text:
Bio-Diversity
Artificial Islands threaten the Biodiversity in the South China Sea
Vishesh Patel
Published on 29 March 2021
For a few decades, China and other South Asian countries have been building artificial islands in the South China Sea. By building artificial islands, these countries are able to build military bases, which could help them project power across the region. In addition, by having an island, the country might discover natural resources like oil and gas that have previously not been explored. Therefore, in building these islands, the countries open their doors towards political concerns. More importantly, these artificial islands cause worries for the environment. Ecosystem disturbances and disrupting the migration corridor are just a few of such environmental consequences. Without viable solutions, these man-made islands could harm the environment for generations to come.
During the years 2013 and 2017, China, Vietnam, and Taiwan built various islands in the South China Sea. Using cutter suction dredging, hopper dredging, and airfield construction, China built 3,200 acres of land, Vietnam build 120 acres of new land, and Taiwan built eight acres of new land. The dredging is done by gathering and depositing sand on top of the coral reefs. The islands are built in the South China Sea, which is a highly biodiverse area. It is home to about 571 species of coral reef and a plethora of fish who made their home in the reef. Claiming the land became an area for political tension because neighbors of China and other countries building islands fear that China will define themselves as the "bully" of the region. However, a more concerning area stems from the speed of the activities from building the island, the South China Sea, and the biodiversity of the area.
Ecosystem Disturbances
Prior to building the artificial islands, the South China Sea's coral reefs were already under heavy stress from bleaching, disease, and destructive fishing methods. According to Northam 2016, Chinese fishermen use propellers to harvest clams; however, in doing so, the fishermen are breaking up the coral so that the clams are easily extractable. When the South Asian countries started creating artificial reefs, they extracted sand and gravel from the lagoons and reef flats. In doing so, the dredgers stir up the sand and silt, which also damages the coral tissue. In addition, the sand and silt block the sunlight from important organisms that the reef cannot live without, such as reef-building corals. Due to the damage, the coral reefs might not recover for up to 10 to 15 years without any disturbance. If there is more disturbance, such as more dredging, the time frame of recovery for the coral reefs would increase. With such a rapid pace of building islands and occupying them, the life underneath will not recover at the same speed, which would cause a deficit in marine life in the South China Sea. Not only does it hurt the coral reefs, but also the creatures that live in and around the reef. According to John W. McManus, a professor of marine biology and ecology at the University of Miami, the salt and silt either killed the fish or "expelled them from the reefs". Such explosion from the reef means the fish are left to become prey to the bigger predators with no defense mechanism and, therefore, eliminate multiple smaller species of fish. Despite some fish being able to live in a damaged reef, the artificial land fills most hiding places. With such killing of the fish through the damaged coral reef or becoming prey due to lack of hiding, the biodiversity of the fish in the South China Sea would deplete, which would cause disruptions in other parts of the ocean.
Due to the damaged coral reefs, the migration patterns of the species around the reefs are also destroyed. In addition to the artificial islands' housing military bases, Chinese fishermen boats also surround the islands in hopes of fishing in masses. There is a problem of overfishing near the artificial islands because around the reef, there are about 100-150 fishermen boats that travel around the reef compared to the .1 to .5 fishing boats near the Great Barrier Reef. According to Professor Eric Wolanski from James Cook University in Australia, the reefs damaged due to overfishing, and island building produced fewer fish and coral larvae for other areas. For example, Namyit Island has no new coral and fish larvae because all the sources are destroyed. If further downstream from where life around the artificial islands are getting ruined, soon there would be a ripple effect across different parts of the ocean. This would cause a disruption in other ecosystems all over the world, with some species ultimately becoming extinct. If the artificial islands continue to be built, more ecosystems have the potential of being destroyed.
While some irreversible damage has been done to the environment because of artificial islands, several steps can be taken to preserve the ecosystem from getting completely destroyed for future generations. One step could be to investigate whether the building of the islands was illegal through the committee. According to international law, island-building must be "preceded by an environmental impact assessment". If found guilty, the committee should be firm and sentence a punishment in the form of a fine or work to restore the damage. During China's position paper of December 2014, the country failed to assess the environmental damage and therefore failed to accept responsibility. Moreover, throughout building the islands, countries have failed to provide data on the effects the islands are having on the environment. South Asian countries should work together to provide more transparency to receive help from other countries to preserve the marine life ecosystem. Each country should promote the best practices in order to save the ecosystem for centuries to come.
While building artificial islands may benefit a country's ability to use its natural resources or set up a military base, the negative impacts on the environment outweighs the benefits in the long term. If there is no action taken to save the South China Sea environment, soon there will be irreversible damage to life in the sea.
More posts by Vishesh Patel.


text:
Homepage About CRI Staff Bios Press & Publications Blog News & Videos Campus Chapters
If I Died as a Martyr I'd Go To Paradise
http://www.childrensrightsinstitute.org/127/if-i-died-as-a-martyr-id-go-to-paradise
Print RSS
If I Died As A Martyr, I'd Go To Paradise
by Eric Herschthal
Editorial Intern
For The Record: In the piece on the film "The Making of a Martyr" (ìIf I Died As A Martyr, I'd Go To Paradise,î Nov. 24), a paraphrase of Cardozo Law School professor Jonathan Todres' view of the International Criminal Court was mishandled. He did not say that the ICC has a nefarious record when it comes to Israel and Palestine. The Jewish Week was trying to make the point that the ICC's sanctioning body, the United Nations, has a long history of bias against Israel. Also, Todres was speaking in general terms when he said that what was depicted in the film was "in violation of human rights law" and not speaking specifically about what Palestinian leaders are telling Palestinian children.
Not many public events at Yeshiva University's Cardozo Law School require extra security. Even fewer are sold out. And none, by most accounts, cause the kind of raucous display of ire that attended a recent screening of the film 'The Making of A Martyr." The documentary, produced and directed by former Cardozo law student Brooke Goldstein, concerns the calculated decision by the Palestinian Authority, militant groups and state-run television to train child suicide bombers. While Goldstein looks for distributors, the film has slowly been garnering awards, such as the Audience Choice Award for Best Film at the United Nations Documentary Film Festival last spring. Meanwhile, public intellectuals like Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz have called the film "brilliant," while others, like Hamid Dabashi (a professor of Iranian studies at Columbia) have called it disingenuous.
At a recent screening of the film at Cardozo's Moot Court Room, which seats nearly 300, both Dabashi and Dershowitz were invited to discuss the film as part of a post-screening panel, which also included the filmmaker. Before any of the panelists could make their points, an elderly man in the front row jumped out of his seat. "This is a piece of propaganda against the Palestinians!" he shouted. A woman next to him pleaded for him to stay and let the guests speak. He did, but the mood was set.Then it was Goldstein's turn. She leaned into her microphone and said: "The last thing these [Palestinian] children need is to be told to be martyrs. These children are the biggest victims of a humans rights crime." The comment only stoked the flames. But Goldsteinís point, that Palestinian children are suffering a human rights crime by their own government, is the driving thesis of the controversial film.
In an interview, Goldstein told The Jewish Week that the idea for the film came while on a break at home in Toronto. She was preparing dinner with her father and discussing how a legal case could be made against Palestinian suicide bombers. When the idea arose to look at suicide bombings from a Palestinian child's perspective, she seized it. "The children were being manipulated," she thought. "This is the one case that all parties involved can agree on," she said. She argued that the film should not be delegitimized by the contentious nature of the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which some have suggested might stall her case. "How much longer is it going to be before this happens in Iraq?" she asked, referring to the phenomenon of child suicide bombers. "This is a symptom of a disease that has engulfed the entire Muslim world."
The film itself revolves around a 15-year-old suicide bomber, Hussam Abdu, who in March of 2004 turned himself in to the Israeli authorities just before blowing himself up. Months later, Goldstein and a fellow filmmaker, Alistair Leyland, went to Abdu's prison cell in the West Bank and asked him why he even contemplated the attack in the first place. "I knew that if I died as a martyr I'd go to paradise. I'm in grade 10 and at school we learned about the meaning of martyrdom," Abdu replied. Goldstein uses quotes like these to make her case that children are being exploited to become terrorists. In another scene, she travels to an elementary summer school run by the Islamic Jihad in the West Bank. The children are asked about the prospect of peace with the Israelis. "If Allah wills it, it will be," one 12-year-old replies. But he is interrupted by another child: "That's impossible. It's either jihad or martyrdom," he says.
Many believe that Goldstein is onto something with her film. Jonathan Todres, a professor on human rights law and children at NYU Law School and an adjunct at Cardozo where Goldstein took a class with him, says that Palestinian children are certainly being fed dangerous propaganda from their own leaders.But, he says, "I suspect that this is not going to be a case any time soon in an international tribunal. The law is clear that this is a violation of human rights law, but whether a court will hear a case on this issue is another issue." Todres said that among other concerns, the International Criminal Court, which is where cases like Goldstein's are tried, has a nefarious record when it comes to Israel and Palestine. The conflictís controversy discourages the court, fearful of being deemed biased, from taking any action.
But Goldstein thinks it is already partial. "This is the one case that can be adjudicated by the notoriously biased and anti-Semitic courts like the ICC, the United Nations and The Hague," she said.Yet she insists that her case for children's rights is not driven by her own political views. "How can this be viewed as pro-Israeli? If anything, itís pro-Palestinian. I'm defending the rights of their children," she said. "Palestinians deserve the right to life. Because of the occupation they deserve a right to life. And I don't mean that cynically."
Whatever the prospects of turning Goldstein's "Martyr" into a legal suit, she continues to promote her message. The film will be screened in several festivals across the globe next month at the UN Film Festival in London on Dec. 2, at Whistler Film Festival in Canada on Dec. 3 and at the Anchorage Film Festival in Alaska on Dec. 7. Goldstein will also be interviewed on the "Faith to Faith" television program with Rabbi Joseph Potasnik on ShalomTV, the Jewish cable channel, on Dec. 7. She is also trying to turn the film into a book. "ì'd love to air this on Al-Jazeera," she said with a wry smile. "I don't just want to preach to the choir."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Like many, we were out Saturday night freezing on the lakefront to capture photographs of the moon's rise in honour of the Super Moon. On this day the moon was the closest to the earth that it has been in the last 18 years. That means it appears 13-15% bigger and as a result of this the tides are also higher.
These pictures really don't show it in all its' glory. I have the Canon XSi but my daughter used her new Canon T2i; I can not stress the difference in our photos - as soon as she posts I will put a link up. Such a huge difference - enough that I am almost sold to switch up!
One thing that helped us get the ideal location for us to capture the moon rise, was the program called The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE). A ephemeris is a table of numbers that shows where the sun and moon will rise and set. When you use TPE (by the way its a free program for your desktop), you type in the address of your photo shoot. The program the brings up a google map of your location and shows you with a red dot your location and the angle the sun/moon is going to rise/set.
For outdoor and nature photography this is a fantastic little program; free on your desktop but also available for the iphone and recently released for the IPAD. If you visit their site you will find links to various professional photographers with samples of how the program enhanced their works.
A-MAZ-ING moon photos! It was too cloudy here to se any of it, but WOW, you had a perfect view. Thanks for sharing its gorgeousness with us.
I'm so thrilled to see these pictures. It was storming where I live so I did not get to see the moon in any of its glory.
«Louis» missed the moon that night because a rainstorm blocked the view, but he got this shot the next morning.
Hello and thanks for visiting my blog...Coming soon again. Love your moonpics toooooo.
We all hope springtime will be here....the birds are singing and the flowers start blooming.


text:
Home » Regulation » A new move to safeguard bilateral trading with UK pension funds
A new European Commission proposal could help to maintain bilateral trading between EU banks and UK pension funds – all you need to know.
Regulation 17 January 2023
What you need to know?
Clearing obligation for derivatives was introduced following the 2008 crisis to mitigate counterparty default risk. In the EU, this mandate was implemented under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) framework (for the most liquid Interest Rate Swaps and Credit Default Swaps). EU Pension Scheme Arrangements (PSA) are still temporarily exempted until June 2023.
Post Brexit, UK PSA were subsequently no longer benefitting from this exemption under EU law but some EU national competent authorities provided a forbearance to temporarily maintain a bilateral trading relationship.
A similar exemption for UK pension funds under on-shored UK EMIR rules is also set to expire in June 2023 but is likely to be extended by at least two more years.
The European Commission (EC) has released on 7th December 2022 their new Capital Markets Union (CMU) package including some measures to 'make EU clearing services more attractive and resilient, supporting the EU's open strategic autonomy and preserving financial stability'. This legislative proposal includes, among other things, amendments to the existing EMIR framework, so-called 'EMIR 3'.
A welcome and long awaited solution
One key measure in this proposal is the introduction of an exemption from the clearing obligation that will benefit UK pension funds when trading with EU banks for as long as they remain also exempted under their own similar UK rules. This will avoid any detrimental commercial impacts for EU banks, which will be allowed to keep trading bilaterally with UK PSA, similarly to their non-EU peers not bound by EU rules.
"This EC proposal is fundamental to avoid market fragmentation, ensure level playing field for EU banks, strengthen our trading relationship with UK PSA clients and also increase their bilateral commercial offering especially in the light of the recent market turmoil," commented Isabelle Paresys, Deputy Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs at BNP Paribas Global Markets.
This EC proposal is fundamental to avoid market fragmentation, ensure level playing field for EU banks, strengthen our trading relationship with UK PSA clients and also increase their bilateral commercial offering especially in the light of the recent market turmoil,
Isabelle Paresys, Deputy Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs, BNP Paribas Global Markets
Mutual benefits
BNP Paribas welcomes this EC proposal that could ultimately allow the bank to best serve its UK PSA clients while still ensuring financial stability either through central clearing or margin requirements for bilateral trading when required by regulations. As long as UK PSA are still exempted from clearing requirements under UK law, BNP Paribas is delighted to still be able to maintain a trading relationship as they see fit, by balancing their cleared and uncleared activities according to their needs until the UK regulatory landscape eventually evolves. This will also benefit the bank's EU PSA clients by ensuring it provides them the best services if the bank's access to the full depth of liquidity is maintained.
"We are glad that UK pension funds could maintain a choice to execute bilaterally with EU banks, as long as they remain exempted from the clearing obligation under UK law," commented Giorgio Cali, Head of Derivatives Execution & Clearing Institutional Sales EMEA at BNP Paribas. "BNP Paribas' Derivatives Execution & Clearing (DEC) business has been partnering with a growing number of pension funds over the last five years who have decided to voluntary clear their over-the-counter derivatives, switching their activity from bilateral to cleared. The switch to clearing has been driven by a number of factors, including increasing operational efficiencies and the reduction of counterparty risk. Besides the benefits of clearing however, we do appreciate that pension funds may still prefer to maintain a mix of bilateral activities. Ultimately, this new proposal allows BNP Paribas to continue to support our UK pension funds clients across the bank whatever the way they choose to trade."
Ultimately, this new proposal allows BNP Paribas to continue to support our UK pension funds clients across the bank whatever the way they choose to trade.
Giorgio Cali, Head of Derivatives Execution & Clearing Institutional Sales EMEA, BNP Paribas
"BNP Paribas works with many UK pension clients across a lot of products and has been at the forefront of a number of technological innovations in recent years," added Ben Harvey, Director, Senior Macro Rates & LDI Sales at BNP Paribas. "The proposals by the EC that allow UK pension funds to maintain the choice to face BNP Paribas bilaterally will allow us to continue to drive greater competition and better outcomes for our partner clients in the future. Whether is it using our market leading funding capacity, our award-winning derivatives franchise or leading ESG capabilities, we are thrilled to be able to continue to build for our clients future success."
The proposals by the EC that allow UK pension funds to maintain the choice to face BNP Paribas bilaterally will allow us to continue to drive greater competition and better outcomes for our partner clients in the future.
Ben Harvey, Director, Senior Macro Rates & LDI Sales, BNP Paribas
This proposal will now be subject to the ordinary EU legislative procedure, with negotiations expected to begin in the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union early 2023 but it might take some years to fully come into effect. Therefore, this topic will remain high on the agenda of discussions with national and EU competent authorities, to ensure that the EC proposal is actioned preemptively to bridge the time gap before its formal enforcement, and that BNP Paribas can continuously offer the best services to its UK PSA clients.
Looking ahead, BNP Paribas welcomes and supports this initiative to ensure alignment between an EU and a similar third country rule when dealing with a third country client. It might pave the way to similar approaches from the EU on other rules to ensure an overall consistency for global banks, and help resolve other competitiveness issues they may face in this ever-changing regulatory world, in order to better serve their clients and the economy in their respective regions.
CSDR
Central Securities Depositories Regulation (CSDR) & Settlement Discipline Regime (SDR) – are you ready?
We provide a full range of services in OTC and ETD clearing and execution, across asset classes, via our global presence


text:
Le Goéland hudsonien (Larus smithsonianus), qui faisait autrefois partie du complexe d'espèces du Goéland argenté, est une espèce d'oiseau de la famille des Laridae.

Distribution

Références
Coues (1862) Revision of the gulls of North America; based upon specimens in the museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, vol. 1862, .

Liens externes

Notes

Laridae
Faune urbaine
Oiseau d'Amérique du Nord
Oiseau d'Asie du Nord

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Arsenal Women Gossip
Are Bayern Munich becoming a feeder club for Arsenal?
The news that nine players and the manager are leaving FC Bayern points towards some Arsenal transfer activity with three of their players rumoured to be on their way to London.
Austria's defender Viktoria Schnaderbeck looks on during press conference during the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 football tournament in Breda on August 2, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / TOBIAS SCHWARZrsenal could sign 3 from Bayern Munich
You certainly have to wonder if the Bavarian club are becoming a feeder club for the Gunners as there are already three players who were signed from Munich at the club.
Lisa Evans and Anna Miedema were signed during the 2017 summer transfer window and have been a huge success since arriving.
Viktoria Schnaderbeck was signed last summer and, unfortunately, has seen her season restricted to 34 minutes played across four games as she recovered from a long term injury.
If we sign the three players rumoured to be on their way, that will be a record six signings from the same club.
It has to be noted that Arsenal like to pick up players from the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga.
The likes of Emma Mitchell in 2013 and Dominique Bloodworth 2015 (SGS Essen), Lia Waelti and Tabea Kemme 2018 (Turbine Potsdam) were all signed from German teams.
Those rumoured new signings would certainly boost Arsenal's squad numbers although one of them might come in as a like-for-like replacement for a departing player.
We saw this season that having a big squad can be helpful, especially when injuries start to pile up. But it has to be said that the Academy players that came in during the tough times have done extremely well and it would be a shame if they don't have as many chances next season….unless the injury epidemic strikes twice of course.
Bayern Munich Women
Previous articleWatch: Arsenal loanee Matt Macey concedes bizarre goal through terrible sportsmanship
Next articleSol Campbell 'proud' after leading Macclesfield Town to League Two safety


text:
% Function:
%   [faceAnchor, scale] = anchorDetect(img, Model)
%
% Usage:
%   This function uses Optimized Part Mixture model to detect anchor points for
%   facial landmark initialization
% Params:
%   img - input facial image,
%
%   Model - the same structure as in demo.m
%
% Output:
%
%   faceAnchor: structure {s,c,xy,level} s-scale, c-cluster (1,2,...13),
%               xy-coordinate structure (x,y,width, height), level: feature pyramid level (not used here)
%
%   scale: the image is automatically scaled to best fitted size. To get original anchor points, apply faceAnchor(i).xy / scale
%
%
% Authors:
%   Xiang Yu, yuxiang03@gmail.com
%
% Citation:
%   X. Yu, J. Huang, S. Zhang, W. Yan and D.N. Metaxas, Pose-free Facial
%   Landmark Fitting via Optimized Part Mixures and Cascaded Deformable
%   Shape Model. In ICCV, 2013.
%
% Creation Date: 01/17/2014
%

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Photo credits: City Council of Pamplona.
Now in its 5th year MOVE 2017 brings tourism experts to Pamplona - Navarra, Spain to discuss current trends in sustainable tourism in urban and rural destinations. Hosted by the Government of the Autonomous Community of Navarra, with the contribution of tourism measurement consultancy in2destination, within the framework of INRouTe expert network and with the participation of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the three-day conference addresses how to better measure, hence manage, a rapidly evolving tourism sector.
This year representatives from destinations including Orlando, USA, Venice, Italy, Barcelona, Spain and Reykjavik, Iceland will tackle challenging questions that will shape the future of tourism.
The conference will be held from November 22 to 24, 2017 in Pamplona Navarra, Spain.
Designed for tourism sector key stakeholders interested in the measurement and better understanding of economic, environmental and social effects of tourism, experts will take on current trends from the European Summer of Over Tourism, smarter measurement, case studies about sustainable tourism from Japan to Gernika, tourism Big Data and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development defined by UN.


text:
Welcome to https://johnnyburkecatering.com (the "Site"). We understand that privacy online is important to users of our Site, especially when conducting business. This statement governs our privacy policies with respect to those users of the Site ("Visitors") who visit without transacting business and Visitors who register to transact business on the Site and make use of the various services offered by Johnny Burke Catering (collectively, "Services") ("Authorized Customers").
refers to any information that identifies or can be used to identify, contact, or locate the person to whom such information pertains, including, but not limited to, name, address, phone number, fax number, email address, financial profiles, social security number, and credit card information. Personally Identifiable Information does not include information that is collected anonymously (that is, without identification of the individual user) or demographic information not connected to an identified individual.
Personally Identifiable Information collected by Johnny Burke Catering is securely stored and is not accessible to third parties or employees of Johnny Burke Catering except for use as indicated above.
Cookies are used for a variety of reasons. We use Cookies to obtain information about the preferences of our Visitors and the services they select. We also use Cookies for security purposes to protect our Authorized Customers. For example, if an Authorized Customer is logged on and the site is unused for more than 10 minutes, we will automatically log the Authorized Customer off. Visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using https://johnnyburkecatering.com, with the drawback that certain features of website may not function properly without the aid of cookies.
How does Johnny Burke Catering use login information?
Johnny Burke Catering uses login information, including, but not limited to, IP addresses, ISPs, and browser types, to analyze trends, administer the Site, track a user's movement and use, and gather broad demographic information.
Johnny Burke Catering has entered into and will continue to enter into partnerships and other affiliations with a number of vendors. Such vendors may have access to certain Personally Identifiable Information on a need to know the basis for evaluating Authorized Customers for service eligibility. Our privacy policy does not cover their collection or use of this information. Disclosure of Personally Identifiable Information to comply with the law. We will disclose Personally Identifiable Information in order to comply with a court order or subpoena or a request from a law enforcement agency to release information. We will also disclose Personally Identifiable Information when reasonably necessary to protect the safety of our Visitors and Authorized Customers.
Visitors and Authorized Customers may contact us to update Personally Identifiable Information about them or to correct any inaccuracies by emailing us at johnny@johnnyburkecatering.com
These are summarized rights that you have under data protection law
The right to erasure
The right to complain to a supervisory authority
The right to withdraw consent
https://johnnyburkecatering.com contains links to other websites. Please note that when you click on one of these links, you are moving to another website. We encourage you to read the privacy statements of these linked sites as their privacy policies may differ from ours.


Say & Glue Photo Classifying Fun Sheets is a 252-page, comprehensive resource for teaching everyday vocabulary across multiple contexts. The engaging, hands-on activities keep students motivated and provide multiple exposures to over 378 common vocabulary words in 14 categories. Use this book to help improve receptive and expressive vocabulary, naming, describing, and reasoning skills. All activity pages are cut-and-paste for interactive, fun learning. Includes a CD-ROM for easy printing in color or black and white.


text:
Q: how to read .rtf file from the FTP server? I know how to read text file from the ftp server.I have used this logic for rtf file.But it gives wrong out put.Is it possible to read rtf file from the server?If possible then please help me.

A: You need software that understands the rtf file format. Microsoft Word does. Most plain text editors will not be able to show you the contents of a file in rtf format.
Google for rtf format
Added: didn't notice that you're on an iPhone platform. Google for "rtf iphone" and you'll see several choices including http://prmac.com/release-id-4180.htm

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Osaka Hotel Accommodation
Find out more about Osaka
Where to stay in Osaka
Osaka Introduction
From Umeda's massive department stores to Dotonbori's colorful nightlife and glowing signboards, there's much ground to cover in Japan's second most populated city. Located in the Kansai region on Honshu Island, Osaka is an urban jungle thick with skyscrapers, and there are more than enough shopping malls, historic shrines, and amusement parks to keep a tourist happy. If there's one thing you shouldn't forget to pack, it's your appetite, because with over 100 Michelin-starred restaurants, Osaka offers a gastronomic experience like no other. Budget-conscious foodies need not worry, because you can buy scrumptious local specialties from street vendors and in the basements of departments stores.
Hotels in Osaka
You'll be spoiled for choice when it comes to accommodations in Osaka, which range from capsule pods to modern apartments to 5-star suites. If you're looking for the full Japanese experience, you can stay in a ryokan – a traditional Japanese inn with rooms that have tatami flooring and sliding doors. Ryokans have futon beds and communal bathing facilities. Many hostels, inns, and hotels also offer Japanese-style rooms with futon bedding. As for Western-style lodging, rooms in cheap to mid-range hotels are generally on the small side, while luxury hotels have more spacious rooms than usual. These hotels often have indoor pools, spas, and 24-hour health clubs. Note that some accommodations in Osaka are adults-only.
Osaka is basically divided into 2 sections, and both offer good lodging. The southern portion is called Minami, and consists of the Namba shopping district and Tennoji, a transport hub. This area is more touristy yet also more authentic if you want a glimpse of Osaka life. You'll find the full gamut of lodging options here, from ryokans to upscale hotels. The northern half, called Kita, consists of the Umeda district. There are skyscrapers everywhere, as well as vast department stores. Kita has more hotels than Minami, including big-name luxury hotels catering to sophisticated travelers and business executives, and even the low-cost lodging is slightly more expensive than accommodations in Minami.
There's much to see and experience in Osaka, whether you're visiting for culture, nightlife, or family-friendly entertainment. Osaka Castle, dating from 1583, is among Japan's most celebrated landmarks and a must-see for first-time visitors. Built by a prince in 593, Shitennoji Temple is the country's oldest Buddhist temple. Families, especially those with young kids, shouldn't miss a trip to Universal Studios Japan, a world-class theme park that attracts over 10 million visitors a year. Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, one of the world's largest public aquariums, and the Tempozan Ferris Wheel are also nearby. For shopping, head for Shinsaibashi district and the nearby Amerikamura retail hub, then go to Dotonbori for street food and nightlife.
How to get to Osaka
From Kansai International Airport, you can catch a train or a shuttle bus to get to central Osaka. The journey takes about an hour. If you're flying in from elsewhere in Japan, it's more convenient to arrive at Osaka (Itami) International Airport, which only handles domestic flights, as it's closer to the city center. Osaka's extensive public transport network includes a busy subway system and several railway lines that connect with other major cities in the country. Shin-Osaka Station is the western terminus of the Shinkansen bullet train line from Tokyo, which is the fastest and most hassle-free way to reach the Japanese capital. This high-speed line also passes Kyoto and Nagoya. Another way to experience Osaka is to take a cruise or a water bus.


text:
CPI in Europe
CPI in North America
CPI in Australia and New Zealand
Home - Centre for public impact
Our Vision for Government
Research & conversations
Partnering for learning
Research led by the CPI team and the insights we're sharing from our work in real time.
Our Vision for Government Building on our previous research around shared power, legitimacy, and experimentation, we present an emerging vision for the future of government
Reflect and reimagine: Learning from the work of our North America team in 2021 Actions public servants and organisations that work with government can take to drive better outcomes in their communities
Reimagining Government: A podcast from the Centre for Public Impact and Apolitical This podcast shines a light on government changemakers worldwide, pushing beyond the current debate about what government does, to address the more fundamental questions of how government should operate.
Innovation in the Face of Crisis Insights from European cities' rapid and creative reactions to the pandemic
The Shared Power Principle Think what could happen if governments shared power to create positive outcomes for people?
Finding Legitimacy Understanding what building and maintaining legitimacy means today
More reports Read all our reports that explore we can shape a new future for government
Blog Read how leaders are transforming lives and achieving public impact through these honest and personal reflections
Case Studies Examples of public policy succeeding or failing, drawing out the key lessons for future policy work
Projects and research conducted with other government changemakers in our global network.
Exploring the role of dignity in government AI Ethics instruments Working with 3A Institute's Lorenn Ruster to think about how governments can cultivate a Dignity Ecosystem
CPI x ANZSOG Reimagining Government Webinar Series Working with the Australia and New Zealand School of Government to host an interactive webinar series and learning community
Storytelling for Systems Change Working with Dusseldorp Forum and Hands Up Mallee to explore how stories can be used to more effectively communicate the impact of community-led systems change work.
Human Learning Systems We've developed a guide to help organisations that contribute to public service apply Human Learning Systems to their work, enabling them to respond to the unique strength and needs of each person they serve.
Reimagining Climate Action in Cities We are working with city leaders across the globe to build the collaboration, experimentation, and learning capabilities needed to accelerate climate action.
Unlocking the power of children's social care Working with Frontline and Buurtzorg UK & Ireland to explore a radical approach to children's social care in England
The Opportunity Project for Cities Working with Beeck Center, Knight Foundation, and Google.org to build data-driven solutions
Failing forward in local government Working with NACA to support counties to embrace a learning mindset and recognize that all innovation starts with, and is powered by, learning from failure.
Built for All Working with Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth to create a global framework for building inclusive economies
What we do What we do, how we work, who and where we are
Meet the team Our worldwide team, as well as our Board and Fellows
Join our team Come reimagine government - explore our current vacancies
Glossary Use this glossary to learn the definitions of everything from 'changemaker' through to 'Failing Forward'.
CPI in the news The CPI team shares what we're learning about the future of government.
Our commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion In reimagining government, we must commit to centering historically underrepresented communities voices in all of the work that we do.
CPI in Europe CPI in North America CPI in Australia and New Zealand
Blog Read how leaders are transforming lives and achieving public impact
Failing Forward in Local Government Working with the Aspen Institute Center for Urban Innovation to build a framework for fostering innovation in the public sector
Blog The CPI team shares what we're learning about the future of government.
June 10th, 2016 |
Cities • Energy
Responding to climate change: Melbourne's urban forest strategy
The public impact
Stakeholder engagement Good
Political commitment Strong
Public confidence Good
Clarity of objectives Strong
Strength of evidence Strong
Feasibility Strong
Management Fair
Measurement Strong
Alignment Good
The millennium drought, higher temperatures and an ageing tree population threatened the city of Melbourne with an environmental challenge. An important plank in the city's response was the creation of an Urban Forest Strategy, which promised and delivered thousands of newly-planted trees as part the development of a more sustainable ecosystem, with its growing tree canopy helping Melburnians survive the intense heat of summer.
One of the immediate responses to the drought was to control the use of water, and the city reduced water demand per head by nearly 50 percent, It also looked to a long-term strategy for mitigating the effects of extreme heat.
In an effort to cool the city down, the city administration decided in 2012 to create a 20-year Urban Forest Strategy. "At the core of this strategy is a vision to create a resilient, healthy and diverse forest for the future ... The City of Melbourne is renowned for its historical parks, gardens and boulevards ... It is important that the forest of the future maintains the essential character of the urban forest that Melburnians love." [2]
The strategies and targets proposed to achieve this vision are to:
"Increase canopy cover ... [3]
"Increase urban forest diversity (The urban forest will be composed of no more than 5% of any tree species, no more than 10% of any genus and no more than 20% of any one family) ...
"Improve vegetation health ...
"Improve soil moisture and water quality ...
"Improve urban ecology (Protect and enhance a level of biodiversity that contributes to a healthy ecosystem) ...
"Inform and consult the community."
It was, in addition, a response to the fact that many of Melbourne's existing trees were dying. "The council's environment portfolio holder Arron Wood said the AUD30 million initiative aimed to double the city's canopy cover from 20 per cent to 40 per cent by 2040." [4] The intention is to plant 42,000 trees over the 20-year life of the strategy, which also aims to increase forest diversity and use alternative water sources.
From 1997 to 2009 Melbourne, along with a number of Australian cities, suffered the 13-year-long Millennium Drought. "Melbourne is getting hotter - because of a warming climate, and what is known as the urban heat island effect. Buildings, sidewalks, and streets all absorb heat and make cities hotter than the surrounding countryside ... With ongoing global warming, this extreme weather is expected to intensify." [1]
It was imperative that the city take steps to manage the effects of higher temperatures and unpredictable climatic events.
The initiative has already made a significant arboreal impact:
"Since 2012, the city council had planted nearly 12,000 new trees across the city in disused car parks and roads." [1]
"About 70,000 trees have been mapped in the Urban Forest Visual, with each tree assigned an identification number and email id to interact with the community at large." [2]
In addition, "Wood believes this will cool the city's summertime temperatures by 4ºC". [3]
The urban forest sits within a wider context of 'green governance' and green infrastructure. "Green governance shapes the plans and decisions that influence the development of urban forestry. A multitude of institutions, organisations and stakeholders are involved in shaping and making policy and management decisions that affect urban forests".
As part of community engagement, "the city council's aim is to have the urban forest included in a broader conversation about how Melbourne's cultural identity can be enhanced through revisioning, redesign and ultimately replanting." [4] The eventual objective is that "the community will have a broader understanding of the importance of our urban forest, increase their connection to it and engage with its process of evolution". [5]
Political commitment
This was a local government initiative by the Melbourne and is supported by the federal government as well as the state government of Victoria.
The strategy also received significant funding from government, with AUD30 million being invested in the initiative.
Public confidence
Participation from the public has been encouraging. According to councillor Wood: "a lot of people have really taken ownership of the urban forest and they're really interested to know what new species will be planted; when will their street be renewed in terms of the urban forest." [6]
As part of the strategy, "Melbourne's 70,000 trees were mapped in a project called Urban Forest Visual, with each tree assigned an identification number". [7] Councillor Wood was gratified by the project's success: "we know that Melburnians are passionate about their trees, parks and gardens". [8]
Clarity of objectives
The objective of the Urban Forest Strategy was simple, precise and, most importantly, backed by measurable targets in a time-bound manner. "The goal of this strategy is to guide the transition of the present city landscape to one that is resilient, healthy and diverse, and that meets the needs of the community. Its intended outcomes are to create resilient landscapes, community health and wellbeing and a liveable, sustainable city. Central to this is the vision to make the city greener – to create a city within a forest rather than a forest within a city." [9]
Strength of evidence
Urban forestry have been part of Melbourne's planning process since 2002: "the City of Melbourne has a set of street tree precinct plans dating from 2002 that were developed through extensive community consultation". [10]
There was clear evidence of the need for a response both to the Millennium drought and to the decline in the tree population: "modelling shows that within the next ten years, 23% of our current tree population will be at the end of their useful lives and within twenty years this figure will have reached 39%". [11]
The strategy drew inspiration from American initiatives,such as New York's 2006 Urban Forest Project, which "spread to other US cities of Albuquerque, Baltimore, Denver, Portland, Toledo, San Francisco, Tacoma and Washington, DC". [12]
The Urban Forest Strategy in Melbourne is formed on solid academic research, for example, A Model of Urban Forest Sustainability, by JR Clark et al (1997), which was "one of the formative works applying principles of sustainability to urban trees". [13] Its conclusion was that "the most significant outcome of a sustainable urban forest is to maintain a maximum level of net environmental, ecological, social and economic benefits over time". [14]
The benefits cited above support the feasibility of the strategy:
Environmental and ecological benefits include a reduction in pollution, storm water flows, greenhouse gas emissions, while enhancing biodiversity.
Social benefits, e.g., the creation of local identity, encouraging outdoor activity, and reconnecting children with nature.
Economic benefits, such as reducing energy cost, increasing property value, avoiding infrastructure damage etc.
The Urban Forest Strategy originated as a government initiative, and the city council was the nodal agency entrusted with its planning and implementation. Being a government initiative made the urban forest legally viable and the AUD30 million took care of the finances required to implement the 20-year project.
The strategy's framework was presented as a number of management intentions:
"The management and development of our urban forest needs to be undertaken with a long-term vision …" [15]
"The success of the Urban Forest Strategy will rely on effective 'green governance' by the City of Melbourne, clear communications, and a widely understood implementation strategy that comprises programmes that meet both short and long-term goals ..."
"Intra-Council integration involves internal stakeholder and interdepartmental cooperation. At a city scale, planners work directly with urban foresters to integrate policy, practices and analytical tools, coordinating input from many other departments related to managing growth."
The main metrics that the city council publicised were the number of new trees planted (12,000 by 2015) and the number of existing trees (70,000). There was a subsidiary indicator, the amount of canopy cover provided by those trees.
The urban forest depends on a number of components being combined into a well-functioning ecosystem. "Building the urban forest as a living ecosystem and ensuring that it provides the maximum benefits for our communities will rely on smart species selection, improving soil moisture retention, reducing stormwater flows, improving water quality and reuse, increasing shade and canopy cover, and reducing infrastructure conflicts." [16] This has been based on "extensive mapping of tree health, species composition, canopy cover and useful life expectancy for the trees now managed by the City of Melbourne". [17]
The main administrative actors in the Urban Forest Strategy are the city council and its environmental function, supported by the state of Victoria and the Australian federal government.
It collaborates with local academic researchers, for example: "the City of Melbourne in partnership with Monash University is monitoring microclimate conditions at streetscape level beneath different tree canopy configurations". [18]
There has been engagement with citizens to encourage tree planting in "the private realm", for example, in residents' own gardens. According to a study by Treelogic, tree planting in the private realm is most effective via registering significant or exceptional trees. [19] Projects such as the Urban Forest Visual have led to community engagement, in Melbourne and beyond. The strategy document itself encourages citizens to investigate "how you can participate in the decision-making process for some of City of Melbourne's current and future initiatives (link: www.participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au)". [20]
URBAN FOREST STRATEGY: Making a great city greener 2012-2032, 2012, City of Melbourne
A 'Cool' Project: Planting an Urban Forest, Sara Peach, 10 August 2015, Yale Climate Connections
Melbourne's Urban Forest Strategy to double canopy 'most impressive' in the country, Toby Prime, 10 April 2015, Melbourne Leader
Leaf letters: fan email for Melbourne's trees pours in from around the world, Monica Tan, 15 July 2015, The Guardian
A MODEL OF URBAN FOREST SUSTAINABILITY, James R. Clark, Nelda P. Matheny, Genni Cross and Victoria Wake, January 1997, Journal of Arboriculture, pp.17-30
The Public Impact Fundamentals - A framework for successful policy
This case study has been assessed using the Public Impact Fundamentals, a simple framework and practical tool to help you assess your public policies and ensure the three fundamentals - Legitimacy, Policy and Action are embedded in them.
Learn more about the Fundamentals and how you can use them to access your own policies and initiatives.
Explore the Fundamentals
The Brazilian Progestão, a national agreement for managing freshwater resources
Mexico City's ProAire programme
Urban agriculture in Havana
1st March, 2016
The eco-friendly façade of the Manuel Gea González Hospital tower in Mexico City
Primary education management in Madagascar
Clean energy targets in Chile: 20/25 and the contribution of solar power
Join our network to receive regular updates on the conversations we're having with government problem solvers, policy trends we're tracking, tools we've developed for people in public services and events where you'll find us talking about how to find new solutions to some of government's trickiest challenges
Achieving Public Impact
Facebook Twitter Medium LinkedIn YouTube
© 2023 © 2022 Centre For Public Impact, Inc. All rights reserved.
Website by Parallax
The Centre for Public Impact, a BCG Foundation, is not affiliated with Public Impact, an independent education research and consulting firm dedicated to improving learning outcomes for all children in the United States.


text:
Stop dangerous merger of disability benefit tests
Support the petition to stop the dangerous merger of tests for PIP and ESA/Universal Credit
On 5 March 2019, benefits Minister Amber Rudd announced at a Scope conference that the DWP would develop a single digital system – online like Universal Credit — for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payments (PIP), and have an integrated assessment for ESA and PIP from 2021. This means more destitution and deaths!
We're supporting Lisa Egan's petition "Don't merge the assessments for PIP and ESA"
Please sign and circulate widely. Lisa says:
Lisa Egan — photo Eleanor Lisney
"My concerns about merging the assessments are threefold. Firstly I'm concerned about people who may be eligible for one benefit but not the other (for example PIP claimants in work) getting turned down for the one benefit they should be eligible for, seeing as they're not eligible for both.
Secondly I'm concerned about people currently claiming both, who are considering stopping their ESA claim to move into work; that they may end up also having their PIP stopped upon taking a job, even though they should remain on PIP. The withdrawal of that PIP support may trigger a loss of help resulting in them being unable to take a job after all.
And finally I have grave concerns about people who are claiming both, but get one wrongly stopped until an appeal reinstates it. At the moment, while waiting for a PIP appeal, one can still be receiving ESA, or vice versa. If someone gets both benefits stopped at the same time, that would be a very difficult circumstance to survive."
Ms H, whom WinVisible has helped, adds: "I think the merging of ESA and PIP would put a lot of people in a lot of problems. If this was how it was when my PIP was stopped, well, I would have had nothing. I would get into arrears with my rent and might end up losing my tenancy. If I'd have had both benefits stopped at that time I wouldn't be here now. I would definitely have killed myself. I have a history of self-harm including taking overdoses of tablets where it's put me in intensive care four times, three times on a respirator. I shudder at the thought of this merger. It must be stopped. I feel like they are doing these things to put people like myself out of the equation."
Online claims exclude many people, including if we rely on libraries to access the internet. We lose benefit when claims are not completed, we struggle to get to the library, to the Jobcentre to confirm our identity, etc. The Work and Pensions Committee of MPs received over 4,000 testimonies from disabled claimants and organisations for their inquiry into the ESA and PIP tests. Chair Frank Field MP criticises the government for repeatedly dismissing the MPs' grave concerns about vulnerable claimants' suffering. Read Frances Ryan in the Guardian.
The government plans to extend the power of profiteer assessment companies over our lives. They opened bidding by companies for new seven-year contracts worth £3.1 billion. The notorious assessor companies Atos, Capita and Maximus have received millions for contracts and are implicated in many deaths.
While Scope has cautiously welcomed Amber Rudd's speech they are wary of the pitfalls: ". . . it's vital that the Government recognise that assessments can and do go wrong and if a single assessment for two benefits goes wrong, the impact on the living standards of an individual could be much more severe."
Don't merge PIP and ESA
Lisa Egan
online claims
Previous Costs of disability
Next Victory vs Vedanta mining company pollution
A6er says:
Reblogged this on Britain Isn't Eating!.
Stop dangerous merger of disability benefit tests | sdbast says:
[…] via Stop dangerous merger of disability benefit tests […]
Debbie Wolfsohn says:
The medical professionals who treat sick and disabled people should be reinstated as the decision makers for what benefits are appropriate for us. Separating assessment and treatment of health conditions is too expensive and inefficient.
L GUTHRIE says:
I dread to think how this will affect my son, he already can't cope


The classic 3D maze screensaver that shipped with Windows '95 and '98. It randomly moves through a maze with red brick walls, running into various obstacles, each with its own effect on the route, as it searches for the exit. If this screensaver does not render properly, try disabling full-screen mode via the settings menu, then set the Size slider to "Max".
Open the 3D_Maze.zip archive file and extract the 3D Maze screensaver file to your Windows folder.
To make sure Windows will recognize it, locate the screensaver file in the Windows folder, then right-click it and select "Install".
Open the Screen Saver Settings panel. "3D Maze" should now be visible in the list of screensavers.
We have 1 file for "3D Maze"
I tried it from Windows 3.11 to Windows 10. All worked (except versions prior to Windows 95). It worked for my native OS too (Windows 7 nightly build). Other versions are tested in VMWare and Virtualbox. Woot!
UPDATE:The SCR is hard to install if you don't know. Step 1: Extract the file from the zip Step 2: Right click and press install. DONE.
This is great. My grandparents had a Windows 98, and it had this on it. My windows 7 Starter has a really bad selection of screen savers.
YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!! How I missed this... trippy version, of course!
Is it bad that I'm way too amused by this really old screen saver.
I think it is great, but is there a way to slow down the speed?
This is awesome! it was super easy to install.
How to install in win7 ?
Very nice. Can the speed be changed?
I used to play around with this and the other old school screen savers back in first grade with my friends and we thought we were so cool, this is awesome!
I get the brown rat too, Cooliokid, don't worry.
Every time I see the brown rat, I shake up. Is the brown rat a glitch or is it supposed to be there?
This was one of my faves from old school Windows, long before High Definition meant anything.
I'm still having the texture glitch problem even after disabling Fullscreen. I'm on Windows 10 with two monitors. I also thought I remembered there being a speed setting on the original screensaver. It moves very fast and it would be nice if I could slow it down a bit.
the windows screen saver is very good .
Sometimes the walls will glitch up and fuse with the ceiling unless changed to one of those color-changing fractal patterns. Also, if the brown rat is near one of those floating OpenGL logos, the logo itself can glitch and turn into a larger version of the brown rat for a brief period (less than a second) before turning back into its true form. Even with all of these glitches, it sure brings back memories!
Didn't render properly at first but started working well after following the instructions!
Some issues with the maze settings.
It's pretty great, though there are some graphical glitches at least for Windows 7 - some textures for the start, special walls and objects, and the walls will glitch out in random ways. The most common one is the ceiling texture overlapping the wall textures, though you can bypass that with any of the animated psychedelic textures used for the ceiling. Regardless, it runs fine and provides a hefty amount of nostalgia for me along with the other classics. I love it.
Screensavers Planet: Try disabling full-screen mode via the Settings panel, then slide the "Size" setting to "Max", as noted in the screensaver description above.
I remember this from the first computer I ever owned and loved following it. I think it's a great screen saver. I will rate this based on previous usage.


Pacific Sensor Technologies Pty Ltd is an ISO-9001 (2015) Certified Company.
One hundred percent Australian owned and operated, our head office is situated in Rowville Victoria on the foot of the beautiful Dandenong Ranges. Our sales, technical, repair and warranty support all are located under one roof at our Rowville operation.
PST combines market experience and global knowledge with local supply and service. Behind our services, is a small team of employees, chosen with commitment to quality and customer satisfaction in mind.
Point level indicators are an affordable, accurate tool to measure and alert to inventory high and low levels. Easy to set up and configurable to fit a wide range of application needs.
The sensor is just part of the solution. Bin level indicators have been around for decades. From simple switches and rotaries, to advanced non-contact sensors, there's no shortage of technologies to choose from. But there's more to bin levels than just the sensor.
Data loggers are small electronic devices used to measure and monitor environmental conditions and parameters.


Crazy Cooking is a cookery simulation game. It contains 40 various tasks split into 4 levels - from a simple dishwasher to a Chef.
When you familiarize yourself with basic cooking skills, you'll be able to test them by finally cooking something. Crazy Cooking contains nearly thirty authentic recipes you can try.


is an academy that provides Stock Technical Analysis program for beginner, intermediate & advance level. Our main office is located in Petaling Jaya (PJ), Selangor, Malaysia. Maccns Academy's mission is to achieve financial freedom and wealth creating. If you have any questions or need more information our proven system, please contact us. We will be pleased to answer any enquiries you have.


The dimensions of one box are all two-thirds of the dimensions of another. If the volume of the smaller is 64 cubic centimetres, what is the volume of the larger box?
Can you work out what each of the four symbols are worth? The totals of the three columns are given. Can you also work out the missing total?
The missing numbers are between 1 & 9. The three numbers in top columns, when subtracted by the lower two numbers, equals the three totals along the bottom, and the three numbers in the left rows, when subtracted by the right two numbers, equals the three totals at the far right. The top left number, when subtracted by the lower two numbers on its diagonal, equals the total in the bottom, far right box. With one number provided, solve the puzzle by finding all missing numbers that satisfy all the results as shown.
If QC = 14, TJ=10 & OK = 4, what would HA = ? Solution: The numeric order of the 1st letter in the alphabet (where H=8) minus that of the 2nd letter (where A=1) gives value of 7.
To open this safe you must press all the buttons in the correct order. The number on each button tells you how many squares to move, and the letters tells the direction (U = up, D = down, L = left and R = right). Which is the first button you must press to open this safe?
Thanks Rhonda, your 2nd solution is valid and as you have shown,the puzzle has more than one solution. Can we find any more?


It's been a goal of mine to develop a workbook based on the workshops I've taught on creative ways to develop characters. Thanks to nagging motivation by my dear friend, Linda Apple, I've been working on that goal for several months now.
The workbook will include 4-5 different methods I've used to create characters that are multi-dimensional storytellers, including using the techniques of interviewing, letter-writing and point of view.
My next workshop on Creative Characterization will be at the May 16 Ozarks Writers League Conference. I'd hoped to have my published book finished by then, however, I'm not quite there yet.
However! I just received printed copies of my "interim" workbook that will be available at the conference for $5.00 each.
This entry was posted in writers, writing, writing prompt and tagged characterization, Jan Morrill, Linda Apple, Ozarks Writers League, point of view, Stephen Vanek, Writing. Bookmark the permalink.
Somebody's been a busy bee!!!
Love the interim workbook and I want to buy one! Cool cover by Steve. Congrats!!


text:
A harpüia (görög betűkkel ἅρπυια, latinosan harpeia, közismerten hárpia, jelentése "felragadók") név három mitikus nővér összefoglaló neve. Mindhárman félig madártestű, szárnyas női szörnyek, Thaumasz és Élektra leányai, Irisz nővérei. Nevük Aelló, Óküpeté és Kelainó. Hésziodosz csak az első kettőt sorolja fel, a harmadik későbbi mitikus írásokban tűnik fel, sőt egy Podargé nevű is ismert. A középkorban már egész csapatnyi hárpiát képzeltek el, akik rettegésben tartották a vidéket, amit megszálltak. Ábrázolásaik nem homogének. Néha emberfejük van, sőt arcuk akár szép is, máskor rút arc vagy egyenesen madárfej kerül a testükre. Szárnyaik nagyok, lehetnek a kezek helyén, de lehetnek a karokon kívüli végtagok is. Alsótestük általában karmos madárláb és farok.

Eredetileg vihardémonok lehettek, amit Thaumasz, a "belső tenger" istene, az ókeanisz-kapcsolatuk és Irisz funkciói is megerősítenek. A három (vagy négy) nővér neve a viharok egy-egy tulajdonságára utal
 Kelainó, "sötétség"
 Aelló, viharfecske
 Óküpeté, "szélsebes"
 Podargé, "hajótartó"

A későbbiekben gonosz, mindent felfaló és mindent beszennyező, kártékony lényekké váltak, a mítoszköltészet már csak ezt dolgozza fel. Néha feladatként kapták, hogy embereket zaklassanak, így az istenek által megbüntetett Phineuszt is, míg a boreaszok véget nem vetettek ennek. Az argonauták történetében és Aineiasz legendájában is feltűnnek.

Források

Görög mitológiai alakok
Mitikus lények
Heraldika


text:
import numpy as np
import nanocut.common as nc
from nanocut.output import error, printstatus

__all__ = [ "Periodicity", ]

def gcd(numbers):
    """Calculates greatest common divisor of a list of numbers."""

    aa = numbers[0]
    for bb in numbers[1:]:
        while bb:
            aa, bb = bb, aa % bb
    return aa

def plane_axis_from_miller(miller):
    """Returns two vectors in a plane with given miller index.

    Args:
        miller: Miller indices of the plane (array of 3 integers)

    Returns:
        Two 3D vectors in relative coordinates, both being vectors
        in the plane. It returns the shortest possible vectors.
    """
    # Separate zero and nonzero components of Miller vector
    nonzero = np.flatnonzero(np.not_equal(miller, 0))
    zero = np.flatnonzero(np.equal(miller, 0))
    miller_nonzero = miller[nonzero]
    # Get smallest possible intersections along lattice vectors
    factor = np.prod(miller_nonzero)
    relintersecs = factor / miller_nonzero
    relintersecs /= gcd(relintersecs)
    axis = np.zeros((2, 3), dtype=int)
    if len(relintersecs) == 1:
        # 2 zero components in Miller indices: plane parallel to the
        # corresponding lattice vectors
        axis[0, zero[0]] = 1
        axis[1, zero[1]] = 1
    elif len(relintersecs) == 2:
        # 1 zero component: plane contains corresponding lattice vector.
        # other vector: difference of intersection points along the
        # other two lattice vectors.
        axis[0, zero[0]] = 1
        axis[1, nonzero[0]] = -relintersecs[0]
        axis[1, nonzero[1]] = relintersecs[1]
    else:
        # all components non-zero: Vectors from intersection point along
        # first lattice vector to the intersection points along the second and
        # third lattice vectors will spawn the plane.
        axis[0, nonzero[0]] = -relintersecs[0]
        axis[0, nonzero[1]] = relintersecs[1]
        axis[1, nonzero[0]] = -relintersecs[0]
        axis[1, nonzero[2]] = relintersecs[2]
    return axis

def cell_axis_from_superlattice(superlattice, latvecs):
    """Returns three vectors spawning a supercell similar to a given one.

    Args:
        superlattice: Lattice vectors of the supercell.
        latvecs: Original lattice vectors.

    Returns:
        Three vectors in relative coordinates (respective the original lattice
        vectors) which spawn a superlattice similar to the specified one.
    """
    # Transformation to build superlattice from current lattice vectors.
    trans = np.dot(superlattice, np.linalg.inv(latvecs))
    # Rescale transformation matrix to contain only elements >= 1.0.
    nonzero = np.nonzero(np.greater(np.abs(trans), nc.EPSILON))
    trans_nonzero = trans[nonzero]
    minelemind = np.argmin(np.abs(trans_nonzero))
    trans_nonzero /= abs(trans_nonzero[minelemind])
    # If biggest element greater tolerance: we would leave 64 bit integer range.
    if np.any(np.greater(np.abs(trans_nonzero), 11.0)):
        error("Target lattice coefficients too big")
    # Scale up transformation to ensure that all components are very close to
    # integers, if superlattice and lattice are commensurable
    factor = np.prod(np.arange(2, 11 + 1, dtype=int))
    trans_nonzero *= factor
    trans_nonzero_int = np.around(trans_nonzero).astype(int)
    # Check, whether all coefficients are close to integers.
    if np.any(np.abs(trans_nonzero_int - trans_nonzero)
              > nc.RELATIVE_PERIODIC_TOLERANCE):
        error("Target lattice and source lattices probably incompatible")
    # Simplify transformation matrix with greatest common divisor.
    factor = gcd(abs(trans_nonzero_int.flatten()))
    trans_nonzero_int /= factor
    # Fill nonzero components into axis.
    axis = np.zeros((3, 3), dtype=int)
    axis[nonzero] = trans_nonzero_int
    return axis

class Periodicity:
    """Holds information about type of periodicity, and axes.

    Attributes:
        period_type: Type of the periodicity ("0D", "1D", "2D" or "3D")
        axis: Axis vector(s) in relatvie coordinates.
        axis_cart: Axis vector(s) in cartesian coordinates.
    """

    def __init__(self, geometry, period_type, axis=None):
        """Initialized Periodicity instance.

        Args:
            geometry: Geometry object to provide transformation.
            period_type: Periodicity type ("0D", "1D", "2D", "3D").
            axis: (3, -1) array with periodicity vectors in relative coords.
        """
        self.period_type = period_type
        if self.period_type not in [ "0D", "1D", "2D", "3D" ]:
            raise ValueError("Value of period_type is invalid.")
        if self.period_type == "0D":
            self.axis = None
            self.axis_cart = None
            return
        self.axis = np.array(axis, dtype=int)
        self.axis.shape = (-1, 3)
        self.axis_cart = geometry.coord_transform(self.axis, "lattice")

    def rotate_coordsys(self, atoms_coords):
        """Rotates coordinate system to have standardized z-axis.

        Args:
            atom_coords: Cordinate to rotate.

        Returns:
            New translational vectors and rotated coordinates. For 0D systems it
            returns an empty list and the original coordinates.
            For 1D systems periodicity will be along the z-axis,
            for 2D sytems z-axis will be orthogonal to the periodic directions
            and the first lattice vector will be along the x-axis.
            For 3D systems it returns lattice vectors and atom coordinates
            unchanged.
        """
        if self.period_type == "0D":
            return [], atoms_coords
        elif self.period_type == "1D":
            z_axis = self.axis_cart[0]
        elif self.period_type == "2D":
            z_axis = np.cross(self.axis_cart[0], self.axis_cart[1])
        elif self.period_type == "3D":
            return self.axis_cart, atoms_coords

        # Calculate rotation angle and rotation axis
        z_axis= z_axis / np.linalg.norm(z_axis)
        angle = np.arccos(np.dot(z_axis, np.array([0,0,1])))
        rot = np.cross(z_axis, np.array([0,0,1]))
        norm = np.linalg.norm(rot)
        if norm > nc.EPSILON:
            rot /= norm
        sin = np.sin(angle)
        cos = np.cos(angle)

        # Calculate rotation matrix
        rotation_matrix = np.array([
            [ cos + rot[0] * rot[0] * (1 - cos),
             rot[1] * rot[0] * (1 - cos) + rot[2] * sin,
             rot[2] * rot[0] * (1 - cos) - rot[1] * sin ],
            [ rot[0] * rot[1] * (1 - cos)- rot[2] * sin,
             cos + rot[1] * rot[1] * (1 - cos),
             rot[2] * rot[1] * (1-cos) + rot[0] * sin, ],
            [ rot[0] * rot[2] * (1 - cos) + rot[1] * sin,
             rot[1] * rot[2] * (1 - cos) - rot[0] * sin,
             cos + rot[2] * rot[2] * (1 - cos) ]])

        # If 2D rotate first lattice vector to the x-axis
        axis = np.dot(self.axis_cart, rotation_matrix)
        if self.period_type == "2D":
            cos2 = axis[0,0] / np.linalg.norm(axis[0])
            sin2 = axis[0,1] / np.linalg.norm(axis[0])
            rot2 = np.array([[ cos2, -sin2, 0.0 ],
                             [ sin2, cos2, 0.0 ],
                             [ 0.0, 0.0, 1.0 ]], dtype=float)
            axis = np.dot(axis, rot2)
            rotation_matrix = np.dot(rotation_matrix, rot2)

        # Rotate atoms
        atoms_coords = np.dot(atoms_coords, rotation_matrix)

        return axis, atoms_coords

    def get_axis(self, coordsys="lattice"):
        """Returns axis.

        Args:
            coordsys: Coordinate system type ("lattice" or "cartesian").

        Returns:
            Periodicity axis in the given coordinate system.
        """
        if self.period_type  in [ "1D", "2D", "3D" ]:
            if coordsys == "lattice":
                return self.axis
            elif coordsys == "cartesian":
                return self.axis_cart
            else:
                raise ValueError("Value of coordsys is invalid.")
        else:
            raise ValueError("get_axis() called, but period_type is not 1D,"
                             " 2D or 3D.")

    def splitcoords(self, coords):
        """Splits Cartesian coordinates into relative and absolute parts.

        Args:
            coords: Cartesian coordinates to split.

        Returns:
            Tuple of relative and absolute coordinates. The original Cartesian
            coordinates can be obtained by calculating matrix product of the
            relative coordinates with the Cartesian axis vectors and adding the
            absolute coordinates to it.
        """
        coords = np.array(coords)
        if self.period_type == "0D":
            return np.empty(( len(coords), 0 ), dtype=float), coords
        elif self.period_type == "1D":
            axis_norm = np.linalg.norm(self.axis_cart[0])
            relcoords = np.dot(coords, np.transpose(self.axis_cart[0]))
            relcoords /= axis_norm**2
            relcoords.shape = (len(relcoords), 1)
        elif self.period_type == "2D":
            axis_3D = np.array(
                [ self.axis_cart[0], self.axis_cart[1],
                np.cross(self.axis_cart[0], self.axis_cart[1]) ])
            invbasis = np.linalg.inv(axis_3D)
            relcoords = np.dot(coords, invbasis)[:,0:2]
        elif self.period_type == "3D":
            invbasis = np.linalg.inv(self.axis_cart)
            relcoords = np.dot(coords, invbasis)
        shifts = coords - np.dot(relcoords, self.axis_cart)
        return relcoords, shifts

    def fold_to_unitcell(self, atoms_coords):
        """Folds atoms in the central unit cell, with relative coordinates
        between 0.0 and 1.0.

        Args:
            atoms_coords: Cartesian coordinates of the atoms.

        Returns:
            Cartesian coordinates of the atoms in the unit cell.
        """
        atoms_coords = np.array(atoms_coords)
        if self.period_type == "0D":
            return atoms_coords
        relcoords, shifts = self.splitcoords(atoms_coords)
        relcoords_folded = relcoords % 1.0
        atoms_coords = shifts + np.dot(relcoords_folded, self.axis_cart)
        return atoms_coords

    def mask_unique(self, coords, mask=None):
        """Masks points being unique in the unit cell.

        Args:
            coords: Cartesian coordinates of the points (atoms).
            mask: Only those coordinates are considered, where mask is True

        Returns:
           Logical list containing True for unique atoms and False otherwise.
        """
        if mask is not None:
            unique = np.array(mask, dtype=bool)
        else:
            unique = np.ones(( coords.shape[0], ), dtype=bool)
        if self.period_type == "0D":
            return unique
        relcoords, shifts = self.splitcoords(coords)
        relcoords = np.where(
            np.greater(relcoords, 1.0 - nc.RELATIVE_PERIODIC_TOLERANCE),
            relcoords - 1.0, relcoords)
        onbounds = np.flatnonzero(np.any(np.less(relcoords, 0.01), axis=1))
        onbounds_rel = relcoords[onbounds]
        onbounds_cart = np.dot(onbounds_rel, self.axis_cart) + shifts[onbounds]
        for ii in range(len(onbounds_cart)):
            if not unique[onbounds[ii]]:
                continue
            diff = onbounds_cart[ii+1:] - onbounds_cart[ii]
            equiv = np.flatnonzero(np.less(np.sum(diff**2, axis=1),
                                           nc.DISTANCE_TOLERANCE**2))
            unique[onbounds[equiv + ii + 1]] = False
        return unique

    @classmethod
    def fromdict(cls, geometry, inidict):
        """Builds instance from dictionary."""

        period_type = inidict.get("period_type", "0D")
        if period_type not in [ "0D", "1D", "2D", "3D"]:
            error("Invalid periodicty type '" + period_type + "'")

        # 0D periodicity
        if period_type == "0D":
            return cls(geometry, "0D")

        # 1D periodicity
        if period_type == "1D":
            axis = inidict.get("axis", None)
            if axis is None:
                error("Missing axis specification for 1D periodicity.")
            try:
                axis = np.array([ int(s) for s in axis.split() ])
                axis.shape = (1, 3)
            except ValueError:
                error("Invalid axis specification.")
            if np.all(axis == 0):
                error("Invalid axis direction.")

        # 2D periodicity
        elif period_type == "2D":
            axis = inidict.get("axis", None)
            miller = inidict.get("miller_indices", None)
            if axis is None and miller is None:
                error("Either 'axis' or 'miller_indices' needed for "
                      "periodicity specification.")
            elif axis is not None and miller is not None:
                error("Only one of the keywords 'axis' or 'miller_indices' can "
                      "be used for periodicity specification.")
            if miller:
                try:
                    miller = np.array([ int(s) for s in miller.split() ])
                    miller.shape = (3, )
                except ValueError:
                    error("Invalid miller index for 2D periodicity")
                if np.all(miller == 0):
                    error("Invalid miller index for 2D periodicity")
                axis = plane_axis_from_miller(miller)
            else:
                try:
                    axis = np.array([ int(s) for s in axis.split() ])
                    axis.shape = (2, 3)
                except ValueError:
                    error("Invalid axis specification.")
                if np.all(axis == 0):
                    error("Invalid axis direction.")
                if np.all(np.cross(axis[0], axis[1]) == 0):
                    error("Axis are parallel.")

        # 3D periodicity
        else:
            axis = inidict.get("axis", None)
            superlattice = inidict.get("superlattice", None)
            if axis is None and superlattice is None:
                error("Either 'axis' or 'superlattice' needed for "
                      "periodicity specification.")
            elif axis is not None and superlattice is not None:
                error("Only one of the keywords 'axis' or 'superlattice'"
                      "can be used for periodicity specification.")
            if superlattice:
                try:
                    superlattice = np.array([ float(s)
                                             for s in superlattice.split() ])
                    superlattice.shape = (3, 3)
                except ValueError:
                    error("Invalid superlattice specification")
                if np.abs(np.linalg.det(superlattice)) < nc.EPSILON:
                    error("Linearly dependent superlattice vectors")
                axis = cell_axis_from_superlattice(superlattice,
                    np.dot(geometry.bravais_cell, geometry.latvecs))
            else:
                try:
                    axis = np.array([ int(s) for s in axis.split() ])
                    axis.shape = (3, 3)
                except ValueError:
                    error("Invalid axis specification.")
                if np.all(axis == 0):
                    error("Invalid axis direction.")
                if np.abs(np.linalg.det(axis)) < nc.EPSILON:
                    error("Linearly dependent axis")

        # Switch back to primitive lattice, if necessary
        if np.any(geometry.bravais_cell != np.eye(3, dtype=int)):
            printstatus("Axis with respect to Bravais lattice:")
            for vec in axis:
                printstatus("{:3d} {:3d} {:3d}".format(
                    *[ int(ss) for ss in vec ]), indentlevel=1)
            axis = np.dot(axis, geometry.bravais_cell)

        # Get smallest possible unit cell
        for ii in range(len(axis)):
            divisor = gcd(abs(axis[ii]))
            axis[ii] = axis[ii] // divisor

        printstatus("Axis with respect to primitive lattice:")
        for vec in axis:
            printstatus("{:3d} {:3d} {:3d}".format(
                *[ int(ss) for ss in vec ]), indentlevel=1)

        # Repeat unit cell
        cellrep = inidict.get("axis_repetition", None)
        if cellrep:
            try:
                cellrep = np.array([ float(s) for s in cellrep.split() ])
                cellrep.shape = (int(period_type[0]), )
            except ValueError:
                error("Invalid axis repetition specification.")
            axis = np.array(axis * cellrep[:,np.newaxis], int)
            printstatus("Axis repetition:"
                + " ".join([ "{:3d}".format(int(s)) for s in cellrep ]))

        return cls(geometry, period_type, axis)


text:
Orchestral Film Score Recording Returns to New York City with Monitor System from JBL Professional by HARMAN
Master Reference Monitor
8" Master Reference Monitor
S2S-EX
High-performance 15" (380mm)Passive Subwoofer
-Press Release PDF-
NEW YORK—New York City's only orchestral recording studio acoustically optimized for classical music, The DiMenna Center for Classical Music recently installed a complete JBL by HARMAN 5.1 monitoring system consisting of JBL's M2 and 7 Series Master Reference monitors. The system has already been used for a wide variety of audio recordings, including major film scores, like the recent Coen Brothers release, "Hail, Caesar!"
Leveraging The DiMenna Center's superb hall acoustically optimized for orchestral performances, recording and mixing experts Audiosmith Digital Solutions partnered with the center to offer full-service orchestral recording capabilities. When Audiosmith's founding partner Lawrence Manchester needed a studio monitoring system capable of producing accurate and consistent results across any production, he turned to JBL. Manchester is a GRAMMY Award-winning music producer/mixer/engineer with an impressive list of credits, including more than 85 films, such as Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-winning "The Departed," musical TV productions, such as "Adele Live in New York City," and he is also the music mixer/producer for NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."
According to Manchester, who first heard the earlier JBL studio monitors at GRAMMY Award-winning producer Frank Filipetti's studio in 2006, JBL's new patent-pending Image Control Waveguide technology is the standout feature on both the M2 and the LSR708i. "When I first heard Frank demo the M2s, I was blown away by the imaging and the bass response, and I could not wait to try them for myself," Manchester said. "I knew when we started this recording partnership with The DiMenna Center the M2s would be a key component and the LSR708i model proved to be an exciting new loudspeaker that we loved from the start. The Waveguide is a fantastic piece of technology that provides an incredibly engaging and satisfying listening experience."
As the acoustic interface for the M2's D2430K and 2216ND transducers, JBL Waveguide technology provides exceptional high-frequency detail and natural balance at nearly any listening position. The technology also ensures detailed imaging and a coherent transition between channels, surrounds and immersive format overhead loudspeakers.
"Consistency in how your mixes translate to the outside world is what makes a good loudspeaker and exciting people when they hear their own music playing back is what makes it a great one," Manchester said. "With film score production, one needs to be able to hear exactly what's being recorded in the room and the M2s and the LSR708i monitors provide a unique level of accuracy and reliability."
The orchestral recording studio's 5.1 monitoring system features three M2 Master Reference monitors (Left, Center, Right), two LSR708i Master Reference Monitors for surround and a JBL S2S-EX Subwoofer. The system is powered by three Crown I-Tech 5000HD power amplifiers, one Crown DCi 2|300N network amplifier and one Crown DCi 2|1250N network amplifier. The studio also uses the LSR708i in a stereo setup when a near-field listening experience is needed.
Implementing system components that easily integrate was a key motivator behind Audiosmith's decision to use JBL and Crown solutions. "We rely heavily on networked audio throughout our studio design," Manchester said. "Having a centrally managed system of DSP components that are designed to work together improves the flexibility of our setup and the accuracy of our listening."
For more information on Audiosmith Digital Solutions, LLC:
www.audiosmithdigitalsolutions.com
For more information on The DiMenna Center for Classical Music:
www.dimennacenter.org
ABOUT HARMAN
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions and connected services. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. The Company's software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 28,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $6.5 billion during the 12 months ended December 31, 2015. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.


Join us for a fabulous wedding show at the BRAND NEW Hotel in College Park. The Hotel at the University of Maryland is just steps away from the UMD campus and has wonderful amenities. We will have a bunch of local vendors, hors d' oeuves, interactive stations, a fashion show, and giveaways including a FREE WEDDING CAKE!
General admission will be free but please register to be eligible for giveaways. VIP tickets will be $5.00 which will gain you early entrance at noon, greeted with a glass of champagne, and a swag bag full of goodies!
Be a part of our afternoon of wedding planning fun!


Jeder Tag Sprache. Erfahrungen mit zweisprachigem Lehren und Lernen in heterogenen Klassen.
2003 - 2005 — Project in the Fifth Framework Progamme of the European Union.
2001 - 2003 — Support for training courses on multilingual educucation run by PRAESA (Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa).
1999 - 2003 – The Centre for Intercultural Studies (previously Klagenfurt network) cooperates closely with the Council of Europe's Confidence-building Measures Programme. It initiates, monitors and evaluates projects carried out mainly in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe.
1999 - 2002 – Skills in project management (e.g. team development, conflict management, public relations, fund-raising, evaluation) are an urgent need for managers in intercultural projects. Therefore the Centre for Intercultural Studies works on the development of a curriculum for such a course.
1998 - 2001 – Since 1999 the Centre for Intercultural Studies has worked on the development of supplementary teaching material which can be used by the different communities in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
1998 - 2000 – Following a long lasting cooperation with initiatives from civil society in Madagascar the Centre for Intercultural Studies participates in developing bilingual education in Malagasy schools.


Remember an amazing basketball game with the That's My Ticket® NBA® 2009 All-Star Game Canvas Ticket. The ticket features details from the game to commemorate the event. Printed on archival canvas and enlarged by 500%, this replica ticket is great for decorating your fan cave and office. Recall the incredible performance by All-Star MVP Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant with the 2009 NBA® All-Star Game.


text:
Fernando Alonso: Signing new deal with Ferrari was very easy
FERNANDO ALONSO last night signed a contract extension with Ferrari - then insisted it was one of the easiest decisions he has ever made.
Sign up to FREE email alerts from Daily Record - motors
Alonso was only 16 months into his Ferrari deal but the 29-year-old has penned on the dotted line to stay with the team until the end of the 2016 season.
Ahead of his home Grand Prix in Barcelona this weekend, the double world champion said: "It was very easy for us to conclude this new deal.
"We started talking about the future a couple of weeks ago and both parties wanted to continue. I'm very happy with the team and they seem to be happy with me so we decided to extend the contract.
"I don't imagine a better team to race for. In 2017 maybe there will be another contract for me.
"We will see if I'm not too old and they are still happy with me.
"As I said last year my intention is to finish my career here."
Ferrari bosses are delighted to have secured Alonso's long-term future and president Luca di Montezemolo said: "Fernando has the required qualities, technically and personally, to play a leading role in the history of Ferrari."
ScottishRoadRecord
Follow @Road_Record


text:
Q: How can I tread OpenDolphin client send HttpHostConnectException? Is there way to handle situation when message is not delivered to server? Dolphin log infors about situation clearly, but I'would like to catch it from code. I was looking for some method like: onError to override like onFinished:
clientDolphin.send(message, new OnFinishedHandlerAdapter() {
        @Override
        public void onFinished(List<ClientPresentationModel> presentationModels) {
            // Do something useful
            }
        }
    });

, but there is nothing like that. Also wrapping send call in try/catch does not work(not suprising since send is not blocking its caller code).
I thing there is definitely some easy way to get informed about undelivered message, but I cant see it.
Thaks, in advace, for answers!

A: You can assign an onException handler to the ClientConnector - and you are actually supposed to do so. The exception handler will get the exception object passed in that happened in the asynchronous send action.
Below is the default handler that even tells you, what you should do ;-)
Closure onException = { Throwable up ->
    def out = new StringWriter()
    up.printStackTrace(new PrintWriter(out))
    log.severe("onException reached, rethrowing in UI Thread, consider setting ClientConnector.onException\n${out.buffer}")
    uiThreadHandler.executeInsideUiThread { throw up } // not sure whether this is a good default
}


A luxury gay New Year's Eve dance party. Back in Bangkok for New Year's Eve 2016, Sundance offers something different and refreshing from the usual gay party scene. With international superstar DJs, hot guys and amazing shows, this is a party not to be missed! Remember when your hangover is kicking in the proceeds from the event to go B-Change Foundation and The HIV Foundation Thailand.
★ DEBORAH COX ★ Special guest performer making her Bangkok debut.
Music: Music is provided by world-class international DJs. 2015 saw DJ Superstar Dan Slater headline.
Crowd: Expect an international crowd of hot, trendy guys.
Drinks: Lots of drinks all at reasonable prices for New Year's Eve.
Dress: See the photos of last year's event for your inspiration.


text:
What do we mean by the 100% University?
The university that has been established by the state to provide education, research and service that belongs 100% to the state.
International Diploma
The university where the academic programs have been assessed by international independent bodies
Campus University
The university that has 3 million meter square campus
Support to Success
The university that supports students with scholarships
The university that has students from more than 100 different countries
The university that has 55,000 graduates making a difference around the world
Ranked in the Top 800
The university ranked in the top 800 among the best universities in the world by Times Higher Education
With the inauguration of the newly established Dentistry Faculty during the 2019-2020 Academic Year, EMU has been offering quality education through 108 undergraduate and school programs and 96 postgraduate and doctoral degree programs provided by 12 faculties, 4 schools and Foreign Languages and English Preparatory School.
The university has evolved and expanded to a significant extent over the thirty-seven years that have elapsed since its establishment, and thus taken its rightful place among the best universities in the region.
With over 17,500 students from 110 countries and 1,100 faculty members from 35 countries, EMU is a truly "global" university, giving you the opportunity to pursue your education in an international environment, to meet people from different countries and to learn about their cultures.
Listed Among the Best Universities in the World
Fri, 30 October 2020
EMU Ranks Amongst the Best Universities Again
Thu, 3 September 2020
EMU is Among The Best Universities of the World
Fri, 26 June 2020
EMU is Once Again on the World's Best Young Universities List
EMU is Amongst the Most Reputable Universities of the World in 2020
EMU Announced as a Top University for Physical Sciences
EMU Announced as a Top University for Engineering and Technology Education
Prospective Students,
Famagusta, North Cyprus
E-mail: international.center@emu.edu.tr
Web: http://io.emu.edu.tr


Arms to Floor Min: 27.25"
Arms to Floor Max: 27.25"
Arms to Seat Min: 9.5"
Arms to Seat Max: 9.5"
INSPIRED by Bassett® Warrants, to the original purchaser its products to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of 5 years. Defects and damage from misuse, abuse, negligence, alteration, accident, vandalism, rusting, acts of nature or any other event beyond the control of INSPIRED by Bassett® is not covered. The warranty does not cover cosmetic damage that may result from normal use. Liability for incidental or consequential damages is excluded. The user assumes all risk of injury resulting from use of this product. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. To make a warranty claim, contact Customer Service, provide model number, sales receipt and description of the problem. It is the customer's responsibility to prepay freight on any components returned to the factory. INSPIRED by Bassett® will pay return freight on components covered under terms of warranty.
5 Years on upholstery fabric and foam against wear and deterioration.
All warranties are limited to the original purchaser for normal commercial usage defined as a standard forty hour work week by persons weighing 250 lbs. or less. This warranty will not cover labor, freight or damage from misuse, abuse, negligence, alteration, accident, vandalism, rusting, acts of nature or any other event beyond the control of Bassett®. The warranty does not cover cosmetic damage that may result from normal use. Liability for incidental or consequential damages is excluded. The user assumes all risk of injury resulting from use of this product.
When usage is more than 40 hours per week, a five year warranty on all parts applies. Fabric and foam is warranted for one year. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. Our quality standards are among the highest in the industry. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, there are times when parts are damaged or missing. Our Parts Department will do everything possible to promptly remedy the problem. Contact us via e-mail parts@officestar.net, by Fax 1-909-930-5629, or toll free parts number 1-800-950-7262, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.


text:
Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex
A great fractured maze of muddy creeks and forgotten islands in eastern Essex gives way to the largely unspoilt coastline of Suffolk and Norfolk with steep shingle terraces and low crumbling cliffs, a sign of constant battle with the sea.
Inland is the Broads National Park British Isles's magical water land, a uniquely beautiful environment shaped by people working hand in hand with nature over thousands of years.
"Trinity" - Tollesbury - Essex
Tollesbury is a village located on the Essex coast at the mouth of the River Blackwater. Trinity', the former lightship which is now the hub of activity for the Fellowship Afloat Charitable Trust (FACT) was built in 1954 for Trinity House, the organisation which looks after shipping navigation marks around the UK. The vessel is permanently moored at Woodrolfe Creek and is linked to the boatyard by a footpath. FACT converted her to a residential centre in 1990. It was carried out ensuring that its exterior appearance was little changed. Inside, all work has been done in keeping with its original character.
seascapeboatlightshipcreekcoastalcoastline