Israel's agriculture is the success story of a long, hard struggle against adverse land and climate conditions. Over half of Israel's saline soil is arid or semi-arid (only 20% is arable) and Israel's natural water supplies are below the UN definition of water poverty. Even so, since Israel's establishment in 1948, the country has almost tripled the territory used for farming, and production has multiplied 16 times, link. Today, Israel manages to produce 95% of its own food requirements.
Israel's agricultural success is attributed to the close cooperation between farmers, Israel's agro industry, and technological research (R&D is about 17 percent of Israel's budget allocation for agriculture). Technological achievements include computer controlled drip irrigation, computerized early-warning systems for leaks, thermal imaging for crop water stress detection, biological pest control and new varieties of fruit and vegetables. Water shortage is alleviated through extensive water-reuse (86%) and desalination plants.
Share of the Economy: Today, Israel's agricultural sector is a highly developed industry although its importance in Israel's overall economy is relatively small. Over the years Israel has diverted from an agricultural-based economy to a more sophisticated, industrialized economy with a diversified manufacturing base. In 1979, Israel's agriculture accounted for about 6% of GDP, shrinking to about 3.3% in 2014, link.
Share of the Workforce: Only a small proportion of the population is employed in actual agricultural production. In 2014 it amounted to just 1.2% of the total workforce, link. But despite a small workforce, and despite the fact that more than half of Israel's land is desert, Israel still manages to produce 95% of its own food requirements, link. Statistics underscore the success of Israel's agricultural sector: Israel ranks high for livestock production and agricultural machinery whilst ranking low for availability/quality of agricultural land.
Agriculture in Israel contributed to just 3% of total exports in 2006, link, rising to 4.2% (over $2 billion US) of total exports in 2010. Currently, Israel exports more than $2 billion dollars of fruit and vegetables each year. These exports amounted to 18% of agricultural production in 2014, link.
Agricultural fertilizers are also a major export of Israel, link. About 60% of the country's vegetable exports come from the Arava region (Israel's long, eastern valley between the Dead Sea and Eilat). Israel is also a major exporter of dates, avocados, olive oil, pomegranates and almonds, and is a world-leader in agricultural technologies. This success is attributed to the close cooperation between farmers, Israel's agro industry, and technological research (see below).
Agricultural Technology Export: The State of Israel is committed to fulfilling its responsibility to contribute to the fight against poverty and global efforts to achieve sustainable development. To this end, MASHAV, Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, provides technical assistance through the provision of experts sharing their knowledge and technical know-how. In the area of agriculture, it provides intensive programs on entrepreneurship, marketing and post-harvest. For instance, it has taught Russian professionals how to use advanced agricultural techniques for improving and preserving fresh produce, including quality and safety. MASAV has also provided courses on Sustainable Livestock Feed Development and Breeding Techniques in Resource Constrained Situations in Africa.
In 2015 Israel resumed purchases of fruit and vegetables from Gaza to help the Palestinian economy and make up for a shortfall in Israeli produce caused by the Jewish biblical fallow or Shemittah year, link. Also, export of poultry and dairy produce to the EU from Jewish settlements has been restricted for political reasons, link. Some claim there are now massive imports of suspect quality produce from the West Bank, Gaza, and Jordan. Whilst Israeli farmers follow strict health requirements and produce high quality food, it is claimed these imported products are not checked for quality, link.
These changes are having a detrimental effect on Israeli farmers. They claim the right-wing Israeli government is not supporting Israeli agriculture. They require the government to immediately tackle the issues of the price of water, foreign workers, "mark up" by the middleman, and the regulation of agricultural exports, link.
The growth rate of Israel's beef and veal production increased rapidly in the mid 1980's (reaching 65% in 1986) but it has leveled off to zero growth in recent years, link. In 1998 about two-thirds of Israeli beef consumption was still imported, but today nearly half of the country's fresh beef supply is from local producers, link. Israel's meat production amounts to about 40% of Israel's total agricultural output, of which 17% is poultry. One more interesting fact: Israel's cows produce the highest amounts of milk per animal in the world! Recall that Israel was called out of Egypt "to a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exod 3.8).
Development of reusable plastic trays to collect dew from the air, reducing the water needed by crops or trees by up to 50 percent.
Since the time of Christ the Holy Land (Israel) has undergone gradual desertification – a process by which a region is turned into desert either by natural processes or as a result of poor use of the land, link. For instance, prior to World War I, the Ottoman empire cleared Israel of its pine and oak trees in order to build railways!
But with the first aliyah (Jewish returns) around the start of the 20th century, the need to combat desertification became one of national importance. The new immigrants embarked upon an extensive program of afforestation, and since 1900 almost 250 million sub-tropical trees have been planted in all regions of Israel, from the Golan and Galilee in the north to the Negev in the south, link, link.
Much of the recovery has been achieved through the afforestation programme of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and its partners. As a result, Israel is one of only two countries in the world that began the 21st century with more trees than it had at the beginning of the 20th century: in 1948 forests covered only 2% of Israel's territory, but by 2014 trees covered 8.5% of the land. By comparison, only 1% of adjacent Jordan is currently forested, link. To date, Israel has some 280 forests, link.
What type of trees have been planted in Israel? With a dry climate similar to that of California or Spain, Israel is a natural home for relatively short trees that need little water i.e. sub-tropical trees. Some, like acacias, can go for months without even a drop. But Israel has also planted ceders, the Aleppo pine (also known as the Jerusalem pine), the common oak, the stone pine (also known as the nut pine) and cypress trees (which can live for hundreds of years), link, link. It is interesting to note that, as Israel is restored, Bible prophecy says that these precise trees will be planted.
The Negev is the sparsely populated desert area between Be'er Sheva in the north and Eilat in the south. It has an arid and semi-arid climate with an annual rainfall of just 2-6 inches. On the other hand, the Negev has an almost unlimited underground supply of brackish (slightly salty) water, which can be exploited for irrigation using Israel's new technologies – such as drip irrigation. The Ramat Negev Desert AgroResearch Center (RNDARC), a regional government facility, was built at the junction of two different desert terrain types to study multiple crop/ecosystem interactions. The center works cooperatively with, and provides extension services to, agricultural communities in the Ramat Negev region.
Today, Israel's agriculture is the success story of a long, hard struggle against adverse land conditions. Over half of Israel's saline soil is arid or semi-arid and only 20% is arable. Even so, Israeli farmers have come a long way since the Zionist pioneers began clearing away rock-strewn fields and draining the swampland. Since Israel's establishment in 1948, the country has almost tripled the territory used for farming and production has multiplied 16 times, link. The preservation of agricultural land that has been recovered is the responsibility of the Israel Land Authority (ILA) – a government agency responsible for managing Israel's public domain land of some 4,820,500 acres.
NATURAL RESOURCES: Israel's total annual renewable natural sources of fresh water are well below the UN definition of water poverty. So natural water is at a premium and existing resources are over used.
Israel's surface water is concentrated mainly in the north and east of the country – notably the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret) – which is fed primarily from the Jordan River system. In fact, 80% of Israel's water is in the north and so the National Water Carrier system conveys water from Lake Galilee southwards. The other two main sources of water are the Coastal Aquifer (the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea) and the Mountain Aquifer (under the central north-south Carmel mountain range), both of which are accessed by pumping. It is claimed that these aquifers lie under Palestinian territory (Gaza and the West Bank respectively), link, although this can be disputed on legal grounds.
WATER REUSE & DESALINATION PLANTS: Given the lack of natural water resources, and the prospect of an even drier climate, Israel now makes extensive use of desalination plants, reuse of treated sewage for agriculture, computerized early-warning systems for leaks, and computerized drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers. In fact, Israel is a world leader in water reuse (86%) compared to say, Australia (10%). So it may not come as a surprise to learn that, through these technologies, Israel is now a water surplus nation, link, link.
As of 2016, Israel had five desalination plants, the largest (Sorek) producing over 600 million cubic meters of water/year, link. This plant alone provides enough drinking water to supply 1.5 million people! The desalination process involves membrane technology, where saltwater is pushed into membranes containing microscopic pores. The water gets through, while the larger salt molecules are left behind. The key is to capture the microorganisms in saltwater before they reach the membranes to minimize fouling of the membrane.
A downside of desalination is that it is energy intensive (consuming 3% of Israel's electrical power output) and a by-product is very salty water.
WATER GENERATION: An alternative to desalination is to extract and condense the natural humidity in the air. Watergen, an Israel-based company uses humidity in the air to create clean and fresh drinking water. The heart of the Watergen product line is the revolutionary GENius™ heat-exchange technology. Air is drawn into the Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG), where it is thoroughly cleaned, removing any dust and dirt and leaving only pure air in the system. The clean air is then directed through the heat exchange and cooling process, bringing it to its dew-point – the temperature at which condensation occurs – to create high quality water.
WATER AID: In 2018 Cape Town, South Africa became the first major city in the modern era to threaten to switch off the water supply chain. Under Level 6B restrictions this amounts to just 50 litres of water per day to each of its 3.7 million residents. This is due to the worst drought the Cape has experienced in a century, and poor water management by South Africa's ruling party (the African National Congress, ANC). In previous years Israel offered assistance in dealing with arid conditions and water preservation, but the ANC never took up the offer. Given the water crisis, an online petition asked the ANC to stop taking a pro-Palestinian anti-Israel stance and ask Israel for help.
Israel now boasts a number of agrochemical companies providing a wide range of products, from liquid fertilizers, to biopesticides, to fungicides, to potassium nitrate and phosphate salts, link. Smart fertilizer management software enables farmers to maximize crop yields, save costs and increase their profits. Israel Chemicals Ltd (ICL) is a leading provider of potash, phosphate fertilizers and technology-rich specialty fertilizers – all critical inputs for Israel's agriculture. ICL is the 6th largest potash producer in the world and the 2nd largest in Western Europe.
Over 80% of Israel's agriculture is based on 'agricultural cooperatives' like the kibbutz and the moshav, living on nationally owned land under a long-term renewable 49-year lease, link. There are also non-cooperative moshav farms which are villages of farmers on mostly privately-owned land. Over time the kibbutz has undergone a change of concept moving from an agricultural community to non-agriculture income and part-privatization.
So Why Boycott Israel's Food?
Since we live in an interconnected world it is virtually impossible to avoid using Israeli products. Take fresh agricultural produce for example. In 2010, Israel's fresh agricultural exports totaled $1.33 billion, and some 87% was exported to Europe [UN Commodity Trade Statistics]. Fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in Israel and on its settlements in the West Bank can be seen on sale at all the major supermarkets and greengrocers. The UK is the top market for Israeli citrus fruit, followed by Scandinavia, Russia, Germany and France. In UK supermarkets you will find avocado, sweet potato, tomatoes, galia melon, peppers, chilli, figs, strawberries, grapes, mango, plums, pomegranate, lychees and nectarines – all from Israel and its 'illegal' settlements! Is it logical to boycott Israeli fresh produce when we eat so much of it?
More at Why Boycott Israel?
Shortly after graduation from the University, I received a 1986 scholarship offer to "come over " to Israel for study in agriculture and rejected it. What a lifetime loss. Now, my country rulers are comprehensively bewildered by free enterprise economy, and carefully select their trading partners. Now that I thirst for farming expertise, are there opportunities for Nigerians to re-create these feats in my community in Abia State which is within the abandoned Niger Delta area. How may I leverage, if any?
Israel Agri (http://www.israelagri.com/) also work in Africa. Hope this helps.
Amazing biblical principles!!! Land of milk and honey. Cedar trees. Later rain with showers of blessings. Impossible became possible. Amazing desert semi arid. "Obedience withstood the test of time". Thanks to our Lord as he still delivers wonderfully.
I need more information and assistance in Israel's innovative agriculture technology as I am sitting on a large portion of arable agricultural land which is partly covered under tropical rainforest. I am looking at viable and sustainable agriculture projects to initiate on a 2000 acres of land. Currently a river system is within reach of the land.
I am from Papua New Guinea. Are you able to assist me through the Israel mission office in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea?
I am very much interested israel technology implementation in our agriculture system, because our Karnataka chief minister Mr Kumaraswamy, is encouraged.
hi im Mary Cris from the philippines. it is very interesting to know about the facts and advancement of technology that Israel has. however, experiencing it would be a great help for me to address our nation's biggest problem, that is sustainable agriculture. we have a lot of lands which were just neglected. i am thinking of how can this be cultivated and use to address national food security. i graduated with a degree of bachelor of science in agriculture, cropscience major. i wish i could train in israel. how may i be able to do that?
Thank you for your communication. You might try https://mfa.gov.il/MFA/mashav/Courses/Pages/default.aspx who run agricultural courses. MASHAV adopts a regional approach to aid in Asia and the Pacific Islands. Not sure about the Philippines.
I am interested to know about how small farming (agriculture) especially in in-door farmings.
marvelous to learn the way Israel shown to the world ,how a rocky terrain ground can be made into a productive form,it is just amazing to find things that are happened and the technologies invented to address.
Considering the advances Israel has made and is still making in agriculture, I would be happy if I can have the opportunity to be trained in this country on modern-day and environmentally friendly farming methods. Specifically, I would like to learn how to organically and profitably grow peppers and tomatoes in a largely tropical Country like Nigeria with two Seasons (dry and rainy) and where ambient temperatures could be as high as 46 degrees Celsius during the dry season.
I want to persuade my post doctoral research on dry land farming in Israel . Can anybody help me ????
i'm James a medium scale farmer from Tanzania, East Africa and i real like and admire the way you think. its quite different here where we have abundant fresh water and a wide vast arable land but facing a lot of problems especially poor yield and outdated technology as more than 90% of agriculture activities are rain fed and over millions of hectors uncultivated or undercultivated, however i'm real exited with your technology and i would like to be informed more how can i access it so i can use the land i have productively.
I am highly impressed. I would like to hear more from you. If I could get a chance to learn in Israel I am sure Kenya would be a step ahead.
I am very interested to know more about Isreal's agriculture. And i hope i will keep on contacting.
i am highly impressed.i wish i could be trained in isreal in the field of agricutural technology.any chance this might be possible?
I would like to venture into serious Agriculture by the use of irrigation in Kenya,i need to produce a lot of fruits,milk,cereals and vegetables right from the big parcels of fallow land.how can i get this amazing discussion.
this is kind of technology I am really interested to apply. Amazing!!!
I am very very insterested,and want a chance for implement of this Agriculture system, mainly fruits bearing plants.
Hi, I am interested to know more about the latest Isreali technology on agro farming. We have plans in China for a large scale agriculture projects starting from scratch. Kindly let me know who I can contact to follow-up with this discussion.
This is the mass culture of algae for industrial and commercial purposes. Algae farms generate 30 times more feedstock for biofuel than do land-based crop alternatives.
A downside is that residents of the southern Arava feel vulnerable to terrorist infiltration from Jordan. Many Arabs want to use the Negev/Arava region to divide Israel and connect areas of the Judean and Hevron Hills to Egypt and Gaza, link, link.
Sunset in Negev Desert near the Arava.
The Kinneret basin is the largest groundwater basin in Israel. The basin groundwaters (springs) have a natural common outlet, the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret), link. These springs together with waters from the River Jordan make Lake Kinneret Israel's largest fresh water reservoir, link. The Kinneret waters undergo treatment before entering the "National Carrier" pipelines.


The e-textbook movement stands to reshape instruction as new education technologies continue to fill classrooms via tablets and other mobile devices.
Inkling is working with textbook publishers to create more interactive e-textbook content, with features including note taking, highlighting and quizzes. Students can additionally purchase content by the chapter, allowing them a full-content preview without the commitment of a full textbook purchase. The Inkling app is available for free through iTunes.
Rather than offering texts from big publishers, ElevenLearning's focus is oriented around offering crowd-sourced textbooks written by experts and edited and maintained by a community of educators and consumers. Though they only have four titles currently available, their model, if successful, could bring a disruptive change to the marketplace that would greatly benefit cash-strapped students.
Earlier this month, McGraw-Hill Education unveiled their new "SmartBooks" at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The publisher's latest addition to the e-textbook market will adapt to reader behavior by measuring factors such as retention and reading pace. By spring, around 90 SmartBooks should be available for $19.99 each. McGraw-Hill isn't the only publishing giant to get in on adaptive learning, though, as Pearson and MacMillan both also have their own adaptive assessment tools.
MacMillan's "DynamicBooks" offer instructors the ability to rearrange, customize, combine and add their own materials to textbook content. Aside from allowing the textbook to perfectly match syllabi, DynamicBooks include interactive and multimedia features. Plus, they're cheaper than paper textbooks and accessible via computer, iPhone, iPad and other tablet devices.
Elsevier announced last fall that it would make a free, non-downloadable version of one of its e-textbooks available to students in edX's Circuits & Electronics MOOC. Originally offered as a free download the previous fall, the publishing giant found that providing only a "static," non-downloadable PNG version increased sales of the text. As part of the arrangement, the syllabus for the course links to Elsevier's website, where discounted copies of the print and full electronic editions can then be purchased.
In December, Pearson received top honors in the 2012 "Tech & Learning" Awards of excellence for three of its iBooks Textbooks. The texts—Pearson Algebra I Common Core Edition, Pearson Geometry Common Core Edition and Miller & Levine Biology—are part of an e-textbook suite launched in January 2012 that feature content enhanced with video, audio, assessments, interactive images and 3D animations. The honors additionally allowed the publisher to lead the award program for the third consecutive year.
Silicon Valley start-up Chegg—which launched in 2007 as a textbook rental company—offers its own e-textbook reader. Compatible with all connected devices, the reader allows students to search, highlight, take notes and see other students' highlights. The eReader also allows round-the-clock access to Chegg's Homework Help Q&A, as well as 7-day access to an e-textbook if you ordered a physical edition.
Barnes & Noble offers a free NOOK Study app for PC and Mac computers. The app allows users to search, highlight, tag and link, as well as access course handouts. It also offers free 7-day trials of e-textbooks.
OpenStax--a nonprofit, open-access publisher operating out of Rice University—announced in December that it would begin offering a paid version of its free, online College Physics text. Available through iTunes as an iBook for $4.99, it features extras like videos, interactive graphics, quizzes and demonstrations. As of December, the company has funding for eight textbooks with fundraising in the works for 17 more, and plans to expand to more platforms.
Just over a year ago, Apple announced its entrance into the crowded e-textbook market, with a build-your-own-textbook tool sticking out in particular. With iBooks Author, professors can add images from their iPhoto libraries, iTunes video clips, and Keynote lecture slides—though the program runs only on Macs, meaning professors and students would have to adopt Apple products. Also announced at the event, iTunesU—a course-management system alternative—was seen as being more likely to be widely adopted.
Ingram's VitalSource touts its Bookshelf app as the "preferred and most used e-textbook delivery platform in the world of higher education." With content from more than 200 top academic publishers available via laptop, desktop, or mobile device and a partnership with Blackboard Learn, it's a hard point to argue. In December, 35,000 new digital textbooks and course materials were added to the platform. The app is free, as are a selection of sample texts.
Northeastern graphic design graduate Xavier Xicay and William Hoover, a McGraw-Hill digital author and Bunker Hill Community College anatomy professor, founded Tuatara with one goal in mind—disrupting the existing higher education model. The company's web-based e-book platform, GilaPad, has already attracted publishers like McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Wiley and Jones & Bartlett, and launched in a closed beta this past fall. Prior to the beta, the platform was tested with 100 professors and over 1,000 students at MIT, Bunker Hill and other Boston-area colleges. Tuatara are currently seeking $6 to 8 million in funding, and Xicay says publishers have also shown interest in owning part of the company.
With Amazon's Kindle e-textbooks, the company promises savings of up to 60% for buyers and 80% for renters compared to the print edition's list price. Available on Kindle Fire—and via the Kindle app for iPad, Android tablets, PC and Mac—Kindle's e-textbooks offer instant access to a books most important information with glossary definitions and relevant page links via the platform's Xray feature. The feature also links to related content from Wikipedia and YouTube and is available on most of the platform's most popular textbooks. Kindle's "Whispersync" technology also synchronizes bookmarks, notes and highlights across devices.
Kortext, a digital textbook platform based in the United Kingdom, launched last year in partnership with John Smith's, a UK campus retail company, and Aspire, JS Group's bursary management system. Partner publishers from around the world include Pearson, Wiley, McGraw-Hill, Taylor & Francis, Palgrave and Oxford University Press. Additionally, the University of East London and Regents College have already made deals with the company to provide its platform—which is available on most devices—to more than 2,000 students.
Would you like to see more education news like this in your inbox on a daily basis? Subscribe to our Education Dive email newsletter! You may also want to read Education Dive's look at the top 10 online bachelor's degree programs.


That's what America's greatest corporations have become.
Whether it's in California or nationally, it's the same sad story.
America's best and biggest companies -- the banks, the energy corporations, the computer giants -- are refusing to stand up to the bully governments in Sacramento and D.C.
The men and women who run California's corporations know that high taxes, over-spending, excessive regulations and foolish energy policies have turned the state from one of the best states to do business in to one of the worst.
But when bad law after bad law is passed in California, the corporations don't fight back, they cower or run.
Their executives are afraid to speak up, or buy ad time, or join with those of us who are trying to reverse the death spiral of a state that's been wrecked by four decades of Democrat misrule in Sacramento.
For example, I know that many business leaders support the "Citizen Legislature Act." That's the ballot initiative that, if it gets on the fall ballot, will give voters in California the chance to turn the state legislature into a part-time wrecking crew instead of a year-round one.
But many of the corporate execs in California are afraid to join the ballot initiative drive, which I chair, because they fear retaliation from Sacramento.
They have good cause to fear retaliation from the Democrats. But that's no excuse not to fight for what they know is right. Fighting is the only way they'll ultimately strip the Democrats of their power to retaliate.
We have the same problem nationally -- a flock of corporate chickens.
Why is it that the only voices we hear fighting against Washington are talk radio and Fox News?
Where are Exxon and Apple and Ford and Wells Fargo? Why aren't they standing up for what's left of free enterprise in America?
Imagine if Microsoft or Verizon or even Facebook spent just a pittance of their profits to fight against those who are slowly strangling the system that made their financial success possible.
Why aren't their CEOs pointing the finger of blame for our economic miseries where it belongs -- at the Obama administration?
Why aren't they blasting away at the liberals in Washington for their constant business bashing and attacks on the rich? They're afraid of retaliation from Washington. But again, the solution isn't to cower or run, it's to fight.
Unfortunately, California's sheepish companies would rather move to Nevada than stay and fight the Democrats in Sacramento. America's chicken companies would rather move their operations overseas than stay and fight Washington.
It's time corporations start standing up for themselves. Talk radio and Fox News' 4 million viewers can't save a bunch of sheep and chickens. No one can.
There's a scene in the "Avengers" movie where the people are told to kneel down to show their subservience to their ruler. But one brave man stood up and said he refused to kneel any longer.
That's what our businesses have to do if they are to survive. Get off their knees. Fight for what's right. They're not going to be saved by Captain America or Captain Romney or anyone else. They have to stand up and save themselves.


Agreed. I chuckle every time. Instead of digging for root causes of cash drains, they try to save pennies instead of dollars. Funny commercial, and too true! Even the name "Nordic Tuesday" makes me laugh on its own. And agreed on the guy in the bathroom . LOL!!!


text:
Węgliki − nieorganiczne związki chemiczne zawierające w swojej budowie wyłącznie atom metalu lub półmetalu i węgla.

Węgliki jonowe
Istnieją dwa zasadnicze rodzaje węglików:
 Acetylenki – zawierające anion  ([C≡C]2−), który ma zbliżoną budowę do acetylenu (H-C≡C-H), z którego usunięto oba atomy wodoru. W anionie tym występuje potrójne wiązanie kowalencyjne między atomami węgla.
 "Metanki" – zawierające anion C4-, który strukturalnie ma zbliżoną budowę do metanu, z którego usunięto wszystkie cztery atomy wodoru.

Większość acetylenków i metanków jest wysoce reaktywna w kontakcie z wodą i innymi źródłami jonów H+, przy czym metanki są zwykle bardziej reaktywne. Anion metankowy C4-, jest jedną z najsilniejszych znanych zasad. W obu przypadkach węgliki w kontakcie ze źródłem jonów wodorowych rozkładają się z wydzieleniem odpowiednio acetylenu i metanu:
  + 2 H+ → C2H2
 C4- + 4 H+ → CH4
Przykładem tego rodzaju węglików są: karbid, CaC2, (węglik wapnia, acetylenek) i węglik glinu, Al4C3, (metanek).

Innym rodzajem węglików są allilki, zawierające grupę . Przykładem jest allilek magnezu, .

Węgliki kowalencyjne i metaliczne
W węglikach kowalencyjnych występują trójwymiarowe sieci wiązań metal-węgiel. W węglikach metalicznych z kolei wiązania metal-węgiel mają charakter wiązań metalicznych.

Węgliki te są zwykle bardzo stabilne, nietopliwe, twarde i niereaktywne. Są często wykorzystywane w postaci ceramiki lub kompozytów.

Przykładami tego rodzaju węglików są np. węglik żelaza, węglik wolframu, węglik boru, węglik krzemu (karborund).

Węglik żelaza Fe3C występuje m.in. jako jedna z faz w stali węglowej i żeliwie. Jest wówczas nazywany cementytem.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) - Target Corp's flagship coffee bags and pods of the brand Archer Farms will be certified fair trade by 2022, the company and Fair Trade USA told Reuters on Wednesday, a victory for that movement, which seeks to make sure producers are adequately compensated for their labor.
Coffee futures are currently trading near 13-year lows, weighed down by a record-large Brazilian crop. Prices are below the cost of production in most countries, forcing some farmers out of business and prompting concern from the industry on its long-term ability to source good coffee.
Archer Farms, Target's flagship-owned coffee brand, sells about six million pounds of coffee each year. Currently, about 20 percent of Archer Farms coffee is fair trade certified.
The United States imported about 3.5 billion pounds of coffee in the 2018/2019 season, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Fair Trade USA, the leading certifier of such products in North America, works to institute a floor price for farmers; for coffee, that minimum price is $1.40 per pound and farmers receive an additional 20 cents per pound sold.
"The current market is nothing short of a disaster for coffee farmers," said Paul Rice, founder and CEO of Fair Trade USA.


We get a lot of calls from business owners, and the first question they always ask is, "How much does it cost to advertise?" Well, the answer is, "Probably less than you think."
There are so many different platforms to advertise on. But the fact is, no matter which you choose, if it doesn't work, it doesn't matter how little it costs… it's still too much.
As the first television station in Reno and an ABC Affiliate, we can help to get your message to customers on KOLO 8 News Now and MeTV programming. We will help to create a schedule that fits within your advertising budget.
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If you are a non-profit looking for assistance in promoting your organization visit our KOLOCares community.


Members of the Advisory Group (AG) decided on the Work Plan at a meeting in Rome in July 2016. Because this is a very complex project due of its geographical extension (three oceans) and the inclusion of four RFMOs, it is necessary that the project has a clear and strategic plan to achieve improvements. Members of the AG include experts from RFMOs, environmental NGOs, industry and science.


In the middle of Tahko centre, between Golf-club and Tahko Spa situated new and high standard apartment in semitached house. Apartment is built-up 2004 and it is 60½ m² + loft 6 m².
In ground floor there are 1 bedroom with double bed, open kitchen/living room and electric heating sauna.
Upstairs is 1 bedroom with double bed and on loft there is possibility to make two extra beds to the sofa-bed (width 160 cm). In both bedrooms you can separate these double beds.
Locked ski storage, fireplace, balcony and terrace with electric Weber grill in the apartment. Nice view to the slopes, 5 minutes walking to Tahko Spa and Golf-club. Baby cot and high chair.
Cozy furnished Pointin Rinne holiday apartment near all Tahko´s services. Nice view to the slopes.
To the slopes 0,7 km, spa 0,5 km.Lake Syväri 0,4 km, public shore nearby, no boat, Nilsiä 13 km, Kuopio 65 km, Matkus Shopping center 70 km, Tahko Old Course 0.1km.
Small and kind pets are allowed (max. 2-3), pets fee 40€ / reservation. Smoking are not allowed.
Every reservation starts at 16.00 P.M and ends at 12.00 A.M. ( Also in weekends).
Apartment is rented for families or couples, not to young folk.
Rating given by customers 4.0. Based on 27 reviews.
Loistava sijainti ja siisti paikka. Miinusta muurahaiset tiski- ja työpöydällä!
Aivan ihanat näkymät rinteille ja sopivan on matkan päässä kaikista liikunta aktiviteeteistä. Mökki on juuri sopivan kokoinen 4:lle hengelle. Ilta menotkin on kävelymatkan päässä?
Kaikki palvelut lähellä. Sopii lapsiperheelle.


God declares in the Quran, ?The only religion in the sight of Allah is Islam,? and that ?if anyone desires a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him: Therefore, seeking knowledge about Islam is the inviolable, sacrosanct duty of all human beings. It is binding upon all to familiarize themselves with the tenets of Islam, which Allah declares in His infallible Book, the Quran, to be the religion which he has chosen for mankind. Ignorance about its indubitable words of wisdom and human salvation does not give anyone the license to deny this religion of Allah. Indeed, such ignorance an inexcusable moral condition. This book presents the foremost principles of Islam in a very comprehensible, reader-friendly, lucid, and concise manner. The purpose of the book is to provide its readers with full details about articles of faith, the pillars of Islam and general rules encompassing all prohibitions pertaining to food and drink, clothes, professions, matters of family relations, etc. in a very clear and conclusive manner, which is in consonance with the teachings of the Quran. Islam represents Divine religion, which is free from ambiguity and dissonance. This book aims at building faith in precisely this manner. It is a work par excellence, which teaches in the simplest and most pellucid fashion the tenets which are the building blocks of Islam. The ineffable beauty of this book is the brevity of its language and the precision of its teachings.


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CNN's Don Lemon Complains That America Has Turned on Jussie Smollett: It's 'Not His Fault'
"Maybe because of his representatives."
Don Lemon offered a bizarre hot take on "CNN Tonight" Wednesday, saying that Jussie Smollett's loss of public support was not his own fault.
Smollett, an actor on Fox's "Empire," turned himself over to police Thursday on a felony charge of filing a false police report. Chicago police, a judge, and President Donald Trump took turns publicly lambasting Smollett for allegedly orchestrating a fake racist attack against himself as a "publicity stunt."
However, according to Lemon, Smollett's defeat in "the court of public opinion" is really the responsiblity of whoever is advising him.
"He lost because — not his fault," the anchor said during a panel discussion. "Maybe people were, I don't know what they were saying to him, maybe because of his representatives. Who knows? But it was handled poorly."
CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson pushed back, saying Smollett "went out and gave the interview," referring to the actor's appearance last Thursday on "Good Morning America."
Lemon later complimented Robin Roberts, the host who sympathetically interviewed Smollett, saying she did a "terrific job." But he quickly returned to his larger point that the whole thing was a PR mishap, saying that handling a crisis with a morning show appearance is "old school."
WATCH: New Footage Of Savage Berkeley TPUSA Assault
Earlier in the show, Lemon acknowledged that he and Smollett were friendly and had been in touch since the incident. He stressed that Smollett is "innocent until proven guilty," but said that if he had lied he would have "squandered the good will of very high-profile people.
Smollett was released from police custody on $100,000 bail on Thursday. Fox is considering removing Smollett from production on "Empire," Variety reported after he was charged.
Last week on his show, Lemon argued that Sen. Kamala Harris of California, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, is not African-American because her family had not suffered enough from the legacy of American slavery.
WATCH: CNN: Worst Thing Smollett Did Was Make SJWs Look Stupid
Anchor Don Lemon speaks on "CNN Tonight" on Feb. 21, 2019.: Screen grab from Twitter
Tags: CNN, Don Lemon, Jussie Smollett, Kamala Harris
By Jo Na / January 19, 2021
How To Effectively Recover After Getting Seriously Injured While Driving
7 Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Young Conservative Allegedly Assaulted by Angry 'Leftist' on UC Berkeley Campus
'Attention-Seeking' Jussie Smollett at Risk of Being Cut From 'Empire' After Brutal Public Shaming

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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John Laird recognized with prestigious College award for major contributions to AI and CS education
This award is the highest honor awarded to a faculty member by the College.
Prof. John Laird
John L. Tishman Professor of Engineering John Laird has been selected for the College of Engineering Stephen S. Attwood Excellence in Engineering Award for 2019-20. This award is the highest honor awarded to a faculty member by the College and recognizes Laird for his "extraordinary achievements in teaching, research, service, and other activities that have brought distinction to the College and University."
Laird has been an prolific contributor to the fields of AI and cognitive science for over 30 years. His major research interest has been in creating human-level artificial intelligent entities, with an emphasis on the underlying cognitive architecture. Since 1981, his work has centered on the development, advancement, and use of Soar, a general cognitive architecture that is widely viewed as one of the industry's most successful tools for developing intelligent systems.
Soar is a general cognitive architecture for developing systems that exhibit intelligent behavior. The architecture is in use all over the world, both from the fields of artificial intelligence and cognitive science, finding a variety of applications since the release of its first version in 1983. Laird authored a textbook on the architecture, The Soar Cognitive Architecture, that offers a definitive presentation of Soar from theoretical and practical perspectives up to its 2012 distribution. Soar has been the central focus of Laird's work since 1981, and he has applied the technology to his spinoff company, Soar Technology.
Laird was recently recognized with the 2018 Herbert A. Simon Prize for Advances in Cognitive Systems and the Blue Sky Award at the 2018 Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. He served as Director of the AI Lab from 1994 to 1999, and Associate Chair of CSE from 2000 to 2004. He is a fellow of AAAI, ACM, AAAS, and the Cognitive Science Society.
Honors and Awards; John Laird


Set in solid hallmarked Platinum this fine quality three stone diamond ring has white, bright and very lively diamonds in this popular and wearable shape. The diamonds are brilliant cuts and all matching in colour and clarity. The ring is very well made having a good solid shank and Platinum bars securing the diamonds. The ring is extremely comfortable sitting good and flat on the finger.
colour assessed as -- G with VS clarity.


director of the Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network or RTNN.
the common tools we use in nano-measurement.
visualize and or characterize something at the nano scale.
different from traditional measurement tools.
we are trying to define or discover properties of something.
The property you want to measure will affect what measurement tool you use.
this property can be measured with a tool like a regular ruler or meter stick.
you would still be able to use the same ruler or the same tool.
the ruler tool is no longer useful.
you wouldn't be able to accurately quantify the property you want to measure.
The tool is neither designed to measure nor characterize at that scale.
about ten times the thickness of your hair.
One million nanometers are in a single millimeter or the smallest subdivision on a ruler.
This is the scale we are measuring at with nano-measurement tools.
highly specialized tools and equipment and highly knowledgeable operators to use them.
For starters, we need tools to help us visualize down to the nano scale.
features about the thickness of a single strand of hair.
objects and features we cannot see with our naked eyes.
magnifies and focuses the image with a system of lenses.
we can visualize objects as small as blood cells and bacteria.
electron microscopes use a focused electron beam instead of optical light.
focused, and scanned along the sample.
a magnified image of the sample that we can see with our own eyes.
us to see things as small as individual atoms.
we must also use tools to help us measure properties at the nano scale.
each with the unique means of helping us understand a material.
such as light particles called photons, ions or electrons.
Light and electron microscopes work in this way.
allow us to generate a magnified image of the sample.
to reveal different information about the material.
like how a prism refracts light into different colors.
or absorbing energy and vibrating bonds within the structure.
them helps us define and discover properties at the nano scale.
and the strength of micro sized or nano sized features.
changes in temperature or radiation.
a special stage that can heat up to very high temperatures within the microscope.
we can see how the particle changes as a result of the temperature change.
uncover information about the world around us.
I hope you have enjoyed this video and thank you for watching.


Unit Trusts propose a wide range of benefits to investors, and can often be seen as a crucial component of the Stocks and Shares ISA. A Unit Trust is suitable for those looking to gain capital and income in the medium to long term, providing a wide range of solutions.
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A native plant cell is one that is not grown or maintained in vitro, nor part of an in vitro plant structure (PO:0000004).
Link to all annotated objects annotated to native plant cell.
Link to all direct and indirect annotations to native plant cell.
Link to all direct and indirect annotations download (limited to first 10,000) for native plant cell.


text:
From Being Forced to Beg to a WB Court's National Lok Adalat Bench – Story of a Transgender Activist
The Islampur court is barely five minutes from the bus stand where she had slept in 2010, after inns refused to lodge her, because of her gender.
Post author:Jovita Aranha
Post category:Quick Bytes / Transgender
July 8, 2017, marked a milestone of a new era for the transgender community when Joyita Mondal's white car with a red plaque stating 'judgeship on duty' entered the premises of Uttar Dinajpur's Islampur court, West Bengal.
Once forced to beg for a living, mocked and rejected at a BPO she worked at, to becoming a social worker on the bench for a National Lok Adalat, Joyita emerged victorious through all odds.
Photo Source: Facebook
The Islampur court is barely five minutes from the bus stand where she had slept in 2010, after inns refused to lodge her, because of her gender. She knew she had to fight her own battles and those of her community.
Speaking to Youth ki Awaaz in late 2016, Joyita shared, "My community comes from an area that is on the border. Transgender activists generally fight for rights in big cities like Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi. But in our area, we are triply stigmatised, being transgender, women and from a rural area that is not centrally located."
As an employee at a call centre of a prominent national bank, she was forced to quit in two months.
"I wasn't attacked physically or sexually, but I was made the butt of many insensitive jokes. People would talk about me, stare at me and make fun of me. The situation was so bad that I was completely depressed working there. I decided to quit," she said.
READ MORE: In a Path Breaking Step, IGNOU Decides to Waive off Fees for Transgender Candidates
A transgender activist, she is the founder secretary of Dinajpur Notun Aalo Society (DNAS) which works primarily for the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer) community in the Dinjapur area and enables them to access all social and economic opportunities equally.
She began her journey as a field worker, while her association with 'Manash Bangla' that works for the community in Siliguri, West Bengal.
DNAS associated every government body in the region to help get recognition for transgenders, so as to get them their social and economic entitlements like Aadhaar, ration cards and government jobs. They started a dialogue on the issue of homosexuality amongst the youth and have over 93 support groups.
Joyita and her team also set up an old-age home for senior citizens who were sex workers and had no shelter. Their project 'Pehchaan' carried out awareness programs in schools, colleges and elsewhere for mass reach. Their main objective was to get the LGBTQ community into the mainstream, by portraying that any specific profession should look at an individual's talent than their sexuality or sexual preference.
You may also like: Another Win for the Transgender Community! 5 Candidates Qualify NEET's Medical Entrance
Joyita's selection for the bench had her friends and supporters flooding her Facebook timeline with congratulatory messages. Her presence on the National Lok Adalat bench along with an additional sessions judge and an advocate is one step ahead for the community to aspire to reach greater heights.
According to TOI, Joyita said she was "elated" and saw her appointment as a milestone that would send out a strong message against "gender bias" against transgender persons.
In October 2016, she was declared a Changelooms Fellow, by Delhi-based organization Pravah and declared a national youth leader by NACO, according to the Youth Ki Awaaz report.
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Q: How to set a tooltip on a JavaFX Button? How can I set a title or a text that appears above a button when I hover it with the mouse?

A: The Tooltip class is what you are looking for.
Example for a simple Tooltip
Button button = new Button("Hover Me");
button.setTooltip(new Tooltip("Tooltip for Button"));

You can also customize your Tooltips: CSS Reference for Tooltip.
Example for a styled Tooltip
Button button = new Button();
button.setText("Hover Me!");
Tooltip tt = new Tooltip();
tt.setText("Text on Hover");
tt.setStyle("-fx-font: normal bold 4 Langdon; "
    + "-fx-base: #AE3522; "
    + "-fx-text-fill: orange;");

button.setTooltip(tt);

A: To add a tooltip in FXML, you could also do this,
<Button>
 <tooltip><Tooltip text="my tooltip" /></tooltip>
</Button>

A: If you are using Scenebuilder, you can add tooltips by locating "Tooltip" under the Miscellaneous dropdown (Left panel) and dragging it to the node you want to install the tooltip. You can then specify various properties (Right panel) of the tooltip like style and text just as you would a normal Node.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The rests of two more black vultures and two griffon vultures have been found in the last few days by members of the Colectivo Azálvaro, a local NGO, near the waste treatment plant of Avila, in Central Spain. This follows the findings of at least 6 other black vultures there last summer – see here for details.
The birds now found dead were in advanced decomposition, and it is impossible to identify the cause of their death, but given the earlier incident, the most probable is that they also died after eating something toxic in the waste treatment centre.
Spanish NGOs have been pressing the authorities to investigate what is killing the vultures in that waster treatment centre, and to take measures to prevent vultures accessing the waste – but unfortunately the authorities have not yet published the results of the autopsies done on the animals that died last summer. A few months ago another marked adult black vulture was found dead in its nest, together with its chick, after having visited the waste treatment centre.
It is a pity that the authorities - both in Avila, and in the Castilla y Leon region – have not been proactive in dealing with this issue, and the result is that vultures keep dying there.


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We Are What We Eat!
Prof Moon's American Studies 204
Reflection Blogs
Chen, Yong. Chop Suey, USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America. New York: Columbia University Press, 2014.
Coe, Andrew. Chop Suey: a Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Liu, Haiming. "Chop Suey as Imagined Authentic Chinese Food: The Culinary Identity of Chinese Restaurants in the United States." Journal of Transnational American Studies 1, no. 1 (2009): 1-24.
– – -. From Canton Restaurant to Panda Express: a History of Chinese Food in the United States. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2015.
Mendelson, Anne. Chow Chop Suey: Food and the Chinese American Journey. New York : Columbia University Press, 2016.
Calta, Marialisa. "The Dish on Chicken Pot Pie," Fort Scott Tribune (Fort Scott, KS), Dec. 12, 2002.
"In the Kitchen and Pantry: Chicken Pot Pie." The Evening Star (New York, NY), Mar.18, 1913, p.12.
Ojakangas, Beatrice. Pot Pies. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2003. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/umw/detail.action?docID=310837. Accessed February 25, 2021.
Olver, Lynn. "Food Pies," Food Timeline. Accessed February 12, 2021. http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpies.html.
Snider, Diane. "Carl Swanson." Douglas County Historical Society, 2009. Accessed Mar. 3, 2021. http://douglascohistory.net/Education_Innovators_Swanson.htm.
Weeks, Kevin. "Restoring the Humble Pot Pie to Its Rightful Place." National Public Radio. Accessed February 12, 2021. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6949446.
Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.), 26 June 1855. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. Accessed February 24, 2021. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025007/1855-06-26/ed-1/seq-4/
"Brunswick Stew: The Pride of Brunswick County Virginia." Directed by Stan Woodward. Folkstreams. 2000. 56 mins, digital stream
Harland, Marion. "Company." Essay. In Common Sense in the Household : a Manual of Practical Housewifery, 171. Washington, DC: Charles Scribner & Co., 1873. Accessed March 7, 2021. https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m54086.
"International Brunswick Stew Cookoff: Digital Traditions". Knowitall.org. Accessed March 30, 2021. https://www.knowitall.org/video/international-brunswick-stew-cookoff-digital-traditions.
Moss, Robert. "The Complicated History of Brunswick Stew." Southern Living. Meredith Corporation, 2021. Accessed April 7, 2021. https://www.southernliving.com/bbq/brunswick-stew-history.
The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]), 06 Oct. 1852. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. Accessed February 22, 2021. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024738/1852-10-06/ed-1/seq-3/
The Chapel Hill weekly. [volume] (Chapel Hill, N.C.), 18 Feb. 1960. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. Accessed March 7, 2021. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn92073229/1960-02-18/ed-1/seq-4/
The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.), 25 Feb. 1899. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. Accessed March 7, 2021. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86063034/1899-02-25/ed-1/seq-2/
Tyree, Marion Cabell. "Brunswick Stew, Gumbo, and Side Dishes." Essay. In Housekeeping in Old Virginia, 211–32. Richmond, VA: J. W. Randolph & English, 1878. Accessed Febuary 23, 2021. https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5qt0q.
© 2022 We Are What We Eat!


An independent travel guide to Danang with candid reviews and recommendations. No sponsored content, no advertorial.
Fishing boats front a modern city.
Danang is Vietnam's fifth biggest city and one of the country's major ports. With fresh air, long, white sand beaches and a more laid back pace than Saigon and Hanoi, it offers its near one million citizens a higher quality of life than any other Vietnamese city.
While it might be a nice place for locals to live, until recently, Danang hasn't held a lot of interest for travellers. But that seems to be changing.
Over the past two decades, Danang's neighbours, Hoi An, 30kms to the south and Hue, 80kms to the north, have claimed the lion's share of traveller time in central Vietnam.
But Danang's been fighting back. And so it should. Its setting, with Son Tra Peninsula and the Hai Van Pass to the north and with a long picturesque beach strip and the Marble Mountains to the south, is stunning.
A decade ago, Vietnam's most intensive tourism development binge began outside Danang on the beach strip towards Hoi An. There are a couple of world class golf courses, a casino and a hodgepodge of resorts that run from very good to awful - with more of the latter than the former. It tends to be gated community style tourism with little or no local life. Travellers head to Hoi An or Danang for that. The whole area could do with a soul implant.
Danang has thrown out the welcome mat to local and international tourism developers - the bigger the better.
And right now, there are also plenty of half finished, overgrown concrete shells, victims of Vietnam's own version of the global financial crisis.
In recent years, the development boom has moved closer to Danang city. From Son Tra peninsula, down to an area previously described as China Beach. Danang city is finally becoming a destination in its own right. The beach is just as nice and there's a sense that you're in Vietnam too.
Just don't call it China Beach.
Vietnam's ongoing stoush with China over offshore islands means that the names China Beach and the South China Sea do not appear on any local maps and have been eradicated from the local lexicon. Chinese tourists may be the most conspicuous visitors to Danang, but the South China Sea is known as the East Sea. Remember that.
Danang is not unaccustomed to being contested. The original settlers of the area were Cham people. And the area around Danang is home to many important Cham historical sights. My Son is the pick of what remains.
The Viet people conquered the area from the north around 1000 years ago.
In the late 1850s, an initial French foray to take control of Danang proved unsuccessful. Attention shifted to Saigon and it wasn't until decades later that the French consolidated their power over all of Indochina, including Danang.
In March 1965, Danang was the landing point for the first US ground forces of the Vietnam War. Ten years later in 1975, it was one of the first major cities of South Vietnam to fall to advancing communist forces. Weeks later, the fall of Saigon marked the end of a 30 year struggle.
The modern contest between China and Vietnam concerns not Danang, but several island clusters, including the Paracels, due east of Danang. But awareness of the tension is more palpable in Danang than many other places.
Tensions with China haven't dimmed the Danang area's appeal to Chinese tourists though. It's ebbed and flowed a little in recent years alongside the stress levels in the relationship. But Danang is keen for its share of the Chinese tourist dollar. And a casino on the beach strip has been predictably attractive to visitors from the north.
Danang's beaches have also become a favoured playground for Vietnam's tiny but very visible class of super rich.
There's a fantastic local food scene, especially seafood, some interesting new international restaurants and some surprisingly robust nightlife. Danang gets our award for being Vietnam's best city for walking too. And it's very good for cycling and adventures further afield into the surrounding countryside.
A hotel development boom in Danang town means that accommodation is mostly very well priced and there's a broad array of offerings. There's a regrettable absence of eco and simple beach developments though.
Danang's coastline is beautiful and likely to continue to develop and grow in popularity. It may not end well though. A pattern of overdevelopment is already entrenched along this strip and there are few signs of change. Get in early.
Danang has distinct seasons. The beach will be at its best between March and October and less inviting in the cooler, greyer months between November and February. There are occasional pleasant days suited to swimming all year round.
Keep in mind that the summer holidays during July and August attract big crowds of domestic travellers as do national holidays.
The temperature never gets too cold with winter temperatures ranging from lows of 20 to highs of 25.
Danang is now a fully-fledged destination so international flights into the city out of major Asian gateways are frequent. Major budget carriers also service the airport. The city's also well served by domestic carriers.
Tourist bus services operate into Danang. Danang railway station is a major stop on the main north - south line.
Taxis are plentiful in Danang. A ride from the airport to town is inexpensive (around 100K depending on your destination). Travel to Hoi An from Danang by taxi is around 400K VND.
Once in Danang, you can get around on foot. Taxis are also available.
Danang has a reputation for safety. Few travellers encounter difficulties here. Crime against travellers is low.
There are international clinics in the city too and a major hospital. For serious ailments, you may be better heading to regional centres like Singapore or Bangkok - though healthcare standards in Saigon are also developing quickly.
Danang is Vietnam's fourth largest city. Wifi is available in all hotels (that we know of), cafes, restaurants and bars. 3G coverage is also very good. And there are ATMs accepting international cards all around town.


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Football for Humanity Foundation is a non-stock, non-profit, non-government organisation dedicated to using football and the power of play to inspire, empower and transform children and young people affected by extreme poverty, natural disasters, and armed conflict.
We are an inclusive social development platform that defends and promotes children's rights focusing on the underprivileged and groups who have been abandoned, abused, exploited, neglected, orphaned and those who are in conflict with the law. We build football pitches in challenging environments to give vulnerable children and young people access to play, education and protection.


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"He does not know television ..." / Plas badly, the reply in the distance between the two journalists, Sonila Meço publicly responds to Balina Bodinaku: Here is the truth. Neither Arbana nor the production me anymore ...
Balina Bodinaku, an opinionist at Big Brother, was absent from two shows due to her health condition. She was replaced by journalist Sonila Meço in one of the most tense episodes where the sensational Donald-Bora-Beatrix love triangle was talked about. Shortly after the speculation, Balina said he did not like last night at all and that the production and opinionists treated Donald's case as a moralistic trial.
But how did Sonila respond to this?
Invited to "Wake up", the journalist said that her goal as a journalist has always been to stimulate debate, open a discussion, arouse a point of view and that this is not a new thing.
"It was considered that we held a public trial. First, there are no us in that program, neither Arbana nor the production instructed me what attitude I should take. "Even with Arber, I met for the first time on Tuesday, for the second time on Friday", she said.
Asked if it was premeditated, Sonila said:
"It's completely naive, for someone who does not know Sonila, does not know television," she said.
"I am my opinion, I do not judge and prejudice, that I would go beyond the contours and my image. I do not judge them for sincerity, but for the hierarchy of values ??they represent ", said the journalist, thus giving an answer to Balina Bodinaku.
She will no longer be in the chair of the opinionist, as Balina has already returned, next to Arbër Hajdari.


Casa Angelina is a small boutique beach resort located in beautiful Zambales. We have 4 large rooms here suitable for up to 6 adults each. 2 of our rooms are beachfront facing the West Philippine Sea. 2 of our rooms are located in a lovely garden area. All rooms are very close to the beach and all rooms are wheelchair accessible. We have large doorways and even our CR and shower is wheelchair accessible. We are the only Zambales resort where lolo and lola can roll from the parking area directly to the beach! Come and relax with us! Our place is known for the beach, the sea, and serenity.
Cancellation up to 9 Days before Check in: Full value of the booking.


text:
The GE AC4400CW, sometimes referred as "AC44CW" is a  diesel-electric locomotive that was built by GE Transportation Systems between 1993 and 2004. It is like the Dash 9-44CW, but features AC traction motors instead of DC, with a separate inverter per motor. In appearance, the AC4400CW is somewhat similar to GE's more powerful locomotive, the AC6000CW.

Over the 11 years in which it was produced, GE constructed 2,834 examples for North American railroads. In 2005, all Class I freight railroads except Norfolk Southern and Canadian National owned at least one AC4400CW. Norfolk Southern ordered the very similar C40-9Ws. As a result of more stringent emissions requirements that came into effect on January of that year, GE no longer offers the AC4400CW, replacing it with the ES44AC.

Design variations
The AC4400CW was the first GE locomotive to offer an optional self-steering truck design, intended to increase adhesion and reduce wear on the railhead. This option was specified by Canadian Pacific, Cartier Railway, CSX for their units 200-599, Ferromex, Ferrosur, and KCS.

CSX ordered many of its AC4400CW locomotives with  extra weight to increase tractive effort. These same units were also modified in 2006-2007 with a "high tractive effort" software upgrade and redesignated CW44AH.

Rebuilds
In 2017 Canadian Pacific Railway requested that General Electric modernize 30 of its 9500 and 9600-series AC4400CW units. The original units had the original front cab completely removed and upgraded to current GE standards with upgraded electrical systems including PTC and FTO systems. Other improvements GE has made include up to 10 percent fuel efficiency gains, 40 percent increase in reliability and 50 percent increase in haulage ability. The units were subsequently placed into service with the designation AC4400CWM (for Modernized). The first batch of rebuilds (8100-8129) also had their original Steerable trucks replaced with GEs High Adhesion trucks, where later batches each individual engine kept the trucks they already had.

The following year Canadian Pacific asked GE to similarly rebuild several more batches for a total of 110 locomotives. The second order (8130-8144) retains their steerable trucks. The third batch (8000-8064) will feature an Evolution Series sized fuel tank and radial trucks. In 2019 a fourth batch of rebuilds happened, 8145-8160 & 8064-8080 from the 95/9600-series. In 2021 both the 8500 series is slated to be rebuilt at 8201-8280 and the 8100-series be completed.

Union Pacific ordered many of their AC4400CWs with Controlled Tractive Effort software, giving them the designation of AC4400CW-CTE. This software package is now standard on a portion of their ES44ACs as well. CTE limits tractive effort to mimic TE level of Dash series locomotives.

In 2018 Union Pacific placed a small order for 20 rebuilds from GE of their AC4460AC fleet and later announced over the next fifteen years they will be upgrading 1000 of their AC4460ACs and AC44s into what they call a C44ACM. Unlike CP, the original 20 rebuilds did not receive a new crew cab.

CSX and Wabtec have announced a partnership in rebuilding CSX's large AC4400CW fleet. An initial batch of 10 CW44ACs were rebuilt at Wabtec's Erie, Pennsylvania facility, with 40 more to follow into 2020. The rebuilds will be numbered in the 7000, 7200, and 7500 series and CSX is referring to them as CM44ACs.

Operators
AC4400CW owners and operators past and present include:

In popular culture
The plot of the movie Unstoppable required Denzel Washington and Chris Pine to climb aboard the lead locomotive of a runaway freight train. To film the movie, four Canadian Pacific AC4400CW locomotives (numbers 9777, 9758, 9782, and 9751), were repainted as two fictional "Allegheny and West Virginia Railroad" locomotives (nos. 777 (nicknamed "Triple 7") and 767). 9777 and 9782 were painted as 777, while 9758 and 9751 were painted as 767.

References

Diesel-electric locomotives of the United States
General Electric locomotives
C-C locomotives
Railway locomotives introduced in 1993
Freight locomotives
Standard gauge locomotives of Canada
Standard gauge locomotives of the United States
Standard gauge locomotives of Mexico
Diesel-electric locomotives of Canada
Diesel-electric locomotives of Mexico


Next week, the Free Library of Philadelphia will cut the ribbon on 41,000 square feet of new public spaces inside the Central Parkway branch.
It is the culmination of 13 years of planning.
The expansion of the Library includes a new teen center with video games; a Manga animation collection, and young adult novels; a small business resource center with powerful wifi and onsite consultants; and 7,200 square feet of undetermined public space with chairs, tables, power outlets, and meeting rooms to be used however one wishes.
Conspicuously absent are books. The new public spaces were carved out of the back of the library that had housed the stacks: six levels of shelving that held about 850,000 books. Those shelves were not browsable – you had to request a book and it would be retrieved by staff.
Reardon said that happened so infrequently that it made more sense to store them off-site – the books are still accessible, albeit with a 24-hour delay – and transform the shelving into public spaces.
The idea came out of a much more ambitious rebuild of the Central library branch, which would have expanded its footprint northward with a grand, glass atrium. Reardon came on board in 2008 and realized that plan would not work for several reasons. A big one was that it would not have addressed the changing role of libraries in a modern society.
The renovation is a reimagining of the job of a library. No longer primarily a dedicated place for quiet study, Reardon said, the modern library needs to be reactive to civic engagement and to the different ways people learn — including visual, multimedia, and interactive ways of learning.
Reardon is not alone in reassessing a library's purpose. She was fortunate, however, when she saw that her central building would allow relatively easy alterations. The stacks were an almost free-standing storage system, six stories tall, anchored inside a large cavern.
Easy, but not cheap. The renovation cost $35.8 million. New access points were dug through concrete walls from the library's lobby. Aesthetically, the new spaces nearly seamlessly connect with the old: Pink terrazzo granite was salvaged from the floor of the old stacks and used to make new staircases to the matching lobby.
The wagon-wheel chandeliers are not exact replicas of those in the original part of the building, but it would take a sharp eye to notice the difference.
When Reardon took the job 10 years ago, a third of the building was publicly accessible, and the rest was dedicated to stacks, mechanicals, and administration. With the renovations, that ratio has flipped, with two-thirds of the building accessible to the public.
An official ribbon cutting is scheduled for Wednesday, and the public is invited to an open house April 12.
"Another Brooklyn" by Jacqueline Woodson is Philadelphia's choice for the next citywide reading program.


With apologies to Jason Statham in the film "Truth in 24" about Audi's 2008 24 Hours of LeMans campaign: It almost always rains at Audi Club Northwest's Quattrofest. And rain it did at this year's Quattrofest held on November 7th and 8th at Portland International Raceway (PIR).
I worked the event on both days as one of two event photographers and was there both days as gates opened right before 7:00 AM to secure my spot. I was graciously loaned an Audi Q5 as a photography support vehicle for the weekend by Audi Wilsonville. But, a bit more on that later. Once I got settled and my photography gear set up, I got my badge for the weekend and started roaming the paddocks.
At the start of both days are tech inspections for any cars that will be participating in any of the driving sessions, be it on the main track or as part of the auto-cross and driver skills sessions. For those that got into Portland earlier on Friday, there was also a tech inspection session available that night.
After the tech inspection sessions were over and everyone got their registration packet, everyone that was participating in the driver skills sessions headed off for the inner part of the track to start, while those spending the day doing laps went through the drivers's meeting. The drivers's meeting included an run through of the flagging system that was employed to indicate potential issues or problems on the track.
Obviously, you don't ever want a black flag pointed at you from anyone at the flag stations around the track; much less, ignore a checkered flag and continue lapping around the track as normal (versus acknowledging the flag and then do a cool down lap).
After the drivers's meeting was over, I headed down to the area right before corner #4 and started to take photos from both the nearby flag station and from a couple of the small access holes that dot the fences around the track. For most of the time I'm taking photos at the track, I am shooting with a Nikon D800E paired up with an AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II and a 1.4x teleconverter (a TC-14E III that I rented for the event). I also had a D300 with me that served solely as a backup.
I also spent a good portion of the day right at corner #12 to take photos of the cars getting ready to zoom on down the main straightaway of the track. Since I could pivot from corner #12 and the staging grid, I was able to take some photos of drivers lining up to start their runs. Since I don't get to do a lot of panning shots during the year, it took me a little bit of trial and error to start getting results that I wanted.
At around 10:15, the skies started to open up the liquid sunshine (note: liquid sunshine in this context means rain, not beer as some in Portland would call it) spigot. It started off as a mild shower, which intensified into a downpour. Thankfully, I had rain gear for both myself and my gear; which, allowed me to continue to take photos of cars lapping out on an utterly wet track.
The rain continued for much of the afternoon, with a couple of moments of drizzles. I continued to slog it out and taking cover in the Q5 every hour or two to download photos taken, dry things out a little bit and head back out. I may not be a huge fan of crossovers, but the rear hatch provided a much needed shelter when I needed to swap memory cards or other gear on the go.
That evening, the club held a banquet at the Hilton in Vancouver, Washington, mere minutes away from the track. For those that got the golden, I mean red, ticket to attend the banquet, there was a delicious catered dinner, drink bar and some petits fours. Set up on the side was a silent auction, in which attendees can bid on several cool items and packages provided by many of the event sponsors.
One of the changes made to this year's banquet was that people were now assigned to tables, but not specific seats, based on the vehicle that they registered for the event. Previously, seats were available general admission-style, with the exception of the special guests and reserved tables. By splitting people up allowed people to meet and chat with new people.
The banquet included a few speakers at the event, including Brad Russell from Audi Beaverton and Christian Paddock from Audi of America to give a State of the Four Rings talk, be it locally or with Audi in general.
The topic of the Volkswagen emissions issue came up and Christian made several good points, including that the Audi community should continue to be great Audi brand ambassadors, inform other people when they make or spread incorrect comments and sentiments, and continue to grow and build enthusiasm around the brand. Audi has had to overcome several major hurdles and setbacks in the past (hint: 60 Minutes and unintended acceleration) and has comeback stronger than ever. In fact, Audi continues to see overall sales growth and will continue to invest in developing new innovations and models.
There was also a special Audi Club member recognized at the banquet, John Ewald, who was bestowed the honor of being the 2015 Audi Club of North America member of the year. John was absolutely humbled by the honor and by the huge amount of appreciation and respect shown by the everyone at the banquet.
Afterwards, the banquet turned its attention to the auctions in hand, which included auctioning of several big ticket items, including a wind board, early registration for extremely popular (and quickly sold out) club events, and certificates for goods and services provided by some of the sponsors.
Towards the end of the banquet, the winners of the silent auctions were announced. One of the silent auction items was an Audi Sport Carbon License Frame (Audi Collection price of $120) did not get too much attention and I was able to snag it for a very good price. Afterwards, I made my leave so that I can head home and get ready for the second day.
By 7:00 AM on Sunday, made my way back out to PIR and started to wonder the paddocks and prep for another day of shooting. The weather in the first half of the day was miles better than on Saturday, with some sprinkles and drizzling here and there. As with Saturday, there was a drivers's meeting to kick off the morning and participants of the auto-cross sessions making their way to the inner part of the track.
Before the drivers's meeting finished, I made my way back over to the flag station near corner #4 and set up to take photos of the first two run groups of the day (which I was covering from corner #12 on Saturday). After the first two run groups were done, I made my way back to the staging grid and started to take photos of the staging grid.
The weather after lunch started to make a turn for the worse and having already taken over three thousand photos, I decided to camp out in the Q5 and make sure that I had backups of all of the photos that I have taken and that I have everything ready to pack up. I got back out there for another quick shoot during a decent break in the rain.
Right after 2:00 PM rolled around, the big, dark clouds started to blanket over PIR and having added another hundred or so photos, I decided to call it a day.
Speaking of the Q5, I am absolutely thankful that I had it as a photography support vehicle. Although it's not the first time I've had one as a support vehicle, it was still a really nice car to get into with tons of room to lay out my equipment; not to mention, have a place that I can work on my laptop to copy photos between memory cards to several hard drives. I wouldn't have the Q5 if it weren't for Scott Mitchell and Chris Aldworth, Fixed Operations Director, at Audi Wilsonville.
As I touched on earlier, Audi has experienced a very long run of sales growth (58 months of record breaking sales) and expects sales to continue to grow. With that, dealers like Audi Wilsonville will have to expand to meet Audi's growth and meet customer's very high expectations when it comes to customer and vehicle service.
To do so, Audi Wilsonville will be expanding their already exceptional level of service (recipient of the Audi Elite Magna Society Award in 2013 and an Audi Magna Society Award in 2014) by adding 12 new dedicated technician stalls and 3 detail bays, which are on top of their existing 11 stalls. Completion of the service expansion is slated for February 2016.
As always, I am always grateful for all of their material support, including providing me with vehicles for use as photography support vehicles, to allow me to cover events like Quattrofest.
I will be working on processing and uploading additional photos over the next few weeks. For those interested in purchasing a digital copy of any of the photos on Flickr, please use the Contact Me form and include the title of the photo (D8E_XXXX) you are interested in purchasing.
I would also like to thank Audi Club Northwest for giving me the opportunity to cover Quattrofest for a third year, and I cannot wait for next year!


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Next Decade Trends in Biotech:
10 Sci-Fi Ideas That could Become a Reality
When I was applying to graduate school 7 years ago, I wrote in my personal statement that the 21st century will be known as the Age of Biology. The 20th century was defined by chemistry, with the development of petroleum refinement and its derivative products. We now understand the unsustainability of these processes and the catastrophic effect the past 100 years have had on our environment, so we are turning to alternative ways to satisfy the demands of the growing Earth's population.
What are some things biology can and cannot do? The answer is: we don't know until we try. But we have to be ale to imagine the possibilities before they can become reality. So, here are 10 wilder-than-science-fiction biotechnology trends that may become reality in our lifetime:
Integration of computers and biology – People who are worried about AI taking over the world have a reason to worry: recently there have been strides in fusing machines and humans to create real-life cyborgs. Whereas regular prosthetics use the movements of muscles to control the bionic limb, new devices are equipped with a brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows the user to manipulate the prosthetic directly from the brain. Murphy team at McGuire VA Medical Center showed surface scalp electrodes can transmit brainwave data to a computer software program, allowing the patient to activate knee-unlocking switch through mental imaging. Can we also connect our brains to computers to give us superpowers? It has already been demonstrated that you can implant a BCI device into a human and use it to give instructions to a computer. Now direct brain-to-brain communication enabled by recording electroencephalographs and sending magnetic impulses to recipient's brain. Is the internet of brains going to be the next big thing?
DNA data storage – As demand for data storage is growing exponentially, Moore's law cannot keep up because of physical space limitations for chips. DNA, on the other hand, has a much denser energy storage capacity than silicon-based semiconductors, operating on a quaternary instead of a binary system. A group of scientists working at Microsoft headed by Luis Ceze and Karin Strauss have been leading the field of DNA data storage for more than a decade. In this process data is first translated from 0-1 to A-T-G-C language and synthesized as DNA. To retrieve data, the DNA is sequenced and decoded back to the original binary code. We are not quite there yet, as using DNA to store information will require significant improvements in sequencing technology. But hey, if we can fit all of Wikipedia in a tiny vial of DNA, I would say it looks promising!
Gene edited everything – The global market for CRISPR gene editing applications is predicted to reach $5.3 billion by 2025. From gene editing crops, to biomedical applications, microbes, gene drives and more, CRISPR is changing the way we approach problems in biology. The fact that CRISPR edited organisms do not fall under the category of GMO will likely result in wider acceptance of CRISPRed products by consumers. However, note that I did not call section CRISPR editing. CRISPR is the hottest gene editing tool on the market right now, but other technologies are being developed as we speak. I can foresee another similarly transformative technology emerging on the market very soon. Add to that the speed at which the DNA synthesis is advancing, you can count on one thing: CRISPR on not, GMO or non-GMO, our food, beer, supplements and cosmetics will all be likely produced with the help of gene editing technology.
Lab-on-a-chip – Theranos was a sobering call for biotechnology investors to actually look into the feasibility of the technologies they are funding instead of chasing unicorns, but labs-on-a-chip are still a promising future technology. Using a combination of microfluidics and sophisticated chemistries, these devices allow to perform complex testing procedures on a tiny chip. The chips use small input (for example, a drop of patient's blood), which cuts cost of analysis and time to get results. This could make expensive laboratory tests possible to perform in your own home, to diagnose illnesses in remote areas, allow better quality control for small manufacturing (e.g. food) businesses and more.
Recoded synthetic microorganisms – Since I come from the field of microbial biotechnology, this one is my personal favorite. Technological advances have recently taken biology into a true synthetic territory. In 2010 Craig Venter and colleagues assembled the first synthetic genome from artificially synthesized pieces of DNA. Earlier this year scientists from Jason Chin's lab created a bug where 3 of the 64 traditional three-letter codons for naturally occurring amino acids were freed up for incorporation of non-natural amino acids. In a sense, they simplified nature's genetic language. The cool thing is those three extra codons can be used to encode new functions into the synthetic organism. For example, these microbes are not susceptible to viruses and cannot transfer genes to other species – a huge biosafety concern. They can also incorporate non-natural amino acids that have unique qualities. An even more mind-blowing innovation is the expansion of the genetic alphabet. The new alphabet is called "hachimoji" DNA uses 8 nucleotides instead of the usual four. Although it has not yet been demonstrated that those new letters can support life, scientists did show that the four synthetic nucleotides can be transcribed into RNA. Imagine all the possibilities!
Personalized medicine – While the reliability of popular genetic testing services have come under question lately, whole-genome sequencing is becoming more accessible with the price around $600 and trending toward $100. What does this mean for you? Well, you can sequence your whole genome and… not really know what to do with it. For now. However, the abundance of genetic data and advances in computational biology are helping scientists to find connections between genetic variations associated with certain common diseases. Genetic information combined with other parameters collected through wearable technology can further improve disease prediction and prevention. Wearable devices could lower hospital costs by as much as 16% in the next five years by helping predict quiescent conditions, like heart disease. Plus individual genetic variations can help identify better treatment options. As technologies are improving, we can envision applications such as blood sugar sensors combined with automated insulin injections. No more reminders to take your pills!
Lab-grown animal products – You have probably heard of the Impossible Burger. It has taken the restaurant industry by storm and was named one of the best inventions of 2019 by TIME magazine. It has earned Impossible Foods a place on the list of biotech unicorns, but this is not the only animal substitute product that can be made in the lab. The new biotechnology sector called cellular agriculture uses synthetic biology, bioengineering and tissue engineering to create animal product substitutes such as cultured meat, eggs, milk, silk, leather and even horseshoe crab blood. These products are embraced by vegetarian and vegan communities and have a favorable environmental impact. Most important of all – your taste buds will approve!
CRISPR babies, of course – the CRISPR baby scandal divided the scientific community last year. While most agree that the way the study was done had serious ethical problems, there is little doubt that human embryo editing is going to take place. In fact, other scientists are already following suit. This raises debates about the ethical issues associated with human genetic engineering and germline editing, as the science is outpacing regulatory processes. But some scientists say this is not only inevitable but will generate greater good in the end. So perhaps in the near future protecting your future child from genetic diseases will also come with picking the color of your baby's eyes and giving them superhuman abilities… like glow-in-the dark hair!
Sequencing of all life – an ambitious project aimed at sequencing all of eukaryotic species on Earth has been undertaken by a consortium of scientists from around the world. Dubbed the "moonshot of biology", the Earth BioGenome Project is estimated for cost $4.7 billion and take roughly 10 years to complete, resulting in a complete sequence catalog of existing genomes. It is estimated that only 10-20% of species have been sequenced, and the project aims to discover the rest in order to characterize and preserve biological diversity. Bioprospecting of microbial species has given us thousands of commercially valuable small molecules, drugs, enzymes and genes. One can only imagine the endless creative possibilities that this expanded library of genetic diversity, combined with advances in bioinformatics, will offer to biotechnology.
Bringing back extinct species – Last but not least, straight-out-of-Jurassic-Park stuff: biotechnology's bid to resurrect long-gone species. Animal cloning has been around for a while now, ever since Dolly the sheep was cloned from an adult somatic cell in 1996. Animal cloning is no longer science fiction – for only about $50,000 you can clone your favorite pet (the real question is though – is it still the same pet?). But now scientists are working on a more radical goal of resurrecting extinct species, such as the woolly mammoth. Japanese scientists were able to transfer nuclear material from a well-preserved woolly mammoth into mouse cell, observing biological activity. George Church of MIT is also trying to recreate the woolly mammoth, but using a different approach: reverse engineering the animal from a modern-day elephant. I have to agree, it would be pretty cool to bring back prehistoric animals. But if I learned anything from Jurassic Park – no dinosaurs, please.
"What is synthetic biology? At what point does it separate from Nature?" Original art.
Can we find more sustainable ways to deal with the waste we generate? Biotechnology may provide an answer.