For other uses, see Hagia Sophia (disambiguation).
The Hagia Sophia (Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, Holy Wisdom) in Thessaloniki, Greece, is one of the oldest churches in that city still standing today. It is one of several monuments in Thessaloniki included as a World Heritage Site on the UNESCO list.
Since the 3rd century, there was a church in the location of the current Hagia Sophia. In the 8th century, the present structure was erected, based on the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey). In 1205, when the Fourth Crusade captured the city, the Hagia Sophia was converted into the cathedral of Thessaloniki, which it remained after the city was returned to the Byzantine Empire in 1246. After the capture of Thessaloniki by the Ottoman Sultan Murad II on 29 March 1430, the church was converted into a mosque. It was reconverted to a church upon the liberation of Thessaloniki in 1912.
Its ground plan is that of a domed Greek cross basilica. Together with the Gül and the Kalenderhane Mosques in Istanbul and the destroyed Church of the Dormition in Nicaea, it represents one of the main architectural examples of this type, typical of the Byzantine middle period.
In the Iconoclastic era, the apse of the church was embellished with plain gold mosaics with only one great cross, similarly to the Hagia Irene in Constantinople and the Church of the Dormition in Nicaea. The cross was substituted with the image of the Theotokos (God-bearer, or Mary) in 787-797 after the victory of the Iconodules. The mosaic in the dome now represents the Ascension with the inscription from Acts 1:11 "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?". The dome is ringed by the figures of all Twelve Apostles, Mary and two angels.
Between 1907 and 1909 byzantine historian Charles Diehl restorated the whole building that underwent many damages during a fire in 1890. Much of the interior decoration was plastered over after the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917. The dome was not restored until 1980.
Krautheimer, Richard (1986). Architettura paleocristiana e bizantina (in Italian). Einaudi, Turin.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint Sophia Church, Thessaloniki.
This is a list of Christian cross variants. The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix, the term Greek cross designates a cross with arms of equal length, as in a plus sign, while the term Latin cross designates a cross with an elongated descending arm. Numerous other variants have developed during the medieval period. Christian crosses are used widely in churches, on top of buildings, on bibles, in heraldry, in personal jewelry, on hilltops. Crosses are a prominent feature of Christian cemeteries, either carved on gravestones or as sculpted stelae, roman Catholic and Lutheran depictions of the cross are often crucifixes, in order to emphasize that it is Jesus that is important, rather than the cross in isolation. Large crucifixes are a prominent feature of some Lutheran churches, as illustrated in the article Rood, several Christian cross variants are available in computer-displayed text.
In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles, were the primary historical disciples of Jesus, the central figure in Christianity. During the life and ministry of Jesus in the 1st century AD, the word disciple is sometimes used interchangeably with apostle, for instance, the Gospel of John makes no distinction between the two terms. In modern usage, prominent missionaries are often called apostles, a practice which stems from the Latin equivalent of apostle, i. e. missio, for example, Saint Patrick was the Apostle of Ireland, and Saint Boniface was the Apostle to the Germans. The commissioning of the Twelve Apostles during the ministry of Jesus is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, after his resurrection, Jesus sent 11 of them by the Great Commission to spread his teachings to all nations. This event is called the Dispersion of the Apostles. There is an Eastern Christian tradition derived from the Gospel of Luke of there having been as many as 70 apostles during the time of Jesus ministry.
Prominent figures in early Christianity, notably Paul, were called apostles. The period of early Christianity during the lifetimes of the apostles is called the Apostolic Age, during the 1st century AD, the apostles established churches throughout the territories of the Roman Empire and, according to tradition, through the Middle East and India. In his writings, the epistles to Christian churches throughout the Levant, Paul did not restrict the term apostle to the Twelve, the restricted usage appears in the Revelation to John. By the 2nd century AD, association with the apostles was esteemed as an evidence of authority, Churches which are believed to have been founded by one of the apostles are known as apostolic sees. Pauls epistles were accepted as scripture, and two of the four gospels were associated with apostles, as were other New Testament works. Various Christian texts, such as the Didache and the Apostolic Constitutions, were attributed to the apostles, bishops traced their lines of succession back to individual apostles, who were said to have dispersed from Jerusalem and established churches across great territories.
In architecture, an apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, known as an Exedra. Smaller apses may be in other locations, especially shrines, an apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault. Commonly, the apse of a church, cathedral or basilica is the semicircular or polygonal termination to the choir or sanctuary, in relation to church architecture it is generally the name given to where the altar is placed or where the clergy are seated. An apse is occasionally found in a synagogue, e. g. Maoz Haim Synagogue, the apse is separated from the main part of the church by the transept. Smaller apses are sometimes built in other than the east end. The domed apse became a part of the church plan in the early Christian era. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the apse is known as diaconicon. Various ecclesiastical features of which the apse may form part are drawn here, The chancel, directly to the east beyond the choir contains the High Altar.
Murad II was the Ottoman Sultan from 1421 to 1444 and 1446 to 1451. Murad IIs reign was marked by the war he fought against the Christian feudal lords of the Balkans and the Turkish beyliks in Anatolia. He was brought up in Amasya, and ascended the throne on the death of his father Mehmed I and his mother was Valide Sultan Emine Hatun, his fathers third consort. Murad was born in June 1404 to Sultan Mehmed I and his wife Emine Hatun, in 1410, Murad came along with his father to the Ottoman capital, Edirne. After his father ascended to the Ottoman throne, he made Murad governor of the Amasya Sanjak, Murad remained at Amasya until the death of Mehmed I in 1421. Murads reign was troubled by insurrection early on, the Byzantine Emperor, Manuel II, released the pretender Mustafa Çelebi from confinement and acknowledged him as the legitimate heir to the throne of Bayezid I. The Byzantine Emperor had first secured a stipulation that Mustafa should, if successful, the pretender was landed by the Byzantine galleys in the European dominion of the sultan and for a time made rapid progress.
Many Turkish soldiers joined him, and he defeated and killed the veteran general Beyazid Pasha, Mustafa defeated Murads army and declared himself Sultan of Adrianople. He crossed the Dardanelles to Asia with a large army, Mustafa was out-manoeuvered in the middle of the field, and his troops, whose confidence in his person and cause he had lost by his violence and incapacity, passed over in large numbers to Murad II. Mustafa took refuge in the city of Gallipoli, but the sultan, Murad II formed a new army called Azeb in 1421 and marched through the Byzantine Empire and laid siege to Constantinople. Murad had to abandon the siege of Constantinople in order to deal with his rebellious brother and he caught Prince Mustafa and executed him. The Anatolian states that had been plotting against him — Aydinids, Germiyanids and Teke — were annexed. Murad II declared war against Venice, the Karamanid Emirate, the Karamanids were defeated in 1428 and Venice withdrew in 1432 following the defeat at the second Siege of Thessalonica in 1430.
The History of Roman and Byzantine domes traces the architecture of domes throughout the ancient Roman Empire and its medieval continuation, today called the Byzantine Empire. The domes were customarily hemispherical, although octagonal and segmented shapes are known, and they developed in form, use. Early examples rested directly on the walls of round rooms and featured a central oculus for ventilation. Pendentives became common in the Byzantine period, provided support for domes over square spaces, Nero introduced the dome into Roman palace architecture in the 1st century and such rooms served as state banqueting halls, audience rooms, or throne rooms. The Pantheons dome, the largest and most famous example, was built of concrete in the 2nd century, Imperial mausolea, such as the Mausoleum of Diocletian, were domed beginning in the 3rd century. Brick ribs allowed for a structure and facilitated the use of windows in the supporting walls. Christian baptisteries and shrines were domed in the 4th century, such as the Lateran Baptistery, Constantines octagonal palace church in Antioch may have been the precedent for similar buildings for centuries afterward.
His Hagia Sophia and Church of the Holy Apostles inspired copies in centuries, domes over windowed drums of cylindrical or polygonal shape were standard after the 9th century. In the empires period, smaller churches were built with smaller domes, exceptions include the 11th century domed-octagons of Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni, and the 12th century Chora Church, among others. Rounded arches and domes distinguish Roman architecture from that of Ancient Greece and were facilitated by the use of concrete and brick. By varying the weight of the material in the concrete. But concrete domes required expensive wooden formwork, called shuttering, to be built and kept in place during the curing process, formwork for brick domes need not be kept in place as long and could be more easily reused. Roman domes were used in baths, villas and they were customarily hemispherical in shape and partially or totally concealed on the exterior. A variety of shapes, including shallow saucer domes, segmental domes. The audience halls of many imperial palaces were domed, domes were very common over polygonal garden pavilions.
Agios Athanasios is a town and a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Chalkidona, in 2011 the population was 14,753. The municipal unit Agios Athanasios has an area of 155.34 km2, Agios Athanasios is a small town in the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki. It is situated 20 km west of Thessaloniki, on the old road from Thessaloniki to Athens. According to the population census 2011, the population of Agios Athanasios is 4,932. Agios Athanasios is the biggest refugee town in the Prefecture of Thessaloniki and it is built on the old national road that linked, in the past, Thessaloniki to the Western Macedonia and to the Southern Greece. It is founded by refugees from 25 villages of Eastern Thrace and 7 villages of Asia Minor, the refugees moved in Agios Athanasios from October 1922 till 1924. The fist refugees settled in the manoir Kavakli in October 1922, the first 25 families came from Kermeni in Eastern Thrace.
Its nickname is η Συμπρωτεύουσα, literally the co-capital, a reference to its historical status as the Συμβασιλεύουσα or co-reigning city of the Eastern Roman Empire, alongside Constantinople. The city is renowned for its festivals and vibrant cultural life in general, Thessaloniki was the 2014 European Youth Capital. The city of Thessaloniki was founded in 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon, an important metropolis by the Roman period, Thessaloniki was the second largest and wealthiest city of the Byzantine Empire. It was conquered by the Ottomans in 1430, and passed from the Ottoman Empire to modern Greece on November 8,1912, the citys main university, Aristotle University, is the largest in Greece and the Balkans. Thessaloniki is a popular tourist destination in Greece, among street photographers, the center of Thessaloniki is considered the most popular destination for street photography in Greece. All variations of the name derive from the original appellation in Ancient Greek, i. e. Θεσσαλονίκη.
The alternative name Salonica derives from the variant form Σαλονίκη in colloquial Greek speech, in local speech, the citys name is typically pronounced with a dark and deep L characteristic of Macedonian Greek accent. The name often appears in writing in the abbreviated form Θεσ/νίκη, the city was founded around 315 BC by the King Cassander of Macedon, on or near the site of the ancient town of Therma and 26 other local villages. He named it after his wife Thessalonike, a half-sister of Alexander the Great, under the kingdom of Macedon the city retained its own autonomy and parliament and evolved to become the most important city in Macedon. After the fall of the kingdom of Macedon in 168 BC, the city became the capital of one of the four Roman districts of Macedonia. Later it became the capital of all the Greek provinces of the Roman Empire because of the importance in the Balkan peninsula. At the time of the Roman Empire, about 50 A. D. Later, Paul wrote two letters to the new church at Thessaloniki, preserved in the Biblical canon as First and Second Thessalonians.
Theotokos is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations, Dei Genetrix or Deipara, are translated as Mother of God or God-bearer, the Council of Ephesus decreed in 431 that Mary is the Theotokos because her son Jesus is both God and man, one divine person with two natures intimately and hypostatically united. Similar to this is the title of Mother of God, Mother of God is most often used in English, largely due to the lack of a satisfactory equivalent of Greek τόκος / Latin genetrix. The title has been in use since the 3rd century, in the Syriac tradition in the Liturgy of Mari and Addai, Theotokos is an adjectival compound of two the Greek words Θεός God and τόκος childbirth, offspring. A close paraphrase would be whose offspring is God or who gave birth to one who was God, the usual English translation is simply Mother of God, Latin uses Deipara or Dei Genetrix. The Church Slavonic translation is Bogoroditsa, in an abbreviated form, ΜΡ ΘΥ, it often is found on Eastern icons, where it is used to identify Mary.
The Russian term is Матерь Божия, variant forms are the compounds Θεομήτωρ and Μητρόθεος, which are found in patristic and liturgical texts. The theological dispute over the term concerned the term Θεός God vs. Χριστός Christ, and not τόκος vs. μήτηρ, to make it explicit, it is sometimes translated Mother of God Incarnate. This decree created the Nestorian Schism, Cyril of Alexandria wrote, I am amazed that there are some who are entirely in doubt as to whether the holy Virgin should be called Theotokos or not. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how is the holy Virgin who gave birth, not. But the argument of Nestorius was that divine and human natures of Christ were distinct, at issue is the interpretation of the Incarnation, and the nature of the hypostatic union of Christs human and divine natures between Christs conception and birth. Within the Orthodox doctrinal teaching on the economy of salvation, Marys identity, for this reason, it is formally defined as official dogma. The only other Mariological teaching so defined is that of her virginity, both of these teachings have a bearing on the identity of Jesus Christ.
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, known as the Later Roman or Eastern Roman Empire. Byzantine architecture was influenced by Roman and Greek architecture and Sassanian. Early Byzantine architecture drew upon earlier elements of Roman architecture, stylistic drift, technological advancement, and political and territorial changes meant that a distinct style gradually resulted in the Greek cross plan in church architecture. Most of the structures are sacred in nature, with secular buildings mostly known only through contemporaneous descriptions. Prime examples of early Byzantine architecture date from Justinian Is reign and survive in Ravenna and Istanbul, secular structures include the ruins of the Great Palace of Constantinople, the innovative walls of Constantinople and Basilica Cistern. A frieze in the Ostrogothic palace in Ravenna depicts an early Byzantine palace, remarkable engineering feats include the 430 m long Sangarius Bridge and the pointed arch of Karamagara Bridge.
The period of the Macedonian dynasty, traditionally considered the epitome of Byzantine art, has not left a legacy in architecture. The cross-in-square type became predominant in the Slavic countries which were Christianized by Salonikas missionaries during the Macedonian period, only national forms of architecture can be found in abundance due to this. Those styles can be found in many Transcaucasian countries, such as Russia, Serbia and other Slavic lands, the Paleologan period is well represented in a dozen former churches in Istanbul, notably St Saviour at Chora and St Mary Pammakaristos. Unlike their Slavic counterparts, the Paleologan architects never accented the vertical thrust of structures, as a result, there is little grandeur in the late medieval architecture of Byzantium. Other churches from the years predating the fall of Constantinople survive on Mount Athos. Those of the type we must suppose were nearly always vaulted. The most famous church of this type was that of the Holy Apostles, vaults appear to have been early applied to the basilican type of plan, for instance, at Hagia Irene, the long body of the church is covered by two domes.
The Acts of the Apostles, often referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament, it tells of the founding of the Christian church and the spread of its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make up a work, Luke–Acts, by the same anonymous author. The first part, the Gospel of Luke, tells how God fulfilled his plan for the salvation through the life and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Acts continues the story of Christianity in the 1st century, beginning with Jesuss Ascension to Heaven, the early chapters, set in Jerusalem, describe the Day of Pentecost and the growth of the church in Jerusalem. Initially the Jews are receptive to the Christian message, but soon turn against the followers of Jesus. Rejected by the Jews, under the guidance of the Apostle Peter the message is taken to the Gentiles. The chapters tell of Pauls conversion, his mission in Asia Minor and the Aegean, and finally his imprisonment in Rome, the title Acts of the Apostles was first used by Irenaeus in the late 2nd century.
It is not known whether this was a title or one invented by Irenaeus, it does seem clear, however. The Gospel of Luke and Acts make up a work which scholars call Luke–Acts. The author is not named in either volume. )He admired Paul, the earliest possible date for the composition of Acts is set by the events with which it ends, Pauls imprisonment in Rome c.63 AD, but an early date is now rarely put forward. In either case there is evidence that it was still being revised well into the 2nd century. Luke aligned his work, Luke–Acts, to the narratives which many others had written, the second part, is widely thought of as a history, but it lacks exact analogies in Hellenistic or Jewish literature. The title Acts of the Apostles would seem to identify it with the telling of the deeds and achievements of great men. By and large the sources for Acts can only be guessed at, but Luke would have had access to the Septuagint, the gospel of Mark and the collection of sayings of Jesus called the Q source.
Remains of the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine in Rome. The building's northern aisle is all that remains.
The southwest gallery with the wooden Sultan lodge.
Icon of the Dormition by El Greco, 16th century (Cathedral of the Dormition, Ermoupolis).
Icon of the Dormition by Theophan the Greek, 1392. The Theotokos is depicted lying on a bier, surrounded by the Twelve Apostles. At center, Jesus Christ is shown in a mandorla, swaddling the soul of the Virgin Mary (a red seraph is shown above his head). To either side of him are depicted the Hieromartyrs Dionysius the Areopagite and Ignatius the God-Bearer who, according to tradition, are responsible for transmitting the account of the dormition.
The Ascension, Dosso Dossi, 16th century.
Paul's conversion, from Livre d'Heures d'Étienne Chevalier (c. 1450–1460), Jean Fouquet, in the Château de Chantilly.
Jesus and his twelve apostles, fresco with the Chi-Rho symbol <big>☧</big>, Catacombs of Domitilla, Rome.
The fire as seen from the Thermaic Gulf.
Thessaloniki in the late 1800s.
Aristotelous Square as it was built and can be seen today.
The fire as seen from the quay in 1917.


He will leave his role as Missouri's cybersecurity point man at the end of the month.
One of the longest-serving state cybersecurity leaders will leave for the private sector at month's end.
Michael Roling, who has served as Missouri chief information security officer (CISO) since 2009, will depart Sept. 28 to become a lead technical project manager for a private software company. Though Roling declined to reveal the name of the company, he did say he would remain in the state.
Roling has been heading up the Missouri Office of Cyber Security (OCS), a department recognized for its creative and innovative approaches to safeguarding state government networks from hackers and others seeking to sow disruption.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as CISO and will always look back at this period in my life fondly," he told Government Technology.
He cultivated the Office of Cyber Security from a staff of five to now 20, and helped to usher in a culture shift around cybersecurity that places the onus of protecting the state's data on everyone — ranging from cabinet-level officials to frontline workers.
"Back in the early days there was a belief that a small number of IT security staff were ultimately responsible in keeping Missouri's data safe. Now, elected officials, cabinet-level members, project managers, social workers and data entry clerks alike understand that they play a tremendous role in cyber," said Roling.
Stephen Meyer, deputy CISO, will assume the role of acting CISO, CIO Rich Kliethermes said, and there are no immediate plans to begin a national search to fill the position permanently.
"I have the utmost confidence in the baton being passed to deputy CISO Steve Meyer to lead OCS as the acting chief information security officer," Kliethermes added via email.
Kliethermes lauded Roling as a dedicated and valued public servant.
"He's done a tremendous job in building our current Office of Cyber Security, and has put a tremendous team in place, and has set the road map for them to carry on," he said.
"Mike's vision and leadership had prepared our Office of Cyber Security to continue the execution of Missouri's four-part cybersecurity plan," he continued.
Roling has been employed by the state of Missouri since 2003 but has also worked in the private sector with the likes of AT&T and Anheuser-Busch.
In the nine years Roling has been in the role, he has picked up a number of accolades, including being named to Government Technology's 2017 Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers, where he was part of Team Missouri alongside Kliethermes, and Deputy CIO for Operations Steve Siegler.
Part of Roling's work in Missouri involved developing an effective cybertraining regimen for state employees — an increasing target for phishing and other cyberattacks.
"They understand the potential weakest link in any government is going to be that end user, so they've been going after them extremely hard with sophisticated phishing attacks," Roling told Government Technology in 2016.
The shoring up of vulnerabilities and an eye toward cyberdefenses will continue to be an ongoing focus for all IT agencies, and Missouri is no exception, Roling said.


5-ingredient Copycat Peanut Butter M&Ms made with gluten-free ingredients and sweetened with manuka honey!
I have a thing for peanut butter.
It's been going strong for about 28 years now and it's safe to say I become more and more obsessed daily.
Do you guys have those foods that have always been a favorite? They're somewhat nostalgic in a way and no matter what you are craving, it always hits the spot. That for me is peanut butter.
It brings me back to my childhood aka when I would eat PB&J everyday. Except I still do eat it a few days a week for lunch. I used to bring it to work when I commuted to an office and everyone would think I was crazy, but I didn't give a hoot. Nothing was stopping this love affair.
When it comes to the whole candy topic, one of my favorite questions I ask people is what are their top 3 favorite candies. I don't mean the healthier organic ones we get now but the ones we looked for when trick or treating or at the movie theater.
For me, it was all things Peanut Butter M&Ms or Reese's Pieces. My Mom used to get me a bag of Peanut Butter M&Ms every single year for Valentine's Day. And I'm not talking the single serving bag, the big a$$ bag and it would be gone in a couple days. I was obsessed (and let's be real – still am).
I never thought about making my own Copycat Peanut Butter M&Ms until recently when I was planning some October content for you guys. This recipe clearly isn't as good as the red bag filled with the artificial colored chocolates, but they sure did go quickly over here. I couldn't stop popping them in my mouth throughout the day. It was like every time I passed the fridge, I just had to take a few.
What I love about this recipe is how simple and easy it is to make. I use all gluten, grain and dairy-free ingredients plus they are sweetened with manuka honey from Wedderspoon. You guys have been seeing Wedderspoon all over my blog and Instagram for awhile now. It is my go-to sweetener for all non-baking treats and I always use the same brand. I'm a creature of habit but I also am pretty particular on the quality of ingredients I use and Wedderspoon I can trust.
October is non-GMO month and I wanted to give you guys a little bit of background on Wedderspoon and why I use their Manuka Honey. Their manuka honey comes straight from the source in New Zealand, and NZ actually just passed a new global standard to help eliminate any confusion on what true manuka honey is. Many brands make mock honey that isn't the high quality that they promise. Wedderspoon's manuka honey is approved from New Zealand and their new standard. If the manuka honey has "packed in New Zealand" on it, you know it is authentic.
Wedderspoon takes pride in its process to make manuka honey that is freshly produced by bees. They don't add anything to it or take any of the nutrients away (aka they're amazing).
Definitely something to keep in mind when you are shopping for good quality, raw manuka honey at the store.
Don't forget to tag me on Instagram if you make these M&Ms and try some of the other Wedderspoon recipes here on the blog: Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, No-Bake Fudge Brownies and Paleo Dark Chocolate Twix Bars.
Place on baking tray and repeat for remaining M&Ms and place in fridge for 30 minutes to set and enjoy!
Thank you Wedderspoon for sponsoring this post! It means so much to me to partner with brands I love and believe in on the blog.
Hey Rachl! This recipe is bomb! I just thought I'd mention you left out the vanilla in the recipe but I assumed it went in the mixture. Again the recipe is so good! And I pretty much love all your sweets. Thanks for taking the time in developing all these awesome recipes.


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Certificate of Good Conduct Not Compulsory for Transfer of Visa in UAE
Jumeirah public beach near Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
Certificate of good conduct is not mandatory for those transferring the sponsorship visa within the UAE.
By Little India Desk | February 25, 2018
A certificate of good conduct is not compulsory for those who wish to transfer their residency visa within the United Arab Emirates, according to a new circular issued to Amer and Tasheel centers in Dubai, reported Gulf News.
The circular specifies that a good conduct certificate is not mandatory to transfer the sponsorship visa for foreign workers in the UAE. Also, those workers who are already working in the country will not require the certificate to change to another job.
The new circular, issued by the immigration department in the UAE following instructions by the Interior Ministry, exempts workers who are transferring visa inside the country.
The UAE government had announced in January that new job seekers looking to obtain a work visa in the United Arab Emirates will have to produce a "certificate of good conduct," effective from Feb. 4 this year.
"This service allows customers to obtain a Criminal Record Verification 'Certificate of Good Conduct' for the purpose of work, study, immigration, naturalization, marriage, permission or license, rehabilitation, changing of name," according to a statement from the government.
The certificate still needs to obtained by employees from other countries who want to continue working in the UAE from their home countries.
Workers from different countries, including India, are struggling to get the certificate due to the long waiting time, expensive procedure, and lack of clarity. Indian job aspirants who are on a visit visa to the UAE have been informed that the waiting period to obtain the police clearance certificate is 40 days, Khaleej Times had reported earlier, citing a study conducted by it. To obtain the certificate, some workers are going to application centers and then to the local diplomatic missions, and waiting in long lines.
Indian citizens who wish to acquire the certificate can get it from BLS International, a company that provides government-to-citizen services.
According to UAE Central Bank figures released in December, Indian expatriates sent the maximum amount of remittances back home from the United Arab Emirates during the third quarter of 2017. Foreign residents in total sent Dh121.1 billion to home countries between January and September 2017. During the third quarter of the year, Dh43.3 billion was sent by expats to their home countries, of which Indians sent Dh15.46 billion.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The number of abortion clinics in the US has plunged in the last decade — here's how many are in each state
Rebecca Harrington and Skye Gould
Feb. 10, 2017, 5:03 PM
The US abortion rate is at an all-time low.
While the dip is partially due to more women using more effective, long-term birth control, like IUDs, it's also because there are fewer abortion clinics in the United States than there were a decade ago.
In 2008, 851 clinics provided abortions across the US. By 2014, the number had dropped to 788, a 7% decrease. And the stats get even slimmer when you look at state-by-state totals. Five states are down to a single abortion clinic:
Skye Gould/Business Insider
Twenty-five states have enacted Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers—or TRAP — laws imposing strict requirements on abortion clinics and providers that the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research group, says "go beyond what is necessary to ensure patients' safety." Reproductive rights activists also call them " clinic shutdown laws," because they say the laws are often written with the intent of closing abortion clinics in the state.
A TRAP law was at the heart of a major case decided by the Supreme Court in 2015, Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt. The law in question required abortion clinics in Texas to meet strict standards, from the exact size of the examination rooms to admission privileges doctors had to secure for admitting patients to local hospitals.
In June, SCOTUS ruled in a 5-3 decision that the law "provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions, and constitutes an 'undue burden' on their constitutional right to do so."
But similar laws are still on the books in half of the states in the country, and can cause clinics to close, forcing women who need abortions to travel farther in order to get the care they need. After Texas' law went into effect in 2013, the number of clinics providing abortions in the state dropped in half, from 41 to 22.
Today, roughly 15 out of 1000 women aged 15-44 get an abortion every year, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute, a low stretching back to 1973, when the Supreme Court gave women a constitutional right to safe, legal abortions in Roe v. Wade.
Studies have shown that when clinics close, more women attempt to terminate their pregnancies on their own. One economist found that Google searches spike for "self-induced abortion" also spike. And when women try to perform abortions without a medical professional, more of them have serious complications or die, according to a report from the World Health Organization.
SEE ALSO: The Trump-era Supreme Court could erode abortion access with a 'death by 1,000 cuts'
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Councillor calls out Caledonian Sleeper on 26-30 railcard refusal
Wednesday, 20 February, 2019
Councillor Struan Mackie, the Highland Conservative Councillors' Transport spokesperson, has publicly questioned why Caledonian Sleeper services have been left out of the nationwide roll-out of the 26-30 Railcard.
Announced by Chancellor Phillip Hammond in the 2017 budget, the new railcard offers a third off standard fares on the national rail network for passengers aged 26-30. The initial trial was oversubscribed by millennials, with significant queues on the Rail Delivery Group's website for its initial offering of 10,000 cards nationally. The trial was deemed to be a success and the national roll-out was approved in January this year.
Speaking at Inverness Station, Cllr Mackie said he was deeply disappointed by decision: "It is regrettable that the Caledonian Sleeper will not be accepting the 26-30 card, which was specifically designed to be a national scheme. I am very concerned that by not accepting the discount it will have an adverse effect, particularly in Highland, where the Sleeper has two termini and the highest concentration of station stops."
"For young people looking to travel to the Highlands and for locals looking to visit the UK Capital, not having access to this discount for bunked services is, in my opinion, a backwards step. The company does accept the scheme's 18-25 'sister card', so it seems strange not to accept the 26-30 card."
"Caledonian Sleeper and Eurostar are now the only service operators whose trains depart from a British station not to accept the 26-30 card in this way, and that is a terrible message to send to young people."
"I am in communication with the Department for Transport and Transport Scotland to seek a resolution to the matter, and I am hoping that we can remove this anomaly and see the card being accepted on the Caledonian Sleeper".
Struan Mackie
Struan is a business consultant, specialising in start-ups and scale-ups, and managing his own enterprises; you can see more about his activities on LinkedIn. He is one of the Councillors for Ward 2, Thurso and Northwest Caithness, and was a candidate in the Scottish Parliament election in 2016,


text:
using System;
using System.Configuration;
using System.Xml;

namespace PommaLabs.KVLite.WebForms
{
    /// <summary>
    ///   Represents the group of options used by the <see cref="KVLiteViewStatePersister"/> class to
    ///   determine the storage method of the view state object.
    /// </summary>
    public sealed class KVLiteViewStateStorageSettings : ICloneable
    {
        /// <summary>
        ///   Initializes a new instance of <see cref="KVLiteViewStateStorageSettings"/> object,
        ///   using a XmlNode containing data.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="node">XML node.</param>
        public KVLiteViewStateStorageSettings(XmlNode node)
        {
            if (node == null)
            {
                return;
            }

            var behavior = node.Attributes[nameof(RequestBehavior)];
            if (behavior != null)
            {
                try
                {
                    RequestBehavior = (KVLiteViewStateStorageBehavior) Enum.Parse(typeof(KVLiteViewStateStorageBehavior), behavior.Value, true);
                }
#pragma warning disable RECS0022 // A catch clause that catches System.Exception and has an empty body
                catch { }
#pragma warning restore RECS0022 // A catch clause that catches System.Exception and has an empty body
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        ///   An empty constructor...
        /// </summary>
        public KVLiteViewStateStorageSettings()
        {
        }

        /// <summary>
        ///   Gets or sets the storage behavior for the page request; if set to FirstLoad, the page
        ///   will then reuse the view state data for the following postbacks, if set to EachLoad,
        ///   the page will generate view state data for each request.
        /// </summary>
        public KVLiteViewStateStorageBehavior RequestBehavior { get; set; }

        #region ICloneable Members

        object ICloneable.Clone()
        {
            return Clone();
        }

        #endregion ICloneable Members

        /// <summary>
        ///   Initializes a <see cref="KVLiteViewStateStorageSettings"/> instance, fetching the
        ///   values from a predefined configuration key.
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public static KVLiteViewStateStorageSettings GetSettings()
        {
            var settings = (KVLiteViewStateStorageSettings) ConfigurationManager.GetSection("KVLite/ViewStateOptimizer");
            return settings ?? new KVLiteViewStateStorageSettings();
        }

        /// <summary>
        ///   Clones this instance.
        /// </summary>
        /// <returns>A deep copy of this instance.</returns>
        public KVLiteViewStateStorageSettings Clone() => new KVLiteViewStateStorageSettings
        {
            RequestBehavior = RequestBehavior
        };
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Listen To Baltimore Producer Ami Dang's Sensual Yet Urgent "Udeekna"
It's taken from her debut album Uni Sun, out July 29 on Friends Records.
By Ruth Saxelby
Photo by Andrew Strasser
Earlier this year, when there was still a chill in the air, I saw Baltimore composer and producer Ami Dang perform in Brooklyn as part of a duo called Raw Silk. Knelt on a low stage, Dang played the sitar and sang, while her bandmate accompanied her on an electronic cello. The unspoken dialogue between the two musicians was almost physical, the sounds they commanded meeting and merging in the air like plumes of smoke. I found out afterwards that Dang also has a solo project, for which she places her Indian classical music training into an experimental electronic context. This July 29, Baltimore label Friends Records will release her debut album Uni Sun, which includes the sensual yet urgent "Udeekna."
"I wrote 'Udeekna' when I was trying to figure out how to be more true to myself," Dang told The FADER over email. "I was struggling with understanding what I expect of myself versus what my community expects of me. 'Udeekna' means 'to expect' in Punjabi, my family's mother tongue, and the lyrics in the song explore the variations of this notion — what to expect of yourself and of others, and also, what to expect in the tangible world as you walk down a path. It's sort of like saying, 'What are you waiting for? If this isn't enough, then go out and get what you want. Make something of yourself. Don't let others determine if you succeed or fail; it's up for you to decide.' This is one of the many of the songs on Uni Sun that is about self-determination, which I feel is pretty topical right now. If you don't like the way things are, go out and make change! You can't expect to be OK with whatever comes your way."
Ami Dang, Electronic, RUTH SAXELBY
The Soul Rebels share two new singles in 360 audio
Kanye West shares Instagram post of skinned monkey, stoking new music speculation


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Whether you live in the Warwick area or are just visiting, you can visit one of our private GUM clinics. We have appointments available five days a week at our Warwick and Leamington Spa clinics; this includes appointments at the weekend to give you the flexibility to make an appointment when it is convenient for you.
Our Everywhere STI testing service is also available in Warwick and Leamington Spa. Using this service means that we can come to you at your home or place of work, if that suits you better than coming to the clinic. If you book your Better2Know STI tests with our Everywhere service, you will have the choice of where and when you would like our fully trained private nurse to meet you in order to take your test samples for the tests you select.
Find your closest Better2Know STI and STD testing clinic on our map of Warwick, or view more details for each clinic by clicking 'View Details' on the list below.
At our Warwick and Leamington Spa clinics, we can offer consultation appointments for you to see a private doctor. During this appointment, you will be able to discuss your personal test and screening needs with the doctor, particularly if you have any questions or are unsure about which tests to select. You can also book a consultation appointment with one of our doctors once you have received your results if you wish to seek further advice or guidance.


Riverside scene with bathers, looking north from Chatulal's Ghat towards Ram Chandra Goenka's Zenana (ladies) ghat, Kolkata, taken about one hundred years ago.
Group gathered around sweet seller on the Maidan, Kolkata. The group includes non Bengalis, possibly visiting for a festival, taken around one hundred years ago.
Group of women and children, probably on the Maidan, Kolkata. The group may be pilgrims from outside Bengal, taken about one hundred years ago.
Riverbank with bathers and ship, probably from Chandpal Ghat, Kolkata. Riverside scene with bathers, Chandpal Ghat, Kolkata. Bathers reached the river through tunnels under the railway line, both pictures taken around one hundred years ago and could possibly be the same scene but from two different angles.


This is the 12th crime against a traveling jewelry salesperson in the Dallas and Houston areas this year, more than twice as many in any other state total in 2015. Six of the crimes occurred in Houston and the other half-dozen in Dallas, the JSA said. Eleven were robberies while the 12th was a theft from an unattended automobile.
Trading of diamonds improved in October but prices continued to fall, according to the latest figures from Rapaport.The latest RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI) for 1-carat, laboratory graded diamonds fell 1.3% in October as suppliers held on to large polished inventory and dealers tried to buy select goods at deep discounts.
The Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF) has said that fancy color diamond prices held steady during the third quarter of 2015, in marked contrast to the declines seen in the price of colorless stones. From July to September, the Index was practically unchanged, despite lower transaction volumes.
Jadeite is a distinctive and attractive gemstone used in jewelry that is as beautiful as it is highly desired by collectors today. Here, Christie's Jewelry Specialist Shiu-Fung Chiang shares the reasons why collectors and jewelry enthusiasts alike love jadeite, and highlights fine examples of jadeite pieces from Christie's Jewels Online Auction.
Founded in 1974, Goldsmith Jewelers, Inc. began primarily as a jewelry manufacturer, servicing retail jewelers throughout Ohio. We have grown into a fine jewelry retail store specializing in diamond engagement rings.
Attending the editor's event that follows judging in the AGTA's Spectrum Awards is hands-down one of my favorite things to do every year. The event space and the wonderful company alone would be enough, but then there are hundreds of pieces of amazing jewelry dedicated to colored stones put in front of us. I'm in heaven. Here are six pieces from the Spectrum awards that caught my eye Monday afternoon.
Blue diamonds are real and as Sotheby's prepares for their fall auction, the world waits in anticipation for the fairest of them all. Of all the jewels that will be showcased in the 2015 sale, there is one that has everyone holding their breath. The Blue Moon Diamond will be the spotlight of the November auction, as many experts believe it will shatter records to become the world's most expensive diamond.
Zircon vs Cubic Zirconia: which is which and what distinguishes it from one another? The sounding of their names often leads to confusion, but there are a lot of differences between a Zircon and Cubic Zirconia.
Omnichannel marketing allows the buyer or customer to experience the product brand, not the retailing channel, through leveraging of in-depth client insights.


text:
Oil rally could 'end in tears' and send Brent to $60, Saxo strategist warns
By Sara Sjolin
Published: Feb 5, 2018 6:54 a.m. ET
There are 3 risks could derail the oil rally in 2018
Chevron's refinery in El Segundo, Calif. U.S. refiners typically shut down for annual maintenance between January and April.
SaraSjolin
Markets reporter
OPEC has promised to cut oil production until 2019, inventories are rapidly falling and demand is remaining robust — what could possibly go wrong for the oil market?
Well, a lot of things, according to Saxo Bank's head of commodity strategy Ole Hansen. Speaking at an event in London last week, Hansen expressed concerns over the more than 50% rally in oil prices since June, warning that traders could be in for a rude awakening.
"I've followed these markets for many years, and when something becomes too good, we know it's about to end in tears. And the market has almost become too perfect in the last few months," he said.
"We saw last year in March how the market got too elevated, and suddenly, even though there was no fundamental change in the outlook, we saw the market lose 15%. This can happen again, and the risk of this happening is probably rising every day," he added.
Since its recent low in June of $43 a barrel, West Texas Intermediate crude US:CLH8 has jumped to around $65. Brent oil UK:LCOJ8 — the international benchmark — has climbed from $45 a barrel in June to almost $70 in January. The surge comes as the oil market has become more balanced, partly due to a collective production-cut deal agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and a group of non-cartel members led by Russia.
The International Energy Agency said in its latest monthly report that the market was "exceptionally tight" in the fourth quarter of 2017, adding that the second half of the year is likely to reflect an oil deficit.
However, despite the good news, Saxo Bank's Hansen believes the market is primed for a plunge that could yank Brent prices down to $60 a barrel. He points to three risks that could spark the unraveling: rising U.S. production, slowing demand growth and speculative investors suddenly dumping their positions.
U.S. production
With OPEC trimming output, U.S. producers are riding the oil-price rally and substantially expanding their production to increase market share. The IEA recently warned of "explosive growth" in U.S. output in 2018 after the country's production in 2017 "beat all expectations."
Last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said domestic oil production surged above 10 million barrels a day in November, breaking above that level for the first time since 1970.
"Non-OPEC supply, and particularly in the U.S., is probably the biggest risk," Hansen told MarketWatch. "U.S. production at 10 million barrels a day could rattle the market."
Slowing demand growth
Global oil demand is currently forecast to increase by 1.3 million barrels a day in 2018, rising against a backdrop of a solid economic global economy. That demand is expected to help absorb the growth in U.S. output and keep the market balanced.
But Hansen warns that traders and forecasters have failed to account for a seasonal slowdown between January and April, when U.S. refiners shut down operations for annual maintenance. When they go offline, demand for oil drops. That means more crude is left in tanks, and this shows up in data reports as a rise in inventories.
The first signs of this appeared in the weekly U.S. oil report last week, which showed crude supplies climbed for the first time in 11 weeks.
Additionally, Hansen cautioned that demand could take a hit once consumers start to feel the pinch from the latest rally in oil prices.
Speculative investors
Speculative oil bets are creating a false sense of a tight market, Hansen says
Spurred on by the continued price gain, speculative investors such as hedge funds have been snapping up oil to such an extent that they now hold record long positions in crude. That behavior has helped amplify the rally — but it could also lead to an even quicker move lower, prompted by even the smallest jitters in the market, Hansen explained.
"We're saying the risk of the market revisiting $60 cannot be ruled out."
Saxo Bank's head of commodity strategy, Ole Hansen
That's because hedge funds are very cautious about losing money. They are more likely to place so-called stop-loss orders, which trigger the sale of their oil portfolio once the commodity hits a certain price. Once a stop-loss order is activated, it can set off a domino effect in the market, amplifying a slightly negative move into a major selloff.
Speculative investors "need to be fed bullish news on a continuous basis in order to maintain their positions, and that's where we have started to see a few potential warning signs," Hansen told MarketWatch.
"And once the ball starts rolling — we've seen that numerous times — in terms of the markets taking profits, it tends to overshoot," the SaxoBank analyst added. "It can overshoot to the downside. That's why we're saying the risk of the market revisiting $60 cannot be ruled out."
Sara Sjolin
Sara Sjolin is a MarketWatch reporter based in London. Follow her on Twitter @sarasjolin.


text:
Home Page Delinquency Essays Juvenile Delinquency Essay
Juvenile Delinquency Essay
University/College: University of California
There is no doubt that various experts can give us many theories as to the causes of Juvenile Delinquency Essay, including one's economic background, substance abuse, delinquent peer groups, repeated exposure to violence, increased availability of firearms and media violence, however, I feel that the number one cause of juvenile delinquency is the breakdown of families, including lack of parental control over children. It is ironic in America, today, one must have a driver's license to operate a vehicle, a permit to own a gun and even a license to own a dog, but one does not have to have training or a license in order to become a parent. Without specialized educational programs in child development and parenting, many of our future parents will not have a chance at becoming successful parents and worse, yet, many parents today are already contributing to the ever increasing problem of juvenile delinquency simply by not knowing how to be parents. Being a parent is a lifelong commitment and new parents must learn parenting skills immediately; they do not have the luxury of internships and often times, mistakes in parenting will have drastic effects on the child.
We will write a custom essay on Juvenile Delinquency specifically for you
There are many reasons for the widespread crisis in families today.
Below are some of those causes:
Changes in the Social Environment – there have been many changes
in our social environment over the last twenty five years. These changes
have made a risky environment for today's youth. Children and teenagers
spend more time with peer groups than ever before. Drugs and deadly
weapons are used increasingly as ways to solve problems. Illicit and
explicit sexuality and violence are the main subjects of choice in the
media; and the impact of media influence has widened and become
more vivid with the introduction of computers, video games, portable
stereos and MTV.
Changes in Family Structure and Functioning – The prevalence of
divorce and the increasing number of women in the workplace have
reduced the number of adults who provide interaction, structure and
supervision in a child's life.
Along with this, institutions have not kept
pace in providing alternative programs for unsupervised kids. Add to
this new parenting expectations that come with single parent and step-
parent families and you now have a confusing, often inconsistent and/
or unreliable home base for children.
Confusion About Parent Roles and Parent Control – When children
reach adolescence, conflict between parents and teens normally increases
as teens need to distance themselves from parental identity to establish
their own identity. Experts agree they are generally three parenting styles
that reportedly escalate these conflicts.
The authoritarian parent tends to emphasize rules and very harsh
consequences. There is little room for discussion or negotiation.
The indulgent parent tends to spoil the child and expects little or no
responsibility at home, choosing instead to clean up after the child both
at home and in his social misbehavior.
The indifferent parent is so preoccupied with his/her own life and
activities that little time and energy is given to either involvement or
appropriate structure.
The type of parenting that does work is simply called authoritative parenting. This type of parent assumes a role of authority in the child's life, but the rules and structure are sensible and flexible to accommodate the child's growth toward adolescence and young adulthood. The parent's intelligent explanations of the rules plus reasonable enforcement help to maintain a steady reduction of control as the child matures. .
Juvenile Delinquency Essay Summary 621 Words | 3 Pages
There is no doubt that various experts can give us many theories as to the causes of juvenile delinquency, including one's economic background, substance abuse, delinquent peer groups, repeated exposure to violence, increased availability of firearms and media violence, however, I feel that the number one cause of juvenile delinquency is the breakdown of families, including lack of parental control over children. It is ironic in America, today, one must have a driver's license to operate a vehicle, a permit to own a gun and even a license to own a dog, but one does not have to have training...
Juvenile Delinquency Essay 725 Words | 3 Pages
Juvenile Delinquency Essay There is no doubt that various experts can give us many theories as to the causes of juvenile delinquency, including one's economic background, substance abuse, delinquent peer groups, repeated exposure to violence, increased availability of firearms and media violence, however, I feel that the number one cause of juvenile delinquency is the breakdown of families, including lack of parental control over children. It is ironic in America, today, one must have a driver's license to operate a vehicle, a permit to own a gun and even a license to own a dog, but one does not have...
There is no doubt that various experts can give us many theories as to the causes of Juvenile Delinquency Essay, including one's economic background, substance abuse, delinquent peer groups, repeated exposure to violence, increased availability of firearms and media violence, however, I feel that the number one cause of juvenile delinquency is the breakdown of families, including lack of parental control over children. It is ironic in America, today, one must have a driver's license to operate a vehicle, a permit to own a gun and even a license to own a dog, but one does not have to have...
There is no doubt that various experts can give us many theories as to the causes of Juvenile Delinquency Essay, including one's economic background, substance abuse, delinquent peer groups, repeated exposure to violence, increased availability of firearms and media violence, however, I feel that the number one cause of juvenile delinquency is the breakdown of families, including lack of parental control over children. It is ironic in America, today, one must have a driver's license to operate a vehicle, a permit to own a gun and even a license to own a dog, but one does not have to have...
Juvenile delinquents, or youth that have been convicted of a crime, seem to be the norm these days. Citizens, families, and poliy makers want new programs and policies within the juvenile justice system. Researchers have found that the family structure can be a precursor to delinquent behavior, and families do not have the control or blance that they once did. As such, mew measures need to be implemented to help these families in crisis. Rehabilitation of the family unit is the answer, say many, not punishment. In response to this, new ideas have formed to rehabilitate the family unit, but...
Cultural Anthropology Essays (11) , Social Work Essays (25) , School Uniform Essays (9) , Maturity Essays (35) , Patriotism Essays (37)
Topic: Juvenile Delinquency Essay
There is no doubt that various experts can give us many theories as to the causes of Juvenile Delinquency Essay, including one's economic background, substance abuse, delinquent peer groups, repeated exposure to violence, increased availability of firearms and media violence, however, I feel that the number one cause of juvenile delinquency is the breakdown of families, including lack of parental control over children. It is ironic in America, today, one must have a driver's license to op


Home > News > News > Three New 2013 Concerts Just Announced!
Three New 2013 Concerts Just Announced!
One of the most popular funk bands of the 1970s … More Earth, Wind & Fire info.
ZZ Top, the self-described "little ol' band from Texas," … More ZZ Top info.
Jackson Browne's laid-back, folk/rock style … More Jackson Browne info.
We also have concerts by Olivia Newton-John, Rodney Atkins, The Beach Boys, and Chicago. See our complete list of upcoming shows.


text:
/*
 * Passthru plugin.
 *
 * This plugin demonstrates:
 *
 *  - Using TSMgmtStringCreate() to add custom records into records.config.
 *  - Listening on a custom socket with TSPortDescriptorAccept().
 *  - Using TSHttpConnectWithPluginId() and the VConn API to proxy HTTP traffic.
 */

#include <ts/ts.h>
#include <cinttypes>
#include <cstring>

#define PLUGIN_NAME "passthru"

#define PassthruSessionDebug(sp, fmt, ...)                 \
  do {                                                     \
    TSDebug(PLUGIN_NAME, "sp=%p " fmt, sp, ##__VA_ARGS__); \
  } while (0)

static int PassthruSessionEvent(TSCont cont, TSEvent event, void *edata);

union EventArgument {
  void *edata;
  TSVConn vconn;
  TSVIO vio;

  EventArgument(void *_p) : edata(_p) {}
};

struct PassthruIO {
  TSVIO vio;
  TSIOBuffer iobuf;
  TSIOBufferReader reader;

  PassthruIO() : vio(nullptr), iobuf(nullptr), reader(nullptr) {}
  ~PassthruIO() { clear(); }
  void
  clear()
  {
    if (this->reader) {
      TSIOBufferReaderFree(this->reader);
    }

    if (this->iobuf) {
      TSIOBufferDestroy(this->iobuf);
    }

    this->reader = nullptr;
    this->iobuf  = nullptr;
    this->vio    = nullptr;
  }

  // Start a read operation.
  void
  read(TSVConn vconn, TSCont contp)
  {
    TSReleaseAssert(this->vio == nullptr);

    this->iobuf  = TSIOBufferCreate();
    this->reader = TSIOBufferReaderAlloc(this->iobuf);
    this->vio    = TSVConnRead(vconn, contp, this->iobuf, INT64_MAX);
  }

  // Start a write operation.
  void
  write(TSVConn vconn, TSCont contp)
  {
    TSReleaseAssert(this->vio == nullptr);

    this->iobuf  = TSIOBufferCreate();
    this->reader = TSIOBufferReaderAlloc(this->iobuf);
    this->vio    = TSVConnWrite(vconn, contp, this->reader, INT64_MAX);
  }

  // Transfer data from this IO object to the target IO object. We use
  // TSIOBufferCopy to move the data without actually duplicating it.
  int64_t
  transfer_to(PassthruIO &to)
  {
    int64_t consumed = 0;
    int64_t avail    = TSIOBufferReaderAvail(this->reader);

    if (avail) {
      consumed = TSIOBufferCopy(to.iobuf, this->reader, avail, 0 /* offset */);
      TSIOBufferReaderConsume(this->reader, consumed);
    }

    return consumed;
  }

  // noncopyable
  PassthruIO(const PassthruIO &) = delete;
  PassthruIO &operator=(const PassthruIO &) = delete;
};

struct PassthruSession {
  // VC session to the client.
  struct {
    TSVConn vconn;
    PassthruIO readio;
    PassthruIO writeio;
  } client;

  // VC session to Traffic Server via TSHttpConnect.
  struct {
    TSVConn vconn;
    PassthruIO readio;
    PassthruIO writeio;
  } server;

  TSCont contp;

  PassthruSession() : contp(TSContCreate(PassthruSessionEvent, TSMutexCreate()))
  {
    this->client.vconn = this->server.vconn = nullptr;
    TSContDataSet(this->contp, this);
  }

  ~PassthruSession()
  {
    if (this->server.vconn) {
      TSVConnClose(this->server.vconn);
    }

    if (this->client.vconn) {
      TSVConnClose(this->client.vconn);
    }

    TSContDataSet(this->contp, nullptr);
    TSContDestroy(this->contp);

    PassthruSessionDebug(this, "destroyed session");
  }

  // noncopyable
  PassthruSession(const PassthruSession &) = delete;
  PassthruSession &operator=(const PassthruSession &) = delete;
};

static bool
PassthruSessionIsFinished(PassthruSession *sp)
{
  int64_t avail = TSIOBufferReaderAvail(sp->client.writeio.reader);

  // We should shut down the session if we don't have a server vconn
  // (either it was never started, or it was closed), and we have drained
  // the client write buffer.
  if (sp->server.vconn == nullptr && avail == 0) {
    return true;
  }

  PassthruSessionDebug(sp, "continuing session with %" PRId64 " buffered client bytes", avail);
  return false;
}

static int
PassthruSessionEvent(TSCont cont, TSEvent event, void *edata)
{
  EventArgument arg(edata);
  PassthruSession *sp = (PassthruSession *)TSContDataGet(cont);

  PassthruSessionDebug(sp, "session event on vconn=%p event=%d (%s)", TSVIOVConnGet(arg.vio), event, TSHttpEventNameLookup(event));

  if (event == TS_EVENT_VCONN_READ_READY) {
    // On the first read, wire up the internal transfer to the server.
    if (sp->server.vconn == nullptr) {
      sp->server.vconn = TSHttpConnectWithPluginId(TSNetVConnRemoteAddrGet(sp->client.vconn), PLUGIN_NAME, 0);

      TSReleaseAssert(sp->server.vconn != nullptr);

      // Start the server end of the IO before we write any data.
      sp->server.readio.read(sp->server.vconn, sp->contp);
      sp->server.writeio.write(sp->server.vconn, sp->contp);
    }

    int64_t nbytes;

    nbytes = sp->client.readio.transfer_to(sp->server.writeio);
    PassthruSessionDebug(sp, "proxied %" PRId64 " bytes from client vconn=%p to server vconn=%p", nbytes, sp->client.vconn,
                         sp->server.vconn);
    if (nbytes) {
      TSVIOReenable(sp->client.readio.vio);
      TSVIOReenable(sp->server.writeio.vio);
    }

    nbytes = sp->server.readio.transfer_to(sp->client.writeio);
    PassthruSessionDebug(sp, "proxied %" PRId64 " bytes from server vconn=%p to client vconn=%p", nbytes, sp->server.vconn,
                         sp->client.vconn);
    if (nbytes) {
      TSVIOReenable(sp->server.readio.vio);
      TSVIOReenable(sp->client.writeio.vio);
    }

    if (PassthruSessionIsFinished(sp)) {
      delete sp;
      return TS_EVENT_NONE;
    }

    TSVIOReenable(arg.vio);
    return TS_EVENT_NONE;
  }

  if (event == TS_EVENT_VCONN_WRITE_READY) {
    if (PassthruSessionIsFinished(sp)) {
      delete sp;
      return TS_EVENT_NONE;
    }

    return TS_EVENT_NONE;
  }

  if (event == TS_EVENT_VCONN_EOS) {
    // If we get EOS from the client, just abort everything; we don't
    // care any more.
    if (TSVIOVConnGet(arg.vio) == sp->client.vconn) {
      PassthruSessionDebug(sp, "got EOS from client vconn=%p", sp->client.vconn);

      delete sp;
      return TS_EVENT_NONE;
    }

    // If we get EOS from the server, then we should make sure that we
    // drain any outstanding data before shutting down the client.
    if (TSVIOVConnGet(arg.vio) == sp->server.vconn) {
      PassthruSessionDebug(sp, "EOS from server vconn=%p", sp->server.vconn);

      TSReleaseAssert(sp->client.vconn != nullptr);

      if (TSIOBufferReaderAvail(sp->server.readio.reader) > 0) {
        sp->server.readio.transfer_to(sp->client.writeio);
        TSVIOReenable(sp->client.writeio.vio);
      }

      TSVConnClose(sp->server.vconn);
      sp->server.vconn = nullptr;
      sp->server.readio.clear();
      sp->server.writeio.clear();
    }

    return TS_EVENT_NONE;
  }

  TSError("[%s] unexpected event %s (%d) edata=%p", PLUGIN_NAME, TSHttpEventNameLookup(event), event, arg.edata);

  return TS_EVENT_ERROR;
}

static int
PassthruAccept(TSCont /* cont */, TSEvent event, void *edata)
{
  EventArgument arg(edata);
  PassthruSession *sp = new PassthruSession();

  PassthruSessionDebug(sp, "accepting connection on vconn=%p event=%d", arg.vconn, event);
  TSReleaseAssert(event == TS_EVENT_NET_ACCEPT);

  // Start the client end of the IO. We delay starting the server end until
  // we get the first read from the client end.
  sp->client.vconn = arg.vconn;
  sp->client.readio.read(arg.vconn, sp->contp);
  sp->client.writeio.write(arg.vconn, sp->contp);

  return TS_EVENT_NONE;
}

static TSReturnCode
PassthruListen()
{
  TSMgmtString ports          = nullptr;
  TSPortDescriptor descriptor = nullptr;
  TSCont cont                 = nullptr;

  if (TSMgmtStringGet("config.plugin.passthru.server_ports", &ports) == TS_ERROR) {
    TSError("[%s] missing config.plugin.passthru.server_ports configuration", PLUGIN_NAME);
    return TS_ERROR;
  }

  descriptor = TSPortDescriptorParse(ports);
  if (descriptor == nullptr) {
    TSError("[%s] failed to parse config.plugin.passthru.server_ports", PLUGIN_NAME);
    TSfree(ports);
    return TS_ERROR;
  }

  TSDebug(PLUGIN_NAME, "listening on port '%s'", ports);
  TSfree(ports);

  cont = TSContCreate(PassthruAccept, nullptr);
  return TSPortDescriptorAccept(descriptor, cont);
}

void
TSPluginInit(int /* argc */, const char * /* argv */ [])
{
  TSPluginRegistrationInfo info = {PLUGIN_NAME, "Apache Software Foundation", "dev@trafficserver.apache.org"};

  TSReturnCode status;

  TSMgmtStringCreate(TS_RECORDTYPE_CONFIG, "config.plugin.passthru.server_ports", const_cast<char *>(""),
                     TS_RECORDUPDATE_RESTART_TS, TS_RECORDCHECK_NULL, nullptr /* check_regex */, TS_RECORDACCESS_NULL);

  // Start listening on the configured port.
  status = PassthruListen();
  TSReleaseAssert(status == TS_SUCCESS);

  // Now that succeded, we can register.
  status = TSPluginRegister(&info);
  TSReleaseAssert(status == TS_SUCCESS);
}

// vim: set sw=2 ts=2 sts=2 et:


New pattern alert! Alison Bjornson aka @oolawoola just published her first ever pattern, Prism Break.
This pattern was designed specifically for my self-patterning SHAWL yarn. It's shown here in Skaha, and will work with any of Skaha's sister colourways from the Knit Outside collection.


Now that sarge has been released it's time to revisit this problem.
to us if they're not happy with our use of the marks.
2. Rename Firefox and strip all trademarks out.
3. Accept MoFo's offer of Debian-specific trademark usage.
4. Try to negotiate some other arrangement with MoFo.
#2 as an unappealing solution, but perhaps the only way to go.


Bill A. | Adriatic Restoration Corp.
Masonry repairs were needed to the exterior wall of our apartment building to prevent water seepage. Steve and his team at Adriatic Restoration did a terrific job. We cannot praise them enough. They were professional, competent, courteous. An absolute pleasure to deal with. Thank you, Steve, and your great crew!


text:
7 Best Movie Posters of 2014
Posted by Richard Newby | Dec 23, 2014 | Lists | 0 |
I love movie posters. There's always something exciting attached to that first glimpse of a movie. But the quality of movie posters have declined over the years, hand painted posters fading away to poor photoshop renderings. There are still great, independently released posters that come from the artists at Mondo, but great studio poster releases are few and far between. Thankfully, there are still some marketing departments that put their best foot forward when it comes to offering the best first glimpse possible. So here are the best efforts from the studios this year.
7. Foxcatcher (Sony Pictures Classics)
With du Pont's profile stylized like an ancient coin, the poster creates a portrait of regality in just the fashion du Pont imagined himself. But dark center and frayed edges hint at the emptiness and madness at the heart of the film.
6. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox)
As if you needed an excuse to see this movie, Fox provided the tantalizing and terrifying image of an ape with a gun, riding a horse. In a summer filled with a lot of samey looking posters, this one is pretty revolutionary.
5. Dear White People (Duly Notes/Homegrown Pictures/Code Red Films)
It's simple, attention-grabbing, and funny. And for black people who've no doubt had numerous white people touch their hair over the years, it's completely honest.
4. Blue Ruin (The Lab of Madness)
Without veering into spoiler territory, the poster provides a haunting glimpse of a man coming undone by his bloody quest for revenge. The film's second poster with its giant, cracked title and striking silhouettes captures the beautiful horror of the film.
3. Godzilla (Warner Bros.)
The great thing about the initial Godzilla teaser posters was the choice to refrain from showing Godzilla in full, instead relying on the atmosphere that made the movie so stunning.
2. Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight)
Birdman certainly didn't suffer from a lack of posters. While the standard studio release poster centered on the acting talent onboard, it was the 10 art deco style posters created for the film's limited release that were the most visually arresting.
1. Inherent Vice (Warner Bros.)
The stunning neon-lit poster for Paul Thomas Anderson's latest is my favorite of this year. It perfectly captures the crazy, wild ride that stems from Doc's mind and all the colorful characters he encounters along the way. It's far out in all the best ways.
Worst:
Left Behind (Freestyle Releasing)
There's only one poster that's so bad this year it hurts. I mean look at those faces. Look at Cage trying to look quizzical before undoubtedly screaming something. I mean if I were in God's position, I would have left them behind too.
So tell me folks, what did I miss? Were there any particularly great (or terrible) posters that caught your eyes this year?
PreviousThe Worst Films of 2014 and Our Harsh Reactions
Next7 Greatest Movie Heroes of 2014
Richard is a film lover, comic book geek, and sci-fi/horror writer. He has a great appreciation for hand-drawn posters, and practical effects. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio. You can email him at rnewbz@yahoo.com
Take My Breath Away: Tom Cruise's Top 10 Movie Moments
Five Memorable Movie Rabbits
Beth's Guide to 'Super' Dating


text:
2010 Asian Games
LAST UPDATED : Jun 17, 2019, 08:03 PM IST
Jinson Johnson betters own national record in 1500m in Europe
Asian Games gold medallist Jinson Johnson marginally bettered his own national record timing in 1500m while competing at the Next Generation Athletics Meet in the Netherlands.
Para-athlete Amit Saroha eyes Asian Games gold
September 21, 2007 - a day para-athlete Amit Saroha cannot forget. The day changed his life forever. Saroha met with a horrific road accident that led to a severe spinal injury and left him condemned to the wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Indian women's hockey team leaves for FIH Women's Series Final
The Indian women's hockey team left for Hiroshima in the wee hours of Saturday to take part in the FIH Women's Series Finals, which is part of the Olympic Qualifying pathway.
Amit Panghal: Olympic medal ke liye jaan laga doonga
After winning gold in the Asian Games in September, Amit extended his winning streak by winning another gold in the Asian Championships, last week.
Narang misses out on Asian Games selection; Manu, Anish in squad
Ace shooter Gagan Narang failed to find a place in the Indian squad for the Asian Games announced by the National Rifle Association of India on Thursday.
Jitu Rai, Mehuli Ghosh fail to make cut for Asian Games
The seasoned Gagan Narang, Jitu Rai and young Mehuli Ghosh failed to make the Indian shooting squad for the upcoming Asian Games, even as a few unheralded faces were picked for the quadrennial extravaganza, starting August 18 in Indonesia.
ICC's BCCI conundrum: WADA committee to discuss compliance issue on March 12
The Olympic Council of Asia's (OCA) decision to bring cricket back into the Asian Games fold has been welcomed. But there is a major hurdle that has to be crossed to make cricket a part of multi-nation tournaments, like the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the Olympics.
Randhir Singh appointed coordination committee chairman of 2022 Asian Games
Veteran Indian sports administrator Randhir Singh has been appointed as the chairman of the Coordination Committee of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games by the General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
Pooja Rani: Good to hear 'champion' next to my name
Last week, Pooja Rani became the only Indian woman to win gold at the 2019 Asian Boxing Championship.
This story has been removed due to factual inaccuracies
We will have more Sarita Gayakwads if parents back their daughters' dreams: Sarita Gayakwad
Gujarat's golden girl Sarita Gayakwad talks about winning the bronze medal at the Asian Athletics Championships, her future dreams and more
Asian Games: Heena Sidhu wins bronze, heartbreak for Manu Bhaker
Heena Sidhu put behind a modest qualification to win her maiden Asian Games individual medal today, her bronze in the women's 10m air pistol taking India's haul at the Jakabaring Shooting Range to nine.
30,000 shoppers a day, but Karol Bagh will surprise you with lack of clutter
Nitin Lopez, a first-time visitor to Karol Bagh from Mumbai, was taken aback when he found a pedestrian-friendly shopping plaza with places to sit and watch the world go by.
Iran, not Pakistan, our main worry in Asiad: Rohit Chillar
Rohit Chillar was taking a stroll at the Delhi airport on Thursday, with a swagger that comes with the tag of being a member of the Indian men's kabaddi team.
Dutee finishes fifth in 200m final at World University Games
Competing in her fifth race in three days, Dutee Chand finished fifth in the women's 200m final at the World University Games here.
Lifter Ajay Singh creates new Commonwealth record
Indian weightlifter Ajay Singh Friday created a new Commonwealth record in the clean and jerk category en route to a gold medal at the Commonwealth Championships here Friday.
Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat finish on podium; Indian women bag 4 bronze medals in Asian Championships
Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik and Asian Games champion Vinesh Phogat settled for a bronze each as Indian women ended their campaign without a gold medal in the Asian Wrestling Championships on Friday. Both Sakshi (62kg) and Vinesh (53kg) lost their quarterfinal bouts but made their way to the podium through the repechage round as their victors reached the finals.
Now you can give suggestions for inclusion of new sports in Asian Games
The Asian Games, a quadrennial multi-sport event organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), has launched a campaign titled #NextAtAsianGames.
Asian Games: Shuttler Srikanth suffers shocking loss
India's Kidambi Srikanth crashed out of the 18th Asian Games after suffering a shocking loss to Hong Kong's Wong Wing Ki Vincent in the men's singles second round of the badminton event on Friday.
Asian Games: Ashish Kumar on road to redemption
"I take a lot of inspiration from my medals in 2010 Commonwealth Games and the Asiad. They were huge moments in my career. Unfortunately, injuries affected my performances. I know no athlete can always stay at the top. In sports, the graph keeps going up and down," Ashish Kumar told TOI.
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EnviTec Biogas AG covers the entire value chain for the production of biogas - including the planning and turnkey construction of biogas plants as well as their commissioning.
The company provides the biological and technical service, and also offers full plant and operating management.
Whether as a source of electricity to generate heat locally, to supply heat by pipeline or to feed into the gas network after processing - Biogas is multi-talented and versatile. The weather-independent generation is a predictable source of revenue for the operator, since energy from biogas is subject to any price fluctuations. At the same time, a biogas plant actively contributes to environmental protection and energy mix of the future.
Biogas in agriculture: energy, fertiliser and an additional source of revenue.
Agricultural companies have the opportunity of generating valuable, sustainable and renewable energy with by-products of their business such as liquid manure, biomass and organic agricultural waste. Generating biogas offers plant operators a source of revenue that can be accurately calculated for years – which is a factor that can be decisive for the long-term prospects of a farming business.
Many farmers use biogas production to establish a second economic mainstay, thereby ensuring that their agricultural enterprises continue to flourish into the next generation.
All types of agricultural raw and residual materials can be used in our biogas plants. This assures farmers a healthy crop rotation and helps them prevent monocultures. Even catch crops, whole-plant silage and energy beets deliver top yields.
Decentralised biogas production using independent resources strengthens the added value in rural areas. Using renewable resources effectively reduces the dependence on foreign energy imports, so that revenues remain in the region. More and more bioenergy villages are showing us how biogas can be used to get the most out of local synergies.
If a biogas plant is operated properly, there are no odour nuisances, since the produced gas cannot escape from the closed cycle. The fully fermented end product has a noticeably reduced odour after the fermentation process. As a fertiliser with a high nutrient content, these fermentation residues relieve farmers from purchasing expensive mineral fertiliser.
Waste materials and by-products are accrued in conjunction with every single manufacturing operation, such as enterprises associated with the food and restaurant sector, the fuel industry, the cosmetics sector and the animal husbandry sector.
However, the quantity of organic waste produced by the citizenry is also significant for communes – about half a tonne per year per person.
In addition to saving you the trouble of disposing of your residual products, our biogas technology also makes it possible for you to convert the waste into useful energy.
Biogas can be used as a source of electricity or to generate heat. After it has been processed into biomethane, it may also be fed into the gas grid. In case of industrial utilisation, the heat that accrues in conjunction with the combustion process taking place in the CHP can be returned to the company in the form of process heat. This is particularly worthwhile for energy-intensive companies with high heat requirements. It makes it possible for such companies to save on heating expenses.
If a biogas plant is operated properly, there are no odour nuisances since the produced gas cannot escape from the closed cycle. The fully fermented end product has a noticeably reduced odour after the fermentation process. As high-nutrient fertilisers, these fermentation residues make it unnecessary for farmers to purchase expensive and pollutant mineral fertilisers.
Ultra-modern filtration technology makes it possible to further process the digestate. This procedure yields processed service water that can be used for the subsequent industrial process.
Thanks to the high energy yield in the EnviWaste plants, the required amount of fossil fuels undergoes a reduction, resulting in a considerable improvement in the CO2 figures of production plants. This gives you an important competitive edge, as more and more consumers and companies are emphasising sustainable production when purchasing products.
At biogas plants, highly contaminated surface water is found near roadways and silos. Channelling this into ditches and waterways is increasingly frowned upon by surveillance authorities and the general public. As an alternative to the expensive construction of new storage containers, our subsidiary A3 Water Solutions GmbH has developed EnviDrain and EnviClear: a low-cost, all-in-one technical solution for the handling of contaminated surface water. The solution works by preventing soiling in the first place while also reducing its environmental impact.
The compression of maize silage means that the silage effluent cannot drain away through the installed gullies as intended. In addition, the gullies on the silage slab often become clogged with maize, resulting in effluent becoming backed-up. It then spills over the sides, where it mixes with rain water.
This is where EnviDrain comes in: it offers a clog-free drainage system for the effluent. The special fleece material increases the effective drainage surface area 500-fold, keeping rain water clean and allowing contaminated water to be properly routed to the biogas plant.
The EnviDrain material is easily installed before silage storage and can be driven over safely even if covered by only a shallow layer (30 cm) of maize.
Often, rain water and highly contaminated surface water end up in the same tank – whether due to a failure to separate silage effluent and rain water or as a result of rain water runoff being collected from soiled roadways.
To lessen the burden on the downstream EnviClear plant while making effective use of organic materials, an intelligent separator is used at this point in the system: it measures the contamination level and decides how the water should be routed automatically.
it is therefore collected in a tank and pumped to the EnviClear plant as a continuous process. The lowmaintenance EnviClear process is based on the proven membrane revival method, a combination of biological degradation and membrane filtration. The pores in the MaxFlow membranes used are so small that only water molecules may pass through them – but bacteria and particulates are trapped. As a result, only clean water is discharged.
If necessary, we can provide you with a packaged solution, consisting of planning, construction, service and operation monitoring.
Owing to their nutrient density and decreased odour, fermentation residues are exceptionally suitable as fertilisers. But how can we save storage and transportation costs and still protect the environment? Our subsidiary, A3 Water Solutions GmbH, has developed a holistic modular concept for the processing of accumulated fermentation residues. The membrane process separates the fermentation residues into solid and liquid parts and thus provides fertiliser products that can be transported, stored and sold. Nutrients in the appropriate form can thus be distributed exactly at the places where they are required.
We offer a personal on-site consultation to clarify whether a digestate processing system is worthwhile for your company and what benefits it will provide.
You want to get the highest return of your investment? So do we. The new plant technology is far more efficient than it was years ago. Moreover, as the owner of the existing plant, you want to stay competitive. Your system can be most easily adapted to the latest technological developments. An investment in the" health" of your investment is worthwhile, because it usually pays for itself in a short time.
Sustainable reuse of waste materials? Benefits for manufacturing and municipalities!
Several companies and communes make use of the financial assistance that the political system provides for the realisation of the energy-related potential of waste management or just benefit from producing their own energy. Since the year 2002, we have developed technologies for biogas plants that produce impressive income from food waste, glycerine, slaughterhouse waste and fats.
Features: Since 2014, the average degree of capacity utilization exceeds 91%.
Features: Separate hygienisation plant with a capacity of 25,000 t/a.
and the heat that has been transformed into vapour within the factory itself.
Biomethane upgrading opens up a promising future market for the biogas industry. With feed-in into the public natural gas grid, the green all-rounder is perfect for the decentralised supply of energy, offering a long-term replacement for fossil natural gas and driving the energy transition forward. What's more, the biomethane manufactured in the gas upgrading plant has the exact same properties as natural gas, being just as flexible in its usage and easier to store than other energy sources. Plus, it's renewable.
How is this valuable bio natural gas produced?
Anaerobic digestion of organic materials creates a gas composed of methane and carbon dioxide. To upgrade the biogas to natural gas-quality biomethane, the crude gas is first purified and compressed. The membrane technology we use then exploits the different sizes and permeation speeds of the two kinds of gas molecules involved: since carbon dioxide molecules are smaller than methane molecules, they can migrate through the membrane much more quickly. As a result, the methane remains on the high-pressure side, while the CO2 molecules in the biogas pass through. As a result, the gas upgrading needs neither chemicals nor water nor any other resources.
The starting point for producing biomethane doesn't have to be biogas, however. After a preliminary purification stage, gas from landfill and wastewater treatment plants can also be used to produce biomethane.
The biomethane so produced is the all-rounder among renewable energy sources, and can replace fossil fuel-based natural gas anywhere it is used. On the following pages, you can find out about the many uses for this valuable and renewable natural gas, and how it can play a part in an environmentally-friendly energy supply system.
Biomethane frees us from our dependence both on fossil natural gas and natural gas importers, thereby helping to support predictable long-term pricing trends in domestic energy market.
Biomethane is renewable. This means heating consumers benefit from an improved CO2 footprint and potential savings resulting from the more efficient use of energy. As a highly efficient fuel, biomethane is also a star performer in the fuel market and can help to reduce emissions many times over.
Since crude gas sources and gas grid infrastructure are both available, neither time nor capital investment is necessary to establish them. On the contrary: the use of biomethane can unburden the electricity network and contribute to a temporary easing of cost-intensive upgrading work.
Biomethane promotes economic growth both in the feed-in region – which is in the immediate vicinity of the gas generating plant – and in the consuming region, which is independent of the feed-in location.
Since our gas upgrading systems are exceptionally efficient and cost-effective, they can offer biogas plant operators another attractive source of revenue from biomethane production.
Before biogas can be fed into the natural gas grid or used as a fuel, it must first be upgraded to natural gas quality. Our answer to the requirements of the future is therefore EnviThan – our integrated solution from organic waste to the filling station pump!
Our EnviThan model offers you a tailor-made solution along the entire value chain, from the initial pre-treatment of your raw gas, gas upgrading into biomethane, various options for gas marketing (CNG, electricity, heat), and all rounded off by our comprehensive after sales service.
EnviThan gas upgrading is simple and robust while also being compact and space-saving. The components for desulphurisation, compression, condensation, filtration and gas purification are installed in self-contained modules. Thanks to its modular design, the technology can be installed quickly and easily, and flexibly adapted to the specific quality standards and performance capacities of each operator. The system is also designed to ensure impressively low maintenance costs. The modular construction of an EnviThan plant also offers plenty of reserve capacity, making subsequent expansion of the plant easily possible.
We use SEPURAN® Green modules from Evonik Industries for the membrane separation process in our gas upgrading plants. These hollow-fibre membranes purify the raw biogas generated in the biogas plants from 50 to over 97 percent by volume – a very high figure compared with other technologies. The successful partnership between EnviTec and Evonik is not only reflected in the fact that we are the world's largest buyer of these leading Evonik modules, but also in the fact that EnviTec is the only company worldwide that operates an internal gas upgrading plant for the purpose of carrying out R&D into these innovative membrane systems.
Our gas upgrading plants have short start-up times and can be quickly adjusted to changes in volume flow rates thanks to good controllability. This guarantees the simple and flexible operational management of EnviThan plants.
Compared with other approaches to biogas upgrading, EnviThan technology requires less energy, which ensures its running costs stay as low as possible. Nor does this gas upgrading method require any chemicals, water or other resources. Much of the heat generated during the upgrading process can also be recovered and utilised. Compared with other methods – such as amine scrubbing, pressure swing adsorption or high-pressure water scrubbing – it is also inexpensive and environmentally friendly since it produces no wastewater or emissions.
Top quality and maximum safety – Made in Germany!
Quality is our top priority at EnviTec Biogas. To ensure we can meet our high standards at all times, all EnviThan plants are designed and built at our facility in Saerbeck (Germany). In addition, we also work only with hand-picked suppliers that share our commitment to quality – and our business relationships with these suppliers now go back many years.
Apart from the efficiency and technical quality of our gas upgrading systems, our long-standing international expertise in biogas plant construction is another reason why customers worldwide entrust their projects to EnviTec. Germany, UK, France, China and Denmark – EnviThan is conquering the gas upgrading market on a global scale.
Gas to grid - our biomethane projects!
Cost-effective, efficient and reliable technology, plus smart business models that cover the entire value chain for the biomethane market. Our expertise is in demand worldwide.
Features: This plant is the first biogas upgrading plant from EnviTec Biogas in China. Both of the structurally identical EnviThan upgrading systems, each with a capacity of 1.000 Nm³/h biomethane, deliver bio-CNG (compressed natural gas from biogas) as the end product of biomethane treatment. The bio-CNG is used as a green fuel in the company's own filling station and in the nearby city of Yantai.
Special features: Whatever our many successes, we don't rest on our laurels. We work continuously on the further improvement and optimisation of our technologies. In the EnviThan demonstration plant that we run in Sachsendorf, Germany, the components and materials are operated to the limits of their capacity, and the results analysed in order to ensure an optimal plant design and control response while extracting the maximum possible added value and efficiency. Forward-thinking, reliable and efficient – EnviThan.
Special Features: The plant is capable of supplying enough gas to meet the annual needs of around 2,150 households. The subsequent reuse of the digestate as fertiliser also helps to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers by local agricultural businesses.
Special features: This is EnviTec's first gas upgrading plant in France. Our Senlis-based customer enjoys multiple benefits from the compact, modular design used by EnviThan plant. Thanks to the quick and easy installation of the technical systems, the operator started feeding biomethane into the local gas grid after a construction period of just ten months. The modular design of EnviThan plants and the built-in performance reserves also offer a straightforward approach to expanding gas upgrading capacity.
Proven technology + reliable after sales service = satisfied customer!
Special features: Our customer is Denmark's largest land-owner, with over 10,000 hectares to its name. Apart from our efficient EnviThan technology, we also impressed the client as a solid partner with a portfolio of successful international references. EnviTec's flexibility and the reliability of our gas upgrading plants, plus our comprehensive – and local – after sales service were decisive factors for winning this contract. And we continue to impress: the customer has already made multiple expansions to the plant.