Once upon a long ago and far away time, O my children, there lived in a distant country a Sultan and his son. Now it can not be said that this Sultan was an unkind man, or ruled his family unjustly, but he was advancing in years, and thus looking beyond his final sunset, when his son Khayim would become the Sultan in his place. To this end, the Sultan was intent on providing his son with three things; the highest of education, the richest of wealth and a bride. And so it is with young Khayim, then of an age where the laws of the land decreed that he should marry, that our story will begin.
The Sultan sent his viziers throughout all the farthest reaches of distance, seeking for a Princess to wed his only son, and for a year and a day the viziers traveled across the world. They sought to the east, where the finest camels raced like flame across the shimmering sands of the desert. They sought to the West, where jewels of great beauty and fabulous worth lay scattered beneath the soil. They sought to the South, where music and mages and mystics dwelt in the far reaching mountains. And when a year and a day had passed, the Sultan's viziers had found the three most eligible Princesses in the entire world, and brought them back to the palace that the Sultan's son might choose himself between them.
Now Khayim was a wise boy, and clever as it happens, and he had found himself with a year and a day to ponder the question of his future, and so it was that when the three Princesses arrived from the furthest corners of the world, he decided that he would devise a plan, to find a way to see them as they really were.
The advent of the Princesses arrival brought crowds to surround the palace and fill the city, and with them many adventurers, seeking their hopes and their fortune. Among the travelers to Palace that day, was a beautiful young girl whose name was Alayah. She was a storyteller by trade, as her ancestors had been before her, and though it had broken her heart to bid farewell to her family, Alayah had turned her face and heart to the desert, and joined the adventurers streaming toward the city of the Sultan. Hoping to find a place in the palace as a teller of tales, Alayah had dressed in her brightest clothes and scarves and bracelets, and though her face was tawny from the sun, and her finery was worn and dusty from the desert, surely no one noticed this when she began to spin her stories. For Alayah had what her father, and her father's father before him had passed down to their sons and their Daughters - Alayah had The Gift.
When she spoke, even the tendrils of heat that spiraled from the desert, paused to hover and listen, and the gold of the sand and the white of the sky took it an honor to stand as her stage and her Curtain.
Slipping deftly through the crowd on the day of The Arrivals, Alayah stood on tiptoe and tried to see over the heads of the people that surrounded the palace, and perhaps catch a glimpse of the Prince or the Sultan, but to her disappointment, the throng pressed tightly around her, and she found herself pushed further and further away from the door. Breathless but determined, the girl stepped back against the hot stones of the garden wall, and nearly fell backward as the door against which she was leaning suddenly opened.
Alayah held her breath. Here was the backmost gate to the gardens in the courtyard of the Palace, left unlatched by some oversight or miracle, and there, just ahead in the shade of three silken canopied pavilions, reclined the three visiting Princesses. As the main gates opened outward on the other side of the courtyard, and the noble friends of the Sultan's household thronged through the high barred entrance, Alayah found a position near the ornate tiled fountain, and smiled at all assembled, as she cast her eyes over the swirling sights and colors of the gardens and bazaar. Surely here, in the shadow of the Palace of the great and mighty Sultan, there would be a thousand new stories to tell!
In the corner of the courtyard, a Beggar knelt by the base of the fountain, his hands cupped under the running water. Anyone watching closely would have noticed that rather than washing his face clean, the Beggar was coating dust onto his cheeks and forehead, as if to hide his features. He was clad in rags and scraps and tatters, and walked slouching clumsily, to hide the bold stride and royal bearing that would have otherwise marked him as the only Son of the Sultan. In his disguise, he was ragged and nameless and faceless as well, and no one in the courtyard ever would have recognized him, even had they looked into his eyes. This was exactly what the Sultan's Son had hoped for. Smiling somewhat grimly, he raised his eyes to the Princesses pavilions, tugged his rags more firmly into place, and set off purposefully toward them.
He found the first of the Princesses lounging on scented cushions in a silken tent of richest lavender and purple, spread before her a feast that would have fed half the poor in the kingdom, had they been allowed to touch it. Smiling politely, the disguised Prince approached her and begged for a bite from her table. Angry, the Princess from the East ordered him away, though her table was laden with spiced meats, rare fruits and sweet confections, straight from the kitchens of the Palace.
"This feast is to celebrate the engagement of the Son of the Sultan!" she told the Beggar haughtily and harshly. "And surely the Prince will choose me! Am I not beautiful beyond compare? How dare you come to stand beside me and gaze unasked upon my face? My beauty is such that only the Sultan's own son should deserve to enjoy it! Go now from this place, before I have you thrown into prison!"
With that, the Princess turned from him, and Khayim shook his head. The Princess Aljeleha indeed was beautiful, but - as Khayim had already suspected - this was not all there was to know. As the disguised Prince stepped from the pavilion to go, he felt at his ragged sleeve the touch of a slim brown hand, and pressed into his dusty fingers, a loaf of coarse brown bread.
Alayah smiled at the Beggar. "Take this and eat, hungry Brother", she smiled, leaving him in the shade beside the fountain. "I can tell a tale and earn another for my own."
With that she disappeared into the crowd, leaving the Prince staring in astonishment at the gift in his hand. It was plain and humble indeed, poorer and rougher than anything he ever had eaten. But from the lovely girl in faded clothing it was a great act of kindness; for it was all that she had.
Khayim found the second Princess reclining in a pavilion of satin blue and silver, her cushions richly embroidered with threads that shimmered in the sunlight, and her head and feet and fingers bedecked with an array of gemstones that dazzled in the light of the courtyard. Sipping rich wine from a flagon bejeweled with diamonds, the Princess drew back in anger when Khayim asked softly for a drink to sustain him.
"How dare you even approach me!" cried the Princess, snatching away the flagon and her goblet, though he had not tried to touch them. "This wine will toast the engagement of the Sultan's only Son. And surely it is I that he will choose - am I not wealthy beyond compare? You may drink from the dirty washing water in the bucket, for that is good enough for the likes of you. Go now from my riches, or I will have you beheaded!"
With that, the Princess from the West turned from him, and Khayim shook his head. The Princess Riantah indeed was wealthy, but - as Khayim had already suspected - this was not all there was to know.
As he turned to leave the pavilion, a gentle hand took him again by the shoulder, and Alayah brought him to the wall of the garden, where she squeezed into a clay bowl the juice from three pomegranates. The fruits were small, and warm from the sun, her earnings entire for the tale which she had just told. It was a plain enough offering for the only Son of the Sultan, but again the gift was priceless beyond compare, for she offered all that was hers.
Khayim found the third Princess reposing in a pavilion of tapestries, scarlet and gold, surrounded on all sides by scrolls and maps and books of every description. Bowing politely to her highness, he asked her for a tale, to while away the time until the Sultan and his Son emerged from the Palace, but the Princess snapped shut the book she was holding, and looked at him with contempt. "I am the most learned Princess in the history of my Kingdom!" she derided. "I am here to converse with the Son of the Sultan, not with a filthy Beggar from the streets of the bazaar! As for tales, they are foolish and wasteful, and no knowledge will ever be gained from them. Shall you not treat me with respect? The Son of the Sultan is sure to choose me for his Bride, for I am learned beyond compare! Now away from my presence this moment, or I will have you tortured!" With that the Princess from the South flung a scroll at the Beggar, then stood and flounced into the pavilion. Khayim sighed and shook his head. The Princess Bellatur indeed was learned. But though she had studied with mages and masters, and commanded over fourteen different languages, still it seemed as though she did not know words of kindness in any of them. As Khayim had already suspected, her learning was not all there was to know.
The soft sound of rueful laughter danced across the courtyard, and Khayim turned to see the same young girl who had befriended him before.
"Poor Brother Beggar!" she smiled. "Will you find no friend at all in the city of the Sultan? Come with me - a tale I can offer, and with all free will I give it."
Khayim stared, amazed, at the beauty that was her eyes and her laugh and her kindness, and scarcely knowing what it was that compelled him, he followed her to the corner of the bazaar. He did not know her reason. He did not know her name. But there was one thing of which he was certain; her smile was the glow of the sunrise on the farthest edge of the horizon, shimmering, glowing, and bursting always with promise.
As he watched amazed from the doorway, the people gathered around her, and she began to weave a tale so exquisite that soon every voice in the courtyard had stilled to listen, and her tale washed magically over them, like the sound of raindrops in evening, magic woven at midnight, and cooling breezes in the desert. So eloquently did Alayah speak them, that her words seemed to come alive on their own, swirling through the air around her like tangible beings, dancing amid the myriad colors of the flags and tents of the bazaar, before winding like smoke and incense and illusions around the very spires of the Palace. Khayim stood and watched her and found himself suddenly breathless.
Caught up in the story which she spun for them, the disguised Son of the Sultan never saw the guards approaching until they had seized him by the shoulders and thrown him to the sand. Charging him with offending the honored guests of the Sultan's son, they dragged him from the marketplace, rough against the stones and tents and corners, as the three Princesses watched him go with satisfied smiles, among the reproachful mutters of the crowd.
Her story shattered like rainbow shards on the sand around her, Alayah turned to the leader and implored him to show mercy. "He has done no wrong!" she protested, stumbling and falling as the guard shoved her roughly in the path of an approaching merchant and his camels. Enraged by their treatment of her, Khayim turned with fury on his countenance, but a blow from the guard brought him to his knees. They would neither heed his words nor believe his identity; he was sentenced to death at nightfall.
Bruises, cuts and anger filling him with equal pain and fury, Khayim spent the next hours in a dank and filthy cell locked behind iron bars. Any attempt to speak with the guards or prove his true name and standing had met with abuse and insults, until in despair Khayim had resorted to silence. He knew the severity of his danger - the Sultan never set foot in the dungeons of the palace guards. Filthy and battered, the Sultan's son would likely not be recognized by anyone but his Father. The mistake might never be discovered, and in his heart, Khayim could only fear the worst, come nightfall.
As evening threatened across the dusky bars of the window, the Guards left him hungry and forsaken, and went to coax rich food and wineskins from the maids in the palace kitchen. The keys they left behind were forgotten, unattended and hopelessly out of reach. Khayim couldn't bear to look at them.
Sighing, the only son of the Sultan turned his thoughts to the bazaar that morning, and the beautiful teller of tales that alone had shown him kindness. Her face and her story danced in his memory, filling him with loneliness and with sorrow, and he wished with all his heart that he were listening to her now.
As if his thoughts had conjured her there, a slim silent figure slipped from the gloom of the dungeon stairway, and took the keys from the table.
Khayim was completely dumbfounded." Are you spirit or phantom?" he whispered, trying to peer through the shadows, "Come here to mock me in my torment?"
Alayah eyed him squarely. "If you can not be sensible," she answered, "at least be quiet! I have to find which key will open the door."
Silenced, Khayim pushed himself upright, as the sounds of music and revelry drifted in through the window. Little did the people in the Palace courtyard know, the Sultan's Son would not be soon attending them!
Concentration written across her shadowed features, Alayah at last found a key that fit, and was rewarded by the sound of turning, grinding metal. As Khayim slipped from the cell into the hallway, she locked the door behind him and returned the keys to the table. Mischief dancing in her eyes, she led him up the stairway.
"We'll leave the keys and let them wonder how you escaped!" she smiled, and then turned her attention to leading them through the courtyard and out into the city.
The moon was rising in the heavens before the girl stopped turning to glance over her shoulder, and Khayim was weak with weariness and hunger by the time she stepped into the doorway of a little dwelling close by the walls of the city.
"I traded the Master here tales for food and for sleeping space", she explained, pulling him through a low doorway and into a shed perhaps a third the size of his closet at the palace. "Eat - you must be famished."
With that she gave him food and drink and kindness for the fourth time that day, and turned to light a candle as he availed himself of the dry bread and cheese and figs that she offered. He enjoyed them more than any feast he ever had attended.
The long hours of darkness wound by like silver threads shot through a silken scarf worn by the dancing midnight. Throughout the hushed and dim lit hours of the night Khayim and the storyteller spoke of many things, sharing thoughts and dreams, ideas and hopes and visions with voices that reflected a tender and new found friendship. From her past, Alayah wove tapestries of memory, painting them with the soft blush of dawn over the desert and the sound of drums and dancing. Khayim was captivated, by both the tales and by the teller, and though the night seemed to be endless, at the same time it was over far too soon. Of himself Khayim revealed little, neither his name nor his birthright, for Alayah captured his hopes and his heart in such a way that his standing as son of the Sultan seemed unimportant and inconsequential.
Alayah paused, her dark eyes serious, and gazed out the tiny window at the rising dawn.
"I…" she said softly, to Khayim's surprise and consternation, "…pity him".
Never in his life had Khayim been the object of less than awe and servitude, and the words of pity falling from the lips of this lovely girl astounded him.
"Pity?" he repeated in confusion. "But the son of the Sultan, he…he has…" Khayim paused in confusion as he strove to remember what riches the palace held that could possibly compare to the eyes and face and voice of the girl before him.
"Choice?" he asked, at a loss for perhaps the first time in his life.
Khayim stared at the candle, a new thought beginning to grow inside him.
Alayah frowned for the first time.
Khayim sighed deeply, pitying the Sultan's son for that very reason.
"And you?" he asked, feeling suddenly breathless, "what say you to marrying wealth and position?" Alayah smiled, and her face lit up the dark and shadowed room. "I want neither of those things, only a tale and firelight to tell it by. I have no use for gold and grandeur… but adventure, freedom, even hardship? What a story those will make! Life is made up of stories. There is no greater gift in all of the Kingdoms than that." With that she blew out the candle and lay on the first of the blankets, offering him the second blanket with a gesture that set the bracelets on her wrist jingling softly.
"I would not marry one who gave me any treasure less than their heart, and a story to share with them. And neither should the Sultan's Son." With that she closed her eyes and drifted into peace filled slumber, leaving Khayim to watch her in wonder as the sun rose over the marketplace. When Alayah awoke, he was gone.
When the sun again rose golden over the palace courtyard, Alayah took her place in the shadow of the fountain, waiting with all the others for a glimpse of the Prince and the Sultan.
Khayim, washed and again dressed in his finery, had slipped into the palace by the backmost garden gate, and no one was any the wiser about his disappearance than they had been.
Refusing to explain his absence, and waiting only for the moment of the announcement, Khayim had eaten nothing and slept little, the image of a young desert-traveling storyteller filling his head and his heart. He had never known anyone like Alayah, and he did not want to spend the rest of his life without her. Thus it was that when all in the courtyard fell silent, and all faces were upraised, all eyes upon him, Khayim amazed the entire Kingdom, and especially the inhabitants of the palace, by leaving the grand dais and walking through the crowded courtyard with neither bodyguard nor servant.
As he approached the Princess Aljeleha she stole a self satisfied glance at her competitors, preparing to graciously accept the royal marriage proposal that she saw as her right. Her beautiful face was furious as Khayim passed her by and kept walking. When he approached the Princess Riantah, her gloating gaze swept across the gathered multitude, and the set of her head and the glint in her eye was proprietary and greedy. Khayim passed her by as well. As the only son of the Sultan reached the edge of the courtyard, the Princess Bellatur stood, a gleam of triumph in her eyes and a haughty cast to her features. As Khayim passed her by also, her superior expression crumpled in fury and disbelief, as the Sultan's son crossed the path and knelt at the feet of a dusty and colorfully robed peasant girl, who had obviously traveled the desert on foot, lacking the coin to purchase travel. The courtyard was as silent as the deepest moment of midnight, when Khayim took Alayah's hand and vowed to marry only her. A moment later it burst into a chaos of shouting and uproar as the young storyteller, recognizing him at last as the beggar she had befriended, pulled her hand from his grasp and refused him. Turning in a flurry of multi-colored silks and scarves, Alayah raced to the hidden garden gate, and disappeared from sight.
For three days, Khayim could not be consoled. For three days his Father demanded he make apology to the Princesses and choose one of them to marry, and for three days, Khayim swept from despair to confusion to desolation before at last arriving at humility. He had offered Alayah grandeur and riches, silks and gold and jewels, a palace, rank and royal stature. He had avowed, he had proposed, he had assumed. He simply had not listened. That night when the royal servants and the princely food tasters and the palace advisors arrived with his feast for the evening, the son of the Sultan was gone.
The night had cast its shadowed silks over the bedouin campfire of the sun, when Alayah lit her own small fire, and sat to seek stories in the stars. In the silence surrounding her, the sound of hoof beats and jingling harness heralded Khayim's approach long before she saw him. Arriving in the circle of firelight at last, his proud horse bejeweled and tasseled and plumed, Khayim slipped from the tooled leather saddle once again wearing his beggars robes, and sent the horse back the way it had come with a slap on the haunch and nary a backward glance.
Khayim made no move to approach her, but stood at the edge of the campsite, raising only his eyes and voice to greet her.
"I understand now" he said, his voice hoarse with thirst from his race across the desert. "You did not refuse me because I am the son of the Sultan. You refused me because I am a fool".
A tiny smile danced on the edge of Alayah's features.
Khayim took courage and stepped toward her.
Alayah said nothing and Khayim took another step toward her.
Alayah stood her ground, but shook her head, the firelight shimmering off of her spangled sleeves and the small gold hoops in her ears.
"You say that you understand" she persisted, "yet still you ask me to be the wife of a Sultan's son?" Khayim closed the gap between them at last, and gently took her hand.
"No" he said humbly, feeling more himself in beggar's rags with her than he ever had in his finery at the palace.
"I am asking to be the husband of a Storyteller".
Alayah stared at him in the firelight for a long while, as the nightwinds whispered their secrets across the sands of the desert.
"Yes" Khayim whispered, the moonlight on his face revealing the truth of his words. "I will give up great riches and all that I have ever known, and follow you to the ends of the earth. And think, just think!" his heart at last beat in time with Alayah's as he smiled into her eyes.


text:
Newport recycling company prosecuted for false financial reporting
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has successfully prosecuted a Newport based recycling company, for knowingly submitting false Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) data for financial gain, and failing to comply with their approval, as an Authorised Treatment Facility (AATF).
GLJ Recycling Ltd, based at Chapel Farm Site in Gwent, is an AATF and have a permit from NRW to receive and treat metal waste.
An AATF can issue and sell evidence of any electrical goods they treat to Producer Compliance Schemes, so that members can meet producer obligations under the WEEE regulations.
Under the permit conditions, GLJ Recycling were permitted to treat electrical waste equipment, including large and small domestic appliances, ranging from household white goods, to toasters, kettles and hoovers.
Compliance checks undertaken by officers from NRW, identified potential false records, which prompted the launch of a full investigation.
Officers from NRW found that Gareth Lyndon Jones, Owner and Director of GLJ Recycling, and Colleen Andrews, AATF Manager, had breached WEEE Regulations and falsely recorded and reported the weight of electrical goods received.
Waste electrical goods were also incorrectly categorised, with the majority of suppliers confirming there would not have been any electronic waste sent in the metal scrap to GLJ.
Officers also found it was not physically possible for GLJ to have handled and treated the quantities of electronic goods declared.
Mr Jones and Ms Andrews both originally claimed during interview that the electronic waste was coming in from respective companies, and that other staff had lied in their statements to protect themselves.
Both later changed their account and submitted guilty pleas, Ms Andrews to knowingly submitting false information and Mr Jones to recklessly submitting information.
At the sentencing at the Crown Court at Newport earlier today (19 July) the judge fined the company a total of £72, 000, and ordered them to pay NRW costs of £22,294.
Colleen Andrews was also fined £2,400 and Gareth Jones was fined £4,000 bringing the total to £100,694.
John Rock, Team Leader for Natural Resources Wales, said:
We regulate companies that are approved to recycle Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and ensure these companies properly recycle the WEEE they receive, and correctly report data, so that companies selling electrical goods pay for the recycling when they become waste.
Our investigations proved that GLJ Recycling made false claims on waste that they had not received and so they could be paid money they were not entitled to. This money should have gone to recyclers that were properly recycling waste to make sure as many materials can be recovered and used again to help us move towards a circular economy.
The fine given by the judge today reflects the financial gain that the company has made and the impact on a system designed to make sure we recycle and re-use electrical goods when they are no longer needed. This should send a strong message that NRW will take the appropriate action against those who think they can flout the rules.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Jason foumberg is a Chicago based art critic. Jason wanted a simple and streamlined site that focused on showcasing over 200 + articles he has written. Jason publishes weekly so both the design and the technical foundation of the site needed to flexible enough to grow over time. This site is based in wordpress but uses a customized theme and taxonomy system that gives viewers multiple ways to browse Jason's large library of work. Click here to see his site live.


text:
Main square in Bovec
Between two gothic churches lies a square with typical Bovec houses, friendly restaurants, shops, and hotels. Bovec is a town just by Triglav National Park and is the centre of the Upper Soča valley. You can find some unique villages in the land of Bovec: Srpenica, Žaga, Log Čezsoški, Čezsoča, Plužna, Log pod Mangrtom, Kal-Koritnica, Lepena, Soča and Trenta.The earliest mention of Bovec is from 1174, but the history of this area stretches much further back in time – to the Roman road through Predel and to the finds from the early Iron Age. In the past for Bovec was important trade route between the port of Triest and Wienna that passed the town. Later, the Bovec area was affected by the first World War battles. Today you can follow the traces from that time on the Walks of Peace.
Park and square Bar/Restaurant/Hotel Traffic
What's Up Cams
City: Bovec
Operator: What's Up Cams
Bovec, Slovenia
-3°C / 27°F


PowerAdvocate provides supply market cost trends on equipment, components, services and materials through our Cost Intelligence product. Our indices track both the direct and intangible costs to manufacture a piece of equipment, to install permanent materials, or to deliver a type of service. Real-time cost transparency provides our clients with needed insight into the cost volatility inherent in building or operating different types of energy facilities.
Access PowerAdvocate's proprietary supply market database to monitor the impact of market conditions to direct item costs by tracking commodity indices.
Indices mapped to over 740 common industry "items"
Avoid unreasonable or unexpected price increases from your suppliers by understanding your commodity exposure. Validate alliance pricing through Should-Cost analysis.
Custom Cost Models – Customize models within your regional and technical specifications to meet your project and O&M needs.
Configure a plan for future cost volatility. Sustain cost savings and transparency through each phase of the contract lifecycle.
Identify Savings Opportunities – Quantify commodity impact and identify market opportunities to achieve savings. Benchmark project cost escalation with industry standards.
Contract Negotiations – Ensure fact-based negotiations with supporting forecasts and estimates of future costs. Negotiate your contract with real time market conditions and forecasts.
Budgeting and Planning – Strategically evaluate project schedules based on cost and market data. Gain visibility into major cost drivers to hedge your risk and incorporate into purchasing plans.
Monitor Index-Based Contracts – As the market shifts from fixed-price to index-based contracts, market volatility increases risk of exposure if not properly monitored.
Rate Case Support – Demonstrate cost prudency and justify spend escalation with third-party market cost data to validate enterprise spend and spend forecasts.
Perform a multi-tiered analysis to deliver cost trends at the item, sub-category, category and business unit level for O&M, Construction, and Renewable projects.
Models and projections can be customized to account for different regions, key technologies, or facility idiosyncrasies, by adjusting key items in the database of 740 identified items.
Provide transparency into the critical drivers of tomorrow's prices through a "Cone of Probability", a five-year forecasting tool, which draws upon supply market constraints, demand components and historic volatility models.
Deliver timely updates to the historical indices and forecasts in order to provide customers with relevant, real-time data.
Identify a cost component pricing model independent of bid quotes and empower key decision makers to determine a plausible "should-cost" price that can be used to ensure appropriate vendor participation in negotiations.
The Energy Intelligence Group (EIG) is PowerAdvocate's research and analysis team, providing energy industry decision makers with research and market insight. The analysts, with backgrounds in economics, energy markets, regulatory schemes and renewable technologies, track real-time cost data in order to forecast capital build and maintenance costs for utilities. The EIG Cost Intelligence tool provides analytical cost breakdowns at all levels of the energy industry.
Cost Intelligence has an expanding portfolio of industry-specific facility cost model templates that allow you to monitor the impact of market conditions to direct item costs by tracking commodity indices through custom cost models. Cost Intelligence provides the flexibility to create your own cost models from the ground up. Additionally, the default models listed below can be easily customized to your regional and technical specifications to meet your project and O&M needs.
In this ever-changing industry landscape, uncertainty challenges utilities to improve their ability to manage opportunities, risks and costs differently than they have in the past. To do this, utilities need access to timely and accurate cost information. Do you monitor your cost against market volatility? Do you know if your supplier is quoting you a fair market price? Do you have the market data to support your negotiations? Do you have the fact-based cost data to communicate with your regulators?
Cost Intelligence is the Holy Grail of supply chain information! I went to every other consultancy and cost database in the country to find data like this and I can say with absolute certainty that no one in the entire sector has anything like you have. I couldn't imagine walking into a negotiation without this presentation in my back pocket."
Using PowerAdvocate's forecast data for Sulfuric Acid (chemicals), I was able to avoid a 13% increase from our supplier... it goes a long way to show how useful PowerAdvocate's market data can be in negotiations."
Do we buy pipe now or later?
Situation: Due to a decrease in steel prices, a major utility with $10M in carbon pipe spend questioned whether it should break a pre-negotiated committment price and take a penalty to repurchase or not.
Results: Using PowerAdvocate's Cost Intelligence tool, the utility was able to forecast cost data that projected lower prices for steel over the next year, and determined that this price decrease compensated for the inevitable termination fee. The utility was able to make an educated, cost-saving decision.
Should rates stay steady or decrease in a down market?
Situation: Utility needed to assess vegetation management labor rates totaling ~$40M of spend, while the supplier wanted to keep rates steady in down market.
Approach: The utility used Cost Intelligence to analyze vegetation management rates and determined market decrease of 3% in rate resulted in a savings of over $1M in one category alone.
Results: With cost model in hand, Utility asked for 3% reduction for one year contract extension – Supplier agreed.
Situation: Our client was experiencing discrepancies between bids and budget estimates on low voltage cables.
Result: PowerAdvocate Cost Intelligence allowed them to perform a Should-Cost analysis which provided an estimate over 20% lower than the original bid presented. The analysis included new specifications and quantities to reelect market pricing and evaluate fair bids.
What's behind your contract pricing?
PowerAdvocate analyzed an index-based contract to market conditions to uncover that our client was missing a huge savings opportunity by not renegotiating terms and indices.
Situation: Energy company needed to estimate the cost of new projects, such as: Coal to biomass retrofitting, and large new wind projects.
Approach: Using PowerAdvocate Cost Intelligence, the utility made customized models to check escalation and use forecasts to determine the ideal timing of purchases.
Utility identified 20 key categories to monitor for timing of purchases.
Results: The client realized cost-savings by purchasing a wire and cable one year in advance of the project. Cost Intelligence models revealed the benefit of avoiding forecasted price spikes by buying and storing now.
Does the market support your case?
Result: Using PowerAdvocate Cost Intelligence, the utility created customized cost models on existing generation spend. Using the cost models, the utility provided the Commission with total costs forecasts to justify the need for rate adjustments.
How will commodity volatility impact budget?
Result: Category segmentation allowed the business unit to effectively use PowerAdvocate Cost Intelligence tools to estimate the impact of commodity driven cost escalations on the total Distribution budget through 2014. Customer also was able to establish mitigation strategies by identifying material categories.


text:
Hippopsicon macrophthalmum är en skalbaggsart som beskrevs av Stefan von Breuning 1978. Hippopsicon macrophthalmum ingår i släktet Hippopsicon och familjen långhorningar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Långhorningar
macrophthalmum

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Rebels in eastern Libya are close to reopening three oil ports they have occupied since the summer to press Tripoli for autonomy and a greater share of oil revenue, a leader from the rebels' tribe told state media on Monday.
The comments, the most optimistic for months, came after the government met a rebel demand to release three of their fighters who boarded a tanker loading oil at a rebel-held port in an attempt to get it to markets. They were captured when U.S. forces boarded the rogue ship and returned it to Tripoli.
The announcement will still be met with scepticism because the same tribal leader predicted in December that the heavily-armed rebel militia would end their blockade of the three ports which previously accounted for 600,000 barrels of oil a day.
"There are indications of an imminent breakthrough," Saleh Atawich, the top Magharba leader, said of talks with the government mediated by tribal elders, according to LANA state news agency. He gave no specific time frame.
Atawich is from the same tribe as port rebel leader Ibrahim Jathran but also close to government thinking. He had predicted that ports would reopen on Dec. 15, but a similar deal fell through at the last minute.
A local news channel operated by the federalist rebel leader also flashed an urgent news bulletin about a "breakthrough".
Three years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, the oil standoff is one of the major challenges to Libya's weak central government as the blockade drains state coffers, adding to Western worries the country is sliding deeper into instability.
With no real army, Libyan authorities are struggling to control militias and armed tribesmen who help oust Gaddafi in the 2011 civil war, but have become political players demanding power and oil wealth and controlling territory.
"There are careful efforts these days between the committees concerned with opening the ports and the parties that closed them," Atawich said. "The issue is moving in the direction according to plan."
Attawich could not be immediately reached on his cell phone for further details.
Hours earlier, Libya's attorney general ordered the release of three rebel fighters following comments by some lawmakers that this would help solve the port crisis, Sadiq al-Sour, head of the attorney's investigations department, told Reuters.
Sour said he regretted the release which had been made on political grounds. "These are people who committed crimes," he said. "Now justice is entering political conflicts."
Staff at state prosecutor's office later called on the attorney to resign over what they called an unjustified release, according to a statement posted on the office's official Facebook website.
Three weeks ago, the rebel militia embarrassed Tripoli by loading crude onto the "Morning Glory" tanker at the Es Sider port, which is under their control. U.S. special forces later stormed the ship in international waters and returned it to Libya.
Government and the parliament had told the militia to negotiate an end to their port blockade or face a military offensive. The rebels had demanded the release of their men, the tanker returned and the threat of an army offensive dropped before any talks.
Those governments, which backed NATO air strikes to help the 2011 anti-Gaddafi revolt, are pressing the factions to reach a political settlement. But Libya has lurched from crisis to crisis over the last year.
Libya's oil production has fallen to a trickle due to the port seizures and protests at major oil fields.


David's career with Rojac Ltd, impressively spans more than three decades.
In his present role, David is heavily involved in the day to day running of Rojac over several operational areas, with a primary focus on production.
A technical apprenticeship HNC in production engineering preceded many years of experience as a sheet metal worker and progression to Works Director.
With an enduring dedication to the industry and an exceptional knowledge of sheet metal work, David is an ideal point of contact for existing and new customers.


text:
With machine learning and AI skills requiring a deeper understanding of the industry, a manager has to retrain himself and ensure that the death of old legacy of businesses like maintenance of code and quality testing jobs do not affect new hires or people five years into the job.
Manoj Thelakkat, Founder of Reflex Training Partners, says, "Training modules have to change from time-based and certification programmes to contextual learning." He says his organisation is teaching senior managers through theatre and music to understand collaborating in the world of AI, preparing organisations to reskill staff rather than sack them by looking at an Excel sheet.
Corporates are reskilling and realising that AI does not mean losing jobs, but "a realignment of jobs".
The long road to re-skilling for the AI world
In a recent survey by PWC titled Bot.Me: A revolutionary partnership more than 50 percent of respondents believed AI could help better healthcare, financial management, security and education. Less than 40 percent believed that it could create income and gender equality. In the next five years, jobs such as tutors, travel agents, tax preparers, office and home assistants, health coaches, chauffeurs and general physicians will get replaced.
The survey was limited to developing markets where growth has stagnated and the population is aging. This falls right into the table for India as these AI programs will be built by engineers.
Vijay Ratnaparkhe, Managing Director of Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Limited (RBEI), believes that one "must not forget that today India is building software for the world and we are the brains powering future solutions".
Robert Bosch and its 15,000-plus engineers are building software for cars, which are learning about living objects by using mono-chrome cameras, ultrasound, radar and LIDAR technology. These are the kind of roles that engineers must prepare for in the coming days.
As new technologies emerge, Infosys is investing in upskilling and has designed programs to help mid-management levels keep pace with change.
Richard Lobo, Executive VP and HR Head at Infosys, says: "Automation and related technology are the way forward and must be embraced by employees, irrespective of their role or job level."
He adds that new avenues have evolved rapidly, which need the company to reskill people on newer technologies and hire from outside to meet gaps in the skill mix. These include areas like user experience, cloud-native development, AI and industrial IoT, Big Data, Analytics and Automation.
"In this environment, it is important that employees showcase high learnability and the ability to re-skill themselves rapidly," Richard says.
Infosys has created game-based learning methodologies where the program focuses on taking disagreements and turning them into positive solutions. This program enables managers to consciously embrace differences of opinion and create an environment that cuts through the competitive nature of conflicts, promoting collaboration among teams and partners.
The company has invested in agile and feels that it is the only process they have devoted purely to the middle layer. Ever since Vishal Sikka took over as CEO he is preparing employees on Design Thinking, where Infosys understands the entire technology requirement from the business perspective. The company has trained 1,42,218 employees so far and wants everyone in the company to go through that change.
Infosys also works with Stanford to train senior leaders. The Stanford Global Leadership Program had 36 graduates in the first quarter of this financial year. Seventy senior people have completed the program so far and another 40-plus are in the current batch.
"This is one-of-a-kind program to build our next generation leaders," Richard says.
Last quarter, Infosys finished training 3,000 people on AI technology, 2,100 of them on the Nia platform. It has currently created a bank of 3,500 videos available and has also partnered with Udacity and Coursera for different skills.
It is all about new skills
There is a reason for this rush to train employees in new skills. Clients are now asking IT services to be more in line with client success in winning business.
Daimler AG, for example, is working with Bosch to launch a fleet of autonomous cars in a five-year time frame. For this form of business, a new framework of data analytics services, network and infrastructure needs to be created. It is here that IT Services want to take a bet. They will use the current set of resources to build these new IT requirements. The days of doling out CVs could reduce and the engineering community has begun living in fear. But it is an era of constant learning.
Rajesh Kumar R, Delivery Head, Retail, CPG and Manufacturing at Mindtree, the $900-million IT services company, says: "With the advent of any new technology there will be some impact to certain jobs. However, the concern or 'fear' is due to this short-term impact. Focusing on reskilling and technology education can help employees stay relevant."
He adds that irrespective of automation, collaboration is imperative to be successful in the current environment. For example, a startup ecosystem produces amazing innovation that corporates and governments can adopt. Similarly businesses of various sizes will address different segments of the industry and all these will need to work together to address demands. The future of the industry is moving towards a highly collaborative environment.
"Automation is impacting mid-level managers because automation is now touching the so-called 'knowledge worker'-related areas, once thought 'not automatable'," Rajesh says. He adds that far more cognitive tasks will be automated in the coming years and automation will happen more rapidly as we progress.
At Mindtree, learning is driven by Yorbit, the company's online enterprise learning platform that has yielded great results in just a year of its launch. Multiple knowledge sources are brought into this platform to enable directed self-learning complemented with project-driven assisted learning to put knowledge into practice.
Automation is likely to impact "cognitive routine" tasks and will shift the focus of human intervention to "cognitive non-routine" areas. For example, with ATMs, banks are less worried about the mechanics of collecting and distributing cash, instead the workforce is focused on investment advices and customer relations. If we take the automobile industry, the human focus is more on innovation, design and less on core manufacturing where quality manufacturing is taken for granted with heavy robots driven automation.
Digital is prompting organisations across industries to reinvent and reimagine their employee enablement and engagement strategies for better business success. The correlation between employee engagement and business performance is becoming increasingly relevant.
It is all about managing change
According to Gartner Research, by 2018 50 percent of team collaboration and communication will occur through mobile group collaboration apps. Organisations will have unified observational, social and people analytics to discover, design and share better work practices. While the workplace is transforming at a rapid pace, it requires your workforce to reimagine their future by adopting newer technologies. The role of leadership now also includes making the change easier for employees.
Nishikant Nigam, EVP & Chief Delivery Officer, at CSS Corp, an IT Services company, says: "In this context, the mid-level management, the future leader/CXOs, in organisations also need to evolve and reinvent as traditional roles and structures come under increasing strain."
India's IT workforce comprises roughly 1.4 million mid-level managers, and they are finding themselves at the centre of reskilling and restructuring conversations across organisations.
NASSCOM believes the IT industry's current reskilling focus is on emerging technologies like Big Data, Analytics, Cloud, IoT, Mobility, and Design Thinking, while also investing in emerging skills like Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Artificial Intelligence, DevOps, Robotic Process Automation, and Cybersecurity.
However, as Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Manipal Global Education and former member of the board of directors of Infosys, says: "If growth beats job losses, employment will continue to grow. But we need to be prepared for automation."
There needs to be a constant evolution of skills by embracing concepts like job rotation and fluid teams.
Nishikant believes that adopting "a mix of traditional and new-age learning methodologies, digital skilling platforms, along with a thrust on building full-stack professionals and institutionalising continuous learning, will play a pivotal role in creating the right differentiation and staying ahead of the pack."
Technology is changing fast and it is imperative for mid-level managers to seek out continuous learning opportunities.
Anand Venkateswaran, Vice President, Finance and Member, Board of Directors, Target India, says: "We expose our managers to the latest technology trends, and provide opportunities where they can leverage these learnings to support personal development and drive business outcomes."
He adds that senior managers are given the opportunity to mentor and interact with startups to be in touch with the latest and most relevant industry developments.
Some of the technologies that managers have to reskill for are Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Python, Java, open source technologies and Computer Generated Imagery (CGI).
However, all this boils down to three things: leadership, an employee's ability to learn and the corporate's ability to train people quickly.
"Employees should keep in mind that if they are working for a CEO or a corporate that does not believe in reskilling them, they must quit before they are sacked," Sridhar says.
The need for humans in the world of AI
According to Accenture, companies will have to adapt their training, performance and talent acquisition strategies to account for a newfound emphasis on work that hinges on human judgment and skills, including experimentation and collaboration. Their survey on the impact of AI on management revealed the following:
AI will put an end to administrative management work. Managers spend most of their time on tasks at which they know AI will excel in the future. Specifically, surveyed managers expect that AI's greatest impact will be on administrative coordination and control tasks, such as scheduling, resource allocation and reporting.
There is both readiness and resistance in the ranks. Unlike their counterparts in the C-suite, lower-level managers are much more skeptical about AI's promise and express greater concern over issues related to privacy. Younger managers are more receptive than older ones. And managers in emerging economies seem ready to leapfrog the competition by embracing AI.
The next-generation manager will thrive on judgment work. AI-driven upheaval will place a higher premium on what we call "judgment work"— the application of human experience and expertise to critical business decisions and practices when information available is insufficient to suggest a successful course of action. This kind of work will require new skills and mindsets.
A people-first strategy is essential. Replacing people with machines is not a goal in itself. While artificial intelligence enables cost-cutting automation of routine work, it also empowers value-adding augmentation of human capabilities. The findings suggest that augmentation —putting people first and using AI to amplify what they can achieve — holds the biggest potential for value creation in management settings.
Executives must start experimenting with AI. It's high time executives and organisations start experimenting with AI and learning from these experiences. If the labour market's shortage of analytical talent is any guide, executives can ill afford to "wait and see" if they — and their managers — are equipped to work with AI and capable of acquiring the essential skills and work approaches.
With smart automation, quick robots and intelligent software bots becoming an integral part of the workforce, it's critical that organisations and employees collaborate to forge the path ahead. It's the only way to deal with the charge of the light brigade.
Sridhar Vembu
artificialintelligence
Narayana Murthy
Mindtree
Vishal Sikka
Target India
Mohandas Pai
Manipal Global Education
Richard Lobo
Vijay Ratnaparkhe
ZohoCorp
Reflex Training Partners
Robert Bosch Engineering
Yorbit
CSS Corp
Anand Venkateswaran
Manoj Thelakkat
Nishikant Nigam
Shell E4 Clean Energy Enterprise Summit: A confluence of corporates and startups influencing the clean energy sector
You don't have to be first; be the best in the market: Tejas Goenka


text:
Netflix Announces Its First Turkish Original Series
GlobalTurkey
Istanbul, May 29, 2017 - Netflix, the world's leading entertainment network, continues its investment in international content with the announcement of its first original series from Turkey. Weaving a hero-driven action story with Ottoman and Turkish legend and history, the 10-episode series will be written and produced in Turkey and is expected to launch to Netflix members around the world in 2018.
The drama focuses on a young man who discovers that he has special powers. When dark forces that threaten to destroy Istanbul emerge, he must team up with a group of misfit friends to harness these powers to defend the city and all of mankind. The show will explore the rich cultural history of Istanbul and take the audience on a riveting journey into the heart of this magical city.
The series is produced for Netflix by Istanbul-based O3 Medya, with Onur Guvenatam as executive producer. The series will expand the broad offering of Turkish content currently available on Netflix, including licensed dramas such as Magnificent Century, Ezel and Lovebird that are already very popular with Netflix members around the world.
"We're thrilled to confirm that we will be producing our first Turkish original series and are very happy to be working with O3 Medya on this project, which is young, fresh, and exciting. We believe that Netflix will be the perfect global platform for this great Turkish production and we can't wait to share more details later this year," said Erik Barmack, Vice President of International Original Series at Netflix.
"We are extremely proud to be producing the first original series in Turkey. We are confident that this new genre will be a milestone for our market and it will not only resonate with the Turkish audience but will also travel globally," said the Co-Owner/Producer Onur Guvenatam, O3 Medya.


With an explosive investigation into the failures of the government agency responsible for ensuring pipeline safety by Politico and the growing list of pipeline accidents and spills (already 9 in the US this year alone), people are questioning not only the consequences to environmental health but also the risks to people and communities of new construction projects.
One popular alternative, and Warren Buffett investment strategy, is to ship oil and gas above ground, using America's storied railways. However, the shift to rail transport is not making the transport of fossil fuels safer, as the Washington Post reported in February.
'Finite' can also be used to describe other aspects of the operation. Although just two years ago the American Enterprise Institute was prophesying 100 years of the Bakken oil boom, the US Energy Information Agency was only able to find enough proved reserves of shale oil in the entire US to last us 18 months, according to this report from National Geographic. It's easy to see the hesitation in building safe, new rail cars if they won't be needed much longer.
When we address our energy future, we often discuss the sourcing and the usage, neglecting the fact that there are many precarious steps in between. Certainly there have been short-term economic advantages to the fracking boom in the US, but as we look to long-term energy solutions, it is imperative that safety and health of people and the environment are our top concerns.


Which WWE pay-per-view event is most like your personality?
Every WWE pay-per-view event has its own unique matches and its own unique feel. Some people love the more brutal shows while others thrive on the storytelling. If you could watch only one WWE pay-per-view event, which is the one that most suits your personality?


Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel with a very good question.
If you ask my 6-year-old daughter she will tell you that this is a must-do experience for little princesses and knights who dream of going through a magical transformation lead by amazing Fairy Godmothers-in-Training. I have friends who never miss the change of booking an appointment at the very convenient location inside Once Upon a Toy store at Disney Springs, but I must say there is nothing more magical then visiting the boutique located inside Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom Park.
If your children love dressing up as their favorite Disney Princesses and are between 3 and 12 years of age, then I think they will really enjoy this experience. My daughter always chooses the princess bun, but I know many girls who have asked to keep their hair down. There are different styles your kids can choose from, and you can always talk to the Fairy Godmothers-in-Training in case they would like something different. My daughter has never complained about her hair, not even in the heat, but each child is different. Please note that reservations are highly recommended and can be made up to 180 days in advance by calling (407) WDW-STYLE or (407) 939-7895.
Moms Panel tip: don't forget to purchase Memory Maker to have full access to all digital content captured during your visit, including photos taken during your kids' transformation at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Thank you for visiting us once again! Please stop by real soon so that we may continue to help you plan magical memories.
On 9/5/2017 Rebecca from NC Asked: Hi! I made my daughter an appointment for the Bibbibi Bobbidi Boutique for 9am. I noticed that the park opens at 9am. How do I get in and make sure she is not late? Thank you for your help!


Synopsis: Aaron Cross (Renner) is a black ops soldier under the Outcome program, an off-shoot of the Treadstone and Blackbriar programs that spawned Jason Bourne. After Bourne begins to pull the curtain on the programs, the government decides to destroy all parts of the programs, including Cross. After narrowly avoiding death, Cross joins together with Dr. Marta Shearing (Weisz), who might be able to help him avoid being eliminated.
Sarah: a.k.a. Mrs. James Bond!
A: Correct! Mrs. Craig stars as Dr. Marta Shearing, a scientist involved with Aaron Cross' secret program. The Bourne Legacy also stars Edward Norton - a new addition to the series - as Eric Byer, a retired Air Force colonel who sort of oversees some of the black ops programs the CIA runs.
So Sarah, this was one of the films we previewed this week, and as we mentioned in our preview over the last three days we have watched the first three Bourne films to get you caught up on the series and to refresh my memory. So now that we're caught up and we saw this almost right after watching The Bourne Ultimatum, what did you think of The Bourne Legacy?
S: I was little disappointed in these movies as a whole. I find them to be full of a lot of really tight, confusing information in short amounts of time and then very long sets of action sequences, rinse and repeat. Nothing about them really impressed me much.
Jeremy Renner does just fine as Aaron Cross in The Bourne Legacy. He's not Jason Bourne exactly, but that's what we liked about him.
The Bourne Legacy itself is an action-packed film. I think that if you're a die-hard fan of the Bourne films to begin with you'll enjoy this installment. It's another angle of the bigger picture they've spelled out through the course of the series and this one adds another facet in that Jason wasn't the only one. So I think that if you like the Bourne films you'll like this one. Otherwise if you're not a fan of the series, you'll really dislike this one.
A: I actually might disagree with you a little bit just in that…I'm not a huge fan of the series but I like the movies…I'd go out and say that fans of the series might not like this one because it is very much a retread of parts and sections of the first three movies.
It's not a reboot per se, or at least the filmmakers say it's not, it's a "side-quel" because the first act of the film run simultaneously with events in The Bourne Ultimatum. But sitting through this and watching it, so much of it is very much like The Bourne Identity in that Aaron and Marta team up and eventually sort of fall for one another like Jason and Marie did.
And then a lot of this one is reminiscent of The Bourne Supremacy, particularly the last action sequence, which is an overly long foot/car/motorcycle chase between Aaron and this nameless assassin. I think they referred to him as Larx, but I think that was just the name of his program.
S: Yeah, it was like his codename and he's this super-agent that they don't do ANYTHING with.
A: And I didn't see anything that was more special about him than any of the other agents in the series. So yeah, the final action sequence was just way too reminiscent of the chase scene at the end of Supremacy between Bourne and Karl Urban's Russian assassin. So there's a lot of retreading here.
That said, I liked it for what it was. There are a lot of parts I like about it. I like Jeremy Renner and I like his Aaron Cross.
S: Yes. I really liked Renner. He's been getting some flak about how people don't like his Bourne-esque character, but we have to remember that he's NOT Jason Bourne. He knows who he is, he knows where he comes from. We don't have to go through the same issues with Bourne. It's more of Aaron and Marta trying to save themselves because Norton's Byer is trying to burn the program down in its entirety.
A: Yeah he's way more charismatic than Damon's Bourne in that regard. Even though he doesn't say a word for the first 20 minutes or so that he's in the film.
S: But he's a fun action actor to watch and I look forward to seeing him in more things in the future.
Here's something for me: I don't quite GET these movies. There are so many layers…and I understand the premise that there are all these cover-ups and it affects so many different branches of the government and other companies involved. I get that. But I don't understand why that's not more of the story.
S: You know, they'll throw in scenes where these agents are all talking about having to shut down these programs or hunt down Bourne or Cross, but why not go into that more instead of just buffering it all with tons of action sequences that are really drawn out. All the chase sequences really kind of bored me. I wanted something more like Mission: Impossible or James Bond and I feel like that's what these films wanted to be like and that they missed the mark. Maybe it's just me.
The Bourne Legacy has a run time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. We swear it felt like this chase scene was at least 20 minutes of that.
A: That's a totally fair criticism. I would just respond by saying that I like that these films are a little more physical and more brutal in their action sequences with hand-to-hand combat. I also enjoy watching Bourne and Cross look around their surroundings and situation and quickly evaluate the best way out and how to avoid capture. But those are fair points and I agree with you that I'd like to know more about the programs themselves.
Overall I'd say if you've seen the other Bourne films, there's not a whole lot new here. Correction: there are some new things in the first hour where we're following Cross around Alaska, but after he comes back to civilization it's a lot like the other films. The film does look great though, and I really liked the homage to the opening of the series with Cross laying in the water to open up this film.
The DNA is here. It's directed by Tony Gilroy who wrote or co-wrote all of the films so he knows the story, he knows the players involved. It's just that this one didn't bring enough new stuff to the table to make it more interesting.
S: Yup. I was just disappointed. But I didn't have high expectations for this one anyway so I wasn't completely shattered that it wasn't a great film, but it still managed to disappoint me.
A: One other thing for me: I wish they had used Edward Norton more here. Like you were saying about how you wanted to know more about the cover-ups.
S: Yeah, I don't understand what his role really was. Was he a part of the CIA or was he part of some other branch that kind of oversaw what the CIA was doing? It just never quite made sense to me. I wish they had used Norton more, I wish they had tied it more into Pamela Landy and her stuff from Supremacy and Ultimatum because at the end all of this seems to be for nothing.
A: True, they don't really wrap this one up, do they? They very much leave it open-ended for a sequel and that annoys me. Cross got his virus he needed to be permanently awesome (the premise of how he's a black ops solider is ridiculous, too), they're chased by Larx and kill him and then it's over. That's it.
S: It is what it is. I think if you like the series and planned on seeing this one in theatres, you should still do so. It's still a fine action movie. But this is not one we'll own. We don't own any of the Bourne movies and I think it's going to stay that way.
FINAL VERDICT: A nice way to kill a Saturday afternoon.


Let our team work with you to create a flawless function.
Corporate professionals are finding newer and better ways to make meetings more productive. By utilizing different methods of conveying information, we are entering a world that emphasizes on elevated communication in order to increase work output. For your next corporate event in Maryland, incorporate these meeting tips in order to get the most out of your peers.
Be Exclusive - Put a cap on how many people attend. No one wants to be in a situation where they're being made to feel like an accessory to a corporate discussion. Lesser attendees mean personalized attention and allow you to focus on fewer individuals, rather than a crowd. It is also economical to limit your audience!
Time Yourself - It's very easy to get lost in the details, and that's why an agenda helps! Prepare and send one out in advance. Stick to the pointers listed in your agenda and plan how long each discussion will take. Not only will this inspire punctuality, but it also prevents the meeting from spilling over the amount of time that was planned.
Ditch Powerpoint - With the way technology is improving, presentations can be more interactive. Tools like Canva or InDesign can be utilized to design innovative animations. With modern applications, you can help inspire your peers during your meeting.
Unplug Your Laptops - Unfortunately, information retained drastically reduces when working on a laptop while attending a corporate gathering. It eats through valuable time that could be spent listening. Ask attendees to keep their devices away and this allows them to focus more on the agenda.
Change the Scenery - It's easy to get used to existing amenities in the workplace, but this time try taking a leap and search around for interesting meeting venues in the area. Don't miss out on an opportunity to help offer new surroundings for better productivity!
When looking for a place to offer your peers a change of atmosphere, look no further than the Harborside Hotel in Maryland. Our hotel reflects contemporary grandeur with sophisticated services and state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment where people are made to feel motivated and creative! Request for a proposal today and plan your Maryland meetings in our 11,000 square feet venue complete with luxury facilities for your every need!


Double Glazing Devonside.The Advanced Group are the best Double Glazing & Triple Glazing experts throughout the UK.
The installation of Double and Triple Glazed windows and doors in your house can prove to be one of the greatest investments you can make in both improving the price of your home and making your home much more energy efficient. That investment can certainly both make you money as well as help you save money delivering amazing benefit.
Don't assume all double glazing is made equal and a lot people believe that merely to have double gazing means they are experiencing the full-benefits.
Double Glazing Devonside. Modern high energy-efficiency Triple Glazed windows and doors are steps ahead of old double glazed units. They perform significantly better in all ways truly making the difference in all kinds of properties.
Here at The Advanced Group we produce our Triple Glazed window units within our factory facility making certain all Double & Triple Glazed window and door orders are professionally made to order and tailor-made to fit your property. Advanced Double & Triple Glazing have lots of different styles, features, colorings and glazing options to help you opt for the perfect glazing option for your property.
The reality that we produce all of our Triple Glazed window units ensures that we can continually be extremely competitive in price without compromise towards the quality of the Double & Triple Glazed windows and doors we produce. Double Glazing Devonside. Double & Triple Glazed windows & doors options incorporate the different traditional configurations that include Casement Windows, Tilt & Turn, Sash Windows and Conservatories etc.
Call today to talk to our experts in order to take advantage of a FREE home survey by our specialist Double & Triple Team. Double Glazing Devonside.
If you want the best quality Double Glazed windows and doors at the most competitive prices then call The Advanced Group Windows Now on 08000 502 502 to get a FREE no obligation quote.


text:
About us keyboard_arrow_down
Find out what we stand for and how our work around the UK is making a difference.
Paths for Everyone
In Northern Ireland
National Cycle Network keyboard_arrow_down
Explore fantastic walking and cycling routes across the UK.
National Cycle Network
Find a route
Our future vision
Route collections
Traffic-free family rides
Coastal rides and walks for kids
For professionals keyboard_arrow_down
With over 30 years of pioneering experience in sustainable transport across the UK, our teams work in partnership to develop and implement effective solutions.
Research, monitoring and evaluation
Get involved keyboard_arrow_down
Help us to continue to care for the National Cycle Network and support our work to improve walking and cycling for everyone.
Work at Sustrans
Login to VolunteerNet
Fundraising and challenge events
Find a route on the National Cycle Network
Ride to the North Somerset Coast
This route showcases some of the best that Bristol and its surrounds has to offer.
navigation View this route on OS maps
22 miles, 34.1 kilometres
directions_bike 1 hour 47 minutes directions_walk 7 hours 20 minutes
70.4% TrafficFree | 94.3% Asphalt | 4.6% UnsealedFirm | 1.1% UnsealedLoose |
Extra care should be taken when crossing the A386 at the roundabout in Yelverton. Extra care should also be taken when using the on-road sections of the route in the Cattedown area of Plymouth.
Path numbers
Taking in the Avon Gorge, Clifton Suspension Bridge, Leigh Woods and the historic Queen Square, this route takes you onto Portishead, where you get to enjoy great views over the water towards Wales.
The ride begins in the Regency splendour of Bristol's Queen Square, then continues over the Prince Street bridge (passing M Shed, a museum of Bristol's history) and right onto Cumberland Road. After the pelican crossing there is a pavement cycle route, which then drops down to a traffic-free section along the river bank past Create, a vibrant environment centre that hosts a range of events and exhibitions.
Join the Ashton to Pill Path, which crosses the river and passes underneath the spectacular Clifton Suspension Bridge and on through the Avon Gorge. To your left is Leigh Woods, where cycling is permitted on certain paths, and with a fantastic show of bluebells and wild garlic in late spring. The route arrives at the village of Pill, with its pretty harbour. Pill Creek is where the first emigrant Methodists started their journey to America.
You could turn around here if you want to make the journey shorter, but the ride continues onto Portishead, an attractive Victorian seaside town with great views across to Wales and a good selection of locally owned independent shops. Alongside the seafront you will find one of the UK's few remaining open-air swimming pools.
Somerset Levels Cycle Map
Covers the Somerset Levels area, including Bristol, Bath, Glastonbury, Wells, Minehead and Yeovil.
We have taken all responsible steps to ensure that these routes are safe and achievable by people with a reasonable level of fitness. However, all outdoor activities involve a degree of risk. To the extent permitted by law, Sustrans accepts no responsibility for any accidents or injury resulting from following these routes. Walking and cycling routes change over time. Weather conditions may also affect path surfaces. Please use your own judgement when using the routes based upon the weather and the ability, experience and confidence levels of those in your group.
Please help us protect this route
Ride to the North Somerset Coast is part of the National Cycle Network, cared for by Sustrans. Your donation today will help keep the Network safe and open for everyone to enjoy.
Print this page print
Sign up now to hear more about our latest news, views, events, campaigns, policy, impact and other activities.
Sustrans is committed to fundraising in a way which is legal, open, honest and respectful. Read our fundraising promise.
Sustrans is a registered charity in England and Wales (number 326550) and Scotland (SC039263) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England No 1797726 at 2 Cathedral Square, Bristol, BS1 5DD.


I have news for you.....your role in life is not to "just be happy." . . Undoubtedly you need to continue to fill your own cup and accumulate experiences in life that bring you love and joy, but at some point you NEED to purposefully pour yourself out and share your gift. . . Whatever that gift is, because that's why you were put here. Not to be happy. Not to have fun. Not to just get by and wake up and go through the motions every day. . . But to give. To leave things better than you found them and make the world a better place because you were in it. Anything less is selfish. . . You have a responsibility to share your gift. So what are you waiting for?
Shake, shake, shake... shake your booty ...into Larry's for one of our yummy, and pretty milkshakes!


While I'm still working on December's post, doing the "Secret" challenge I missed in October (translation: still trying to figure out what I should write about), I finally took a look at next year's challenges. Because I did so much sewing this year - compared to previous years' output, in both clothes to wear in everyday life and historical clothes - I finally feel like it's possible for me to make sensible choices for projects, and actually follow through on them! In order to facilitate that following-through and have a published record of what I should be doing, here are my thoughts on (some of) the 2016 HSM challenges.
January: Procrastination – This one is very easy. I've had a Regency morning dress half-done for about a year now, which I will need for the Battle of Ogdensburg in February, where I will be speaking! It's a lovely soft cotton twill, smallish checks on a beige ground, and the pattern is taken from Regency Women's Dress (the one with the scalloped hem). I've taken a look at what I have so far for evaluation and should have it finished well before the end of January.
February: Tucks & Pleating – Chemisette B in Patterns of Fashion, the one with vertical pintucks over the body. Ideally, I'll also finish this well before the end of January so I can wear it with the dress, which has a wide neckline and might benefit from a bit of a fill-in.
March: Protection – I'm so coordinated. I'll cut out the pieces for an apron and bring them to the Battle of Ogdensburg to sew. (Hopefully there's a lot of stuff going on inside some kind of structure?) February and March's projects being small should allow me some time on the side to sew clothes for myself for the new season.
April: Gender-Bender – This one is pretty difficult for me, since my personal sense of style tends to be understated yet feminine. An obvious choice would be something like a riding habit, but that's a pretty intensive project and I'm trying to make sure these are all things I'll really need/use in order to get them finished. I haven't been posting the fall/winter dresses I've made recently, but let's just say that, influenced by Age of Adaline, my modern style is extremely vintagey, so it's completely possible for me to make everyday clothing through the HSM. I'm currently looking for a 1930s dress pattern with masculine elements that I'd wear regularly. It's very difficult. (I like this one, but I'm not sure how I'd feel about wearing it.) I may end up knitting my brother a pair of socks with a vintage pattern instead.
May: Holes – Going with Leimomi's suggestion of an item with eyelets, I plan by this time to make an 1850s-1860s corset. During the wedding I still haven't written up, I realized that my (1880s, used for all Victorian events) corset was nowhere near wide enough in the hips and was giving me lower back pain, and a few days later I ripped out the lower halves of the seams in order to figure out how much more ease should be added in my next one. So now I have no corset at all! And as the Civil War Weekend will still be happening in July, I'm going to need one.
June: Travel – Last year I purchased a secondhand gown for the CWW, and this year I'd like to make my own. A traveling dress! I'm doing preliminary research on what would constitute a traveling costume during this period, but think I will end up with a grey or brown tropical wool. The CWW is not a high accuracy event and doesn't have a defined date to be portraying, which gives me a lot of leeway.
July: Monochrome – My first thought for this was to make a Little White Dress for a hypothetical future Regency event, but it might actually be nice to instead make up the commencement dress pattern I shared in August for a hypothetical future 1910s event.
From August through December, I'm really not sure what I'm going to do - there are so many options! But I hope that setting all of the first half (ish) of the year's projects out like this will help me make sure that I achieve them.


text:
Isoyama ist der Familienname folgender Personen:

 Hiroshi Isoyama (* 1937), japanischer Aikido-Lehrer
 Kazushi Isoyama (* 1975), japanischer Fußballspieler