text:
US Elections Cast a Shadow Over the Future of TPP
Editorial Staff 23/07/2016 Globalization, Treaties
After five years of negotiations, the member countries of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) formally signed the agreement on February 4th, 2016. However, the agreement still needs to be ratified by its member countries. The ratification of the TPP is still underway and will determine the future of this agreement. The one question that will determine the fate of this historic trade deal is – Will its most influential member, the U.S, ratify it?
The TPP is a free trade agreement between 12 members countries that include the United States and countries of the Asia Pacific. Once the agreement comes into effect, it will create an integrated market between its members. It is expected to increase investment amongst the member countries and facilitate free movement of goods due to the reduction in tariff and other barriers. Countries such as Singapore that are well integrated with the global trade economy will benefit from this agreement. Additionally, the TPP will create opportunities for companies incorporated in Singapore to increase their trade and investment in other member countries. The other member countries such as New Zealand, Vietnam, Malaysia etc will also benefit once the ratification of this agreement is complete. Interestingly, the TPP will come into effect only if a minimum of 6 countries comprising a total of 85% of the combined GDP (of the 12 member nations) agree to it. To meet this requirement Japan and the United States must ratify the agreement because without ratification by both countries the 85% GDP threshold cannot be met.
While the Obama administration has extended its support to the TPP from the very beginning, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have opposed the ratification of the TPP.
Obama's Support to the TPP
President Barack Obama has supported the TPP from the very beginning of his administration. Obama is of the opinion that the TPP is the most "progressive trade deal in history". TPP will directly impact China's global ambitions since the agreement connects the United States to the Asia-Pacific region and binds many of the important countries of this region with the US that otherwise will likely be pulled into China's economic orbit.
The Presidential candidate of the Democratic party, Hillary Clinton and that of the Republican party, Donald Trump have both opposed the signing of the TPP accord. In general, both of them have expressed doubts about the notion of continued free trade in light of the impact such trade has had on the US middle class. With the Presidential elections in the U.S to be held on November 8, it seems unlikely that the TPP will be implemented anytime soon.
Donald Trump:
Donald Trump has criticized the TPP at every possible occasion stating that it is nothing but a "disaster" for the "average Americans". Trump in his campaign has warned to pull out Washington from the TPP at any cost. According to him, the pact will cost millions of U.S. employees their jobs.
Hillary Clinton:
Clinton, as Obama's secretary of State, had earlier supported the trade deal citing it as a "gold standard". Bernie Sanders, Mrs. Clinton's main opponent during the Democratic primary, however, has strongly opposed to the TPP; he stated that it was "a disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interests of the largest multinational corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment and the foundations of American democracy." Under strong pressure from Bernie, Clinton has changed her position regarding the TPP and has taken the position that a renegotiation of the deal is necessary.
Many middle-class Americans have lost jobs as a result of the various trade deals that have exposed their industries to cheap foreign competition and they are opposed to the passage of more such deals such as the TPP. In such a scenario, if Trump or Clinton support this agreement, they are likely to lose votes in this demographic segment.
With Trump's outright rejection to the TPP and Clinton's confused stance, it is hard to predict the outcome of this trade deal.
The signing of the TPP on February 4th, 2016 set the pace for the next phase of in the ratification of the agreement. In the U.S. President Obama will send the Members of Congress the final TPP deal after the 2016 elections with a 90 day period for them to review it. The Congress will either accept or reject the deal on the basis of a vote with no scope for any further amendments.
While the situation in the U.S. is unclear regarding the ratification of the TPP in the near future, countries such as Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Canada, Vietnam etc are already in the process of ratifying the agreement. Surprisingly, Malaysia ratified the agreement on January 28 which was even before the member countries officially signed the TPP in February. Supporters of the TPP in Australia are also seeking approval of the Parliament before the federal election in the country.
But since the TPP accord must be ratified by the US in order for it to come in force, the outcome of the 2016 US will determine its future.
agreementsfree-trade
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text:
2020 Week 9: Steelers at Cowboys
A Cowboys player no one is talking about who could impact the outcome vs. the Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled covering tight ends in the past, and this is a reason why this Cowboys player could have an impact on the upcoming Week 9 game.
By Jeff.Hartman@BnGBlitz Nov 7, 2020, 3:30pm EST
Share All sharing options for: A Cowboys player no one is talking about who could impact the outcome vs. the Steelers
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys renew their pseudo rivalry in Week 9, and the historic battle between such legendary franchises certainly as a lot of headlines swirling around it.
The Cowboys not having a solidified starting quarterback heading into the game Sunday.
The Steelers' ability to avoid the "trap game" so many fans fear in a game where the Steelers are double-digit favorites.
Ben Roethlisberger's ability to continue to improve and make the Steelers' offense even more dynamic.
Among those story lines are players who aren't talked about often, but can certainly play a role in the outcome of the game. This week I was fortunate enough to ask Blogging the Boys' editor Dave Halprin several questions leading up to the big game Sunday.
One of those questions was if he could give me a player who isn't being talked about, but could play a big role in who wins and loses the game. He didn't disappoint and gave one player Steelers fans should become acquainted with heading into Week 9.
"Tight end Dalton Schultz is turning into a pretty decent tight end. He's been here for a few years but has mostly been used as a blocking tight end. That was supposed to be his role this year but the starter, Blake Jarwin, went down with a season-ending injury in the first game of the year (a perfect metaphor for the Cowboys 2020 season). Schultz took over the starting duties and has become a very reliable receiver who is a decent security blanket. He's not flashy and he's not going to take over a game, but he can certainly help out the Cowboys offense."
Steelers fans know how tight ends have been known to gash the Pittsburgh defense, but that hasn't really been the case with the black and gold this season. If you think about the best tight ends they've faced this season, they have held almost all of them in check.
Week 1: New York Giants, Evan Engram — 2 catches, 9 yards
Week 2: Denver Broncos, Noah Fant — 4 catches, 57 yards, 1 TD
Week 3: Houston Texans, Jordan Akins — 2 catches, 28 yards
Week 5: Philadelphia Eagles, Zach Ertz — 1 catch, 6 yards
Week 6: Cleveland Browns, Austin Hooper — 5 catches, 52 yards
Week 7: Tennessee Titans, Jonnu Smith — 1 catch, 9 yards
Week 8: Baltimore Ravens, Mark Andrews — 3 catches, 32 yards
There are certainly areas where the Steelers have struggled this season, but stopping tight ends hasn't been one of them. And for those who might suggest the only reason the Steelers performed well vs. the tight end was due to Devin Bush's athleticism, Bush has been out of the lineup for weeks now and a collective of Robert Spillane, Vince Williams, safeties have all helped make the narrative of the tight end burning the defense seem like a myth.
This isn't to discount the ability of a tight end, even Blake Jarwin, stepping up and making plays this Sunday. Anything is possible in the NFL, and that is something Steelers fans know all too well.
While there are plenty of players who can have an impact on the upcoming game, this player will be highlighted by Pittsburgh, and their fans, during the Week 9 showdown.
For the best news on the opposition, check out Blogging the Boys, and stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers leading up to the 4:25 p.m. kickoff in Dallas.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
package com.github.dockerjava.api.model;

import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonProperty;
import com.github.dockerjava.core.RemoteApiVersion;
import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.EqualsBuilder;
import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.HashCodeBuilder;
import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.ToStringBuilder;
import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.ToStringStyle;

import javax.annotation.CheckForNull;
import java.io.Serializable;

/**
 * @since {@link RemoteApiVersion#VERSION_1_24}
 */
public class ResourceSpecs implements Serializable {
    public static final Long serialVersionUID = 1L;

    /**
     * @since 1.24
     */
    @JsonProperty("MemoryBytes")
    private Long memoryBytes;

    /**
     * @since 1.24
     */
    @JsonProperty("NanoCPUs")
    private Long nanoCPUs;

    /**
     * @see #memoryBytes
     */
    @CheckForNull
    public Long getMemoryBytes() {
        return memoryBytes;
    }

    /**
     * @see #memoryBytes
     */
    public ResourceSpecs withMemoryBytes(long memoryBytes) {
        this.memoryBytes = memoryBytes;
        return this;
    }

    /**
     * @see #nanoCPUs
     */
    @CheckForNull
    public Long getNanoCPUs() {
        return nanoCPUs;
    }

    /**
     * @see #nanoCPUs
     */
    public ResourceSpecs withNanoCPUs(long nanoCPUs) {
        this.nanoCPUs = nanoCPUs;
        return this;
    }

    @Override
    public String toString() {
        return ToStringBuilder.reflectionToString(this, ToStringStyle.SHORT_PREFIX_STYLE);
    }

    @Override
    public boolean equals(Object o) {
        return EqualsBuilder.reflectionEquals(this, o);
    }

    @Override
    public int hashCode() {
        return HashCodeBuilder.reflectionHashCode(this);
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


From tips and tricks for maintaining sanity while traveling with the family to specific travel experiences and reviewing products tailored to family travel.
I took the easy way out on this one. While I still have Croatia and Montenegro on my radar for July and big dreams (well, plans) of dragging Emelie all over Asia, Africa, and South America before she turns two, our first trip will be somewhere I consider a fourth home (1st – Lagos, 2nd – Maryland, 3rd – Stockholm, 4th – London).
I thought I'd packed everything possible. I mean, I come from a family of condense packers. The frequency at which we shuttle between Nigeria, the US, and Europe requires skillful packing.


text:
El análisis experimental del comportamiento es un sistema conceptual y metodológico elaborado por el psicólogo estadounidense Burrhus Frederic Skinner y ampliado posteriormente por otros psicólogos. Es una ciencia natural del comportamiento que comprende tres subdisciplinas:
 Análisis conceptual del comportamiento, que se ocupa de las investigaciones filosóficas, históricas, conceptuales y metodológicas.
 Investigación básica en AEC.
 El análisis conductual aplicado, que se ocupa de la aplicación de los principios de la ciencia de la conducta.

Supuestos iniciales
Skinner era un psicólogo muy interesado en los temas filosóficos, y fortaleció la concepción anterior de John B. Watson argumentando que el conductismo es la filosofía propia de la ciencia del comportamiento (Skinner, 1975). Hecho esto, defendió la idea de desarrollar una metodología y un esquema conceptual que permitieran la creación y desarrollo de una verdadera ciencia de la conducta. Sus esfuerzos constituyen el AEC.

Los objetivos del AEC, según Ardila (1999) son:
 La descripción de relaciones funcionales entre clases de respuestas y clases de estímulos - explicación del comportamiento.
 Demostrar la confiabilidad y generalidad de las mismas.

Esquema conceptual
La ciencia del comportamiento se enmarca dentro de la tradición naturalista, lo cual implica que el análisis de la conducta encontrará regularidades y orden, y que es susceptible de investigación científica.

Mucho se ha hablado de una causalidad de tipo mecanicista en el AEC, que le ha merecido críticas severas de los pensadores contemporáneos. La realidad es que Skinner habló de "causas" como "factores que inciden o influyen sobre la conducta", no como factores determinantes, que se ajustaría más al uso corriente de los términos causa y efecto (Moore, 1990).

Igualmente, las concepciones conductistas sobre el organismo han sufrido ataques por parte de muchos teóricos. En el esquema conceptual del AEC, el organismo es un locus, un "lugar" o "caja negra" en el que confluyen diversas condiciones genéticas y ambientales (Skinner, 1974). A pesar del énfasis que se hace en el AEC sobre las condiciones ambientales (que se piensa incorrectamente que son exclusivamente externas al organismo), la contribución genética no se desconoce en ningún punto.

El AEC distingue tres tipos de contingencias (relaciones ambiente-conducta), según los niveles de evolución:
 Filogenéticas: relacionadas con las posibilidades de la especie.
 Ontogenéticas: relacionadas con el desarrollo del individuo.
 Culturales: relacionadas con las construcciones que se realizan al interior de un grupo.

Referencias

 Ardila, R. (1999). The Experimental Analysis of Behavior: Basic concepts and perspectives. Bogotá: Foundation for the Advancement of Psychology.
 López-Mena, L. (1989) Intervención psicológica en la empresa. Madrid. Martínez Roca.
 Moore, J. (1990). On the "causes" of behavior. Psychological Record, 40, 469-480.
 Skinner, B.F. (1974). About behaviorism. Nueva York: Knopf.
 Skinner, B.F. (1975). El conductismo a los cincuenta. En: G. Fernández Pardo y L.F.S. Natalicio (1975). La ciencia de la conducta. México: Trillas (pp. 111-132).

Véase también
 Conductismo
 Interconductismo
 Conductismo psicológico
 Teoría de marcos relacionales
 Ingeniería del comportamiento
 Modificación de conducta
 Terapia de la conducta
 Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
 Terapia de aceptación y compromiso
 Psicoterapia analítico funcional
 Terapia dialéctica conductual

Enlaces externos
 Association for Behavior Analysis
 Conducta.org
 Directorio de Psicólogos
 Sociedad para el Avance del Estudio de Científico del Comportamiento

Psicología conductista

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
'use strict';

var B = function() {
    B.Parent.call(this);
};

B.defineExtendedClass('a');

B.prototype.b = function() {
    this._b++;

    return B.Parent.prototype.b.call(this);
};

B.prototype.c = function() {
    this._c++;

    return B.Parent.prototype.c.call(this);
};

module.exports = B;


text:
The Washington Post's "Jefferson Memorial's Signs of Sinking Raise Fresh Alarms Officials Studying Safety, Repairs
Dear Coalition Friends,
The front page of last Saturday's Washington Post tells of a serious problem at the Jefferson Memorial–the sinking of the sea wall and ring road surrounding the memorial. As the article points out, the Jefferson Memorial is built on landfill created in the late 19th century.
The situation bears careful study. Also built on landfill are the Lincoln Memorial, FDR Memorial, World War II Memorial, and the future Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Flooding is a problem not only along the Tidal Basin but also throughout East Potomac Park south of the memorial, especially Hains Point where rainstorms regularly inundate the park land.
Jefferson Memorial's Signs of Sinking Raise Fresh Alarms Officials Studying Safety, Repairs
By Michael E. Ruane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 16, 2007; A01
Up on the surface, the signs of the trouble at the Jefferson Memorial are small:
A few blacktop patches over uneven seams in some concrete. A cordoned-off section where the sea wall has slipped below the front plaza. The "tilt meter" boxes that visitors can't see unless they know where to look.
Underground, though, the problems may be huge: Slowly, almost imperceptibly, parts of the complex seem to be sinking into the mud.
It's probably not endangering the majestic 32,000-ton domed structure itself, although it's being monitored for movement.
The big problem seems to be a section of the sea wall that is breaking from the memorial's plaza and settling into the Tidal Basin. The "ring road" along the memorial's circumference also seems to be shifting, officials say.
Such movement is an alarming — and chronic — problem at the Jefferson Memorial, which was built in the late 1930s and early 1940s atop pilings and caissons sunk into an artificial mud flat that is about 100 feet deep. Engineers have been struggling for decades to keep everything firmed up.
The National Park Service, which oversees the 18-acre memorial site, is trying to see how bad the movement is this time and is wondering what it will take to fix it.
The current problems, at one of the most photogenic monuments in the country, were noticed early last year, said Stephen Lorenzetti, acting superintendent of the National Mall & Memorial Parks.
Since then, the western section of the sea wall, which separates the memorial complex from the Tidal Basin, has dropped in places about six inches below the plaza, which it adjoins.
And the ring road, which wraps around the memorial, has also slipped several inches in spots. It is patched where it meets the plaza.
The Park Service hired Schnabel Engineering, a Virginia-based company, to determine whether the memorial is safe, find out what is going on and come up with a way to fix it, Lorenzetti said. The memorial was found to be safe, he said, but "we are monitoring the building to see if it is moving at all." No movement has been detected.
Schnabel said its report is due July 10.
Park officials are also concerned about the flooding that for the past few years has inundated parts of the southern rim of the Tidal Basin just west of the memorial at high tide. The water covers sidewalks and landscaping and forces the park to close walkways and post signs about the high tides.
The cause of the flooding is not clear, but the shore of the basin is also made of fill. "It used to be river," Lorenzetti said. "So that is another point they're looking at — to see if the land itself is sinking."
In addition to the two tilt meters attached to the stones of the sea wall, engineers have installed inclinometers to help detect movement and other devices that measure soil pressure beneath the monument, said Rabih Khouri, a Schnabel engineer who was working at the site last month. Core samples of the earth have also been taken, he said.
Most of the area, in what is now West Potomac Park, was created about a century ago with mud dredged from the Potomac River shipping channel. The memorial's site, once a racially segregated Tidal Basin beach, was selected in part because it is on a direct north-south line with the White House. Other locations considered were near L'Enfant Plaza and what is now RFK Stadium.
Dedicated in 1943, the marble and limestone memorial was originally supposed to be in the middle of the Tidal Basin. In the end, it was built along the south shore of the basin, and a man-made promontory was added to the man-made shoreline to accommodate construction.
It was not the best foundation for a huge stone memorial.
"Rome was built upon hills," a reader wrote to The Washington Post in 1938 after site preparation had begun. "Why do we in Washington ignore history and good judgment and select the swamps or lowest places we can find on which to erect some of our gems of architecture and engineering?"
The builders realized there would be a "settlement continuum," said Perry Wheelock, the Park Service's chief of resource management for the National Mall & Memorial Parks. "They constructed to accommodate it as best as they were able," she said.
The memorial was built on six inner rings and five outer rings of caissons and piles driven through the mud to bedrock far below, according to engineering reports and news accounts. At least one support was sunk 138 feet to bedrock, according to the Park Service.
The nearby Lincoln Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and Korean War Veterans Memorial also are built on pilings atop fill. The Lincoln Memorial's pilings go down about 40 feet; the FDR Memorial's, 80 feet; and the Korean memorial's, 30 to 60 feet. There have been no settlement problems with those memorials, a park spokesman said.
At the Jefferson Memorial, periodic settlement has been an issue since before the structure was dedicated, according to the accounts.
As early as 1941, some of the supports under the memorial's main steps began shifting and had to be temporarily lashed together with steel cable and turnbuckles, according to an engineering report done for the Park Service in 1965. Settlement also caused other supports under the steps to bend slightly, the report says. And the steps moved so often that park rangers once kept a special tool at the site to realign them, the report says.
Lesser settlement problems continued to crop up around the memorial during the 1940s and '50s.
By the 1960s, the plaza, which was not supported by pilings, began to sink — by as much as three feet, according to a later Park Service review. And a $1.1 million engineering project — $6 million in today's dollars — was undertaken from October 1969 to December 1970 to bolster the area with pilings and other supports.
Through all this, the sea wall along the memorial's northern rim appeared sound. Unlike the plaza, the sea wall was supported in its original construction by timber pilings — especially "batter" piles, which are set at an angle to provide more support.
Wheelock, of the Park Service, said it is a good possibility that the timber piles "are approaching the end of their usefulness."
The ring road has never been supported by pilings, Lorenzetti said.
He said that once the park gets the engineering report, it will seek funding to make the repairs.
"The idea first would be to repair the sea wall right in front of the plaza, and then work our way out from there," he said, "out along the Tidal Basin and on to the ring road, assuming that's where the problem lies."
Tags: Washington Post
Trust for the National Mall to Raise Funds to 'Beautify' the National Mall
Trust for the National Mall to Help Raise Funds to Beautify the National Mall
Coalition Fundraising Goals


text:
Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco ist eine Ortschaft in Uruguay.

Geographie
Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco befindet sich auf dem Gebiet des Departamento Canelones in dessen Sektor 37. Sie grenzt an das westlich befindliche Departamento Montevideo. Im Norden liegt Colonia Nicolich, südlich schließt Paso de Carrasco an.

Infrastruktur
Der Ort beherbergt den gleichnamigen Flughafen von Montevideo.

Einwohner
Die Einwohnerzahl von Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco beträgt 90. (Stand: 2011)

Quelle: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay

Weblinks
 Stadtplan von Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco (PDF; 140 kB)

Einzelnachweise

Ort im Departamento Canelones


text:
Click to copyhttps://apnews.com/6123f063b8214fe583decd96fd010ac5
Flooding possible in Kansas, Missouri after more storms
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Forecasters are warning of possible flooding across a large swath of Kansas and parts of Missouri after another round of storms.
In the Wichita area, the National Weather Service predicts strong to severe thunderstorms Monday night into Tuesday that may produce hail and wind gusts of up to 60 mph. Up to 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) of rain is possible in some localized areas.
Forecasters say the heavy rainfall will cause significant rises on area rivers and creeks, with some overflowing their banks.
The warnings were issued as Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly added 10 counties to the list of those where disasters have been declared from flooding earlier this month. The disaster declaration authorizes the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations.
Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com


text:
Q: Problem regarding matrix multiplication Establish that there cannot exist real $3$ x $3$ matrices $A$ and $B$ such that $ \DeclareMathOperator{\tr}{tr}
AB - BA = \begin{pmatrix}
1 & 0 & 1\\
0 & 1 & 0\\
 0& 1 & 1
\end{pmatrix} $
Solution: We know $\tr (A) + \tr (B) = \tr (A+B)$ and $\tr (BA) = \tr (AB)$.
Hence $\tr(AB -BA)$ must be equal to $0$.
Is this all?

A: Yes, that's all, but $\operatorname{tr}(AB-BA)=0$ is an essential fact here. If the field is not $\mathbb R$ but a field of characteristic $3$ instead, the matrix in question would have zero trace (because $1+1+1=0$) and it is indeed equal to $AB-BA$, where
$$
A=\pmatrix{2&0&2\\ 2&1&0\\ 1&0&2},
\quad B=\pmatrix{1&2&1\\ 0&0&2\\ 0&2&0}.
$$

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Web Design Solutions This is the link to Dana's web development Business, Web Design Solutions.
The Woolley Family Website My closest college friend (and former roommate) has a website which she keeps updated with stories about the days of her daughter, Norah, growing up.
The Foy Family Website My good college friend (and former roommate) has a family blog where she keeps everyone in the loop on what is going on. There are updates on her, her husband, Mike, and their newest addition to the family, their baby daughter, Brenna Linn.
The Cochran Family Website My cousin, Ashley's family website. I always check it to get updates on her, her husband Dusty, and her children Max and Rory.
Bcat Threads This is Brooke's on-line boutique. She is a fashion designer who sells her designs on-line. She is a supporter of other up-and-coming San Diego fashion designers and gives them the opportunity to sell their designs on her website as well.


Driving is a task for someone and a feel of passion for some others, and I, for one am from the latter group. Sports cars, especially, have a different feel and experience overall. Check out in this edition, our pick of the top 5 most affordable sports cars of all time.
Its powerful, its agile and it's here, but it's a tab bit on the higher price range! But, it will make up for all its financial value. It takes most of its features from its predecessors, and it makes them proud too. It has an acceleration of 0-100 km/hr in 3.7 secs with top speed going up to 322 km/hr. Both coupe and convertible options are available for potential buyers. With excellent stability and a suitability to encompass every road and driver, it is here to impress.
This was one of the most awaited cars of 2016. The recent model is available with a 4 cylinder engine (Eco Boost), V6 and V8. The engines can be manually or automatically transmitted. The power varies from 306 HP up to 526 HP. It has a sleek body and it works just perfect for the roads of India. A voice-activated communication system with a push-button start and a hands free climate controller, a Ford Mustang always finds a way to take your breath away.
This is a very affordable sports car, one which is real rare to find these days. An updated 205-hp version of the 2.0-liter flat-four pairs to a six-speed manual and an Output which drops to 200 hp with the six-speed automatic. It goes upto 134 mph as its highest speed. The 2017 model is heavily revised, while still maintaining its aspired features.
True to it's name, this sports car has turned out to be a real challenger in the industry, giving other cars a true run. The latest model, has V6 or V8 and 8 gears automatic transmission. Although, there are three available V8 engines, all of them are similar, but they offer different amounts of power. The least powerful version has 305 HP and the most powerful 707 HP. Its not small and sleek, we agree, but its monstrous size is what gives it a unique look. For 2015, Dodge redesigned all Challenger interiors. It's now safe for mildly dangerous roads and even for a soft picnic spot.
This is one car with the most prestige and historic value today. The latest model offers 210 HP or 220 HP power and it comes with a 4 cylinder engine. It is a six-speed automatic, with an extra-cost option. GTI's classic plaid seats come standard, as do agile handling and hatchback practicality. This one is an impressive hatchback with looks and workings of a small sports car. You can drive it every day, but when you are in the mood for a race, it can satisfy your need for that too.
Cars are somewhat a sentimental value. You care for it and it gives you the best performance. These models are safe, practical and very approachable. In addition to all its technological features, their looks are to kill for.


Could you tell us what an aspiring founder should keep in mind?
Entrepreneurs are driven by the urge to solve problems. They should solve problems they believe in – solving your own problems is a lot easier than understanding someone else's problems. If the problem you're solving is meaningful, everyone will join you in your mission. Entrepreneurship is a very difficult path full of rejections and turmoils. Everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. Hence, persistence and belief in a better future is very important. A person with a weak resolve probably won't make it.
What are the main challenges you faced in your corporate journey till now?
Finding talent is the most difficult thing. Startups and companies are built by great teams. It's very difficult to identify hungry people. Usually people seem a particular way in initial interactions and are very different when they start working. It takes a few years to get stability and build a good team. Hiring is usually the most challenging part of building a start-up.
How do you think knowledge sharing apps can help students both in rural and urban India?
India is a very young and aspirational nation. We want to keep learning and growing so we can get better jobs and hence a better life. Education is the best way to achieve these dreams. While urban India is a little more privileged with ease of access to quality institutes & experts, rural India faces challenges of teaching talent.
We believe that the internet will be commonplace and will help solve for access to the best talent. Education and knowledge is important not just for students but even for adults to upskill and improve their prospects. Knowledge sharing apps will have a repository of gyaan than most physical books and coaching classes can't parallel – thanks to the power of the internet.
The internet penetration is expected to touch about 750 million people in the next 24 months. Almost 600 million of these will be non-English speaking people. Language diversity is the biggest challenge that the country faces. Experts only teach in English whereas 90% of India doesn't speak English. Knowledge sharing in vernacular languages is the solution.
Vokal enables the best minds in India to share knowledge with people in their local languages. This helps bridge the knowledge gap and create access for those who didn't have it. Providing access to knowledge and education paves the way for a country that's prepared to do meaningful jobs, earn a livelihood and enjoy a better lifestyle. The internet enables a much better way to share all this knowledge with everyone. We want to be an important force that creates this future for India.
What are the main hurdles in the sector of e-learning?
Access to the best teaching talent.
After Taxi for Sure what encouraged you to begin with Vokal?
My TaxiForSure journey seemed abrupt. We ran the company for just 3.5 years before we were made an acquisition offer. I wanted to continue doing something of impact. All the Internet companies were catering to the same 100 million English speaking, largely urban population. I wanted to do something at a larger scale and thought of the challenges. I also observed how people who didn't know English used very few Internet products and used existing products very differently. I saw an opportunity to cater to this audience that didn't know English.
We experimented with multiple products before we realized that vernacular India had a lot of questions and were seeking credible answers. We realized that there's hardly any knowledge in vernacular languages on the Internet. This was the beginning of Vokal as a knowledge sharing & learning platform. A platform like ours can change the way India learns and exchanges knowledge.


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Twitter manuals. Social Networks.
Definition of Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking service and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as "tweets".
Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and by July, the social networking site was launched. The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity, with over 500 million registered users as of 2012, generating over 340 million tweets daily and handling over 1.6 billion search queries per day.[8][10][11] Since its launch, Twitter has become one of the ten most visited websites on the Internet, and has been described as "the SMS of the Internet."[7][12] Unregistered users can read tweets, while registered users can post tweets through the website interface, SMS, or a range of apps for mobile devices.
Twitter The complete guide to Twitter. 53 pages in PDF.
The Ultimate Guide for Everything Twitter Ultimate guide for Everything Twitter
Mashable. Twitter Guide Complete Twitter Guide.
NoPassiveIncome. Tutorial for beginners How to use Twitter. Tutorial for beginners.
GCLearnFree Still don't get Twitter? More and more this micro-blogging network is becoming a very useful tool for finding out what's going on with the people and things that matter to you the most. With our simple and engaging tutorial, you can learn all the various ways you can use Twitter to enhance your own life.
1: What is Twitter? 2: Create a Twitter Account 3: The Twitter Dashboard
4: Who to Follow 5: How to Tweet 6: Twitter for Mobile Devices


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FEI International Forum on Medication Control
February 14, 2007Fairmont Hotel, Dubai UAE
The first FEI forum on equine medication control was opened by FEI Secretary General, Michael Stone. He introduced the speakers, thanked everybody for their presence at this important meeting, and explained the purpose of the forum: to educate riders, trainers, veterinarians and officials, and to create an open dialogue between FEI and the equestrian sport community. The forum would include a series of slide presentations by various FEI officers and staff and an open discussion session, with opportunity for questions and concerns to be aired.
HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, President of the FEI, would be in attendance at the forum, to share in the goal of education and dialog between the FEI, the governing body of International Equestrian sport, and equestrian community - those whose lives, sports and careers are integral to the future of the sport.
Posted by Steph at 8:11 PM No comments:
FEI to Research Endurance Horses in Competition
Study on Endurance horses in competition
The FEI is pleased to announce, with the cooperation of the Dubai Equestrian Club, the scientific study on Endurance horses in competition.
A number of horses, who will compete at an FEI event to be held in Dubai on 24 February, will be studied by a group of Scientists, headed by Dr David Marlin (GBR) and assisted by a panel of Vets headed by Dr Bobby Surendra Babu BL (IND).
Information will be obtained both before, during and after the event to enable the FEI to investigate the effects of top level endurance sport on competition horses.
Dr David Marlin comments: "We are very grateful for this wonderful opportunity provided to us by the Dubai Equestrian Club which will allow us to study elite endurance horses under truly competitive desert ride conditions. We have recently studied elite horses competing in the UK and this work will allow us to build up a clearer picture of the elite horse, especially in relation to warmer conditions. A small International team of respected scientists and veterinary surgeons (Dr Pat Harris, UK; Dr Hal Schott, USA; Dr Rod Fisher, UK; Dr Ray Geor, USA) will join me in Dubai next week to carry out the work. We will be examining weight loss, water consumption, heart function and looking at changes in the blood during and following the ride. This information will form part of the overall review of endurance being undertaken by the FEI and help ensure we protect the health and welfare of the horses in this fast developing and highly competitive sport".
The FEI is grateful to the Dubai Equestrian Club for the valued assistance in the project.
Drug Testing and 'Zero Tolerance' concept
by: Tom LaMarra
February 12 2007 Article # 8919
Lousiana research project that shows racehorses can come into contact with drug residue just about anywhere on the backstretch has some horsemen calling for an end to "zero tolerance" drug-testing policies and creation of a national panel to examine data before inadvertent positives are called.
The study, presented by Steven Barker, PhD, during the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Medication Committee meeting Feb. 9 in Hot Springs, Ark., revealed small quantities of six drugs were found in samples taken from ship-in stalls, the test barn, and pools of water at Louisiana racetracks. Even dust samples were tested and trace amounts of substances were found.
Barker, the chemist for the Louisiana State Racing Commission who plans to publish his findings, said small amounts of phenylbutazone, flunixin, naproxen, caffeine, furosemide, and cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine, were discovered in samples. Flunixin, a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, was the most prevalent, the study showed.
Some drugs were detected from just wiping the interior of stalls.
"We could have gone to other areas of that stall and found other drugs," Barker said during his presentation to horsemen. "Clearly, the backside of a racetrack is heavily contaminated with drugs. Hopefully, you're scared."
With highly sensitive testing methods and zero-tolerance policies, a trainer could be charged with a positive for having one molecule of a substance in a sample, Barker said. Other potential sources of trace amounts of drugs are feed, pasture grasses, improper handling of samples, and mistakes by veterinarians, he said.
Barker said even with precautions in stable areas, drug residue wouldn't be eliminated. Therefore, he said threshold levels for drugs are a necessity.
"First of all, we need to abolish the concept of zero tolerance," Barker said. "It's an over-simplified attempt to regulate drugs. There's no sense to continue that nonsense. You can't eliminate drug contamination, so you have to approach it at the interpretation-of-data end."
Kent Stirling, executive director of the Florida HBPA and chairman of the National HBPA Medication Committee, criticized laboratories and regulators. He said labs get business "by showing regulators they can find things," and regulators "believe any time there is a (positive) it was an attempt by the trainer to compromise a race. A lot of people judge labs by number of calls."
Stirling said the suggestion of a drug-positive review panel should be taken to the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium for consideration. Barker said the panel would "offer some kind of political cover for the industry to establish better thresholds."
The RMTC is in the process of having research performed to establish threshold levels for almost 50 therapeutic medications. Barker, Stirling, and other said thresholds are important given regulations that don't keep in step with technology.
Barker claimed about 80% of drug positives fall under the category of having no impact on a horse outside of 24 hours. "These comments I've heard that any level (of a substance) could potentially have an impact on performance ... oh, crap."
In another presentation, Thomas Tobin, MVB, PhD, Dipl. ABT, of the University of Kentucky discussed caffeine and its metabolites. Tobin, an adviser to the National HBPA, noted the variation in threshold levels for caffeine in various jurisdictions--30 nanograms per milliliter in urine in Hong Kong to 1,000 nanograms per milliliter in Canada.
"Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance on earth," said Tobin, who is continuing to research the drug. "It's a hunting license for a chemist."
Robert Lewis, DVM, a former president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and currently the organization's representative on the RMTC, said the RMTC has been effective at getting people to focus on the issues. He cited the group's recommendation to regulate steroids, an action he called proactive.
"The RMTC at first had competing agendas, but no one group dominated," Lewis said. "It has been a largely educational process. It has been rewarding to watch the evolution."
As for Barker's research project, Lewis said it should be presented to the RMTC.
"It opens everybody's eyes to hear this kind of material," Lewis said. "I think it takes peer pressure from the leaders of this industry to get the attention of regulators in these different states. The disparity in the way labs in this country handle post-race samples has been a huge problem."
Posted by Steph at 7:51 AM No comments:
Do Horses Spread Non-Native Plants on Trails?
by: Stith T. Gower, PhD
[From THE HORSE http://www.thehorse.com/viewarticle.aspx?ID=8846 ]
Can plant and weed seeds contained in horse manure, hooves, and hay cause nonnative plant species (plants that were introduced to that ecosystem but do not grow there naturally) to spread along trails and into parks and forests? This is an ecological question that often arises. Stith T. Gower, PhD, of the Department of Forest Ecology and Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has determined that while there are seeds from weed and non-native plant species in horse manure and hay, the plants that result don't survive or spread on trails. Therefore, horses do not appear to be a major source for the introduction of nonnative species.
"Nonnative plant species pose a serious ecological and economic threat to managed and natural ecosystems," said Gower. "Therefore, there is a great need to identify major sources for the introduction of non-native species and implement management plans to reduce or eliminate their introduction. Horses have been suggested to be an important source for the introduction of nonnative plant species along trails, but the data are largely anecdotal."
The objectives of two studies were to determine if horse hay, manure, and hoof debris samples contained seeds from nonnative species, and if so, whether their seeds would germinate and establish on the trails.
Busy-Day Cool-Down - Dr. Heather Hoyns
From the editors of Practical Horseman
Malaysia: Radzi Sapiee considers Endurance: II
Excerpt from Radzi Sapiee's writings on Endurance
Part 2. Endurance is no walk in the park
NOBODY laughed when Azhar Abu Bakar took nearly 20 hours to finish the 160km 1998 World Endurance championship in Dubai. If anything, many were amazed. He might have finished last among 78 riders but there were more than 80 other riders who didn't even last the distance.
In fact, Azhar created history when he became the first Malaysian to finish an FEI (International Equestrian Federation) race, a Category A meet and a world championship to boot. He was also the only Malaysian to finish then.
Earlier, the field were amused when Azhar and four other Malaysian riders, our first representatives in the sport, came to Dubai with criollos, Argentinian-bred horses which they said is only good for field work."Even the Argentinians laughed at us. Everyone was using Arab-breds and even then they know it's hard to finish. So we were the butts of their jokes," recalled Datuk Awang Kamaruddin Abdul Ghani, who also competed in the meet.
So why the fuss over Arabian horses? For one, it is a very beautiful creature admired by horse-lovers. But the real advantage is the breed has the strength and stamina to last the distance, along with a good recovery rate.Pushing a tired horse to go the distance is a taboo in equestrian as this is considered as cruelty to an animal. Horses have been known to die from dehydration and such and thus veterinarian checks are conducted in stages over a race.
Checks are also conducted before a race starts as a horse might be sick overnight. At the later stages, including the finish line, horses found limping or whose heartbeats exceed certain rates (normally 64 beats per minute and horses have to be submitted for a check within 30 minutes of arrival at designated gates) will be disqualified along with the riders.
The same goes for dehydrated animals. Riders with fit horses can submit their animals earlier and start the next stage sooner. A winner is the person who completes a whole course inthe shortest riding time (vet check-time subtracted) without failing the checks, meaning the first rider to arrive might not necessarily win.
For example, this writer was in Montcuq, France last year to accompany Awang Kamaruddin who participated in the two-day 2x100km championship there and saw the then reigning champion, Tareq Tahir, disqualified over a silly mistake. The frontrunner thought his horse was in the clear when he personally checked the heartbeat rate at 50 per minute. However, the rate shot to 70 when he checked the horse in, all because, believe it or not, the horse got excited when the crowd cheered!
That is why Azhar's finish in Dubai was a big feat. And that is also a reason the Malaysian Endurance Racing Society (MERS) were created at the end of 1999. Previously, there were efforts to get Malaysians to do 100km races here immediately but this had mostly ended up with sick horses.As FEI rules apply for races 90km and above, MERS introduced their own and started having 40km and 60km rides. Their secretary, Rosli Dahlan, said they called it rides to discourage inexperienced riders from being overzealous."If it's called races, they might push and kill their horses," he said.
Under MERS rules, both rider and horse must finish a 40km ride twice to qualify for 60km. They must do the same to qualify for 80km and so on. MERS started conducting the rides last year but had to abort 80km rides due to lack of qualified participants.
But they have pushed for endurance riding to be introduced in the coming Sea Games in Kuala Lumpur and that will cover 105km, equivalent to an FEI Category B event. So they must start a series of 80km qualifiers soon.Their first 80km event was run in Sungai Buloh a month ago although there was only one rider. Luckily, the 40km and 60km rides have more than 20 riders. The qualifiers only increased in number when nine riders competed in the second 80km event at Terachi, Negri Sembilan in March where six finished, the most so far in the peninsula.
But its real significance is the fact that the event is the first ride here conducted in a real countryside. Unlike previous rides held on club grounds or plantations, ordinary folks, including villagers from the affected kampungs, were involved from the start while others came by thedroves.Some, seeing a horse race for the first time, were perplexed when they saw the riders going through what looked like a walk in the park.
"This is a race, isn't it. Aren't the horses supposed to gallop?," one asked.Well, we've already explained it. At least we know they are interested.If they know they could get a horse for as cheap as RM500, a fact no one would mention in the proud circle of riding clubs who pride themselves in showjumping and dressage, they might also want to give endurance a try.This is the real milestone that Terachi event has brought and we'llexplore this further in the next article.
* NEXT: 3. Creating an equestrian culture in Malaysia
Posted by Steph at 12:29 PM No comments:
Equine Metabolic Syndrome
Posted by Steph at 11:38 AM No comments:
Deciphering Hay Quality
Winter Forage: Hay Cubes - Nutrition and Convenience
Horses and Competition, A Veterinarian's Perspective
By Robert M. Miller, DVM
The Nation was shocked when Barbaro broke down shortly after leaving the gate at the Preakness. I saw the repaired fractures in TIME magazine. What I think happened is that the sesamoid bone fractured, a common injury. As a result, the fetlock collapses causing the pastern bone to explode into multiple fragments, probably with the next stride or two.
The last time the general public was exposed to a racetrack tragedy like this was when the great filly, Ruffian, fractured; the injury eventually resulting in her death. The news media focuses on great champions like these, but what most people don't realize is that such injuries are relatively common occurrences in horse racing.
Part of the cause is that we have bred athletic power into our racing breeds far exceeding what nature requires for the horse to survive in its natural environment. All wild horses need to do is outrun a big cat. We have selectively bred for speeds that the anatomy of the horse cannot always cope with. In addition, we train and race them long before they are mature.
The immature are often capable of spectacular athletic performance. Every time I watch an Olympics and I see gymnasts as young as 13, 14 or 15 years of age, I wince at the thought of the damage I know is occurring to some of their bodies. I started a year of gymnastics at 17 years of age, and I wasn't very good, but I still managed to do damage that manifested itself many years later. Fortunately, I was drafted into the Army at 18, which ended my gymnastic career.
Half a century ago, when I was cowboying, "colts" were started at four years of age or older. Once in a while, one might be started as a three-year-old. Despite some very hard work, barring accidents, those ranch horses were still sound and working into their 20's. I'm not opposed to racing. It's a great sport and has motivated mankind to produce truly great horse breeds. But I am opposed to any practices which contribute to premature crippling of otherwise healthy horses.
Some years ago, the annual convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (A.A.E.P.) was held in Dallas. The same week, the national cutting horse futurities were being held in nearby Fort Worth. Three colleagues from Sweden told me that they wanted to see the cutting horses. So, one evening, after the day of scientific lectures had ended, I accompanied the three Swedish vets to Fort Worth. After watching several horses perform, the senior Swede, a professor from the vet school in Upsula, Sweden, said, "This is incredible! It must take many years to obtain such performance from a horse." "But," I answered, "this is a futurity." "I do not understand this word," he said. "These are colts," I explained. "These are just three-year-olds." He looked shocked, turned to his companions and explained to them in Swedish and then said to me in English, "I have only two comments: One, it must take great skill to be able to train a horse to do this in so brief a time. And, two, what is happening to their poor legs?"
Today, we have all sorts of futurities - reining, cutting, barrel racing, etc. I have tried many times to get owners to postpone arduous training to give the colt a chance to mature. Most of the time, I was ignored. The lure of winning something or making some money was too great to resist. My strategy when the owner insisted on going ahead with training and/or competition that I felt was premature was to say, "That's okay. You go ahead. What you are doing is very good for my business."
Why is it that the protests against over-using young horses come primarily from the people who profit from such abuse – the veterinarians? Is it because we best understand the trauma being inflicted upon immature skeletons, joints, ligaments and tendons? Just as I am not opposed to racing, if properly conducted, I am not opposed to horse shows or competitive equine events. Horse shows, like all livestock shows, were conceived of long ago to "improve the breed". They were designed to demonstrate and reward the people who were doing the best job of breeding, of selecting bloodstock, and of creating superior bloodlines. Unfortunately, human nature, vanity and greed have corrupted thehorse show industry.
We see grotesque caricatures of the original character of each breed. Stock horses, the working ranch breeds, are shown in Western Pleasure classes traveling in a manner that would drive a working cowboy crazy. With lowered heads, going in a downhill manner, these horses greatly magnify the forces placed upon the forelimbs. Once again, good for us vets. It produces income, but the horses suffer. The wonderful Tennessee Walking Horse is shod and shown in distorted gaits that can only be called "grotesque".
If it weren't for the frequent veterinary checks, which are mandatory, can you imagine how many endurance racing horses would die because of their riders' consuming desire to win? I remember theearly endurance races. Saddlebred, with surgically distorted tails, and gingered anuses, are exhibited with the pupils of their eyes dilated with atropine. How many people who sincerely consider themselves to be "horse lovers" wean foals at three months of age, or even earlier, which nature never intended?
How many horses, a gregarious species, spend their lives locked in box stalls? How many horses in the U.S.A, like so much of our human population, are damaged healthwise by excessive nutrition?Such abuses exist in ever breed, every discipline, in every equine sport. We need to step back and analyze what we are doing. One of my clients was a prosperous, educated couple. They were verycongenial, and they owned three Quarter Horses. One day, they called me to come to their home to worm their horses and check them over and booster their vaccinations. When I arrived, I found only two horses, so I asked where the third one was.
"Oh, he's in training as a reining horse, with ____________ " (a successful and notoriously brutal trainer who also happened to be one of my clients). I said, "Oh, I see." Then the wife said, "We know how cruel he is to the horses, but he wins!" I never felt the same toward those people, again. This same trainer (he's been dead for many years) once said to me, "Doc, why can't you guys cut the tails on my horses? Why do you make me drive 300 miles round trip to get my tails done?" He was referring to the illicit surgical paralyzing of the tail, common in reining horses so they can't switch their tails. ALL of the horses in his barn had their tails cut. I said, "Were you ever beaten in a show by a horse that you knew had its tail cut?" "Oh sure," he said. "Lots of times." "Well," I told him, "I didn't cut the tail nor did my partners. We won't do anything against the association rules." This same guy, a world-class competitor, kept every horse in his barn on Serpecil,a tranquilizer not approved by FDA for use in horses. I have no idea where he got the drug, but somebody was selling it to him.
I believe that a conspiracy exists in the horse show industry. The trainers are judges, and the judges are trainers. Too often, they scratch each others' backs. If Western Pleasure horses were shown as they were 50 or 60 years ago, a good amateur could turn out a champion. But it takes a real pro to produce the freaks seen in today's Western Pleasure classes. And, after the horse goes back to the owner from the trainer and is no longer winning, it has to go back to the trainer for a "tune-up".
A few days before I wrote this article, I got back from Bishop Mule Days, a unique event I attend every year that has no equal anywhere in the world. I had the pleasure of seeing Western Pleasure mulesthat WERE NOT "peanut rollers". The trend began some years ago, but the mule people balked at it and ruled it out. GOOD FOR THEM! You see, to be a mule lover, you REALLY gotta love horses!
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2006 edition of
Equine Reproduction
Cowboy Magazine
Posted by Steph at 2:49 PM 6 comments: