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FeatureOctober 26, 2020
By Nor Izmawati Mostapar, Vice President, MII Corporate Communications and e-Learning Imagine a crisis that forces organizations to change the way they work, almost overnight. That is where we are now. Both employers and employees…
By Nor Izmawati Mostapar, Vice President, MII Corporate Communications and e-Learning Should we reskill or upskill? The decision to reskill or upskill the workforce highly depends on whether an organization truly understands the difference between…
By Bobbi Sills, Communications Executive of the Charted Insurance Institute In a digital age when filling in forms by hand is a thing of the past, the customer claims experience has been changed radically. There…
By Pekka Dare, Director of Stakeholder Engagement & Delivery Excellence at the International Compliance Association If you work in a large organisation, say a bank, insurance provider or oil and gas company, you are going…
6 reasons why professional qualifications are the best…
By The International Compliance Association (ICA) In today's world there are many routes to consider when looking at further learning. However, professional qualifications offer unique benefits that give them an edge over the alternatives. Below…
An article by Financial Accreditation Agency (FAA) In tandem with the rapid growth and changing landscape of the financial services industry (FSI), one needs to be equipped with the most current knowledge and to continually…
The Future Of Learning In A Digital World…
By Hugh Terry,CEO of The Digital Insurer (TDI) All-change, with face-to-face off the table 2020 has been a seminal year for Learning & Development (L&D) around the world. Covid-19 has taken face-to-face learning off the…
Fire Insurance Detariffication and How Risk Engineers Can…
By A. Vishnushama Ambikapathi, Head of Risk Engineering, AXA Affin General Insurance Bhd For the past 30 years, Fire Insurance industry in Malaysia has been regulated by a tariff; guided by the Fire Tariff document.…
Moving Beyond COVID-19: Are We Ready?
FeatureAugust 19, 2020
By Nor Izmawati Mostapar, Vice President of e-Learning & Corporate Communications at MII Known to be a highly complex business involving multiple processes such as administration of policies, pricing, marketing and selling new business, managing…
30% – 40% of Organizations need to upskill…
By Sharala Axryd, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Center of Applied Data Science If you are wondering when the time is to start upskilling your workforce, the answer is not today, not tomorrow or…


Kaal is a port of a wordpress theme to drupal. A pro-blogger theme which can have "ads" in the blog. It is a three column theme which you can use for your blog. It uses Blueprint CSS framework. This is a sub theme of drupal's blueprint project. So please download and install the blueprint base theme (follow the install instructions for installing blueprint as base theme) if you chose to install kaal as sub theme. We have also provided an option to download it as a standalone theme.
It has two sidebars,a AD's sidebar which can be used to display AD's with a right sidebar.
Its tableless which makes it light weight.
Uses blueprint CSS framework, which takes care of browser compatibility issues.
This is the first official theme release of QED42, we would be releasing more themes in future and all under GPL. Would love to hear your feedback in comments and suggestions for future theme releases.


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Osikovo is a mountainous village in Garmen Municipality, in Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria. It is situated in the Dabrash part of the Rhodope Mountains, 11 kilometers north-northwest of Garmen and 66 kilometers southeast of Blagoevgrad.

The village is mentioned in old Ottoman documents from 1636 as "a village with 65 non-Muslim households". In 1900, Osikovo was described as a mixed village with 464 Bulgarian-Christian and 240 Bulgarian-Muslim people. There is an old church "St Demetrius" (, ), built in 1846 and an artistic monument of culture of local significance.

Nowadays, Osikovo is a pomak village with no industrial subjects. People grow tobacco or go to work in other settlements or abroad. The village lies on the asphalt road between Ognyanovo, Blagoevgrad Province and Ribnovo after the village of Skrebatno, 15 kilometers from Ognyanovo. There are no health care or educational institutions in the village.

Osikovo Ridge on Graham Land, Antarctica is named after the village.

References

Villages in Blagoevgrad Province

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Dionna is headed back to Sonora, California to perform one of her favorite roles with Sierra Repertory Theatre. She is happy to announce that she will be playing Frenchy in Grease at the Fallon House Theater at Columbia State Park. Grease opens Oct.25th and will run through Dec. 15th. For more information please go to Sierra Rep.
 "Beauty School Dropout" was by far the funniest scene in the show, the staging and direction playing on the comedic timing of both Frenchy (Dionna Eshleman) and Teen Angel (Rory Connolly)..."
Scott Rawson,
Broadway World Review (The Palace Theater 2017)
Actor, Singer, Comedienne
Dionna Eshleman
Copyright 2016-2020 @ Dionna Eshleman. All rights reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Knights of the Brethren Books 3-4 by Jody Hedlund: Reviewed
A poor maidservant struggling to survive, a brave knight who secretly loves her, and a chalice that has the power to unite them.
Nursemaid to the Earl of Likness's two young daughters, Mikaela despises the earl for his cruelty to his subjects, and she longs for the day when she can make a difference in the lives of her suffering friends and family.
As one of the Knights of Brethren, Gunnar is on a mission to find the sacred chalice for the queen, convinced it's the cure for her deadly bleeding disease. His quest takes him home, and he soon learns his brother, the earl, may know more about the chalice than he lets on.
As Gunnar reunites with Mikaela, the maiden he's always loved, he tries to keep his feelings for her a secret, desperate to protect her from his brother. But as they venture into the perilous Hardanger Forest and battle to survive, will Gunnar realize her love is worth fighting for?
The real story of the Holy Grail . . .
Read in July: My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I actually really liked this, and I think these stories are coming into their own as fairytales now. The worldbuilding might be getting stronger, and stands out on its own.
I liked the character and the story in this one, Sir Gunnar might be one of my favourite knights of Brethren yet. Mikaela was mostly alright, but there were a couple of things about her which annoyed. me.
One thing was that she was continually going on about being a "strong, independent woman". Don't get me wrong, I don't have any issue with the concept of a strong woman, per se, but a character should not have constantly tell you she's a "strong woman". She literally says it to another character at one point and sorry... that's just almost painful. What happened to "show, don't tell"?
There's also a scene were she says she knows another character is a "strong and independent" woman the first time she sees her. What so you can tell that just by her face...?
Mikeala's status was also kind of odd. In one of the early chapters, narrated from her perspective, she says she's some kind of peasant/bond servant, but not a slave. Later on though, Gunnar and others call her a slave. They just suddenly decided she was one, and has to "purchase" her freedom. What changed, and do they understand what slavery entails?
Overall I'd recommend for all lovers of Fairytale Retellings and YA Type stories. I'll certainly be reading the rest of the novels in this series.
ENRICHED
A wealthy noblewoman with a heart of gold, a wounded knight closed off to love, and the sacrifices for a chalice that can bring healing.
Lady Karina lives in a convent and expects to become a nun someday. When her wealthy father asks her to help his textile business become more successful by marrying one of the popular Knights of Brethren, Karina complies, ever the dutiful daughter.
During a royal quest to find the sacred chalice, Torvald is called home to save his family's estate through an arranged marriage to a wealthy maiden. Although willing to do his duty, he's vowed never to give his heart to anyone after watching his father suffer heartbreak over a woman.
As Torvald weds the kind and lovely Karina, he resists the pull of attraction to his bride. Even though Karina feels the sting of Torvald's rejection, she chooses to love him unconditionally. As he resumes his search for the chalice and puts his life in jeopardy, Karina makes the ultimate sacrifice for him. Will he have the chance to love her in return before it's too late?
The real story of the Holy Grail continues . . .
I did enjoy this book, and I think it might be Jody Hedlund's best series yet. I quickly managed to get over my initial issues about moving the Arthurian Legends from my country (I'm British) to a fantasy Scandinavian setting.
What I enjoyed most was probably Thorvald (I want to call him Thorvald), and his character development. I also liked the interpretation of the Holy Grail and how it was worked into the story.
However... I think I liked the last book Ensnared more. The worldbuilding and characterization seemed stronger in that one. Karina seems oddly familar somehow, a lot like some of Mrs Hedlund's previous characters.
I was a bit annoyed by a couple of inexpicable mistakes and inconsistencies too. Eating with forks in a Medieval setting is one of my pet peeves, since table forks weren't a thing then. This mistake hasn't ever been present in any of this author's other works (that I can remember) so I'm not sure how it got into this one.
That's only a minor thing which didn't really detract from the story though. I would certainly recommend this to any lover of Fairytale or Legend retellings and I will be reading the rest of the books in this series.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I recieved a copy of this title as a member of the Review Crew. This did not influence my opinions which are entirely my own.
Labels: Jody Hedlund, Knights of Brethren, Medieval Fantasy, Rating 3 and a Half Stars, Rating 4 Stars
Knights of the Brethren Books 3-4 by Jody Hedlund:...


Just a few steps off Barcelona's iconic Las Ramblas boulevard, this swashbuckling boozer offers plenty of craic for anyone longing for an old-fashioned Irish pub. Named after one of Ireland's most famous folk songs, you'll find plenty of live music performances at the Wild Rover. Every night of the week there are bands strumming their stuff from 11pm, and you can expect fun and funky rock, pop, reggae and folk originals and covers (they'll be no introspective jazz solos here!).
Furthermore there are two giant screens and 6 large TVs for watching almost every sport under the sun – from the Champions League to Gaelic Athletics, if it involves chasing after a ball they've got you covered.
The beer menu is almost as extensive as any specialist cerveseria in town with 16 beers on tap, including lagers, IPAs, wheat beers, ales, bitters, stouts and of course Guinness. They also serve a mean Irish breakfast and burgers made from Black Angus beef, alongside other tasty classics.
The charismatic wood-panelled interior creates a cosy vibe, with black and white photos of musicians, sportsmen, farmers and nuns of days gone by adding to the charm. A bi-plane hewn from massive chunks of wood and piloted by a skeleton dive bombs over the patrons, proving that this is not a pub that takes itself too seriously. It's all about unwinding with a whiskey or a pint.


text:
<?php

use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;

class AlterProjectsTableDropGroupId extends Migration
{
    /**
     * Run the migrations.
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function up()
    {
        Schema::table('projects', function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->dropColumn('group_id');
        });
    }

    /**
     * Reverse the migrations.
     *
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    public function down()
    {
        Schema::table('projects', function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->unsignedInteger('group_id')->change();
            $table->foreign('group_id')->references('id')->on('groups');
        });
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Key stage 2 maths past papers
Home buy past papers Donner party
Native Americans chased away all of Graves' horses, and another wagon was left behind.
They were all dying. He primarily concerned himself with the weather, marking the storms and how much snow had fallen, but gradually began to include references to God and religion in his entries.
On their eighty mile journey through the Salt Lake Desert, they had lost a total of thirty-two oxen; Reed was forced to abandon two of his wagons, and the Donners, as well as man named Louis Keseberg, lost one wagon each.
As we approached her, several others made their appearance, in like manner coming out of the snow. All they knew was that the long and dangerous journey would take them 2, miles across a huge, windswept plain, three great mountain ranges and half a dozen scorching deserts. Hastings stayed at the fort to persuade travelers to turn south on his route.
The cabins had no windows or doors, only large holes to allow entry. The American dream probably resulted in for most of the people who followed it like a marsh light in disaster. The next day, on May 12,they headed west again in the middle of a thunderstorm. The Eddys were forced to walk, carrying their children and miserable with thirst.
Here are 25 things you might not have known about JFK. Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. And then we saw a woman emerge from a hole in the snow. Twelve of the emigrants were dead and of the forty-eight remaining, many had gone crazy or were barely clinging to life.
We made a neat coffin and buried her under a tree. Jacob Donner's body was found with his heart and liver removed and his limbs and arms cut off.
When eight-year-old Patty Reed arrived in California, she pulled from her ragged dress a little bundle. We spread one shawl down and spread another over us and then put the dogs on top. Three widely separated cabins of pine logs served as their homes, with dirt floors and poorly constructed flat roofs that leaked when it rained.
Down by the lake and up on the dark summit above them it snowed and it snowed and it snowed. Pushinka was the daughter of Strelka, one of the first dogs in space. With him were his year-old wife Tamsen and their three daughters Frances 6Georgia 4and Eliza 3and George's daughters from a previous marriage: In the heat of the day, the moisture under the surface bubbles to the top, turns it into a gumbo.
In Aprila group of pioneers who came to be known as the Donner-Reed Party departed Springfield, Illinois, headed for the Mexican province of Alta California.
One hundred and sixty-nine years ago, the first rescue crew arrived at Donner Lake, encountering a scene of carnage that still shocks all this time later. Of the 89 men, women and children who.
Aug 21, · Watch video · The Donner party left Springfield, Illinois, in April Led by two wealthy brothers, Jacob and George Donner, the emigrants initially followed the regular California Trail westward to Fort.
- Evidence reveals what the Donner Party ate during their final days of being snowbound in the Sierra Nevada.
- After eating the family dogs and other animal meat, some members ate bones, hides. Donner party, group of American pioneers stranded en route to winforlifestats.com late87 immigrants led by George and Jacob Donner were trapped by heavy snow in.
The Donner Party, or Donner–Reed Party, was a group of American pioneers that set out for California in a wagon train in May Departing from Independence, Missouri, they were delayed by a series of mishaps and mistakes, and spent the winter of –47 snowbound in the Sierra winforlifestats.com of the pioneers resorted to cannibalism to .
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Donner Party - Wikipedia


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Omnichannel, E-Commerce
How Outdoor Gear Retailer Cotopaxi Digitized its Back-End Payments to Keep Up With Growing List of Vendors
By Gary Bowen
Like most retailers, the 2020 pandemic nudged us at Cotopaxi to reassess every system and process we had in place. Our business has been growing steadily, and with the downturn of the economy looming, we wanted to take control of the areas we could streamline and improve.
Payments were at the top of our list of processes we sought to revamp. We know we had inefficiencies in the way we were handling our payments, and set out to find a way to digitize more deeply. We also knew there had to be a way to save money on the costly transaction fees we had at the time.
Credit card payments have always been a large percentage of our business, as they allow for nearly instant transactions, which enables us to move inventory at the speed that's necessary for the nature of our retail business. However, with fees mounting as our business grows, we needed to find a more expansive solution to offer our vendors that gave them a diverse array of payment options. This would help in two ways: first, it would help to minimize our overall costs by blending more expensive payments methods with less expensive or zero-fee options; and second, it would improve the payment experience.
We were also in need of more sophisticated accounting processes, and searched for ways to avoid keeping our accounting team bogged down with trivial tasks like processing paper checks, manually reconciling payments and invoices, and following up on collections.
After evaluating several solutions, we decided on Paystand, a B-to-B payments platform with modern infrastructure built on blockchain to enable faster, cheaper and more secure business transactions.
The two key components that attracted us to this service were the automation of repetitive tasks and real-time data and flexibility. To put it simply, we were spending far too much time manually running various aspects of our payments processing. With Paystand, we were able to get rid of mundane, time-consuming tasks, like reconciling all of the payments we received and deposits made to the bank account. Paystand was able to automate this for us. In addition, our team at Cotopaxi was able to gather real-time business data that would inform critical decisions made on a daily basis.
The automation component enabled our payments to show up in real time. Prior to partnering with Paystand, there would be a time gap between when a payment was made and when we were able to confirm it as successful.
The Implementation
Cotopaxi uses NetSuite as its ERP, and having an automated payment solution that works well with that system was critical. Paystand allowed for specific customization to help meet our business needs. Integrating these two platforms created a very powerful and valuable tool for us so we could realize the promises of automation. Now, we're able to see data around each individual payment down to the very second that it was made, which removed various delays and roadblocks we ran into prior to this digitization.
The Paystand platform also allows for customers to see their remaining open balance in real time. Now, when a customer receives our email invoices with embedded payment links, with just one click they can see their open balance in the digital payment portal. Paystand communicates seamlessly with NetSuite to display their open balance.
As a result of moving to Paystand, we were able to improve both our margins and our efficiency. Prior to Paystand, we were transacting about 20 percent to 25 percent of our digital payments via noncard methods. Now, that number has jumped to 38 percent, and it continues to grow, which cuts down on the transaction fees we pay. We also spent significantly less time on manual tasks like payment processing, reconciliation, and collections. The service helped us automate a handful of processes and our team is now able to focus on more important tasks. We're pleased to be able to offer this alternative solution to our vendors, while still reaping the benefits of automation and real-time data reporting.
Gary Bowen is the chief financial officer at Cotopaxi, a company that creates innovative outdoor products and experiences that fund sustainable poverty relief, move people to do good, and inspire adventure.
Related story: How Virtualization Will Drive the Next Phase of E-Commerce
Gary Bowen Author's page
Gary Bowen is the Chief Financial Officer at Cotopaxi.
Red Wing Shoes Soars With a Unified Data Platform
Customer Data Solutions Are Too Complex
Are You Ready for TX?
The Integration Layer the Missing Link in Your CX?
Emma Uses Tech to Support its Global Expansion


Computer Service and Repair presents the most up-to-date information in the rapidly changing world of computers and their software. The text teaches the practices and principles needed to pass the CompTIA A+ Certification Exams, as well as to build, upgrade, and troubleshoot PCs. Computer Service and Repair is written for students with no PC technical experience as well as for PC technicians with limited formal training. Preparation for the CompTIA A+ Certification Exams is emphasized throughout the textbook. This textbook meets the requirements of the CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum Program, covering all objectives of the A+ Certification Exams. Most chapters open with descriptions of A+ Key Points, which identify chapter content that is likely to be represented on the examination. At the end of most chapters, students take a 10-question quiz consisting of sample A+ exam items relating to the chapter content. A complete chapter of the textbook is devoted to CompTIA A+ exam preparation.


2GREENSIDE is a boutique Class A office building located in the Award Winning Master-Planned Community, Craig Ranch. 2Greenside features golf course views, outdoor patios, high-end finishes, and great access to the Craig Ranch community and highway 121. 2GREENSIDE has an impressive two story lobby of wood, stone, and glass. The craftsmanship and execution result in a world class tenant experience.


We're new to Patreon, so I'd just like to thank you for even thinking about helping Bookkeeping.Today along! Your help will enable Bookkeeping Today to grow and mature, helping us invest in our infrastructure, make constant improvements, and add new features.
Bookkeeping.Today is a free online service to help you with your bookkeeping. It's not accounting - I find that accounting is too complicated and time consuming for most small businesses. You want to do your bookkeeping, and let your accountant do your accounts!
Bookkeeping.Today focuses in keeping the records you need, and making that as quick and easy as possible.
For the price of one cheap coffee a month you'll have my thanks, access to our Patreon feed, plus you get to feel like a responsible adult!
For the cost of just one cheap beer a month you'll have my thanks, our Patreon feed, and you are helping with our web hosting and other running costs! I'll also give you a shout out on Twitter!
For the cost of one meal a month you'll have my thanks, our Patreon feed, you will be helping with our running costs, and the cost of maintaining and developing the service! I'll also give you a mention on Twitter and Facebook!
Bookkeeping.Today is a free service, but we still have bills to pay. $100/month would pay for our hosting for the year!


text:
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	requireCfg['paths']['analyzer'] = CONTEXT_PATH+'content/analyzer/scripts';
} else {
	requireCfg['paths']['analyzer'] = CONTEXT_PATH+'content/analyzer/scripts/compressed';
}


text:
Q: Mapping ASP.NET MVC3 Controllers to views Is there any way of mapping multiple controllers to a single view directory?  In my application I would like to have a 1 to 1 mapping between controllers and views.  The reason for this is that each view will have a variety of ajax actions that the controller will provide methods for and having multiple views per controller will result in overly large controllers.
Presently I have something like this:
/Controllers
    /Dir1Controller
   ...

/Views
    /Dir1
        /FirstView.cshtml
        /SecondView.cshtml
        ...

So Dir1 Controller maps to the directory Dir1 and needs to provide all the actions for the views FirstView, SecondView, etc.  Instead, I would prefer something like this:
/Controllers
    /FirstController
    /SecondController
   ...

Where both controllers map to Dir1 but return the appropriate view when an action is executed.
None of this seems to be a problem on the route mapping side of things but there doesn't seem to be a way for me to tell it how to find the correct view.  FirstController will only look in /Views/First for views.  Is there any way I can direct it to look in /Views/Dir1?
I looked at using areas but they seem to be directed at spiting up large sites.  Conceptually all of these pages should be part of the same area. I just want to keep the size of my controllers bounded.

A: If your Ajax calls are related to a single controller then stick to the existing pattern and have methods in your controller. If they can be reused put them in partial views or controllers organized by their purpose and when doing your Ajax calls simply request the controller and action. This is the typical pattern for a reason, why step outside of it? :)

A: Why not just return the view explicitly?
return View("~/Controllers/FirstController/view.cshtml");

If all the actions in a controller return the same view, use a constant at the top of the Controller class, something like:
public class myController
{
    private string ViewPath = "~/Controllers/FirstController/view.cshtml";
    ...

That way you only have to set the path to the view once in each controller.  Then in each of your action methods:
return View(ViewPath);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Jelinek is one of the most significant authors of our time, uncompromising critic of society/societies. The dialogue that we will engage (in) is intended for the theatregoers who have seen the play, as well as for all potential participants interested in the Jelinek phenomenon.
Guest-experts in the Jelinek field, namely Prof. Dr Hilde Haider, Mag. Verena Humer (Elfriede Jelinek-Forschungszentrum) will be joined by authors and collaborators of Yugoslav Drama Theatre production: translators Dr Jelena Kostić Tomović, Bojana Denić, dramaturge Periša Perišić and director Snežana Trišić. Together they will foster the recognition of Elfriede Jelinek's work in a form of an open dialogue with the audience. Such a discussion will cover the reception of Jelinek's work by engaging different topics: staging and translating Jelinek – traps and challenges; gender and politics; transmedial elements, etc. Moderator: Mag. Jelena Kovačević.
The programme is supported by Kulturforum Belgrade.


SCOTTSDALE, AZ--(Marketwired - September 16, 2015) - TrueShip (http://www.trueship.com) -- the leading provider of automated returns management solutions (ReadyReturns) -- has just released a new guide that delivers a wealth of statistical information and advice for retailers seeking to cash in on webrooming and showrooming during the popular Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping rushes.
Emerging reports are showing that 65% of shoppers will browse for an items they want to buy online but then find those same items at a local store this holiday season. It's a phenomenon known as "webrooming." But few retailers are aware of how they can capitalize on this shopping behavior.
TrueShip's newest guide delivers a detailed statistical breakdown of webrooming and showrooming, underscoring how this behavior will impact Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales and shoppers' habits this year.
Why webrooming is the new trend for 2015.
How to cash in on webrooming this year.
Why showrooming can improve sales exponentially.
How to capitalize on showrooming.
Read the guide at: http://www.trueship.com/blog/2015/09/16/how-to-cash-in-on-cyber-monday-webrooming-showrooming/#.VfnQopdO2Uk.


"Is it sunset yet?" For the last week, I have been asking everyone I know this question -- starting at about 3:00 in the afternoon. "Is it sunset yet, so I can start eating again?"
"No, Jane, it's not sunset yet. Get over it." But I'm hungry! I just got into a big fight with my friend Mona over whether the official sunset yesterday was at 6:43 pm or 6:53 pm. Mona claimed that the right time for sunset was 6:53 pm.
"But that's ten whole extra minutes, " I wailed.
What is this sunset/food connection? What am I talking about? Some exotic form of Weight Watchers or Jennie Craig? Is this some weird version of the South Beach diet, one that revolves around the position of the sun? No. This is all about the Muslim tradition of fasting during the month of Ramadan.
Mona's son Remi explained it to me. "Ramadan is the name of the month in the Islamic lunar calendar wherein all able-bodied Muslims over the age of 14 give alms to the poor, try to be good people and refrain from eating and drinking for as long as the sun is in the sky."
"I could never do that," I replied. "Food is my life!"
"You could do it, Jane. After the first week you get used to it. If I can do it and still go to football practice every day, then you can do it too."
Of course I COULD do it. 1.3 billion Muslims do it every year. But exactly why would I WANT to?
"Ramadan fasting is different from just going without food," explained my friend Elizabeth. "You'll see." I will? Ha!
"Ramadan is special," continued Elizabeth. "Muslims give up food so that they can experience what it is like to have to go without it, in order to have empathy for those less fortunate than us. And you also give up food as a manner of principle, proving to yourself that you can make this sacrifice because you -- not TV commercials or McDonalds or the whim of the moment -- are in control. And you can do it because you have faith that God will give you strength and lead you through it. We are making a philosophical statement during Ramadan, Jane -- not trying to lose a dress size. Try it. You'll see."
I tried it. On October 4, Ramadan arrived. No food or drink for me between sunrise and sunset. And, to my surprise, it DID start to change me into a better person -- if for no other reason than I no longer had the energy to put up with all the bull dookie in my life that I usually just ignore or let slide. When one is really, really hungry, one quickly gets one's priorities straight!
Every year, 1.3 billion able-bodied Muslims do without and it forces them to understand the suffering of their fellow-men and to have empathy for those in need. It is Islam's secret weapon in the human race's battle to become better people.
Still and all, remember when my daughter's Girl Scout troop sold 60,000 boxes of cookies and won a Caribbean cruise and I went along as the chaperon and ate a whole bunch of fabulous delicious wonderful cruise food and put on ten pounds that I haven't been able to lose since then? Well, it's been only a week into Ramadan and I've already lost three pounds. By November 4, the end of the lunar month, I bet that I'll weigh the same as I did in high school! And I will have lost a lot of mental baggage too.
Also, hopefully, I will have lost my belief that food -- especially hot caramel sundaes and birthday cake and French fries from The Smoke House -- is the best source of comfort. The best source of comfort is not food. It is knowing that I am a good person; one that is capable of sacrifice, self-control and doing good.
But I still have just one burning question left. "Is it sunset yet?"
PS: "Have you ANY idea," I just e-mailed my friend MA, "how hard it is to go without food from sun-up to sundown? It's really, really HARD."


package of key tax laws, a resignation of the first vice-prime minister and finance minister, "...would destabilize the executive branch, which can do serious damage to the country's economy," a high-ranking official in the presidential administration said. CHUBAIS, the architect of Russia's reforms, will be less effective because he has lost a considerable part of his economic team and the compromising leverage he once held in the Duma. The Communists demanded that the 1998 budget agreement approval is contingent upon the removal of CHUBAIS. The scandal has also placed on the back burner attempts to remove Prime Minister CHERNOMYRDIN.
Leader of the Democratic Choice of Russia party, chairman of the Fund for Private Property Yegor GAIDAR Sunday commented that if, "...Anatoly CHUBAIS dismissed tomorrow, on Monday, the Russian market would get under a strong pressure. International investors would immediately cut their packages of Russian government bonds and withdraw money from the market, thus increasing the demand for foreign currency." Fuel and Energy Minister Boris NEMSTOV agreed that Russia would lose billions in foreign investment if CHUBAIS left the government.
· Russian President Boris YELTSIN has signed three bills into federal laws, a report of the presidential press service stated. These include a law "On changes and additions to the Russian Criminal Code of Practice," "On changes in article 363 of the Russian Criminal Code of Practice," and "On ratification of the agreement of the Russian government and the government of the Kyrgyz Republic on employment and social security of migrants." All were passed by the Russian State Duma on October 24, 1997, and approved by the Federation Council on November 5, 1997.
· Russian President Boris YELTSIN sacked Privatization Minister Maxim BOIKO and Federal Bankruptcy Service chief Pyotr MOSTOVOI Saturday after reviewing documents provided by the Prosecutor General's Office in connection with The History of Russian Privatization book scandal. Yeltsin dismissed his staff's first deputy chief Alexander KAZAKOV on Friday, who was also involved in the book scandal. Russian First Deputy Prime Minister of Finance Anatoly CHUBAIS submitted his resignation to President Boris YELTSIN, but it was rejected fearing additional financial turmoil. No replacements have been announced as yet.
has the right to compromise the president, the government and the very cause of reform in such a way...in any event the government's policy was, is and will remain a policy of the president, a policy of reform. There will be no turns or U- turns...Indeed, no one can prohibit government members from write books or go fishing at their leisure time. Getting royalties is not a crime. But juridical truth does not always coincide with the way we perceive justice, what is permitted and what is not permitted in our everyday life. All the more so when public servants of such stature are involved."
Maxim BOIKO expressed the hope that the privatization policy in Russia would not change. "I worked as vice-prime minister in the government of Russia and state property minister for only three months and I regret that I did so little over such a short period of time. At the same time I am sure that the Russian government's privatization policy — fair, transparent and effective — will continue."
· Federal Security Service (FSB) on Friday detained an Iranian citizen, when he was trying to buy rocket design documentation and missile blueprints. The FSB said the arrest followed a series of "search operations aimed at preventing illegal exports of technologies, scientific and technical information and services used for developing weapons of mass destruction, armaments and military equipment." Commenting on the detention, an FSB official said the agency revealed "other facts of illegal actions by foreign individuals and organizations aimed at obtaining dual-purpose materials and technologies." Russia has come under considerable pressure from US and Israel to crack down on Russian bodies accused of helping Iran to acquire missiles or missile technology which may be used in terrorist acts.
to Iran or making substantial progress to that end.
· Alexander SHOKHIN, leader of the Our Home is Russia (NDR) group in the Russian State Duma does not preclude a chance that the lower house will resume a procedure of no-confidence in the Chernomyrdin government. In SHOKHIN's opinion, the rejection of the 1998 budget in the first reading may entail automatic resumption of the no-confidence procedure. "This is the most unpleasant version of developments, but we should be prepared for this," he said. According to his estimate, the budget may turn out to be, "in a stalemate situation."
· Former Chechen field commanders with the Freedom Warrior movement have called for the resignation of the Chechen government, reported RFE/RL Newsline. Several hundred participants in the emergency congress convened in Grozny on Sunday including, Deputy Prime Minister Ruslan GELAYEV and Interior Prime Minister Kazbek MAKHASHEV. They denounced the Russian-Chechen peace treaty signed in May by Chechen President Aslan MASKHADOV and Russian President Boris YELTSIN and voted no confidence in MASHADOV's foreign and domestic policies.
In an article published by Obshaia Gazeta on Friday, Head of the opposition Adam DENIEV declared that DUDAEV and BASAEV were not Chechen and accused them of earning a living by drug trade. BASAEV led a Chechen group against Georgia in Abkhazia. Rumors are that he and others sell narcotics as means by which Abkhazia earns hard currency.
with other banks, which is cheaper for us. The reason for this is purely economical. It would have been ideal to use the network of the Russian Savings Bank, but it belongs to the State."
· The geographic position of Russia makes it possible to have the shortest international air routes in the Russian skies. First deputy director of Federal Aviation Service Viktor GALKIN has outlined priorities in the most rational use of the Russian airspace. The Far Eastern route, which is not used by foreign companies, is the priority. "If we give a possibility to use it, an annual increase of transportation along the route may amount to six percent," said GALKIN. Another priority is the trans-Siberian route for flights from Europe to Japan and South East Asia. The Federal Aviation Service is also working on a promising route from Canada to South East Asia via Russia and Kazakhstan. This is the shortest route, which has not been used by anyone. "The need for such a route is very high, and we will provide for maximum capacity of the route and its maximum profitability," he said.
In addition to air routes, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergei KRYLOV announced that Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, plan to make the world largest transport. Russian and Ukrainian designers have developed a blueprint of a giant conversion of the Russian An-70 transport plane. "There are no analogues to the plane of the Antonov design office. The sole exception is the plane, so far in draft, of the leading American aircraft corporations. However, the cost of the future American transport giant will be three times the spending on the production of the Russian model, whose price will not be above 300 million German marks," ANTONOV said.
Securities, Bank of New York, Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), two subsidiaries of Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, Credit Agricole Indosuez, Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), Societe Generale, and Solomon Brothers. Representatives of some of the banks disagreed with the Central Bank's decision, arguing that there was only some technical problem of positions. Analyst said that the problem arose after western banks short-sold MinFins, a dollar denominated Russian government bond. Short selling is where a bank sells stock it does not have in the hopes of making a profit when the price falls, reported the Financial Times.
· The Russian gas monopoly Gazprom board chairman Rem VYAKHIREV and Royal Dutch/Shell managing director Jorun VAN DER VIIR signed an agreement today in Moscow on a broad range of projects, covering development of oil, gas condensate and gas deposits as well as implementation of other projects in the power industry both in and outside Russia. The development of a deposit inside the Arctic Circle in Western Siberia will be the first joint project with production of gas-condensate liquids and gas starting in the year 2003. Under the agreement, Shell makes an obligation to invest, under definite conditions, one billion US dollars in Gazprom convertible bonds.
Gazprom also signed a memorandum of mutual understanding with, LUKoil and the Royal Dutch/Shell to prepare a joint proposal on participating in a tender on privatizing the Rosneft company. The sale of Rosneft shares will be announced by the end of the year, and the process will be completed by mid-1998. The sides will start jointly to work in the near future on estimating assets and drafting a plan for the development of Rosneft.
VYAKHIREV also confirmed today that the Gazprom bought 51 percent of shares of the Promstroibank.
the value-added tax in mutual trade, and have issued corresponding instructions to their governments. They confirmed their intention to sign a 10 year program of economic cooperation. The Presidents also discussed economic problems and mapped out further cooperation within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). According to the press service, Boris YELTSIN and Leonid KUCHMA discussed in detail specific directions of cooperation in the political, economic, investment, military-technical and other spheres. The sides have reached an agreement that a strategic group on Russian-Ukrainian interaction in the near future will submit a list of tasks for the near future and for prospects to the leaders of the two countries.
· Chechen First Deputy Premier Movladi UDUGOV is planning to visit Tblisi to "discuss ways of achieving stability and peace in the Caucasus." The time for the Chechen deputy premier's visit has not been determined by Georgian authorities. Several visits have already occurred in Tblisi this year, among them by Chechen President Aslan MASKHADOV and Vice President Vakha ARSANOV.
· In his Monday Radio address, Georgian President Eduard SHEVARDNADZE criticized the Russian government for entering into trade negotiation with Abkhazia as a separate state. Russia will import vegetables, fruit, and tea, which violates the CIS blockade on trade with Abkhazia.
territory along the Bukhara-Ural main. Kazakhstan has reached an agreement with Russia's Gazprom to provide gas supplies from a compressor station located on the Russian-Kazakh border. Russian gas will cost Kazakhstan a mere $18 more per a thousand cubic meters than the Turkmen fuel.
· Azerbaijan's milli medjlis on Friday ratified the agreement between Azerbaijan's State Oil Company (GNKAR) and US Exxon, providing for Exxon's participation in a two-billion- dollar oil project in the Caspian shelf. Under its terms, Exxon must pay $10 million for participation in the project. It will pay $1 million for each 100 million barrels of the discovered oil. After daily oil production reaches 12,000 barrels, Exxon will receive a bonus worth $40 million dollars. GNKAR and Exxon are planning to run the project for 25 years but the contract can be extended for another five years if GNKAR agrees.
· The Georgian supreme court in its circuit meeting Saturday delivered sentences to former leaders of the Rustavi branch of the paramilitary organization Mkhedrioni (Horseriders). Mkhedrioni,outlawed by authorities in 1995 as a crime organization, its leaders were arrested and charged with instigating mass-scale banditry and robberies of the population in western Georgia in 1993. The court at its Rustavi meeting sentenced Zaza PAICHADZE, a leader of the Rustavi branch, to 12 years in prison, his female deputy Dodo GUIGELASHIVILI to 10 years and Dadid TSERETELI, who led a Tblisi unit of Mkhedrioni, to seven years.
Mkhedrioni's founder leader Dzhaba IOSELIANI was seen as one of most influential people in Georgia and was a member of parliament in 1992-95. He was arrested in November of 1995 on charges of masterminding a bomb attack on President Eduard SHEVARDNADZE on August 29, 1995, banditry and being behind a series of murders in 1992-95.


I think you can tell a lot about a person by what they spend their money on. And for me, this has certainly changed over time. A few years ago, if you'd given me £100 I would have spent it all on dresses, with maybe a pair of shoes thrown in for good measure. Nowadays, my two wardrobes and chest of drawers are full to bursting and I give away more clothes than I buy. And maybe a year or so ago I would have spent it on pretty homewares (a sure sign that one is getting older) – some accessories for the mantelpiece, kitchenalia or a pretty vase or candle. But now our house generally is pretty full and I try and keep it relatively clutter free. So what do you spend your money on once you've basically got all of the things? For Tom and I (and Tom has never really been interested in 'things' anyway), I think we'd both say travelling. Not necessarily the backpack, braided bracelet, country-hopping type travelling, but just visiting new places we haven't seen before.
As I write this, I'm looking around at last-minute things that need packing for our USA adventure that we leave for on Tuesday (and when you read this, we'll be on our way there!) And this week we booked a hotel for our honeymoon in Bali next April (we're going for a month to make it a real adventure). Feeling very lucky (and pretty broke) right now!
Most of our adventures tend to be a little less grand than 2.5 weeks on the West coast of the USA or a month in Bali however. It's more likely that you'll find us away camping for a few days or on a short break in Britain or Europe. For this reason I've been hunting for the perfect weekend bag for some time – something classic and stylish and (after a bad experience with a wheely suitcase on the Underground recently – SO many stairs) something that I can sling over my shoulder. The Great Gift Company kindly offered me a couple of picks from their lovely website recently and I rather fell for this Weekend Travel Bag (£39*). It's actually from the 'Him' section of the gifts but I think its simple design means it's pretty unisex.
It will be perfect for my trips to London and weekends away, and it even recently came camping with us for a few days and was the perfect way to stow all my belongings (rather than spreading them around the whole van which I usually end up doing).
Are you a fan of travel and adventures? Where will your next adventure be?


Oatmeal Candied Chippers the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheets; set aside. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add milk, egg and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, salt and baking soda. Beat until well blended. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cookies stand 2 minutes on cookie sheets. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.


This easy-to-use-concept starts with the first user contact. Simply log-in with an RFID card and 4 digit numbers.
Nearly everyone can operate an ATM.
This has been the model when designing the user interface and handling scan jobs in FileDirector ScanStaion.
Don't worry about resoluion, duplex scan or modes — just press the bu*on of the scan job you want to do.
Thanks to its smart built-in features and design for touch screens, it is as simple as it sounds.
FileDirector ScanStation immediately shows the scan-jobs, the logged-in user needs. All shown by large and clear function buttons.
We can't change it that it takes 60 minutes for a student to take an exam but we can change that it takes days grading these exams.
Using FileDirector ScanSta on with ist Optical Mark Recognition feature it is done within a few minutes.
Teacher walks-up to FileDirector ScanStation, authenticates, click on 'Multiple Choice' button and feeds exam documents in scanner.
Documents are auto-split, auto-saved and automatically graded within pre-set rules and parameters. Any exeptions are highlighted for manual correction.
The task itself really sounds simple — copy one ID document on a single page.
Have you ever tried it yourself — with an MFP you use only now and then? How many attempts did it take having a twosided ID document copied onto one page?
Using FileDirector ScanStation you do not have to leave the counter, going to an MPF hidden somewhere in the office.
Imagine a FileDirector ScanStation with a PC integrated in a touch screen, which is connected to the scanner.
Just put the Identity Document in the scanner select then "Identity Documents" button.
ScanStation automatically fits both sides of the Identity Document on a single page — in original size.
You know immediately outcome of verification. The FileDirector ScanStation processes ID, collects metadata and the Identity Document can be confirmed via web service.
Spielberg Solutions Australia are proud to announce our first installation of File Director DMS as taken place in Papua New Guinea.
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Oily skin is perhaps one of the most problematic skin types which triggers breakouts, acne, blackheads and whiteheads. Overactive sebaceous glands are the main reason for the excess oil production. It leaves a greasy finish to the skin which can be embarrassing.
Thankfully, there are a number of natural home remedies that can help to solve the problem without causing any side effects. Cucumber is one such useful and inexpensive ingredient that helps to reduce excessive oiliness of skin without drying it out completely.
Is Cucumber Useful for Oily Skin?
As cucumber contains 90% water, it helps to hydrate and moisturize the skin without making it oily. This prevents the sebaceous glands from becoming over-active.
The natural astringent properties of cucumber tightens the skin pores and helps to remove sebum, dirt and dead skin cells from the skin surface.
Vitamin C present in cucumber helps to maintain the oil balance and prevent excessive oiliness or dryness.
It brings back the skin's pH to its normal range which controls the sebum production.
How to Use Cucumber for Oily Skin?
Cucumber can be used in various ways to treat oily skin. We have mentioned them below with a detailed description.
Peel 1/2 of a medium-sized cucumber and chop it roughly.
Put the cucumber pieces in a blender and blend to form a paste.
Pour the cucumber pulp through a piece of cheesecloth to extract the juice.
Use a cotton ball to apply this juice all over your face and neck.
Let it dry out on its own and then wash off with water.
Alternatively: You can just massage the cucumber pulp without extracting juice for 5 minutes. Leave it on for another 15 minutes and rinse off with water.
Note – If applying cucumber pulp seems too messy then you can take a few thin slices of cucumber, place it on your face, wait for 20 minutes and then discard them.
High level of vitamin C present in lemon juice helps to maintain the natural oil balance of the skin. Its acidic nature restores the pH balance of the skin which helps to control sebum production by the sebaceous glands.
Take 1/2 of medium-sized cucumber, peel and chop it into small cubes.
Put it in a blender and blend thoroughly.
Extract the juice from the cucumber pulp.
Take a tablespoon each of cucumber juice and freshly squeezed lemon juice in a bowl.
Soak a cotton ball in this mixture and use it to wipe your freshly cleansed face and neck.
Leave it on for 15 minutes and wash off with water.
Moisturize your face with a light moisturizing cream or lotion.
Note – Don't go out in the sun immediately after applying this toner.
Plain yogurt contains plenty of mineral zinc that works as an astringent and helps to shrink the open pores. The lactic acid and alpha hydroxy acid found in yogurt exfoliates accumulated impurities and opens up the clogged pores.
Peel and grate 1/2 of a medium sized cucumber.
Take 2 tablespoons of yogurt in a bowl and whisk it with a fork.
Add the grated cucumber to the yogurt and mix it with a spoon.
Leave it on for 20 minutes and then wash off with lukewarm water.
Egg whites are naturally absorbent in nature, so when applied to skin it draws out excess oil and dirt from deep inside the skin pores. The natural astringent properties of egg whites close the open pores and reduce oiliness of the skin.
Separate the egg white from the yolk carefully.
Beat the egg white with a fork till becomes thick and foamy.
Add a tablespoon of fresh cucumber juice to it and mix it with a spoon.
Apply a coat of this mixture all over your face and neck.
Let it dry out on its own and then rinse with water.
Compound glycolic acid, a particular type of alpha-hydroxy acid present in sugar helps to maintain the perfect oil balance on the skin. In addition, the combination of cucumber and sugar creates a mild abrasive exfoliant that helps to unclog the pores.
Add a tablespoon of sugar to it and stir it with a spoon.
Massage gently with your finger tips for 5 to 8 minutes.
Leave it on for another 10 minutes and then wash off with water.
Note – You can use either plain white sugar or brown sugar for this scrub.
Menthol present in mint possesses natural astringent properties that shrinks the size of the skin pores and helps to control oil production by the sebaceous glands.
Take a handful of fresh mint leaves and crush them to from a paste.
Add a tablespoon of freshly grated cucumber pulp to it and mix it with a spoon.
Wash off with water, pat dry with a towel and apply a light moisturizer.
Multani Mitti (Fuller's Earth) works as a natural absorbent that soaks up accumulated oil from the skin surface. It's cleansing properties helps to unclog the skin pores and balance the natural pH level of the skin.
Combine 2 tablespoons of Multani Mitti and some fresh cucumber juice to make a thick paste.
Rinse your face with lukewarm water, dry with a towel and apply a light moisturizer.
The acidic juice of tomato helps to restore the natural pH balance of the skin which helps to control sebum production by the sebaceous glands. Its astringent properties shrink the size of the pores while its salicylic acid content exfoliates the skin and unclogs the pores.
Peel 1/2 of a medium sized cucumber and cut it into small pieces.
Take a medium-sized ripe tomato and chop it oatmealroughly.
Add both the ingredients in a blender and blend it to make a smooth paste.
Now, apply this paste all over your face and neck.
Rinse off with water and pat dry with a towel.
Note – You can also add 2 tablespoons of sandalwood powder to this mixture to increase the thickness of the face pack.
Saponins present in oatmeal acts as a powerful cleanser that soaks up excess oil from the skin and opens up the skin pores.
Cook 2 tablespoons of in warm water.
Let it cool down a bit and then add a tablespoon of freshly grated cucumber pulp to it.
Mix the ingredients with the help of a spoon and apply it to your face and neck.
Leave it on for 30 minutes and then rinse with water.
Being a natural absorbent, honey soaks up excess sebum from the skin surface. Humectant properties of honey prevent the skin from drying up which in turn stops the sebaceous glands from becoming over-active.
Peel, chop and blend 1/2 of a medium sized cucumber.
Using a cheese cloth, strain the cucumber pulp to extract the juice.
Add 1 tablespoon of honey to the cucumber juice and mix it with a spoon.
Soak a cotton ball in this mixture and apply it all over your face and neck.
Note – It is best to use raw, organic honey or Manuka honey for this remedy.
It is best to use fresh cucumber juice or pulp for all the remedies for maximum benefits.
Other than applying cucumber to skin, you can also include cucumber in your daily diet to reduce oiliness of the skin.
Consumption of cucumber can cause oral allergy syndrome in some people. Some of the allergic response includes swelling of the lips and tongue, irritation of the eyes or gum tissues.
Avoid using bitter cucumbers for topical remedies or for consumption. The bitter portions of cucumbers contain toxic compounds tetracyclic triterpenoids or cucurbitacins that can be fatal in large dosage.
Follow a proper cleansing, toning and moisturizing routine for your skin and opt for a weekly exfoliation regime.
Use a mild foam-based cleanser to wash your face twice a day. Over-cleansing can strip away the natural oil from the skin and trigger excessive sebum production by the sebaceous glands.
If your face becomes greasy too frequently, then use a tissue paper or bloating paper to wipe your face.
Try to use lukewarm water to cleanse your face because hot water is excessively drying.
Reduce stress by practicing yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, etc.
Get at least 8 hours of restful sleep every night.
Follow a healthy diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. Drink plenty of water every day.
Try to avoid oily, fatty, fried and processed foods.
Get rid of oily skin naturally with the help of these remedies and let us know which remedy worked best for you. Don't forget to share your experience and queries in the comments section below.


Courses offered within the English curriculum help students develop competence in oral and written language skills, which leads to successful reading and interpretation of fiction and nonfiction tests. Additionally, students learn to utilize higher order thinking skills, specifically synthesis, analysis, interpretation and problem solving.
Grading Standards: Student grades are standards-based and a combination of performance in the areas of reading, writing, language, speaking and listening. Grades are determined based on a student's performance in composition, classroom participation, and on the final examination. Students enrolled in an Honors English course must attend from two to four Great Books sessions; the required number of sessions is determined in part by the length and complexity of texts studied. Great Books sessions are held either before or after school throughout the course of the year, and students are assessed on their preparation, participation and reflection.


This is excellent advice for a visual medium, like film. In writing, how do we accomplish the same affect? Communication is 90% non-verbal. When speaking, what actions of your characters tell how they feel, their level of interest, whether they are honest? Dialogue tags are much more telling when they are more than "he said or "she said" but delve into the characters' feelings by showing us a glimpse inside.


Most red clover is a weak perennial or strong biannual. Gallant red clover, offered exclusively from CISCO, has been selected for more longevity.
Special attention was given to disease resistance and a longer stand life. Selection from the breeding plots did not even start until the third year of growth. Gallant red clover was developed in northwestern Indiana by a very qualified, experienced plant breeder and has performed exceptionally well in yield trials.
So when you decide to seed a new pasture or frost seed an existing pasture, consider planting the longer-lived Gallant red clover. It provides you a better return on your investment (see results of overseeding Gallant here) in reduced seeding costs over the years as well as better yield and persistence.
Click here to read about the benefits of adding red clover into your pasture or hay fields.


Saddle Peak National Park complete detail – updated. Geography of Saddle Peak National Park. Dominant flora and fauna of Saddle Peak National Park. How to Reach Saddle Peak National Park. The forest land of the islands is covered by luxuriant and lush green and thick tropical rain forests. The vegetation is characterized by humid, warm and wet tropical climate. The Park runs north to south along the eastern coast of the North Andaman Island. Most of the eastern boundary of the National Park borders the sea, with a long and rocky beach………….
Total area of the park is 32.54 Km2. Saddle Peak National Park was established in the year of 1987. The park is home to Andaman wild pig, water monitor lizard, saltwater crocodile etc. The nearby attractions to Saddle Peak are Ross and Smith Island, Ram Nagar Beach, Kalipur and Lamiya Bay Beaches and mud volcanoes. Trekking and hiking are undertaken by the tourists, in order to scale the Saddle Peak. The Park also has a freshwater pool, from which water is piped to Diglipur. Though logged in the past, the Park's littoral and evergreen forests are thick and luxuriant. There are 10 perennial streams and 132 seasonal streams inside the Park…………….
National park is an area which is strictly reserved for the betterment of the wildlife & biodiversity, and where activities like developmental, forestry, poaching, hunting and grazing on cultivation are not permitted.
Saddle Peak National Park is a beautiful place, located in the Andaman district of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Union territory) of India.
Saddle Peak National Park was established in the year of 1987. Total area of the park is 32.54 Km2. The park was named after Saddle Peak, the highest point in the North Andaman Island.
The Park is uninhabited by the humans and the wilderness stays protected. The shoreline that runs along the Park has patches of white sand and coastal rocks.
There are several huts and benches at close distances for trekkers to rest, while taking a hike to the Saddle Peak. One can also see ruins of lost temples and perennial streams flow through various areas of the Park.
The park is famous for housing some of the most endangered and rare species of flora and fauna. Vegetation found in this park is unique and is rarely found in the national parks of mainland India.
The forest land of the islands is covered by luxuriant and lush green and thick tropical rain forests. The vegetation is characterized by humid, warm and wet tropical climate.
The park is home to Andaman wild pig, water monitor lizard, saltwater crocodile. The important birds are Andaman hill mynah and imperial pigeon. A vantage point has been artificially created atop the peak, so that the trekkers can spend some time and bask in the natural beauty of the region.
The nearby attractions to Saddle Peak are Ross and Smith Island, Ram Nagar Beach, Kalipur and Lamiya Bay Beaches and mud volcanoes.
Trekking and hiking are undertaken by the tourists, in order to scale the Saddle Peak. It is an 8 kilometer long trail to the peak from the entry gate.
The park is also a delight for trekking lovers as it offers an 8 km long trek from its entry to the peak of the mountain. The languages widely spoken in the Saddle Peak region are Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, English and Nicobarese.
Saddle Peak National Park is located in the Andaman district of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Union territory) of India. Total area of the park is 32.54 Km2.
Saddle Peak lies in the northern part of the Andaman Islands. The park is approximately 5 km away from Diglipur and 300 km away from Port Blair cities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India.
The Saddle Peak National Park, with a peak of about 737 m above main sea level has the highest point in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Park runs north to south along the eastern coast of the North Andaman Island. Most of the eastern boundary of the National Park borders the sea, with a long and rocky beach.
The Park also has a freshwater pool, from which water is piped to Diglipur. Though logged in the past, the Park's littoral and evergreen forests are thick and luxuriant. There are 10 perennial streams and 132 seasonal streams inside the Park.
Forest types include Andaman Tropical Evergreen, Andaman Moist Deciduous, Andaman Semi-evergreen, Canebrake, Wet Bamboo and littoral. Main floral species are Cratoxylum cochinchinense, Diospyros marmota, Dipterocarpus costatus and Euphorbia epiphylloides.
It experiences a typical oceanic climate, which is humid, warm and wet tropical. The rainy season lasts from the months of June to October.
Syzygium kurzii, Myristica glaucescens, Parishia insignis, Anacolosa frutescens, Dipterocarpus gracilis, Canarium manii, Dipterocarpus costatus, Dipterocarpus alatus, Dipterocarpus griffithii, D. turbinatus, Planchonella longipetiolatum, Hopea odorata, Endospermum malaccense, Planchonia valida, Baccaurea ramiflora, Mangifera andamanica, Myristica glaucescens, M. andamanica, Buchanania splendens, Canarium euphyllum, Celtis wightii, Dipterocarpus gracilis, Diospyros pyrrhocarpa, Horsfieldia irya, Lepisanthes rubiginosa, Litsea kurzii, Mangifera sylvatica, Pterygota alata, Pterocarpus dalbergoides, Pterocymbium tinctorium, Pterospermum acerifolium, Tetrameles nudiflora, Pterocarpus dalbergioides, Terminalia bialata, T. manii, Parishia insignis, Diploknema butyracea, Gmelina elliptica, Albizia procera, Pterocymbium tinctorium, Sageraea elliptica, Sterculia villosa, Miliusa tectona, Semecarpus kurzii, Diospyros pyrhocarpa, Pterospermum acerifolium, Lannea coromandelica etc.
Andaman wild pig, Water monitor lizard, Salt water crocodile, Dolphins, Whales, Andaman Horseshoe Bat, Himalayan Palm Civet etc.
Andaman hill mynah, Imperial pigeon, Andaman Crake, Andaman Teal, Grey Teal, Brown Coucal, White-headed Starling, Andaman Wood-Pigeon, Andaman Cuckoo-Dove etc.
Saddle Peak National Park is open throughout the year. The best time of the year to visit the Saddle Peak National Park is between the months of November to March.
Visitors can reach the Saddle Peak National Park through ferries from Port Blair. Port Blair is well connected with Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai Airport as well as through Ships.
By Air – Nearest airport is Port Blair airport, from the Saddle Peak National Park. Port Blair is well connected with Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai Airport as well as through Ships.
By Rail – There is no railway station in Saddle Peak National Park. Nearest railway station is Chennai Railway Station in Chennai city of Tamil Nadu, which is about 1,370 away from the park.
By Road – Saddle Peak National Park is well connected by roads.
By Sea – Frequent ship services are available for the passengers travelling to Port Blair from Vishakhapatnam, Kolkata, Chennai and back.
Visitors can also reach the park through ferries provided by authorities from Port Blair.
The accommodation options are available at 2 rest houses, one of which is Yatri Nivas and Pristine Beach Resort in Diglipur, offers a luxurious stay in the area. Visitors are advised to get in touch with the authorities of the Saddle Peak National Park about accommodation, tariff and other facilities.
Great write up and beautiful images. Thank you for sharing.


text:
P A Krishnan's Writings
My article in The Federal on Keeladi
Posted on September 24, 2019 by P A Krishnan
https://thefederal.com/the-eighth-column/2019/09/24/keeladi-excavation-raises-more-questions-than-answers/
Keeladi Excavation raises more questions than answers
A famous Tamil folktale speaks about a prince who is able to draw a life-like portrait of a princess based on a lock of her hair. Keeladi — an archaeological site in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district — today is like the princess of the folktale. Recent findings about artefacts from the site have thrown up several 'princes' vying with each other to draw a picture of what Keeladi was 2,500 years ago based on a single carbon dating.
The pictures they have drawn are about as authentic as the one in the folk tale.
Last week, the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department (TNAD) announced that artefacts unearthed during excavations at Keeladi could be dated to a period between 6th century BCE and 1st century CE, nearly 300 years earlier than previously believed — 3rd century BCE. The findings also "push back the date of Tamil-Brahmi script to another century, that is, the 6th century BCE".
The TNAD, on its part, has printed a book on Keeladi both in Tamil and English that speaks about the excavations done by their archaeologists at the site. The book, I understand, is not yet available in print but a friend has sent me a digital version and I am basing this article on the information available in it.
Is Keeladi unique?
Keeladi, though it may sound surprising to many Tamil zealots, is part of Indian civilisational panorama which is at least as old as the Indus Valley days.
The Tamil country may have skipped the bronze age but as recent articles on Rakhigarhi have shown, but migrations from the north to Tamil Nadu were taking place at least from 1500 BCE. The migrants mingled with locals and the result naturally was an unmistakable cultural and technological overlap.
It is no accident that the black and red pottery found in Keeladi is also found in late Indus culture and is widely distributed in the Gangetic valley and other parts of Northern India. There is nothing unique about the other artefacts either. Beads are found in many archaeological sites. This is not even the first major excavation in Tamil Nadu which is not connected with a burial site.
Kaveripoompattinam and Arikamedu had urban structures and artefacts, which were as significant. Moreover, there are several such sites in India.
Keeladi is certainly not unique.
Is Keeladi part of an ancient river valley civilisation?
Vaigai is a small river that goes dry during summer. As of now, it is hyperbolic to talk about a river valley civilisation, based on the meagre findings in Keeladi.
The present excavations have found remains of animals but no human remains. The human burial sites may have been kept away from dwelling units, but the site doesn't have any evidence of a significant number of people living there. No regular dwelling units or streets have been excavated. What has been excavated could be a site for activities and there is no evidence that they were thriving as far back as the 6th century BC.
Carbon dating – What does it tell us?
According to the government report, "the six carbon samples collected from the fourth season (2018) of excavations at Keeladi have been sent to Beta Analytic Lab, Miami, Florida, USA for AMS [Accelerator Mass Spectrometry] dating and the reports have been received. The sample collected at the depth of 353 cm goes back to 580 BCE".
Also read: Keeladi excavations reveals sangam age to be much older than believed earlier
Turn to any book on archaeology and it will tell you that a radiocarbon laboratory takes a chunk of charcoal and finds out how long ago a tree that turned into charcoal died. By itself, this date says nothing important about the site from which it is taken. Thus, the date of 580 BCE has nothing to do with the other artefacts found in Keeladi, including the pot bits with Brahmi characters.
Let us listen to what the Keeladi archaeologists themselves say: (T)he chronology of this site Keeladi with three periods could be scientifically fixed between 6th century BCE and 11, 12th century CE. In this context, period-I represented the cultural settings of the site from 6 century BCE to 3rd century BCE. While period-II existed between 3rd century BCE and 4, 5th century CE, the last phase, period-III, constituted the finds belonging to date from 4, 5th century CE to 11, 12th century CE. Hence, period-I is the earliest phase found at the lower level of the deposit and consequently the other two over it.
Thus, the artefacts gathered from Keeladi could be dated anywhere between 6th century BCE and 12 century CE — a period of 1,800 years.
A 360 degree view of the archaeological excavation site at Keeladi in Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu.
Potsherds with Tamil Brahmi inscription – What do they say?
The digging was done in 11 trenches. The report says this about one of the trenches (A3/2): "In fact, the top portion was completely filled and packed with cart load of ceramic tiles and to everyone's surprise, an almost full shape like black and red ware vessel was found embedded. The clear-cut marks vertically on the western end was suggestive of the dig at a later period and dumped with such huge amount of discarded potsherds."
Thus, Keeladi cannot be called an undisturbed site, which makes any dating extremely difficult. Nevertheless, speaking about potsherds with Tamil Brahmi inscriptions, this is what the report says: "Likewise, the date of 5th century BCE is considered as the date of Tamili (Tamil-Brahmi) based on radiometric dates recovered from Kodumanal, Alagankulam and Porunthal excavations. But the recent scientific dates obtained for Keeladi findings push back the date to another century, i.e., 6th century BCE."
Radiometric dates obtained at the other sites have been actively disputed by other reputed archaeologists. Harry Falk, a retired Indology professor from Berlin has this to say: "Particularly ill-informed appears Rajan (Professor Rajan who has critically edited the government's book on Keeladi)… Misrepresenting megalithic logograms for Brahmi writing at Porunthal, he reads va-y-ra (meaning diamond) on a ring stand (which was) carbon dated to 490 BC."
In Keeladi, there are cartloads of potsherds, but there are just two bits which contain the Tamil Brahmi words குவிரன் அ (ஆ)தன் அ(ஆ)தன் – Kuviran A(Aa)than and A(Aa)than.
Now, there is absolutely no indication in the book about the level at which these bits were found. Nor is there any information on the distance at which the carbon-dated charcoal were located from them. For all we know, they could have been found form trench A3/2, where potsherds were found at the very top level in cartloads.
The Keeladi excavation site in Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu.
For argument's sake, let us assume that these were found near the carbon-dated charcoal and at the lowest level of deposit. The archaeologists themselves say that whatever found at this level may belong to the period between 6th century BCE and 3rd Century BCE. Thus, it is amazing that with this scant evidence, a reputed professor says Tamil Brahmi's date can be pushed back to another century.
Indus Valley Civilization and Keeladi – Are they connected?
Any Indian culture that came after Indus valley civilisation is most likely to have some link or memories connected with it. It doesn't mean that Keeladi is directly linked to the Indus Valley Civilization. No. The Indus Valley people did not land in Tamil Nadu or Keeladi directly. The attempt to link some Keeladi graffiti with what was found in Indus Valley is pathetic and an insult to common sense.
Was Keeladi without a belief system?
No ancient society in India could have existed without any belief system. If Keeladi was an exception, more evidence would be needed. There are a few excavated terracotta figures which could have been used for religious purposes.
In any case, Sangam period mentions several Hindu gods and, in the subsequent period stretching up to 12 century CE, Tamil Nadu was bristling with Hindu gods. Thus, only an unintelligent person would venture to bet that Keeladi was without a belief system.
Is there an agenda?
The agenda is clear. It is to prove that Tamil Brahmi came to be written much before Ashokan Brahmi was born and that Tamil was the first language to have a written script.
The logic is this — the charcoal bit is dated 580 BCE and hence, the pottery strewn in its vicinity should also be dated identically. Historians and archaeologists with a reputation to defend will consider such a parody of logic with utter contempt.
Let us for a moment assume that Tamil Brahmi came to be written in the 6th century BC. The entire written material on potsherds and rocks for 1,000 years, that is until the 4th century AD, will hardly fill two sheets of A4 size paper.
What's more, most of the writings are just names — a large number of them are Prakrit names — and full of errors. They contain almost no sociological, political, economic, religious, or cultural information.
Ashokan edicts, on the other hand, are documents of immense value. The Brahmi script used in them is very well developed and it conveys complex ideas in an elegant manner.
Pushing back the date of Tamil Brahmi will only convey that writing in Tamil remained woefully underdeveloped for about one thousand years, while others marched way ahead.
More evidence is needed to prove that there was a thriving river valley civilisation or an urban civilisation in and around Keeladi. The carbon-dating doesn't mean that all the artefacts found in Keeladi dates back to the 6th century BCE. The carbon-dating also cannot be superimposed on pot-bits with Brahmi inscriptions to date them to 6th century BCE. Moreover, there is absolutely no evidence that Keeladi is directly linked to Indus Valley civilisation.
Also, no ancient societies could have existed without a belief system. If Keeladi was an exception, more proof would be needed.
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4 thoughts on "My article in The Federal on Keeladi"
Raj	 September 24, 201911:48 am	 Reply
Did they do carbon dating only on a piece of charcoal? Didn't they do carbon dating of the pottery? Can't it be done?
Shalini M	 October 8, 20191:22 am	 Reply
Sir, I respect your arguments on the technical aspects of the excavation and agree that more research involving experts is necessary. But who is preventing this high quality research? Tamil Zealots' as you call them have not been preventing it in order to maintain their ideology. In fact the TN archeological dept took over this work after repeated requests to ASI (by the same Tamil 'zealots') did not evoke necessary response. It is the officials having Hindutva mindset (both in Congress & BJP rule) that are reluctant to research this further. So while I agree that 'tamil zealots' may be ignoring technical aspects because of bias, I do not see that the bias is totally unfounded considering the Hindutva fanatical officials at the centre.
As a neutral person, I would have expected that while you raise concerns about the current research , you should have also focussed on why the centre is reluctant on such excavations simply because they want to maintain the Vedic origin of all Indians. All of us have biases. Perhaps you have one to?
Any other country would have been eager to jump into keezhadi because it may give an idea into what happened to one of the greatest ancient civilization. This is why we lag behind
P A Krishnan	 October 8, 20192:40 am	 Reply
I have said openly and many times that what the central government was doing is wrong. Even in latest debate, I said that. The problem is some persons in Tamil Nadu are full of Periyarist Nazi poison and they will see me only as a Brahmin. That I have been a very vociferous opponent of Hindutva will not matter.
1. Sir, my feeling that you were biased was based purely on you branding some people as Tamil Zealots and not on anything else. Surely, there are Tamil Zealots in TN but I do not see people like Su. Venkatesan as a zealot but as a Tamil enthusiast.
2. I'm an Indus Valley enthusiast and not even a Tamil enthusiast. Yet I cannot fully blame people's pro-keezhadi bias, coming as it is out of deep distrust of the racism of the Centre. Forget being reluctant to become involved, they are actively pushing their agenda by removing Amaranth Ramakrishnan as the project head.
3. Research at lower level will be full of holes. No surprises there. We should involve the best minds, including international archeologists. Whose fault is the less-than-ideal research?
4. I do not contend that you have spoken against Hindutva. In this article, I still insist that you are missing the elephant in the room (hindutva racism) and focusing more on the lesser aspects of the issue. What the Centre is doing is not just 'wrong' as you say… Hindutva Racism is adversely affecting the very fabric of our country by creating boundaries between people.


Serial killers may be responsible for up to 10 times as many U.S. deaths as previously estimated, according to an analysis by a criminologist at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Kenna Quinet, associate professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI, makes the case for the higher death figures in an article titled, "The Missing Missing: Toward a Quantification of Serial Murder Victimization in the United States." It was published recently in the journal Homicide Studies.
I think serial killers may lso be responsible for a significant number of wrongful convictions.
I think that is possible, GB. I argue that two death sentences and one wrongful execution left the actual killer(s) free. Obviously, if the convicted didn't do it, someone not convicted did.


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Q: Aggregate results in one column for each row of an other request linked to the first one Okay, so i know that my title is a bit blurry but it's actually pretty easy (i guess).
I'm using mysql.
I have a table 'items' with this structure:
id, name

And a table 'infos' such as :
id_item, info

The thing i'd like to do is to concat infos in such a way that with a single request i can have that result:
id: 0, name: example1, infos: info1, info2, info3
id: 1, name: example2, infos: null
id: 2, name: example1, infos: info1

I was thinking about something like this :
SELECT *, (SELECT info FROM infos WHERE id_item = ?) as infos FROM items

But i can't find the way to tell my inner request to be linked to the row that's being treated, and joining tables doesn't seem to be the right way to do it...
Can someone help me ? I feel that i'm so close !

A: Try GROUP_CONCAT() function:
SELECT id, name, group_concat(info)
FROM
    items it
    JOIN infos in
        ON in.id_item = it.id
GROUP BY id, name;


1) The View From Section 17 - Wolverines elect four Captains to lead Team 134.
2) Visitors Segment - Radio color analyst Brock Guttierez from The Central Michigan Sports Network joins me to preview the Chips.
2) Michigan Gameday - Michael Rothstein from WolverineNation ESPN.com joins me to preview the offense.
3) Wolverine Quick Hits - Big year for Coach Hoke.
1) Wolverine Warmups - Coach Hoke is happy with camp so far.
3) Wolverine Quick Hits - The latest news from fall practice.
1) Wolverine Warmups - They're back!
2) Michigan Gameday - Zack Travis from the blog Maize N Brew & The Detroit Free Press joins me to preview the Michigan D.
3) Wolverine Quick Hits - News from camp.


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Vehicle becomes fully submerged in water during boat launch mishap in Ingleside
by Sam Borcia August 5, 2021 September 14, 2021
No injuries were reported after a driver lost control of his vehicle and it ended up in Squaw Creek in Ingleside Wednesday evening. | Photo Submitted to Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
Police say an SUV became fully submerged in a creek after a man lost control of his vehicle while trying to load a boat onto his trailer in Ingleside.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office responded around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday to the 35400 block of North Wilson Road in Ingleside for a report of a vehicle in the water.
The Fox Lake Fire Protection District was also called to the scene.
Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Lt. Christopher Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner the incident happened at a boat launch that backs up to Squaw Creek, which feeds into Long Lake.
A preliminary investigation shows a 61-year-old Chicago man backed his 2005 Ford SUV down a boat ramp while attempting to load his boat onto the car's trailer.
Covelli said the man lost control of his vehicle, which continued in reverse into the water before becoming completely submerged.
[Suggested Article] First measurable snow possible on Tuesday for Lake and McHenry counties, NWS says
The man safely exited the submerged vehicle and was not injured during the accident.
The Ford was removed from the water by a tow truck about an hour later, Covelli said.
Tagged: boat launch accident, car into water, crash, ingleside, lake county sheriff, long lake
Previous Sheriff's office and ATF charge 10 suspects, dismantling Lake County gang operation
Next Colorado man found guilty of sexually abusing 13-year-old girl in Harvard that he met online


DP World is exploring the possibilities of better productivity through remote container crane operation. The DP World Yarimca container terminal, one of the largest container terminals in Turkey with 1.3M TEU capacity, will upgrade two of its Konecranes RTGs to test the viability of remote operation.
DP World Yarimca's Konecranes RTG cranes are electrically powered by cable reel systems. They are already equipped with safety-enhancing and operator-assisting features such as Stack Collision Prevention, Trailer Lift Prevention, Auto-Truck Guiding and Auto-Positioning. They are also equipped with Auto-TOS Reporting. This will make the upgrade to remote operation relatively easy, involving the installation of two Remote Operating Stations (ROSs).


You are here: Home / About the RMA / News / Jobs & Post-docs / 5 new jobs!
or post them in places you see fit.
http://resourcemodeling.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/logo_small_inverted-300x129.png 0 0 RMA http://resourcemodeling.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/logo_small_inverted-300x129.png RMA2017-06-08 19:59:252017-06-08 20:11:255 new jobs!


Kelowna city Coun. Charlie Hodge was back in his chair in council chambers at City Hall Monday, six weeks after major surgery to replace part of his jaw.
Hodge, who had three inches of bone removed from the tibia in his right leg and used to replace a section of jawbone removed earlier this year in another surgery, said he was determined to meet his self-imposed timeline of returning to council by the beginning of December.
"(The doctors) said pace yourself. They didn't say whose pace," Hodge said with a smile Monday afternoon.
Saying he feels lucky to be alive, Hodge explained the piece of bone taken from his leg is now bolted to a second titanium plate to form a reconstructed section of his jaw. The procedure was part of an 8 1/2-hour surgery Oct. 25 at Kelowna General Hospital.
The first plate—installed in the earlier surgery—was removed.
Hodge said while the pain in his jaw is starting to subside, the pain in his leg—where the bone graft was removed—is still very painful. He walks with limp and the aid of a cane. He said he currently only has feeling in part of his right leg.
Despite that, he told his council colleagues he considers himself to be the "luckiest man in the world" and publicly thanked his doctors and KGH staff for his care, his wife Teresa for her support and the public for their prayers and good wishes when he was in hospital.
Hodge, who writes a popular weekly column in the Capital News and as been writing for the paper since the late 1970s, said shortly after his surgery in October, he reached the point where he felt he could not go on. The pain, and the surgeries, were just too much.
"I woke up one night and said to my myself, 'okay, I quit.' I didn't think I could go on," he said.
But a few nights later, his fighting spirit returned.
While his voice is still affected by the tracheotomy he underwent while in hospital, Hodge spoke up several times during Monday's council meeting. He kept up with what was going on at city hall while in hospital and had council agenda packages sent to him at KGH while he was recovering so he could stay abreast of what was gong on.
He was determined to be back at city hall in time to participate in council's annual budget deliberations, scheduled for Dec. 14.


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AGRA supports production of certified seeds
Date: Oct - 23 - 2020 , 11:27
BY: Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor
Category: General News
The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is supporting six local seed producers to breed 6,000 tonnes of certified seeds to support smallholder farmers in the northern part of the country.
The seed breeding project is themed: "Strengthening Ghana's seeds system to enhance quality seed delivery" and is expected to reach 300,000 farmers in the targeted zones.
Four main crops, namely, maize, groundnut, cowpea and soya bean, which constitute the food products consumed daily by individuals in the country, are involved in the project.
The project, which was begun in October this year, is expected to end in September 2022 and will cost $376,802 in the end.
It is being implemented in partnership with the National Seed Trade Association of Ghana (NASTAG).
Project inception meeting
Speaking at the project inception meeting of a consortium of seed producers at Akyawkrom in the Ejisu municipality in the Ashanti Region yesterday, the Project Manager of NASTAG, Mr. Michael Dogoe, said AGRA would provide 80 per cent of the fund for the project, which translates into $301,000, while NASTAG will top up with $75,000.
He said even though there had been some interventions in the past to strengthen the seed system, "those interventions have not yielded many results, with much still left to be done".
He attributed the system's under-achievement to the poor storage of living tissues, technically known as 'germplasm', from which new plants could be grown, as well as weak institutional architecture for its implementation.
In addition, he said, the unfavourable policy and regulatory environment and the low application of technology were to blame.
According to him, the project sought to strengthen an earlier generation of seed production, as well as enhance the institutional architecture for regulating and certifying seeds for sustainable supply.
At the end of the project tenure, Mr. Dogoe said, at least 50 seed producers would have been trained on seed quality control measures and one safety seed platform would also have been established.
Additionally, he said, the project would develop a database on the seed industry to provide forecast for at least 20 technology demonstration farms to enable them to promote varieties of maize, rice, cowpea and soya bean seeds.
The NASTAG Project Manager said the seeds would be sold to the recipient farmers at subsidised prices.
Even though the end-user farmers are in the north of the country, most of the early generation seed producers are found in the south and include the University of Ghana, Legon, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi and the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Institute (CSIR), Tamale.


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Q: Is there any drawback of including all the cocoa keys in info.plist even if I don't need it I created a Phonegap iOS app. But it suddenly started crashing when opening the camera, I found that after iOS 10 it is required to include permission string in info.plist file.
What I think is it requires the strings just to display the message nothing else.
So if I add every possible cocoa key's string in my plist file what damage can it do.
I think it is safe to add every cocoa key in my plist so that my app will not get crashed because of the "permission message" error.