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Crowdsourcing Competitive Innovation
Posted by Epi Ludvik | Feb 8, 2017 | Citizen Engagement, Collective Intelligence, Crowdsourcing, Mass Collaboration, Open Innovation | 0
Peter Diamandis is saying: 99.999% of people don't understand or appreciate the ramifications of what is coming and I agree 100% here.
Innovation is the essential component when we are considering how to solve the world's biggest challenges, and the best place to source revolutionary ideas is from the crowd. This is something XPRIZE has been doing for over two decades, and is now making a big difference in many areas that matter, not least the field of energy and sustainability with. They are, for example, running a $20m carbon competition which addresses global CO2 emissions by incentivizing innovative solutions to convert CO2 from a liability into an asset, such as fertilizers, concrete and even toothpaste.
XPRIZE started out about 20 years ago by offering a prize of $10m to the first privately financed team that could fly a passenger vehicle into space. 26 teams from around the world competed for this, with the first rocket taking off in 2004. The competition was set up to help realise a personal dream of its founder, Peter Diamandis, to be an astronaut. After lift off he realised there was an opportunity to keep going as there was clearly an appetite from the crowd to take on big planetary scale challenges. As their platform says "XPRIZE is a facilitator of exponential change. A catalyst for the benefit of humanity" which utilises the innate competitiveness of humanity to bring about breakthroughs which seemed impossible.
The prizes focus on bold, audacious yet achievable goals which target market failure and are winnable by a small team. They are designed to drive investment in the target field and provide vision and hope. Past XPRIZES have included Ocean Health and Oil Clean-Up, with potential future competitions being in Road Electrification and Revolutionary Battery. In addition to the Carbon prize there are another 8 competitions currently running, such as Water Abundance which challenges teams to alleviate the global water crisis with energy-efficient technologies that harvest fresh water from the atmosphere.
The Carbon challenge they have set is certainly fits the criteria as a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal); creating valuable products of essentially thin air and is targeting a considerable market failure: fossil fuels causing climate change. The International Energy Agency estimates 82 percent of the world's energy supply is derived from fossil fuels. Currently virtually all the CO2 this produces instantly becomes a waste product which is dumped into the atmosphere. While cleaner energy sources are on the rise, overall energy demand is expected to grow 37 percent by 2040, making immediate carbon mitigation solutions even more urgent.
Teams are challenged to develop breakthrough technologies that convert the most CO2 into one or more products with the highest net value. In October, the judges narrowed down the 47 Round 1 entries down to 27 teams for Round 2 'semi finals' with these remaining teams coming from around the world and pursuing an incredible diversity of approaches.
Carbon Capture Machine, who are based at Aberdeen University in Scotland, has a method of producing CO2 based minerals for concrete and other building materials; "The technology we have developed here in Aberdeen offers a bridge to a solution that can prevent damage caused by CO2 emissions and create materials to build the homes and offices of the future." says their team leader Dr Mohammed Imbabi.
"The competition is an exciting way to validate our objectives and show we can compete against other outstanding teams" comments Thomas Digby, the CEO of Swiss based start-up company Aljadix. They unquestionably fit the criteria of being an entrant with a small team, having only seven staff comprised of academics and start-up entrepreneurs who are aiming to produce carbon negative biofuel which permanently removes carbon from the atmosphere.
Some of the entrants are certainly gaining themselves a high profile. Protein Power from the US are producing high-protein fish food, and their CEO, Lisa Dyson, has a TED talk which has been viewed over one million times. In this she describes how a technology which was developed in the 60s by NASA to enable long distance space travel by using a clever carbon cycle has been adapted to make crops grow incredibly fast. Using this technique, they can grow in the dark, in any season, geography and location. This is pretty useful is space, but also means as Dyson observes in her TED: "At a large scale, you can actually make 10,000 times more output per land area than you could if you used soybeans."
By sourcing from the crowd, XPRIZE is enabling a future in which many of the currently seemingly intractable problems we face are solved by innovative enterprises. Climate change is arguably the biggest problem of our time and by creating a future where purified CO2 is, instead of being seen as a criminal waste, is known as the source of our buildings, food and many other essentials to life.
As they say at XPRIZE: "Call us crazy, but we believe."
Join me at Crowdsourcing Week Summit Arctic Circle, March 15-19th in Lulea & Vuollerim Sweden, to find out more about the crowd-driven solutions that are revolutionizing our transition toward sustainable energy, reducing resource consumption, and bettering our citizen services and the environment.
PreviousCSW Summit in Sweden's Arctic Circle, March 15-19
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Epi Ludvik
Epi Ludvik is the Founder & CEO of Crowdsourcing Week and BOLD Awards. In 2008, he created Ludvik + Partners - one of New York's hottest boutique virtual ad agencies built on a 100% crowdsourcing model. Epi is one of the pioneers in the crowdsourcing ad space, an industry expert and thought leader in entertainment advertising - including public relations, event production, experiential marketing, consumer advertising and digital marketing. Epi earned a BS in Advertising & Marketing from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and has been a serial entrepreneur since graduation. His varied and global experiences throughout his career have taken him across the US and Asia, where he honed his skills in advertising and media with high-profile clients and power brands.
Crowdsourcing Creative Solutions from Freelance Designers is Thriving
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CSW Summit DC hit exciting new highs


¶ During his campaign for the presidency and since, Obama repeatedly assured us that he would protect Medicare against cuts; but he now presses for passage of bills that include savage cuts in Medicare.
¶ To obtain passage of his first stimulus bill, Obama assured us that 90% of the jobs created would be in the private sector; but as he well knew, most of them were to be in the public sector.
¶ Early in the health care debate, Obama assured us that he had not said that he favored a single payer system; but he was on record as having said exactly that.
¶ Obama gave primary voters a firm assurance that if he became the nominee of the Democratic party he would (unlike Hillary Clinton) abide by the campaign finance limits of public funding; but as soon as he became the party's nominee, he reneged on that pledge.
¶ During the presidential campaign Obama criticized the presence of former lobbyists in the Bush administration and solemnly assured us that he would appoint no lobbyists to his administration; but once elected he proceeded to appoint even more lobbyists than his predecessors.
¶ Obama criticized the size of George Bush's deficit and promised to stop deficit spending if elected; but he has already quadrupled the size of the deficit he objected to and recklessly continues new federal spending in the trillions.
¶ When campaigning Obama criticized bills before the congress that were too long for anyone to be able to read and promised to stop that; but the bills he has been backing throughout his first year are infinitely longer (2000+ pages) than the ones he criticized.
¶ Candidate Obama promised an end to the corruption of earmarks and pork, but in the bills he has supported this year there have been more and bigger earmarks than ever before.
¶ Candidate Obama promised us that CIA personnel involved in the interrogation of terrorists would not be prosecuted; but his administration is now doing exactly that.
¶ Obama assured a joint session of Congress that the health bill he supported (pre-Stupak) would not provide public funding for abortions; but bitter resistance on the part of House Democrats to inclusion of language to that effect soon proved that it did.
¶ Candidate Obama promised that he would make sure that there was always enough time for the public to read legislation before it was enacted; but he has done exactly the opposite, repeatedly pressing for even faster passage of even longer bills.
¶ Candidate Obama met fears that he would be a tax and spend liberal by promising, emphatically and repeatedly, that those earning under $200,000 would see no increase in their taxes of any kind; but he now urges passage of a healthcare bill that breaks that pledge in many different ways, and his unrestrained increase in federal spending makes more tax increases inevitable.
¶ Candidate Obama promised bipartisanship and an end to partisan bickering; but in a display of especially ruthless partisanship his allies have shut Republicans out of all key meetings on his health care initiative, with the unprecedented result that domestic legislation of historic importance garnered not a single Republican vote in the Senate.
¶ Candidate Obama criticized his opponent's plan to tax employer paid healthcare benefits, and promised he would not tax them; but the bill he now backs will do just that.
¶ Obama had promised that he would not sign a healthcare bill that would add one dime to the federal deficit; but the bill he now backs adds trillions in new federal spending, offset only by new sources of revenue that are both uncertain and more properly seen as offsetting the already existing deficit.
¶ Obama coerced congress into passing his stimulus bill by promising that if it were passed unemployment could go no higher then 8%; but unemployment is now at 10%, and he could not possibly have had good reason to exclude that possibility.
¶ Obama promised that his cap and trade legislation will create jobs; but its massive tax increases will certainly hobble the economy and destroy jobs, while green jobs in significant numbers can at best be hoped for, but never promised.
¶ Obama has repeatedly assured the American people that if they like their current health plan they can keep it; but the House bill which he supported created huge incentives for employers to drop their coverage and shift their members to a public option.
¶ Obama has just as often assured the public that under his health plan everyone will be able to keep their current doctor; but many are certain to lose their doctors when ObamaCare's large cuts in Medicare funding induce more doctors to withdraw from Medicare coverage, as they also would were employers to transfer patients to a public option to save money.


Heart pounding. Unblinking eyes glued to the court that bears Lou Henson's name. Sweat pouring like rain drops.
It was pretty much everything you would expect from a small town kid making his debut in front of a couple thousand University of Illinois basketball fans.
Family selfie at Grace's first-ever college basketball game!
And I'm not for sure, but I think Dylan Miller might have been nervous too.
As soon as the University of Illinois released their schedule, I had Nov. 15 circled on my calendar. With the exception of it being on a Sunday, a busy day here at the paper, it was the perfect storm for a Hillsboro sportswriter.
Just an hour away from Topper Country, Miller would be returning "home" with his new teammates from North Dakota State to take on the University of Illinois at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, the Illini's home away from home while the State Farm Center is being redone.
The biggest name in Hillsboro High School basketball over the last three years and the first D1 men's basketball player from HHS since 1974, against the biggest college basketball program in the state made me almost have to pinch myself to make sure it was real.
Kyle had a blast shooting from courtside!
In reality, I knew there was a chance that Dylan might not play that much, if at all, but I held out hope that he would at least see the court.
Mary and I bought tickets the day they went on sale, knowing that even if I wasn't able to procure media credentials, we wanted to take Grace to the game. Just a few short months after Grace was diagnosed with Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy, the Hillsboro boys basketball team provided one of our most memorable moments as Dylan helped Grace "dunk" or as close as she will ever come to it (way closer than her daddy ever will).
Dylan talking with some teammates at the game.
With a guarantee to get into the game already taken care of, I reached out to Wes Offerman, the media contact for the North Dakota State men's basketball team, and he was kind enough to point me in the right direction to get credentials through the University of Illinois.
In addition to my request, I also sent Wes a link to the blog Mary did about Grace's experience with Dylan. We have made it our goal to give Grace every experience possible for as long as we have her on this Earth and to spread awareness about INAD to anyone who would listen. And thankfully, Wes listened.
We enjoyed getting to meet Coach Richman too!
Saturday morning, I received an email from him asking if we could be at the game about 45 minutes early, so we could take Grace down to meet the players and coaches. This remarkable invitation is something that Mary and I may have hoped for, but never would have asked for or expected from a group of complete strangers.
As we got to the game, the nerves hit me pretty hard. The familiar orange and blue of the Illini hardwood and watching some of the best players in the country warm-up brought on a little bit of stage fright. Hence the aforementioned sweating and near cardiac arrest that occurred even before the game started.
We managed to meet up with Wes, despite some cell phone technical difficulties, and he brought us downstairs to the team's locker room.
Grace and mommy cheered from the stands.
Coach David Richman was kind enough to take a few moments to meet Grace, Mary and I before the game. He's in his second year as the head coach of the Bison, where he has been a member of the coaching staff in some capacity since 2003, but looks like he could still play for them.
As it often does, the conversation turned quickly to kids. Coach Richman has four girls, including a pair of four-year-old twins that reminded me a lot of my own little blond haired sprite.
After the quick conversation, we made our way into the locker room, where Coach Richman introduced us and Grace went around and gave out high-fives to all of the players, with an assist from Mary.
We realized later that neither of us had bothered to take a photo of the meet and greet, but ultimately you don't always need a picture to remember something unforgettable.
The game itself was fun, with North Dakota State leading for most of the game before Illinois got hot late and ended up winning 80-74. Dylan did get to play about two minutes toward the end of the first half, to the joy of the pockets of yellow clad "Miller #42" fans throughout the arena.
Grace and I posed for a photo before the game too!
He didn't play badly, nor did he set the world on fire, but he played and that's something that only a handful of people can say has happened to them and no one from Hillsboro in the last four decades.
The coolest part of the watching the game from the floor for me was seeing senior guard Kory Brown call Miller over after he was taken out and talk to the true freshman. I have no idea what Brown said, but you could see his leadership in that brief conversation and he quickly became my second favorite player on the NDSU roster.
The opportunity to see that conversation and to photograph a University of Illinois game from the floor are bucket list items for me normally, but they were just icing on the cake on Sunday.
The really special moment was meeting Coach Richman and the team. I know that Grace may not have gotten a lot out of it (she slept through about 75 percent of the game), but the opportunity for her to do something like that is forever etched in my memory.
Grace slept through more than half the game, but I certainly didn't mind the snuggles!
INAD is awful. I wouldn't wish it on the child of my worst enemy. But it's through this traumatic disease that we have been able to give Grace life experiences that most kids can only dream of.
Sometimes God brings special people into our lives that help make the hard times a little easier to manage by giving us good times that are beyond measure. Thanks to Wes Offerman, Coach Richman, Dylan Miller and the entire Bison Family for being those people.
Once a Bison Always a Bison! Welcome to Bison Nation and the Bison Family. Go Bison!


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Q: WAN security and port forwarding for IoT I have an esp8266 board that I've set up as a little server. To access it over the web (first forays into making a smart home and IoT) I've used no-ip to deal with dynamic DNS and opened up WAN access with port forwarding (80) on my home router. My question is how secure is this? I've tried only allowing a certain IP address but smart phones use dynamic IPs.

A: When dealing with TCP/IP connections, there are 65535 ports available to listen on.
Generally, port 80 is used for standard HTTP connections, while port 443 is used for HTTPS.
If you need to open up a common port to the world, be ready to server any request that is made to it.
Another option would to be changing the port you are listening on, this should be a number between 5000 and 65535. By randomizing this port, only you will know how to connect. ( you will need admin access to bind to any port < 1024 )
If you wtill want to server standard HTTP data, the URL would simply be

http://my.no-iphost.com:55933/my_script

Where 55933 is my secret port.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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BlackPearl Announces Onion Lake Construction Update, Provides Q4 Production Data and 2017 Year-End Reserves and Contingent Resource Estimates
January 30, 2018 3:00 PM Marketwired
CALGARY, ALBERTA–(Marketwired – Jan. 30, 2018) – BlackPearl Resources Inc. ("we", "our", "us", "BlackPearl" or the "Company") (TSX:PXX) (OMX:PXXS) is pleased to provide a construction update on its Onion Lake thermal expansion project and Q4 2017 production information, as well as, announce the results of its 2017 independent year-end oil and gas reserve and resource evaluation.
Highlights and accomplishments included:
Construction of the Phase 2 expansion of the Onion Lake thermal project is ahead of schedule and within budget. Commissioning of the facilities has begun and steam injection is expected to begin in February.
Q4 2017 production averaged 10,600 boe/day; full year production averaged 10,199 boe/day.
24% year over year increase in total proved (1P) reserves to 94.4 mmbbls. The increase primarily reflects positive technical revisions due to the performance from Phase 1 of the Onion Lake thermal project as well as an increase in the Onion Lake thermal development area to which reserves were assigned.
48% increase in net present value, before tax, discounted at 10% of our 1P reserves to $1.1 billion, or $3.23 per common share.
1P reserve additions replaced 583% of 2017 production.
Net present value, before tax, discounted at 10% of our proved plus probable (2P) reserves was $2 billion, or $6.00 per common share. This value is comparable to 2016 despite a 48% drop in 2P reserve volumes. The decrease in 2P reserve volumes was due to the previously announced reclassification of the probable reserves to resources associated with the first phase of the Blackrod SAGD project. This reclassification is the result of a change in the Company's strategic plan to accelerate the expansion of the Onion Lake thermal project before we commence development of the first phase of the Blackrod SAGD project. The reclassification does not impact management's positive assessment of or its commitment to develop the Blackrod project.
28% increase in 2P reserve volumes at Onion Lake.
Risked contingent resources (best estimate) for our three core properties totaled 640 million barrels of oil equivalent, a 28% increase compared to year-end 2016 resource estimates. The increase reflects the reclassification of the Blackrod reserves discussed above.
John Festival, President of BlackPearl, indicated that "we are very pleased with the progress of the Onion Lake expansion project. Due to our committed operations staff and favourable weather conditions we are going to complete the project well ahead of schedule. We expect to commence steam injection in February.
We are also pleased with the significant increase in proved reserves, which reflects the positive results of our Onion Lake thermal project. These results were one of the primary reasons we made a change in our strategic plan to accelerate the next expansion of Onion Lake before we tackle development of our Blackrod SAGD project. Full cycle economics of our Onion Lake thermal project are best in class compared to North American oil projects. The increased cash flow generated from an expanded Onion Lake project will put us in a better financial position to develop the large Blackrod project. The consequence of this shift in strategy is that regulatory rules necessitate the reclassification of the Blackrod reserves to resources, but we are still very committed to development of this large resource."
Onion Lake Construction Update
We have made excellent progress over the last two months on the construction of the 6,000 barrel per day phase 2 thermal expansion at Onion Lake and construction is nearing completion, approximately five months ahead of our original estimate. Capital costs are trending toward the low end of our original estimates of $180- 185 million. We have started the commissioning of the central processing facilities and steam is expected to be delivered to the first pad of wells in February. Steam injection to the second pad of wells will occur approximately one month later. First oil is expected before the end of Q2 2018. We anticipate reaching peak production approximately 12 months after initial steam injection, a similar timeline to that achieved for phase 1.
Production Update
BlackPearl's Q4 2017 oil and gas sales volumes were 10,600 boe per day, a 17% increase over production during the third quarter. The increase in fourth quarter production is mainly attributable to the successful restart of the Onion Lake thermal facilities after completion of a facility turnaround during the third quarter.
December 31 Year ended
Production by Area (boe/d) 2017 2016 2017 2016
Onion Lake – thermal 6,204 6,119 5,686 5,520
Onion Lake – primary 1,917 2,011 2,022 2,135
Mooney 1,178 785 1,096 801
John Lake 699 837 770 863
Blackrod 481 523 490 556
Other 121 204 135 202
Total production 10,600 10,479 10,199 10,077
Oil and Gas Reserves
The following tables summarize certain information contained in the independent reserves report prepared by Sproule Associates Limited ("Sproule") as of December 31, 2017. The report was prepared in accordance with definitions, standards and procedures contained in the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook ("COGE Handbook") and National Instrument 51-101, Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities ("NI 51-101"). Additional reserve information as required under NI 51-101 will be included in the Company's Annual Information Form which is expected to be filed on SEDAR on February 22, 2018. It should not be assumed that the net present value of reserves estimated by Sproule represents the fair market value of these reserves.
Summary of Oil and Gas Reserves
(Company interest, before royalties) Heavy
Crude Oil Bitumen Natural
Gas 2017
(Mbbl) (Mbbl) (MMcf) (MBoe) (MBoe)
Proved developed producing 18,378 426 – 18,804 19,125
Proved developed non-producing 13,247 – 5 13,248 3,428
Proved undeveloped 62,321 – 3 62,322 53,840
Total proved 93,946 426 8 94,374 76,393
Probable 68,038 21 7 68,060 235,186
Total proved plus probable 161,984 447 15 162,434 311,579
(1) BOE's may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. In accordance with NI 51-101, a BOE conversion ratio of 6 Mcf: 1 barrel is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead.
Net Present Value of Reserves
Net Present Value of Future Net Revenue Discounted at %/year
($000s) 0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
Before Tax
Developed producing 455,399 402,162 354,620 314,838 282,110
Developed non-producing 272,154 239,688 208,828 181,899 159,021
Undeveloped 1,516,483 868,783 521,732 327,678 213,734
Total proved 2,244,035 1,510,633 1,085,180 824,416 654,865
Probable 3,143,580 1,619,000 932,438 588,985 399,242
Total proved plus probable 5,387,615 3,129,634 2,017,618 1,413,400 1,054,106
After Tax
Total proved 1,989,914 1,347,801 976,134 748,657 600,589
Total proved plus probable 4,584,823 2,642,967 1,701,269 1,196,212 898,461
(1) Based on Sproule's December 31, 2017 forecast prices.
(2) Columns may not add due to rounding.
Estimated Future Development Capital
The following table summarizes the future development capital ("FDC") Sproule estimates is required to bring total proved and total proved plus probable reserves on production.
($ Millions) Total Proved Total Proved + Probable
Remainder 537.1 651.4
Total FDC undiscounted 755.5 960.1
Total FDC discounted at 10% 376.6 450.5
Reconciliation of Changes in Reserves
The following table summarizes the changes in Sproule's evaluation of the Company's share of oil and natural gas reserves (before royalties) from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2017.
Gas BOE
(Mbbl) (Mbbl) (MMcf) (MBOE)
Balance, Dec 31, 2016 75,260 1,057 456 76,393
Extensions and improved recovery 18,284 8 18,285
Technical revisions 3,931 (452) (247) 3,438
Economic factors (20) (20)
Production (3,509) (179) (209) (3,723)
Balance, Dec 31, 2017 93,946 426 8 94,374
Balance, Dec 31, 2016 56,374 178,742 421 235,186
Technical revisions (3,348) (178,721) (2) (421) (182,139)
Economic factors 108 108
Balance, Dec 31, 2017 68,038 21 7 68,061
Proved plus Probable
Balance, Dec 31, 2016 131,634 179,799 877 311,579
Extensions and improved recovery 33,188 15 33,191
Technical revisions 583 (179,173) (668) (178,700)
Economic factors 88 88
Balance, Dec 31, 2017 161,984 447 15 162,434
(1) Columns may not add due to rounding
(2) Includes technical revisions of bitumen associated with the Blackrod SAGD project that were reclassified to contingent resources
Pricing Assumptions
The pricing assumptions used in the Sproule evaluation are summarized below.
Year WTI
40° API Canadian Light Sweet Crude
40° API Western
Canadian Select
20.5° API Alberta
AECO-C
Spot Inflation rate Exchange rate
(US$/bbl) (CDN$/bbl) (CDN$/bbl) (CDN$/MMBtu) (%/yr) (US$/Cdn$)
2018 55.00 65.44 51.05 2.85 0.0 0.790
Escalation rate of 2.0% thereafter
(1) The pricing assumptions were provided by Sproule.
(2) None of the Company's future production is subject to a fixed or contractually committed price.
"Proved" reserves are those reserves that can be estimated with a high degree of certainty to be recoverable. It is likely that the actual remaining quantities recovered will exceed the estimated proved reserves.
"Probable" reserves are those additional reserves that are less certain to be recovered than proved reserves. It is equally likely that the actual remaining quantities recovered will be greater or less than the sum of the estimated proved plus probable reserves.
"Developed" reserves are those reserves that are expected to be recovered from existing wells and installed facilities or, if facilities have not been installed, that would involve a low expenditure (e.g. when compared to the cost of drilling a well) to put the reserves on production.
"Developed Producing" reserves are those reserves that are expected to be recovered from completion intervals open at the time of the estimate. These reserves may be currently producing or, if shut-in, they must have previously been on production, and the date of resumption of production must be known with reasonable certainty.
"Developed Non-Producing" reserves are those reserves that either have not been on production, or have previously been on production, but are shut in, and the date of resumption of production is unknown.
"Undeveloped" reserves are those reserves expected to be recovered from known accumulations where a significant expenditure (for example, when compared to the cost of drilling a well) is required to render them capable of production. They must fully meet the requirements of the reserves classification (proved, probable, possible) to which they are assigned.
The Net Present Value (NPV) is based on Sproule forecast pricing and costs. The estimated NPV does not necessarily represent the fair market value of our reserves. There is no assurance that forecast prices and costs assumed in the Sproule evaluations will be attained, and variances could be material.
Contingent Resources
In addition to the reserve evaluation discussed above, the Company also requested Sproule prepare resource evaluations for each of its core properties: Blackrod, Onion Lake and Mooney. The following tables summarize certain information contained in the contingent resource evaluations prepared by Sproule as of December 31, 2017. The reports were independently prepared in accordance with definitions, standards and procedures contained in the COGE Handbook.
It should not be assumed that the estimates of recovery, production, and net revenue presented in the tables below represent the fair market value of the Company's contingent resources. There are certain contingencies which currently prevent the classification of these contingent resources as reserves. Information on these contingencies is provided in the footnotes to the tables below. There is no certainty that it will be commercially viable to produce any portion of the contingent resources. Please refer to our Annual Information Form (to be filed on February 22, 2018) for a more detailed discussion of our contingent resources.
Summary of Best Estimate Contingent Resource Volumes – By Property (1)(2)
Unrisked Volumes Risked Volumes(4)
Heavy Crude Oil Bitumen Heavy Crude Oil Bitumen
Project Maturity
Subclass(3) Chance of Development(4) Gross(5) Net (5) Gross(5) Net (5) Gross(5) Net Gross(5) Net (5)
Blackrod (6) (Mbbl) (Mbbl) (Mbbl) (Mbbl)
First phase Development/ pending 94% 179,294 141,971 168,536 133,453
Future phases Development/ on hold 77% 566,135 461,358 435,924 355,246
Onion Lake (7)
Thermal Development/ pending 85% 27,035 21,356 22,980 18,153
Primary Development/ pending 90% 1,154 851 1,038 766
Mooney (8) Development/ on hold 71% 15,904 13,791 11,292 9,792
Summary of Net Present Value of Future Net Revenue of Development Pending Contingent Resources
The following table sets forth the net present value of BlackPearl's best estimate risked contingent resources in the development pending project maturity sub-class at December 31, 2017.
An estimate of risked net present value of future net revenues of the "development pending" contingent resources subclass is preliminary in nature and is provided to assist the reader in reaching an opinion on the merit and likelihood of the Company proceeding with the required investment. It includes contingent resources that are considered too uncertain with respect to the chance of development to be classified as reserves. There is uncertainty that the risked net present value of future net revenue will be realized. The other subclass of resources (development on hold) is not included in this net present value amount, and therefore, this is not reflective of the value of the resources base.
Net Present Values of Future Net Revenue Before Income Taxes
Discounted at (%/year)
0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
Project ($M)
Blackrod (6) (first phase) 4,110,612 1,470,349 554,602 200,879 53,197
Onion Lake (7) (thermal) 746,710 322,153 151,364 76,040 39,853
Onion Lake (7) (primary) 13,247 9,349 6,643 4,762 3,446
(1) Contingent Resources are defined in the COGE Handbook as those quantities of petroleum estimated, as of a given date, to be potentially recoverable from known accumulations using established technology or technology under development, but are not currently considered to be commercially recoverable due to one or more contingencies. Contingencies may include factors such as economic, legal, environmental, political and regulatory matters or a lack of markets. It is also appropriate to classify as Contingent Resources the estimated discovered recoverable quantities associated with a project in the early evaluation stage.
(2) There are three classifications of contingent resources: Low Estimate, Best Estimate and High Estimate. Best estimate is a classification of estimated resources described in the COGE Handbook as being considered to be the best estimate of the quantity that will be actually recovered. It is equally likely that the actual remaining quantities recovered will be greater or less than the best estimate. If probabilistic methods are used, there should be at least a 50% probability that the quantities actually recovered will equal or exceed the best estimate.
(3) Contingent resources are further classified based on project maturity. The project maturity subclasses include development pending, development on hold, development unclarified and development not viable. All of the Company's contingent resources are classified as either development pending or development on hold:
(a) Development pending is where resolution of the final conditions of development are being actively pursued, indicating there is a high chance of development.
(b) Development on hold is where there is a reasonable chance of development, but there are major non-technical contingencies to be resolved that are usually beyond the control of the operator.
(4) Chance of Development is defined as the probability of a project being commercially viable. Sproule's estimate of unrisked contingent resources have been adjusted for risk based on the chance of development (risked amounts represent unrisked values multiplied by the Chance of Development).
(5) "Gross" means the Company's working interest share in the contingent resources before deducting royalties. "Net" means the Company's working interest share after the deduction of royalty obligations. The Company has a 100% working interest at Blackrod and Mooney and the Onion Lake thermal project, and a 50 to 100% working interest at Onion Lake Primary.
(6) The established recovery technology to be used to recover the contingent resources of the Blackrod project is the SAGD process, the same process that is being used in the successful pilot that is currently being conducted within the Blackrod reservoir.
• The contingencies in the Sproule Report associated with the Company's contingent resources for the first phase of the Blackrod project are due to (a) the absence of corporate commitment related to the final investment decision and endorsement from the Board of Directors of the Company to move forward with commercial development and a final investment decision will not likely occur for several years and (b) the estimated timing of production and development may commence beyond the reasonable time periods described in the COGE Handbook to be classified as reserves. For the contingent resources associated with the first phase of the Blackrod project, the estimated timing of first commercial production is 2024 and the estimated capital to reach first commercial production is $0.8 billion (unrisked and escalated for inflation).
• The contingencies in the Sproule Report associated with the Company's contingent resources for the future phases of the Blackrod project are due to the following: (a) the requirement for more evaluation drilling, as required by the regulatory process, to define the reservoir characteristics to assist in the implementation and operation of the SAGD process; (b) the absence of submission of an application to expand the commercial SAGD development beyond the phase 1 project area; (c) the absence of corporate commitment related to the final investment decision and endorsement from the Board of Directors of the Company to move forward with commercial development of future phases of the Blackrod project and a final investment decision will not likely occur for several years; and (d) the uncertainty of timing of production and development of future phases of the Blackrod project. For the contingent resources associated with future phases of the Blackrod project, the estimated timing of first commercial production is 2028 and the estimated capital to reach first commercial production is $1.2 billion (unrisked and escalated for inflation).
(7) The recovery of the Company's Onion Lake contingent resources will use a combination of production processes: the established modified SAGD process for future phases of the Onion Lake thermal project, the same process that is already utilized commercially in phase 1 of the Onion Lake thermal project; and the established cold heavy oil production with sand (CHOPS) process to extend the primary development area, the same CHOPS process that has already been extensively deployed throughout the field.
• For the Onion Lake thermal project, the contingencies in the Sproule Report associated with the Company's Onion Lake contingent resources are due to the following: (a) the requirement for more evaluation drilling to define the reservoir characteristics to assist in the implementation and operation of the modified SAGD recovery process; and (b) approvals between the Company and OLCN/OLE and Saskatchewan Energy and Resources (SER) for thermal EOR development in the lands currently leased by the Company but outside the thermal EOR development area; and (c) the estimated timing of production and development is beyond the reasonable time periods described in the COGE Handbook to be classified as reserves. For the Onion Lake thermal project contingent resources, the estimated timing of first commercial production is 2022, while the estimated capital to reach first commercial production is $61.2 million (unrisked and escalated for inflation).
• For the extension of the primary development area, the contingencies in the Sproule Report associated with the Company's Onion Lake contingent resources are due to the following: (a) the requirement for more evaluation drilling to confirm the geological continuity of the reservoir and reduce the distance from proven productivity; and (b) the potential for the current agreements with the Onion Lake Cree Nation (OLCN), which are subject to policies and approvals by Indian Oil and Gas Canada (IOGC), required to be renegotiated due to changes imposed by IOGC. First commercial production for the primary development area has already been achieved and, as a result, estimated capital to reach first commercial production is nil.
(8) The established recovery technology to be used for phases 3 and 4 of the Mooney project is the established ASP flood process, the same process that is already deployed commercially in phase 1 of the Mooney field. The contingencies in the Sproule Report associated with the Company's Mooney contingent resources are due to the following: (a) the requirement for more evaluation wells to confirm the reservoir characteristics needed for the ASP process; (b) the absence of regulatory approvals to expand the ASP development area beyond the phase 1 and phase 2 project areas; (c) the absence of a final investment decision from the Board of Directors of the Company to move forward with the ASP flood expansion to phases 3 and 4 of the Mooney project and (d) the uncertainty of timing of production and development of phases 3 and 4 of the Mooney project. First commercial production for the Mooney ASP flood has already been achieved and, as a result, estimated capital to reach first commercial production at the Mooney ASP flood is nil.
(9) The pricing assumptions used by Sroule in the determination of the NPV of the "development pending" contingent resources were the same as those used to determine the NPV of the oil and gas reserves.
The Company is planning to release its 2017 year-end financial and operating results on February 22, 2018.
At December 31, 2017, the Company had 336,267,235 common shares outstanding.
This release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historic fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by such words as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" or similar words suggesting future events or future performance. In particular, this release contains the following forward-looking statements:
The estimated volumes and net present values of BlackPearl's proved and probable reserves and contingent resources as well as the estimated future development capital to bring the reserves on production.
The estimate that initial steam injection will occur in February 2018 on phase 2 of the Onion Lake thermal project and that peak production rates should occur within 12 months after initial steam injection
The estimated capital costs to construct phase 2 of the Onion Lake thermal project of between $180 to $185 million.
The forward-looking information is based on, among other things, expectations and assumptions by management regarding its future growth, future production levels, future oil and natural gas prices, continuation of existing tax, royalty and regulatory regimes, foreign exchange rates, estimates of future operating costs, timing and amount of capital expenditures, performance of existing and future wells, recoverability of the Company's reserves and contingent resources, the ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms, availability of skilled labour and drilling and related equipment on a timely and cost efficient basis, continuance of current general economic and financial market conditions, environment matters and the ability to market oil and natural gas successfully to current and new customers. Although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.
By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that actual results will differ from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these risk factors may be found under "Risk Factors" in the Annual Information Form, which can be accessed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which forward-looking statements are based will be realized. Actual results will differ, and the differences may be material and adverse to the Company and its shareholders. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements contained in this release are made as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation, except as required by applicable securities legislation, to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
This is information that BlackPearl Resources Inc. is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Swedish Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication at 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time on January 30, 2018.
John Festival
Robert Eriksson
Investor Relations Sweden
BlackPearl Resources
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's response to the United State's decision on Keystone XL
Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the United States' decision on the Keystone XL project
Tourmaline Oil Corp. announces inaugural issuance of senior unsecured notes
Birchcliff Energy Ltd. Announces 2021 Capital Program and Updated Five Year Plan
Biden to revoke Keystone XL pipeline permit after swearing-in-aides

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Induction of apoptosis by pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) hull extract and its molecular mechanisms of action in human hepatoma cell line HepG2.
Several important Pistacia species such as P. vera have been traditionally used for treating a wide range of diseases (for instance, liver-related disorders). There is a relative lack of research into pharmacological aspects of pistachio hull. Hence, this study was aimed at investigating whether pistachio rosy hull (PRH) extract exerts apoptotic impacts on HepG2 liver cancer cell line. In order to evaluate cell viability and apoptosis in response to treatment with the extract, MTT assay and Annexin-V-fluorescein/propidium iodide (PI) double staining were performed, respectively. Moreover, molecular mechanism of apoptosis induced by the extract was determined using human apoptosis PCR array. Our findings showed that PRH extract treatment reduced cell viability (IC50 ~ 0.3 mg/ml) in a dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the extract significantly induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. In addition, quantitative PCR array results demonstrated the regulation of a considerable number of apoptosis-related genes belonging to the TNF, BCL2, IAP, TRAF, and caspase families. We observed altered expression of both pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic genes associated with the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis signaling pathways. These results suggest that the aqueous extract of PRH possesses apoptotic activity through cytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing effects on HepG2 cells.


text:
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void VertexArray::unbind() const {
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} // namespace Raz

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
on 16 Dec 2016
The Trump Administration
Inside Higher Ed asks what might happen to Title IX and investigations into campus sexual assaults under the Trump Administration.
Via The Washington Post: "Democratic senators press Trump's education pick Betsy DeVos to pay years-old $5.3 million fine."
Via The Detroit Free Press: "Betsy DeVos' trouble with data."
Via Education Week: "Who Is Part of Ed. Sec. Nominee Betsy DeVos' Policy Circle?"
Via The New York Times: "Betsy DeVos and God's Plan for Schools."
Jennifer Berkshire looks at Betsy DeVos and her connection to the fringes of the Christian Right: "Culture Warrior Princess."
Via The New York Times: "How Trump's Education Nominee Bent Detroit to Her Will on Charter Schools."
Via Politico: "DeVos' Michigan schools experiment gets poor grades."
Via The New Yorker: "Betsy DeVos and the Plan to Break Public Schools."
Via the AP: "Fearing Trump crackdown, 'dreamers' advised to end travel."
"Trump launches war on unions," according to Politico.
Via The Intercept: "Transition Adviser Peter Thiel Could Directly Profit From Mass Deportations."
"Elon Musk and the chief executive of Uber are now advising Donald Trump," The Washington Post reports.
"As Trumplethinskin lets down his hair for tech, shame on Silicon Valley for climbing the Tower in silence," Recode Kara Swisher writes.
Lots of folks in ed-tech seem super excited about Trump too, including Knewton's Jose Ferreira, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's Harold O. Levy, and KnowledgeWorks' Lillian Pace.
Meanwhile, here's a list of people in tech who are stating publicly that they will not build a Muslim registry, something that Trump has proposed. Bill Fitzgerald on "Why I Signed neveragain.tech."
When Donald met Kanye:
These issues included bullying, supporting teachers, modernizing curriculums, and violence in Chicago.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) December 13, 2016
On Wednesday, the fourth anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre, the Hanover School District 28 school board in Colorado voted to allow its teachers to carry concealed handguns in school.
Elsewhere in guns on campus, this via The Chronicle of Higher Education: "Campus Concealed-Carry Bill Awaits Ohio Governor's Approval."
Via Edsurge: "Minnesota Higher Ed Office Says Udacity's Nanodegrees Might Violate State Law."
"Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler will step down next month, leaving a significant legacy on issues of concern to K–12 educators and creating uncertainty about what direction the commission might take under new Republican leadership," Education Week reports. Wheeler supported e-Rate reform and "net neutrality." The Trump administration? Not so much.
Via Education Week: "GOP Lawmakers Put ESSA Accountability, Teacher-Prep Regulations on Hit List."
Via The New York Times: "Google Effect Rubs Off on Schools in One Rural Oklahoma Town."
"The Education of Barack Obama," by The Nation's Dana Goldstein.
Via The Hechinger Report: "Mississippi's early ed shakeup: State reorganizes key child care services, launches new family tracking system."
"Having unexpectedly found itself handing off the baton to a Republican administration in January, the U.S. Department of Education is racing to finish a slate of Obama administration priorities. But few of the department's remaining tasks are as daunting as processing thousands of debt-relief claims filed by former students of closed for-profit colleges," writes Inside Higher Ed. The Department of Education has also announced "an experiment to find the best loan counseling services for student borrowers," Inside Higher Ed reports, as well as the names of new loan collector contracts.
Via Reuters: "College Board faces rocky path after CEO pushes new vision for SAT."
"Students with disabilities will soon have an easier time requesting test accommodations from the College Board," Education Week reports.
"What countries can learn from PISA tests" – at least, according to The Economist.
Online Education and the Once and Future "MOOC"
"A judge will allow Ohio's education department to review attendance records that could force Ohio's largest online charter to return millions of its funding," says the AP.
Via Chalkbeat: "The broken promise of Indiana's online schools."
"Some shareholders in K12 Inc., the largest for-profit operator of online schools in the country, are calling on the company to disclose how much it spends on lobbying and advertising," Education Week reports.
edX lists its most popular courses of the year.
"UT Austin and SMOCs: What do we know about whether they work?" asks Mindwire Consulting's Phil Hill.
"Online Education Pioneer Boots Up a Jobs Program for the Tech Industry," the MIT Technology Review reports. That "online education pioneer" is Sebastian Thrun. More on the possible legal troubles this program faces in the politics section above.
Coding Bootcamps and the "New" "For-Profit Higher Ed")
Via The Chronicle of Higher Education: "DeVry University and its parent company will pay $100 million to settle a lawsuit, brought by the Federal Trade Commission, that claimed the for-profit institution had misled prospective students. A news release from the commission says the settlement 'secures significant financial redress for tens of thousands of students harmed by DeVry's conduct.'" More via The New York Times and from the FTC.
Via The Huffington Post: "Two former high-ranking executives of Trump University are now two of the top executives at a Florida-based career college, Ultimate Medical Academy, that has 13,000 students enrolled, has been receiving more than $150 million annually in federal student aid, and is accredited by the imperiled agency ACICS."
More on possible debt relief for students of for-profit colleges in the politics section above.
"There Have Been Over 200 School Shooting Incidents Since The Sandy Hook Massacre," The Huffington Post reminds us. This week marked the fourth anniversary of the shootings at the Newton elementary school.
Via The New York Times: "On Campus, Trump Fans Say They Need 'Safe Spaces'."
Via New York Magazine: "Alt-Right Troll Milo Yiannopoulos Uses Campus Visit to Openly Mock a Transgender Student."
"CCSF can't prove it taught 16,000 students, must pay $39 million," The San Francisco Chronicle reports. Mindwires Consulting's Phil Hill says this is the "price of faculty not using LMS." Rather, it's the price of deciding that "proof" of online education requires the LMS.
Via The New York Times: "Success Academy Buys Space in Manhattan Tower for 2 New Schools." (It's not Trump Tower, don't worry, Eva Moskowitz fans.)
Also via The New York Times: "New York Charters Enroll Fewer Homeless Pupils Than City Schools."
Via The Times-Picayune: "Last 5 New Orleans public schools expected to become charter operations."
Via The Houston Chronicle: "Facing pressure to cut special education, Texas schools shut out English Language Learners."
"Are Colleges Engines of Inequality?" – a new report from The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Via KQED: "Homeless U: First Shelter Just for College Students Opens Its Doors."
Via Inside Higher Ed: "Colby-Sawyer College, a private college in New Hampshire, has announced cuts in staff positions and is also eliminating some majors." One of the majors cut: English. Can you be a SLAC if you don't offer a degree in English?
The War on Xmas Will Be Fought in Schools
A school in Texas made a teacher take down a decoration that read "For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord … That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown." WWJD: she sued. A federal judge issued an injunction and so the decoration can remain.
Accreditation and Credentialing
Via The Chronicle of Higher Education: "John B. King Jr., the secretary of education, on Monday upheld the U.S. Department of Education's decision to revoke the federal recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, an agency that had accredited for-profit colleges that suffered recent high-profile collapses."
Barbara Beno, the president of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior College, has been placed on leave, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
"What does a high school diploma prove?" asks The Connecticut Mirror.
More on MOOC "degrees" and possible legal troubles in the politics section above.
Via IndyStar: "A 20-year toll: 368 gymnasts allege sexual exploitation."
Via The Chronicle of Higher Education: "The University of Minnesota's football players announced on Thursday that the entire team would boycott practices and other team activities – even a December 27 appearance in the Holiday Bowl, if need be – to protest the university's suspension of 10 players from the team in connection with a campus investigation of a sexual-assault complaint."
Via Inside Higher Ed: "Following similar scandals involving sexist, racist and homophobic online communication among some male athletes at Harvard and Columbia Universities and Amherst College, Princeton University on Thursday announced that it was suspending its men's swimming and diving team."
Via The Casper Star Tribune: "University of Wyoming athletics director Tom Burman said Wednesday he's confident the university can cover the recent contract extension for football coach Craig Bohl without any additional financial aid from the state. Bohl is getting a pay raise to $1.4 million a year, starting next year. He is currently guaranteed $850,000 a year." The University of Wyoming has lost some $41 million in funding from the state over the past two years, and as a result it has slashed departments and staff. But the football team is a priority, clearly.
Via Inside Higher Ed: "Citing high-profile cases of academic fraud at some of the country's most visible universities, the American Council on Education released a report today urging colleges and universities to better align their athletics departments with their academic mission and to 'ensure a culture of integrity.'"
Heather Hiles, formerly the CEO of portfolio company Pathbrite (which was sold to Cengage Learning in 2015) will be the new "deputy director of postsecondary success" at the Gates Foundation.
The Sacramento Bee reports that former UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi is being considered to lead the school's Feminist Research Institute. Maybe she can do for the online reputation of white feminism what she did to obscure the university's pepper-spray incident.
Via The New York Times: "Columbia Graduate Students Vote Overwhelmingly to Unionize."
Via The Chronicle of Higher Education: "Most Colleges Will Change Overtime Policies Despite Judge's Blocking of New Rule."
"A Gadsden City Schools principal has been suspended after coming under fire for a social media post he made following Trump's election," the AP reports. His Facebook post: "All I can say is, Trump was elected two days ago and we already have actual white flour American rolls in the lunchroom instead of the Communist wheat bread that's been served for the past few years."
Via Backchannel: "Inside Peter Thiel's Genius Factory."
Also via Backchannel: "A Secret Ops AI Aims to Save Education." Oh goody. Secret ops and AI.
The BBC reports that "Cuba signs deal for faster internet access to Google content." Think again if you believe Google supports "net neutrality."
In other "don't believe 'don't be evil'" news: "Google Won't Alter the Holocaust-Denying Results For 'Did the Holocaust Happen'," says Gizmodo. Google search is fundamentally broken if this is the first result you get. Broken.
"Google Tackles Graduation with Two New Features," according to Edsurge. That is, you can get emails about what's going on in Google Classroom. Google's gonna "fix" graduation problems but you can't even search for "Is Elvis still alive" without getting a wrong answer.
Via CNBC: "Pearson's marketing chief on the company's virtual tutors and digital education transformation."
Via the press release: "Pearson Releases Research-Based Learning Design Principles for Public Use."
The Chronicle of Higher Education looks at how 50 years of technology "transformed education forever." What's so great about technology is that it has "transformed education forever" and yet you still hear ed-tech advocates insisting that education has not changed in hundreds of years. Both/and, I guess.
Campus Technology reports that "Elsevier Debuts Metrics Tracking Journal Performance." Meanwhile, "Germany-wide consortium of research libraries announce boycott of Elsevier journals over open access," according to BoingBoing.
Via Techcrunch: "Family friendly streaming service VidAngel found to be in violation of law, ordered to shut down."
Via NPR: "Kids In Spain Rebel Against Homework, And Parents Are Their Biggest Boosters."
The latest from Stanford history professor on Larry Cuban on "personalized learning" in Silicon Valley area schools.
Augmented reality startup Magic Leap is unbelievable. (Because it's "smoke and mirrors.")
The Business of Ed-Tech
Podotree has raised $107 million from Anchor Equity Partners and GIC. The Korean educational app-maker has raised $116.93 million total.
Pluralsight has raised $30 million "En Route to IPO," says Edsurge, rewriting CNBC's reporting and not even bothering to add value. Like, say, remind folks that former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined the skills-training company's board this summer. Pluralsight has raised $192.5 million total. This latest round came from investors Insight Venture Partners and Iconiq Capital.
Inkling probably doesn't "count" as ed-tech any longer since it's pivoted away from the digital textbook business. But it's raised $25 million from Sapphire Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Tenaya Capital. The startup has raised $102.12 million total.
Curriculum maker XSEED Education has raised $10 million from Verlinvest.
MasteryConnect has raised $4.5 million "to refocus on core product and profits." Investors in this round include Catamount Ventures, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Dell Foundation, Pelion Ventures, and Trinity Ventures. The testing company has raised $33.63 million.
Codementor has raised $1.6 million "to become elite marketplace for freelance developers." Investors include WI Harper. The company has raised $3.4 million total.
Knowledgehook has raised $902,810 from Sayan Navaratnam, Steve Case, and John Abele. The startup uses "real-time student data to improve teacher instruction."
Math education startup Math Buddy has raised $438,000 from Menterra Venture Advisors.
Next Education has acquired Xolvr.
"Investors See Promise in Ed-Tech Sector Despite Challenges," says Education Week. Of course they do.
You know what's cooler than a million hacked Yahoo accounts?
Via NBC Washington: "Public Schools Data Breach Affects 1,000 Former Frederick County Students."
When Evernote updated its privacy policy, the new terms said that the company's employees would be able to read people's notes in order to improve its "machine learning." Needless to say, folks were upset, and despite insisting it wasn't a big deal at first, the company has now changed its mind. You'll have to opt-in to having your notes perused.
Inside Higher Ed reports that a student filmed a psychology instructor at Orange Coast College as she made comments in class about Donald Trump and posted the video to the College Republicans' Facebook page. She's had to flee the state because of threats.
And I guess that's why I'm a little skeptical about professors clamoring to be on "the watchlist." A better tactic, I'd argue, is to make sure your department and institution have concrete steps they'll take in order to protect academic freedom and – quite literally – protect academics' lives when these sorts of threats occur.
The Washington Post asks, "When every moment of childhood can be recorded and shared, what happens to childhood?"
Via Slate: "Wrongful Arrest by Software." No, it isn't about education directly, but predictive analytics are supposedly "the next big thing," and let's be honest about how discriminatory and flawed this software is.
Via The Telegraph: "Test predicts which children will grow up to be drain on society – when they are just three years old." "A drain on society."
There's more on surveillance and predictive analytics in the research section below.
Via Edsurge: "New Research From Civitas Learning Asks, 'Who's Likely to Succeed in College?'"
Via Inside Higher Ed: "Language education is dwindling at every level, from K–12 to postsecondary, and a diminishing share of U.S. residents speak languages other than English, according to a new report from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences."
"Cuts in Spending for Research Worldwide May Threaten Innovation," the OECD contends.
Via Inside Higher Ed: "Recent college graduates were more likely than those in prior decades to visit a career center while in college but are less likely to view their interactions as 'very helpful,' according to the newest data from an annual Gallup-Purdue University study of college graduates."
Via The Guardian: "Gendered toys could deter girls from career in engineering, report says."
"Older Americans Went Back To School During The Recession. Did It Pay Off?" FiveThirtyEight asks.
Via NPR: "After 50 Years, Head Start Struggles With Uneven Quality."
The Hechinger Report looks at campus policing: "Data shows that just having a school-based police officer makes it more likely that a child will be referred to law enforcement for even minor infractions — potentially pushing kids into the justice system for misdeeds like vandalism, more generally known as the school-to-prison pipeline."
Via The Awl: "America's Worst Schools, Ranked." (By tweets.)
Published 16 Dec 2016


Planning your trip is certainly a pleasant chore. Here, we make some suggestions on the best ways to travel to Koh Samui. These trips normally consist of a flight to Bangkok followed by an additional leg to the island of Samui.
As of today, direct flights are available to Samui from various cities overseas, such as Hong Kong (Bangkok Airways), Singapore (Bangkok Airways) and Kuala Lumpur (Berjaya Air and Firefly). Also keep in mind that Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways can take you to Samui from Bangkok as well as other Thai cities, giving you a chance to get to know the mainland before you plunge into the crystal-clear waters near your vacation home on the island.
Getting to the Thai capital is fairly straightforward. Dozens of airlines offer regular flights to Bangkok from cities in Europe, America, Asia and Oceania. Often, you can save money by flying via an indirect route, and chances are low that you will have to endure a long grueling changeover. Carriers like Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways provide excellent service overall and make sure that your transfer process is as comfortable as possible.
Having tried the services of many carriers, Samuiland recommends that travelers fly with Thai Airways, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Thailand. On its direct flights to Bangkok, the company offers a truly unrivalled level of service and attention to detail. Families vacationing with kids are sure to appreciate the comfort provided by the staff on Thai Airways.
We also recommend planning your trip in advance. This is because last minute tickets purchased during high season, i.e. in December, January or August, are always much more expensive than tickets purchased months beforehand.
An hour long roundtrip flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui costs approximately US$300 per adult passenger. The carriers offering this service are Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways which depart every hour from 6 am to 10 pm.
A budget traveler can also get to Koh Samui through a combination of different routes (plane, train and bus). Taking a ferry from the mainland to the island is necessary as part of such a travel plan. Getting to Samui in this way is tiresome and we do not recommend it. Besides, there is always the danger of a ferry service delay due to stormy weather.


text:
Platypria funebris is een keversoort uit de familie bladkevers (Chrysomelidae). De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort werd in 1905 gepubliceerd door Raffaello Gestro.

funebris

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Kilroy Realty's Second Quarter 2016 Earnings Conference Call
Published Tue, Jul 5 2016 2:00 PM EDT
LOS ANGELES, July 05, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE:KRC) has scheduled its quarterly conference call to discuss its second quarter 2016 financial results on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time (1:00 p.m. Eastern Time). The phone number for the call is (888) 680-0878, passcode: 80256205.
This call is being Webcast by Thomson/CCBN and can be accessed at Kilroy Realty Corporation's Website at www.kilroyrealty.com.
The Webcast is also being distributed through the Thomson StreetEvents Network. Institutional investors can access the call via Thomson StreetEvents (www.streetevents.com), a password-protected event management site.
A webcast replay will be available in the Investor Relations, Shareholder Information - Conference Calls section of the company's Website at www.kilroyrealty.com. A replay will also be available from July 26, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time until August 2, 2016, by dialing (888) 286-8010, passcode: 85935244.
About Kilroy Realty Corporation. With almost 70 years' experience owning, developing, acquiring and managing real estate assets in West Coast real estate markets, Kilroy Realty Corporation (KRC), a publicly traded real estate investment trust and member of the S&P MidCap 400 Index, is one of the region's premier landlords. The company provides physical work environments that foster creativity and productivity and serves a broad roster of dynamic, innovation-driven tenants, including technology, entertainment, digital media and health care companies.
At March 31, 2016, the company's stabilized portfolio totaled 13.7 million square feet of office properties, all located in the coastal regions of greater Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. The company is recognized by GRESB as the North American leader in sustainability, ranking first among 155 North American participants across all asset types. At the end of the first quarter, the company's properties were 46% LEED certified and 66% of eligible properties were ENERGY STAR certified. In addition, KRC had approximately 905,000 square feet of office and residential projects under construction with a total estimated investment of approximately $645.0 million. More information is available at http://www.kilroyrealty.com.
Contact Information:Tyler Rose(310) 481-8484trose@kilroyrealty.com
Source:Kilroy Realty


Entertaining Resume; I also have a full life business resume as Executive Secretary, Quality Movement, etc.
258 self-made/designed costumes, impersonations, and characters, hair designer, make-up artist. Sings about 9,000 songs in 8 languages: English, Polish, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, and Latin.
Singer, dancer, crowd Energizer Bunny, TV & Radio Personality, movies, star in plays, widow US Marine Purple Heart Veteran, Mother, devoted daughter. Human Resource Director for Employee Development, Singing Chef, Jewell Catering, the Caterer to the Stars of Chicago, Legal Assistant, Executive Secretary, Sales, Assistant to manager at Federal Reserve Bank, Artist, Gourmet Cook & Baker, Raised pedigreed, champion German Shepherds, Organic Gardener, Computer Whiz, Transportation Specialist, Home Rehab Specialist, Ancestry specialist, Writer, Spirituality, metaphysician and healer.
Excalibur Casino, Lynryd Skynyrd's BBQ & Beer Restaurant, Mandalay Bay, House of Blues: Rockstar Karaoke with Rockband, Bill's Gambling Hall/Harrahs owned, Caesar's, TV, 40th Anniversary, Harrah's, Greek Islands, M Resort, Fiesta, Gold Coast, Fitzgerald's, Imperial Palace, Boulder Station, Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas.
Singing Chef at Linens and Things where I taught gourmet cooking and karaoke at the same station!
Wild Chicago, Jenny Jones Show as "Queen of Karaoke" which turned into "American Idol", VH1, MTV, Glamour Productions, Models on Parade, TV series, "Early Editions," background actress many movies.
Polish Constitution Parade, St. Patrick's Day - Chicago and Las Vegas, German Festival, Italian Festival, marched in first Vietnam Veteran parade 40 years after the war. I crusaded and was victorious for veteran's rights.
Interviews and singing: WJMK-FM, WPKG, brought in the Millennium, New Year's Eve, 2000, WSCR Interview.
La Vegas Viet Nam Veteran Parade, VFW, U.S. Marine Club. Most all my entertaining in costumed karaoke was out of love not for money. I'd change costumes as many as eight times in one karaoke evening. Fairy Godmother event at Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago.
Chicago Makeup and Hair Convention, Rosemont Convention Center, McCormick Place, Sales, Set up; break down, female Elvis tribute artist.
Singing my heart out with the White Blues on Karaoke TV, Chicago. This is tearsheet from Chicago Reader Newspaper.
Hope to see you there! Bring your friends and family. I impersonate 249 characters with self-made and designed costumes. Only person in world!
I'll be performing first as Dolly Parton with famous self-made umbrella. A famous designer in Vegas said this costume was worth $6,000! Second costumed entertainment will be Scarlett O'Hara, in one of "6" costumes I sewed. See others on this website "Costume Pix, Gone with the Wind" tab on left. Third costumed performance will be Tina Turner, with famous fringed dress and rocken songs. Last, and best, is Patriotic for our dear Veterans. Since I'm widow of US Marine, Purple Heart Hall of Honor, I've crusaded for Veterans and changed history.
TODAY: 3-9-14 Moved to Branson Missouri and loving it. Practicing a few new songs by printing out lyrics, adding google images to help me remember and emphasize.


In the tutorial, How to create a Wiki Page I create a page called "Site Upgrade". In this tutorial, I will demonstrate how to edit the "Site Upgrade" page. Some things in SharePoint aren't always straightforward and if you're new to SharePoint 2013 or SharePoint in general, this can be more difficult than you would think.
2. Under Lists, Libraries and other Apps click Site Pages.
3. From the list of pages, click Site Upgrade.
4. To start editing the page, in the upper-left click Page.
5. In the edit section of the ribbon click Edit.
7. In the Styles section of the ribbon click Heading 1.
9. Type the following "The SharePoint upgrade is scheduled for January 2nd, 2015".
10. In the upper-left click Save.
11. Check out the updated page!
You have successfully edited a SharePoint Wiki page! Now you can go back in and make additional changes to best fit your needs.


text:
Q: DAX Query to get average of a column within the same table We have a table named MetricsTable which has columns A1 and Group simply.
We want to add a calculated column AvgA1 to this table which calculates the average of column A1 filtered by the value of Group . What should be our DAX query? The point is that we want to claculate the average from the values within the same table.
| id | A1| Group | AvgA1
| -- | --- | --- ------| ----
| 1  | 20  | Group1| 20
| 2  | 10  | Group2| 30
| 3  | 50  | Group2| 30
| 4  | 30  | Group2| 30
| 5  | 35  | Group3| 35
Regards

A: Likely you should use a measure and put that measure into a pivot table's 'Values' section:
AverageA1:=
AVERAGE( Metrics[A1] )

Then it will be updated based on filter and slicer selections in the pivot table, and subtotaled appropriately across various dimension categories.
If it strictly needs to be a column in the table for reasons not enumerated in your question, then the following will work:
AverageA1 =
CALCULATE(
    AVERAGE( Metrics[A1] )
    ,ALLEXCEPT( Metrics, Metrics[Group] )
)

CALCULATE() takes an expression and a list of 0-N arguments to modify the filter context in which that expression is evaluated.
ALLEXCEPT() takes a table, and a list of 1-N fields from which to preserve context. The current (row) context in the evaluation of this column definition is the value of every field on that row. We remove the context from ALL fields EXCEPT those named in arguments 2-N of ALLEXCEPT(). Thus we preserve the row context of [Group], and calculate an average across the table where that [Group] is the same as in the current context.


When you think of Enterprise E-commerce software, the two names that are bound to come to your mind are Shopify Plus and Big Commerce. Among the top enterprise E-commerce platforms, these two are the major contenders for the throne.
So, how do you decide which to choose when faced with Big Commerce vs. Shopify Plus? Well, you can't pick either without knowing where the two platforms stand in different measures. You must first conduct an Enterprise E-commerce platform comparison. We are here to help you out. Here is an Enterprise E-commerce comparison between Shopify Plus vs. Big Commerce Enterprise based on two major measures.
The first measure for any user should be ease of use. Think about it. Are you willing to spend time trying to figure out a platform? Probably now. Therefore, opting for platforms that are highly easy to use is the objective of many users.
Big Commerce is excellent when it comes to delivering ease of use. This stems from Big Commerce's ability to take risks. Its approach to user experience is unique. Some might find it inconvenient as it is different than what users are used to. However, when you give it a chance, you realize that Big Commerce gives you much better control of your store than any other platform does.
Shopify is very easy to use as well. Those who are familiar with the working of WordPress, you would find it very easy to navigate through the interface of Shopify. However, this familiarity and ease don't extend to second level navigation. After the first level, the navigation and the various processes can feel annoying.
When it comes to ease of use, Big Commerce wins the run in the long-run, even though at first glance you might prefer Shopify.
How do platforms deliver plug-ins and add-ons? They do so via their app store. So, it is a given that you should assess the app stores offered by Big Commerce vs. Shopify.
The app store offered by Big Commerce works smoothly and is full of various advantageous plugins and add-ons. You will find the masses raving about the app store.
Shopify's app store is packed with advanced tools, features, plug-ins, and add-ons. According to reviews about the store, users have found it to be convenient to use.
Both Shopify and Big commerce are equally good as far as their app stores are concerned.
Both Shopify and Big Commerce have their merits. You have to decide what weight to give to each.


text:
Life in Research
Apply for training grants for early career researchers
By: Guest contributor, Tue Oct 6 2020
Author: Guest contributor
With international travel harder than ever, and most scientific – and personal – interactions moving online, the Nature Communications journals have adapted our grant scheme for Early Career Researchers to fit these challenging times.
Written by Joe Aslin, Associate Editor for Communications Earth & Environment, Nature
The Communications journals (Communications Biology, Communications Chemistry, Communications Earth & Environment, Communications Materials and Communications Physics) have, for the past two years, offered travel grants for promising early career researchers to attend conferences for which they would otherwise lack the funding. Of course, the current COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions on international travel have seen scientific meetings and workshops around the world re-organise as online-only events.
With travel grants now effectively useless, but support for the careers of young researchers more important than ever, the Communications journals have re-thought our early career grants scheme for 2020. We are now accepting applications for training grants to help early career researchers attend online training courses or workshops. If the event is actually being held in a physical location then these grants can of course still be used for that.
Unlike previous years, where a single grant of €1,500 was awarded per journal, this year each title will be awarding multiple grants of up to €500 to cover the cost of registration on a training course, workshop or meeting of the applicant's choice happening anytime during 2021.
To apply you must be:
a PhD student or a postdoc within 5 years of completion of your PhD
conducting research in one of the fields covered by the Communications journals and
able to demonstrate that you have no other funds available to attend the course or workshop.
Full eligibility criteria can be found on our guidelines for applicants.
The deadline for applications is 26th October 2020 and the winners will be announced in early December. If you think you could make use of this grant, we encourage you to apply. If you know of someone else who may be eligible then please let them know and spread the word!
This is a very tough time for early career researchers but we hope these grants can go some way to helping keep the next wave of promising scientists learning their trade, developing their skills and interacting with their communities.
About Joe Aslin:
Joe joined Communications Earth & Environment in January 2020 and has a background in tectonics and structural geology.
His doctoral research at the University of Liverpool focused on the physical and chemical processes which influence deformation in mid-crustal fault and shear zones using a combination of field and laboratory techniques. Prior to that, Joe used U-Pb geochronology to investigate the uplift and tectonic history of the central Andes during his MSci research at the University of Bristol. Joe is based in the London office.
Guest Contributors include Springer Nature staff and authors, industry experts, society partners, and many others. If you are interested in being a Guest Contributor, please contact us via email: thesource@springernature.com.


text:
How Is The NHS Going To Apply AI?
AI is going to play a huge role in the future of healthcare, which is why the UK government recently pledged £250 million to develop AI in the NHS. They intend to use this to improve treatments of conditions including cancer, dementia and heart disease. So where is this money actually going to go?
The Department of Health will use the investment for a cutting-edge National Artificial Intelligence Lab. The main goal of the lab will be to use AI to detect and diagnose life-threatening diseases like cancer and dementia at an early stage. Early detection is one of the most important factors in developing an effective, and often life-saving treatment. This technology can also improve cancer screening: AI algorithms can use big data to speed up the delivery of test results of mammograms, brain scans, eye scans playing a crucial role in conditions affecting millions every year.
One of the most exciting new proposals of the AI lab is to develop technology which can use DNA tests to identify which patients have the highest genetic risk of certain diseases, making way for early diagnosis and effective treatment. By pre-empting risks, healthcare professionals can act earlier and save patients from diseases which would otherwise be life threatening.
Of course, all of this will be a waste if the NHS aren't ready to adopt the innovations available with AI. This is why part of the program includes training and upskilling for AI staff to develop the use of state-of-the-art AI within our existing healthcare system. Once the staff are ready, and a secure AI system is developed, everything from surgery to routine paperwork has the potential to be improved through automation. This doesn't mean AI is coming to replace jobs in the NHS, but that it will enable clinicians to spend more time on the important aspects of medical imaging, like patient care. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the funding is set to 'boost the frontline by automating admin tasks and freeing up staff to care for patients'.
Investment in AI will keep growing over the coming years, and this funding boost will improve healthcare through AI's ability to automate processes, analyse scans, and even develop new methods of diagnosis. Stay at the forefront of this critical medical area, sign up for the AI and Machine Learning Convention to see some of the world's most exciting AI technology, which will be crucial to the future of healthcare over the next few years.
The AI and Machine Learning Convention is part of Mediweek 2020, the UK's largest healthcare event showcasing over 50 expert speakers and 50 innovative exhibitors across Oncology, AI and Medical Imaging. Over 500 AI professionals will be attending the AI and ML convention, as part of the 5000 medical imaging and oncology professionals attending Mediweek 2020. To gain some of the most exciting and unmissable medical expertise in Europe, sign up for free here.


text:
Officials at 4 Factories Accused Of Violating Wage, Safety Laws
a Wall Street Journal Staff Reporter
Sept. 4, 1996 12:04 am ET
NEW YORK -- Officials from four garment factories, including one making apparel for Kmart Corp. under the Kathy Ireland label, were charged with violating minimum-wage laws and creating hazardous workplace conditions.
The Kings County District Attorney's Office said workers at one location were being paid as little as $2.67 an hour, compared with the state's legal minimum wage of $4.25. Workers at the other three factories were being paid by the piece, which is also against state law. Investigators also found various safety violations, including locked exits at three factories.


text:
Babur, Founder Mughal Dynasty India
Mughals
Timurid
Babur, Founder Mughal Dynasty India >
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of India. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother. Babur identified his lineage as Timurid and Chaghatay-Turkic, while his origin, milieu, training, and culture were steeped in Persian culture and so he was largely responsible for the fostering of this culture by his descendants, and for the expansion of Persian cultural influence in the Indian subcontinent, with brilliant literary, artistic, and historiographical results.
More on this Website
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babur
Related Links • Add URL
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of India. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother. Babur identified his lineage as Timurid and Chaghatay-Turkic, while his origin, milieu, training, and culture were steeped in Persian culture and so he was largely responsible for the fostering of this culture by his descendants, and for the expansion of Persian cultural influence in the Indian subcontinent, with brilliant literary, artistic, and historiographical results. More...
Related > Conquerors • Founders • Muslims • Royalty • Statesmen • Aquarius • February 14 • India • Mongols • Mughals • Renaissance • Rulers • Timurid • 15th Century • 16th Century • Icons • People
Genghis Khan, Unified the Mongols
Genghis Khan was the founder and Great Khan (emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his demise. He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia. After founding the Mongol...
Tamerlane (Timur) the Great
Timur meaning "iron" or Tamerlane in English, was a 14th-century conqueror of much of western and central Asia, founder of the Timurid Empire and Timurid dynasty (1370–1405) in Central Asia, and great great grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mu...
Akbar the Great, Greatest Mughal Emperor
Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar also known as Akbar the Great was the son of Nasiruddin Humayun whom he succeeded as ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1605, and the grandson of Babur who founded the Mughal dynasty. On the eve of his death in 1605, th...


Now offering SOTF tuning using Hp Tuners.
Working directly with the owner to build a one-off tune specific to your vehicle and needs. From simple fuel economy and towing to max effort race tunes. Currently supporting 03-07 Cummins & 01-04 LB7 Duramax.


text:
Fakhroklanen även kallad Fakhro-familjen eller Släkten Fakhro är ett släktbaserat kriminellt nätverk inom folkgruppen mhallami och har sitt ursprung i Mardin-provinsen i Turkiet och Libanon. Gruppen är även en av de släkter som finns med i svenska polisens så kallade klanrapport.

I Sverige är släkten mest verksam i Malmö och Helsingborg, men även i Lund, Arlöv, Bjuv, Trelleborg, Borås och Göteborg. Klanen har cirka 800 medlemmar i Sverige och 95 procent av klanmedlemmarna bor i Skåne (2006). En stor del av klanmedlemmarna har dömts för brott som utpressningar, mordförsök, vapenbrott och narkotikabrott.

Släkten blev mest uppmärksammad för en långvarig släktfejd mellan två falanger inom Fakhroklanen som pågick åren 2006–2012 som bland annat omfattade flera mordförsök, fem rättegångar och ett femtiotal polisanmälningar. Enligt rapporten från polisens nationella operativa avdelning är klanen ett av de mest framträdande släktnätverken i Malmö. Klanen har även blivit uppmärksammad för flera bluffbolag och bedrägerier där det har handlat om miljonbelopp. Fakhroklanen har även släktkopplingar till släktnätverket Ali-Khan samt Al-Zein-klanen. Hashem Ali Khan som är ledare för Ali-Khan-klanen har medlat i släktfejden. Släktnätverket finns också i Tyskland och har fått uppbackning därifrån vid konflikter och uppgörelser.

Brott

Grova bedrägerier och bluffbolag
SVT har granskat Malmöfamiljen Fakhro och har genom flera publiceringar visat hur familjen bluffat till sig avtal där det har handlat om över 12 miljoner kronor genom falska CV och referenser samt falska fakturor. Sex bröder som tillhör Fakhroklanen i Malmö har drivit ett 20-tal bluffbolag och har lurat privatpersoner på hundratusentals kronor. Tidningen Kvällsposten granskade en gårdsbutik mellan Lund och Södra Sandby som inte verkade ha några anställda, ingen skatt som betalades, inga deklarationer, flera byggnationer gjorts utan bygglov och en verksamhet som var dåligt skött. Efter granskningen fick gårdsbutikens Facebook- och Twittersidor flera kritiska kommentarer om den dåligt skötta verksamheten och då hotades kritikerna till döds av klanmedlemmarna.

Den 3 juni 2022 häktades två bröder i Malmö och en tredje anhölls i sin frånvaro tillhörande Fakhroklanen misstänkta för grovt bedrägeri samt medhjälp till grovt bedrägeri. De tre bröderna dömdes den 5 augusti 2022 till tre års fängelse för grovt bedrägeri. Domen fastställdes av hovrätten i oktober 2022.

I Borås häktades den 3 maj 2022 två män som har koppling till Fakhroklanen, misstänkta för flera fall av grovt bedrägeri och grova penningtvättsbrott samt grova bokföringsbrott och utpressningar. Medlemmar ur Fakhroklanen i Borås har granskats av Borås Tidning efter att de polisanmälts för bland annat utpressningar och grova bedrägerier samt olaga hot och för att ha drivit flyttfirmor med falska ID-handlingar.

Släktfejden i Malmö
En lång och blodig konflikt inom två falanger av Fakhroklanen inträffade i Malmö mellan 2006 och 2012, det resulterade i flera skottlossningar och mordförsök. Flera slagsmål och grova överfall med knivar, machete och basebollträ samt flera mordbränder är kopplade till denna konflikt. Under denna tid beslagtogs flera skjutvapen av polisen. 2010 besköts två personer med ett automatvapen i en drive-by-skjutning men ingen blev träffad. Under denna period ska även runt 25 klanmedlemmar ha varit häktade och 50 polisanmälningar gjorts samt 5 rättegångar hållits kopplade till denna interna konflikt.

Den 26 september 2011 fick polisen ingripa mot upplopp i familjen Fakhro i Malmö. Polisen sköt en 33-åring i benet. Sex personer greps misstänkta för bland annat grov misshandel och vapenbrott och flera av de gripna hade pistoler och knivar. 2012 fortsatte konflikten vid en sammandrabbning i Rosengård där runt 200 personer ska ha drabbat samman och slagits mot varandra.

Juli 2014 blev 3 personer beskjutna av en 29-årig man efter ett stort bråk i Hindby i Malmö, skottlossningen samt bråket hade en koppling till släktfejden mellan olika falanger inom Fakhroklanen.

Grova narkotikabrott
Flera personer med anknytning till Fakhroklanen greps i mitten av 2020 på väg till Helsingborg efter att ha smugglat 100 kg cannabis med hjälp av en lastbil. En 28-årig man med anknytning till Fakhroklanen blev stoppad av polisen efter att ha varit misstänkt för narkotikabrott, när polisen genomförde en husrannsakan hittade man flera skjutvapen.

Tyskland
Fakhroklanen finns också i Tyskland och har av de tyska myndigheterna klassificeras som "säkerhetsrelevant" och en av de största klanerna i Berlin, klanmedlemmar finns även i Bremen och Hamburg. Utöver illegal vapenhandel, narkotikahandel och inbrott ska klanfamiljen ha tjänat pengar på prostitution, penningtvätt och rån. Klanen kontrollerar också ett territorium i Berlin, där den kontrollerar narkotikahandeln och vapenhandeln.

Inbrott i lyxbutik i Wilmersdorf
Natten till den 8 oktober 2017 ska flera män med kopplingar till klanen ha gått in i en lyxbutik på Wilmersdorf i Berlin  och stulit 68 vinterjackor av hög kvalitet. Värdet ska ha varit cirka 45 000 euro. Strax efter inbrottet stals ett fordon från en säker polisanläggning, uppenbarligen för att förstöra viktigt DNA och andra bevis. Förutom en medlem från Fakhroklanen misstänktes även en medlem av Remmoklanen i 20-årsåldern.

Referenser

Organiserad brottslighet
Kriminella nätverk med Mhallamianknytning


It is no longer the rare chef who decides to take a step back from meat and focus on vegetables. Over the last few years, vegetables have become the new hot kid, welcomed and sought after, be it in chef Alain Passard's famed halls of L'Arpège in Paris, or the uncomplicated Greenwich Village dining room of Nix in New York that has been all the rage since it opened earlier this year.
Few restaurants, however, have turned their attention to seafood. The most notable exception is chef Eric Ripert's three-Michelin-starred Le Bernardin in New York, but even Chef Ripert allows a place or two for meat on his menu. There are probably few other restaurants in the world that dedicate their attention as unwaveringly to seafood as chef Kotaro Meguro's Abysse in Tokyo. The 30-year-old chef, who previously trained at Le Petit Nice in Marseilles and Quintessence in Tokyo, forgoes meat dishes entirely on his menu, turning an unwavering focus to the fruits of the ocean.
The menu started with a chilled ginkgo soup cradling some soft-shell turtle jelly, swirling together into a bright and refreshing blend of umami and bitterness.
The bread was accompanied by an exceptionally fruity olive oil from Provence.
The first course was a vibrantly colored plate of botan shrimps from Hokkaido and octopus from Ehime. The botan shrimps were strikingly sweet and gelatinous, while the octopus were tender but didn't add too much in terms of flavor. These were adorned with little bundles of sea grapes that exploded in tiny bursts of brininess and umami, as well as some chicory and figs. A drizzle of sweet beetroot juice and a quenelle of mascarpone mousse tinged with a hint of wasabi completed the dish.
In a shocking contrast against the bright colors of the previous plate, the pan-fried hamo was served in a stark ocean of blackness. But the dish possessed more dimension than the colors would let you believe – salty with a purée of eggplant and squid ink, sweet with a crumble of eggplant skin, and dark with some charred trumpet mushrooms.
A signature at Abysse, the soupe de poisson was made with lobster and no less than seven kinds of fish, daringly spiced with cayenne, anise, saffron and, in an inspired touch, orange. The complex and powerful flavors lingered persistently, carrying a memory of the profound ocean depth after which the restaurant was named.
After the intensity of the soup, the delicate flavors of the silver pomfret felt a bit too timid and subdued, but built slowly in umami. Variations of pistachio crowded the fish, the verdant blend of oil and purée studded with roasted whole pistachios, while plump little parcels of butternut squash added pops of color and sweetness.
For dessert, a delicious dacquoise was crowned with Nagano grapes and sheathed beneath a canopy of vanilla jelly, sat on a bed of cream cheese powder. A light and elegant dessert that showcased the amazing flavor of Nagano grapes.
Chef Meguro's dedication to seafood showed in his understanding of the ingredients. My meal gave the impression of a kitchen that knows its way around what the ocean has to offer, delivering flavors that were uncomplicated but delightful all the same. If my lunch was anything to go by – and if the fully booked dining room on a Monday afternoon was any sign – Abysse's decision to focus on the great ocean depth certainly paid off.


May 2017 – The Business Development Training group-work presentation with the Abuloma Women.
Initial selection meeting with the Abuloma Women Cooperative members for the Agro-Skills training.
Project Title: Self Development, Literacy and Interactive Programme @ Remand Home Port Harcourt.


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