media, you need to build a easy Journal template to build your Small business Synoptic Journal. This Synoptic Journal format has the edge of permitting you a complete view of all your unique journal entry transactions in opposition to all your many Small business Accounts. Generating this Synoptic Journal is less difficult to do than you consider and demands no prior accounting or bookkeeping knowledge.
Idea #one: You could more decrease the accounting line things (Journal Entries) by consolidating like things these as ‘all the Income for the month’ and ‘all parking receipts for the month’ into a single totaled line product for the month.
Where by do you get started to recognize the many Small business Accounts needed for your Synoptic Journal?
If you at the moment do the job for a firm or govt, secure of a single of their employee price varieties. Seem at each of the locations discovered as expenditures – meals, mileage, lodge lodging, taxi, automobile rental, phone & mobile telephone, air fare, office environment supplies, etc. This is an great put to recognize the many Small business Cost Accounts you need to established up for your business enterprise accounting textbooks. To complete your business enterprise Chart of Accounts, contain a Small business Lender Account, Income, COGS (Cost of Merchandise Offered), Income Tax Assortment, Advertising and marketing Cost and some others as needed. Each of these Accounts will be a detailed as a title across the major of each column of your Synoptic Journal. Each row (line product) will be the unique journal transactions entered by you. The journal transactions are grouped and summarized for each business enterprise month usually, January by means of December.
So your Synoptic Journal would appear something like this Sample Synoptic Journal at http://picasaweb.google.com/carl.chesal/BookkeepingTemplate.
The column headings may well be in this buy (from left to ideal):
Date | DESCRIPTION | Lender DEPOSITS | Lender WITHDRAWALS | Income Earnings | COGS | Income TAX Collected & REMITTED | Workplace Materials Cost | Cost #two | Cost #three | And so on
Idea #two: Until your business enterprise is Included or an LLC, you never need to go by means of the price of opening a business enterprise account with your financial institution. Usually Small business accounts cost a higher month-to-month price, cost for printing checks (cheques) and never present any fascination on your month-to-month account equilibrium. Alternatively, open a independent personalized financial institution account (perhaps savings). This will demonstrate the ‘taxman’ that you are holding the business enterprise independent from your personalized banking. Keep in mind you are a sole proprietor and all your business enterprise revenue (and losses) are to be utilized directly to your personalized revenue tax submission ( a s for each IRS and CRA).
To conserve you time and make is quite easy, I have previously created a easy spreadsheet Synoptic Journal template that performs all the calculations for each month and rolls up the 12 business enterprise months so it can quickly be provided in your annual personalized revenue tax preparation. This Synoptic Journal template has Debit/Credit score checks and balances, tracks profits taxes, mileage and totals each account for your complete fiscal yr. If you want this Free Bookkeeping template, you can get it at Connect Innovate. With a several crucial strokes, which will assistance recognize by yourself, I will gladly send out you this Free Synoptic Journal Template and also any long run Modest Small business Tips.
Idea #three: 1 Rule of Accounting is that each and every time you record a journal entry (line product which applies the transaction in opposition to the ideal business enterprise accounts) the Debits and Credits Will have to Remain Equivalent at ALL Times. This Debit Equals Credit score calculator is designed into this Free Bookkeeping Template. When you have done entering a line product (journal transaction), look at to be certain that the sum the the Debit mobile equals the sum in the Credit score mobile. If they are not equivalent, you have not entered the quantities appropriately in your journal transaction. Accurate the challenge prior to entering your next journal entry.
You are now geared up to seize your business enterprise economical textbooks with some easy accounting software. Delighted bookkeeping! And Delighted Marketing!

domain: economics


- >Jiwei launched NAMUR output Tuning Fork Level Switch
- >Jiwei Rotary Paddle Switch Successfully Applied to Hot-Melt Adhesive Granules Level Measurement
- >Jiwei Magnetic Level Indicator Applied in Level Measurement of Hydrofluoric Acid Medium
- >Ring-11 Liquid Level Switch Widely Applied in Pump Protection System
- >Jiwei Level Measuring Instrument Already Obtained 16 Explosion-proof Certificates
- >Fork-11 Level Switch Successfully Applied in the Measurement of Fumed Silica
- >Well-known Japanese Flowmeter Enterprise Visits Jiwei to Negotiate Cooperation
- >Jiwei Tuning Fork Liquid Level Switch Successfully Applied in LNG High-pressure Tank Measurement Project
Shenzhen Jiwei Automations Ltd.
Address：5th Floor, Baoli Building, No. 3162 Longgang Avenue, Shenzhen, P. R. China.
Tel：+86 755 28407683
Successful Application of Jiwei High Temperature Vibrating Rod Level Switch in PET Particle MeasurementThe client chooses Jiwei Tube-11 to replace imported products for measuring the level of polyester chip (PET) in the production process of polyester spunbonded hot-rolled material.
Currently, a batch of Ring-11 liquid level switches are applying in a Xinjiang petrochemical factory for the 1stphase project of technical renovation.
Jiwei Fork-11 tuning fork level switch has been successfully applied in many domestic level measurement of fumed silica projects.
Ring-11 liquid level switch now is widely used in pump protection systems in various industries, its stable and reliable performance are well recognized by users.
Yantian Port purchases 230 sets of Flap-11 magnetic level indicator and Reed-11 remote transmitter to measure the level of diesel oil and engine oil of gantry crane generator units.
After seriously comparing the liquid level switches to many domestic and imported brands, the petrochemical plant purchases 204 pieces of Jiwei Ring-11 Flameproof Liquid Level Switches.
What is the difficulty in measuring alumina level, and why Jiwei Tube-11 vibrating rod level switch is known as the most optimal level measurement for alumina industry?
The underground tank is used to store acidic medium, and there are full of steam and impurities. Due to the severe working condition, the client pays great awareness on measured instruments.
The two products run well in the project of Shandong thermal power plant.In the return visit, positive feedback and praise are given by the customer.
The company purchased Uson-11 in bulk and applied in the projects of desulfurization public pulp tank, chemical pulp tank, water tank and indoor pit.


text:
Most homes have three different Cooking Powders - one for the iconic Sambar, one for Vethal Kuzhambu (a tangy vegetable sauce without cooked lentils) and one for Rasam (the south Indian delicious brot...Read more
AN ALL SPICE POWDER / Sambar Powder
The most versatile and healthiest of all powders in a Tamil home. Completely flavorful and Ayurvedic (holistic medicine) in nature, it can be used for a slew of recipes - main course and side dishes.
- 5 cup coriander seeds
- 3/4 cup pigeon peas / thuvar dal
- ½ cup bengal gram / chana dal
- 1/2 cup husked whole black gram / urad dal
- 1/4 cup fenugreek seeds / methi
- 1/4 cup mustard seeds
- 1/2 cup cumin seeds
- 2 cup dried red chillis
- 1/4 cup peppercorns
- 3/4 cup curry leaves
- 8 long thin turmeric pieces OR
- 3 tbs turmeric powder
- Wash and wipe the curry leaves dry.
- Roast all the ingredients with the curry leaves in a saucepan over a medium flame for a couple of minutes, until the lentils turn light golden and start emitting their distinctive aromas.
- Blend into a fine powder.
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. The powder remains fresh for many months.

domain: food


text:
There were 64,214 total confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in the state, which is an addition of 1,358 reported cases, along with a total of 3,036 reported deaths (up four from yesterday).
This recent spike in numbers, especially among young people, prompted Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to mandate mask wearing in public in a handful of counties this week, including Cuyahoga.
Case numbers continue to creep up in the state, but Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said today he’s not going to mandate masks for the entire state as of yet.
The total number of hospitalizations due to the virus is now 8,770 people. The median age of those Ohioans getting coronavirus is now 44 years old.
As of today, here are the Ohio counties with the most coronavirus cases:
- Franklin: 11,724
- Cuyahoga: 8,979
- Hamilton: 6,781
- Lucas: 2,952
- Marion: 2,745
And here are the Ohio counties with the most coronavirus deaths:
- Franklin: 445
- Cuyahoga: 393
- Lucas: 305
- Mahoning: 239
- Summit: 209
Yesterday, Cleveland saw one of its highest amount of reported cases in one day.
Get the latest headlines on FOX8.com below:
- Man holding baby hostage lights apartment on fire in California
- Seen on TV: 6/25/22
- Josh Duggar transferred to federal facility
- ‘Raining fish’ that fell from sky in Texas were vomited by birds, researchers claim
- Note on GrubHub order helps rescue alleged rape victim in New York: ‘Please call the police’


[HEADSUP] Let's start a Cygwin 1.7 release area
Tue Apr 22 09:46:00 GMT 2008
Corinna Vinschen wrote:
> I would suggest to use a setup subkey, because you might find that
> you have to store more than one value at one point. It would be
> cleaner this way, imho. And originally we came up with the version
> number, too, so what about "setup-2" or "setup"?
Traditionally setup has stored all of its state in files under
/etc/setup. I think this is a good thing to continue, since it makes it
easy to access and manipulate them from scripts. Given that we're
moving the mount table out of the registry and into /etc, I don't see
why we'd want to do the reverse with setup's bits. So in that sense, I
don't see a need for a subkey that will only ever have one key.
On the other hand, I'd hate for a bad decision now to make things
annoying in the future. Let me ask this: what's the layout for the
other items that will still be in the registry? Are we still looking
This is kind of ugly too, we have a mix of things with spaces and
underscores. How about the following:
I really don't know.
(The version number I think is implicit in the fact that this is a
totally new key that's never been used before. If in the very distant
future setup needs yet another namespace it can have a "setup-2" subkey
More information about the Cygwin-apps


Each year, Ari Fleischer, former press secretary to George W. Bush, tweets a gripping play-by-play of the 9/11 terror attacks. The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room P.M. EDT THE PRESS: ( Applause.) Q: Typical briefing for you. MR. FLEISCHER: Obviously, my family is here. Released September 23 Transcript of a press gaggle by Press Secretary Ari Fleischer Transcript of remarks by Vice President Dick Cheney at a lunch for.
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On that question, there’s no question about it. John, good morning there. It is a very different idea. I anticipate the main topics of discussion will be AIDS, trade. The National Hospital Abuja, Nigeria 9: It’s not a full-blown voucher. Spoken by Ari Fleischer on July 2, February 5, Good morning to you, Bill. CNN is told he informed the president of his plans late last week, informed senior staff members here at the White House this morning.
Is there a softer approach than you’ve led us to believe? No help from Washington for California power crunch. And that’s why the President has called on flekscher made this proposal now, and made clear fldischer it doesn’t matter who wins control of the Senate; whether it remains Democratic or it changes to Republican, this is a path and a plan that the President believes in and he hopes the Senate will follow it.
In the midst of all this ceremony on the south grounds of the White House, breaking news here on the personnel front. The corrective action is overt politics, not a covert op-ed. Ari Tganscript, again, as John breaks the news there, set to resign from his post as White House spokesperson later this summer.
We are told by senior administration officials that this was his decision. Spoken by Ari Fleischer on Fleischeg 26, February 5, A voucher plan, properly understood, is usually a statewide plan for all schools that everybody has a right to a voucher. But while the specifics of the Woodward book and the op-ed can be debated, they are consistent with accounts that we have consistently heard over the last year from such a wide array of sources. The President left his ranch. But if it is indeed a senior person who believes this, there’s a noble course in standing tall and saying it.
Spoken by Ari Fleischer on July 4, February 5, The first lady is out there as well.
Press Briefing Excerpt by Ari Fleischer 10/30/02 (Text Only)
Now, what happened to Helen? This quiet defiance within the administration has been described in transcripy as mild as palace intrigue and as extreme as constitutional crisis or administrative coup d’etat.
And the president believes very strongly that one of those consequences is that parents should have other options including school choice. I think the same was probably true of President Obama and everybody who came before him.
Accuracy and availability may vary. She was here this morning.
Former White House Press Secretary Weighs In On Bob Woodward’s Latest Book
If there is anybody who works for any president of the United States who feels so strongly that their boss is not qualified to be the president, the honorable and noble thing – and it’s a part of America’s tradition – is resign and go public. He is going to look for those areas that bring everybody together and he’s going to build the public case that’s going to bring transcgipt a bipartisan coalition to push through this entire comprehensive education reform plan including school choice.
The president understands in all issues, in all areas that the president proposes and Congress disposes. John, if you think about it, this is truly the person who is the face of the White House, who stands in front of reporters like yourself and takes the heat for all the questions and all the issues on a daily basis.
Bush administration, thanks for joining us today. Ari, the question is, is there room for negotiation on the issue of vouchers or isn’t there? Bob Woodward’s book describes defense secretary, Jim Mattis, ignoring an afi to kill Syria’s leader.
He also had a role in the Bush presidential campaign. This plan is focused on accountability and results.


Building an elevator in a home requires a significant amount of space and proper permitting. Applying for permits can add to the cost significantly, especially if the plans require adding more space to the home.
Elevators work by using a counterweight to keep the elevator in place, and this counterweight requires its own compartment. This counterweight connects to the elevator through heavy-duty steel cabling, and it's raised and lowered when the elevator moves. All of this equipment takes up a significant amount of space, so it's easy to underestimate how much space the elevator requires. In many cases, installing an elevator means adding an addition to the home, which is generally expensive and requires permitting.
Because elevators are potentially dangerous, governments almost always require that experts install them. These various requirements generally mean that homeowners need to hire a general contractor with experience in commercial spaces, where elevators are far more common. General contractors can provide estimates for how much the installation and permitting costs.
Elevators typically come in custom kits ready for installation, so subcontractors should be able to start working after the plans have been formalized and the parts have arrived. Depending on local laws, the elevator might need to be inspected by an expert, although elevators installed in residential units might not have the same strict inspection requirements of commercial elevators.


text:
Amrutanjan Joint Muscle Pain Spray 30g
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regimens for chronic patients.

domain: medical


text:
Spotlight on Ralph Sacco, First Neurologist to be American Heart Association President-Elect
Ralph L. Sacco, MD, chairman of neurology and Miller Professor of Neurology, Epidemiology, and Human Genetics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, the Olemberg Family Chair in Neurological Disorders, and neurologist-in-chief at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, has been named president-elect of the American Heart Association (AHA) for 2009–2010. Dr. Sacco's election marks the first time that a neurologist has been named this position in the history of the AHA.
In July 2010, Dr. Sacco will succeed Clyde W. Yancy, MD, as president of the largest US voluntary health organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of heart disease and stroke. Dr. Sacco's term as president will end June 30, 2011.
After receiving his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine, and a master's degree in epidemiology from Columbia University, Dr. Sacco completed a residency in neurology at Presbyterian Hospital of the City of New York and postdoctoral training in stroke and epidemiology at Columbia.
Before moving to Miami in 2006, he spent much of his career at Columbia University, where he was the director of the Stroke and Critical Care Division and the principal investigator of the New York Columbia Collaborative Specialized Program in Translational Research in Acute Stroke, an NIH program for acute stroke care in a high-risk and disadvantaged population.
Dr. Sacco spoke with Neurology Today about his new position and what's currently on the minds of stroke experts in the US today.
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU AS A NEUROLOGIST WILL BRING TO THE ROLE THAT NON-NEUROLOGIST PRESIDENTS CANNOT?
The AHA mission has always been fighting cardiovascular disease and stroke, and their mission continues to broaden. There is more recognition that stroke is very much a vital, important, and growing part of the mission of the AHA. As a neurologist, and really a “stroke-ologist,” I feel I'm helping the public and the constituency of the AHA to recognize that stroke is front and center.
I also feel that the AHA is expanding to thinking more about prevention; the new strategic plan is focused on the prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke and on improving optimal cardiovascular health. My research and clinical interest has always been in prevention, as well. So I feel I wear two hats in this new role with the AHA — I'm very interested in treating stroke and also very interested in pushing the AHA's prevention mission.
WHAT CAN NEUROLOGY LEARN FROM CARDIOLOGY AND VICE VERSA?
There is an overlap between neurology and cardiology because we both want to treat stroke. Cardiology is and has always been 10 years ahead of neurology in terms of the acute treatment of cardiovascular disease, and neurologists have already learned a lot from cardiologists. This includes the use of thrombolysis and tPA and acute approaches to stroke. Clot retrieval devices, that restore blood flow, are now becoming more frequently used in acute stroke. Neurologists can teach cardiologists about systematically treating and delivering care to stroke patients, and cardiologists can teach neurologists about better devices and prevention methods for acute treatment.
HOW DO YOU ENVISION CLOSER COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE TWO SPECIALTIES?
There has already been some very close collaboration between the AAN and AHA, such as on guideline development and prevention and awareness campaigns, including the “Give Me 5 for Stroke” campaign, jointly developed and supported by the AAN, AHA, and American College of Emergency Physicians to promote awareness of symptoms of stroke in the public.
The ASA stroke support team has often attended the AAN annual meetings, and there also has been close dialogue between the two organizations. I hope to push for more joint funding for research fellowships and research support programs that have been AHA- and AAN-sponsored. In addition to the Brain Attack Coalition, where the AAN and the AHA and ASA have been members, there other common grounds where they can work together in the stroke mission. The AAN may be able to work with the AHA on certain advocacy issues that are in the mutual interests of both organizations.
HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN STROKE MEDICINE?
It was partially a personal issue and partially due to mentorship opportunities. I had an AHA medical student scholarship, given out to engender interest in stroke medicine. As a medical student, I was mentored by Philip Wolf, MD, professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, and in my first year of medical school I started working in the Framingham Heart Study (1980). [Dr. Wolf, principal investigator of the Framingham Heart Study, began all the stroke-related work in the Framingham study.] One of my first projects was looking at predictors of survival and recurrence after stroke. That was my first foray into epidemiology and stroke, under Dr. Wolf's strong guidance. My induction into stroke continued with the mentorship of Dr. JP Mohr as a resident and fellow at Columbia.
On a personal level, my grandfather had a stroke, while I was in medical school, and I experienced the issues of a family member seeing their relative struggling to recover, and not managing to do so. Heart disease has also touched my family, including my mother who passed away last year from a long battle with coronary disease and heart failure.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE AHA PRIOR TO BECOMING PRESIDENT-ELECT
Anybody who is involved with research or clinical care in heart disease and stroke can't avoid being involved with the AHA — it is the number one organization with funding (other than government funding) for research and awareness campaigns in the public for stroke and heart disease. Besides taking advantage of their student scholarship, my earliest involvement was attending the annual international stroke meeting, which the AHA had sponsored, as a medical student.
As a young attending physician at Columbia University, I got involved with the local affiliate of the AHA where they had an Operations Stroke Committee, and I was one of the chairs of the committee. Eventually I became president of the AHA New York City Regional Board of Directors (2005–2007). My most recent position was chair of the Stroke Advisory Committee, which is the number one committee for the ASA, and by virtue of that position, I sat on the AHA national board for three years (2005–2008).
WHAT ARE THE GAPS IN PATIENT CARE THAT YOU SEE AS NEEDING THE MOST ATTENTION, AND WHAT REMEDIES DO YOU OFFER?
Our health care system has to focus on prevention, much more than it ever has. We are really good when it comes to high-tech, very expensive approaches to treating stroke, but we need to do just as much to prevent cardiovascular disease and stroke. That's going to take fundamental change in the heath care system, helping to support preventative health as well as improving access to care to those who need preventative health the most.
THE 2009 AHA UPDATE SHOWS THAT DEATH RATES FROM HEART DISEASE AND STROKE HAVE CONTINUED TO DECLINE, BUT THE BURDEN OF DISEASE REMAINS HIGH. WHY DO YOU THINK THIS BURDEN IS STILL HIGH AND WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT?
The burden of disease is calculated by the numbers of strokes that occur, the disability associated with the stroke, and the quality of life that's threatened by someone with a stroke. Keep in mind that stroke, while the third leading cause of death, is not always fatal; the majority of people who have a stroke do not die of a stroke. Instead, they assume a burden regarding disability, cognitive decline, functional impairment, and quality of life that's impaired due to stroke.
In earlier strategic plans for the AHA, one goal was to reduce mortality for both heart disease and stroke by 25 percent by the year 2010. And we actually met that goal for both, for heart disease first and then stroke.
So new goals are being set, but haven't yet been declared. However, because of the high burden, there will be a greater emphasis on prevention: what we can do to reduce the risk of stroke with better detection and treatment of high blood pressure, improved lifestyle management, and reducing obesity. I think we all are concerned that although mortality may be decreasing from cardiovascular disease and stroke, there still remains a very high incidence of stroke, and the number of strokes predicted in the future may be going up — partially due to increasing age of the population, and partially due to the change in demography of the population, with more African-Americans and Hispanics (who have greater risk of stroke) having an impact on these future predictions.
We'll also be continuing our already successful work on acute treatment and trying to improve quality of life post-stroke — mitigating functional disability, depression, physical disability, cognitive impairment — by more effective and rapid treatments.
- The American Heart Association: www.americanheart.org
- The Brain Attack Coalition: www.stroke-site.org
- Give Me 5 For Stroke: www.giveme5forstroke.org


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“Health Benefits of Cryotherapy” w/ John Brumbaugh
Episode 9: “Health Benefits of Cryotherapy” with John Brumbaugh
- The history of Whole Body Cryotherapy (WBC): the use of cold therapy dates back as far as 2500 B.C., when the Egyptians used cold water to treat various injuries and inflammatory conditions. Modern-day WBC, which uses nitrogen gas instead of water, started in the 1970’s in Japan by Dr. Toshima Yamauchi, whose primary focus was helping people with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
- How does cryotherapy work? WBC features freezing cold nitrogen gas, which is pumped into an upright chamber. The extreme cold (as low as -300 degrees F) is sensed by your skin and essentially “tricks” your body into thinking you’re freezing. This triggers rapid vasoconstriction in the blood vessels in the extremities. As these blood vessels constrict/tighten, the blood is sent deeper into your core to conserve your body temperature. As the blood flows into your core, it passes through your body’s natural filtration system, where lactic acid, amino acid waste and inflammation are naturally metabolized.
- How long does it take? The whole process takes about 3 minutes. Once you step out of the chamber, your skin senses that you’re no longer freezing, and your filtered blood quickly returns to your extremities and skin as your blood vessels open up. Your core temperature doesn’t drop much, as the nitrogen gas is completely “dry” and isn’t able to steel much heat from your body (vs. water, which will steel your heat very rapidly).
- What does cryotherapy feel like? A WBC session is much LESS intense than an ice bath or cold tub. Depending on the setting you choose (there’s a beginner setting if you’re new to cryo), it will feel very similar to walking onto your back porch in the winter with your shirt off and the wind blowing. In other words, your skin will feel extremely cold. However, the effect on your core temperature is fairly negligible, so you experience the same benefits of an ice bath without the extreme sensation of the water and without the rapid drop in your core temperature.
- Who can benefit from cryotherapy? While the “evidence” is still largely anecdotal, several groups of people are reporting benefits from WBC. This includes athletes, people with metabolic issues, and people with autoimmune/inflammatory issues. Many people also report improved energy and improved sleep. Weight loss may also be a secondary benefit, although this is not the main focus of cryotherapy.
- Who should AVOID cryotherapy? People with heart conditions, especially related to high or low blood pressure, should exercise caution before starting WBC. As stated above, your blood vessels will rapidly constrict during the session, followed by rapid dilation when you exit the chamber. This can have a mild effect on your blood pressure. If you have any concerns about your safety, it’s always best to consult your physician before starting.
- Would you like to try cryotherapy for FREE? Simply mention the “Stay Healthy Spokane” podcast to receive your first cryotherapy session absolutely free! No strings attached, and no obligation in order to claim your free session. Simply call John or visit his social media platforms (listed below).
- Phone: (509) 413-1601. Website: https://www.spokanenutrishopandcryotherapy.com/ Instagram: spokanenutrishopcryotherapy.
Thank you for listening to the “Stay Healthy Spokane” podcast! If you have any comments/questions or ideas for future topics, please reach out to Luke at firstname.lastname@example.org


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We’ve played for countless hours to create you the best multiplayer games on the market. You will find couple of crossover franchises because beloved as “Kingdom Hearts,” which marries the globes of Disney and “Final Fantasy.” More than just a fan favorite, the “Kingdom Hearts” series has breakout appeal — there is a large number of hardcore Disney fans available to you, itching to relax and play a long action-adventure game that requires Disney’s biggest figures.
We be sure to check always every American a real income online casino website to ensure it uses appropriate protection. It is harder than in the past to really pin down games by genre as RPGs, shooters, action games nick both’s a few ideas and, good lord, the sheer volume of games in development is overwhelming.
Although Bloodstained: Ritual associated with evening may not be a Castlevania game in name, it has the proper pedigree behind it. Helmed by long-time Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi , with a sound recording from Symphony of night of Michiru Yamane, Bloodstained looks available the exact same gothic horror action, but without the luggage of Belmont family members tree.
It isn’t all bomb-lust: Players could work together in saving the world into the game’s tale mode filled with 50 different phases. Going a great deal closer to the home and heart, cards are one of the primary games we perform as children situs judi online, perhaps not counting peekaboo. Particularly in the game design field, experts may hold their desired job but have to develop expertise in a single area or earn an official certification to advance.
Although a real income online gambling cards are available all over the place, there isn’t any feeling selecting a random casino on line. The well-honed shooting mechanics are right back and it is among the reasons you’ll be spending time into the multiplayer suite and Nazi Zombie rounds very long after the credits roll.
Featuring customizable weapons and mechs, naturally, Blacklight: Retribution is an enjoyable, free and safe method to let off vapor from then on 9 to 5. Plus, with over 1 million authorized players and counting, there’s bound if you ask me no shortage of teammates (and competitors) to participate up with.


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Raspberry hot cross bun tiramisu cake
7 Coles Brand Hot Cross Buns
300ml thickened cream
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) marsala wine (see tip)
250g fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries
Line a 20cm (base measurement) springform pan with plastic wrap, allowing the sides to overhang.
Use a serrated knife to split each bun crossways into 3 even slices. Arrange the bun bases evenly over the base of the prepared pan.
Place the mascarpone, cream, sugar and marsala in a bowl. Gently whisk until combined and mixture thickens. Spoon half the mixture evenly over the bun bases. Sprinkle with half the raspberries.
Arrange the centre bun slices over the raspberries. Spoon over the remaining mixture and raspberries. Arrange bun tops on top. Fold the overhanging plastic wrap to cover. Place a flat plate on top of cake. Top with a can to press down cake. Place in the fridge for 5 hours to set.
Meanwhile, to make the chocolate sauce, combine the chocolate, cream and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 mins or until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Remove the cake from the pan and place on a serving plate. Cut into slices and serve drizzled with chocolate sauce.
All nutrition values are per serve
TIRAMISU CAKE TIPS: Marsala is a sweet Italian fortified wine traditionally used in tiramisu – swap it for cold espresso coffee to make the cake alcohol free. Tiramisu tastes even better the next day, so if you have time, make it a day ahead and let the flavours develop.
- Image credit: (N/A)
- Publication: Coles


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PIO Card scheme – External Affairs Minister has announced that the conversion of PIO cards into OCI cards will be done free-of-charge (gratis) for applications submitted until December 31, 2016
The PIO Card scheme has been withdrawn vide Gazette Notification No.25024/9/2014F.I dated 09.01.2015. Henceforth, applicants may apply for OCI card ONLY, as PIO card scheme is no longer in existence.
The last date for submission of applications for registration as OCI cardholder in lieu of the PIO card online has been extended till 31st December, 2016. This cut-off date will be only for submission of the applications online by the applicants. A separate online application form for submission of application for registration as OCI cardholder in lieu of PIO card is available in the website http://passport.gov.in/oci/capchaActionPIO.
All the existing PIO card holders are urged to apply urgently for conversion of PIO to OCI.
Surrender of Indian citizenship
People are being requested to surrender their Indian citizenship after acquiring citizenship of New Zealand. The High Commission has noticed many cases where the applicants have not surrendered their Indian passports within three years of New Zealand citizenship. Some even have used the Indian passports for travel after acquiring foreign nationality.
All the PIOs in New Zealand, Samoa and Niue, who violate the Indian Passport Act are liable to Government of India prescribed penalty and the High Commission has no authority or discretion to waive off such penalty. Hence all those who are in violation of the Indian Passport act are advised to surrender their passports without further delay and deposit the due penalty to escape any further penalty. Defaulters may contact the High Commission to know their exact due penalty.
Visa application for minor/dependent children
Parents of minor children of Indian origin are, henceforth required to submit a copy of their previously held/cancelled Indian passport with the visa application of the minor children as a proof of compliance of Indian Passport Act to enable processing of the visa application.
All PIOs can also apply for OCI card, which, among many other benefits, facilitates easy and visa-free travel to India for life. This also takes care of your emergency travel needs to India and last minute difficulties in making travel related arrangements, besides ensuring economy of expenditure in the long term. It is important to note that all PIO card holders need to get their documents converted to OCI card latest by December 31 this year and this service is available free of cost till then.
Change of e-mail addresses of High Commission
Some of the email addresses of Indian High Commission have been changed and the new addresses are already operative. The old emails on the hicomind.org.nz web server are no longer working. The new emails are as follows:
1.All visa related matters: email@example.com
2. Issuance of new passport, passport renewal, lost/damaged passport, change of appearance, emergency travel document: firstname.lastname@example.org
3. Marriage registration, birth registration, death registration, any other legal/consular issue: email@example.com
3. OCI / PIO inquiries life certificate: firstname.lastname@example.org
4. PCC, attestation and miscellaneous services: email@example.com
5. Commerce and trade inquiries: firstname.lastname@example.org

domain: law


Jill Dennin is running for the State House in the 147th District, representing Montgomery County.
Jill has previously served as a board member for the Boyertown Area School District, her local YMCA, the Kennedy House Soup Kitchen, and the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities. While serving on the school board, she has advocated for increased energy efficiency and green building standards on school properties. If elected, her environmental priorities would include infrastructure improvements for better stormwater management, protecting the previous open space in her district, and increased access to public transportation.
We encourage voters to elect Jill Dennin to the State House for District 147. She will be a strong champion for environmental issues in Harrisburg.


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For the meantime, Saab can still be legally protected from creditors, according to the court-appointed lawyer that oversees a reconstruction process for the automaker. This comes after General Motors Co. denied a Chinese bid to take over Saab. Last Monday, GM said that it will halt supplying parts and technology to Saab if the two Chinese companies successfully acquire the Swedish company.
This statement mirrors GM’s hardening stance to oppose the proposed sale of Saab. It also casts doubts on the survival of the niche brand, which was under court protection from creditors since September.
In a Reuters interview, court-appointed administrator Guy Lofalk said that the company will seek some clarity on the implications of GM’s decision.
He makes the decision on when he will file a motion to the court to put a stop to the bankruptcy protection process. Lofak revealed that talks have started between the Chinese investors and Swedish Automobile, which owns Saab.
The Chinese investors are Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. Last June, Youngman and Pang Da entered a deal to acquire a combined 54-percent stake in Saab's owner Swedish Automobile.
However, Saab’s position is getting worse and liquidation a huge risk. This is why the two investors had made an offer last October to buy Saab outright for 100 million euros ($141 million). [source: Autonews]


text:
Retvari: EU wants biggest ‘migrant ghetto’ in Hungary
Bence Retvari told MTI that the proposal would require Hungary to assess 28.3 percent of all refugee applications from migrants arriving in the EU. Germany would have to process just 1.4 percent, France 2 percent and Sweden 0.2 percent of the applications, he added.
Hungary would have to maintain an apparatus capable of assessing 11,320 applications simultaneously, resulting in the presence of “tens of thousands” of illegal migrants in the country, Retvari said.
“Hungary will not accept mandatory quotas, the threat of fines or the establishment of migrant camps,” he added
He noted that 98 percent of participants in a referendum in 2016, some 3.3 million people, had said “no” to mandatory resettlement quotas. He also faulted Brussels for “breaking its own rule” when the decision on the mandatory quotas was taken by qualified majority rather than consensus.
“We won’t let the EU decide on whom we’ll allow into our country,” Retvari said. “That can be decided only by Hungarians, not the bureaucrats in Brussels,” he added.
He said refugee applications should be assessed outside of the EU, because once illegal migrants entered the EU it was “practically impossible” to deport them.

domain: sociology


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|Index||458 reviews in total|
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Why does everyone feel they must rave about a movie simply because it was not made by a major studio? This isn't just a movie about teenagers and starring teenagers, it looks as if teenagers wrote, produced, directed, filmed and edited it. Kids with a video camera could have made a film that looked better. There are way too many holes and credibility gaps in the story and far too many unsympathetic characters. They finally show Brendan in some pain, although he probably should have died from his untended to internal injuries a third of the way into the film, and the "profoundly moving" and carefully kept secret revealed at the end was hardly a secret, and not very meaningful. The use of a single key word as a title has become rather annoying, but there is a common street term for excrement used in the movie that would have served just as well.
This is a very irritating film. It's like Bugsy Malone without the
songs. It all comes across as kids doing Film Noir for their school
project - badly. It is an unengaging story about an unlikable girl who
goes missing, and her miserable ex-boyfriend who tries to solve the big
mystery. Yawn. The dialogue is perhaps the most annoying part of Brick.
Clearly the writer has mistaken 'incomprehensible' for 'clever'. It's
all gabbled nonsense like "Jimmy C got goosed by the bulls and now I'm
half-galloned to Milwaukee. Find out where Eddie Cheerio hides his cake
and then meet me behind the Flapjack shop at a quarter past lunch." Or
In truth the film is slightly better than a 1, but is just so irritating in how smart it thinks it is that it needs bringing down a peg or two.
The language is unintelligible and far from an homage to film noir - more it is an attempted rip off of the genre which falls flat on it's baby face. The plot, such as it is, is unbelievable, and I am reminded throughout that THESE ARE HIGH SCHOOL CHILDREN behaving badly. They are not hard-boiled detectives, they haven't earned the right to be hard-boiled. The filming is so flawed that it's almost impossible to concentrate on what IS going on without being distracted by all the flubs. Maybe people get-off on seeing children playing at being adults, I don't. I would suggest that you save your hard-earned money and rent a real classic film noir. Let this one die the unnatural death it deserves.
I am a true film lover. I watch for indie stuff and I respect efforts even if they are mediocre. "Brick" is an absolutely well-made student film, and that's where it should stay. Watching this in the West End after weeks of inclusion in "London's best films at the mo" list I went and watched it. Awful. Sound is horrible. Dialogue is trite if you can actually understand it. Locations are "no budget" and ineffective. The movie is not engaging (with 15 minutes I realised this was a major mistake) and at best will make you smile. Characterisation is bad. But all that is just not the real bottom line: it's damn boring and acts as a very long joke in cinematic reference. There is nothing brilliant about unless the whole production was under-aged, which would be admirable. Total rubbish - avoid at all costs. and I am writing this comment JUST because someone here must sound the siren, amongst all these favorable reviews. Can't get it how so many thinks highly of this flick. AVOID!
This film is nothing more than an example of someone trying to be clever and seriously failing, ending up being smothered by their own pretentiousness. I watched (endured, suffered, was tortured by) this film at the Deauville Film Festival in Sebtember 2005 and I can safely say that this was, without any doubt and by a very big margin, the worst offering that I saw all week and I have to say I've struggled to find anything worse since then, even when I leave the DVD choice to my 10 year old son. The film is dull, turgid, lifeless and shambolic, it provides no interest or excitement and was viewed by myself as a waste of 110 minutes of my existence. If you want to spend some money and waste a few hours, got to a bar, have a few drinks, believe me you'll enjoy yourself more. If looking at glowing images on a faraway wall that offer you no intellectual stimulation whatsoever without any hint or promise of enjoyment then this is the film for you. For myself, it was too much like group voluntary euthanasia and not an enjoyable experience.
This is an EXCELLENT and delightfully surprising movie. Its style is refreshing, its dialoque fascinating, the performances powerful, and the story is both energetic and fun. I just caught this movie at the sundance film festival and can't help hoping that A LOT more people get to see it. The amazing attention to detail by Rian Johnson (the writer/director) and the incredible performances by Haas, Zehetner, and especially Joseph Gordon-Levitt marks this very commendable film. I remember sitting in the theater before the film started, completely disappointed by the last two films I had seen the night before. I truly wasn't expecting to be wowed or even awake, but from the very first scene I had to keep "my specs peeled". We just don't get to experience the feel of this movie anymore. I highly recommend it once it's out.
Saw this at the Mill Valley Film Festival. It's essentially a film noir set in present-day San Clemente High School, reminiscent of "The Big Sleep," but with drug-dealing added to the mix of double-crossing. The characters may be teenagers, but the dialog channels Chandler and Hammett, and my only real complaint with the film is that Joseph Gordon-Leavitt (in an otherwise wonderful performance) sometimes mumbles; this is dialog you don't want to miss. Lukas Haas is wonderfully eccentric in what is essentially the Sidney Greenstreet role, Noah Fleiss as the dumb thug, and Nora Zehetner even LOOKs like Mary Astor. As with all the great American noir films, there are many sardonic laughs inserted into the dark story.
I tried stretching to watch this movie with an open mind, some 'arty'
movies take a while to build toward a payoff. But the clues that were
shown to me in this mystery pointed toward no payoff whatsoever, so I
didn't finish it. It sucks. I hadn't heard much about the movie, so I
was wondering 'is this an un-funny farce?'. I guess it isn't a farce,
it's supposed to be a noir. It's a disaster.
Unbelievably pretentious dialog, and 'hipster' speech. I thought that kind of talk died in the 1970s.
The mindset of the teenagers, trying to put forth this 'world' they supposedly live in, in a high school setting just doesn't fly. It's like a very, very bad high school play, painfully aware that these are just kids trying to be something they're not, never have been, and never will be. Even high school at it's worst was never that bad. Seriously, this film gives you respect for the portrayal of high school in Beverly Hills 90201, which at least had *some* believability to it, even if you didn't like it. In most films, with good or bad acting, I'm generally not aware that they are acting. Not the case here.
Pretension takes an even worse form in the wardrobes. I didn't check the spoilers box, and I'm new at this, so I'll be vague. All I'll say, is that I stopped the film and gave up at the introduction of a character, who was dressed too stupid for me to watch. (those reading this who have seen the film probably can guess who I'm talking about, lets just say he made the film a CAPEr)
You've got to have some respect for the audience This director, clearly doesn't. As for those who say that people who didn't like the film 'didn't get it', ie, modern film noir, compare this to 'Match Point', made the same year. This film is just a very tired rip-off of whatever it was trying to reference.
The saddest thing is, since the film had popularity, there may be outsider kids who try to model some of this style in their own high schools, and it's going to take them down another notch they cant afford
There's so much bad to say about this movie, and so little space...
a)World-weary cynicism works in 30-40 year olds. In kids this age, it's
just irritating. b) No likable characters whatsoever c) No believable
characters whatsoever d) All of the bad guys are straight out of "Bugsy
Malone", but lose their appeal due to lack of Splat Guns. e) Plot that
consists entirely of holes. The plot is also hamstrung by points b) and
c) in that you really don't care what happens to the horrid little
It's overly knowing, references films to which it's the palest of pale imitations, tediously shot, and it's fairly obvious that the only direction the actors were given were a bunch of magic markers and a pack of valium. Should not be watched by anyone under the age of 20 (will make them think they're cleverer than they really are) or over the age of 20 (risk of dangerously high blood pressure).
We had high hopes for this film from the trailers and the reviews. We
had to walk out after 30 minutes. Maybe it was just the print we saw,
but the sound quality was abysmal -- overly loud, fuzzy, and half the
dialog was incomprehensible (as in: can't even make out the words,
forget about what they might mean). What we could make out was clearly
trying to be Raymond Chandler noir, but it was totally unbelievable
coming out of the mouths of unformed and apparently characterless SoCal
high school kids. Too many of the scenes were clearly chosen because
no-one would be around during filming -- they didn't establish a sense
of place, they just screamed "we have no budget". The hero couldn't act
his way out of a paper bag. He gave us absolutely no reason to be
interested in him, and no reason to believe he had any idea what he was
doing, although he was clearly supposed to be on the ball.
Very disappointing. Went home and watched Veronica Mars instead. Equally unbelievable but far more engaging.
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text:
Creating Authentic Materials and Activities for the Adult Literacy Classroom
This handbook is based on the results of "The Literacy Practices of Adult Learners Study" which focused on the nature and impact of two dimensions of classroom practice in adult basic education (see "Affecting change in literacy practices: Impact of two dimensions of instruction." The authors see this book as a starting place for adult education teachers interested in changing their instructional practice, particularly as it relates to their learners' lives. This book will also be helpful to program administrators who are interested in leading change in their programs or who wish to know more about contextualized instruction in order to support teachers who are trying to implement it.
Based on their observations and interviews in 82 U.S. classrooms, the authors provide both concrete descriptions of what works and information and insight into how specific teachers make it work. The book provides illustrative examples from real classrooms as well as feedback from the teachers in those classrooms who use authentic materials for authentic purposes.
This book is appropriate for practitioners in adult basic education (ABE), adult literacy, family literacy and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). The authors recognize that issues with ESOL students are unique within adult education, so they attempt, throughout the book, to provide examples that address these specific needs.
No training is required. This resource offers suggestions and examples for using authentic materials in adult literacy classrooms.
The authors' clear and straightforward presentation makes a fine argument for use of authentic texts. They present points calmly, using their research to support the practices they advocate. The arguments are convincing. Teachers ask for models of how to develop authentic learning materials - Jacobson, Degener and Purcell-Gates provide clear models. In the discussion of assessment, the authors do not shirk from stating appropriate uses of standardized tests and also teacher-made measures.
Teachers can follow the suggestions in this book. I have used it myself and I have suggested it to teachers.
This resource has potential value to the field. It provides ideas and suggestions for the use of authentic materials and activities. It provides a rationale for why this is important, and strategies on how to accomplish this. It is clearly written and user friendly. Examples of actual activities are provided. Web-based resources are provided as well.
However, this resource should be used as only ONE portion of a reading class. Especially for low-level adult readers, research shows that reading instruction in skills such as word attack and reading comprehension needs to be explicit. The instruction needs to follow a developmental sequence.
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.

domain: library


We told you about Major League Baseball announcing three free blockbuster concerts at Embarcadero Marina Park South in the week leading up to MLB’s 2016 All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 12. No, “free” is still not a typo, and yes, there are more goodies in store, including Pete Wentz (possibly) striking out.
San Diego locals will be featured prominently in the MLB All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game that takes place Sunday, July 10 at Petco Park. Former Padres players Trevor Hoffman, Rollie Fingers, Ozzie Smith and Tim Raines are on the roster with an eclectic mix of celebrities. Everyone from Sports Illustrated model Nina Agdal to actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zach Morris from “Saved by the Bell”) will be joining the fun.
The most exciting part, however, will be seeing Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz try his hand at sports. Wentz is coming off yet another homerun year as a pop-punk superstar with the successful 2015 release of Fall Out Boy’s sixth album, “American Beauty/American Psycho.” Sure, he’s proven he can walk his fingers, but will he end up walking soccer star Landon Donovan to first base?
Before the celebrity softball game on Sunday, soulful pop/rock band OneRepublic and special guest alt-rock radio mainstays NEEDTOBREATHE hit Embarcadero Marina Park South on Friday, July 8 at 7 p.m., while Grammy-nominated pop singer/songwriter Tori Kelly steals the hearts and minds of the San Diego faithful with acclaimed pop/punk band All Time Low opening the show on Saturday, July 9 at noon. Later that evening, multi-platinum-selling pop artist Gwen Stefani shares the stage with Grammy Award-winning hip-hop star Eve.
Let’s just hope music and baseball pair a little better this time.
Rutger Rosenborg was a Stanford neuroscientist before he formed Ed Ghost Tucker. He now plays in the Lulls and makes music on his own when he's not writing. Follow his updates on Facebook or contact him directly.


text:
Does Abbas really want to take Israel to The Hague over Gaza?
The Palestinian Authority has slim chance of an ICC investigation of Israel, and could even face its own probe, says international legal expert Sigall Horovitz; meanwhile, Israel should consider its own steps to avoid seeing its troops and leaders in the dock.
The Palestinian Authority might be threatening to "go all out" against Israel in the international arena, but in reality is taking steps that apparently contradict such claims.
An in-depth look by Ynet at the latest Palestinian maneuvers and their significance in terms of international law reveals that the Palestinians' enrollment in the International Criminal Court at The Hague will probably not pave the way for an investigation into IDF soldiers and officers or Israeli leaders at The Hague, for crimes allegedly committed during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza last summer.
In fact, it actually may deny the Palestinians the chance to request an investigation into the IDF's behavior during the Gaza conflict and other operations.
On January 2, 2015, the Palestinian Authority became party to the Rome Statute and therefore the International Criminal Court. Three days earlier, Abbas had submitted a request to join the Statute, in the hope that this would in turn put more pressure on Israel – and threatened to submit a petition to ICC accusing Israel of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in the territories beyond the 1967 lines.
The Rome Statute only comes into effect for new members on the first of the month that follows 60 days after joining (article 11.2 of the convention). In the case of the Palestinian Authority, this means April 1, 2015.
In general, it is only after this target date that the ICC is authorized to investigate events in the jurisdiction of that state (article 126 of the Statute). By this calculation, the Statute will come into force with respect to the Palestinian Authority on April 1, and the ICC will only have jurisdiction to investigate the operations performed in its jurisdiction from that date onwards.
Twin tracks: The Palestinian gamble
But the Palestinians were not content with applying to join the ICC, taking another, parallel route. They presented a declaration to the ICC that they were giving the Court authority to act retroactively going back to June 13, 2014, in accordance with section 12.3 of the Rome Statute.
The Hague received the declaration on January 1, 2015 – a day before the Palestinian Authority became a party to the treaty. The Palestinians say they have high hopes for this move, as accepting their declaration will spark an investigation into events in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since the beginning of Operation Brother's Keeper through to Protective Edge and beyond.
"Article 12.3 of the Rome Statute says that countries that are not members of the treaty can make an ad hoc application for the tribunal to investigate a particular event," says Dr. Sigall Horovitz, former legal advisor at the UN tribunals for Rwanda and Sierra Leone, and researcher at the University of Haifa and the Hebrew University.
As member states cannot give the court jurisdiction to investigate retroactively, this request must be accepted before April 1, when the PA becomes a full member.
According to Horovitz, the Palestinian Authority likely timed their declaration under section 12.3 to before their full membership took effect. During this period, the PA enjoys all the benefits of full membership, without giving up on the ability to grant retroactive authority to the court in relation to the two IDF operations in the summer.
"The Palestinians have taken a gamble," says Horovitz. "There is a good chance that the chief prosecutor at The Hague will reject the application under article 12.3 in light of the fact that the Palestinian Authority has recently become a member to the Rome Statute."
This is in fact a major gamble for the Palestinians, given that the ICC prosecutors do not take a decision to launch an investigation overnight, and the research carried out by the prosecution before deciding whether or not to begin any investigation can take an extremely long time, perhaps months or even years.
According to the ICC website, the court is currently engaged in eight preliminary examinations - in Afghanistan, Colombia, Georgia, Guinea, Honduras, Iraq, Nigeria and Ukraine. In the case of Ukraine, for example, the Kiev government announced in April 2014 that it recognized the authority of the ICC to investigate war crimes allegedly committed by the government of ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Eight months have passed since Ukraine turned to The Hague, and a formal investigation has not yet begun.
The case of Georgia also does not bode well for the Palestinians. On August 14, 2008, the ICC announced the start of a preliminary examination at the request of Georgia – a week after Russia began attacking Georgian forces in the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Seven years have passed since then, and an official investigation is still nowhere in sight.
It seems, therefore, that the Palestinians will not be able ask the ICC to investigate events before it joined the Statute, including the people behind IDF operations Cast Lead, Pillar of Defense, Brother's Keeper and Protective Edge.
If this is indeed the case, why did Abbas rush to take this step instead of waiting for the prosecutor's decision regarding the retroactive investigation?
“I think Abbas did do so because he cannot afford to wait several years for the ICC to deal with the issue of the settlements," Horovitz says. "The question is not why he joined the ICC but why he submitted the application under article 12.3.
"The answer is public relations, mainly for the Palestinian public and perhaps even to put pressure on Hamas. Also, note that they only went back retroactively to Protective Edge, which does not involve acts of the Palestinian Authority or Fatah (as opposed to the Intifadas). So if the article 12.3 application gets thrown out, they can claim they tried. If it gets accepted, only Hamas (and Israel) get caught. It's a win-win situation for Abbas”.
After its request for recognition of statehood by the UN Security Council was rejected in late 2014, the Palestinian Authority threatened to join The Hague and file claims against Israel for war crimes in the territories beyond the Green Line - hence its application to join the Rome Statute. But this is a double-edged sword for the Palestinians, for while joining the ICC could benefit them in some ways, it could also cause them significant damage.
"The Palestinians have far more reason than Israel to be afraid of the retroactive authority of the Court, because they fired rockets at Israel's civilian population," says Horovitz.
"They are now united (in the Hamas-Fatah government), so if a retroactive investigation is launched, then the Hamas component that fired rockets at Israel actually hurts the Palestinians. The Hamas component of the PA does have something to fear from an investigation, due to its explicitly declared support for firing missiles to hit civilians during Protective Edge and before."
However, it could be the case, Horovitz suggests, that Abbas and the Palestinians do not care if they shoot themselves in the foot and spark an ICC investigation of them for war crimes too.
"Maybe they really want proceedings against Israel, even at the cost of damage to themselves," Horovitz speculates.
She points out that the Palestinian Authority's hands are far from clean, and it may be investigated for supporting acts of terrorism and financing prisoners who had engaged in terrorism.
"Hopefully, and more than likely, the international court will only have the authority to investigate events in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from when the Rome Statute applies to the Palestinian Authority - April 1, 2015.
"From that moment, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas will face a deterrent. True, they have tied their own hands, but they want to be a democracy and a serious country - they joined human rights conventions and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. They want to raise their prestige in the world, and Israel should welcome that. The Rome Statute is also charter of human rights, and Israel surely wants a democratic and peaceful state alongside it."
Ynet's Palestinian affairs correspondent Elior Levy believes that despite the Palestinian accession to The Hague and bombastic statements by Abbas and PA officials accusing Israel of war crimes, the PA is eagerly anticipating April 1. Once they become full members in the Rome Statute, they cannot – due to the terms of the convention – bring charges against Israel for events prior to this date.
While this may sound like a contradiction, what is important to Abbas is that he is perceived to have not caved in to pressure, that he did go to the UN Security Council and demand recognition of the state of Palestine, signed international treaties and joined the ICC.
To the average Palestinian this enough, and he has no reason to complain to his leaders, even if later it turns out that Israel is not subject to any investigation. The theatrics, in this case, are more important to Palestinian leaders than any substance - because they strengthen public support. In practice, they know that an ICC investigation into Protective Edge, for example, could harm them perhaps more than Israel.
Even if the Palestinian accession to the ICC does not result in a retroactive investigation, it could still cause a headache for Israel.
"The big problem is Israel's settlement project," says Horovitz. "Although the project was started in the past, it continues today and will do so for the foreseeable future. Israel claims that the settlements are not located in occupied territories and therefore transferring people to these areas is not considered a war crime. From Israel's perspective, the settlements do not violate Israeli law. On the contrary, they reflect government policy."
But a 2004 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of the West Bank separation fence did not agree.
"It notes that the settlements are in occupied territory and receive backing and encouragement from the State of Israel," says Horovitz. "The issuance of tax breaks, for example, means the state's encouragement makes settlement in the territories a war crime. The ICC is not bound by the decision of the ICJ, but it may rely on it."
In this case, Israel could take several steps to get the court in The Hague "off its back", such as prosecuting those responsible for the establishment of settlements. In such a situation, Horovitz says, "the defendants will be politicians rather than ordinary settlers because they are the ones that spearheaded this policy."
Israel could also dismantle the settlements and withdraw from the territories, Horovitz says, "so that the ICJ does not intervene."
In general, the Rome Statute defers to a nation's own judicial system. "Where there is a suspected crime that falls under the Rome Statute (war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide), the court at The Hague will not intervene if the country is actively investigating," Horovitz points out. "The IDF and Israel carry multiple investigations, thereby avoiding The Hague."
Israel's optionsWhat else could Israel do to ensure it does not end up the subject of an investigation at The Hague?
"Israel could ratify the Rome Statute (it has only signed it, and ratification is required to become a full member - RS) and make use of article 124," suggests Horovitz. According to the Statute itself, article 124 "allows States to choose not to have their nationals subject to the Court’s jurisdiction over war crimes for a seven year period after ratification." This would give Israel a seven-year breather, which according to Horovitz would enable it to take certain steps to keep its politicians and soldiers out of the dock at The Hague.
"Israel could dismantle and outlaw the settlements. It could also reach a land-swap arrangement with the Palestinian Authority. For example, Ma'ale Adumim – which will be part of Israel under any agreement – would not be considered occupied territory and therefore settlement there would be legal under international law," says Horovitz, outlining Israel's options.
"In essence, serious peace negotiations could lead to the suspension of an investigation at The Hague. The Security Council can request a freeze on an investigation process for the sake of world peace."
During any negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Horovitz says, Israel could ask the prosecutor at The Hague not to open an investigation against it on the grounds that the negotiations could lead to peace, and peace would be accompanied by a political agreement that would resolve the problem of the occupied territories.
In practice, however, while Israel is preparing for the March 17 general election and it is unclear whether a left-wing or right-wing government will come after, the peace process has never looked further away, after its collapse in 2014 following frantic mediation efforts by Secretary of State John Kerry.
"From a rational-legal perspective, Israel should seriously think about the option of ratifying the Rome Statute and using the seven-year period in which there would not be an investigation against it. But some Israeli leaders do not act rationally when it comes to the ICC, and instead think along the lines of 'why should we grant legitimacy to The Hague?'" says Horovitz.
In the meantime, Israel is under severe international pressure, and, Horovitz maintains, its recent actions in the territories do not exactly help its case.
"Israel cannot carry out actions that are harmful to the occupied population," she says. "Freezing the transfer of tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority is ostensibly a violation of the Geneva Convention, which requires an occupying power to take care of the occupied population. This is an act of retaliation that contravenes international law."

domain: politics


Yesterday Phil Spencer revealed that the newly released SDK for Xbox One would yield better performance for games on the console. It seems that the performance boost is a result of the mandatory Kinect functionality taxing the Xbox One’s GPU bandwidth.
Developers now have more GPU bandwidth to work with
“The additional resources allow access to up to 10 per cent additional GPU performance,” according to a statement from Microsoft. The June update to the SDK that Spencer mentioned in his remarks are tied directly to the bandwidth that had been previously earmarked for Kinect.
“How developers choose to access the extra GPU performance for their games will be up to them,” says Microsoft.
Freeing up an additional 10% of the GPU bandwidth is great news for Xbox One owners. Developers who have no plans to integrate Kinect functionality into their games will likely make use of every last bit of it.
- This article was updated on:March 7th, 2018