La Unión, in Murcia, is the setting for the world's most important annual flamenco festival: the "Cante de las Minas" Festival. Song, dance and guitar playing are the three disciplines in an event packed with authentic flamenco, which backs upcoming young artists, and which also features consolidated stars of the genre.
The old La Unión Public Market is the site for this major festival, representing the flamenco history of the mining tradition in this area of Murcia. Flamenco is the absolute star of the event, which, since its creation in 1961, has promoted the musical genre in its most classical to contemporary, avant-garde incarnations. The presentation of and search for new artists is another of the event's characteristics. It has also managed to recover a unique style of flamenco song and music which has had its roots in La Unión for 150 years, and which, just 50 years ago, was on the verge of disappearing for good.


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Chew Tin, Lee (2003) Intensification of Inclusion body Purification and Protein Refolding. In: 6th Interlaken Conference on Advances in Production of Biologicals: From Gene to Market. , 25-30th March 2003, Interlaken, Switzerland.
Other (web archive)
The recovery of active recombinant proteins from complex biological mixtures involves a series of complicated recovery steps, each of which can compromise the purity and yield of the desired product. The elimination of unit operations without a loss of product purity is desirable to improve yield and reduce production cost. This project aims to develop a highly integrated reactor system for the production of refolded recombinant proteins from inclusion bodies. Granulocyte marcophage- colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3)pLysS is chosen as the model protein The conventional strategy used to recover active protein from inclusion bodies (IBs) involves three steps: IBs isolation and washing via homogenisation and repetitive centrifugation; solubilisation of the IBs; and refolding of the solubilised IBs in a refolding reactor. Instead of achieving this in several unit operations with cumbersome multiple washing steps, we replace these operations with a single integrated unit operation â€“ the Integrated Refolding and Extraction System (IRES). IRES consists of an oscillatory flow reactor that has an integrated hollow ceramic membrane. Fermentation broth is added to the IRES, and chemical extraction agents are added to selectively disrupt the cell and release the insoluble IBs. Contaminants are removed by the IRES by operating it as a cross-flow microfiltration unit. The retentate containing the cleaned insoluble GM-CSF IBs is then solubilised in 7 M guanidine hydrochloride and 50 mM DTT. The solubilised GM-CSF is subsequently perfused through the IRES membrane into refolding buffer that is mixed by intense oscillation. The three principle steps required to realise the IRES are reported. These include: a non-solubilising chemical extraction method, a cross-flow microfiltration using a ceramic membrane (Exekia, France) and refolding using the same membrane as selected for microfiltration. A non-solubilising extraction method using 0.05% Triton X-100, 5 mM EDTA (in 0.1 M Tris, pH 9) and intracellular T7 lysozyme has effectively released most of the intracellular soluble content without solubilising the GM-CSF IBs. Cross-flow microfiltration using a 0.2 Î¼m ceramic membrane successfully recovered the GM-CSF IBs with removal of 91 % of the soluble contaminants and virtually no loss of IBs to the permeate. The feed material for microfiltration was diluted two-fold and treated with Benzonase. The IBs recovered from the retentate of a microfiltration run exhibited similar refolding characteristic to those recovered by centrifugation. The viability of IRES as a refolding reactor has also been demonstrated. The integration of these processes into a single unit of IRES demonstrates a high level of process intensification for IBs purification and protein refolding.
|Item Type:||Conference or Workshop Item (Speech)|
|Subjects:||T Technology > TP Chemical technology|
|Divisions:||Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering (Formerly known)|
|Deposited By:||Mohd Nazlee Faisal|
|Deposited On:||18 May 2007 10:34|
|Last Modified:||01 Jun 2010 03:07|
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domain: chemistry


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Jaylen Waddle has blossomed into one of the best fantasy WRs in the NFL thanks to his unique combination of big-play ability and high-reception totals. However, with a "questionable" designation hanging over his head prior to Week 4's Thursday Night Football showdown in Cincinnati, the young Dolphins' star is suddenly a worry for his fantasy owners. Knowing the latest injury updates on Waddle (and his QB) will be crucial ahead of your first start 'em, sit 'em decision of the week.
We'll continue to update this article with news on Waddle up until the official active/inactive report comes out on Thursday around 6:50 p.m. ET.
Is Jaylen Waddle playing Thursday night?
UPDATE: NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Thursday morning that Waddle is expected to play Thursday night against Cincinnati.
UPDATE 2: Waddle is officially ACTIVE.
Waddle (groin) was a bit of a surprise add to the final injury report after getting in limited practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the Dolphins are clearly playing it safe with their prized receiver. This might be a situation where he would be listed as "probable" if that tag still existed, but as it stands, he's "questionable."
FD Lineup | DK Lineup | Tua update | Start 'em, sit 'em
Waddle showed no ill effects of the groin ailment last week when he hauled in four passes for 102 yards. The big-play specialist has formed a dynamic duo with Tyreek Hill, and he's a must-start every time he takes the field (even if Teddy Bridgewater starts in place of Tua Tagovailoa). The Bengals are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to WRs, but a lot of that can be chalked up to facing the Steelers, Cowboys, and Jets so far this season.
WEEK 4 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker
If Waddle is a surprise scratch, then Tyreek Hill would absorb more targets. Beyond him, we'd likely see Cedrick Wilson get a chance to make plays. It's tough to recommend starting him despite what we've seen from Miami's passing offense, but he has plenty of DFS appeal. TE Mike Gesicki and maybe even Miami's RBs could also get more looks, but Gesicki is still just a TD-or-bust risk and both Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds are low-end flexes.

domain: news


National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) takes pride in embracing an accomplishment beyond its expectations. NASA has been dreaming about reaching this achievement for a long time. The autonomous helicopter Ingenuity has been exploring every inch of the red planet Mars. Ingenuity’s production lasted for six years and to date, nine successful flights have been conducted as part of the project that originally aimed to execute five flights in the beginning. Each new success has been taking the targets to a higher level. Thanks to this project, a remarkable amount of know-how on a place other than our planet has been acquired. Live sound recording from Mars was achieved as well. Any news from the excursion will enhance this success and advance exploration of the remaining planets.
Why the flight by Ingenuity is a big deal
Ingenuity’s flight on Mars was recorded as the first successful flight of an air vehicle manufactured on the Earth, at an extraneous planet. This accomplishment clearly reveals the threshold achieved.
Ingenuity is a solar-powered rotorcraft air vehicle with twin propellers and a metal fuselage and four landing legs. It weighs slightly less than two kilograms. It was launched to fulfil a single mission in February with NASA’s Perseverance Mars exploration vehicle: Proving that it can fly at the Martian atmosphere that is very different from Earth’s atmosphere!
Mars’ gravity is much lower than Earth’s gravity though density of the Martian atmosphere is equal to merely 1% of the density of our planet’s atmosphere. Due to such low levels of density, it is much harder for an air vehicle to generate lift. Therefore, the engineers who designed Ingenuity installed 122 cm long rotor blades that can spin at a speed higher than the speed enabling an aircraft to fly on Earth. Many helicopters and unmanned air vehicles on earth feature rotors with nearly 400-500 rpm; Ingenuity’s rotor on the other hand features 2.400 rpm.
What Happened in the First Five Mars Flights?
Prior to its launch to Mars, Ingenuity has been tested on Earth with various simulations where it can generate lifts under the challenging conditions of Martian atmosphere. During Ingenuity’s first flight dated April 19, 2021, the aircraft rose nearly 3 m, hovered for 30 seconds, there it rotated for 96 degrees, then returned and landed. Transmission of the signal to initiate the flight caused delays due to the distance between the Earth and Mars. The signals reached a satellite dish via the computer on Earth, then to the Mars Explorer and to Perseverance and finally to the helicopter. Optimizing this system has not been easy at all.
The first data received from Mars included black and white images captured by the cameras installed over Ingenuity and the images confirmed the realization of a successful flight. In the initial flight, Ingenuity was airborne for 39 seconds. NASA and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) officially identified Ingenuity’s first flight site as Mars’ first runway and named it as the Wright Brothers Field after the founders of modern aviation.
The second flight with more challenging missions lasted approximately 52 seconds. Climbing 5 meters up in the flight, Ingenuity managed to fly 2 meters laterally before landing and rotated around its own axis to capture a panoramic view with its camera.
During its third flight, Ingenuity once again climbed up 5 meters and managed to fly at a total range of 50 meters. In this 80-second flight, the air vehicle reached a top speed of 2 meters per second. NASA strived to enhance Ingenuity’s capabilities by adding new instructions for capturing more photos through its internal color camera.
The first attempt for Ingenuity’s fourth flight failed due to a technical problem. The helicopter could not properly switch to the “flight mode” required for the take-off. The problem was linked with a technical fault with a 15% probability.
The second trial took place a few days later and the flight was conducted smoothly as planned. Ingenuity climbed to five meters again. Flying to nearly 133 meters south, the air vehicle returned to its take-off position and realized a successful landing. During the fourth flight test, total endurance of Ingenuity was 117 seconds – the longest flight to that date. In this flight, Ingenuity managed to transmit a series of color images with black and white photos captured via the navigation camera under the helicopter.
Compared to the previous flights, the helicopter recorded much more images in the fourth flight and took nearly 60 photos, mostly at the last 50 meters before landing. Capturing such images constitute a “technical challenge” for Ingenuity as the Red Planet’s images that have never been seen before were achieved from the air. These images were used for examining the surface characteristics of the field and they enabled the capacity to build 3D images of the surface and examining the height of the different zones beneath the helicopter.
Live Sound Recording from Mars
Ingenuity shared the first sound recording from the skies of Mars in its fifth test flight. The sound recording by the SuperCam microphone was registered as the first sound recording achieved while flying on another planet.
NASA officials were not sure whether the microphone placed 80 meters away from the Ingenuity’s take-off and landing spot could save the sound of the rotorcraft rotating at 2.537 revolutions per minute under the stormy Martian atmosphere. However, the scientists did not only manage to record the sound but also isolated the sounds from the noise of the wind.
The helicopter took-off from the Jezero Crater, also known as the Wright Brothers Field, and flew 129 meters south. Then it ascended to a new record of 10 meters to examine and take the photos of its surrounding and the field beneath it. Ingenuity was airborne for a total of 108 seconds during the fifth test flight.
Thanks to the data collected by Ingenuity, NASA generated digital elevation maps. These maps seem to suggest a completely flat terrain with almost no obstructions. According to NASA, the fifth test flight signals that Ingenuity has passed a critical milestone for its new operations.
Ingenuity’s Flights Surprised NASA
NASA did not expect Ingenuity to remain healthy after the fifth test flight, upon observing the successful operations NASA decided to carry out testing the top limits of the helicopter’s capabilities. Therefore, with its accomplishments, Ingenuity managed to surprise even the team in charge of its operations.
The eighth flight conducted on June 21 lasted 7,4 seconds in total. Mars helicopter vertically climbed to 10 meters and laterally flew for 160 meters before successfully landing at a brand new landing spot named “Airfield E” by NASA. Ingenuity landed 135 meters away from Perseverance that is critical for sending the helicopter programming data and commands and achieved another milestone.
The ninth flight at the Red Planet on July 5, 2021 has been regarded as the “most challenging” flight so far. However, Ingenuity also completed this test successfully. The helicopter had to struggle against the tough field conditions and sand storms as it flew over the eastern part of Mars’ Séítah region and accomplished this high risk flight. Ingenuity skillfully reassured the concerns regarding its reach at the targeted landing field and its landing at the accurate spot.
Flying for a total of 166,4 seconds during this flight, Ingenuity reached its longest endurance. The helicopter also achieved a maximum speed of 5 meters per second, which is regarded as an impressive success for an air vehicle travelling in the thin Martian atmosphere. Ingenuity was instructed to fly for a total of 625 meters over a more textured terrain that the helicopter was quite unfamiliar with. Thanks to this successful flight, close-up images of the Séítah field (which could not have been captured otherwise) have been received and some of the mysteries about Mars have been uncovered.
What will Ingenuity's New Missions Be?
After each successful flight, Ingenuity expects new instructions and assignments via the Perseverance Rover from the command center at NASA. Rover carries Ingenuity’s communication base station. That’s why the proximity of Perseverance and Ingenuity was of critical importance in the beginning. Thanks to this rotorcraft active in Mars, NASA will focus on identifying which of the capabilities among reconnaissance, surveillance, access to areas out of access and stereo imaging from atmospheric altitudes could be achieved. Such operations and the lessons-learnt from them are considered to provide remarkable advantages in the future in the aerial reconnaissance of Mars and other planets.
In conclusion, the autonomous helicopter Ingenuity will continue to explore the red planet as it carries out breaking its own records in the range, endurance and ground speed areas while we follow its explorations…


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This premium 100% organic Pima cotton tee features a cut neckline and loosely twisted hems. A subtle stripe print creates a standout look.

domain: design


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The Salt Lake City Arts Council connects artists and the public by producing a number of programs in the performing, visual, literary and folk arts.
Resources and Information
Artists of Utah presents 35x35
HOW SHOULD I REPORT CHANGES TO MY APPLICATION DUE TO COVID-19 RESPONSE MEASURES? View/Download a PDF of this page. It is the Arts Council’s goal to disburse all awarded grant funds to every grantee and…Read More
This funding is jointly offered by Utah Arts & Museums and the Salt Lake City Arts Council. The Utah Individual Artist Emergency Funding is a resource dedicated to supporting working artists residing in Utah who…Read More
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6 – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2019 BACKGROUND: 36th Annual Holiday Craft Market The Salt Lake City Arts…Read More
Artists of Utah is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating an ecosystem in which the arts in our state can…Read More
A Celebration of Salt Lake’s Traditional Folk and Ethnic Arts featuring many ethnic communities highlighting the city's diversity.Read More
Provides opportunities for artists to create artwork that enhance or is integrated into public buildings and public spaces.Read More
Year-round visual arts exhibits designed to give local artists an opportunity to show their current body of work.Read More
A wide range of outstanding musicians, held on Thursday evenings in July and August.Read More
Presented during the lunch hour in public parks and plazas downtown every weekday in August. Concerts are free.Read More
The Salt Lake City Arts Council presents various ongoing and one-time programming opportunities throughout the yearRead More
A monthly series, scheduled on Thursday evenings, brings in contemporary writers from across the county.Read More
The City Arts Grants are designed to provide financial support for arts programs and projects in Salt Lake City that merit public funding. There are four City Arts Grants Categories, each with its own eligibility standards, guidelines, and review criteria.
The Salt Lake City Arts Council, founded in the late 1970s, was created to ensure that the community established a local arts organization to provide public programming and support for the arts. The organization has developed a balance between producing programs and supporting other arts activities throughout the City through grant funds.
The mission of the Arts Council is to promote, present, and support artists, arts organizations, and arts activities in order to further the development of the arts community and to benefit the public by expanding awareness, access, and participation. X

domain: artistic


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On the Accra-Tema Motorway, city officials have taken down a billboard ostensibly supporting LGBTQI activities.
Sam George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, revealed this in a Facebook post.
After a media engagement with local officials, he said the billboard was taken down.
Sam George had issued a 24-hour ultimatum to authorities to pull down the billboard, which he described as illegal.
“Over the weekend, our attention was drawn to an illegality that flies in the face of the Constitution of Ghana – Articles 11 and 26 which talks about Ghana’s cultural sovereignty. We noticed that a billboard promoting the activities of the LGBTQ activities has been mounted along the motorway.”
“As sponsors of the bill before Parliament and as members of Parliament who represent the aspirations and will of Ghanaians, we have deemed it important to show up here today to register in the strongest way our displeasure, discomfort and abhorrence for this unholy, unculturable and untraditional advertisement that has been put up on this road,” the MP had said.
Sam George and eight other members of Parliament are proposing an Anti-LGBTQI Bill on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights, which stipulates that persons of the same sex who engage in sexual conduct face up to ten years in prison.
If the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 is signed into law, various acts of support for the LGBTQ+ community will be criminalized.
The bill is currently under committee in Parliament, where politicians are holding public hearings.
We can get results from the authorities (NDC or NPP) if we unite and collectively demand the changes we desire. True power belongs to the people. The billboard has fall 'frat'. Power to our cultural sovereignty. 🦁💪🏾🇬🇭 #PassTheBillNow pic.twitter.com/XXGOrDlLkg
— Sam 'Dzata' George (@samgeorgegh) June 9, 2022

domain: sociology


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Reborn Coffee Partners with COLLECTIVE to Expand Brand into Malaysia and Indonesia
COLLECTIVE Owns and Operates a Wholesale Distribution Network with Specialty Cafe in Malaysia
Joint Venture MOU Signed to Launch Reborn Brand Retail Locations in Southeast Asia
BREA, Calif., Jan. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reborn Coffee, Inc. (NASDAQ: REBN) (“Reborn”, or the “Company”), a California-based retailer of specialty coffee, today announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with COLLECTIVE PROJECT SDN BHD (“COLLECTIVE”), an owner and operator of a wholesale distribution network with various specialty cafes in Malaysia, on January 15, 2023 to establish an equity joint venture to expand and develop Reborn’s coffee brand throughout Southeast Asia.
COLLECTIVE has been sourcing, roasting and distributing specialty coffees for more than 7 years to cafes throughout Malaysia, establishing itself as leading specialty coffee roaster by sourcing transparent, traceable, and sustainable coffees from farmers, and providing exceptional coffee experiences to consumers. COLLECTIVE’s expansion plan includes long-term partnerships with processing facilities and farms at origin, most recently in Indonesia, that will ensure a consistent supply of high-quality coffees and volume for the Southeast Asian market. This partnership includes improving processing methods and introducing innovations such as anaerobic and aerobic fermentation to increase quality score and flavor.
In retail, COLLECTIVE is partnering with other artisanal producers specifically in gelato and pastries to expand their specialty product offerings. The company is opening its first flagship store in Damansara Heights, an upscale suburb of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February, with plans to open three additional outlets in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta later this year.
Barrie Nasim, Founder and CEO of COLLECTIVE, has over 10 years’ experience in specialty coffee and distribution. Educated at the London School of Coffee, he founded COLLECTIVE to focus on educating, roasting and supplying quality coffees to independent cafes and consumers. In its first year, he had expanded his customer base to more than 50 cafes across Malaysia. Certified by SCAE (Specialty Coffee Association of Europe) in Roasting and Sensory science and a Q Arabica Grader by CQI (Coffee Quality Institute), Barrie continues to work closely with practitioners on industry developments in the sensory field.
“We have found an ideal partner with COLLECTIVE and its founder Barrie Nasim to launch our brand into the Southeast Asian market,” said Jay Kim, Chief Executive Officer of Reborn. “As an increasing number of people in Southeast Asia advance into the middle-class with higher spending powers, coffee culture and consumption has skyrocketed. COLLECTIVE is at the forefront of a new generation of consumers who are enthusiastic about specialty and sustainable coffee.
“We will work together to bring the new Reborn Coffee Malaysia Sdn Bhd, incorporated in Malaysia, to engage high profile real estate agents and identify potential strategic locations to open Reborn branded outlets in Singapore and Jakarta. We have also identified profitable companies with synergy for potential acquisition in Malaysia and Jakarta to contribute to Reborn earnings. We believe with a strong partnership with COLLECTIVE and the flagship store in Malaysia, Reborn’s growth and expansion for the Southeast Asia market will be exponential. Taken together with new locations in California, expansion into South Korea and the upcoming launch of our e-commerce platform, we are well-positioned to reach our goals for sustained operational execution and year-over-year revenue growth,” concluded Kim.
About Reborn Coffee
Reborn Coffee, Inc. (NASDAQ: REBN) is focused on serving high quality, specialty-roasted coffee at retail locations, kiosks, and cafes. Reborn is an innovative company that strives for constant improvement in the coffee experience through exploration of new technology and premier service, guided by traditional brewing techniques. Reborn believes they differentiate themselves from other coffee roasters through innovative techniques, including sourcing, washing, roasting, and brewing their coffee beans with a balance of precision and craft. For more information, please visit www.reborncoffee.com.
All statements in this release that are not based on historical fact are “forward-looking statements.” While management has based any forward-looking statements included in this release on its current expectations, the information on which such expectations were based may change. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, as a result of various factors including those risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors section of our recently filed Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, and in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section of our recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which can be found on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Such risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, but are not limited to, the Company’s ability to successfully open the additional locations described herein as planned or at all, the Company’s ability to expand its business both within and outside of California (including as it relates to increasing sales and growing Average Unit Volumes at our existing stores), the degree of customer loyalty to our stores and products, the impact of COVID-19 on consumer traffic and costs, the fluctuation of economic conditions, competition and inflation. We urge you to consider those risks and uncertainties in evaluating our forward-looking statements. We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.
Investor Relations Contact:
Executive Vice President
MZ North America
Reborn Coffee, Inc.

domain: economics


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Hamilton BE, Martin JA, Ventura SJ, Births: preliminary data for 2007. Natl Vital Stat Rep, Web Release; 57 no 12, Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Released March 18, 2009.
Darroch JE, Singh S, Frost JJ, Differences in teenage pregnancy rates among five developed countries: the roles of sexual activity and contraceptive use. Fam Plann Perspect 2001; 33:244���50, 281.
- Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001.Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2006; 38: 90-96
- Comparison of continuation rates for hormonal contraception among adolescents.J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 1999; 12: 90-94
- Intrauterine devices.in: Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use. 3rd ed. WHO, Geneva2004: 99-122
- Intrauterine device and adolescents. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 392. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Obstet Gynecol. 2007; 110: 1493-1495
- Challenges in translating evidence to practice: the provision of intrauterine contraception.Obstet Gynecol. 2008; 111: 1359-1369
- Use of contraception and use of family planning services in the United States: 1982���2002.Adv Data. 2004; 350: 1-36
- Young pregnant women's knowledge of modern intrauterine devices.Obstet Gynecol. 2006; 108: 1417-1422
- Adolescent and young adult women's knowledge of and attitudes toward the intrauterine device.Contraception. 2008; 78: 211-217
- Intrauterine devices and pelvic inflammatory disease: an international perspective.Lancet. 1992; 339: 785-788
- Intrauterine device and upper-genital-tract infection.Lancet. 2000; 356: 1013-1019
- The trade-off between hormonal contraceptives and condoms among adolescents.Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2002; 34: 6-14
���There was no funding source for this study.

domain: medical


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A recent report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale that cited persons close to Hosmer revealed that two teams have already sent their contract offers to Hosmer. It seems that Hosmer also has been offered a seven-year deal by the Padres for $140 million, which makes it $1 million less than the deal from the Royals.
Hosmer's resume includes four Gold Glove Awards, a Silver Slugger Award and an All-Star Game MVP Award from the 2016 Midsummer Classic, which was held in San Diego.
Eric Hosmer's free agency, like everyone else's this winter, is never ending.
The Red Sox signed first baseman Mitch Moreland to a two-year contract last month and other suitors, outside of the Padres, have failed to materialize.
Both of Hosmer's offers come from small-market teams who do not expect to contend in 2018.
Now, Hosmer possibly could be the difference maker for say the St. Louis Cardinals, who are one piece away from being true National League contenders.
With the farm system the focus, the Royals appeared willing to walk away from Moustakas and Cain. Another bonus: The club, along with every team in Major League Baseball, is reportedly set to receive a cash payment of $50 million or more after the league sold a controlling stake in its technology arm - BAMTech - to Disney past year.
His best offensive season before that-2015-would result in a World Series championship.


Which means that, at the very least to start with, the 2020 Ford Fusion Energi can be sold with a 2.Three-liter four-cylinder engine. The listing doesn’t specifically affirm that it’s an EcoBoost mill, but this is very seemingly on condition that the Bronco could have the identical underpinnings because the Ranger truck.
A quick have a look at Ford’s present vehicle lineup is sufficient to discover that the model’s mannequin do a whole lot of sharing. Which means that the 2020 Ford Fusion Energi will characteristic the very same engine because the Ranger. This particular 2.Three-liter EcoBoost mill cranks out 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. That’s removed from massive, but it surely’s not bad both given the scale of the SUV. And that torque determine is definitely impressive.
The mill encompasses a twin-scroll turbocharger that extracts exhaust gasoline from two pairs of cylinders in alternating sequence to be able to improve pulse energy and scale back lag. It additionally options an Auto Start-Stop operate that shuts off the engine when the car comes to a cease and restarts it immediately when the brake is released. This characteristic improves gas economy. The Ranger is rated at 21 mpg city, 26 mpg freeway, and 26 mpg mixed, figures that shouldn’t change much for the Bronco.
2020 Ford Fusion Energi pairs the two.3-liter EcoBoost to a 10-speed automated transmission in the Ranger, and this unit ought to carry over to the Bronco. A brand new design, the SelectShift gearbox features optimized gear progressions for clean shifting.
2020 Ford Fusion Energi is about to take the pickup world by storm with an all-electric truck that may most certainly be revealed this 12 months. The automobile that’s set to be shown this 12 months received’t be the ultimate production-spec model, although, as we’ve come to count on from 2020 Ford Fusion Energi, but it will be a very close preview of that mannequin.
2020 Ford Fusion Energi All fashions of the Tesla Pickup will possible function a dual-motor setup and subsequently be all-wheel drive. Because the battery pack can be integrated into the ground of the truck, it can have a really low heart of gravity for a automobile of its kind. So, it’ll most likely be fairly secure and nice for off-road hooning the place it is going to feel secure and not vulnerable to tipping over (like some typical vans are likely to really feel when pushed to make laborious turns).
2020 Ford Fusion Energi It may very effectively be that Tesla is designing this pickup so that it might taxi heavy spacecraft around runways, to and from the launch pad. We’re positive there’s a catch to that ridiculous 300,000-pound declare, however either wither manner, the pickup will have a higher towing ranking than all other standard pickups – possibly that is what Elon was making an attempt to suggest.
Making an attempt to make a tall, heavy pickup truck handle like one of the iconic sports activities automobiles in the world seems proper on impossible. Maybe between its large power and torque figures and the aforementioned lively suspension whose job might not only be to adjust the experience height primarily based on load, but additionally help the truck nook flat, will probably be one of the best handling truck ever made; beating a Porsche around corners looks like a far much less seemingly state of affairs, although.
2020 Ford Fusion Energi Concerning the look of the Tesla pickup, we’ve very little to go on when it comes to speculating what it would appear like. The automaker recently launched a teaser showing a light-weight bar that runs the width of the vehicle, but we don’t know if it shows the front or the rear of the car (identical to the Rivian R1T pickup). If it’s the rear, then the bed has a lid that completely closes it off and turns it into a trunk. If it’s the entrance, then the truck will have a single LED strip catering for all front finish illumination wants 2020 Ford Fusion Energi.
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Do you know what VoIP is? VoIP is short for Voice over Internet Protocol, and it is a technology that allows people to make calls via the Internet rather then use a traditional landline. VoIP is very affordable and can save businesses, of any size, between 30 and 50 percent on their phone expenses.
Businesses today, of course, are still struggling through the nation’s sluggish economy. Many are running on tight budgets with skeleton staffs. Today’s businesses, then, can use any form of savings they can find. The cut in phone costs that VoIP provides would seem to be a straightforward avenue for savings. But are businesses actually embracing VoIP technology? Are they using it to slash their yearly costs?
A Move Toward VoIP?
Heavy Reading recently did a study that shows that not as many companies as you would think are making the switch to VoIP. The same study, however, shows that number is changing. The study shows that in 2011 around 31% of businesses in North America used VoIP. Heavy Reading has predicted that by 2015 this figure will rise to 66.6%.
Businesses are Switching to VoIP
So, the study shows that the amount of companies that will use VoIP will double by 2015. Currently, traditional circuit-switch phone lines make up 68 percent of business lines in North America. So by 2015 will there actually be such a dramatic change? This is hard to say but as people get more informed about the benefits of VoIP it is probable that business owners will make the shift in the next few years, even if it’s not as fast as the Heavy Reading study predicts.
A Bright Future for VoIP and Business
VoIP technology provides voice communication that is as clear and reliable as traditional landlines. Let’s also remember that it can be considerably cheaper. Upper management may be slow to make the move but the big plus with VoIP, is that employees will not have to get used to anything new. Phones work just like they do with a landline. So you if think VoIP is a passing fad, think again.


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Popular Korean Beauty brand Neogen just recently added three new cleansing products to their Real Cica skincare line: a cleansing oil, a foam cleanser and a cleansing water.
I was really happy with the Real Cica Pads from this Neogen line which were released last year, so when all these new Real Cica cleansing products came out I was super intrigued! I had just arrived in Korea, totally avid for new K-Beauty stuff, and needed a new double-cleanse combo anyway, so I decided to give the oil cleanser and the foam cleanser a try (alternatively, you can combine the cleansing water with the foam cleanser).
Now let’s have a closer look at the NEOGEN Real Cica Micellar Cleansing Oil first!
Brand: NEOGEN Dermalogy – 네오젠더마로지
Product Name: Real Cica Micellar Cleansing Oil – 리얼 시카 미셀라 클렌징 오일
Product type: Cleansing oil
RRP Korea: KRW 23,000 (KRW 77 per 1 ml)
- lightweight and non-sticky texture,
- perfectly removes makeup and other impurities from skin, while having a soothing effect at the same time,
- does not dry the skin out, leaves skin refreshed and hydrated,
- suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin.
Besides oils, cleansing oil formulations do typically also include surfactants to make the product easier to rinse off. Oil isn’t soluble in water and the soap in the surfactants can help with this by dissolving all the oils from your skin when you wash the product off with water. This is the reason why cleansing oils are usually easier to rinse off as oil cleansers formulated without surfactants.
The Neogen cleansing oil uses isopropyl palmitate and caprylic/capric triglygeride as main oils and PEG-20 glyceryl triisostearate as surfactant.
It also contains the following plant oils: soybean oil, olive oil and bergamot oil.
Other key ingredients of the Neogen Real Cica Cleansing Oil are (as the ‘Cica’ in the product name already indicates) five different components of the centella asiatica plant (tiger grass):
- centella asiatica extract,
- madecassic acid,
- asiatic acid, and
The K-Beauty trend ingredient centella asiatica is super rich in antioxidants and known to have anti-inflammatory, healing and soothing properties. I can’t think of anyone who couldn’t benefit from its effects! It’s a real multi purpose ingredient that can help with acne scarring, fighting breakouts, skin brightening and anti-aging.
Another noteworthy ingredient of the Neogen Real Cica Micellar Cleansing Oil is water! This doesn’t sound very stunning, I know, but in fact, cleansing oils usually don’t contain water. As I mentioned before, they are normally based on a blend of oils and surfactants, so why the heck did they add water to the the formula of this cleansing oil?! Hm, I’m not an expert in skincare formulation, but I’m pretty sure it’s because they wanted to make it a blend of cleansing oil and micellar water. Micelles aren’t a “real” skincare ingredient, they are – in non-expert terms – more like an effect that occurs when you mix a surfactant (soap) with water in a certain way. They are like little bubbles that effectively soak up oil and grime when they get in contact with skin. So to make micelles form in the product, they needed to add water.
The Neogen Real Cica Cleansing Oil is free from:
- mineral oil,
- synthetic fragrance,
- synthetic dye,
Like so many skincare products in K-Beauty, it’s not free from essential oils, as it contains bergamot oil. The concentration of bergamot oil in this product is very low, so it should be fine for those with non-sensitive skin, but it can be irritating for those with sensitive skin.
Some background info first: I have dry skin and usually wear a decent amount of foundation, concealer, eye and lip makeup. I also apply sunscreen every day, so I need cleansers that can handle and melt away all these layers without stripping, irritating or clogging up my skin. Double-cleansing turned out to be the best method for me to get rid of all the makeup, sunscreen and other impurities sitting on or in my skin, so I use an oil based cleanser first followed by a water based cleansing foam or gel every night. I guess this is the ‘traditional’ way to double-cleanse. I usually use an eye makeup remover separately before the first cleansing step. It’s just easier I think and I don’t want to smudge my mascara, eyeliner and eye shadow all over my face, too lol.
I included the Neogen Real Cica Micellar Cleansing Oil as my first cleanser in my evening routine around one month ago and have been using it every night since then.
The product has no color and a very subtle lemon-ish/citrus/cheese cake scent coming from the bergamot oil. The consistency is very thin and runny, almost watery.
I usually need to pump two times to have the amount of product I need to remove sunscreen and makeup.
The product is applied with dry hands on the dry face. It’s easy to spread on the face and by gently massaging your face with the product, makeup and sunscreen will come off from the skin without a need to rub too hard. The cleansing oil can basically also deal with waterproof mascara and eyeliner, but you’ll need to use more product in this case to remove everything completely.
Due to the runny and watery texture, the Neogen cleansing oil feels indeed really lightweight, non-sticky and it’s very easy to wash off. I also haven’t experienced any irritations or other side effects from it. I didn’t feel that the product was drying or stripping my skin at all, but cleansing oils rarely do in my opinion (I guess this is more a typical second cleanser problem). The finish after rinsing it off looks wonderful – so clean, fresh and dewy! I really love it and sometimes wondered if it’s necessary at all to follow up with a second cleanser?! I’m not sure if I have experienced any actual soothing effects from the centella asiatica derived ingredients, but it’s possible that these ingredients help to make the product a less irritating experience for people with more sensitive skin than I have. As I’ve hardly ever experienced irritation from cleansing oils or other first cleansers, it’s really hard to tell! I’m also a bit undecided if the product really cleanses better than other cleansing oils because of the micelles. I mean it certainly does a great cleansing job, but a lot of other cleansing oils do so, too, and I didn’t perceive a big difference between this and other cleansing oils to be honest.
Overall, I’m very happy with the Neogen Real Cica Micellar Cleansing Oil. It holds true to most of its claims. There was no big wow effect or something, but this wasn’t what I was expecting from a cleansing oil in the first place anyway. In my view, a good cleansing oil should completely remove makeup and sunscreen without irritating my skin and the Neogen cleansing oil did this very well!
What I liked:
- the overall good looking and decently clean ingredients list, especially the omission of synthetic fragrance!
- the beautiful finish! I really consider to try to use this as a stand-alone cleanser, because the finish after rinsing it off looks so beautiful lol!
- the great cost effectiveness! You get a 300ml bottle for KRW 23,000 (I hope there won’t be too heavy markups outside Korea…). The average cleansing oil comes in a 150ml to 200ml bottle and most of them are way more expensive per ml than this one!
- not really sure if the micelles actually bring added value to this cleansing oil in comparison to other cleansing oils. I didn’t really notice that it cleanses better than similar cleansing oils without micelles.
- I’m also not sure if the centella asiatica derived ingredients are actually doing something or not. As I mentioned before, it’s possible that it lowers the irritation potential of the product. It would be really interesting to know how people with more sensitive skin see this!
- I don’t really enjoy the super runny texture, but this is more a general (and acceptable) issue I have with almost all cleansing oils.
- I think I needed a little more product per use as with other cleansing oils I tried which dilutes the price advantage a bit.
- Good for you if you have normal or dry skin and are looking for a decent and affordable cleansing oil option with a fairly clean ingredients list and a rather low irritation potential.
- Can be okay for you if you have sensitive skin and haven’t experienced any issues with bergamot oil or essential oils in general before.
- Can be okay for you if you have acne-prone skin and haven’t experienced any issues with soybean oil and olive oil (they are said to be comedogenic) before. I heard that many people with acne-prone skin don’t have issues with these two oils in wash-off products.
- Not for you if you are allergic to bergamot oil or essential oils in general.
I hope that this review was helpful to you and would love to hear your thoughts, questions or suggestions!
Have a good skin day!


text:
Another photo from Cinque Terre
Yes, it’s another photo from Italy. If you wonder why I edit so many in a row, it’s because I’m preparing a Top spots in Cinque Terre page, and I need photos for it :). But until it’s done, you can see all other top photography spots pages here.
Warm day in Cinque Terre
The week I was in Cinque Terre earlier this year was very warm. And this was after the forecast for the whole week was rain, rain and more rain. I don’t really like such a warm weather. If I would not take photos, nobody would get me out into such a sunny day. But when one takes photos, it’s completely different. I can endure the warm quite easily, when I focus on the photos. I don’t even notice then :)
This is a two shot panorama, combined in Lightroom, finished in Photoshop.
And here are few details:


text:
Watch All The Kind Strangers
- 1 hr 15 min
While on assignment in a rural area of the Southern United States, journalist Jimmy Wheeler makes the unfortunate mistake of picking up a sweet-faced boy carrying a sack of flour on the side of a country road and giving him a lift home. Home turns out to be a remote rustic cabin located deep within the dark woods and protected by a surrounding creek, where the boy lives with his other six siblings and a woman who appears at first to be their mother Carol Ann, but is soon revealed to be only a stranger held prisoner by them to fulfill the maternal role. As Jimmy and Carol Ann struggle to escape from their pint-sized captors, the truth about what became of the children's real parents is revealed, and their own fate looms ominously over them as they learn what has become of all the kind strangers before them who weren't quite kind enough to assume the permanent roles of parental figures for the seven duplicitous juveniles.

domain: library


text: Vascular permeability is a highly coordinated process that integrates vesicular trafficking, complex junctional rearrangements, and refined cytoskeletal dynamics. In response to the extracellular environment, these three cellular activities have been previously assumed to work in parallel to regulate the passage of solutes between the blood and tissues. New developments in the area of vascular permeability, however have highlighted the interdependence between trans- and para-cellular pathways, the cross-communication between adherens and tight junctions, and the instructional role of pericytes on endothelial expression of barrier-related genes. Additionally, significant effort has been placed in understanding the molecular underpinings that contribute to barrier restoration following acute permeability events and in clarifying the importance of context-dependent signaling initiated by permeability mediators. Finally, recent findings have uncovered an unpredicted role for transcription factors in the coordination of vascular permeability and clarified how junctional complexes can transmit signals to the nucleus to control barrier function. The goal of this review is to provide a concise and updated view of vascular permeability, discuss the most recent advances in molecular and cellular regulation, and introduce integrated information on the central mechanisms involved in trans-endothelial transport.


text:
“I’m the best at what I do.”
XM Studios is proud to present our next Marvel Premium Collectibles statue series, Wolverine wearing his iconic Yellow Costume standing atop a mutilated Sentinel Head! Behold the ferocious mutant of the X-Men in the form of highly detailed 1:4 scale cold-cast porcelain, each painstakingly handcrafted statue stands at approximately 17.5 inches tall. Every statue is individually hand-painted with the highest possible quality finish. Featuring 2 interchangeable left hands and 3 interchangeable head portraits, this beast will stare down all your other displays. SNIKT!
A long-lived mutant with the rage of a beast and the soul of a Samurai, James “Logan” Howlett’s past is filled with blood, war, and betrayal. Possessing an accelerated healing factor, enhanced senses, and bone claws in his hands that, along with his skeleton, are coated in adamantium, Wolverine is the ultimate weapon.
The Wolverine Premium Collectibles statue features:
Approximately 44cm tall
Three (3) interchangeable head portrait for alternate display
Two (2) interchangeable left arms for alternate display
Crafted from cold-cast porcelain
Art print specially designed by STUDIO HIVE
Limited Silver Plated coin
Limited edition : 950
Studio HIVE (Illustrator , Design and Concept)
Marthin Agusta (Sculpt)
XM Studios Design and Development Team (Design and Concept)
Product size : 44cm H X 36cm L X 30cm B
Est. Box Size : 68.5m H X 49.5cm L X 37cm B
Est. Product Weight : 8.0 kg
Est. shipping weight : 14.5 kg
Παράδοση εντός δύο εβδομάδων.


text:
Some words have an unusual attraction, which I find intriguing – necromancy is one of these words.
The blackest of all the black arts is undoubtedly necromancy, the ancient method of communication with the dead. The art of raising the dead and controlling their spirits takes its name from Greek words meaning “dead body” and “prophecy or divination”. A ceremony is performed by a magician to evoke the dead who needs to obtain the help of powerful spirits, both for her/his own protection and to compel the corpse or ghost to submit to his/her will. Scent and odours must be carefully produced from burning substances for their powerful influences. Elaborate preparations include careful study of the positions of the planets, and especially of the moon and the influence of Saturn.
You may notice my use of her/his .. and that’s the whole reason for posting. Gender equality starts with getting our vocabulary right. Vef is a word that provides the perfect solution for solving the nagging issue of gender equality. Okay, let’s get back to necromancy.
Early necromancy was related to – and most likely evolved from – shamanism, which calls upon spirits such as the ghosts of ancestors. Classical necromancers addressed the dead in “a mixture of high-pitch squeaking and low droning”, comparable to the trance-state mutterings of shamans.
I came across this short poem written by Emily Dickinson
Ah! necromancy sweet.
Ah! wizard erudite.
Teach me the skill,
That I in still the pain
Surgeons assuage in vain,
Nor herb of all the plain
Emily Dickinson was a poet who took definition as her province, she challenged the existing definitions of poetry and the poet’s work. Like writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman, she experimented with expression in order to free it from conventional restraints. Like writers such as Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, she crafted a new type of persona for the first person.
So what is the definition of necromancy?
1. Conjuration of the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events.
2. Magic in general, especially that practiced by a witch or sorcerer; sorcery; witchcraft.
What are the superstitions?
In the conjuring of the souls of the dead, necromancy seemed to offer human beings a means of exerting control over an uncertain world
Someone posted a comment on another blog.
I woke up with this word necromancy going over and over in my head. I wrote it out on a piece of paper while I was still half asleep. What does this mean?
Okay! It’s time for bed. Goodnight..


Tree Christmas Ruffle Pajamas
Regular price $40.00
The softest jammies ever! Super soft and stretchy bamboo viscose material. These jammies are buttery soft, stretchy bamboo viscose that’s gentle on sensitive or eczema-prone skin. This material keeps little ones cool in the summer and warm in the winter.


TESTIMONY SUBMITTED TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FDA,
AND RELATED AGENCIES OF THE HOUSE
DR. PERRY J. BROWN
DEAN, SCHOOL OF FORESTRY
UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA
on behalf of the
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL FORESTRY
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES (NAPFSC)
re: FY2002 CSREES BUDGET
The National Association of Professional Forestry Schools and Colleges (NAPFSC) is comprised of the 67 universities that conduct the Nation's research, teaching, and extension programs in forestry and related areas of environmental and natural resource management. NAPFSC strongly supports increased funding for federal forestry research programs, including those operated by the USDA's Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES).
The management of nonfederal forestlands has become a critical economic and environmental issue. Owners and managers of nonfederal forestlands are simply not equipped to deal with the tremendous changes in forest land use and management that have occurred in the last decade nor the pressures of the 21st century. The programs outlined below are key to addressing the stewardship of these lands. These programs are: the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program (McIntire-Stennis), the Renewable Resources Extension Act (RREA), the National Research Initiative (NRI), and the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS). The first three of these programs have stimulated the development of vital partnerships involving universities, federal agencies, non-governmental organizations and private industry, and the newest program - IFAFS - a competitive grants program, offers great potential for developing new uses for forest products, improving natural resource management, and building multi-state and multi-university partnerships for research and outreach activities.
USDA - CSREES FORESTRY RELATED PROGRAMS
FY2001 ENACTED FY2002 BUSH BUDGET FY2002
The Case for Enhanced Forestry Research Funding -
The past, present, and future success of forestry research and extension activities arising from the NAPFSC member institutions results from a unique partnership involving federal, state, and private cooperators. Federal agencies have concentrated on large-scale national issues while state funding has emphasized applied problems and state-specific opportunities. University research in contrast, with the assistance of federal, state and private support, has been able to address a broad array of applied problems related to technology development and fundamental biophysical and socioeconomic issues and problems that cross ownership, state, region, and national boundaries.
The 1998 Farm Bill and various subsequent reports and conference proceedings have identified the need for greater attention on the emerging issues confronting non-federal forest landowners. NAPFSC is pleased to be one of the cofounders of the National Coalition for Sustaining America's Nonfederal Forests. The founding of the Coalition and its subsequent report emerged from a Forestry Summit held in 1999 that brought together key forestry leaders and landowners from across the nation. The outcome of the Summit confirmed the need for increases in forestry research funding focused on non-federal lands and for an increase in collaborative efforts between university-based research and the federal agencies.
The forests and other renewable natural resources of this country are primary contributors to the economic health of the nation; are reservoirs of biodiversity important to the well-being of our citizens; are significant to the maintenance of environmental quality of our atmosphere, water, and soil resources and provide diverse recreational and spiritual renewal opportunities for a growing population. Tremendous strains are being placed upon the nation's private forest lands by the combination of increasing demands for forest products coupled with dramatic changes in timber policies concerning our National Forests. Because of the changes in federal forest policy, private forest lands in the United States are now being harvested at rates not seen since the beginning of the 20th century.
For example, in the East, NIPFs are projected to increase their timber harvests almost 30% from the 1986 levels until 2010. Hardwood timber harvests on NIPF lands in the South are actually projected to increase more than 60% from 1986 to 2010. These spectacular increases will require larger investments and enhanced public educational programs - and hopefully much more regeneration and intensive timber management - at a scale never before realized on NIPF lands in the U.S.
To meet this challenge, research priorities must be adjusted to better address the needs of private landowners, and to specifically enhance the productivity of such lands through economically efficient and environmentally sound means. These challenges can be substantially addressed by the university community through the building of integrated research and extension programs assisted by McIntire-Stennis, RREA, and NRI.
There are currently approximately 10 million private forestland owners in the U.S. These landowners control nearly 60% of all forestland in the country. And it has been to the universities, with strong support from CSREES, that landowners traditionally look for new information about managing their lands. The overwhelming majority of the 10 million private landowners are not currently equipped to practice the sustained forest management that is critical to the health of our environment and economy. The combination of research conducted by the forestry schools, combined with the dissemination of that research through the cooperative extension network, has never been more essential.
McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research
The Cooperative Forestry Research Program (McIntire-Stennis Act), is the lead forestry effort administered by the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). This program is the foundation of forestry research and scientist training efforts at universities. Funding this program provides for cutting-edge research on productivity, technologies for monitoring and extending the resource base, and environmental quality. The program is critically important today since universities provide a large share of the nation's research. Additionally, universities train nearly all of the nation's scientists in forestry. The main categories of need are:
- Significantly enhance sustainability and productivity of nonfederal forests;
- Increase the financial contributions of nonfederal forests to benefit landowners, the rural community, state and national economies, and environmental values; and
- Conserve and sustain the nonfederal forests and other natural resources for future generations.
The Cooperative Forestry Research Program is currently funded at $21.932 million and matched more than three times by universities with state and nonfederal funds. The program is currently funded at little more than one-fifth its authorized level. We recommended funding McIntire-Stennis at a level of $30,000,000 for FY2002. The requested additional funding would be targeted at:
- sustainable and productive forest management on private lands to address issues of competitiveness and economic growth ($3.0 million);
- forest inventory, monitoring, and assessment with emphasis on new technologies ($2.1 million);
- new products, improved processing technologies, and utilization of small trees to extend the forest resource and improve environmental quality ($1.1 million); and
- assessing social values and tradeoffs to facilitate the understanding of policy options, economic impacts, and informed decisions at all levels of government ($1.9 million).
The NAPFSC schools further recommend that CSREES provide this support to universities with direction to focus on new or existing approved projects for the explicit purpose of near term progress in addressing one or more of these research targets in each school's state or region. It is recognized that progress will be dependent on a critical mass of scientific effort, and collaboration among schools is thus encouraged. Additionally stakeholder advisory mechanisms should be a part of the funding allocation process. In the process of funding these projects, NAPFSC would also recommend that portions of this funding be used to build research capacity, including a provision calling for training of much needed new forestry scientists.
Renewable Resources Extension Act
The Renewable Resources Extension Act (RREA) is the lead forestry extension effort administered by the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). This program is the foundation of outreach and extension efforts at universities.
Funding for this program addresses critical forestry and related natural resources extension and stewardship needs in states, and would address the critical issues of forest management for productivity and environmental quality on non-federal lands brought about by diminished harvest levels on federal lands.
Audiences for the products of outreach and extension are as diverse as are the stakeholders. Of highest priority are the owners of nonfederal forestlands and those involved in implementing forest management. These groups would be best served by outreach programs that (1) solve immediate problems; (2) transfer research technologies and new knowledge; and (3) increase their awareness of the benefits of active management.
It is vital that Congress increase funding for this important program for distributing the knowledge gained through our research institutions to the private landowners. NAPFSC recommends funding RREA at a level of $15 million for FY2002. This increase would take RREA to its full authorization level.
With nearly ten million nonfederal forest landowners, the most compelling priority areas for extension and outreach are:
- Develop databases of landowner information to customize educational efforts and their delivery to address owner values and goals ($2.5 million);
- Increase landowner awareness through new communication technologies, volunteer leadership, and localized programming ($2.5 million);
- Identify management alternatives with readily accessible new information on programs, services, and benefits of management and planning to integrate water, fish, wildlife, timber and other products and services ($3.0 million);
- Address local issues and needs within the framework of landowner's objectives using special forums, experts, and case study approaches to sustainable forestry ($2.0 million); and
- Identify and follow up on organizational opportunities including the establishment of landowner organizations linked to professional services, price reporting systems, and cooperative marketing ($1.8 million).
The NAPFSC schools further recommend that CSREES provide this support to universities with direction to focus on new or existing approved projects for the explicit purpose of near term progress in addressing one or more of these outreach/extension targets in each school's state, region, or nationally. It is recognized that progress will be dependent on a critical mass of extension educator effort, and cooperation among schools is thus encouraged. Additionally stakeholder advisory mechanisms should be a part of the funding allocation process. In the process of funding these projects, NAPFSC would also recommend that portions of this funding be used to build outreach/extension capacity, including a provision calling for training of much needed new extension educators and associated technical support staff.
National Research Initiative Competitive Grants
The National Research Initiative Competitive Grants program (NRICGP) is a significant source of funding for basic cutting-edge and applied research in categories important to sustainable forest management. Among these categories are (1) natural resources and the environment, (2) plants, (3) markets, trade and rural development, and (4) processing for value added/new products. This program is administered by the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES).
This program is currently funded at $106 million of which approximately ten percent goes to successful forestry research proposals. Building to address the full set of research needs of nonfederal forests will take several years and steps as described in the Coalition's planning document. However, we urge a significant step in the first part of this new century. NAPFSC recommends this program be funded at $150 million for FY 2002 with at least $20 million directed to forestry and forest products research priorities in categories (1)-(4) above under existing and/or new research opportunity areas. We further urge the targeting of funding of research on the most compelling needs.
Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems
The Initiative for future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS) is a new research, extension, and education competitive grants program designed to address a number of critical emerging issues in the broad area of agricultural. These issues encompass future food production, food safety, environmental quality, natural resource management, and farm income. Priority program areas include (1) the agriculture genome; (2) new and alternative uses and production of commodities and products; (3) biotechnology; and (4) and natural resource management, including precision agriculture. Priority for funding is for those proposals that were multi-state, multi-institutional, or multi-disciplinary, or that integrated research, extension, and/or education. This program, administered by CSREES, was funded at $113.4 million in FY 2001. NAPFSC strongly supports this new competitive grants program and urges your Subcommittee to provide the full $120 million for FY2002.
The needed investment for these programs is substantial, but the potential returns are enormous and crucial to our society's future. Disciplined and rigorous implementation of research on forestry issues will contribute greatly to attaining our vision for America's nonfederal forests for the future. NAPFSC urges cooperation at federal, state, and University's levels to make this research and the vision it will support a reality.


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Statement by members of the Civic Solidarity Platform to 2014 OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Working sessions 2 and 3, Tuesday 23 September 2014: Fundamental freedoms 1
We, members of the Civic Solidarity Platform (CSP), a network of human rights NGOs in Europe, North America and the former Soviet Union, condemn the current, unprecedented crackdowns on independent human rights NGOs and their members now witnessed in Russia and Azerbaijan. These developments are chilling in their implications for freedom of association, freedom of expression and human rights defence in the two countries and set a dangerous precedent for other non-democratic and illiberal governments in the OSCE region. As already seen, rhetoric branding human rights groups and advocates as “foreign agents,” “spies” and “traitors” has increasingly been used also in other countries in this region (including in the EU member country Hungary) and draconian legislation impeding the operation and funding of NGOs enforced by the Russian and Azerbaijani governments are studied and used as inspiration elsewhere. This has given rise to fears of a growing backlash against civil society in other parts of the region.
We would like to use this opportunity to affirm our solidarity with colleagues who have been directly affected by the recent developments in Russia and Azerbaijan and to appeal to members of the OSCE community to loudly and clearly speak out about the repression taking place in these countries and to support its victims in all ways possible, including through urgent measures in individual cases. The new Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders elaborated by the OSCE Office on Democratic Institutions and Human Rights provide important direction in this regard, in accordance with the fundamental principle that human dimension issues are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States.
Overview of major concerns
The civil society crackdown launched after Putin’s return as president in 2012 has continued to widen in the past year. In particular, the implementation of the notorious “foreign agents” law has had a far-reaching adverse impact on independent human rights, anti-corruption, environmental and other research and advocacy NGOs, threatening their very existence.
Following a series of mass inspections of NGOs in spring 2013, dozens of NGOs received warnings and faced legal cases under the “foreign agents” law. Trials have often been lengthy and protracted, taking away important time and resources from the ongoing work of the targeted NGOs, while their reputation has been badly damaged by the “spying” accusations levelled against them. Some groups have eventually won their cases in court, but many others have lost. In August 2013-May 2014, experts from the CSP monitored over 30 court “foreign agents” hearings against human rights NGOs. In all the cases observed, the courts failed to duly scrutinize the charges against NGOs and instead chose to rubber-stamp them, thereby applying the broad definition of “political activities” set out in the 2012 law to core activities carried out by the targeted organizations.
At least six NGOs have already been forced to close down to avoid harsh penalties for refusing to adopt the stigmatizing “foreign agents” label after losing court cases. This number is expected to grow, especially since the “foreign agents” law was further toughened in June this year so as to allow the Ministry of Justice to register NGOs as “foreign agents” at its own initiative. These provisions, which did not provide any clear criteria for how such decisions should be made, demonstrated the government’s determination to enforce the “foreign agents” law despite its failure to force NGOs to register on their own. The new provisions were immediately put into force and, as of this writing, a total of 14 NGOs had been listed as “foreign agents,” including prominent human rights organizations such as the Public Verdict Foundation – a CSP member, the Memorial Human Rights Centre, Agora, Jurix, Golos, the Women of the Don Union and the Soldiers Mothers’ of St. Petersburg. Some groups have been listed with reference to court decisions in their cases, while others have been listed on the basis of the results of inspections that they have appealed and that are still under consideration by courts. This has created a high level of uncertainty as to which NGOs may be included on the controversial list by the Ministry of Justice and on what grounds. NGOs that have been listed as “foreign agents” against their will are also required to implement the obligations applicable to such organizations under the 2012 law, in particular by using this label in public communications.
Where possible, listed NGOs continue battling against the “foreign agents” label through court. However, the search for justice through domestic courts is impaired not only by the lack of independence of the judiciary but also the Constitutional Court decision from April 2014, which essentially deemed the “foreign agents” law consistent with the Constitution, even if it clarified certain aspects regarding its application.
In early September 2014, the Moscow City Court overturned earlier decisions that ordered election watchdog Golos and its leader to pay fines for failing to register as a ”foreign agent,” concluding that available evidence did not show that the group had received foreign funding since the entry into force of the law. Nevertheless, in separate comments, the court stated that its decision did not entail any assessment per se as to whether Golos qualifies as being listed as a “foreign agent” and that this matter falls under the authority of the Ministry of Justice. At this time, the organization remains on the list.
National and international human rights bodies and NGOs have repeatedly criticized the “foreign agents” law for violating the right to freedom of association, freedom of expression and non-discrimination and for being open to arbitrary and selective application because of its vague wording. In an opinion issued this summer, the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe concluded that the “foreign agents” term tarnishes the reputation and seriously hampers the activities of NGOs to which it is applied and that the aim of ensuring transparency of foreign funding of NGOs cannot justify the registration regime set out in the 2012 law. Civil society is now placing its hope with the European Court of Human Rights, where a complaint about the law filed by a number of Russian NGOs is pending consideration.
Raising concerns about a possible further tightening of NGO legislation, media have reported that the government is currently considering amendments that would provide for a categorization of NGOs into “socially significant” and “political” ones and introduce new, discriminatory restrictions in relation to the latter category, on top of those established by the “foreign agents” law. Earlier this year, the grounds for unscheduled inspections of NGOs set out by law were broadened , and a new campaign of inspections has been reported.
Other legislation recently adopted in the country has also had a detrimental impact on NGOs, including the controversial 2013 law banning propaganda of so-called non-traditional sexual relations. This law has contributed to a worsening climate for NGOs and activists promoting LGBT rights, who have reported facing increasing intimidation and harassment.
Independent human rights NGOs and their representatives have been subjected to a growing wave of repression since the run-up to the October 2013 elections, when President Aliyev secured a third term in office. In the last few months, the situation has deteriorated to an unparalleled level, despite Azerbaijan’s current Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, a body founded on human rights principles.
New wide-ranging legal restrictions on NGOs have been introduced. These provisions have created additional obstacles for registered NGOs to operate and obtain funding and seriously worsened the situation of unregistered NGOs, a category that includes well-known human rights and pro-democracy groups that have failed to obtain registration despite repeated attempts. Legislation adopted last year, among others, prohibited NGOs from receiving cash donations of more than 200 EUR and made NGOs that obtain funding without concluding a formal grant agreement and their leaders liable to fines of up to 15,000 EUR. It also laid down stiff fines for failure to register grant agreements with the Ministry of Justice within the required period, as well as for failure to include required information about grants in financial reports to authorities. Another package of legislation that was signed into law this spring further tightened the screws on NGOs, among others, by requiring not only grants but also sub-grants to be registered with the government and by providing for harsh sanctions for undertaking banking and other operations in relation to unregistered grants. These rules made it impossible for NGOs that have been denied registration to access funding in the form of sub-grants through registered organizations, a practice that had previously been used.
Especially foreign-funded human rights NGOs have also been singled out for government smear campaigns and other harassment. In May this year, the Grave Crimes Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office launched an apparently politically motivated, high-profile investigation against some 20 human rights NGOs and think thanks, including both national NGOs and branches of foreign organizations. In the context of this investigation, offices of NGOs have been raided, their equipment and documents confiscated, the bank accounts of them and their leaders arbitrarily blocked or frozen, and their representatives summoned for interrogation and subjected to travel bans. Among the organizations targeted by this investigation are two CSP members, the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS) and the Center for National and International Studies.
Moreover, in the last two months, several human rights defenders have been arrested on spurious tax evasion and other charges. These include Leyla Yunus, director of the Institute of Peace and Democracy, and her husband Arif Yunus; Rasul Jafarov , an active CSP participant and one of the founders of the Human Rights Club that has had to de-facto stop its activities this year because of pressure against unregistered groups; and Intigam Aliyev, chair of the Legal Education Society. These defenders have been at the forefront of promoting human rights in Azerbaijan, including at the international level and their arrests have been widely condemned as retaliation for their human rights activities. Leyla Yunus and Rasul Jafarov had been leading a working group established to elaborate a comprehensive list of political prisoners in the country. This list, which was made public shortly after their arrest, features the names of close to 100 journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society, youth, political and religious activists. Intigam Alieev has been actively working on litigation before the European Court of Human Rights and has won numerous cases. During a search of the office of his organization in August, police confiscated the files in dozens of cases pending submission to this court, thereby also jeopardizing the access to justice of the victims in these cases.
There are imminent fears that additional human rights activists may be arrested. In particular, there are such concerns with regard to IRFS Chairman and prominent human rights defender and media freedom advocate Emin Huseynov, who on 5 August 2014 was prevented from traveling to Istanbul to receive urgent medical care. He was stopped at the airport by border police and informed that the Prosecutor General’s office had imposed a travel ban on him. Shortly after this, the IRFS office was searched and sealed by police. Acting IRFS Chair Gunay Ismayilova was also prevented from leaving the country when on her way to a workshop organized by the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship in Tbilisi on 3-4 September.
Adding to the concerns regarding the recent arrests of defenders, at least Leyla and Arif Yunus have reportedly been denied access to adequate healthcare and medicines for their medical conditions while in detention. It was also recently reported that Leyla Yunus had been attacked by a cellmate, while authorities of the detention facility where she is held failed to take appropriate measures to protect her.
Among the human rights defenders who are currently serving prison sentences in Azerbaijan are Anar Mammadli and Bashir Sulemainly, who were sentenced to 5.5. and 3.5 years in prison, respectively, in May this year on charges similar to those brought against the defenders now in custody. The both represent the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center, which came under attack after exposing violations during the October 2013 presidential elections.
The recent actions of the Azerbaijani authorities have been denounced, among others, by international human rights bodies such as the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner and UN special rapporteurs, who have called on the government of the country to “reverse the trend of repression, criminalization and prosecution of human rights work” and immediately free those “unjustifiably detained for defending rights.” In a resolution adopted last week, the European Parliament stated that closer EU-Azerbaijan relations should depend on human rights progress by the latter, including the cessation of harassment of NGOs and the release of human rights defenders.
To the Russian authorities:
- Repeal the “foreign agents” law as contradictory to international standards protecting freedom of association, freedom of expression and the right to non-discrimination; abolish the list of NGOs designated as “foreign agents”; and terminate all legal actions aimed at forcing NGOs to adopt this stigmatizing label and comply with specific requirements applied to it, or at penalizing them for refusing to do so.
- Refrain from elaborating and adopting new legislation that imposes excessive, unreasonable and discriminatory restrictions on the exercise of freedom of association and expression by NGOs and revise provisions in force of that nature, in accordance with recommendations made by national and international human rights experts.
- Stop using rhetoric and enforcing policies that discredit and fuel mistrust and hostility toward NGOs engaged in legitimate efforts to promote respect for human rights and other universal values through monitoring, research and advocacy activities; condemn acts of intimidation and harassment targeting NGOs and activists; and ensure that such acts are thoroughly and impartially investigated.
To the Azerbaijani authorities:
- Put an end to the current pattern of raids, arbitrary assets-freezing, interrogations, arrests, travel bans and smear campaigns targeting human rights NGOs and activists; and ensure that any measures taken to investigate alleged violations of the law by NGOs and their representatives have a lawful and credible basis and are carried out strictly in compliance with principles of due process and rule of law.
- Immediately and unconditionally release human rights defenders Leyla and Arif Yunus, Rasul Jafarov, Intigam Aliyev, Anar Mammadli, Bashir Suleymanli and others held on trumped-up charges; and ensure that no defender is arrested or imprisoned in retaliation for his or her human rights activities.
- Stop criminal proceedings against the CSP members, the IRFS and the Center for National and International Studies and other NGOs unjustly targeted; drop charges against IRFS Chairman Emin Huseynov; and repeal the arbitrary travel bans imposed on IRFS leaders.
- Abolish the requirement of compulsory registration of NGOs; bring legislation regulating the registration, oversight and access to funding of NGOs into compliance with international human rights standards, in accordance with recommendations made by international human rights bodies; and enable human rights NGOs and defenders to carry out their important work without intimidation and hindrance.
To other OSCE participating States and OSCE institutions:
In accordance with the new ODIHR Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and other relevant instruments:
- Prominently and consistently raise concerns about the ongoing civil society crackdowns in Russia and Azerbaijan with the governments of these countries; publicly and unequivocally communicate solidarity to the victims of this repression; and use all available channels to provide support to them and their families, e.g. through trial monitoring, direct interventions on their behalf and rapid responses in emergency situations.
This statement has been signed by the following CSP members:
Albanian Helsinki Committee
Armenian Helsinki Committee
Article 19 (The United Kingdom)
Association of Ukrainian Human Rights Monitors on Law Enforcement
Bulgarian Helsinki Committee
Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine)
Center for National and International Studies (Azerbaijan)
Center for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights (Russia)
Freedom Files (Russia)
Helsinki Citizens Assembly — Vanadzor (Armenia)
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the Republic of Macedonia
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (Poland)
Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan
Human Rights Movement “Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan”
Index on Censorship (The United Kingdom)
Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (Azerbaijan)
International Partnership for Human Rights (Belgium)
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law
Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM (Serbia)
Moscow Helsinki Group (Russia)
Netherlands Helsinki Committee
Promo Lex Association (Moldova)
Public Verdict Foundation (Russia)
UNITED for Intercultural Action (The Netherlands)

domain: law


Given Applauds Stelmach For Support Of Peace Region
Premier Ed Stelmach's decision not to seek another term at the Alberta Legislature caught many Albertans off guard.
Included in that list was Grande Prairie mayor Bill Given, who feels Stelmach did a great job of recognizing that there was life in the province outside of Edmonton and Calgary.
Given adds Stelmach's legacy to the Grande Prairie area will be the completion of projects like the new regional hospital and the twinning of Highway 43 near Valleyview.
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FormulaM Racing Free - Would you like to get all exiting feelings as pilot of bolide does? Have you been dreaming to drive this bolide? To leave your opponents far away ? Then this game is certainly for you! You will be sitting in real bolide cabin. This is an unique chance to track your opponents using back view mirror.After testing eight races and getting experienced you will have a chance to apply for participation in championship. You aim is to become the World Champion leaving behind eight fastest opponents. Get started, learn the races and win the Championship!
360 Speed (Hovr) Ready for the speed? Max your speed before you lose your feet. Accelerate and steer to past all opponents. You may drive with freshness in different weather conditions in 360 Speed. A heart attack will also come with the crash routine with other cars

domain: game


text:
There has been a lot of discussion and confusion in general about the rules governing Enhancments across all facets of this game. We need some serious clarification and explanation about how these bonuses are actually intended to work, because strictly, as written, they really don't seem to work at all. The issues are myriad and varied.
The core rules establish the following facts about enhancements.
1) Enhancements stack regardless of source
2) Enhancements cannot exceed the maximum age bonus
3) Enhancements are in-game bonuses that are applied to a die roll or the combat situation, and do not effect target numbers such as MTN, RTN, or Morale
Our first question comes into issues between fact 1 and 2 above
We have a basic human warrior in a first age game (maximum age bonus 4), and he's been attacked by an enemy, the enemy has hit him and he must now make a save. The book tells us that saves are Toughness + Defensive CS + 1d6. Our Human warrior only has a toughness of 3 for this arbitrary example, however our intrepid human warrior also has medium armor which gives our human warrior Armor 2, and if we flip to the back of the book we find it says "Armor X: Grants Enhancment Toughness X. Enhancements stack but are limited by the Maximum Age Bonus" (first age book p. 155 or core rulebook p. 51). Our basic human warrior has a defensive CS of 3 from Hard Cover (Enhancement bonus +2) and Outnumbering (Enhancement bonus +1). So the question is when the player rolls their save, what are they rolling in total?
A) They roll 3 (toughness) + 4 (Max age bonus for all enhancements added together from both Armor and CS) + 1d6 because we believe as the rules say all enhancement bonuses stack regardless of source and cannot exceed the max age bonus as the rules for armor even remind us.
B) They roll 3(toughness) + 2 (armor enhancement bonus) + 3 (CS enhancement bonuses for a total of +5 in enhancement bonuses on the roll) + 1d6 because we believe for some reason even though the book says that enhancement bonuses stack regardless of source we're saying that CS enhancement bonuses and other enhancement bonuses don't add together even though nowhere (that I can find in the book) says they don't stack
The Discord group is very split on the answer to the above. Can you please clarify which is correct and why? This seems to cause a lot of conflicts across the game especially with powers that grant enhancement bonuses that would easily hit the max age bonus. Second issue we run into is problems with fact 3 established above. Certain abilities, most notably the zombie virus rules from the second age give enhancement bonuses to things like movement or wounds, however fact 3 establishes that enhancement bonuses only apply to die rolls or CS, so this would imply such enhancement bonuses would only ever apply if you had to make a roll based on your wounds or movement, which is very rare, thus not only would an enhancement bonus to movement not let you move farther, it also wouldn't improve your RTN, nor would it really ever apply to anything outside o