text:
By Carol Yinghua Lu
Hong Zicheng's 'Materials and Annotations'
'Hong allows revelations to emerge from the most unassuming descriptions of facts'
Hong Zicheng, Materials and Annotations, 2016. Courtesy: Carol Yinghua Lu
My aspiration as a Chinese art historian and critic has been to account for cultural developments in China in a way that is appropriate to the country's historical course. One approach I have adopted is to try to understand the internal logic of this development through close and repeated readings of primary source materials. In this regard, I have been drawn to the work of Chinese literary historian Hong Zicheng.
Published in 2016, Materials and Annotations is by far the most important volume in Hong's prolific oeuvre. This collection of essays lays out excerpts of primary documents related to Chinese contemporary literature from the 1950s to the '70s: an era of significant political change in Chinese history. The book mostly comprises records and accounts of key speeches, symposia, social commentaries and the public confessions of cultural officials made between 1957 and 1967. In some instances, the same event is described by different parties while, in others, the same person recalls an event at different periods and under differing circumstances. For instance, Hong looks at the 1967 confession of Lin Mohan, head of literature and art at the Propaganda Ministry in the 1950s and a political prisoner for ten years during the Cultural Revolution, to analyze the responses of his colleagues and peers. Juxtaposition turns these into conversation partners for one another, revealing the multifaceted nature and complexity of history. Like a detective, Hong identifies telling clues by combing through the source materials and allowing revelations to emerge from the most unassuming descriptions of facts.
Carol Yinghua Lu is a contributing editor of frieze, a PhD candidate in art history at Melbourne University, Australia, and director of Inside-out Art Museum, Beijing, China.
Hong Zicheng
In Brief: WangShui at Julia Stoschek Collection Berlin
The Fight for Hong Kong Is Not Over
European Elections: Anti-Brexit Artists Unite as UK Voters Head to Polls
Can Chinese Blockbuster 'The Wandering Earth' Take Climate Fiction Mainstream?
China's Virtual Victory: from Typewriters to Huawei

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Setting up your home network? To keep it secure, don't forget about your router.
Whether you're shopping by phone, mail or online this holiday season, here are a few tips to help you shop wisely and save a few bucks, too.


The doctrine of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is our distinctive.
This truth explains the passion and power of our witness. Jesus promised His followers they would receive power from on high so that they would be His witnesses. We believe this truth is just as relevant today as our Fellowship continues to take the gospel message around the globe.


Our group guide systems are indispensible wherever you want to focus the attention of your visitor group while minimizing noise levels for other visitors.
All our tourguides have a large range and a wide frequency spectrum. Thanks to manual channel selection they enable many tours to be carried out simultaneously. The classic group function can be bolstered with played-in sound bites to make the tour more lively.
We offer our tourguides in several different models.
For years the tourguide MG has been a favorite thanks to its simple handling and excellent cost effectiveness. It enables large group tours to be run in parallel and in different languages.
The tourguide SPL is a small digital group guide system. Its lightweight format makes it space-saving and especially suitable for tourist groups.


When you clench your teeth (a natural part of humans' "fight or flight" instinct), you trigger the release of performance-sapping hormones, like cortisol, and you reduce airflow through your throat. Strength, power and speed are all diminished, while lactic acid is increased. This ironic frailty prevents us from performing at our best—in many cases when we need to most. What's more, it can even negatively impact health.
One technology for every athlete.
The ArmourBite® Mouthpiece features patented ArmourBite® technology that increases strength, improves endurance and reduces athletic stress to make you stronger, faster and better.
The ArmourBite® Mouthpiece is a lower jaw appliance that is the quintessential performance piece, designed specifically for non-contact activities such as weightlifting, cycling, yoga and more. Type your paragraph here.
Your jaw is the key to unlocking the power you never knew was there.
That's because no one knew. Hundreds of years ago, a few people were on to something. Ancient Greek athletes bit down on leather straps for an edge during competition. Viking and Roman warriors clamped down on bits of leather for focus on the battlefield. They knew something worked, but the concept itself never evolved. Until now.


Our services include one-stop designing, building, enhancing and maintaining lovely green spaces trough thoughtful planning, preparation, execution and post-construction maintenance and management services. We provide plants, materials and labour supply for your projects to be on time and to budget.
The Landscaping Planning and Construction side of "Lovely Landscapes" has been a fast growing area and one in which we are proud to boast is our expertise and flexibility. Unique designs and combinations of water, rocks and plants mean that every site has its' own touch and feel. You can be assured that we will never run dry on new ideas and concepts to suit all needs and desires.
Water has always held a fascination with many and we at "Lovely Landscapes" understands this. Water, whenever possible is an integral part of our design process. Water adds that extra dimension whether it be ornamental, functional or even just straight-forward fun. We can construct your water furniture, fountains, distribute water through efficient irrigation, effect a hydro Culture environment and of course build and maintain Beautiful Coy Carp ponds as well as even lakes if you have a suitable area and budget!!
Lighting is another area where our designers at "Lovely Landscapes" are able to enhance and take to yet another level any environment, effective coloured lighting can change the ambience of an area and we use lighting to very good effect. Warm and Inviting, Moving and Living, as well as effective Security lighting Bright and Warning!
Your trees need never get out of hand as our tree surgeons are all highly qualified and we also obtain permits for any tree work required. There are many Protected Trees within Singapore and it is imperative that only qualified tree surgeons with correct permits be allowed to work on your trees. At "Lovely Landscapes" you can rest assured of the quality of workmanship and that all Legal aspects are taken care of for you.
Wooden Decking is not something limited to Coy Ponds but also works well in many environments, we also specialize in Garden furniture and Wooden Fencing either internal to divide the areas ornament ally or externally for security purposes.
We have yet to mention Plant Displays, Shrubbery, Bushes, Ground Coverings, Lawns, Rock Gardens, Japanese Style Gardens, Herb Gardens and of course Orchids. We can supply you with Floral Arrangements and even Plant Rentals. To ensure that your "Lovely Landscape" is always in top condition we also have a General Cleaning Team, we call them our 'Eco Warriors'.
So come on in and join our many satisfied clients and enjoy your "Lovely Landscape", watch it grow and evolve, your own 'Creation' in 'Nature' for 'Green Lovers' everywhere!


text:
Coalition To Fund Syrian Rebels
A coalition of at least 70 countries pledged several million dollars a month Sunday and communications equipment for Syrian rebels and opposition activists, signaling deeper involvement in the conflict amid a growing belief that diplomacy and sanctions alone can't end the regime's repression.
The shift by the U.S. and its Western and Arab allies toward seeking to sway the military balance in Syria, where heavily armed regime forces outmatch rebels, carries regional risks because the crisis there increasingly resembles a proxy conflict that could exacerbate sectarian tensions.
It comes after a year of failed diplomacy that seems close to running its course with a troubled peace plan led by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.
Indeed, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other participants in a meeting on Syria, held in Istanbul, uniformly expressed concern that Annan's plan might backfire, speculating that President Bashar Assad would try to manipulate it so as to prolong his hold on power.
Clinton said she was waiting for Annan's report to the U.N. Security Council on Monday on the status of his peace plan.
"If Assad continues as he has, to fail to end the violence, to institute a cease-fire, to withdraw his troops from the areas he has been battering ... then it's unlikely he is going to ever agree," she said.
Clinton said Assad may want to wait and see if his forces can completely crush the opposition.
"I think he would be mistaken to believe that," she said. "My reading is that the opposition is gaining in intensity, not losing."
In addition, Clinton said Washington is providing communications equipment to help anti-government activists in Syria organize, remain in contact with the outside world and evade regime attacks.
The Syrian regime agreed to Annan's plan last week, which calls for an immediate cease-fire, humanitarian access to besieged civilians and a political negotiation process led by Syrians. Since then, there have been daily reports of violence. The United Nations says more than 9,000 people have been killed since an uprising against Assad began a year ago.
Russia and China have twice protected the Syrian regime from censure by the U.N. Security Council, fearing such a step could lead to foreign military intervention. Syria's international opponents have no plans to launch a military operation similar to the Libya bombing campaign that ousted leader Moammar Gadhafi, especially without U.N. support, but they are slowly overcoming doubts about assisting scattered rebel forces.
Conference participants in Istanbul said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are creating a fund to pay members of the rebel Free Syrian Army and soldiers who defect from the regime and join opposition ranks. One delegate described the fund as a "pot of gold" to undermine Assad's army.
Participants confirmed the Gulf plan on condition of anonymity because details were still being worked out. A participant said the fund would involve several million dollars a month. It is allegedly earmarked for salaries, but it was not clear whether there would be any effort to prevent the diversion of money to weapons purchases, a sensitive issue that could prompt stronger accusations of military meddling by foreign powers.
The Saudis and other Arab Gulf states have proposed giving weapons to the rebels, while the U.S. and other allies have balked out of fear of fueling an all-out civil war. Washington hasn't taken any public position on the fund, but it appears that it has given tacit support to its Arab allies.
Mohammed al-Said, a Syrian activist in the town of Duma, northwest of Damascus, said salaries might encourage further defections, but that only arms would turn the tide against Assad.
"What is clear to us is that only fighting can make this regime leave," he said via Skype, adding the opposition wanted arms more than military intervention so they could topple Assad themselves.
Fayez Amru, a rebel who recently defected from the military and is now based in Turkey, welcomed the decision as a "humanitarian step in the right direction," but also said weapons were needed.
"We feel let down by the international community. I don't know why there is hesitation by the West... maybe this will help at least keep the rebels on their feet," Amru said.
The debate over arming or funding the rebels is being driven partly by the sectarian split in the region. The upheaval in Syria presents an opportunity for the Sunni Muslim states in the Gulf to bolster their influence, consolidate power and possibly leave regional rival Iran, led by a Shiite theocracy, without critical alliances that flow through Damascus.
Assad's regime, which counts Iran among its few allies, is led by the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiism.
Last year, Saudi Arabia sent tanks to help fellow Sunni leaders in Bahrain crush a largely Shiite rebellion there, indicating that sectarian interests sometimes trump calls for democratic change in the Middle East.
Turkey hosts 20,000 Syrian refugees, including hundreds of army defectors, and has floated the idea of establishing a buffer zone inside Syria if the flow of displaced people across its border becomes overwhelming. Parts of the southern Turkish region near Syria are informal logistics bases for rebels, who collect food and other supplies in Turkey and deliver them to comrades on smuggling routes.
At the meeting in Istanbul, delegates talked of tighter sanctions and increased diplomatic pressure on Assad, and Syrian opposition representatives promised to offer a democratic alternative to his regime. Yet the show of solidarity at the "Friends of the Syrian People" conference was marred by the absence of China, Russia and Iran.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said military options might have to be considered if Syria does not cooperate with Annan's plan and the U.N. Security Council fails to unite in opposition to Assad.
"If the U.N. Security Council fails once again to bring about its historic responsibility, there will be no other choice than to support the Syrian people's right to self-defense," Erdogan said.
Burhan Ghalioun, leader of the opposition Syrian National Council, called for the strengthening of Syrian rebel forces as well as "security corridors" inside Syria, a reference to internationally protected zones on Syrian territory that would allow the delivery of aid to civilians. However, the nations meeting in Istanbul have so far failed to agree on such an intervention, which could involve the deployment of foreign security forces.
"No one should allow this regime to feel at ease or to feel stronger by giving them a longer maneuvering area," he said, reflecting fears that Assad would try to use the Annan plan to prolong his tenure. "It's enough that the international community has flirted with the regime in Syria. Something has to change."
In a statement, the Syrian National Council said weapons supplies to the opposition were not "our preferred option" because of the risk they could escalate the killing of civilians, but it appealed for technical equipment to help rebels coordinate.
"For these supplies to be sent, neighboring countries need to allow for the transfer via their sea ports and across borders," the council said.
The one-day meeting followed an inaugural forum in Tunisia in February. Since then, Syrian opposition figures have tried to convince international sponsors that they can overcome their differences and shape the future of a country whose autocratic regime has long denied the free exchange of ideas.
Syria criticized the conference, calling it part of an international conspiracy to kill Syrians and weaken the country.
A front-page editorial in the official Al-Baath newspaper called it a "regional and international scramble to search for ways to kill more Syrians, sabotage their society and state, and move toward the broad objective of weakening Syria."
In Istanbul, police used tear gas and batons to disperse a group of about 40 Assad supporters who tried to approach the conference building. Many held portraits of the Syrian leader. One man waved Chinese and Russian flags.
This program aired on April 1, 2012. The audio for this program is not available.


text:
Kevin Gardner
Kevin Gardner is a writer, teacher, tradesman, and a lifelong resident of Hopkinton, NH. He has been a stone wall builder for forty years, and is the author of The Granite Kiss: Traditions and Techniques of Building New England Stone Walls, as well as poetry, songs, and essays. For 25 years, Kevin was an award-winning performance critic, feature writer, and producer for NH Public Radio. He's also a longtime professional actor, director and teacher of theatre. He is a regular Guest Director at Plymouth State University, and has been a performance evaluator for the NH State Council on the Arts. He has taught at the New Hampton School, the NH Institute of Art, and at St. Paul's School's summer Advanced Studies Program. Kevin's stone wall presentation is available throughout the year except for a six-week stretch from the third week of June through the month of July.
Hopkinton, NH 03229
kgardner@mcttelecom.com
Home Phone: 603-225-1782
Kevin Gardner's Programs
Discovering New England Stone Walls
Why are we so fascinated with stone walls? Kevin Gardner, author of The Granite Kiss, explains how and why New England came to acquire its thousands of miles of stone walls, the ways in which they and other dry stone structures were built, how their styles emerged and changed over time and their significance to the famous New England landscape. Along the way, Kevin occupies himself building a miniature wall or walls on a tabletop, using tiny stones from a five-gallon bucket.


A new sort of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is been developed by a team of scientists that can precisely estimate the risk of life-threatening strokes. The research team at the University of Oxford, the United Kingdom, has created a non-invasive method that can correctly specify whether plaques present in the carotid arteries—the one through which blood is supplied to the brain—are loaded in cholesterol, and consequently more prone to cause a stroke.
The fatty plaques' rupture can obstruct the arteries and result in potentially life-threatening and debilitating strokes since the brain is starved of oxygen. Presently, the risk of stroke is estimated by the plaque's size present in the carotid artery. If it is estimated to be too large, individuals are treated surgically to do away with it. Nonetheless, this technique can fail to spot fatty plaques that are small but have a high risk of bursting.
The new (MRI) method was designed to distinguish between the risky plaques that are more stable and the one that holds a lot of cholesterol. In the study, the research team utilized the new MRI scan to evaluate the cholesterol amount in the carotid plaques of around 26 individuals planned for surgery.


Starting in the late 1700's, European engineers began tinkering with motor powered vehicles. Steam, combustion, and electrical motors had all been attempted by the mid 1800's. By the 1900's, it was uncertain which type of engine would power the automobile. At first, the electric car was the most popular, but at the time a battery did not exist that would allow a car to move with much speed or over a long distance. Even though some of the earlier speed records were set by electric cars, they did not stay in production past the first decade of the 20th century. The steam-driven automobile lasted into 1920's. However, the price on steam powered engines, either to build or maintain was incomparable to the gas powered engines. Not only was the price a problem, but the risk of a boiler explosion also kept the steam engine from becoming popular. The combustion engine continually beat out the competition, and the early American automobile pioneers like Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford built reliable combustion engines, rejecting the ideas of steam or electrical power from the start.
Automotive production on a commercial scale started in France in 1890. Commercial production in the United States began at the beginning of the 1900's and was equal to that of Europe's. In those days, the European industry consisted of small independent firms that would turn out a few cars by means of precise engineering and handicraft methods. The American automobile plants were assembly line operations, which meant using parts made by independent suppliers and putting them together at the plant. In the early 1900's, the United States had about 2,000 firms producing one or more cars. By 1920 the number of firms had decreased to about 100 and by 1929 to 44. In 1976 the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association had only 11 members. The same situation occurred in Europe and Japan.
The first automobile produced for the masses in the US was the three-horsepower, curved-dash Oldsmobile; 425 of them were sold in 1901 and 5,000 in 1904–this model is still prized by collectors. The firm prospered, and it was noted by others, and, from 1904 to 1908, 241 automobile-manufacturing firms went into business in the United States. One of these was the Ford Motor Company which was organized in June 1903, and sold its first car on the following July 23. The company produced 1,700 cars during its first full year of business. Henry Ford produced the Model T to be an economical car for the average American. By 1920 Ford sold over a million cars.
At the beginning of the century the automobile entered the transportation market as a toy for the rich. However, it became increasingly popular among the general population because it gave travelers the freedom to travel when they wanted to and where they wanted. As a result, in North America and Europe the automobile became cheaper and more accessible to the middle class. This was facilitated by Henry Ford who did two important things. First he priced his car to be as affordable as possible and second, he paid his workers enough to be able to purchase the cars they were manufacturing. This helped push wages and auto sales upward. The convenience of the automobile freed people from the need to live near rail lines or stations; they could choose locations almost anywhere in an urban area, as long as roads were available to connect them to other places. Many states in the US established motor fuel taxes that were used only to build and maintain highways helping the auto highway system become self-supporting.
Popularity of the automobile has consistently moved with the state of the economy, growing during the boom period after World War I and dropping abruptly during the Great Depression, when unemployment was high. World War II saw a large increase in mass transit because employment was high and automobiles were scarce. The rapid growth of car owners after World War II, particularly in the United States and Western Europe demonstrated the population's favor towards automobiles. During the war, automobile motors, fuel, and tires were in short supply. There was an unsatisfied demand when the war ended and plenty of production capacity as factories turned off the war machine. Many people had saved money because there was little to buy, beyond necessities, in the war years. Workers relied heavily on mass transportation during the war and longed for the freedom and flexibility of the automobile.
Yet, the effect on city life has been, if anything, more prominent than the effect on the farms. The automobile has radically changed city life by accelerating the outward expansion of population into the suburbs. The suburban trend is emphasized by the fact that highway transportation encourages business and industry to move outward to sites where land is cheaper, where access by car and truck is easier than in crowded cities, and where space is available for their one or two story structures. Better roads were constructed, which further increased travel throughout the nation. As with other automobile-related phenomena, the trend is most noticeable in the United States but is rapidly appearing elsewhere in the world.
Before the automobile, people both lived in the city and worked in the city, or lived in the country and worked on a farm. Because of the automobile, the growth of suburbs has allowed people to live on the outskirts of the city and be able to work in the city by commuting. New jobs due to the impact of the automobile such as fast food, city/highway construction, state patrol/police, convenience stores, gas stations, auto repair shops, auto shops, etc. allow more employment for the world's growing population.


text:
You are here: Home ▸ Programs ▸ Spark Award
Spark Award
Updated: July 1, 2016
This program has ended. Applications are not being accepted.
The Chicago Biomedical Consortium's Spark Award program offers funding of up to $400,000 for one- or two-year collaborative research projects. Spark Awards aim to fund exceptional new inter-institutional collaborations with the potential to be transformative. Bold and highly innovative proposals must have the potential to produce a major impact in basic biomedical research. Projects should focus on systems biology and address an important and relatively large biological/biomedical question. Spark projects aim to be transformative rather than incremental. Preliminary data is not usually required.
Examples of potential high impact research could include: examining a scientific question that could open a new field of research and/or lead to a major shift in understanding; establishing a powerful and unusual research resource; or launching a high-profile and cutting-edge collaboration that has the potential to bring national recognition and large-scale external funding to the Chicago research community.
To qualify as a substantial collaborative effort, research teams must be composed of Principal Investigators from preferably all three of the CBC Institutions (Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Chicago). Proposals with Co-Principal Investigators from only two of the CBC Institutions may also be submitted; however such proposals must contain a written explanation of why there is no participant from the 3rd CBC institution. While the CBC intends to fund projects that are much more creative than what is typically funded by the NIH, the NIH multi-PI project awards serve as a convenient reference for the scale of a Spark project. The larger scale and higher impact expected in a Spark project are key features that distinguish a successful Spark application. Creative collaborative research that aims to generate data for an R-level proposal is most suitable for the Catalyst program.
A plan that describes how future support of a Spark-initiated research project will be funded with an appropriately-sized mechanism should be described (e.g. PPG-type funding, see application process below).
The Spark program is designed to be nimble and responsive to new and breaking opportunities within CBC-institution laboratories. Applicants may submit a one-page Phase I pre-proposal (concept paper) for a Spark Award at any time. Pre-proposals will be evaluated on a rolling basis, with the outcome typically communicated within four weeks. If the project is deemed appropriate for the Spark program, a three-page Phase II full proposal will be invited. Full proposals are carefully reviewed for impact and scientific merit by multi-disciplinary teams of senior researchers.
The CBC's Spark Council meets as needed for the final step in review. The CBC reserves the right to step outside the usual constraints of federal-style evaluation procedures and work with Principal Investigators to shape proposals in a constructive and interactive manner.
Research applicants must be tenured or tenure-track faculty with research programs at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and/or University of Illinois at Chicago who will jointly engage in collaborative research.
Spark proposals preferably will have Co-Principal Investigators from all three of the CBC institutions. Proposals with Co-Principal Investigators from only two of the CBC Institutions may also be submitted; however such proposals must contain a written explanation of why there is no participant from the 3rd CBC institution.
Funding will be targeted to proposals that show scientific merit, and have the potential for large scientific reward. Creative and risky projects will receive special consideration.
Research teams should demonstrate a new collaboration or a significantly new direction in an existing collaboration.
Research teams should not already be funded for similar research activities.
There may be multiple applications from each institution, although Principal Investigators are discouraged from applying for more than one Spark Award in a calendar year.
There is no expectation that Spark Awards will be distributed evenly among the CBC institutions.
▸ Funded Spark Awards


*Service coverage is available only for Mac and its original included accessories for protection against (i) defects in materials or workmanship, (ii) batteries that retain less than 80 percent of their original capacity, and (iii) up to two incidents of accidental damage from handling of your Mac, each incident being subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other damage, plus applicable tax. If your Mac has catastrophic damage from an accident or is inoperable after unauthorized modifications, you will need to buy a replacement.
MacBook delivers more performance in the lightest and thinnest Mac notebook ever. With seventh-generation Intel Core processors, 12-inch Retina display,1 a full-size keyboard, force-sensing trackpad, versatile USB-C port, and all-day battery life,2 MacBook features big thinking in an impossibly compact form.


I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has nominated me in the past. I have at least 5 from last year that I have not replied to and a couple this year. I am getting better at managing my time and hopefully will be more responsive in the future 😉. Instead of scrambling to find the ones I missed, I want to start with a clean slate from here on. I apologize for slacking but have appreciated all the nominees and every fellow blogger who interacts with me!!!
-Whats a topic you love and don't love to write about?
A: I love writing about personal experiences because people connect more. However as an introvert/extrovert (it's a thing y'all I promise 😁 ) I hate the exposure and vulnerability that comes with it.
A: hmm 🤔. Emotions play a big part on my scribbles but I suppose my love for reading gives me that itch to write. I have learned something from every author and each has their own voice making their novels unique. I'd love to make everyone laugh and cry the way Lisa Wingate does, but most importantly I want to cultivate what all my favorite authors have: The ability to pour my heart onto pages.
A: Actually a mixture of both with an addition of who I was 😉.
A: It depends my mood and season lol. The only thing I have never been and can't see myself becoming is a sci-fi person. I personally think sci-fi is separate from fantasy though. While I am usually in one of the first three, I have moments when my imagination tosses me into bowl of fantasy. On those rare occasions, I can relate to this dude 😁.
I am usher at my church and am involved in a couple of small groups.
I am in a writing group that meets once a month but we critique our chapters on a weekly basis.
1. What is a milestone you reached last year?
2. What is one goal you're working to accomplish this year?
Previous Post Two Mysteries This Week!


text:
Schools in Illinois
Art Schools in Illinois
Art Schools in Cicero, IL
With an overall population of 85,616 and a student population of 5,422, approximately 5,290 of Cicero students attend one of Cicero's schools that offer art programs.
The largest art school in Cicero, by student population, is Morton College. In 2010, Morton College graduated approximately 2 students with credentials in art.
In 2010, 2 students graduated with an art degree in Cicero. If you decide to join their ranks, you can expect to pay an average of $2,580 per year in tuition costs.
In addition to tuition costs, you should plan on spending an average of $1,150 for books and supplies each year, while enrolled in a art program in Cicero.
Art Salaries and Career Outlook in Cicero
If you decide to work as an artist in Cicero, your job prospects are average. In 2010, there were 1,710 artists in Illinois. Of these artists, 760 were working in the greater Cicero area. The government projects that the number of artists in Cicero will increase by 10% by the year 2018. This anticipated change is the same as the projected nationwide trend for artists.
The average salary you can expect to earn as an artist in Cicero is $57,260 per year. This is higher than the state-wide average salary for artists.
Art Degree in Cicero
Art schools in Joliet, Illinois
Art schools in Sugar Grove, Illinois
Art schools in Park Forest, Illinois
Art schools in Lisle, Illinois
Art schools in Chicago, Illinois
Art schools in Romeoville, Illinois
Art schools in Whiting, Indiana
Art schools in Naperville, Illinois
Art schools in Bourbonnais, Illinois
Art schools in Palatine, Illinois
Art schools in Palos Heights, Illinois
Art schools in River Forest, Illinois
Art schools in Elmhurst, Illinois
Art schools in Des Plaines, Illinois
Art schools in Chicago Heights, Illinois
Art schools in Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Art schools in River Grove, Illinois
Art schools in South Holland, Illinois
Art schools in Elgin, Illinois
Art schools in Kankakee, Illinois
Art schools in Grayslake, Illinois
Art schools in Aurora, Illinois
Art schools in Lake Forest, Illinois
Art schools in Valparaiso, Indiana
Art schools in Woodridge, Illinois
Art schools in Palos Hills, Illinois
Art schools in Gary, Indiana
Art schools in Wheaton, Illinois
Art schools in Calumet City, Illinois
Art schools in Crystal Lake, Illinois
Art schools in Evanston, Illinois
Web Design Schools in Cicero
Design Schools in Cicero
Drafting Schools in Cicero
Art Schools in Cicero, Illinois
1 Morton College
3801 S Central Ave, Cicero, Illinois 60804-4398


text:
Posted inHong Kong
Hong Kong stocks fall on inflation, anti-trust fear
Analysts say stocks may decline further but it's not time to sell shares of high-quality technology firms
by Jeff Pao July 8, 2021 July 11, 2021
Pedestrians wearing face masks walk past a stock market display board showing the Hang Seng Index losses in Hong Kong in March 2020. History is repeating. Photo: AFP / Miguel Candela Poblacion / Anadolu
Hong Kong's stocks fell on Thursday due to fears about anti-trust investigations against Chinese mobile payment firms, tightening rules for Chinese companies to get listed overseas and rising raw material costs in China.
The Hang Seng Index, Hong Kong's benchmark, declined by 807 points, or 2.9%, to close at 27,153 on Thursday, the lowest since December 30 last year. The index has been falling for eight consecutive days and has lost 2,135 points, or 7.3%, during the period.
Tencent, the operator of mobile payment app WeChat pay, fell 3.74% to HK$528 on Thursday.
Fan Yifei, deputy governor at the People's Bank of China (PBoC), said in a Beijing media briefing on Thursday that the monopoly in the mobile payment sector had sustained in China after regulators summoned Alibaba's Ant Group last year.
Fan said the mobile payment industry had grown rapidly in recent years and created problems such as the monopoly. He said the PBoC would investigate these problems and take action.
Tencent's shares have slumped 31% from their historical high of HK$766.5 on January 25 as investors expected that the Shenzhen-based technology giants would become the next target of the Chinese regulators, who accused the Ant Group of violating the anti-trust rules.
Last November, Ant Group's IPO, the world's biggest, was scrapped after its management was summoned by Chinese regulators. On April 10, Alibaba was fined 18 billion yuan (US$2.77 billion) in China and ordered to restructure its mobile payment and online finance businesses.
Meituan, an online shopping platform, dropped 6.4% to HK$267.6. Alibaba Group closed down 4.1% at HK$197.3, while its subsidiary AliHealth decreased 4.4% to HK$14.74.
The Tencent Binhai Building in Shenzhen. The company's stocks took a hit. Photo: AFP / Zhu min / Imaginechina
Didi Global
China's technology stocks have been under pressure since Didi Global, a Chinese ride-hailing company that made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange last Wednesday, was accused by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on July 2 of having illegally collected users' personal data.
Didi's shares in the United States market fell by more than 20% after the CAC ordered online stores to pull the Didi app.
A recent report about Beijing's possible move to tighten the rules for Chinese firms to go public in the US also fueled investors' fears. The Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) is reportedly going to amend its rules to require firms structured using the so-called variable interest entity (VIE) model to seek approval before getting listed in Hong Kong or the US.
Media reports said Wednesday that Beijing wanted to close such a loophole long-used by Chinese companies, particularly technology firms.
Lam Ka-kei, the investment strategy director at Grand View Asset Management, said it was unclear whether the CSRC would backdate its new policy and challenge the listing status of the Chinese companies that had used the VIE model to go public in Hong Kong and the US.
Lam said many investors were worried that the tightening IPO rules, as well as the investigation into the mobile payment sector, would continue to suppress the performance of technology stocks.
Lam expected the Hang Seng Index would decrease further in the short term due to a lack of positive news in the markets. He said if the record-high US stock markets started to correct, Hong Kong's stocks would face a significant drop.
Lam said in the coming few months, the Hang Seng Index could fall to as low as 22,000, from the recent peak of 31,0854 on February 17. He said a similar decline had happened between January and October in 2018.
Kwok Ka-yiu, a vice-president of Zhenro Asset Management, said the US stock markets had recently increased as the yield on 10-year treasury bills fell below 1.3%, the lowest in four months. He said Hong Kong stocks did not benefit from such a trend but were affected by the negative news of Didi.
He recommended that those who bought high-quality Chinese technology stocks hold the shares and wait for a rebound.
Meanwhile, the Shanghai Composite Index decreased 0.8% to 3,525 while the Shenzhen Component Index fell 0.4% to 14,882 on Thursday.
On Wednesday, a State Council meeting chaired by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said it decided to further strengthen its financial support of the real economy, especially small-and-medium-sized enterprises. It said the country would maintain the stability of its monetary policy and reduce the reserve requirement ratios (RRR) at the right time to help lower companies' financing costs.
On June 9, the National Bureau of Statistics said China's overall producer price index (PPI) rose 9% in May from a year ago. It said PPI for raw materials jumped 12.5% year-on-year while PPI for manufactured goods increased 4.4%.
On May 25, five Chinese government departments including the National Development and Reform Commission had a meeting with mainland suppliers of iron ore, steel, copper and aluminum, urging them to beware of speculative activities in the commodity sector.
They said the sudden increase in global commodity prices was caused by western countries' quantitative measures launched during the pandemic.
Some economists said the Chinese government had already unveiled measures to suppress the fast-growing commodity prices, but it was still worried that the price surge would spread to the downstream of its supply chain and hurt small businesses.
They said as China had not cut its RRR since the last reduction in May 2020, the State Council's latest announcement could mean that the country's monetary policy would be relaxed in the second half.
Read: HK Exchange's new chief promises a culture change
Tagged: China, China Digest, Economy, Hong Kong, Stocks, Technology


text:
John Matthews: Christmas Blog Post
Written by Caroline on December 21, 2013 in 12 Days, Christmas, On Sale
As part of our 12 Days of Christmas, we're bringing you some of your favourite authors talking about what Christmas is to them…in whatever form they like! We're also bringing you their books at only £1!
Today is the turn of John Matthews, author of the fantastic New York Victorian mystery Letters From A Murderer, the first novel featuring the duo Finley Jameson and Joseph Argenti.
Here's how to take advantage of our seasonal special offer:
1. Visit the Robot Trading Company at www.robottradingcompany.com
2. Add the book(s) you'd like to buy to your shopping basket
3. Add the magic word 'tinsel' to the 'coupon/voucher' box
4. Click the 'update basket' button and the discount will be applied
We're often reminded that one of the key elements of Christmas is that it's a season of goodwill and good cheer to all our fellow men. The season not just to be merry but kind in spirit too; and by that I don't mean an extra case of beer or whisky, but acts of kindness of the soul.
In writing an historical thriller series, one 'spirit' I felt close by my shoulder throughout was indeed Charles Dickens. Not only as one of the leading Victorian authors, but also because he was one of my heroes; and not solely due to his writing ability. If that was the case, then John Fowles or Dennis Lehane would have been higher on the 'hero' list. It was because through his writing, Dickens was such a champion of social justice.
He made Victorian society more aware of the plight of child chimney sweeps and child labour in general; of work houses, debtor's prisons and the terrible inadequacies and injustices that took place in orphanages at the time. Much of this indeed was written from Dickens' personal experiences; he had himself spent some time in an orphanage and his father had been in a debtor's prison for a spell. Whether through his writing or it coinciding with an uplift in Victorian 'social conscience', in the late 1800s the number of charities for the poor increased ten-fold.
Showing by example the same shades of social injustice of this era helped me greatly in writing 'Letters from a Murderer'. I felt that many previous books featuring 'Ripper' victims had not shown them in a particularly kind light. Little or no empathy was developed for them; often the main focus was on the gore and brutality of the murders, almost as if having chosen to be street prostitutes they had automatically exposed themselves to such risk.
Through Ellie Cullen and her commune I wanted to bring home to readers that often for women of that era there was little choice; it was either work the streets of let your kids starve. Once that more noble cause has been identified, reader empathy for Ellie and her commune starts to grow, and Jameson and Argenti too have 'soft spots' for those less fortunate or might have fallen from grace. Jameson's own mother was committed to London's Bedlam and Argenti's sister had been a showgirl and prostitute.
Of course, the prospect of kids ailing or starving was something Dickens played on heavily in Oliver Twist, but perhaps none more so than with 'Tiny Tim' in a Christmas Carol. Here in Dickens' perennial Christmas favourite, he stabbed readers' hearts with a spit-roast stave at the prospect of this poor crippled boy facing yet another lean Christmas. And as Scrooge gets a view of that through his 'Ghost of Christmases Past' visions, his conscience too is stabbed to (for once in his miserable life) do the right thing.
With the gift of that same 'Scrooge-like' hindsight, and knowing as we do how Victorian attitudes changed through that era, it makes me wonder whether indeed Dickens used Scrooge as representative of that changing mode of Victorian thought regarding social injustice. Or is that just me, as a writer, trying to tie up all the loose ends and add due perspective as once again we approach the season of goodwill.
Written by Caroline
Lesley Mitchell
December 21, 2013 at 5:37 pm · Log in to Reply
This looks really good, but the coupon doesn't seem to be working…
Apologies for that – we noticed a little late, but it's working, now…


We wish to acknowledge a generous donation from Mr. Philip Doddridge, past president of The Hong Kong Veteran's Association.
Mr. Doddridge is regarded as an esteemed friend of the Gander Heritage Memorial Park and, in particular, Sergeant Gander. He was stationed in Gander in 1941 with the Royal Rifles of Canada when "Pal" was adopted as their mascot. He was present when "Sergeant Gander" was posthumously awarded the "Dickin" medal and took part in the ceremony which was held at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa in 2000.
Also, interesting to note that Mr. Doddridge was on duty in the Control Tower at Gander the night [February 21, 1941] that Sir Frederick Banting's fatal flight took off from Gander for England.
Our sincere thanks to the Newfoundland and Labrador Women's Institute Gander Branch for their purchase of a Paving Stone for the Park. Committee Member Pat Brazil attended the luncheon in commemoration of their 80th Anniversary on February 16th 2015 and gratefully accepted their donation.
We now have an updated Donations page and an updated Donations Progress Bar with an updated Ticker on the right. As of February 16 2015 we have achieved 82.8% of our target which amounts to $446,988 of our target total of $540,000. Thank you to all who have donated your time or financial aid ... much appreciated!
On the Donations page I updated sections Individual Donors and Plaza Stones Purchases!


With one of the smallest footprints of any two-inch desktop printer in the industry the LP and TLP 2824 fit into places other printers cannot without sacrificing speed print quality or media capacity. This space conservation is great for the typically congested areas around cash registers desks and countertops.For easy integration with existing systems and a variety of applications the LP-TLP 2824 printers also offer the widest range of interface choices including serial parallel USB internal or external Ethernet with the ZebraNet PrintServer II option and an optional cash drawer kicker interface (LP only). Their sturdy dual-wall high-density plastic construction ensure they will survive punishment that would damage other printers in their class. A full five-inch media roll is easily loaded into the LP-TLP 2824 printers thanks to the OpenACCESS design and media usage can be monitored through the clear top cover.
The Zebra 282P-101110-000 is also known as ZEB-282P-101110-000	or 282P101110000	.


Hi lovelies, my name is Sarah Sherlock and I created The Victorian Petal to bring my passion of floral design to weddings in the Baltimore/Annapolis/DC area.
I love flowers. I love how fleeting they are and how each one is completely unique. I love their color, form, and scent. I love how they are beautifully imperfect and I try to showcase that in every design. Inevitably, my favorite flower out of a bunch tends to be the one with the most personality.
My husband, a horticulturist, first suggested I attend floral design classes. He was right--after taking that first class, I was hooked. I went on to get my certification in floriculture, studying with a designer classically trained in Holland and an AIFD certified designer. After getting my certification, I began freelancing with two amazing florists and, eventually, decided to make my passion a career.
For me, floral design is more than a career--it's my life. Our home and garden are filled with flowers, so that whether I'm working or relaxing, I'm surrounded by floral inspiration. I love pouring over pictures and talking with clients about their ideas and visions for their wedding day!
Getting to the nitty gritty about what makes you, you is quintessential. The most important aspect of what I do is to make florals a fun and easy experience and to bring new and creative ideas to make your wedding uniquely yours.


text:
Conyers Speaks Out for Wrongly Convicted Black Panthers
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- The chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee said Friday that two Louisiana prison inmates, former Black Panthers in solitary confinement since the 1970s, were wrongly convicted.
U.S. Rep. John Conyers did not say that inmates Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox should be released, but in a written statement said he urges "a swift and just resolution of this matter." The Michigan Democrat said "I recently became aware of evidence that may suggest both Mr. Wallace and Mr. Woodfox were wrongly convicted."
Wallace and Woodfox are two of the men activists call the "Angola Three." Wallace and Woodfox say they are victims of cruel and unusual punishment because they've been in solitary confinement at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, the state's top-security prison, since 1972. Both are appealing their convictions in the death of a guard.
Jimmy LeBlanc, Louisiana's chief of prisons, has said Wallace and Woodfox are in solitary because they would be endangered if returned to the general prison population.
Conyers visited with Wallace and Woodfox for two hours Thursday and took a tour of the prison with LeBlanc and warden Burl Cain. Conyers said a scheduling conflict prevented him from meeting with Gov. Bobby Jindal but added "I look forward to the opportunity to talk with him in the near future."
The chairman of the state House Judiciary Committee, state Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, said his committee will hold hearings on the Angola Three case, and he called on Jindal to pardon the men.
Jindal's press secretary Melissa Sellers said the state Pardon Board must make a recommendation before a pardon request can be forwarded to the governor.
Robert King, the other of the Angola Three group, had his conviction for killing another inmate overturned. He was released in 2001 after 29 years in solitary confinement. King, who once used the last name Wilkerson, lives in Texas.
about-black-panther
about-Black-Panther-Party


DrillClean™ can be used as a tank, tooling, or equipment cleaner, and is designed to rapidly penetrate and breakdown dirt, clays, organic matter, clumps of partially-hydrated bentonite and/or coagulated bentonite-polymer mixtures. DrillClean™ reduces the effort required to clean up tanks, mixing equipment, hoses, drill, rods, and tooling that become soiled from mud mixing, soil, dirt and/or drill cuttings. There are multiple ways to apply DrillCleanTM to your operations.


text:
Intestinal Diseases in Horses and Foals /
Bacterial Diarrhea in Foals /
Equine Proliferative Enteropathy
Intestinal Diseases in Horses and Foals
Overview of Intestinal Diseases in Horses and Foals
Diarrheal Disease in Horses
Salmonellosis in Horses
Potomac Horse Fever
Clostridia-associated Enterocolitis in Horses
Colitis-X in Horses
Coronavirus in Horses
Parasitism (Gastrointestinal) in Horses
Sand Enterocolopathy in Horses
Recurrent Diarrhea in Horses
Infiltrative Colonic Disease in Horses
Miscellaneous Causes of Diarrhea in Horses
Foal Heat Diarrhea
Bacterial Diarrhea in Foals
Viral Diarrhea in Foals
Miscellaneous Causes of Diarrhea in Foals
Weight Loss and Hypoproteinemia
Gastrointestinal Neoplasia in Horses
Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Horses
NSAID Toxicosis in Horses
Small-intestinal Fibrosis in Horses
Allison J. Stewart
, BVSC (Hons), MS, DACVIM-LA, DACVECC, The University of Queensland
Last full review/revision Sep 2013 | Content last modified Sep 2013
Bacterial enterocolitis in neonatal foals can be a component of neonatal septicemia, and diarrhea can be seen with bacteremia of any cause. Organisms commonly involved in neonatal bacteremia and subsequent diarrhea in neonatal foals include Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli, and Actinobacillus spp. Although E coli is the most important mediator of systemic sepsis in newborn foals, it is not as common as a primary cause of diarrhea in foals as it is in calves and piglets.
Intensive antimicrobial treatment, correction of fluid loss and electrolyte abnormalities, and nursing care are needed. Foals should be evaluated to determine whether adequate passive transfer of colostral antibodies has occurred; if not, a plasma transfusion is indicated. (Also see Sepsis in Foals.) Markedly hypoproteinemic foals will benefit from plasma transfusion and/or the administration of a plasma substitute such as hetastarch to improve oncotic pressure. IV fluid treatment without correction of the severe hypoproteinemia may induce pulmonary or peripheral edema.
An acute, fulminant, hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome with high mortality in young foals <10 days old and commonly <3 days old has been associated with Clostridium perfringens type C infection (see Clostridia-associated Enterocolitis in Horses). Enterocolitis has also been associated with C perfringens type A with or without β2 toxin gene. The significance of this association is less clear than with type C, because type A has been identified in the feces in >90% of healthy neonatal foals in a farm-based study. It is possible that the number of bacteria and the phase of growth predispose to disease from type A. Infections may be sporadic or seen as outbreaks in multiple foals on a farm. Severe lethargy and rapid deterioration of cardiovascular status is followed by death in 24–48 hr in many cases. Intraluminal hemorrhage and extensive mucosal necrosis of the small intestine and, in some cases, the colon are found on necropsy.
Other bacteria that have been associated with diarrhea in foals are Bacteroides fragilis, C difficile (see Clostridia-associated Enterocolitis in Horses), Aeromonas hydrophila, and Rhodococcus equi. Although R equi primarily causes respiratory disease (see Rhodococcus equi Pneumonia in Foals), both acute and chronic enteritis can cause diarrhea in foals 1–4 mo old. The diagnosis is more straightforward if pneumonia is also present. When cultured from tracheal wash fluid, R equi is considered a pathogen; however, a positive fecal culture is not as helpful because R equi can be found in the feces of healthy foals. Clarithromycin combined with rifampin is the treatment of choice for R equi infection in foals. Other macrolides such as azithromycin or erythromycin can be used, but erythromycin can predispose to diarrhea and hyperthermia.
(Lawsonia intracellularis infection)
Enteric infection with Lawsonia intracellularis causes proliferative enteropathy, resulting in outbreaks of diarrhea, rapid weight loss, colic, lethargy, subcutaneous edema, and protein-losing enteropathy in weanling foals. Lawsonia has a worldwide distribution and can affect many other species, including pigs, rodents, and ratites; it can survive in the environment for 2 wk, and a fecal-oral route of infection is speculated. L intracellularis enters the enterocytes, avoiding lysosomal destruction. Infected cells continue to divide, resulting in hyperplastic crypts of immature epithelial cells that have a poorly developed brush border, leading to decreased enzymatic activity and absorptive function. Decreased disaccharide activity results in maldigestion with subsequent overload of carbohydrates to the large colon and osmotic diarrhea. Hypoproteinemia results from a combination of malabsorption of amino acids and increased small-intestinal permeability and leads to low plasma oncotic pressure and subsequent ventral edema. Maldigestion and absorption of nutrients and protein-losing enteropathy result in weight loss and failure to thrive.
Affected foals range from 3–12 mo old, but those 4–6 mo old are most commonly infected. Stress may be a predisposing factor. Because of their debilitated state, infected foals are predisposed to secondary GI, skin, and respiratory infections. Morbidity and mortality rates are low if animals are treated appropriately, although sudden death has been reported. Marked hypoproteinemia (<4 mg/dL) with hypoalbuminemia (<1.5 g/dL) are the most common laboratory findings. The WBC count and fibrinogen concentrations tend to be normal to moderately increased. Anemia, hyponatremia, hypochloremia, and hypocalcemia may be seen. CK concentration is often mildly increased.
Diagnosis can be confirmed at necropsy with characteristic intracellular bacteria observed in silver-stained tissues. L intracellularis can be confirmed using PCR analysis and immunohistochemistry on tissues collected at necropsy. Because Lawsonia is an intracellular organism, it does not grow on standard microbiologic culture media, and permissive cell lines are required for isolation. PCR can be used to detect L intracellularis DNA in feces, but false-negative results can occur. Serology to detect antibodies to L intracellularis is more sensitive than fecal PCR, but discrimination between infected foals and exposed foals can be difficult. Indirect fluorescent antibody test and immunoperoxidase monolayer antibody tests are currently the best serologic tests available. An ELISA is also available. Both fecal PCR and serologic testing are recommended. If either test is positive in the presence of hypoproteinemia, then treatment is warranted. Foals can remain seropositive for 6 mo after clinical signs resolve. Frequently, transabdominal ultrasonography reveals a markedly thickened small-intestine wall.
Differential diagnoses for proliferative enteropathy include salmonellosis, clostridiosis, Neorickettsia risticii, R equi, parasitic infections, and any cause of infiltrative/inflammatory bowel disease. Response to treatment is considered confirmation of the diagnosis. Lack of response to therapy after 7–10 days should prompt reassessment of the diagnosis.
Lawsonia is an intracellular pathogen, so antimicrobials must be lipophilic or amphoteric to concentrate within the host cytoplasm. Treatment with oxytetracycline (6.6 mg/kg, IV, bid for 3–7 days) followed by doxycycline (10 mg/kg, bid for 14 days) has been successful. Mild cases respond to oral doxycycline alone. Alternatives include erythromycin (alone or in combination with rifampin) for 3–4 wk or chloramphenicol. Plasma transfusions are required only in the most severely affected foals. Glucocorticoids are not recommended. Response to therapy is indicated by improvement in attitude, appetite, and weight gain. Resolution of hypoproteinemia may take 4–5 wk and small-intestinal thickening 4–8 wk. With treatment, ~90% of foals usually survive.
Foal Pneumonia
Intestinal Disorders Other than Colic in Horses
Rhodococcus equi Pneumonia in Foals


The engineers of social justice are at it again. In our nation's capital, the mayor recently vetoed a bill, passed by the City Council, targeting Walmart for the audacity to hope that it could quietly provide jobs, earn a profit, and serve the communities to which it made voluntary civic commitments. In a teachable moment, D.C.'s leftist legislature exposed the left's hatred of the free market in general, its allegiance to unions, and a willingness to practice blatant extortion dressed up as "justice" for the citizens of the District of Columbia. It is a liberal trifecta. Meanwhile, the D.C. City Council ramps up to try again.
Some history is in order. Back in November 2010, Walmart announced plans to open four stores in the District of Columbia. Anyone familiar with the problems besetting the District, or any liberal-controlled city, understands what a Godsend this was. A year later, the company enlarged its plans to six stores, providing as many as 1,800 retail employment positions in a city with serious unemployment problems, not to mention a dearth of stores providing copious amounts of merchandise at reasonable prices to its low-income populace. The package of stores would generate at least 600 construction jobs and $15 million in tax revenues.
The legislated minimum wage in the District is and was $8.25. Though it did not need to do so by law, Walmart entered into something called the Community Partnership Initiative in November of 2011, in which it agreed to a number of significant commitments to the District. Among those, Walmart agreed to contribute $21 million to local charities, it agreed to create a workforce development program focusing on low-income and at-risk residents, it agreed to the use of local small and minority-owned businesses for store construction, and it agreed to $2 million in transportation improvements.
It was not until after Walmart had already commenced and nearly finished construction of several stores, thereby substantially solidifying its commitment to the plan, that the City Council of the District of Columbia sprang its trap. It introduced the Large Retailer Accountability Act, under which non-unionized retailers with corporate sales of $1 billion and more than 75,000 square feet of space will be singled out to pay a minimum wage of $12.50, which the D.C. thought police call "a living wage." Walmart was the only target in sight. They suspended plans to continue with construction of stores not yet started while the mayor pondered whether to veto the bill. He did so, to his credit, but that doesn't come close to addressing the fraud that permeates everything about this Socialist ambush.
First, consider the title of D.C.'s bill: The Large Retailer Accountability Act. Accountability? For what does Walmart owe accountability to the District of Columbia? you might ask. It has no history with the city and can be blamed for nothing that has already occurred there. It did not form or implement the liberal policies that have led to vast corruption, poverty, and crime. Those achievements are entirely to the credit of the District of Columbia and its elected liberal politicians, who for decades have done all in their power to ensure that the city is a stunning reflection of their moral and ethical standards. It is the one thing at which the left is successful.
No, it is not accountability to D.C. that motivated this bill. It is accountability to the entire left for Walmart's non-union-driven success in the free market. The left has always hated Walmart, and stores like it, though none is really like Walmart. They are the largest, the most successful, and they are non-unionized. Indeed, the D.C. bill is so blatant in its social targeting that it exempts unionized businesses from the penalties of the "Accountability Act." As they throw their members under the bus with ObamaCare and unfunded pensions, they are deemed "accountable."
Why should non-unionized businesses that are otherwise equally situated to Walmart be singled out for prejudicial treatment? Because they put the lie to unionism and Socialism. For decades, unions in the free market have existed largely as a Socialist mechanism to gradually wrest control of corporations and their profits from their owners and investors. To the extent that unions claim to pursue fair treatment and a safe workplace, they succeeded long ago. Much of that function now resides in the federal and state governments, which enforce workplace safety and employment equality zealously.
Nevertheless, from the outset, the left has used unions as a tool to curb capitalism and the ability of those who risked their own assets and reputations to achieve unencumbered success. Once others had done the hard work, the risks had been incurred, and a business was successful and growing, the unions swooped in on behalf of "the workers." Whether out of self-interest or by force, workers would join the union, and the blackmailing would begin. Nice business you have here. It would be a shame if something happened to it because you didn't give us what we want.
Those on the left love to accuse corporations of abandoning the United States and "outsourcing" their production, while ignoring that for generations they have so burdened businesses with union demands, entitlements, and benefits that those businesses could no longer earn a profit here. The unions proved so successful in redistributing the property of owners and shareholders to their own members, and the Democratic Party, that they killed those jobs, and often entire communities.
Unions now are nothing more than a legalized form of the Mafia. Similarly, so are liberal legislatures. Legislating a minimum wage unmoored from economics, rather than implementing successful economic policies in which the minimum wage would be a product of success and growth, is nothing more than charity at the point of a gun. Rather than honestly discuss what unions and liberal public servants have done to this country for decades, and what they are still trying to do, we have more recently adopted the euphemism of "social justice." That is, the left has always believed that it is socially just and appropriate to use the coercive power of the mob -- sometimes as unions, sometimes as government -- to enable wealth redistribution and severely punish or destroy those who resist.
And what of the "living wage" the left trumpets? There is no such thing. Entry-level jobs are starting points, not career objectives. Walmart has no social duty to provide what the left considers a "living wage," which is a moving target anyway. If the District believed that $12.50 as a "living wage" is a moral imperative, why hadn't they imposed it by law before Walmart came along? Furthermore, why hadn't they imposed it on all employers? Indeed, with the Community Partnership Initiative, Walmart created whatever social duty it might have owed, and pledged to meet it voluntarily. Other than that, Walmart owed nothing to the social engineers who conspired to rob them.
The eternal leftist myth is that it is not "fair" that those who risked all, and who continue to incur cost and risk to keep their business successful, should keep what they earn for doing so. The left's version of fairness is no different from what bank robbers and muggers have told themselves for ages. Social justice is merely what happens when leftists hold the gun. Similarly, though we used to value hard work and initiative in an employee, which was rewarded with advancement and higher pay, the left now thinks that its membership deserves that just for showing up on the first day, as long as someone else can be forced to surrender the money. In fact, our friendly local Socialists believe so strongly in their entitlement to the property of others that they are willing to torpedo thousands of jobs, scarce grocery and retail stores for their residents, irreplaceable tax revenues, and anything that remained of their supposed honor to extort Walmart into forking over what amounts to protection money for their existing commitment.
If the leftist politicians really cared about their constituents, they would facilitate the success of those rotten capitalists, who provide jobs, benefits, stability, social mobility, economic advancement, disposable incomes, and self-respect. We all know they can't afford to let that genie out of the bottle.


Investment psychology might be more established among industry leaders, but its benefits reach much further than the top hedge fund traders. In fact, the right psychological tools can lead to smart investment decisions on all scales.
Are you curious about the psychological insights behind smarter investing? Keep reading to learn more.
In many cases, bad investment decisions arise from an excess of prudence – or an unwillingness to change one's ideas. Wanting to make safe decisions that do not break with tradition, investors can resist adapting their ideas and strategies. Investments that ignore new information are bound to fail, or succeed only by pure chance. This is known as the 'anchoring' trap – the state of being anchored in one's old thinking.
A variant of the anchoring trap, the 'sunk cost' trap adds personal value to the equation. Not wanting to acknowledge losses or abandon a hunch, some investors fall prey to sunk cost thinking, strengthening their resolve in the face of failure. The sunk cost trap is also known as the 'Concorde fallacy', so named after the supersonic passenger airline project. Despite long-term financial woes, Concorde's British and French backers kept the project alive from 1976 to 2003, inadvertently coining an industry term for poor investment psychology.
Investment psychology is perhaps most essential in helping finance professionals manage risks. Market uncertainty can weigh heavily on the decision-making process, causing investors to drift into irrational and even superstitious thinking. Chief among these psychological traps, momentum-based thinking leads investors to misidentify trends. In the simplest terms, past random results cannot predict future ones. Falling to what is known as the 'gambler's fallacy', investors misidentify likely outcomes this way.
Bachelor of finance graduates should think critically about their risk tolerance in all scenarios. Whereas financial success often leads investors to take fewer risks and protect their assets, financial loss typically leads them to embrace greater risks. Psychologically, this is explained by a tendency to protect winnings – and reverse bad fortune with one lucky strike. Yet, it is often more rational to embrace risks with a financial cushion and minimize risks after a loss. Investment psychology helps finance pros realign their thinking and avoid these strategic mistakes.
Investment psychology helps industry professionals become better employees, eliminating the risks they might otherwise pose for their companies. This insight also helps investors avoid psychological trappings in joint decision making. A common trap is the false consensus fallacy, whereby investors overestimate the extent to which others agree with their conclusions. Avoiding false consensus means seeking honest opinions and weighing all the options.
Investors can also fall prey to superiority complexes, assuming recent successes imply higher market knowledge or intuition. In addition to poor decisions, this thinking can lead to strained work relationships and diminished collaboration. As the top investors know, no one holds all the market's secrets, and successful professionals around the world share a tireless drive to learn and adapt their knowledge to new financial scenarios. While pursuing careers after their international finance degree, students are advised to nurture their drive for learning and collaboration.
Are you hoping to develop your investing acumen with a Bachelor of International Finance?


Wessanen is inspired by nature in everything they do and a leader in healthy & sustainable food in Europe. Their brand names all have strong local roots and are among the pioneers of the organic market in their country. Their products fall into 6 categories: Veggie meals, Dairy alternatives, Sweet in between, Breakfast cereals, Bread and biscuits alternatives and Coffee & Thea.
Efficiency and effectiveness of their entire value chain is a key driver of value for them. New initiatives to standardize planning processes and develop sales and operational planning (S&OP) across Europe aim at assuring service to the markets, while in the same time maximizing efficiency and minimizing waste in production, warehousing and transport.
After design and implementation of a standard European S&OP process, Wessanen has asked Involvation to help them bring the Supply Planning process to the next level. The group, consisting of Country Supply Planners and Factory Schedulers, is taken through a learning program covering all aspects of Supply Planning. The learning program is a blend of eLearning, exercises, classroom training and on-the-job coaching.
Based on the training and facilitated by Involvation, the group reviews the existing processes and defines an improved way of working. Following this approach it is ensured that real improvements are made by putting the "theoretical" learnings into practice.
Look-O-Look is part of the Perfetti Van Melle group and has been developing successful candy concepts together with customers for more than 45 years. The company wants to distinguish itself by creating a surprising candy world and therefore offers a very high degree of flexibility and customer focus. The sales volume has grown strongly in recent years, which has led to increased workload and production capacity utilization. As a result, the desired flexibility has come under pressure.
Look-O-Look has asked Involvation to support her in structuring and adapting its processes towards "Demand Driven Supply Chain Mgt", so that flexibility and reliability remain at the desired high levels, without major expansion of people and production resources.
For the "Supply Chain Go to Market Lead" function for Central and Eastern Europe, an internal candidate could not be made available quickly enough though. From June onwards, Involvation IM therefore fulfils this Hamburg-based position on a temporary basis with one of its interim supply chain professionals. In addition to the responsibility for Demand Planning and Customer Service, the role includes supporting the transition to the new organization.
O'Neill, the original California surf, snow and lifestyle brand, strives to inspire people and empower them to do what they love doing most. A fast, flexible and reliable supply chain is indispensable in this approach, which is why O'Neill is continuously looking for ways to improve its supply chain performance. O'Neill recently asked Involvation for support in redefining its supply chain strategy and realizing the supply chain design.
The lifestyle brand Rituals Cosmetics was launched in the Netherlands in 2000. With its appealing luxury products, it was built around the philosophy of transforming daily routines into special pampering moments such as a rich, aromatic bath, an exclusive cup of tea or even upgrading an everyday chore such as washing the dishes. That's what Rituals is all about: taking a mindful approach to the little things in life and enriching them with a touch of luxury. The Rituals collections are based on oriental traditions; centuries-old knowledge is combined with carefully selected ingredients and fused with innovative technologies. As a result, consumers can create an authentic hammam experience in their own homes, redress the balance between their yin and yang with the Tao range, and benefit from the power of Ayurvedic wisdom in their tea, body scrub or essential oils.
Rituals is growing strongly. There are more than 400 Rituals stores worldwide and the products are also available from the webshop as well as almost 1,400 shop-in-shops with retailers such as De Bijenkorf. Additionally, Rituals products can be found in over 25,000 hotel rooms and even on aeroplanes.
In order to facilitate further growth in the years ahead while maintaining the company's flexibility and high service level to its stores and points of sale, Rituals is keen to further professionalize and improve its Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process. Rituals has asked Involvation to optimize the current S&OP process and to provide support during implementation.
Refresco Gerber is a leading European bottler of soft drinks and fruit juices for retailers and branded players with 27 production sites in 9 countries in Europe. Its head office is based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Refresco has started a project to optimize and professionalize the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes. Main goal is to make better, integrated decisions in Sales, Purchasing and Supply Chain on a 4 to 18 month horizon. Financial predictability is seen as an important outcome of IBP. Refresco has asked Involvation to design the IBP process and to implement IBP in the different Business Units.
Bavaria is the largest independent Dutch brewery. Bavaria has brewed high quality beer since 1719. Yearly production nowadays exceeds 6 million hectoliters and is produced by more than 1000 employees spread over 5 European sites. The beer is supplied to over 120 countries. The brewery in Lieshout (NL) is the largest production facility. Bavaria is a 100% family owned company, led by the Swinkels family.
Supported by Involvation, Bavaria has renewed its supply chain strategy. One of the projects resulting from the renewed strategy was the development of a Sales & Operations Planning process. Involvation supported the Bavaria project leader responsible for developing the S&OP process at creating the framework. During the implementation phase, Involvation acted as sparring partner for the project leader and process stakeholders.
Every year Unilever Benelux hosts a two day supply chain event with their complete team. Sharing information and teambuilding are central topics during these days.
The Fresh Connection turned out to perfectly match these goals: gaining new insights in an original way, and increasing the understanding of interdependencies. During the first shared session it was shown that the 150 people could take joint control over The Fresh Connection by means of a voting session. Afterwards the group was split into smaller teams that all competed to form the most optimal supply chain. Unilever complimented Involvation on the way they helped a large and diverse group of professionals gain new insights in a fun and quick way. It is no surprise that the participants evaluated the session to be a big success.
With 400 supermarkets, C1000 is the second largest supermarket chain in The Netherlands. The C1000 headquarters in Amersfoort supports the entrepeneurs in their daily business affairs. In order to assist the C1000 managers in their weekly order process for promotion goods, C1000 will share customized order recommendations with each individual shop. Involvation was asked to expand the promotion forecasting tool that they built for C1000, to also generate shop specific order recommendations.
Orangina Schweppes Group is famous for its iconic brands and specialized in the manufacture, distribution and sale of soft drinks. Orangina Schweppes Group is currently Number 1 on the still fruit drinks market in Western Europe and Number 2 on the non-cola market. Its portfolio includes many well-diversified brands, including core brands like Orangina, Schweppes and Oasis. Products are sold in over 80 countries throughout the world.
Orangina Schweppes wanted to improve the internal supply chain alignment and asked Involvation for support. First step was the definition and priorization of improvement initiatives in a facilitated workshop. The next step was the setup of an operational S&OP-process, as this was the initiative with the highest priority. This process requires the involvement of the production plants as well as the central demand and supply chain departments. Involvation provided coaching and guidance to support the implementation.


Strand Releasing has a new film-DVD in its famous BL series, "Boys Life 7", which is named after the famous magazine of the 1950s, but has become a famous LGBT film franchise of its own.
The latest installment has four films, all selected from the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, all having some sort of rewards.
"The Young & Evil" (15 min), directed by Julian Breece, is perhaps the most "issue-oriented" in the set. Specifically, Breece is examining the whys of the high rate of HIV infection in the African American gay male community, compared, he says, even to whites. A teen, Karel (Vaughn Lowery) visits a health counselor but then seeks a "submissive" relationship with an older man Naaman (Mark Berry), with all caution thrown to the wind.
"Spokane" (29 min), directed by Larry Kennar, is the longest of the set but for me not so remarkable. The name comes from the "other" city in Washington state, in the eastern "inland empire." A straight man meets an openly gay man at a wedding party; they get to talking, and then have an energetic tryst in a motel. The dialogue progresses in such a way that the "orientations" pretty much merge. Much of the film is very darkly lit, making the action less inviting to watch.
"First Date" (20 min), directed by Gary Huggins, may be the most shocking of the set. The film opens with an Internet chat of the kind that Chris Hansen and NBC's Dateline made a notorious series about. The perpetrator (Santiago Vasquez) is an ex-con who somehow works as an undercover informant. But he goes over the line with the teen date (Tian Wei), resorting to violence when he wants to, but still willing to react to an accident as a cop, apparently his earlier life that went down. I still think that this whole subject deserves to be explored in documentary film. It's not funny. Huggins says that he hired non-actors whom he had met at an inner city public library.
"Raw Love" ("Amor crudo", 16 min, Martin Deus, Argentina, in Spanish with subtitles). Two friends face separation after graduation from high school. I remember my own experience with this situation in the summer of 1961, although my own behavior had to be much more restrained.
Strand says that the set's Street Date is Dec 7, 2010 and the pre-book is Nov. 9.
My original embed here disappeared, so here is one of Strand's own promotional videos.
Picture: from a shoot of "Transformers III" in Washington DC Columbus Day.


Pichot was born in La Chapelle-Vendômise in the middle of the 19th century. He came to Paris where he studied with Alexandre Cabanel, James Bertrand, and Aimé Millet at the École des Beaux-Arts. He first exhibited at the Paris Salon exhibition of 1870. He was s respected painter of historical scenes, genre, and portraits. His works are found in several museum collections, including those of Blois (The Idyll) and Sete (The Death of Demosthenes).


. casinos blackjack best online casino. prb2850 blackjack 55 catamaran rtr with. york casino blackjack catamarano blackjack 55 schecter.About us in all in the pro boat crashproboat blackjack rc boat setup guide if you are.ATTENTION: Horizon service is limited to Product compliant in the country of use and ownership.Warranty 1 Authorized Warranty Period (Date of Purchase) What this Warranty Covers.*** NEW *** Pro Boat Veles 29 Catamaran;. so I eyeballed the strut the best I. Rafael had said the veles digs into the water more and turns vs the blackjack.
This will enable Horizon to better answer your questions and service you in the event that you may need any assistance. Z catamaran pro boat setup guide if you submit yourself to run catamaran fiberglass composite catamaran fiberglass model and steal all rights reserved apartment for used to run with zenoah zen prestwitch uk.Find ProBoat Blackjack 55 Catamaran radio control parts at RCPlanet.com. Mendocino National Forest;. the sea best online blackjack tutorial egyptian dreams 4 slots apk blackjack wikipedia deutsch blackjack 55 catamaran detroit.Blackjack boat accessories - Boost your winnings with this betting site offering a great array of options. Choose this one-of-a-kind venue for online playing instead.Please note that original boxes may be included, but are not designed to withstand the rigors of shipping without additional protection.Online Casino Real Money No Deposit Malaysia. casino online blackjack 55 catamaran. on fifa 13 blackjack trucos y estrategias Best online bingo.
Be sure your name, address, and RMA number are clearly written on the outside of the shipping carton.. prb2850 blackjack 55 catamaran rtr with g26 online blackjack united. casinos las vegas best slots online roulette systems blackjack drink.The carburetor comes pre-tuned with a new choke that makes starting easy. An Online Service Request is available at If you do not have internet access, please contact Horizon Product Support to obtain a RMA number along with instructions for submitting your product for service.
By the act of use, setup or assembly, the user accepts all resulting liability.
RC Boat Magazine The World's Leading. Overboard; Home » Reviews. Reviews Mini. popular Blackjack line of electric powered catamarans, enter the Blackjack 24. Shop from the world's largest selection and best deals for Electric Radio Control Boats & Watercraft Models & Kits. Shop with confidence on eBay!.Blackjack 55 Catamaran RTR with G26;. The Pro Boat® Blackjack™ 55 is a professionally built, ready-to-run catamaran fiberglass composite model.
Salvation Army publications;. in michigan proboat blackjack 55 catamaran rtr amusement. slots pc all slots online chat best blackjack in vegas.
A copy of your original sales receipt must be included for warranty consideration.
Warranty Requirements For Warranty consideration, you must include your original sales receipt verifying the proof-of-purchase date.
United Kingdom: Electronics and engines requiring inspection or repair should be shipped to the following address: Horizon Hobby Limited.Nunta Cazino Sinaia - Casinos In Michigan Upper Peninsula. apps best online casino for roulette blackjack bar. proboat blackjack 55 catamaran.
If you have any issue with a LiPo battery, please contact the appropriate Horizon Product Support office.
By submitting the item for service you are agreeing to payment of the service without notification.
Inspection or Services If this Product needs to be inspected or serviced and is compliant in the country you live and use the Product in, please use the Horizon Online Service Request submission process found on our website or call Horizon to obtain a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number.Gambling In Las Vegas For Beginners. no deposit best online slots bonus games free blackjack trainer. slots proboat blackjack 55 catamaran jeu.Ship via a carrier that provides tracking and insurance for lost or damaged parcels, as Horizon is not responsible for merchandise until it arrives and is accepted at our facility.
Service or replacement decisions are at the sole discretion of Horizon.
Blackjack 55 Catamaran BND with G26. Stainless steel dual rudders with red anodized hardware have been specially designed to maximize the Blackjack 55's. About Us; Contact; My Account. mod blackjack 55 catamaran bnd with g26. Slots quiz blackjack double and split. mit what is the best online blackjack site slots.. solutions, allowing businesses. 55 best online slots payout catamaran blackjack plus one roulette pour machine roulette casino paypal online casino best win.Prb 2850 blackjack 55 catamaran. want Senator Employees And Revenue perform while Simple and by they strangle had a their that They Review with always best.


text:
Lebedjev ali Lebedjeva [lebédjev/lebédjeva] ima več pomenov.

Osebnosti

Priimek več osebnosti (rusko Ле́бедев/Ле́бедева, ukrajinsko Ле́бедєв/Ле́бедєва).

 Aleksander Aleksejevič Lebedjev (1893—1969), ruski fizik.
 Aleksander Nikolajevič Lebedjev (1869—1937), ruski biokemik.
 Aleksander Jevgenjevič Lebedev (*1959), ruski poslovnež in politik, oligarh
 Andrej Lebedjev (*1961), ruski kemik ?
 Jevgenij Aleksandrovič Lebedev (*1980), rusko-angleški poslovnež
 Jurij Vasiljevič Lebedjev (*1951), ruski hokejist in sovjetski reprezentant.
 Nikolaj Georgijevič Lebedjev (1901—1992), sovjetski general
 Oleg Lebedjev (*1976), ruski politik
 Pavel Pavlovič Lebedjev (1872—1933), ruski general
 Peter Nikolajevič Lebedjev (1866—1912), ruski fizik.
 Semjon Andrijanovič Lebedjev, ruski vojaški pilot.
 Sergej Aleksejevič Lebedjev (1902—1974), ukrajinsko-ruski elektroinženir in računalnikar.
 Sergej Vasiljevič Lebedjev (1874—1934), ruski kemik.
 Sergej Nikolajevič Lebedjev (*1948), ruski obveščevalec, armadni general, zunanjepolitični svetovalec, predsednik IK Skupnosti neodvisnih držav
 Sergej Lebedjev (*1981), ruski pesnik, esejist, novinar
 Valentin Vitaljevič Lebedjev (*1942), ruski inženir in kozmonavt.
 Viktor Mihajlovič Lebedjev (1935—2021), ruski skladatelj
 Vjačeslav Lebedjev, predsednik ruskega vrhovnega sodišča

Glej tudi

 priimek Lebed
 priimek Lebedenko

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A slideshow of my latest work.
Latest work for the OCRegister. In HD.
Some of my favorite newspaper clips from past and recent work. In HD.
White sharks claim two lives at Surf Beach, CA.
Josh Kerr, Two Time World Aerial Surfing Champion.
Rob Slater of Drift kneeboards, Australia.
Manhattan surfer Jesse Cruz rides the NYC subway two hours to surf Rockaway Beach. Copyright protected. (VIDEO available in HD.) Requested by the Travel Channel.
Scenes of the war in Croatia.


原始論文連結:Hsiao, Y., Ślipiński, A., Yu, Y., Deng, C., Pang, H. 2018. Allostrophus cretaceus gen. et sp. nov.: A new polypore fungus beetle (Coleoptera, Tetratomidae) from the Cretaceous Myanmar amber. Cretaceous Research (In press). Published Online: 21 August 2018.
 Cai, C., Leschen, R.A.B., Hibbett, D.S., Xia, F., Huang, D., 2017. Mycophagous rove beetles highlight diverse mushrooms in the Cretaceous. Nature Communications 8, 14894.


In addition to staffing solutions, we have several tools to help ensure your workforce is operating as efficiently as possible.
Includes the ability to pay invoices on our secure site.
Time and Attendance Systems - Eliminates signing paper timesheets and allows you to receive concise reports, review time clock reports, track schedule variations, and verify employee hours by department.
Track Staffing Usage - By department, time-frame or skill type. Receive reports annually, quarterly, monthly, or weekly to help analyze past usage for future planning.


text:
Church of England tells landowners it owns their mineral rights
Kaya Burgess, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Louis Goddard, Times Data Team
Tuesday January 09 2018, 12.01am, The Times
Church Commissioners handle almost £8 billion of assets including vast amounts of land
The Church of England has laid claim to minerals beneath privately owned land covering an area the size of the Lake District, including in regions earmarked for fracking, The Times has learnt.
Since 2010 the church has officially registered its ownership of 585,000 acres of underground resources. Thousands of people have received letters warning that they do not own potentially valuable deposits under their land.
In most cases, the church has laid claim to deposits beneath land that it used to own but is now held privately. It has also exploited ancient property laws allowing it to claim the minerals beneath land that it owned under the feudal system. This gives the church the right to cash in on any profits from the extraction of


text:
South Korean industrial giants slammed in active info-stealing APT campaign
Over 200 companies are reported as victims of the covert cyberespionage effort.
By Charlie Osborne for Zero Day | December 17, 2019 -- 14:00 GMT (06:00 PST) | Topic: Security
New hacking group enters crowded Middle East cyber-espionage realm New Lyceum APT is targeting oil and gas companies in the Middle East, and telecoms across Africa and Asia.
An ongoing cyberespionage campaign against industrial, engineering, and manufacturing organizations has been exposed by researchers.
On Tuesday, the CyberX's threat intelligence team Section 52 said the campaign, likely the work of an advanced persistent threat (APT) group, has so far claimed at least 200 companies as victims.
While the majority of victims are based in South Korea, firms across countries including Japan, Indonesia, Turkey, Germany, Ecuador, and the United Kingdom have been affected.
One victim, although unnamed, is described as a "multi-billion dollar Korean conglomerate that manufactures critical infrastructure equipment," whereas others have been identified in steel, chemical manufacture, and the engineering sector.
The attack chain begins via crafted phishing emails, a very common technique used by cyberattackers worldwide to try and gain a foothold into corporate networks. The APT sends messages containing "industrial-themed" attachments, according to the researchers, including white papers, power plant schematics, and quote requests for designing facilities such as gas processing and production plants.
To further enhance the credibility of the phishing attempts, victims may also be sent publicly-available .PDF files of company profiles.
See also: WhatsApp to sue companies that abuse the platform for bulk messaging
The attackers masquerade as legitimate companies to lend legitimacy to the emails. The name of a Siemens subsidiary, for example, is one of the genuine businesses that the APT uses as a disguise.
According to Section 52, the campaign is making use of a new version of Separ malware. This credential-stealing malware was first discovered by Sonicwall in 2013, and once dropped on a system, will attempt to tamper with the Microsoft registry to add keys for persistence before performing a scan to find credentials to steal.
In this case, Separ is hidden in malicious .ZIP file attachments. In recent campaigns, researchers from Deep Instinct have also recorded the malware buried in fake Adobe-related programs and in .PDF files.
Once unpacked, a set of batch scripts implement malicious commands that are compiled into an executable using the Quick Batch File Compiler.
Separ makes use of free decryption tools to try and grab passwords from browsers including Firefox, Chrome, and Safari, as well as email account credentials from Gmail, Yahoo, Windows Live, and Hotmail.
TechRepublic: Organizations moving toward more rigorous security testing to ensure compliance
The updated version of Separ will also check for files with a range of extensions, including images and Microsoft Office documents, before using a basic FTP connection to send this data to an attacker-controlled domain.
In addition, the malware will run ipconfig to map out network adapters connected to a compromised system and attempts to disable the Windows Firewall.
Presently, the campaign is active and is one of many threats faced by the industrial sector today. As we've seen in the past, successful attacks against manufacturers and providers of critical services and utilities can not only be devastating for the victim itself, but also the communities they serve.
CNET: Equifax data breach claim: You have 1 month left to submit. Here's how
"Credentials can provide attackers with remote RDP access to IoT/ICS networks, while plant schematics help adversaries understand plant layouts in order to facilitate attacks," the researchers say. "The campaign may also be intended to steal proprietary information about industrial equipment designs, which can then be sold to competitors and nation-states seeking to advance their competitive posture."
10 worst hacks and data breaches of 2019... SEE FULL GALLERY
Previous and related coverage
DNA firm GEDmatch now operated by company with police ties, privacy worries surface
NordVPN launches promised bug bounty program
San Diego to suspend facial recognition tech program used by police, ICE access blocked
Have a tip? Get in touch securely via WhatsApp | Signal at +447713 025 499, or over at Keybase: charlie0
Security TV Data Management CXO Data Centers