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Tanzania News Gazette
News From Tanzania
Security Council Adopts Resolution 2442 (2018), Authorizing 12-Month Extension for International Naval Forces Fighting Piracy off Somali Coast
November 6, 2018 - WebDesk - Comment is Closed
The Security Council, acting by consensus today, decided to renew for 12 months authorizations allowing international naval forces to join in the fight against piracy in the waters off the coast of Somalia.
Adopting resolution 2442 (2018) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the 15-member Council deplored all acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the Somali coast. While noting improvements in Somalia, it nevertheless recognized that piracy exacerbates instability in the country and stressed the need for a comprehensive, international response that also works to tackle the underlying causes of the phenomenon.
By the terms of the text, the Council encouraged the Parliament of Somalia to approve a draft coast guard law and urged the Somali authorities to continue efforts towards passing a comprehensive set of anti-piracy and maritime laws without further delay. It also called upon the authorities to make all efforts to bring to justice those who are using Somali territory to plan, facilitate or undertake criminal acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, while calling upon Member States to assist Somalia at the request of Somali authorities and with notification to the Secretary-General to strengthen its maritime capacity.
Welcoming the initiative of the Seychelles to establish a court for piracy and maritime crime and the successful prosecution of piracy cases by that entity, the Council also recognized the need for States, international and regional organizations and other appropriate partners to share information for anti-piracy law enforcement purposes. In addition, it noted the need for those partners to keep under review the possibility of applying targeted sanctions against individuals or entities that plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance or profit from piracy operations if they meet the listing criteria set out in paragraph 43 of resolution 2093 (2013). The Council also called upon all States to cooperate fully with the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group.
By other terms of the resolution, the Council renewed its call upon States and regional organizations that are able to do so to join the fight against piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia by deploying naval vessels, arms and military aircraft; providing basing and logistical support for counter-piracy forces; and seizing and disposing of boats, vessels, arms and other related equipment used in the commission of piracy-related crimes. It further encouraged the Government of Somalia to accede to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and urged all States to take appropriate actions under their domestic laws to prevent the illicit financing of piracy acts and the laundering of its proceeds.
The meeting began at 10:05 a.m. and ended at 10:07 a.m.
The full text of resolution 2442 (2018) reads as follows:
The Security Council,
Recognizing that 2018 marks the tenth anniversary of resolution 1816 on the situation with respect to piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia and recalling its previous resolutions concerning the situation in Somalia, especially resolutions 1814 (2008), 1816 (2008), 1838 (2008), 1844 (2008), 1846 (2008), 1851 (2008), 1897 (2009), 1918 (2010), 1950 (2010), 1976 (2011), 2015 (2011), 2020 (2011), 2077 (2012) 2125 (2013), 2184 (2014), 2246 (2015), and 2316 (2016) and 2383 (2017) as well as the Statement of its President (S/PRST/2010/16) of 25 August 2010 and (S/PRST/2012/24) of 19 November 2012,
Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General (S/2018/903), as requested by resolution 2383 (2017), on the implementation of that resolution and on the situation with respect to piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia,
Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, and unity of Somalia, including Somalia's sovereign rights in accordance with international law, with respect to offshore natural resources, including fisheries,
Noting that the joint counter-piracy efforts of States, regions, organizations, the maritime industry, the private sector, think tanks, and civil society have resulted in a steady decline in pirate attacks as well as hijackings since 2011, with no successful ship hijackings reported off the coast of Somalia since March 2017 however, recognizing the ongoing threat that resurgent piracy and armed robbery at sea poses to the prompt, safe, and effective delivery of humanitarian aid to Somalia and the region, to the safety of seafarers and other persons, to international navigation and the safety of commercial maritime routes, and to other ships, including fishing vessels operating in conformity with international law, commending countries that have deployed naval forces in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin to dissuade piracy networks from carrying out acts of piracy,
Welcoming the reinstatement of the Somali Maritime Security Coordination Committee (MSCC) meeting held from 9 to 10 July 2018 between the Federal Government of Somalia, Federal Member States and international partners which called for enhanced cooperation in strengthening Somalia's maritime security as a key priority for both the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States and urged the National Security Council to agree on a delineation of roles of the Somali maritime forces, as required by the Transition Plan and recognizing the importance of engaging in transition planning,
Further reaffirming that international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982, sets out the legal framework applicable to activities in the ocean, including countering piracy and armed robbery at sea,
Recognizing the need to investigate and prosecute not only suspects captured at sea, but also anyone who incites or intentionally facilitates piracy operations, including key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy who plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance or profit from such attacks, and reiterating its concern over persons suspected of piracy having been released without facing justice, reaffirming that the failure to prosecute persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia undermines anti-piracy efforts,
Noting with concern that the continuing limited capacity and domestic legislation to facilitate the custody and prosecution of suspected pirates after their capture has hindered more robust international action against pirates off the coast of Somalia, which has led to pirates in many cases being released without facing justice, regardless of whether there is sufficient evidence to support prosecution, and reiterating that, consistent with the provisions of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea concerning the repression of piracy, the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation provides for parties to create criminal offences, establish jurisdiction, and accept delivery of persons responsible for, or suspected of seizing, or exercising control over, a ship by force or threat thereof, or any other form of intimidation,
Underlining the primary responsibility of the Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, noting the several requests from Somali authorities for international assistance to counter piracy off its coast, including the letter of 25 October 2018, from the Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Somalia to the United Nations expressing the appreciation of Somali authorities to the Security Council for its assistance, expressing their willingness to consider working with other States and regional organizations to combat piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, asking member states and international organizations to support the Federal Government of Somalia in its efforts to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in its Exclusive Economic Zone, and requesting that the provisions of resolution 2383 (2017) be renewed for an additional 12 months,
Welcoming the participation of the Federal Government of Somalia and regional partners in the 21st plenary session of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) in Nairobi, Kenya, 11�13 July 2018, co-hosted by the Indian Ocean Commission under the Chairmanship of Mauritius,
Recognizing the work of the CGPCS and the Law Enforcement Task Force to facilitate the prosecution of suspected pirates, and the intentions of the Regional Capacity Building Working Group to identify regional priorities and coordination of capacity-building activities and regional responsibilities,
Noting the progress made to enhance Somali capacity building through the National Maritime Coordination Committee (NMCC) to assess maritime priorities between the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States,
Welcoming the financing provided by the Trust Fund to Support Initiatives of States Combating Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (the Trust Fund) to strengthen regional ability to prosecute suspected pirates and imprison those convicted in accordance with applicable international human rights law, noting with appreciation the assistance provided by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Maritime Crime Programme, and being determined to continue efforts to ensure that pirates are held accountable,
Commending the efforts of the European Union Naval Forces (EUNAVFOR) Operation ATALANTA and EUCAP Somalia, Combined Maritime Forces' Combined Task Force 151, the counter-piracy activities of the African Union onshore in Somalia and other States acting in a national capacity in cooperation with Somali authorities and each other to suppress piracy and to protect ships transiting through the waters off the coast of Somalia, and welcoming the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction Initiative (SHADE) and the efforts of individual countries, including China, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation, which have deployed naval counter-piracy missions in the region,
Noting the efforts of flag States for taking measures to permit vessels sailing under their flag transiting the High Risk Area (HRA) to embark vessel protection detachments and privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP), and to allow charters that favour arrangements that make use of such measures, while urging States to regulate such activities in accordance with applicable international law,
Welcoming and encouraging the capacity-building efforts in the region made by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) funded Djibouti Code of Conduct, the Trust Fund and the European Union's activities under the EU Capacity Building Mission in Somalia (EUCAP Somalia) which assists Somalia in strengthening its maritime security capacity in order to enable it to enforce maritime law more effectively, and recognizing the need for all engaged international and regional organizations to coordinate and cooperate fully,
Supporting the development of a coastguard at the federal level and coastguard police at the Federal Member State level, noting with appreciation the efforts made by the IMO and the shipping industry to develop and update guidance, best management practices, and recommendations to assist ships to prevent and suppress piracy attacks off the coast of Somalia, including in the Gulf of Aden, and in relevant parts of the Indian Ocean that are still within the High Risk Area and recognizing the work of the IMO and the CGPCS in this regard, noting the efforts of the International Organization for Standardization, which has developed industry standards of training and certification for Private Maritime Security Companies when providing PCASP on board ships in high-risk areas, and further welcoming the European Union's EUCAP Somalia, which is working to develop the maritime security capacities of Somalia,
Underlining the importance of continuing to enhance the collection, preservation, and transmission to competent authorities of evidence of acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, and welcoming the ongoing work of the IMO, INTERPOL, and industry groups to develop guidance to seafarers on preservation of crime scenes following acts of piracy, and noting the importance of enabling seafarers to give evidence in criminal proceedings to prosecute acts of piracy,
Further recognizing that pirate networks continue to rely on kidnapping and hostage-taking to help generate funding to purchase weapons, gain recruits, and continue their operational activities, thereby jeopardizing the safety and security of civilians and restricting the flow of commerce, and welcoming international efforts to coordinate the work of investigators and prosecutors, inter alia, through the Law Enforcement Task Force and collect and share information to disrupt the pirate enterprise, as exemplified by INTERPOL's Global Database on Maritime Piracy, and commending the establishment of the Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC) in Madagascar, the sister centre of the Regional Centre for Operational Coordination (RCOC) in Seychelles following the signing of the Regional Agreement for the Setting up of a Regional Maritime Information Exchange and Sharing Mechanism in the Western Indian Ocean by Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritius, Union of Comoros and Seychelles , including the establishment of the Piracy Prosecution Readiness Plan which, under the auspices of UNODC and in partnership with EU NAVFOR, will further develop the region's capacity to conduct piracy prosecutions,
Reaffirming international condemnation of acts of kidnapping and hostage-taking, including offences contained within the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages, strongly condemning the continuing practice of hostage-taking by pirates operating off the coast of Somalia, expressing serious concern at the inhumane conditions hostages face in captivity, recognizing the adverse impact on their families, calling for the immediate release of all remaining hostages, and noting the importance of cooperation between Member States on the issue of hostage-taking and the prosecution of suspected pirates for taking hostages,
Commending Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, and the United Republic of Tanzania, for their efforts to prosecute suspected pirates in their national courts, and noting with appreciation the assistance provided by the UNODC Maritime Crime Programme, the Trust Fund, and other international organizations and donors, in coordination with the CGPCS, to support Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, the United Republic of Tanzania, Somalia, and other States in the region with their efforts to prosecute, or incarcerate in a third State after prosecution elsewhere, pirates, including facilitators and financiers ashore, consistent with applicable international human rights law, and emphasizing the need for States and international organizations to further enhance international efforts in this regard,
Welcoming the readiness of the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States to cooperate with each other and with States who have prosecuted suspected pirates with a view to enabling convicted pirates to be repatriated back to Somalia under suitable prisoner transfer arrangements, consistent with applicable international law, including international human rights law, and acknowledging the return from Seychelles to Somalia of convicted prisoners willing and eligible to serve their sentences in Somalia, and noting that the sentences served must be those passed by the courts of the prosecuting states and that any proposal to vary the sentences must be in conformity with the 2011 Transfer Agreement with the Seychelles,
Welcoming the work of the Maritime Security Coordination Committee (MSCC), the central mechanism for developing capability and identifying and channelling support, as highlighted at the London Somalia Conference in May 2017, and encouraging the Somali national and regional administrations to take increasing responsibility for counter-piracy initiatives,
Expressing serious concern over reports of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) in Somalia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and noting the complex relationship between IUU fishing and piracy, recognizing that IUU fishing accounts for millions of dollars in lost revenue for Somalia each year, and can contribute to destabilization among coastal communities,
Noting Somalia's accession to the FAO's Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, recognizing the projects supported by FAO and UNODC aimed at enhancing Somalia's capacity to combat such activities, and stressing the need for States and international organizations to further intensify their support to the Federal Government of Somalia, at its request, in enhancing Somalia's capacity to combat such activities,
Recognizing the ongoing efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia towards the development of a legal regime for the distribution of fishing licences, commending in this regard the implementation of a component of the EU-funded Programme to Promote Regional Maritime Security (CCAP) with FAO aims to promote proper and transparent licensed and regulated fishing with regional states, and encouraging further efforts in this regard, with the support of the international community,
Recalling the reports of the Secretary General which illustrate the seriousness of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia and provide useful guidance for the investigation and prosecution of pirates, including on specialized anti-piracy courts,
Remaining concerned that four-Iranian seafarers from the FV Siraj remain as hostages inside Somalia in appalling conditions, and welcoming the work of International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) and Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) in the provision of post trauma intervention and financial support to victims of piracy and their families; as well as the CGPCS Piracy Survivors Family Fund (PSFF), which provides funds for the survivors of Somali piracy, and for their families, to provide a range of support during and after captivity and recognizing the need to continue supporting these initiatives and contributions to funds,
Recognizing the progress made by the CGPCS and UNODC in the use of public information tools to raise awareness of the dangers of piracy and highlight the best practices to eradicate this criminal phenomenon,
Noting efforts by UNODC and UNDP and the funding provided by the Trust Fund, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other donors to develop regional judicial and law enforcement capacity to investigate, arrest, and prosecute suspected pirates and to incarcerate convicted pirates consistent with applicable international human rights law,
Bearing in mind the Djibouti Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, noting the operations of information-sharing centres in, Kenya, and the United Republic of Tanzania, recognizing the efforts of signatory States to develop the appropriate regulatory and legislative frameworks to combat piracy, enhance their capacity to patrol the waters of the region, interdict suspect vessels, and prosecute suspected pirates,
Emphasizing that peace and stability within Somalia, the strengthening of State institutions, economic and social development, and respect for human rights and the rule of law are necessary to create the conditions for a durable eradication of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, and further emphasizing that Somalia's long-term security rests with the effective development by Somali authorities of the Somali Coast Guard and Maritime Police Units, Somali National Army, and Somali Police Force,
Welcoming the Padang Communique and Maritime Cooperation Declaration adopted by the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) at its 15th Council of Ministers meeting, which call upon members to support and strengthen cooperation to address maritime challenges including piracy and illegal trafficking of drugs,
Welcoming the publication in June 2018 by BIMCO, International Chamber of Shipping, International Group of Protection & Indemnity Clubs, Intertanko, The Oil Companies International Marine Forum and others, of version 5 of Best Management Practices to deter Piracy and Enhance Maritime Security in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea (BMP5), acknowledging that the information and guidance contained within helps to reduce the risks to mariners and seafarers engaged in their lawful occupations,
Recognizing that the ongoing instability in Somalia and the acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off its coast are inextricably linked, and stressing the need to continue the comprehensive response by the international community to repress piracy and armed robbery at sea and tackle its underlying causes,
Determining that the incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, as well as the activity of pirate groups in Somalia, are an important factor exacerbating the situation in Somalia, which continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,
Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
1. Reiterates that it condemns and deplores all acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia;
2. While noting improvements in Somalia, recognizes that piracy exacerbates instability in Somalia by introducing large amounts of illicit cash that fuels additional crime, corruption, and terrorism;
3. Stresses the need for a comprehensive response to prevent and suppress piracy and tackle its underlying causes by the international community in collaboration with Somali authorities and other relevant actors;
4. Underlines the primary responsibility of the Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, encourages the approval by the Parliament of the draft coast guard law which the Somali authorities, with the support of EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta and EUCAP Somalia have submitted to the Council of Ministers and urges the Somali authorities, to continue their work to pass a comprehensive set of anti-piracy and maritime laws without further delay and establish security forces with clear roles and jurisdictions to enforce these laws and to continue to develop, with international support as appropriate, the capacity of Somali courts to investigate and prosecute persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery, including key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy who plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance or profit from such attacks;
5. Recognizes the need to continue investigating and prosecuting those who plan, organize, or illicitly finance or profit from pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia, including key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy, urges States, working in conjunction with relevant international organizations, to adopt legislation to facilitate prosecution of suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia;
6. Calls upon the Somali authorities to interdict, and upon interdiction to have mechanisms in place to safely return effects seized by pirates, investigate and prosecute pirates and to patrol the waters off the coast of Somalia to prevent and suppress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea;
7. Calls upon the Somali authorities to make all efforts to bring to justice those who are using Somali territory to plan, facilitate, or undertake criminal acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, and calls upon Member States to assist Somalia, at the request of Somali authorities and with notification to the Secretary-General, to strengthen maritime capacity in Somalia, including regional authorities and, stresses that any measures undertaken pursuant to this paragraph shall be consistent with applicable international law, in particular international human rights law;
8. Calls upon States to cooperate also, as appropriate, on the issue of hostage taking, and the prosecution of suspected pirates for taking hostages;
9. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all seafarers held hostage by Somali pirates, and further calls upon the Somali authorities and all relevant stakeholders to redouble their efforts to secure their safe and immediate release;
10. Welcomes the initiative of the Seychelles authorities to establish a court for piracy and maritime crime and further welcomes the successful prosecution of piracy cases by this body;
11. Recognizes the need for States, international and regional organizations, and other appropriate partners to exchange evidence and information for anti-piracy law enforcement purposes with a view to ensuring effective prosecution of suspected, and imprisonment of convicted, pirates and with a view to the arrest and prosecution of key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy who plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance and profit from piracy operations, and keeps under review the possibility of applying targeted sanctions against individuals or entities that plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance or profit from piracy operations if they meet the listing criteria set out in paragraph 43 of resolution 2093 (2013), and calls upon all States to cooperate fully with the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group, including on information-sharing regarding possible violations of the arms embargo or charcoal ban;
12. Renews its call upon States and regional organizations that are able to do so to take part in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, in particular, consistent with this resolution and international law, by deploying naval vessels, arms, and military aircraft, by providing basing and logistical support for counter-piracy forces, and by seizing and disposing of boats, vessels, arms, and other related equipment used in the commission of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, or for which there are reasonable grounds for suspecting such use;
13. Highlights the importance of coordination among States and international organizations in order to deter acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, commends the work of the CGPCS to facilitate such coordination in cooperation with the IMO, flag States, and Somali authorities, and urges continued support of these efforts;
14. Encourages Member States to continue to cooperate with Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea, notes the primary role of Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, and decides that, for a further period of 13 months from the date of this resolution to renew the authorizations as set out in paragraph 14 of resolution 2383 (2017) granted to States and regional organizations cooperating with Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, for which advance notification has been provided by Somali authorities to the Secretary-General;
15. Affirms that the authorizations renewed in this resolution apply only with respect to the situation in Somalia and shall not affect the rights, obligations, or responsibilities of Member States under international law, including any rights or obligations under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, with respect to any other situation, and underscores in particular that this resolution shall not be considered as establishing customary international law; and affirms further that such authorizations have been renewed in response to the 25 October 2018 letter conveying the request of Somali authorities;
16. Decides that the arms embargo on Somalia imposed by paragraph 5 of resolution 733 (1992) and further elaborated upon by paragraphs 1 and 2 of resolution 1425 (2002) and modified by paragraphs 33 to 38 of resolution 2093 does not apply to supplies of weapons and military equipment or the provision of assistance destined for the sole use of Member States, international, regional, and subregional organizations undertaking measures in accordance with paragraph 14 above;
17. Requests that cooperating States take appropriate steps to ensure that the activities they undertake pursuant to the authorizations in paragraph 14 do not have the practical effect of denying or impairing the right of innocent passage to the ships of any third State;
18. Calls upon all States, and in particular flag, port, and coastal States, States of the nationality of victims and perpetrators of piracy and armed robbery, and other States with relevant jurisdiction under international law and national legislation, to cooperate in determining jurisdiction and in the investigation and prosecution of all persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia, including key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy who plan, organize, facilitate, or illicitly finance or profit from such attack, consistent with applicable international law including international human rights law, to ensure that all pirates handed over to judicial authorities are subject to a judicial process, and to render assistance by, among other actions, providing disposition and logistics assistance with respect to persons under their jurisdiction and control, such as victims, witnesses, and persons detained as a result of operations conducted under this resolution;
19. Calls upon all States to criminalize piracy under their domestic law and to favourably consider the prosecution of suspected, and imprisonment of those convicted, pirates apprehended off the coast of Somalia, and their facilitators and financiers ashore, consistent with applicable international law, including international human rights law, and decides to keep these matters under review, including, as appropriate, the establishment of specialized anti-piracy courts in Somalia with substantial international participation and/or support as set forth in resolution 2015 (2011), and encourages the CGPCS to continue its discussions in this regard;
20. Welcomes, in this context, the UNODC Maritime Crime Programme's continued work with authorities in Somalia and in neighbouring States to ensure that individuals suspected of piracy are prosecuted and those convicted are imprisoned in a manner consistent with international law, including international human rights law;
21. Encourages the Federal Government of Somalia to accede to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, as part of its efforts to target money laundering and financial support structures on which piracy networks survive;
22. Urges all States to take appropriate actions under their existing domestic law to prevent the illicit financing of acts of piracy and the laundering of its proceeds;
23. Urges States, in cooperation with INTERPOL and Europol, to further investigate international criminal networks involved in piracy off the coast of Somalia, including those responsible for illicit financing and facilitation;
24. Urges all States to ensure that counter-piracy activities, particularly land-based activities, take into consideration the need to protect women and children from exploitation, including sexual exploitation;
25. Urges all States to share information with INTERPOL for use in the global piracy database, through appropriate channels;
26. Commends the contributions of the Trust Fund and the IMO-funded Djibouti Code of Conduct and urges both state and non-State actors affected by piracy, most notably the international shipping community, to contribute to them;
27. Urges States parties to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation to implement fully their relevant obligations under these conventions and customary international law and to cooperate with the UNODC, IMO, and other States and international organizations to build judicial capacity for the successful prosecution of persons suspected of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia;
28. Acknowledges the recommendations and guidance provided by the IMO on preventing and suppressing piracy and armed robbery at sea; and urges States, in collaboration with the shipping and insurance industries and the IMO, to continue to develop and implement avoidance, evasion, and defensive best practices and advisories to take when under attack or when sailing in the waters off the coast of Somalia, and further urges States to make their citizens and vessels available for forensic investigation as appropriate at the first suitable port of call immediately following an act or attempted act of piracy or armed robbery at sea or release from captivity;
29. Encourages flag States and port States to further consider the development of safety and security measures on board vessels, including, where applicable, developing regulations for the use of PCASP on board ships, aimed at preventing and suppressing piracy off the coast of Somalia, through a consultative process, including through the IMO and ISO;
30. Invites the IMO to continue its contributions to the prevention and suppression of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships, in coordination, in particular, with the UNODC, the World Food Program (WFP), the shipping industry, and all other parties concerned, and recognizes the IMO's role concerning privately contracted armed security personnel on board ships in high-risk areas;
31. Notes the importance of securing the safe delivery of WFP assistance by sea, and welcomes the ongoing work by the WFP, EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta, and flag States with regard to Vessel Protection Detachments on WFP vessels;
32. Requests States and regional organizations cooperating with Somali authorities to inform the Security Council and the Secretary-General in nine months of the progress of actions undertaken in the exercise of the authorizations provided in paragraph 14 above and further requests all States contributing through the CGPCS to the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia, including Somalia and other States in the region, to report by the same deadline on their efforts to establish jurisdiction and cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of piracy;
33. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Security Council within twelve months of the adoption of this resolution on the implementation of this resolution and on the situation with respect to piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia;
34. Expresses its intention to review the situation and consider, as appropriate, renewing the authorizations provided in paragraph 14 above for additional periods upon the request of Somali authority;
35. Decides to remain seized of the matter.
Source: United Nations
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An article on Wednesday about infighting among members of the royal family in Saudi Arabia misstated the relationship between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. Mohammed bin Salman is Mohammed bin Nayef's cousin, not his nephew.
Ben Hubbard reported from Amman, and Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt from Washington.


From master storyteller Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and Eisner Award–winning artist John Cassaday come four breathtaking motion comic arcs that promise to shake the foundations of the X-Men forever! Gifted When Dr. Kavita Rao develops a controversial "mutant cure," the X-Men once again find themselves battling against science, prejudice and a mysterious new alien foe! Dangerous The tragic death of a student at the Xavier Institute reveals that a powerful enemy is working from inside the mansion to destroy the X-Men — an enemy who knows all of their weaknesses and can predict their every move. Torn Emma Frost's erratic behavior has the X-Men spinning in a nonstop downward spiral. Will an unlikely union be the final straw? Plus: The X-Man destined to destroy the Breakworld stands revealed! Unstoppable The X-Men are off to protect the Earth from its destruction at the hands of the Breakworld. And when it's all over, nothing will ever be the same!
No reviews for Marvel Knights: Astonishing X-Men yet.
the price for Marvel Knights: Astonishing X-Men drops.
there are new images or links available for Marvel Knights: Astonishing X-Men.


I have a 3.5 year old Unitilite which has worked great until recently. I went to use the CD player which has only been used for a handful of times, to find that it refused to recognise some CD's & even with the ones that it loaded it stopped after a couple of tracks & said dirty disc. I contacted Naim Support who told me the CD transport needed replacing.
I decided to try a factory reset after which it displayed Error 61 - BridgeCo init fail, I turned off the power & the error code cleared. It played CD's that it wouldn't previously after this, but on random play kept stopping. I decided to try a factory reset again & again got the Error 61 afterwards & again turning off the power cleared it.
Amazingly the CD transport now works perfectly (apart from the sticking drawer which has happened from new!).
My question is does the Error 61 mean there is a fundamental problem with my unit or is it just a software glitch?
Can I expect the CD transport to play up again?
My drawer on my Unitilite but now I leave it on all the time the problem has stopped.


In his 1997 book, Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond attributes the ascendancy and triumphs of certain societies to geographical and environmental advantages. But given the conditions of geography and environment, Diamond advances the misguided view that societal ascent is principally contingent upon success in centralizing management of resources. Diamond largely ignores the institutions critical to formation and ascent of a society: (1) private property rights and (2) monetary exchange leading to specialization and division of labor. Diamond fails to understand the fact that these institutions necessarily imply that society cannot be viewed as an acting entity independently of the actions of individual, goal-oriented human beings. Private property and monetary exchange allow individuals to rationally reckon economic scarcity and the marginal private worth of alternative plans for serving the current and future needs of others.
Brätland, John. "Geography as Casual in Societal Ascendance: An Austrian Retrospective on Diamond." The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics 12, No. 4 (2009): 46–63.


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BASC highlights benefits of grouse shooting to the BBC
Post published:14th August 2018
BASC has highlighted the benefits of grouse shooting in a live radio interview today.
BASC North director Duncan Thomas told BBC Radio Leeds listeners that shooting sports were a "great leveller" and something anyone can get involved in.
He described the different roles on a shoot day and spoke about the "massive amount" of conservation shooting sports on grouse moors supports.
He said: "It's a great day out with people from all sorts of backgrounds. You never know who you're going to be shooting or beating or picking up or working your dogs with. Anything from bricklayer to barrister is the expression that we use."
He also explained that some sensitive species would be in "terminal decline" if it wasn't for the conservation efforts of gamekeepers and told listeners about the benefits grouse shooting brings to isolated rural communities and economies.
Mr Thomas added: "There's far more to grouse shooting than would initially meet the eye… It's sport for all."
You can listen to the interview here (from 00:12:38).
Today's interview follows an interview Duncan Thomas gave on BBC Radio Lancashire on Monday.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Tag Archives: Sue Alexander
Earth, sky, and symphony.
November 2, 2018 books, nature, quotes, treesafforestation, Ann Hayes, Dan Yakir, environment, Gennady Spirin, Giovanni Battista Riccioli, hothouse gases, Israel, Leonid Gore, moon, music, musical instruments, Natalia Romanova, Sue Alexander, Yatir ForestGretchenJoanna
It's a wonder, all the fascinating things I get to discuss and learn about, inspired by reading books to boys who range in age from two to six years old. Before they'd even shed their pajamas this morning they brought me a book found on the shelf here at the temporary house, a worn 1966 school discard by Isaac Asimov titled The Moon.
What instantly got my attention was the picture on the first page, a closeup of the moon showing its topography, with many names of craters, valleys and mountains. Where did these names come from? When were they given? Who is Piccolomini? Astronomy has never exactly sparked my interest; maybe because of my inability to grasp the spatial arrangement of bodies and trajectories in the Universe. But show me a map, and names that carry historic or literary or philosophical meanings as these seem to, and I'm intrigued.
Mr. Asimov doesn't get into all that. He goes right to theories of ages and descriptions of orbits. Liam was happy to stay with me a while on the names — remember, we both love words — and pointed out that Piccolomini has two words in it: piccolo and mini. This name is significant to our other "studies" as I will come back to later.
Before we could turn the page of this book, we had to sit down and eat the breakfast I'd made, and then the rest of the household who weren't at work went to visit another new friend, and as I was simultaneously working on some oatmeal muffins for lunch I read about lunar topography. The man who came up with the first nomenclature for the moon, much of which is still used, was a Jesuit priest of the early 17th century, Giovanni Battista Riccioli. Riccioli considered himself first a theologian, but spent the vast majority of his long life researching and teaching about astronomy, as well as logic and physics, especially pendulums. What a learned and productive human, who lived in a challenging time for a natural philosopher. People debate about his possible secret beliefs, based on how he chose and arranged names of lunar features.
"He said that once the enthusiasm for astronomy arose within him he could never extinguish it, and so he became more committed to astronomy than theology. Eventually his superiors in the Jesuit order officially assigned him to the task of astronomical research. However, he also continued to write on theology…"
Will I integrate these evocative moon names into the tangled web of my mind's musings? Perhaps the only thing I will have gained is another name for what's in my head: "Sea of Vapors." That name is from this newer map, featuring the waters of the moon, which I will leave at closing of this subject. Oh, and Piccolomini was an Italian poet and astronomer.
Soldier and Joy did bring along a big bag of their own books for the children, including several titles I wasn't familiar with before, like this one about orchestral instruments. It made me think of the song I used to sing with my children, "Nous Sommes à la Musicale." ("We are at the musical," in French.) I couldn't remember much of it, but Pippin came to my rescue and sent me a cute video of herself singing it. It's ultra simple and catchy — there are no other French lines other than the names of the instruments — and you can hear a clip of it on this Folkways recording. Perhaps I borrowed the LP from the library once in the distant past.
More singing: here is Liam sweeping while singing "I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills," etc.
I wanted the children to be able to hear the sounds of all the instruments pictured in the book above, and I found quite a few good videos on YouTube, including a half-hour performance without any lecturing, from Benjamin Britten's Young People's Guide to the Orchestra. I loved it because it showed nearly every instrument and closeups of the musicians playing, and the conductor was fun to watch as well. There were many shots of the piccolo player!
The boys had heard "Peter and the Wolf" many times, but never seen it played. I found a charming ensemble of seven musicians from Qatar performing to a backdrop of a sort of shadow puppet show of the story, and that was a hit.
Browsing the library shelves last week with Laddie, I came across this beautiful book, Behold the Trees, by Sue Alexander, illustrated by Leonid Gore. It is a simple telling of the story of "living, life-giving trees" in the Holy Land, from ancient times when they were plentiful, to the 20th century when Jews all over the world contributed funds for planting trees to replace those that had been over the centuries and for various reasons cut down.
"They grew in stands and groves and great forests. They held back the sea, cooled the air, and protected the earth for the people and animals who lived there… So it was, for hundreds and hundreds of years…."
But then, people needed cleared land for farms and doors for shops; armies "cut down trees to build fortresses and palaces, shrines to their gods, cities and towns." Whole forests were burned to remove hiding places for enemies. Eventually "the land became salt marsh and sand," and animals disappeared.
I love the illustrations in this book showing these events and the people planting trees. And the names of the trees listed simply, and as elegant as a poem. I wanted to know more about the history of this re-greening effort, and I learned a few things online that were fascinating and encouraging.
As recently as the 1960's the project was begun to plant Yatir Forest on the edge of the Negev Desert. A long Wikipedia article tells much about this "living laboratory" that is the largest forest in Israel, and on another site I found a succinct explanation of one way that the trees survive the climate that they are not suited to:
"Partial results of the research by Professor Yakir and his team show that the forest's trees have adapted themselves to arid environmental conditions by naturally smart use of the high level of carbon dioxide in the air. Professor Yakir explains that because of the rise in the level of carbon dioxide in the air, the trees absorb all the carbon dioxide they require without needing to fully open all the stomas (apertures) in their leaves' membranes. Partial opening of the stomas reduces the evaporation of the water on the leaves and so a tree uses less water without any damage to its development."
The last of the recent book discoveries was one I found at a used bookstore just yesterday. I was headed straight toward Target, but when my eyes saw a sign declaring "BOOKS," my feet veered that way. When I finally escaped I had bought several used books for me and for the children. The illustrations in Once There Was a Tree are rich, and do justice to the beauty of the forest, where the main character is a tree stump, and the questions are philosophical.
It might have been titled "Whose Tree is It?" or "Who owns the earth?" The fundamental message is gently told, of how countless numbers of us creatures benefit from as humble a piece of earth as nurtures a stump in the woods, and we should share. I intend to write on the end page Psalm 24:1: "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein."
Because truly He is the beginning and end, the source of all the wealth of gifts and resources that surround us, and of which I have been partaking by means of the sharing of so many of His creatures, from tree-planters to musicians, from a scientist-priest to a children's book illustrator.
The world — my world — His world — is full of delights.
And I'm looking forward to tomorrow's offering.


The fan heater can be used in an upright or flat position and features two instant heat settings of 1000w and 2000w. Alternatively, at the flick of a switch, you can change to cool air for those hot, sticky summer days. The automatic overheating cut-out means that the heater is both safe as well as long-lasting. The thermostatic control means that you can easily choose your optimum temperature for maximum comfort.


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Most of actor's employment lawsuit against company dismissed
On behalf of Aldrich Law Firm, Ltd. | May 9, 2012 | Uncategorized |
Actor and political pundit Ben Stein has lost the majority of his breach of contract lawsuit against a Japanese company after the company backed out of a deal to have Stein star in commercials for computer printers. Stein had filed the litigation against the company, Kyocera Mita, claiming that the company violated his First Amendment rights and broke his employment contract after finding out his views on climate change.
Stein is best known as an actor and game-show host, but prior to that he was an economist and speechwriter in the Nixon administration. In recent years, he has given support to the theory that changes in the environment are natural, not caused by pollution.
It appears that Kyocera was not aware of that when its ad agency agreed to hire Stein to shoot a series of television commercials. But then a representative of the ad agency called Stein's agent and said the company was concerned that his beliefs about the environment might hurt Kyocera's image. The company later hired another actor to portray a Stein-like character.
Stein brought a lawsuit against Kyocera, alleging breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress and seven other charges. But recently, the judge presiding over the case dismissed all but one of the counts. She said that, while Stein has the right to express political speech under the First Amendment, Kyocera also has the "constitutional right not to be associated with Plaintiff" due to his political views, a principle called freedom of expressive association.
The only remaining part of Stein's lawsuit is his allegation of misappropriation of publicity rights in connection with the ads Kyocera produced.
Source: Hollywood Reporter, "Ben Stein Loses Bulk of Lawsuit Claiming Global Warming Beliefs Cost Him Acting Job," Eriq Gardner, May 8, 2012
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Cyber security is a threat to every business. Criminals are targeting businesses by using spam as a delivery mechanism for dangerous malware. Roughly 200 to 400 thousand Trojans, ransomware, and other malware are delivered to IP addresses daily according to Trustwave researchers. Phishing is also a contributor making up 2.1% of spam types which can be the most lethal of all. Hackers have learned that they can target end users through social engineering emails that contain links or attachments. Phishing, tests the trust that people have with associated specific brands.
Banks – Hackers create a fake landing page that gets people to input their online banking credentials on it.
Utilities – Fake bills from energy or phone companies with links to ransomware or Trojans are sent to end users.
Finance Software – Fake emails that appear to be from accounting providers like QuickBooks but instead leads to banking Tojans.
Tax Returns – Fake messages from tax collection agencies that injects Java-based remote access Trojans.
Mail Quota – Fake popups that tell you that your mailbox is full and gets you to compromise your login credentials.
Amazon – Fake receipts that lead to landing pages getting you to give up login credentials and pushing junk products.
Apple – Fake password resets with the goal of getting your login credential.
Any type of business is at risk from cyber attacks. You DON'T have to be a victim if you don't engage. These types of attacks require humans to interact with them. You and your employees should avoid opening any emails that look suspicious. Don't ever be to quick to click on a link even if it seems legit or sent by a reputable source. Check with the contact that sent you the email or go to the website of the brand directly and log in from there.
As a business, it is up to you to make sure you are educating your employees on the threats that are happening on the web. Hold regular security trainings and educate your team on how to identify a phishing attack. This is a must for any type of business. Do this several times a year if possible.
If you have a question of whether you or your business is secure, call Protek at 801.999.4767. Our certified techs know what to look for and are able to help identify problems before they arise. We also offer end user training for our clients. Let us know if you would more information about this.


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La Versailles è un'autovettura mid-size di lusso prodotta dalla Lincoln dal 1977 al 1980.

Il contesto
Durante la seconda parte degli anni settanta la Ford non possedeva un capitale da investire nei propri veicoli che fosse paragonabile a quello della General Motors. Per risparmiare la Ford decise quindi di utilizzare, per le proprie vetture, la strategia del badge engineering. Il risultato fu che i modelli Ford e Mercury full-size di quegli anni differissero principalmente dalla calandra e dall'allestimento. Infatti, i pianali, i gruppi motopropulsori ed i corpi vettura erano pressoché identici.

Con l'insorgere della crisi energetica del 1973, si formò una lacuna nella gamma della Lincoln. Il marchio citato infatti non offriva un modello di lusso dalle dimensioni compatte che sarebbe potuto entrare in competizione con le vetture importate dall'estero come la Mercedes-Benz E-Class oppure con la Cadillac, che introdusse la Seville nel 1975. Con l'acuirsi della crisi energetica, negli Stati Uniti si sentì una crescente necessità di modelli di automobile più piccoli e aventi motori di cilindrata inferiore. In questo contesto, fu quindi deciso di lanciare un modello Lincoln con queste caratteristiche, la Versailles.

Fino al lancio della Versailles, le Lincoln erano relativamente differenti dalle Ford e dalle Mercury. Dalla metà degli anni settanta, però, venne deciso di operare un cambiamento di strategia aziendale che portò i modelli Lincoln a condividere molti componenti con le vetture degli altri marchi del gruppo.

Storia

La Versailles era quasi identica alla Ford Granada commercializzata negli Stati Uniti ed alla Mercury Monarch. Ciò non fu un caso, dato che la Versailles derivava dai due modelli citati. La Versailles venne offerta solo con un tipo di carrozzeria, berlina quattro porte. Il modello fu il frutto di un'evoluzione che iniziò con la Ford Falcon del 1960. Di Versailles ne furono prodotti in totale 50.156 esemplari. Rompendo una tradizione che era in voga all'epoca, la Versailles non fu disponibile in versioni speciali o in edizioni limitate.

Alla Versailles, nel 1979, vennero operati dei cambiamenti che comportarono la nascita di alcune differenze con la Monarch e la Granada. Ad esempio, sulla Versailles fu previsto un tettuccio dalle forme tipo landaulet.  Nell'occasione vennero introdotte delle innovazioni che furono delle novità assolute per l'industria automobilistica statunitense. Ad esempio, furono offerti dei fanali anteriori con lampade alogene ed un nuovo tipo di vernice che presto si diffuse anche tra gli altri marchi automobilistici. Anche grazie a queste novità, le vendite salirono a circa 21.000 esemplari. Nonostante ciò, l'anno successivo la Versailles fu tolta di produzione.

La Versailles non venne sostituita direttamente da nessun modello. La sua sostituta fu, essenzialmente, la nuova serie della Lincoln Continental, che venne lanciata nel 1982. Essa, rispetto alle generazioni precedenti, fu rimpicciolita e quindi possedeva delle dimensioni paragonabili alla Versailles. Questa Continental, a sua volta,  era molto simile alle Ford mid-size offerte all'epoca, anche se era caratterizzata da tratti distintivi.

La Versailles venne assemblata a Wayne, nel Michigan, ed a Mahwah, nel New Jersey.

Caratteristiche tecniche

Il motore da 5.752 cm³ aveva l'alimentazione a carburatore, e ciò contrastava con quanto era installato sul propulsore della diretta concorrente della Versailles, la Seville, che era infatti ad iniezione. Inoltre, il motore in oggetto consumava troppo carburante e quindi fu sostituito quasi immediatamente dal propulsore da 4.949 cm³. Quest'ultimo, era un'opzione comune sulla Monarch. Il motore della Versaills era montato anteriormente, e la trazione era posteriore. I freni della Versailles erano a disco, mentre sulla Monarch e sulla Granada erano a tamburo.

Esemplari prodotti

La Versailles nei media
In ambito videoludico, la Versailles compare nel videogioco Grand Theft Auto IV (dove viene denominata Marbelle).

Note

Bibliografia

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Versailles

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I have a couple of By Law question related to in-season.
4.d.II -- Special training camps held during the season are not permitted.
What constitutes a "Special training camp"?
By Laws don't address In-Season Private Lessons. Do In-Season Private Lessons affect Eligibility for an individual sport?


A mold evaluation will certainly determine any type of problems around your residential or commercial property which will certainly sustain mold and mildew growth along with identifying trouble areas for example water damages, smells and evident indications of fungal growth etc. The mold assessor should take the assessment outside and check the outside of the home once again for obvious indications of water damage, leakages as well as their sources such as damaged pipes, damaged seamless gutters, broken brick work and so on.
As a rule of thumb, these samples can take 3-4 days to refine at the lab yet I would absolutely expect that your mold inspector make call and also offer a spoken record as soon as the outcomes become available complied with by a created report within a number of days. An added indicate know, when it pertains to the record complying with a mold and mildew inspection an excellent mold and mildew examiner will not just send you a duplicate of the laboratory report. He/She must able to confidently analyze the results and also supply them together with recommendations to deal with the issue !
NB. Must you reserve a mold evaluation it is necessary that you keep doors and windows closed as much as possible for the 12 to 24 hours previous to the examiners visit. This will enable that the mold and mildew examination outcomes are accurate. It will certainly allow the mold inspector to discover odours and air samples will certainly not include excess outdoors air.


Havana.- The Extramuros publishing house will present 16 new titles at the 28th International Book Fair of Havana, covering a wide variety of literary genres.
The proposals consist of novels, short stories, poetry, journalistic reviews, interviews and children's literature.
Eleven titles resulted from the system of territorial publishing houses and five books from the special plan on the 500th anniversary of Havana.
Among those titles stand out Ciudad Soñada: La Habana de Espuma y Candil, Ambientes y Personajes Habaneros, by the researcher Pedro Perez Rivero, and La Habana. Ciudad Azul. Metropolis Cubana, by the historian Rolando Rensoli.
In the category of literature for children and adolescents, the titles are Cena Letrada, by Angel Isalgue Perez, and El Libro del Oregano, by the playwright Esther Suarez Yetka.


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Grants Resource Center
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Have You Outgrown Your Marriage?
By Marina S. Barannik
In their song from the 90's, Robin and Linda Williams describe the feelings of a woman who's decided to leave her marriage:
"But it comes down to true or false / And I'm right to write you off."
Like the woman in the song, Colleen (not her real name) came to feel that how she and her husband, Brad, related to each other in their marriage had developed a sense of falseness. She felt that she was no longer able to be true to herself in the relationship, that she was playing a role with a set of rules that were dictated by Brad. She had tried many times to talk to Brad about her "claustrophobia" within their relationship, but he insisted that the marriage was "fine" and that he was not open to the idea of going to see a marriage counselor with her.
When another client reflected on his marriage, he realized that at one time he and his wife had shared very compatible ideals, goals and interests. They were both adventuresome, curious about exploring everything from new cuisines to new music and thrived on expanding their circle of friends. However, gradually, over the years, he felt that his wife had gotten more cautious and more conservative, narrowing her world with each passing year. He felt that their lives were increasingly divergent rather than fitting together comfortably as they once had.
In the early years of marriage, Mary and Charlie had established a relationship in which Charlie called the shots and Mary adapted to his wishes. Mary didn't mind initially – it felt normal to her, probably because her parents had had a very similar relationship. However, in her professional life, Mary had been promoted year after year until she was in the top management tier of her company. Her sense of self shifted dramatically, and she no longer felt comfortable being controlled by her husband in so very many ways.
If you have come to feel similarly, that you may have outgrown your marriage, it is important to try to identify and assess your thoughts and feelings in a coherent way. A neutral sounding board, such as a therapist or objective friend, can help you make sense or find a pattern in how your feelings about your marriage have changed over time and what that means for the future. Of course, there are many different forces operating in a person's life at any given time, so it is important to clarify for yourself whether your dissatisfaction is about your marriage, or possibly about something else.
Then, if you reach a clear conclusion that your misgivings really are about your marriage, go to the best family law attorney you can find in order to develop an exit strategy that is consistent with your values and goals. For example, if you have children, you will want to protect them from marital conflict as much as possible and implement a settlement strategy that makes their best interests a priority. You will also be well served if you can keep things civil, looking to the future rather than focusing on fault and blame.
Just because your marriage was a good fit in its early years doesn't mean that it will continue to fit you over time. You should also be open to the possibility that your spouse may not be comfortable with a relationship that no longer fits either. An expert can help you move on to a better future.
Learn More About Marina S. Barannik
"I guide my clients through difficult family transitions and complex divorce challenges to help them embrace new roles and achieve positive results for the future."
Filed Under: Blog, Family Law
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Featuring a tennis court and shared lounge, as well as a restaurant, The Fern Hillside Resort Bhimtal is situated in Bhīm Tāl.
Set in Rāmnagar, Clarks Exotica Jim Corbett features free WiFi. The property features a restaurant.
Set in Peora, 55 km from Nainital, The Orchard at Peora Estates features a restaurant and free WiFi throughout the property.
Hotel Silk is set in Haldwāni. With free WiFi, this 5-star hotel offers a 24-hour front desk.
Ojaswi Himalayan Resort is offering accommodation in Mukteswar. Boasting room service, this property also provides guests with a restaurant.
Located in Mukteswar, The Golden Peak, Hotel has a garden. Featuring room service, this property also provides guests with a terrace.


Brooklyn Industries is a brand normally associated with images of Brooklynites around Brooklyn. But in 2007 and 2008, we explored their brand and marketing as a vehicle for meaningful cultural dialogue. They hired me with the intention of running campaigns that spoke to political issues they and their customers cared about. Whether exploring the idea of weaponizing our purchasing decisions, or celebrating everyone finding their little piece of nature in the city, we explored three strong seasons together and the idea that a brand can be more than a product or a service — it can be a bold and participatory voice in important societal discourse. It remains some of my favorite work.
From testing and pitching campaign concepts, to hiring and directing photographers, models, stylists, hair stylists, to retouching and designing the final campaign art, writing campaign copy, working with window designers for the in-store displays, merchandizers on in-store signage, and the web team on web marketing and the site itself, I worked on every aspect of campaign creative.


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OFR51 Groundwater Monitoring Procedures Part 1: Equipment and Procedures for Manual and Automated Field Measurement of Groundwater Levels in Dedicated Monitoring Wells Andres, A.S., He, C., McKenna, T.E. Aug 2018
RI74 Locating Ground-Water Discharge Areas in Rehoboth and Indian River Bays and Indian River, Delaware Using Landsat 7 Imagery Wang, L.T., McKenna, T.E., DeLiberty, T.L. Apr 2008
OFR45 Characterization of the Potomac Aquifer, an Extremely Heterogeneous Fluvial System in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of Delaware McKenna, T.E., McLaughlin, P.P., Benson, R.N. Jul 2004
RI60 Geochemistry of the Mafic Rocks, Delaware Piedmont and Adjacent Pennsylvania and Maryland: Confirmation of Arc Affinity Plank, M.O., Srogi, L., Schenck, W.S., Plank, T.A. Jul 2001
OFR43 Results of Trenching Investigations Along the New Castle Railroad Survey-1 Seismic Line, New Castle, Delaware McLaughlin, P.P., Baxter, S.J., Ramsey, K.W., McKenna, T.E., Strohmeier, S.A. Feb 2001
SP25 Physiographic Regions of the Delaware Atlantic Coast Ramsey, K.W., Schenck, W.S., Wang, L.T. Dec 2000
SP24 Selected Geomorphic Features of Delaware Ramsey, K.W., Schenck, W.S., Wang, L.T. Dec 2000
RI59 Bedrock Geology of the Piedmont of Delaware and Adjacent Pennsylvania Plank, M.O., Schenck, W.S., Srogi, L. Jul 2000
GM10 Bedrock Geologic Map of the Piedmont of Delaware and Adjacent Pennsylvania Schenck, W.S., Plank, M.O., Srogi, L. Jan 2000
SP20 Delaware Piedmont Geology Plank, M.O., Schenck, W.S. Nov 1998
RI57 Evaluation of the Stream-Gaging Network in Delaware Doheny, E.J. Jul 1998
RI56 The Setters Formation in the Pleasant Hill Valley, Delaware: Metamorphism and Structure Plank, M.O., Schenck, W.S. Nov 1997
B19 Geology and Hydrology of the Cockeysville Formation Northern New Castle County, Delaware Plank, M.O., Woodruff, K.D., Werkheiser, W.H. Mar 1996
OFR39 Basic Data for the Geologic Map of the Seaford Area, Delaware Andres, A.S., Ramsey, K.W., Schenck, W.S. Jul 1995
OFR38 Data Report on Rock Cores from Red Mill Road, Harmony Road, Prices Corner, and Newport, Delaware Schenck, W.S., Plank, M.O. Jun 1995
HM8 Geohydrology of the Middletown-Odessa Area, Delaware Woodruff, K.D. Mar 1992
OFR32 Geologic Map of Southern Delaware Ramsey, K.W., Schenck, W.S. Jun 1990
(-) Adams, J.K.
(-) Baker, W.W.
(-) Demicco, P.M.
(-) Doheny, E.J.
(-) Lanan, B.A.
(-) McKenna, T.E.
(-) Schenck, W.S.
Strohmeier, S.A.
(-) Woodruff, K.D.


Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at http://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/8198, first published Jun 13, 2017.
Background: A hot topic on the relationship between a popular avian-origin food and avian influenza occurred on social media during the outbreak of the emerging avian influenza A (H7N9). The misinformation generated from this topic had caused great confusion and public concern.
Objective: Our goals were to analyze the trend and contents of the relevant posts during the outbreak. We also aimed to understand the characteristics of the misinformation and to provide suggestions to reduce public misconception on social media during the emerging disease outbreak.
Methods: The original microblog posts were collected from China's Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo using a combination of keywords between April 1, 2013 and June 2, 2013. We analyzed the weekly and daily trend of the relevant posts. Content analyses were applied to categorize the posts into 4 types with unified sorting criteria. The posts' characteristics and geographic locations were also analyzed in each category. We conducted further analysis on the top 5 most popular misleading posts.
Results: A total of 1680 original microblog posts on the topic were retrieved and 341 (20.30%) of these posts were categorized as misleading messages. The number of relevant posts had not increased much during the first 2 weeks but rose to a high level in the next 2 weeks after the sudden increase in number of reported cases at the beginning of week 3. The posts under "misleading messages" occurred and increased from the beginning of week 3, but their daily posting number decreased when the daily number of posts under "refuting messages" outnumbered them. The microbloggers of the misleading posts had the lowest mean rank of followers and previous posts, but their posts had a highest mean rank of posts. The proportion of "misleading messages" in places with no reported cases was significantly higher than that in the epidemic areas (23.6% vs 13.8%). The popular misleading posts appeared to be short and consisted of personal narratives, which were easily disseminated on social media.
Conclusions: Our findings suggested the importance of responding to common questions and misconceptions on social media platforms from the beginning of disease outbreaks. Authorities need to release clear and reliable information related to the popular topics early on. The microbloggers posting correct information should be empowered and their posts could be promoted to clarify false information. Equal importance should be attached to clarify misinformation in both the outbreak and nonoutbreak areas.
A novel avian influenza A (H7N9) case was first reported in China on March 31, 2013 . A total of 131 confirmed cases and 39 deaths were documented in China as of May 31, 2013 . From May, the first outbreak subsided, with only 1 case reported each month in June and July [3,4]. Due to its severity, this outbreak drew great public attention from all over the world .
Emerging infectious disease outbreaks usually drive people to search for more relevant information because of the uncertainty about the source of infection and fear of the deadly consequences [6,7]. In China, Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo were the two largest social media platforms with more than 300 million users when the outbreak occurred . Weibo is the Chinese word for microblog and allows a 140-character limit. The Internet users who post on "Weibo" are known as microbloggers. Driven by the popularity of such platforms, the outbreak triggered great public concern, with over 850,000 posts related to the term of "H7N9" generated in Sina Weibo . With the function of self-expression and networking, social media provides a fertile ground for unreliable information generation and circulation [6,9,10]. One study showed that 57% of the rumors about the tragedy of Malaysia Airlines MH370 were generated from social media platforms in China . Such misinformation or rumors could lead to great confusion and pose challenges to the disease control [7,12]. The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003 serves as a typical example where rumors stirred great panic in Chinese society and made it hard for disease prevention and control [7,13].
From the beginning of the outbreak, social media users started to query the safety of the avian-origin food. Due to the poultry origin, a kind of Chinese traditional food—Chicken feet with pickled pepper—sparked microbloggers' discussion about its causal relationship with the avian influenza. Chicken feet with pickled pepper (known as Pao-jiao-feng-zhua in Chinese) is a popular food item widely loved by Chinese people. The chicken feet are boiled for about 20 min and pickled with peppers for 2 days or longer. Although the avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) virus exists in the live poultry, the virus is sensitive to heat and cannot survive in the boiling water for 2 min [14,15]. Therefore, the virus has no chance of survival during the production process of the chicken feet with pepper. However, the topic on the relationship between the 2 items was widely discussed. Many microbloggers released messages that misunderstood the causal relationship between the 2 counterparts, and their posts became very prevalent [16-18]. The false messages claiming that chicken feet with pepper would cause H7N9 influenza were identified as rumors and caused great confusion and panic during the outbreak .
Little research has been done to examine the information and misinformation generated on social media during emerging disease outbreaks in China. The purpose of this observational case study is to understand the trend and characteristics of the relevant Weibo posts on the hot topic and to give the recommendations for effective health communication practice on social media in the context of emerging disease outbreaks.
We used a combination of H7N9 or Qinliugan (the Chinese equivalent for avian influenza) and "Pao-jiao-feng-zhua" (the Chinese equivalent for chicken feet with pickled peppers) as keywords to search for the relevant original microblog posts from Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo in September 2013. An original microblog post is defined as a short post where the content was not copied or forwarded from the news media or somewhere else [16,19]. The selected study period spanned 63 days or 9 weeks between April 1, 2013 (1 day after the official report of the first cases) and June 2, 2013 (when the government began to report the cases monthly instead of daily and weekly, indicating the outbreak was basically under control). We recorded the content of the posts, along with the posting date, geographic location, replies, number of retweets, number of microbloggers' followers, and number of microbloggers' existing posts. We examined the posting trend by weeks based on the posting date. The weekly reported case numbers were collected from the mainstream media.
About 11.90% (200/1680) were randomly selected from the collected posts and reviewed by a panel of 3 researchers. Each researcher independently read the contents of each post and synthesized different themes. After that, the panel discussed all generated themes and made an agreement to code all the posts (1680) into 4 major categories: queries, misleading messages, refuting messages, and other messages. We set the sorting criteria before the coding process. Queries referred to the posts querying whether eating chicken feet with pickled peppers caused avian influenza A (H7N9). If the microbloggers asked rhetorical questions or the question was answered by themselves in the same posts, such posts were not included in this category. Misleading messages referred to posts claiming that influenza A (H7N9) was caused by chicken feet with pickled peppers or to the posts persuading other people to believe the incorrect statement. Refuting messages included posts that stated that there was no causal relationship between the 2 counterparts and posts that corrected the false information or reminded the readers not to believe the wrong messages. Other messages represented posts that could not be classified into the categories above. The posts in this category have not mentioned the relationship between eating chicken feet with pickled pepper and H7N9 avian influenza, or the information is too limited to be judged.
Queries Posts querying whether eating chicken feet with pickled peppers caused avian influenza A (H7N9). Posts with rhetorical questions by microbloggers or answering of the question by themselves in the same posts were not included.
With so many H7N9 cases, is it dangerous or safe to eat chicken feet with pickled peppers?
I ate chicken feet with pickled peppers last night. Am I going to have avian influenza?
Is it the truth that the new H7N9 cases were caused by chicken feet with pickled peppers in our city?
Misleading messages Posts claiming that influenza A (H7N9) was caused by chicken feet with pickled peppers or posts persuading other people to believe the incorrect statement.
Our city had the first case of avian influenza caused by chicken feet with pickled peppers last night!
Don't eat chicken feet with pickled peppers because it causes H7N9. Tell the people around you.
A staff of my company was infected by H7N9 virus just because he had chicken feet with pickled peppers last night.
Refuting messages Posts which stated that there was no causal relationship between the 2 counterparts and posts which corrected the false information or reminded the readers not to believe the wrong messages.
Chicken feet with pickled peppers have no chance to carry H7N9 virus and cause illnesses.
It's really silly to believe that chicken feet with pickled peppers would cause H7N9 flu.
Don't spread the false message (Chicken feet with pickled peppers cause H7N9 avian influenza) among the public.
Other messages Posts that could not be classified into the categories above. The posts in this category have not mentioned the relationship between eating chicken feet with pickled pepper and H7N9 infection, or the information is too limited.
Chicken feet with pickled peppers is hot but H7N9 avian influenza is cold.
Table 1. The coding criteria and the sample posts.
Two researchers of the same panel independently reviewed all the 1680 posts and categorized them based on the sorting criteria. The coefficient of agreement (Cohen kappa) of the coding results between the 2 reviewers was .82. The third reviewer discussed with the 2 reviewers about the posts with different coding results and finalized the categorization. Some sample posts are listed in Table 1.
We used WPS Office Excel (Kingsoft Office Software, Beijing, China) to plot the weekly trend of posting. The weekly and daily posts were presented in bar charts by the categories we defined earlier. Kruskal Wallis tests were performed to analyze the characteristics and potential impact of the posts in each category. We also used Pearson chi-square test to compare geographic locations of the posts by category. We further examined the popular "Misleading messages" with regard to their features. A P value <.05 was considered statistically significant.
The study has been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee in the Zhejiang Provincial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The identity of the microbloggers was kept confidential.
A total of 1680 original microblog posts containing "chicken feet with pickled peppers" and "H7N9" or "avian influenza" were retrieved from the 2 largest microblog platforms, with 1353 posts (80.54%) from Sina Weibo and 327 posts (19.46%) from Tencent Weibo.
The weekly posting trends were similar between Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo for our topic, except in week 4. The posting trend was consistent with the weekly reporting trend of H7N9 avian influenza case number. The posts increased gradually in the first 2 weeks (April 1-14) after the official announcement of the first 3 H7N9 cases in the Shanghai municipality and Anhui Province of China on March 31. From March 31 to April 13, the number of daily reported cases was ≤6. However, 28 new cases were reported in just 3 days, spanning from April 14 to April 16, with 11 new cases on April 14 and 14 cases on April 16. Subsequently, the weekly posts rose sharply from the start of week 3 (April 15-21) and peaked at 558 and remained high (549) in week 4 (April 22-28), which corresponded to more than 1100 posts in 2 weeks (April 15-28). In week 5, the posts dropped substantially and then gradually declined to a small number during weeks 6 to 9 (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Weekly posting trend of the observed microblog posts related to the topic and the number of weekly reported cases from April 1 to June 2, 2013.
Among the 1680 posts, 466 (27.74%) posts were classified as queries, 341 (20.30%) as misleading messages, 508 (30.24%) as refuting messages, and 365 (21.73%) as other messages.
Most of the posts dated in the first 2 weeks were under queries, with 66.7% (106/159) and 69.3% (158/228) in the first and second weeks, respectively. There were 33.3% (53/159) and 30.7% (70/228) posts recognized as other messages in the first 2 weeks. No posts under misleading messages and refuting messages were identified in the same period. In the third week, the posts under misleading messages increased to 32.3% (180/558) per week, yet the posts under refuting messages also appeared and rose to 35.7% (199/558) per week. The number of posts under "queries" decreased to 16.7% (93/558) and other messages kept steady at 15.4% (86/558). "Misleading messages" reduced to 24.7% (136/549) in the fourth week, whereas the number of posts under refuting messages peaked at 51.2% (281/549). The posts under the other 2 categories showed a steady trend in week 4. From week 5 to week 9, the posts of all 4 categories showed a downward trend, and the weekly posts dropped below 100 (Figure 2).
We took a closer look into the daily posting trend between week 3 and week 4 when most of the posts occurred. The first misleading message was identified on April 15. Three days later (April 18), the number of daily posts became 17 per day and increased to 32 on April 19. From April 20 to April 22, the number of "misleading messages" was kept at high levels of 65, 63, and 63 per day, respectively. Along with the rising "misleading" posts, the number of refuting messages started to increase from April 18 and peaked at 179 on April 22. The posts under "misleading messages" outnumbered those under refuting messages before April 20, but a reverse was observed in the next 2 days because of a sharp growth of the posts under refuting messages. The other 2 kinds of posts showed a relatively steady trend during the above-mentioned period. In the weeks from April 22, the posts of all 4 categories gradually dropped to a low level on April 28 (Figure 2).
The characteristics of the posts under the 4 categories were different. The group of posts under misleading messages had the highest mean ranks of the number of retweets among the 4 groups (P<.001). However, the microbloggers of the posts under misleading messages had the lowest mean rank in terms of the numbers of followers and existing posts (P<.001). Their misleading posts had modest number of replies (mean rank=793.8). The posts under refuting messages were different in that their microbloggers had more followers and previous posts, but they had the lowest mean rank of the number of retweets (P<.001). The refuting messages received most comments among the 4 groups (P<.001). The posts under "queries" and "other messages" had moderate mean ranks of the number of microbloggers' followers and previous post numbers (Table 2).
Figure 2. Weekly and daily microblog posts, by categoriescategory, during the periods from April 1 to June 2 and April 15 to April 28, 2013.
Table 2. Characteristics of the posts and their microbloggers under different categories.
Table 3. Geographic locations of the posts by category. Pearson χ23=36.7, P<.001.
Textbox 1. Top 5 most popular misleading posts.
Geographic locations (IDs) of 1439 microblog posts were obtained, among which 573 posts were located in the provinces where avian influenza A (H7N9) cases were reported, and 866 posts were from the provinces or regions where no cases were reported. The proportion of rumor posts in the places with no reported cases was significantly higher than that in the epidemic areas (23.6%>13.8%; Table 3).
The top 5 posts under misleading messages in terms of the number of retweets and replies are listed in Textbox 1. Three of them claimed that H7N9 avian influenza cases were reported in the local areas, and the cause was eating chicken feet with pickled peppers. The other 2 posts expressed the microbloggers' concern, stating that the microbloggers had heard of people getting avian influenza after eating chicken feet with pickled peppers and reminded the readers not to eat such food. Of the top 5 misleading posts with most followers, 3 claimed that their local area had H7N9 cases due to eating chicken feet with pickled peppers, one claimed that his/her classmate was dying because he/she had eaten chicken feet with pickled peppers, and the other suggested not eating chicken feet with pickled peppers to prevent infection with avian influenza A (H7N9) virus (Textbox 1).
Using the keyword search, we collected all the original posts relevant to the hot topic on chicken feet with pickled peppers and H7N9 or avian influenza in the study period. Employing methods provided by digital epidemiology, we mined and investigated posting trends, content, and characteristics of the posts [5,16,20,21]. More than 1600 original posts were collected, and 20.30% of the posts were recognized as misleading messages during the outbreak.
The weekly posting trend of the topic was consistent with the change of weekly reported cases in our study. From the beginning of the outbreak, microbloggers tend to rush to social media to seek information about the disease [18,20,22]. Relevant posts had occurred accompanying microbloggers' queries on the safety of the avian-origin food. However, the number of posts about this topic did not increase much in the first 2 weeks. With the increment of reported cases, people are likely to perceive more risk and severity [23-25]. In addition, limited information sources and unanswered questions could also raise people's anxiety and help generate misconceptions about the disease [23,26]. Accompanying the sharply rising number of reported cases at the beginning of week 3, misleading messages occurred on April 15, and the posting trend was greatly boosted from then on. This result indicated that early intervention with clear and sense-making messages was necessary for people's appropriate response to the outbreak during this period [16,27].
The situation reversed on April 21, 2013 when the posts under "refuting messages" started to prevail over those under misleading messages. From then on, the daily number of misleading posts decreased and was virtually controlled after April 24. Social media has the ability to purify itself and should be used as an effective information communication platform [11,28,29]. In our study, the microbloggers' timely and effective engagement in correcting the misinformation played an important role in the self-purification of social media [18,30].
In our study, the posts under misleading messages tended to receive most retweets among the 4 types of posts, suggesting their high virality on social media. The virality of the posts could be measured by the times they are forwarded, replied, and/or endorsed [22,31]. In contrast, the microbloggers of "misleading messages" had fewer followers and previous posts than other microbloggers. In other words, the microbloggers who posted misinformation seemed to be inactive on social media but their misleading messages were more likely to be disseminated. The microbloggers who posted "refuting messages" were recognized as active on social media because they had most followers and previous posts among the 4 groups. However, their correcting posts received fewer reposts as well as the least reposts. This fact suggests the need to empower these kinds of messages to strengthen the self-purification function of social media [11,28,29]. The queries and other messages received more comments than the other 2 groups. These 2 groups of posts contained more content of questions and jokes, which we think were more interactive . Thus, they received more replies than the other 2 groups of posts.
In terms of the geographic distribution of the misleading posts, we found misleading posts occurred more frequently in the provinces with no H7N9 cases reported than in the provinces with cases reported. Currently, people who were physically located far from disease outbreaks could obtain information rapidly from the Internet and contribute to the circulation of misinformation [11,32]. This was different from the traditional rumor dissemination. For the nonoutbreak areas, information monitoring and communication on social media are also very important.
Previous studies showed that the individuals who created and/or disseminated misinformation might have the motives to draw more public attention [7,33]. Social media could be a good tool to generate such misleading but attractive information [6,9,10]. Most of the top 5 misleading posts disseminated false information that H7N9 cases had occurred in the local area because of eating "chicken feet with pickled pepper." They told a story containing information of where, when and who. Such posts were narrative and seemed to be real. This feature was similar to the traditional rumors. However, they were short and visible on the Internet, leading to the quick dissemination because of the high interactivity of social media. These kinds of misleading posts should be clarified as a priority.
There are several limitations in our study. Instead of retrieving data at the beginning of the outbreak, we did it after the outbreak occurred, when some microbloggers might have deleted their posts. This might have led to information loss. The real-time data retrieval would have been preferable in future studies. Although the misinformation of the specific topic we studied was prevailing during the outbreak, it could not represent all misinformation that occurred in the same period and it may not be applied to other public health emergency. Due to the limited research resources and insufficient data, we could not conduct more secondary content analysis and observe the networking of the posts, which could have further revealed the model of the misinformation dissemination on social media.
This study has some implications for public health practice and health communication on social media during disease outbreaks. We think it is important to detect the microbloggers' common concern from the very beginning of the outbreak. It was also found necessary to release correct information in response to a misunderstood topic. The microbloggers on social media can and should be empowered to clarify wrong information by themselves. The microbloggers of posts under "misleading messages" in our study seemed to be less active, but their posts drew greater attention on social media. In the times of Web 2.0, it is of equal importance to monitor outbreak and nonoutbreak areas and prevent misinformation from spreading on social media.
This study was supported by research fund from Nation-Zhejiang Cooperating Project (WKJ-2J-1001), Zhejiang Major Science and Technology Project (2015C1027), Zhejiang Provincial Research Institute of Public Health (PI: Health Communication and Network Monitoring), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (61572425). We would like to thank Qinxiang Sun from the Fourth Division of College English Center of Fudan University for the language editing.
BC, HG, and JJ conceived the idea and planned the study. ZJ and KL collected and sorted the data. BC, JS, KL, and GC analyzed the data. BC, YH, JS, and JJ contributed to the manuscript preparation.
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©Bin Chen, Jian Shao, Kui Liu, Gaofeng Cai, Zhenggang Jiang, Yuru Huang, Hua Gu, Jianmin Jiang. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http://publichealth.jmir.org), 29.03.2018.