text:
China-Vietnam dispute in a nutshell
Khac Giang	Economics and Politics, English Writings	 May 16, 2014 May 17, 2014 5 Minutes
The recent tensions between Vietnam and China have rocked the peaceful Asia-Pacific region. Here is the basic background. As a Vietnamese national, I try to keep this as objective as possible.
In early May 2014, China moved a giant drilling rig, named HD-981, into the area claimed by both China and Vietnam on the Southeast Asia Sea (aka South China Sea), escorted by 70 vessels including armed navy ships.
The Vietnamese government protested, sending its coastal guards to ask the Chinese to move out. The Chinese refused, instead using ships to ram into the Vietnamese, injuring around 10 officers.
They then circled around to protect the rig, warning that any move of Vietnamese guards close to the area will be punished. It already fired water cannons and used air fighters to control the area. It says the rig will stay until August 2014 to examine whether there is any potential gas and oil to be drilled.
Why they think they're right
The disputed area
China: the country said the disputed area is China's sovereignty because it is historically so. They base their claim on two accounts: Firstly, they refer to the "nine-dash line", which was drawn in 1940s by Chiang Kai-shek's government and used by the communist after the civil war ended in 1949.
The line, which includes 80% of the Southeast Asia Sea, is viewed by other countries in the region as baseless and illegal. If judged by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Chinese claim is invalid.
Secondly, they said the area is within the Paracel Islands' waters, which is now controlled by the Chinese but also claimed by the Vietnamese. Chinese Navy seized the islands in 1974 after a short but bloody attack against the South Vietnamese government.
Vietnam: The area falls well within Vietnam's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), just 120 nautical miles off its coast.
International law: China's move is illegal because it is not permitted to unilaterally change the status quo of a disputed area.
More can be seen in an analysis by the Centre of Strategic and International Studies here.
What happened in anti-China protests in Vietnam?
After the confrontation between two governments, Vietnamese hold mass rallies against China which were spread nationwide. Overseas Vietnamese also went out in many other countries to protest.
Vietnamese and Filippino protested together in Manila
In Vietnam, several protests turned into riots. Some protesters set on fire factories that they thought belong to Chinese (they apparently mistook Singaporeans, Koreans, and especially Taiwanese as well), and involved in violence against Chinese workers which led to several deaths in what is seen as the worst riots in a country famous for its political stability.
Why Vietnamese protesters were so angry, and irrational?
Public protests are not allowed in Vietnam, but this time, perhaps Vietnamese authorities got so pissed off by China's action to the point that they turned a blind eye on protesters. Unfortunately, because they had never dealt with protests before, the Vietnamese government couldn't control it well when things went bad.
protests turned riots
On the other hand, anti-China sentiments in Vietnam have run high in recent years following sovereignty disputes, yet often put off by the government. It is noteworthy that the country was colonized by Chinese for 1,000 years until 10th century, and frequently had to fight against its neighbour's invasion. The latest full-scale one happened in 1979.
When Vietnamese authorities decided it couldn't bear the Chinese aggression alone anymore and unofficially permitted public protests, the bombs just went burst. Overall, the anti-China protests were peaceful, but then some went ugly after provocations. Irrationality is something you can expected in a mob, as German philosopher Hegel says.
Now the situation is in government's control, after they made around 1,000 arrests of rioters. Vietnamese Prime Minister vowed to protect foreigners and investors by "all means".
Public opinion in Vietnam strongly opposed the violence. Many public apologies have been made, one of which you can find at the end of this blog post by Jonathan London, an American scholar. Students volunteered to take care of Chinese workers who were injured in the riots.
Interestingly, the authorities said that there were some "provocateurs" who were paid to instigate protesters, sounds like something similar to Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Investigations are being carried out.
Firstly, the Southeast Asia Sea is one of the most important seas in the world. I don't exaggerate it. More than half of global commercial goods, a third of global crude oil, and over half of global LNG trade pass through the sea annually. That is why other parties that have no sovereignty disputes such as the US, European Union, and Japan have shown concerns over China's nine-dash line claims which make the sea a Chinese lake.
The sea also has a huge oil reserve, which can be up to 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillioncubic feet of natural gas.
Secondly, this case, if properly handled, can set a new norm for global politics. Previously, disputes were normally solved in favour of the strong (the most recent example is Russian invasion of Crimea) with the use (or threat) of force.
China is a much bigger country than Vietnam, and currently the biggest economy in the world. If dispute is solved by muscles, you know surely who is going to lose more (though Vietnam, which in its history defeated Genghis Khan's Mongolian army, the French and the US, warned the Chinese that it is "a peace loving country, but don't wake up the dragon").
A picture paints a thousand words. Apparently, China said Vietnamese ships rammed them "171 times".
Now Vietnam and Philippines, another claimant in the dispute, ask China to go to international courts to solve the problem. Beijing has consistently refused, in favour of dealing with each of the countries by bilateral meetings behind closed doors.
If China does agree to go to court, nevertheless, it means that justice can be done for all, no matter how big or small a country is.
Thirdly, there is indeed a risk of escalation to war between two countries, though small. The Asia-Pacific region is currently the global economic locomotive, thus any conflict there will badly affect the world economy, still fragile after the financial crisis.
How to solve this dispute and prevent possible conflicts in the region? To the world, it is simple: all involved parties go to court. It is hard to say "justice" in Chinese for those who rule in Beijing though.
China's Exclusive Economic Zone according to UN laws
anti-China protests
nine-dash line
Paracel Islands
sea disputes
Southeast Asia Sea
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text:
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Broncos Football on a THURSDAY???
Posted by mizzou1028 on November 6, 2008
I have to admit I can never get used to it when the Broncos, or any other NFL team, plays a Thursday game. This is the fourth consecutive year the Broncos have drawn a Thursday contest (including two Thanksgiving Day games) and I still can't get used to it. I actually applaud the concept of getting more games on television for the fans, although I'm not sure NFL Network counts as a national broadcast at this point due to the fact numerous households still don't get the channel. At any rate, the Broncos face a very difficult task for numerous reasons: the short week, the fact they're coming off a tough loss, the numerous injuries on both sides of the ball, and the travel on such a short timetable (to the eastern time zone to boot, where no pacific or mountain time zone team has won a game this season). If that's not enough, they get what is sure to be a raucous crowd at Cleveland Browns Stadium that will be excited for the debut of Brady Quinn.
My pick for the game is coming in a moment, but first a reminder that this is the first of a slate of Thursday NFL games every week for the rest of the season, so remember this if you are in an eliminator pool, have a fantasy lineup that needs to be set before the first kick, or even if you have players that may be involved in the game that you need to make a decision on. In this space, I will offer a pick for each Thursday game before it kicks off, and then will follow up with the rest of the picks on Friday as normal. So remember to look for the rest of my picks for week 10 on Friday, along with a recap of the Broncos and Browns.
This is a very difficult game to pick because both teams are a mess. The Broncos have no choice but to start Ryan Torain at tailback because no one else is left. Andre Hall and Michael Pittman were placed on injured reserve this week, and Selvin Young won't be 100 percent even if he plays. The coaches do love Torain, but he didn't look up to speed against Miami. The Broncos also will likely still be without Tony Scheffler, who will take the extended time before the next game to try and get back in the lineup. His absence has had a real adverse effect on the passing game. Meanwhile, Denver's defense took another hit with the news that leading tackler D.J. Williams will be out at least a month with a torn MCL. This means no Williams and no Bailey (either of them). Not to mention, the Broncos are sitting on a league worst minus 11 turnover margin in their past five games. It can be argued that the Broncos are leading their division, but that carries no weight whatsoever for a team that has lost four of its past five games. It actually came as a surprise to me to read today that the Broncos are just 20-20 in their past 40 games, and that frankly isn't acceptable for us in Broncos Country.
The Browns have finally made the long overdue decision to yank Derek Anderson in favor of Brady Quinn. This is a move I have advocated for since the offseason, when Cleveland made the surprising decision to offer Anderson a 3 year $24 million contract, even though they had made a big investment in Quinn by making him their first round pick in 2007. This season Anderson has been anything but great, ranking dead last among starting quarterbacks with a terrible 49.8 completion percentage. While Anderson has been dreadful at times, Quinn is of course an unknown, having made just one appearance in mop up duty last year. The timing of the decision to make the move to Quinn with such a short week to prepare also seems a little odd. The Browns are coming off a loss to Baltimore in which they blew a 27-13 second half lead and watched the Ravens score 20 unanswered points to end the game. Cleveland's defense has struggled against the run this year, having given up 154 yards to rookie Ray Rice last week, allowing him to average 7.3 yards a carry. The Browns' 3-5 start is not what they were hoping for after knocking on the door to the playoff party last season.
Sometimes when you have two struggling teams going at it, it actually turns out to be a good game, and that could be the case here. I really hope I'm wrong, but I think this game shapes up to be bad news for the Broncos in more ways than one. I do think the Broncos will be able to run better than they did against Miami, and I also think Jay Cutler and the passing game will give a better effort. I think the deciding factor will be the play of Quinn, and if he doesn't panic in his first start, he will be guaranteed to find Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow open all night with the Broncos missing their top defenders. Edwards against Dre' Bly in particular makes me really nervous, with Edwards looking like he's about to break out for a big game the way his numbers have been climbing the past few weeks. If the Broncos can rattle Quinn early and maybe even force an early turnover, which they haven't done all year, then they will be able to stay in the game and maybe even control it. If they can't, it will be another long night for the orange and blue. I really want to pick the Broncos to bounce back, but the rational side of me tells me I can't. The short week, the trip east, the missing bodies, the lack of confidence, it will be too much for the Broncos to overcome.
The Pick: Cleveland 27 Denver 17
I really hope I'm wrong…….
This entry was posted on November 6, 2008 at 8:51 am	and is filed under football. Tagged: Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, National Football League, NFL, picks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
4 Responses to "Broncos Football on a THURSDAY???"
Doug Baker said
It will be a very interesting game given the state of the two teams.
Stephen Slaboda said
Congratulations on an incorrect prediction, even if it was mostly gifted!
mizzou1028 said
Trust me, no one is more glad I was wrong than me!
Here's my take on the game. http://cdbaker.wordpress.com/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Germans dominated the day in Kona.
Germany's Jan Frodeno defended his Ironman World Championship title today, turning in a 48:02 swim, a 4:29:00 bike and a 2:45:34 marathon to earn his second-straight Kona victory in 8:06:30. With the win, Frodeno becomes the 10th male to win more than one Ironman World Championship in his career and the fifth male to successfully defend the world title. The last athlete to successfully defend was Craig Alexander (AUS) in 2009. Behind Frodeno, fellow German Sebastian Kienle was strong all day but had to settle for second. Patrick Lange made it an all-German podium in impressive fashion, breaking the 27-year-old run course record along the way.
Jan Frodeno pushed the pace out front in the early meters of the swim, but several athletes were able to stay with him, making for a fairly large lead group coming into T1. Great Britain's Harry Wiltshire was the first man out of the water at 48:00, leading a group of 12 made up of Andy Potts (USA), Paul Matthews (AUS), Marko Albert (EST), Denis Chevrot (FRA), Brent McMahon (CAN), David McMamee (GBR), Igor Amorelli (BRA), Andi Boecherer (GER), Tim O'Donnell (USA) and Tim Don (GBR). A second large group exited the water about 30 seconds later and contained several contenders including Terenzo Bozzone (NZL), Andreas Raelert (GER), Frederik Van Lierde (BEL), Ben Hoffman (USA) and Timothy Van Berkel (AUS). With the majority of athletes through T1, the attention turned to when 2014 champion Sebastian Kienle (GER) would make his way up the stairs, to his bike and onto the course. Kienle was 38th out of the water at 52:27, putting him 4:27 down from the leaders—a gap similar to when he won in 2014.
As that large front group took to the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway, Kienle, Austria's Michael Weiss and Canada's Lionel Sanders were the fast movers trying to find those leaders. The size of that group made for dangerous conditions in terms of avoiding drafting penalties. At the first penalty tent, Van Lierde, Raelert, McMahon and Patrick Lange (GER) all had to serve penalties—taking them out of contention on the bike.
At Kawaihae (mile 42.7) before the climb up to Hawi, super biker Weiss was riding out front with Potts, Boecherer, Frodeno, O'Donnell and a huge group, that now included Kienle, trailing not far behind. German Boris Stein took a turn out front, but Weiss didn't let that last as he found his way back to the lead.
The turn at Hawi is traditionally when the race breaks apart and that's exactly what happened. Kienle was first at the turn with Boecherer, Weiss, O'Donnell, McKenzie, Potts, Frodeno, Hoffman, Van Berkel and Stein all in a close chase. At mile 75, the lead group continued to dwindle and now stood at 12 athletes, with all of the main contenders still in the mix.
The leader changed several times on the way back to town. Though Kienle was first into T2, Frodeno had the fastest change and started the marathon out front. Behind him were Kienle (4 seconds back), McKenzie (13 seconds back), Hoffman (19 seconds back), O'Donnell (25 seconds back) and Stein (41 seconds back). With all of the other athletes more than 3 minutes back it became clear that the winner would come from this group of eight.
Once onto the marathon, Frodeno maintained his lead with only Kienle able to keep the same pace. The two ran together for a good chunk of the early miles—leaving many to hope that we'd see the next version of Iron War. The shoulder-to-shoulder battle didn't come to fruition as Frodeno slowly started to break Kienle. By mile 16 Frodeno's lead stood at 2:34 over Kienle, 6:03 over Hoffman, 6:32 over Boecherer and 6:55 over O'Donnell. The big mover throughout the marathon was Lange, who had worked his way up to sixth position at 9:15 back of Frodeno.
Frodeno stayed strong all the way to the finish line, using a 2:45:34 marathon to cross the finish line in 8:06:30. Kienle capped off his day with a 2:49:03 marathon to finish in third at 8:10:02. Lange worked his way through the field all day, running from 23rd off of the bike to third at the finish line—posting a 2:39:45 marathon to break the 27-year-old course record of 2:40:04 that Mark Allen set in 1989 (from the famous Iron War).
The only other time Germany has swept the podium was in 1997 when Thomas Hellriegel won, with Jürgen Zäck and Lothar Leder claiming the other podium spots.


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text:
Michael William Liddle (born 25 December 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for  club Blyth Spartans. He began his club career with Sunderland, though appeared only once for the first team, and spent time on loan at Carlisle United, Leyton Orient, Gateshead and Accrington Stanley, before joining the latter club on a permanent basis in 2012. He then moved into non-league football with Dunston UTS, Blyth Spartans and Darlington, before returning to Blyth Spartans in 2021.

He has played for Ireland at under-18, under-19 and under-21 level.

Club career

Sunderland
Liddle started his footballing career with Haydon Bridge and Sunderland, whom he joined as a youth player. At Sunderland he progressed through the youth side and was given a professional contract ahead of the 2008–09 season. It took until January 2010 for him to make his first-team debut, in a FA Cup third-round match at home to Barrow; he came on as a substitute late in the game which Sunderland won 3–0.

Loan spells
On 14 November 2008, Liddle joined League One club Carlisle United on two months' loan; he joined up with fellow Sunderland loanee Graham Kavanagh. His debut came the following day, in the starting eleven for Carlisle's 3–1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. The loan was first extended until 14 February 2009, and then to the end of the season; he went on to make 22 appearances.

Liddle signed a four-month youth loan with another League One club, Leyton Orient, on 5 August 2010, but returned to Sunderland after only a month because of a groin injury. His only appearance was in the starting eleven against Yeovil Town.

On 6 January 2011, Liddle joined Gateshead on a 28-day loan. He made his debut two days later in a 2–2 draw with Kidderminster Harriers, and "curl[ed] a beauty into the far corner with the outside of his boot" for his first senior goal, which was voted Gateshead's goal of the season. His loan was extended to the end of the 2010–11 season, which he finished with 22 Conference Premier appearances.

Accrington Stanley
Liddle joined League Two club Accrington Stanley on loan for an initial month on 24 February 2012, and made his debut the next day in a 2–0 loss against Swindon Town. He was sent off against Southend United on 10 March, and after he served his suspension, his loan was extended to the end of the season. He made 12 appearances, all in league competition.

He signed a one-year permanent deal with Stanley in July 2012; the fee was undisclosed. He began the season as a regular in the starting eleven until 18 September, when the second sending-off of his Stanley career, just before Chesterfield scored a winning goal, resulted in a three-match ban. He finished the season with 36 appearances in all competitions.

Liddle signed a new one-year contract with the club ahead of the 2013–14 season. He appeared in the first five matches of the season before an ankle injury was to keep him out for two months; he returned to the first team as a late substitute against Wycombe Wanderers. He lost his place to short-term signing Lee Naylor, and the rest of Liddle's season was disrupted by hamstring trouble and competition from Laurence Wilson.

After signing on for a third year, Liddle started the opening game of the season, but a "succession of niggling injuries" were to keep him out for three months. He made his first-team return in the FA Cup first round, a goalless draw with Notts County in which manager John Coleman thought he was the best player. He finished the season with 15 league appearances, more than half as a substitute, and was released when his contract expired.

Later career
Liddle went on trial at Scottish Championship club Hibernian. However, he suffered a knee injury during a development match and the club offered him support during his recovery period.

After a spell with Northern League club Dunston UTS towards the end of the 2015–16 season, Liddle joined Blyth Spartans of the Northern Premier League in June 2016. He made his debut in the opening game of the season, in a 3-1 win over Coalville Town. He spent three seasons with Spartans and then signed for National League North club Darlington in May 2019. Despite interruptions through injury, Liddle made 29 appearances in the curtailed 2019–20 season. He was a regular in 2020–21 before the National League North was abandoned because of COVID-19 pandemic-related issues, and left the club at the end of that season.

Liddle rejoined Blyth Spartans in May 2021.

International career
Liddle was born in England and qualifies to play for Ireland because his mother is Irish. After playing in the under-18s and under-19s for his country, Liddle was called up to the Ireland under-21 squad for a friendly against Austria U21 on 19 August 2008. At that stage he had not made an appearance for his club after being signed on a professional contract in the 2008–09 season. Sunderland manager, Roy Keane, commented that "The young players have done well. It's a real plus for us and I have no doubts that some of them will be able to handle it at the top level". He started against Austria, in a 1–1 draw. Liddle said "The call-up came as a big surprise. I didn't expect it. When I was named in the starting eleven  buzzing!" He made further appearances against Bulgaria, Portugal, Lithuania and Germany.

Career statistics

References

External links

1989 births
Living people
Footballers from Hounslow
English footballers
Republic of Ireland association footballers
Republic of Ireland under-21 international footballers
Association football defenders
Sunderland A.F.C. players
Carlisle United F.C. players
Leyton Orient F.C. players
Gateshead F.C. players
Accrington Stanley F.C. players
Dunston UTS F.C. players
Blyth Spartans A.F.C. players
Darlington F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Northern Premier League players

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Ticket Bulletin: Limited Tickets Available For Newcastle
Welcome to the ticket bulletin for Saturday 18 January 2020.
The bulletin will provide Evertonians with information on all upcoming matches.
For pricing, seating and further ticket information, click here.
Get priority ticket access by becoming an Official Everton Member. Click here for more details.
West Ham United (A), Saturday 18 January, 3pm
Newcastle United (H), Tuesday 21 January, 7.30pm
Limited tickets are available.
Tickets can be purchased online, over the phone on 0151 556 1878, in person by visiting the Goodison Road office or by calling into our City Centre ticket facility in Everton Two.
Opening times for all our ticketing outlets can be found here.
Watford (A), Saturday 1 February, 3pm
We have received an allocation of 2,148 tickets; priced as below:
65+: £22
Full-time student: £18
Under 19s: £5
Please note that with any concessionary ticket purchased proof of age or Student ID will be required on entry into the stadium.
Tickets will go on sale in the following order of priority
Now on sale to 19/20 STH with 16+ credits from this season
19/20 STH with 15+ credits from this season from Monday 20 January from 8am*
19/20 STH with 14+ credits from this season from Tuesday 21 January at 8am*
*All tickets are subject to availability. Games need to have been played to count towards a credit, from the commencement of the first advertised sale date. For clarification, this does not include the upcoming Premier League away game against West Ham United.
Tickets can be purchased online, over the phone on 0151 556 1878^ or in person at the Goodison Road ticket office. Opening times for all our ticketing outlets can be found here.
Coach travel costs £32 and departs from Goodison at 8am.
Supporters need to be members of the Travel Club to purchase coach tickets. The Travel Club Membership costs just £5 and can be purchased here, over the phone on 0151 556 1878* or in person at the Park End box office.
Crystal Palace (H), Saturday 8 February, 12.30pm
Due to Crystal Palace not taking the full allocation, the Upper Visitors will be open to home supporters.
Supporters should note that in order to accrue an individual booking history, unique customer numbers must be given for each attending supporter at the time of sale.
Tickets now on general sale.
Everton Women v Liverpool, Goodison Park, Sunday 9 February, 2pm
Everton's ongoing commitment to allowing Season Ticket, Lounge and Official Members free access to women's games will continue for the fixture, although all Members will be required to claim a ticket and select their seat in advance.
Tickets for non-Members will be priced at £6 for adults and £3 for over-65s and juniors.
A premium admission ticket is also available, priced at £10, and includes a pie and pint or soft drink on arrival, as well as access to a cash bar in The People's Club Lounge and a premium seat located within the Sir Philip Carter Park Stand.
To secure a ticket for the women's Merseyside derby, click here or call the Everton Fan Centre on 0151 556 1878.
Supporters can also buy tickets in person by visiting the Goodison Road box office or by calling into the Club's city centre ticket facility in Everton Two.
Premium admission tickets are also available online by clicking here.
Standard admission tickets will initially be available in the Family Enclosure, Howard Kendall Lower Gwladys Street, Sir Philip Carter Park Stand.
Tickets Club News News Home Page Ticket News


text:
Q: How can I check my input string? Here is my code:
loop do
  print "Input word: "
  word = gets.chomp
  if word.nil? or word.empty?
    puts "Nothing to input."
  else
    if word.index(":") != -1
      puts "Illegal character ':'"
    else
      break
    end
  end
end

Is there a more elegant way to check the input string?

A: Something like this?
loop do
  print "Input word: "
  word = gets.chomp

  if word.empty?
    puts "No input."
  elsif word.include?(":")
    puts "Illegal character ':'"
  else
    break
  end
end

A: This separates the complex logic from the IO
def validation_message_for_word(word)
  case
  when (word.nil? or word.empty?) then "Nothing to input."
  when word.include?(":") then 'Illegal character ":".'
  else nil
  end
end

word = nil # To ensure word doesn't get thrown away after the loop
loop do
  print "Input word: "
  word = gets.chomp
  validation_message = validation_message_for_word(word)
  break if validation_message.nil?
  puts validation_message
end

Now, if you want to unit test it, you can give a variety of different strings to validation_message_for_word and test the return value.
If you needed internationalization, you could do
def validation_type_for_word(word)
  case
  when (word.nil? or word.empty?) then :no_input
  when word.include?(":") then :illegal_character
  else nil
  end
end

def validation_message(language, validation_type)
  {:en => {:no_input => "No input", :illegal_character => 'Illegal character ":"'},
   :lolcat => {:no_input => "Invizibl input", :illegal_character => 'Character ":" DO NOT LIEK'}}.fetch(language).fetch(validation_type)
end

word = nil # To ensure word doesn't get thrown away after the loop
loop do
  print "Input word: "
  word = gets.chomp
  validation_type = validation_type_for_word(word)
  break if validation_type.nil?
  puts validation_message(:lolcat, validation_type)
end

A: I personally prefer avoiding nested if/else:
loop do
    print "Input word: "
    word = gets.chomp
    if word.nil? or word.empty?
        puts "Nothing to input."
        #break, exit, nothing, or whatever ....
    end
    if word.index(":") != 0
        puts "Illegal character ':'"
    else
        break
    end
end

A: Depends what "elegant" means to you, but as a fan of refactoring conditional statements to easily readable extracted methods, I'd look at something like:
def has_valid_input(word)
  return true unless word.include?(":")
  puts "Illegal."
  return false
end

def is_not_empty(word)
  return true unless word.empty?
  puts "empty"
  return false
end

loop do
  print "Input word: "
  word = gets.chomp
  break if is_not_empty(word) && has_valid_input(word)
end

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text:
Yécora is a small town, and its surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Sonora, located at Latitude = 28.3710, Longitude = -108.9269 with an elevation of 5,173 feet (1,576 m). The town is bordered on the east by the state of Chihuahua, to the north by the municipalities of Sahuaripa and Southeast Rosario, to the west by the municipality Suaqui Grande, and the northwest by the municipality of Onavas. Yécora has an area of 1,279 square miles (3,312 square kilometers), accounting for 1.79 percent of total state. An approximate population for Yécora is 3171.

History
In 1673, the Jesuit missionary Alonso Victoria founded the town of San Idelfonso of Yécora. San Idelfonso of Yécora was later named La Trinidad, a Judicial District in the municipality of Sahuaripa. The municipality held this name until August 28, 1916 when Governor of Sonora Adolfo de la Huerta changed the town's name to Yécora.

The name Yécora is derived from an identically named town and municipality located in the province of Álava, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), northern Spain.  In the Basque language, the name translates to Iekora.

Climate
Yécora has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen climate classification: Cwb), featuring the same climate type as Mexico City, although the town has much more and more severe temperature extremes and with more erratic rainfall patterns than Mexico City. with warm summers and mild winters, often presenting freezing temperatures. With 944 millimeters (37.2 in) of rain, Yécora is one of the rainiest places in the mostly dry and arid state of Sonora. Also, Yécora presents lower temperatures than the rest of the state due to its high altitude (1,576 meters (5171 ft) above sea level).

External links
Yécora, Ayuntamiento Digital (Official Website of Yécora, Sonora)

References

Municipalities of Sonora


Search For "Professional Services" Companies in MONTBRISON, France - Click Here Now!
CABINET B.& C. ASSOCIES in MONTBRISON is a company that specializes in Management Consulting. Our records show it was established in France.


text:
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< GoodTherapy Blog >
Trust in Me: In Defense of the Therapeutic Relationship
May 31, 2013 • By Share Your Story contribution by Claire Hodgson, Joe'sDaughter.org
Therapy is about trust: Trust in the process, in the relationship, in the person, in the cure. It is easily lost, and hard to win back.
I had coffee the other day with a friend who is actively searching for a therapist. She's a believer in the process and has seen 12 so far, each for two sessions. And yet, she still hasn't found someone that she can work with. She's still looking, though, because she is a believer.
But my mum isn't. She's lost faith in the process. She's an atheist, in the context of therapy. I've struggled to understand this. I've had good experiences and great therapists, but in a way, it's like love affairs: If you have been loved well, then you are more likely to love well in return. If your heart has been broken, then you actively withdraw from the possibilities that love presents. And my mum has been hurt.
Seven years ago, when my mum first started struggling with depression and anxiety, and when I lived close enough to get home, I accompanied her on some of her first forays into therapy. I drove her around to therapists' offices for appointments that dad had booked through the Internet. And it is two of these early experiments with therapy that come to mind when I'm trying to figure out why I can't get her to go and see someone again.
Mum's First Foray
The first was with a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist in Stoke, an industrial town in the North of England. I remember that we sat on a frosted bench, outside a detached house that had been converted into offices, waiting for our appointment. It was winter; there was no reception, no waiting room. My mum was distraught. I held her hand in mine, for warmth and comfort. When called for the therapy hour, we walked in together (mum had asked me to go in with her).
It was an odd situation. Mum had never been in this kind of relationship, a therapeutic one; for 50-or-so years she had never understood or thought much of therapy. But here she was, finding herself with a strange woman who was asking her to rate on a scale of one to 10 how bad she felt.
"One hundred."
"No, within the scale, is that ten?"
"Twenty."
She demonstrated resolute difficulty and unwillingness to do the exercises, to get them right — to perform the role of the good patient. But also, my mum's mind doesn't work this way; she was unable to grasp the connection between these exercises and her condition, our situation.
Sitting in the therapy room with her, I listened to her frustration that the therapist couldn't grasp what she was going through. The therapist couldn't understand that my mum believed this was the worst that it would ever get (though we now know that's not true and, at that stage, she was probably around six out of 10 on her own distress scale).
The miracle cure, of course, doesn't come that hour. My mum comes out, saying, "That was a waste of time. How did that help? I'm not bloody going back there." I tell her it takes time. She doesn't understand and wants it fixed. "Forty pounds down the drain," she says.
The Second Saga
This time it's at a swish private clinic, in the more chic town of Altrincham with a therapist my parents have seen once before. My dad had to go to work; life doesn't stop for everyone when one person's does.
I drive this 40-minute journey, trapped on the motorway with my mum, who is raving. I start to disconnect from this version of my mum. I even get angry with her. I say those words you shouldn't say: "Pull yourself together. You can try harder. You are not listening to me." The script that we've lived with has begun. Mum says, "I've been a good girl. How can I live with this thing in my head? It's like an engine."
We arrive at a building that feels like a residential home. There's a waiting room at the bottom of a staircase, between a dining room and the reception. It feels like we are in transition. There's one other pair: a young man and his mother. We try not to make eye contact. He seems to be the one that's sick, and not her, but who can tell? It's quiet. No one speaks. It seems inappropriate to read the magazines on offer. This isn't a dentist or doctor's waiting room.
We're called in and up a flight of stairs, through an anonymous corridor with many doors and no life. The therapist today costs 140 pounds per hour. Mum has mentioned that this therapist is a senior professional in the psychiatric ward at a local hospital. She's already conscious that this woman is posh and educated. The therapist intimidates my mum, whose tirades stop when she enters the therapist's room. Her polite upbringing kicks in and she realizes it is inappropriate to act with this woman the way she acts with us.
There's something else going on, though: this therapist wasn't actually that interested. She listens to what mum says, but it's not empathic; she's humouring her. Then, for my benefit this therapist runs through her resume.
"I'm not interested," I tell her. "We're here for my mum." I start to get frustrated, as I listen to more of the words that I know won't reach my mum. Why can't she see who her patient is?
Then my mum mentions something about panic and anxiety. The therapist latches on to this: "I have something for that," she says, and mentions something about a relaxing CD. She then spends five of our very precious 50 minutes trying to find it.
Eventually, I volunteer to go to the reception and collect a copy. I leave mum, walk downstairs, and collect the CD. I am told it will cost 20 pounds. I pay the money, go back upstairs, and hand the CD to the therapist. She says she's never used this one before, but she's sure it's good.
You're kidding, right? This is your advice – take a CD home and follow it on your own, and you'll get better? I thought. How can she not see this woman who can barely dress herself? How can my mum possibly listen to a CD that the therapist has not even heard, and how can the therapist possibly recommend it?
We listen to it in the car on the way home. Before long I've turned it off, furious, but mum and I are also fighting again. Once more that day, we sit in traffic while mum replays how the tinnitus started.
Fear, Coping, and a Case for Trust
I've since learned that there were other therapists, like you hear rumors of love affairs. There were many of them. We did find one wonderful therapist, who saw mum for a while in San Francisco when she visited. But long distance relationships don't last — even therapeutic ones.
She's been burned, badly. And so have we, her family members. I understand her ambivalence about allowing therapists near her. I share that too. She feels so fragile. Will they make her unravel?
While we've reached some kind of equilibrium now and we're coping and can manage, sometimes we wonder, why pick at the wound? Why break the leg again? Even if it heals badly, at least you can still stand, even if you can't walk. And when mum is in crisis, when she can't function, we wonder, what's the point? Can therapy even get through to her?
But I firmly believe, too, that she needs therapy, and that if any relationship could bring her fractured mind and self back together, it is the therapeutic one… If only she can learn how to trust again, and if only we can, too.
A Brit based in northern California, Claire Hodgson is a writer and curator, and the founder of Joe's Daughter (joesdaughter.org).
© Copyright 2013 GoodTherapy.org. All rights reserved.
The preceding article was solely written by the author named above. Any views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the preceding article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment below.
'I Don't Need Therapy:' Why I Was Wrong
It's Never Too Late to Grow
Twelve Tips for People Considering Therapy
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sorry about the bad experiences that your mom had with therapy.wasnt sure of therapy effectiveness myself but when I did go in due to an abnormal level of anxiety it certainly did help.saw a therapist for about three months and things are much better now.
true that not everybody will have the same outcome but therapy can and will help.happy to see that you still believe in the power if therapy and I hope your mom finds a therapist that is able to help her.all the very best to her.
June 1st, 2013 at 4:38 AM
I don't know if this is the case, but I know that there are some people who are constantly making excuses why they can't relate to this person or another. One talks too much, one not enough, too cold in the office, too hot, on and on and on. There will always be something and after a while it starts to feel like one long excuse after another. It's not that they don't think that they want to heal because I think that most people deep inside really do want that freedom that healing will bring them. But I think that there is naother part in some of them who are afraid of the process, afraid of what will come up and come out if they really begin to work with and trust one without question. I think that for a lot of people this is the thing that has to be addressed first befoe they have any hope for moving forward.
June 1st, 2013 at 10:40 PM
Trust in therapy has to be the first step in gaining anything out of it.Because unless you believe and trust in its effectiveness you are not going to be able to gain.No matter how good a therapist you meet or how great his techniques are unless you truly believe it will help you it will not.
Reid B
It was such a relief to me when I finally found my right therapist. I had been to so many for a couple of sessions and never really felt like I could find someone that would understand everything that I was feeling until I found my current therapist.
She has really been my lifesaver. gotten me finally safe to shore, and I could NEVER thank her enough for everything that she has done for me. I really don't know where I would be at this point in my life without her.
Mary S
June 2nd, 2013 at 3:40 PM
What seems to be missing in the comments (not the original post) here is that the therapist needs to *earn* the client's trust, and needs to be *worthy* of the client's trust. I made the mistake of trusting therapists when the trust wasn't warranted. I would tell myself that I wasn't giving them a chance, that I needed to try harder, to be more tolerant, more trusting, etc. (which they, by the way, encouraged). But, looking back, my doubts were indeed well-founded. So much about therapy didn't make sense to me – and trying to trust despite my doubts harmed more than helped. The therapists' world view seemed so different from mine, and therapy seemed so divorced from my everyday experience. I just couldn't convince myself that the emperor was really wearing clothes. I wish I had trusted my judgment more – but part of what I went to therapy for was to learn to trust my own judgment more, to be less easily swayed by others. Catch 22.
So my take is: Therapists need to recognize that people are tremendously diverse; that just because the therapist may feel that they have empathy for a client doesn't mean that the empathy is accurate; the therapist may be seeing a creature of their imagination, rather than the real client. Practitioners need to realize that one size does not fit all, and that client-therapist rapport is important. It is not the client's responsibility to trust; it is the therapist's responsibility to earn and be worthy of trust.
June 2nd, 2013 at 10:49 PM
opening up to anybody can be scary at first. especially for some of us it can be a nightmare come true. and after having had bad experiences like your mother did, I dont think I would ever be able to trust therapy anytime again and would run away from any mention of it.
being in therapy is a vulnerable position in itself. being treated this way would put a certain full stop to anything like that ever again.
NONYMOUS
June 3rd, 2013 at 6:17 PM
i am not a peson who beleive or would let a therapist near me at all. I trusted god after the damage done to bme by drs i was taken to when i was not even sick or depressed or complain. i was a fragile person and had to be close to god. No one but god , had the interest oa abilty to heal that . i was a extreme munchausen by proxy by drs.. and i got to live a new life. i recal how sick i got being taken to these people ho did not care what i said and most of them were sick. I did not find one person who was basic enought to realize what was going on before they almost make me killmyself. i did not give in , and went with god and he took me to high happy places..
If you are not willing to allow some of those defenses to fall away then there is no reason to see a therapist at all. Why go if you aren't going to allow them in to get to know you and understand you?
Discussant
Trust has to be earned. Many therapists become therapists because they were unsuccessful in maintaining trusting relationships in their personal lives, and a professional role in which "trust" is commanded rather than earned may seem like a good substitute for them. These are the last people we should put faith in. It's important for consumers to judge carefully, and choose safer alternatives if possible.
resharpen
Discussant – I hear you, loud and clear! For an excellent blog on poor therapists:
disequilibrium1.wordpress.com/
Many of us have had terrible experiences with therapists, including myself. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO CHANGE THAT PROFESSION. My experiences have DO go into this field because of needs they have, many of which are unconscious.
for instance, WHY would a therapist scream at her/his client??? Belittle them? Act superior to them? Literally bark orders at them, in telling them HOW to solve a problem? I have had therapists who have done what I have just described and more; as in the following: one spoke about her hatred of men, because her husband had cheated on her; A man told me, in a very ugly voice, that his wife was a JAP (Jewish American Princess), even tho I was Jewish, and his comment had NOTHING to do with what we were discussing; my first therapist exhibited all the symptoms of borderline personality disorder, and actually 'accused' me of 'hogging' all the therapy time for telling her MY problems (she told me that she needed time to tell me HER problems – btw – I was paying HER); another told me, very belligerantly that of course men didn't like me because of the way I 'acted' – never explaining what that was, and never trying to help me 'change', etc.; several said NOTHING during entire sessions – when I asked one why she wouldn't say anything she told me that I and my boyfriend (we had sought couples counseling) had 'too many things' going on – I told her that in my next life I would become a therapist & do exactly what she was doing – get paid big bucks for doing NOTHING; when I told a new therapist what I was coming to see her for, she responded 'And THAT bothers you?!' like I was nuts or something-she never helped me, and should have told me that from the start that she couldn't. I am really sick & tired of this profession – I think many therapists are in it because: 1) they have a 'belief' that they MUST announce to everyone, like 'men are all jerks",; 2)Many are angry people who can take their anger out on their clients easily – clients are vulnerable, and desperately want help, and won't fight back. 3) Many have mental problems themselves, and in a very bizarre way, think they can 'work them out' by doing therapy – a variant of this is they feel badly, but when doing therapy on others, are no longer focused on their problems, and so feel much better; 4) Many just want power, and go 'nuts' if challenged; 5) Many can't get intimate with others, they are too scared, etc., BUT as we all have intimacy needs, they fulfill these needs by getting 'intimate' with their clients – after all, when we listen to someone's deep feelings, we do feel closer to them. THis way the therapist gets intimacy without having to be vulnerable.
Well, that's about it. I think therapist's sessions should be randomly 'listened in on' by supervisors. Otherwise, there is no way that anyone else really knows what's going on – and can call them on it.
June 22nd, 2013 at 1:41 PM
I find it one of therapy's harmful mythologies that the client is asked to surrender her judgment and put herself ingenuously in the therapist's masterful hands.
There's not a person alive scrubbed of all weaknesses, fears and blind spots. Given the power imbalance and abuse potential embedded in the therapy "performance" the possibility for harm might be more present than in an outside relationship.
Isn't it more realistic–and "healthy"–for therapists to stop asking clients to idealize and engage without the child-like awe?
Does unconditional "trust" really prepare an adult for life? Or or is it more to serve the therapist's ego and income?
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text:
DECLARE_string(test_tmpdir);

DEFINE_bool(test_deterministic, true,
             "if true, srand() is initialized by \"test_srand_seed\"."
             "if false, srand() is initialized by current time "
             "and \"test_srand_seed\" is ignored");

DEFINE_int32(test_srand_seed, 0,
             "seed number for srand(). "
             "used only when \"test_deterministic\" is true");

namespace mozc {

class ConverterInterface;

namespace session {

class SessionConverterStressTest : public testing::Test {
 public:
  SessionConverterStressTest() {
    if (!FLAGS_test_deterministic) {
      FLAGS_test_srand_seed = static_cast<int32>(Util::GetTime());
    }
    Util::SetRandomSeed(static_cast<uint32>(FLAGS_test_srand_seed));
  }

  virtual void SetUp() {
    SystemUtil::SetUserProfileDirectory(FLAGS_test_tmpdir);
    config::Config config;
    config::ConfigHandler::GetDefaultConfig(&config);
    config::ConfigHandler::SetConfig(config);
  }
};

namespace {
void GenerateRandomInput(
    size_t length, char min_code, char max_code, string* output) {
  output->reserve(length);
  char tmp[2];
  tmp[1] = '\0';
  for (int i = 0; i < length; ++i) {
    tmp[0] = static_cast<unsigned char>(
        min_code + Util::Random(max_code - min_code + 1));
    output->append(tmp);
  }
}
}  // namespace

TEST_F(SessionConverterStressTest, ConvertToHalfWidthForRandomAsciiInput) {
  // ConvertToHalfWidth has to return the same string as the input.

  const int kTestCaseSize = 2;
  struct TestCase {
    int min, max;
  } kTestCases[] = {
      {' ', '~'},  // All printable characters
      {'a', 'z'},  // Alphabets
  };

  const string kRomajiHiraganaTable = "system://romanji-hiragana.tsv";
  const commands::Request default_request;

  scoped_ptr<EngineInterface> engine(MockDataEngineFactory::Create());
  ConverterInterface* converter = engine->GetConverter();
  SessionConverter sconverter(converter, &default_request);
  composer::Table table;
  table.LoadFromFile(kRomajiHiraganaTable.c_str());
  composer::Composer composer(&table, &default_request);
  commands::Output output;
  string input;

  for (int test = 0; test < kTestCaseSize; ++test) {
    const int kLoopLimit = 100;
    for (int i = 0; i < kLoopLimit; ++i) {
      composer.Reset();
      sconverter.Reset();
      output.Clear();
      input.clear();

      // Limited by kMaxCharLength in immutable_converter.cc
      const int kInputStringLength = 32;
      GenerateRandomInput(
          kInputStringLength, kTestCases[test].min, kTestCases[test].max,
          &input);

      composer.InsertCharacterPreedit(input);
      sconverter.ConvertToTransliteration(composer,
                                          transliteration::HALF_ASCII);
      sconverter.FillOutput(composer, &output);

      const commands::Preedit &conversion = output.preedit();
      EXPECT_EQ(input, conversion.segment(0).value()) <<
          input << "\t" << conversion.segment(0).value();
    }
  }
}

}  // namespace session
}  // namespace mozc

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I recently had the rather unpleasant experience of my multiplayer game minimising with the worst possible timing during a crucial moment of the match. Needless to say, it was a bit frustrating.
Normally I don't experience any problems at all with programs stealing focus from fullscreen apps, but I do remember this happening at least one previous time due to my Webroot (for gamers, no less!) product popping up the message reminding me to stay safe from phishing online, read the safety report etc.
I assume that this is just an issue that's gone unnoticed because, like I said, the messages don't pop up that often. But given my most recent experience I thought I'd sign up here in an attempt to leave some feedback that might see this problem resolved. Apart from this issue, I've had no other problems with the software and it's been very non-invasive so it would be a shame to feel the need to switch because of one silly pop-up.
If anyone knows of a way of preventing this behaviour in the meantime I'd love to know.
Hello @fraser_gc and Welcome to the Webroot Community!
As TripleHelix pointed out, we had other users reporting this as well (it impacted myself too) and the pop up message for phishing awareness has ended. I highly recommend rebooting your computer and/or running a couple scans to be 100% sure Webroot has checked in. If you are still experiencing this, please let me know so I can present it to the product team.


text:
Kings River Life is at VidCon!
IN THE July 13 ISSUE
We are at VidCon this week so we were not home to post a new issue! But don't worry we will be back July 20 with a full issue, and during the week we will still be posting some local entertainment articles.
What is the Reedley Community Services Department?
IN THE July 6 ISSUE
KRL has been doing a series of articles looking at various aspects of the City of Reedley. We have looked at the Chamber of Commerce, the City Council, chatted with the City Manager, and the Chief of Police, and this week we are taking a look at the Reedley Community Services Department. We sat down with Sarah Reid who is the current Director. Sarah has worked for the City for 16 years, and has been the Director of Community Services for a year.
Mamma Mia! Presented by StageWorks Fresno-One Weekend Only!
andTheatre SECTIONS
Mamma Mia! will be hitting the stage in Clovis this July, presented by StageWorks Fresno. We sat down to chat with StageWorks Artistic Director Joel Abels to learn more about this production.
Country on the Kings River Fundraiser at the Wakehouse in Reedley
andMusic SECTIONS
The Wakehouse in Reedley is the place to be these days with a lot of great concerts and food. A special event, Country on the Kings River, is coming to the Wakehouse on Friday, July 12.
Survival is A Dying Art By Neil S. Plakcy: Review/Giveaway/Guest Post
IN THE June 29 ISSUE
andTales of Diversity SECTIONS
& Neil Plakcy
In honor of Pride, this month we are featuring several LGBTQ+ authors and characters. When I was looking around for books to include, I stumbled upon Neil S. Plakcy's series featuring Special Agent Angus Green and noticed that his latest book, Survival is A Dying Art, was a finalist for the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Mystery. I decided that this was the perfect choice and I am very glad that I did!
Traitor's Codex By Jeri Westerson: Review/Giveaway
andMysteryrat's Maze SECTIONS
Traitor's Codex is the latest Medieval Noir Crispin Guest mystery by Jeri Westerson. Crispin is a disgraced knight who turned his talent for finding things into a profession as a Tracker (basically a private detective) to make a living. Over the years he has become quite good at it and developed a reputation for getting the job done.
A New Place For Summer Fun in Reedley
Reedley has a new place to take the family for some summer fun, Trimble Park splash pad. The ribbon cutting was on May 22. We took a moment to chat with Reedley's Community Services Director Sarah Reid to learn more.
Mama's Café: A New Place to Hang Out In Downtown Reedley
A few months ago a new coffee shop opened in downtown Reedley called Mama's Café. My daughter and I now visit there on a regular basis. This is something that has been missing from downtown for awhile now-it is nice to have somewhere other than Starbucks to go to for good coffee and a nice place to hang out. But Mama's offers a lot more than that. Recently we sat down to chat with owners Jose and Jacqueline Escoto to learn a bit more about this unique shop.
Reedley Kings Canyon Youth Soccer League
IN THE June 8 ISSUE
Summer is nearly upon us and many of us have kids looking for something worthwhile to do with their summer vacation. Why not try soccer? Recently we sat down with Diego Mendoza, who is currently the webmaster and social media manager for the Reedley Kings Canyon Youth Soccer League, to learn more about their league and how to get involved.
Grave Destiny By Kalayna Price: Review/Giveaway
andFantasy & Fangs,
Grave Destiny is the latest in Kalayna Price's urban fantasy series featuring grave witch Alex Craft. As a grave witch, Alex can speak to the dead, which has made her an asset to the local law enforcement and a possible threat to others. It has also helped her with her PI business.
Instinct Returns For Season Two
andTales of Diversity,
andTV SECTIONS
The mystery drama Instinct, starring Alan Cumming, premiered on CBS last year and we reviewed it here in KRL! I love this show and was excited to hear that it was finally coming back on June 16 for a second season!
Discovery Summer Camp 2019
Looking for something different and exciting for the kids to do this summer? Check out the Discovery Summer Camp, presented by the Discovery Center in Fresno. I sat down with the Executive Director of the Discovery Center in Fresno, Lori Hunter, to find out more about this unique summer camp!
Disney's Newsies Musical On Stage At Roger Rocka's
Disney's Newsies musical hit the Roger Rocka's stage this past weekend, presented by Good Company Players. I had never seen the show before, but I was familiar with several of its songs and had seen a performance on the Tony's, where it won awards for Best Original Score and Best Choreography.
9th Anniversary/KRL News/Changes Coming!
May 29 is the 9th anniversary of KRL! It's been an amazing 9 years that have seen a lot of changes. Thanks to all of you who read KRL and I hope you continue to do so for many more years to come. It has also been almost a year since the first episode of Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast went up! The new year ahead of us will likely see many more changes, but we will always stay true to our core and you will always find mystery, theatre, animal rescue and more in KRL and KRL News and Reviews!


text:
Mozart Season announce 2011 West Coast tour
Mozart Season has announced their first tour of 2011 – a west coast tour with This Romantic Tragedy and Kingdom of Giants. The tour will kick off on January 7th at The Red House in Walnut Creek, CA.
The Sacramento-based band will wrap up 2010 with a short headlining tour. The tour kicks off this Thursday, December 16th in Salem, OR, with Burning Twilight as direct support.
In 2011, Mozart Season will continue to tour in support of their latest EP, Nightmares, which was released this past August and will continue to write and prepare for their debut full-length album.
Mozart Season was recently featured on the front page of AltPress.com, for their acoustic performance of "Nightmares". The video was filmed live at the Equal Vision Records offices in Albany, NY. Check it out HERE.
All upcoming tour dates can be seen below:
w/Burning Twilight
Dec 16 Salem, OR @The Wasteland
Dec 17 Quesadilla Factory @ Centralia, WA
Dec 18 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Dec 19 Sumner, WA @ D4
Dec 20 Longview, WA @ Standing Ovation
w/This Romantic Tragedy, Kingdom of Giants
Jan 07 Walnut Creek, CA @ The Red House
Jan 08 San Diego, CA @ Epicenter
Jan 09 Long Beach, CA @ DiPiazzas
Jan 14 Las Cruces, NM @ Mikey's Place
Jan 15 Midland, TX @ The Pine Box
Jan 16 Austin, TX @ Emos
Jan 18 Tulsa, OK @ Reverb
Jan 19 Edin, OK @ The InBetween
Jan 20 Evansville, IN @ Boney Junes


text:
J&K govt signs pact with Dubai-based LuLu group to set up food processing, logistics hub in Srinagar
JAMMU – The Jammu and Kashmir government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai-based Lulu group to set up a food processing and logistics hub in Srinagar, officials said.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha termed it as a "historic agreement" and said the trade between Jammu & Kashmir and Dubai has remained steady reflects the resilience of our deep economic linkages.
The J&K government signed an MoU with the LuLu Group to set up a food processing and logistics hub in Srinagar, in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and LuLu group Chairman Yusuff Ali M A on Wednesday, an official spokesman said on Thursday.
This historic agreement was signed by J&K Principal Secretary (Industries & Commerce) Ranjan Prakash Thakur and LuLu Group Executive Director Ashraf Ali M A at Dubai, where Sinha also inaugurated J&K promotion week at the LuLu hypermarket.
The lieutenant governor said the MoU with the LuLu group will further expand Jammu & Kashmir-Dubai collaboration and Jammu Kashmir-LuLu Group partnership.
"Relations between India and the UAE are long-standing and deep-rooted. People-to-people contact and trade have seen momentum in the recent years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the lieutenant governor said.
The world-famous GI-tagged saffron has been launched at LuLu Hypermarket, which is a major step towards boosting the Jammu & Kashmir-Dubai partnership, he said.
Sinha added that the LuLu group is already importing apples from Jammu & Kashmir and with saffron, "we are adding Kashmir's finest spice to the basket".
"I am certain this new beginning will take our trade to unprecedented levels," he said.
Sinha added that the trade between Jammu & Kashmir and Dubai has remained steady, despite COVID-19 challenges and it reflects the resilience of its deep economic linkages. "The MoU will further expand Jammu Kashmir-Dubai collaboration and Jammu Kashmir-Lulu Group partnership."
Jammu & Kashmir is number one in the production of Saffron, Apple, Walnut and Almond in India. The MoU with the LuLu group will help the UT reach out to shoppers at 190 LuLu Hypermarkets across the GCC and Egypt.
J&K reports 349 fresh covid-19 cases, 3 deaths
Srinagar-Jammu, Mughal road, Sonamarg road closed amid landslides, snowfall


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Aug 28th 1993 at 14:30 Treflan Attendance
Total Network Solutions
Holywell Town
Match report WELSH PREMIER
Saints notch up win number two
Llansantffraid's great start to their first season in the league continued with a home victory over Holywell.
The visitors opened brightly and missed one glorious chance before half time.
But two second half goals secured the points, with Ian Clarke opening the scoring in the 55th minute, cutting inside a defender and shooting into the roof of the net after a cross had been headed down by Jason Weetman.
Substitute Andy Oakley sealed victory by enhancing his prolific scoring record - 50 goals in 51 games for the club – in the 86th minute taking a through ball from Andy Edwards and beating the Holywell keeper in style.
He should have added a second a couple of minutes later when he was again put through only to shoot wide under pressure from a defender.
Ian Clarke (55)
Andy Oakley (86)


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Home Resources Bulletin WMO Data Exchange – Background, History and Impact
WMO Data Exchange – Background, History and Impact
Twelfth_WMO_Congress_700dpi.jpeg
Lars Peter Riishojgaard, John Zillman, Adrian Simmons and John Eyre
Bulletin nº :
Vol 70 (2) - 2021
While our everyday experience of weather is dominated by its local impact, weather and climate are truly global phenomena. It is often said that "Weather and Climate know no boundaries", and an observer will quickly realize that weather systems develop and move across the planet regardless of political boundaries. The implications of this basic fact on how we monitor weather, and how we attempt to understand and predict it, are profound.
The science and practice of meteorology are built on the realization that if we can describe the current state of the atmosphere and underlying surface and know the physical laws which govern their behaviour, we can, in principle, predict future weather and climate in ways that can contribute usefully to human safety and well-being. For nearly 200 years, we have been aware that, if we can observe the present state of the atmosphere over our national territory, we can predict our local weather with some skill for a few hours or maybe a day ahead. For nearly 100 years, we have known that, to predict the future weather for longer than a few days in any country, we must have access to atmospheric data from everywhere else on the globe. As the atmosphere has no geographic boundaries, it is only in its entirety that it can be comprehensively understood and, in our modern times, simulated mathematically. Modern weather or climate prediction is therefore undertaken through international coordination and a global infrastructure – without both of which it would be impossible.
As our understanding of meteorology and Earth System science grew through the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, so too did our awareness of the needs for all countries to access global data and reliable systems for the collection of the observations. The collection of that data started with the invention of the thermometer and the barometer in the seventeenth century and has continuously progressed technologically – leading to today's vital space-based solutions. The history of WMO data exchange is a remarkable story of scientific vision, technological development and service provision and, most of all, of a unique system of cooperation between institutions, scientific disciplines and national governments for the good of all.
History of Data Exchange
Figure 1 - Twelfth World Meteorological Congress, 1995 (from left to right): A.S. Zaitsev, Assistant Secretary-General, J.W. Zillman, First Vice-President, Zou Jingmemg, President, Prof. G.O.P. Obasi, Secretary-General, and M. Jarraud, Deputy Secretary-General (WMO/Bianco)
The history of international sharing of meteorological data goes back to the early nineteenth century foundations of Humboldtian science (Wulf 2015), the applications-oriented data exchange legacy of the 1853 Brussels Conference (Maury 1855) and the 1873 origins of the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), the predecessor of WMO. IMO built a highly effective international framework for enabling all countries to obtain the observations from other countries and from ships at sea for research and for the provision of weather and climate services to their national communities.
The need to strengthen and expand international data exchange for both research and practical application was central to the replacement of the non-governmental IMO by the intergovernmental WMO. Data exchange was identified as a central purpose of WMO in its 1947 Convention. The new WMO framework was reinforced over its first two decades through the special data collection systems that were put in place for the 1957 International Geophysical Year and then, more ambitiously, through the 1967 launch of the World Weather Watch (Davies, 1990) and the Global Atmospheric Research Programme (GARP).
The 1970s implementation of the World Weather Watch and GARP enabled the National Meteorological Services (NMSs) to greatly strengthen their data collection and exchange, research, modelling and forecasting. This allowed them to support a wide range of public and private meteorological services with extensive national economic and social benefit. However, with the 1980s trend towards the privatization of government services previously provided as a public good, pressures mounted in several countries to commercialize the public meteorological services of NMSs. This led to competition with the private sector, tensions between previously cooperating NMSs and fees charged for access to data that were previously freely exchanged for research.
The commercialization issue erupted across the international meteorological community through the late 1980s and early 1990s. Despite the best efforts of the WMO Executive Council, the 1995 World Meteorological Congress faced the prospect of a complete breakdown of international data exchange and a global meteorological data war (WMO, 2019). Delegations were divided between those who believed that, without free exchange of data, international meteorological cooperation would collapse and those who believed that data commercialization was desirable (or inevitable) and that a new international data regime must be found. After long and difficult negotiations, WMO Members reached consensus that the traditional policy and practice of "free and unrestricted international exchange of meteorological and related data and products" was too globally beneficial and too important to be put at risk. The Congress unanimously adopted Resolution 40, affirming the free exchange of "essential" data as a "fundamental principle" of WMO (Figure 1).
The implementation of Resolution 40 proved challenging for WMO and many individual countries, and it was soon realized that it did not fully cover many aspects of data exchange. This included several categories of the "additional" data needed for national weather forecasting as well as hydrological and oceanographic data and the many types of data needed for climate purposes. In due course, hydrological data exchange was addressed through Resolution 25 of the 1999 Congress, oceanographic data by the 2003 Assembly of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and climatological data through the subsequent WMO Resolution 60. But, while Resolution 40 restored and reinforced the global commitment to free and unrestricted international exchange of "meteorological and related data", it left the WMO community with a growing awareness of the need for a more robust and unified policy framework for international exchange of all Earth System data. The origins and early history of the WMO system of data exchange and the negotiation and impact of Resolution 40 are summarized in Zillman (2019, 2021) and WMO (2019).
Emergence and expansion of global numerical weather prediction
The basic principles of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) were enunciated by Vilhelm Bjerknes (1904), who identified the need to apply dynamical-physical methods to the fundamental tasks of determining the initial state of the atmosphere and the evolution of the atmosphere from one state to another. His work had considerable influence on a remarkable study by Lewis Fry Richardson (1922), who set out in detail a comprehensive series of governing equations and a numerical process for their solution. Richardson's scheme was "complicated because the atmosphere is complicated", and well beyond practical application at the time.
The advent of electronic computers in the 1940s made it possible for the first time to solve a much simpler equation numerically (Charney et al., 1950) and in due course to evolve solutions forward in time faster than the actual weather would develop – a prerequisite for the application of NWP in operational forecasting. Initially, the rate of progress was slow. It was not until the 1970s that NWP systems were able to outperform human forecasters consistently and convincingly.
Operational global NWP began on 18 September 1974, in the United States of America (US) (Dey, 1989). It was made possible by the international exchange of data from the ground-based observing systems of the World Weather Watch, and by the availability of data from US satellites: global soundings of temperature from polar orbit and regional winds estimated from tracking clouds viewed from geostationary orbit. It drew on the prior development of global atmospheric modelling and a method of analysing observational data to produce the starting conditions needed by the forecast model. Increased computer power was another enabling factor.
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) was established in the 1970s in recognition of the potential benefits of a common computational resource and pooled scientific expertise. ECMWF became the second centre providing operational global forecasts on 1 August 1979. The Met Office in the UK and the US Navy followed in 1982. Today, WMO has nine designated Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres(RSMCs) for Global Deterministic NWP as part of its Global Data-Processing and Forecasting System (GDPFS). The GDPFS coordinates the preparation of meteorological analysis and forecast fields and makes them available worldwide. In recent decades, the RSMCs have considerably expanded the number and quality of products made available, enabling all who provide observational data to benefit from the analyses and forecasts that their observations support.
The global forecast products available from multiple sources and for multiple starting times have been important for indicating the uncertainty of forecasts and possible extreme conditions. Extensive probabilistic information from global ensemble forecasting systems have been added to them. These complement the single "deterministic" forecast with a set of generally lower resolution forecasts that are perturbed to account for uncertainties in the forecast model's starting conditions and physical processes. Ensemble forecasting was first introduced operationally in Europe and the US in December 1992. Eight of the nine RSMCs for Global Deterministic NWP are also designated as RSMCs for Global Ensemble NWP.
The limited-area NWP systems operated by many countries also benefit from global data exchange. Although these systems only require observational data over the domains they cover, specified values at domain boundaries are needed for the duration of the forecast. These boundary values are typically provided by global systems.
Evolution of the global observing system
Observing systems have evolved considerably over the past 75 years or so. Upper-air measurements from the radiosonde network, developed in the 1940s and 1950s, were a crucial addition to the established surface observations from land stations and ships. Observations from aircraft became available in significant numbers in the 1970s, and deployment of substantial numbers of drifting ocean buoys began in 1979. Many of these types of observation have subsequently improved in quality due to better instrumentation and are today available in much greater quantity, due largely to increased automation and the willingness and capacity of WMO Members to transmit them globally.
The first satellite images of weather patterns were obtained in the 1960s, but the key developments in satellite observations for NWP came in the 1970s. Operational measurement of temperature- and humidity-sensitive radiances began in late 1972. An enhancement of radiance measurements from polar orbit and wind estimates from geostationary orbit came later in the decade. Better orbital coverage, from an increasing number of operators, better instruments and more types of measurement have followed decade by decade since then. Today, data from around 90 satellite instruments are processed by the atmospheric component of the ECMWF forecasting system.
Moreover, both in situ and space-based measurements are now being used routinely to determine starting conditions for the oceanic models that are being coupled with atmospheric models for prediction across an increasing range of timescales. Greater sophistication of the representations in forecast models of land surfaces, including hydrological aspects, and of atmospheric composition broaden further the needs for observational data and their international exchange, but also provide opportunities for exchange of a broader set of derived data products.
Figure 2 - Variation over time of measures of the accuracy of ECMWF forecasts at ranges of three, five and seven days ahead. Upper: 731-day running means of anomaly correlations of 500hPa forecasts for the extratropical northern and southern hemispheres for the operational forecasts made from 1 January 1981 to 30 June 2021. Lower: Corresponding values for regions encompassing Europe and Australia/New Zealand, from forecasts made in hindsight twice daily from the ERA5 reanalyses from 1 January 1950 to 30 June 2021. The ERA5 results are shown for two regions where the availability of radiosonde data makes verifying analyses (also taken from ERA5) more reliable than those for the whole hemispheres in the years before satellite data became available.
Uses of observations and the improvement of forecasts
Many observations are used and re-used numerous times. Forecasting centres use them to initialize several types of forecast, to evaluate forecast quality, to calibrate products and to develop and test improvements to forecasting systems. This involves both direct use and the use of analyses or reanalyses based on them.
Figure 2 shows the improvement over time of ECMWF forecasts for three, five and seven days ahead. The upper panel refines and updates a figure first published by Simmons and Hollingsworth (2002). It shows that operational forecasts over the southern hemisphere were substantially poorer on average than those over the northern hemisphere until the early 1980s, that there then followed a period of 20 years during which improvement was greater in the southern hemisphere and that since the 2000s improvement has gone hand-in-hand for the two hemispheres.
The lower panel shows performance from 1950 for forecasts made from ERA5 reanalyses (Hersbach et al., 2020, for more on reanalysis see article 5). Results are presented for Europe and Australia/New Zealand in this case as the availability of radiosonde data makes the verifying analyses (also taken from ERA5) more reliable for these regions than they are for the hemispheres as a whole, especially in the pre-satellite period. The lower panel shows that the ERA5 forecasts over the two regions were largely similar in quality from 1979 onwards. Nevertheless, there was a fairly steady improvement in the ERA5 forecasts from 1979 onward due to the increased availability and quality of observational data. Better use of observational data and better modelling were the main reasons for the operational improvements of the 1980s and 1990s. There was a little more gain in the southern than the northern hemisphere for a spell around 2000, suggesting greater impact of the new satellite-borne instruments introduced at that time.
The very large improvement in ERA5 forecasts for Australia and New Zealand around 1979 was due to the developments of both space-based and in situ observing systems made for GARP's 1979 Global Weather Experiment, and sustained thereafter. Improvement due to observing system changes in the 1960s and 1970s is also evident for this region. The pre-1979 forecasts for Europe were generally closer in quality to those for later years, but there was improvement in the 1950s, when the expansion of radiosonde coverage included completion of the networks of ocean weather ships, and in the 1970s, when the first operational soundings from space were followed by the observing-system enhancements made as part of GARP.
Forecasting for the tropics poses more difficulties than for the extra-tropics. The approximations used in NWP were developed for mid-latitude weather and some of them are questionable in the tropics. In addition, phenomena that occur on spatial scales smaller than those that can be resolved by the model play a much more significant role in the tropics than they do in temperate latitudes. The observational data coverage, especially for in situ upper air observations, is poor in most areas of the tropics, especially in developing countries. The lack of upper air observations is a serious problem – the relatively few radiosonde observations that are available in the tropics have disproportionally large impacts on NWP skill, indicating that the system is under-nourished with these data. The lack of surface observations severely limits the ability to verify the quality of the actual weather forecast, as distinct from skill of the NWP output.
Nevertheless, there are success stories. Chief among these is the improvement of tropical cyclone forecasts and the efficacy of the resultant actions taken to protect lives and limit material damage. The official forecasts of the US National Hurricane Center, for example, routinely draw on the products made available by five global weather forecasting centres (three of them non-US) and three regional systems. The improvement over the past thirty years in track forecasts for the Atlantic Basin (Figure 3) has been considerable. There have also been distinct, though more modest, improvements over the same period in forecasts of intensity.
Figure 3 - Annual average position error (km) in official US National Hurricane Center forecasts for the Atlantic Basin, from 1990 to 2020 (Adapted from Cangialosi, 2021).
Observations for climate analysis and the implementation of GCOS
Figure 4 - Decadal-averages of global-mean surface temperature estimates from six datasets, expressed as a change over the industrial era. Two datasets (ERA5 and JRA-55) use analysis of synoptic surface air temperature data; the other four use analysis of monthly average station data. See details here.
The observations used for NWP are also used for monitoring, understanding, modelling and predicting climate. In general, climate applications require more comprehensive observations of the Earth System and there is a wide variety of institutional arrangements for making and processing these observations. The integrated Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) was formally established in 1992 as an international, interagency, interdisciplinary framework with the goal of ensuring the availability of comprehensive information on the entire climate system (Houghton et al., 2012). GCOS has identified a set of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs; Bojinski et al., 2014) that are needed for the characterization of the climate system and its changes and whose observation is technically feasible and affordable, mainly relying on coordinated observing systems using proven technology. Thus, they can take advantage where possible of historical datasets. GCOS has also regularly assessed the status of global climate observations and the needs for implementation, reporting to WMO and its other sponsors[1], and to the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
International exchange of data for climate applications is needed both for historical and current observations. Various factors may mean that some of the latest observational data and products are available only with a delay. Such is the case for the monthly climatological data reports (CLIMATs) from observing stations that are important for extending the record of temperature change since the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, the timely meteorological and related data for weather forecasting are also used within a few days at most in the extensions of multi-purpose reanalyses. These reanalyses provide, for example, prompt updates of the temperature data record built from monthly station data (and observations of sea temperatures) for earlier decades (Figure 4). In addition to providing a much more comprehensive set of monthly records of variability and change, the reanalyses complement daily station data in identifying and characterizing the extreme events for which there is a strong and urgent demand for public information, not least concerning the role of climate change. The exchange of data products from reanalysis (see article 5) has become more open over the years since the activity began in the 1990s, providing further benefit to those who provide the observational data on which the products are based.
Design of observing networks
Starting in 1995, WMO established the process for Rolling Review of Requirements (RRR) for observations:
Requirements for observations are assessed for each of (currently) 14 application areas spanning the full spectrum of WMO activities.
The capabilities of present and planned surface-based and spaced-based observing systems are also assessed.
Requirements and capabilities are compared, and current or projected gaps in capabilities are identified.
Based on this gap analysis, a vision for the future observing system is developed, together with a plan of actions to implement the vision.
The RRR process draws heavily on the experience of both applications experts and technology experts.
From the outset, the RRR process has sought to engage all the application areas covered by WMO programmes, but progress has been more rapid in some areas than in others. Close links to GCOS ensured that the requirements of climate monitoring have always been well represented. However, the main application area driving the RRR process from the beginning has been global NWP. The NWP community was already well coordinated, and its requirements for observations were fairly well understood. Since the 1990s this community has been effective in articulating its requirements for a rapidly expanding range of satellite data, initially through coordination between the NWP centres of Europe and North America, and the respective space agencies. This evolved into a coordination between all the major global NWP centres and space agencies, under the umbrella of the Global Observation Data Exchange (GODEX) forum with the involvement of the WMO Secretariat.
Coordination on the exchange of surface-based observations has proven to be more difficult. This is partly due to the large number of entities involved – 193 WMO Members, as opposed to a small number of space agencies – and partly due to the absence of a strong and well-organized lobby behind these observing systems. In many parts of the world, especially in developing countries, the observational data coverage has decreased over the last 20 years, even though the requirements for these data remain very strongly supported. In large part triggered by the RRR, the WMO is now taking action through its implementation of the Global Basic Observing network (GBON), in which the surface-based observing network needed to support global NWP and climate reanalysis is designed and defined at the global level. The GBON regulations will include quantitative targets for variables measured and for minimum temporal and spatial resolution, and international exchange will be mandatory.
Much of the drive for improvements in the observing networks and data exchange has come from the global NWP community. However, this has not necessarily meant that the other application areas have been overlooked or poorly served with observations. The output from global NWP systems is directly used to drive many of the other application areas, which thus inherit some of their observational data requirements from NWP.
Historically, separate observing networks were developed to serve different communities and applications, using different standards, formats and communications mechanisms, even though many of the geophysical variables being measured were the same. In principle, it was possible to use the observations made by one community to serve another, but in practice this was often difficult, time-consuming and expensive. In order to eliminate the perceived redundancy between such networks and facilitate a joint use of the assets, WMO developed the concept for a WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS), which was launched in 2011 and declared operational in 2019. The draft data policy resolution submitted to the Extraordinary Congress in 2021 is in large part driven by the need to facilitate the further development of WIGOS and thus support a truly integrated Earth System approach to monitoring and predicting the environment (see Article 2).
Nearly 60 years of data exchange through the WMO World Weather Watch have shown the immense power and benefits of global collaboration in understanding, predicting and responding to the diverse phenomena of weather and climate. Over this time, weather forecasting has progressed from being a niche area of value mainly to mariners, aviators, farmers and outdoor enthusiasts to becoming accepted as a community necessity and right for nearly all sectors of the economy, used in the everyday lives of nearly all people on the planet. Many of the practices originating in meteorology have found their way into adjacent discipline areas, and many of these are working closely together with the meteorological community. WMO is updating its data policy to respond to these developments, and the driving forces behind the update and its expected impact will be further illustrated in the remainder of this issue.
Lars Peter Riishojgaard, WMO Secretariat
John Zillman (Australia), Former President of WMO (1995-2003)
Adrian Simmons, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
John Eyre, Met Office (UK)
Maury, M.F., 1855. The Physical Geography of the Sea and its Meteorology. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 432pp.
Wulf, A., 2015. The Invention of Nature. John Murray, London, 473pp.
WMO, 2019. Origin, Impact and Aftermath of WMO Resolution 40. WMO-No. 1244, Secretariat of the World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, 23pp.
Bjerknes, V., 1904: Das Problem der Wettervorhersage, betrachtet vom Standpunkte der Mechanik und der Physik (The problem of weather prediction, considered from the viewpoints of mechanics and physics). Meteorol. Z. 21,1–7. (translated and edited by Volken E. and S. Brönnimann. Meteorol. Z. 18 (2009), 663–667).
Charney, J.G, R. Fjörtoft and J. von Neumann, 1950: Numerical integration of the barotropic vorticity equation. Tellus 2, 4, 237-254.
Richardson, L.F., 1922: Weather prediction by numerical process. Cambridge University Press, 236pp.
Zillman J.W., 2019. Origin, impact and aftermath of WMO Resolution 40. WMO Bulletin, 68, 2, 69-71.
Zillman J.W., 2021. Origin of international meteorological data exchange and WMO Resolution 40. Bulletin of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, 34, 3, Special Issue October 2021.
[1] The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Science Council


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Cheat Sheet: Kylie and J-Law Are Pregnant!
by FASTOBSERVER
Kylie Jenner Confirms Baby No. 2 in Touching Video
Man, catching up on the biggest news in Hollywood felt a lot like scrolling through your Facebook feed this week.
So, it turns out, everyone is having a baby! OK, that's an exaggeration, but it kind of felt that way, with three major celebs—Kylie Jenner, Jennifer Lawrence and Olivia Munn—all confirming they are pregnant. Meanwhile, we are still calling our moms to ask how to wash our delicates. Tomayto, tomahto!
In your weekly Cheat Sheet, we're catching you up on all of the latest details about their pregnancies, along with other major stories, like the two big breakups that just went down and the stars set to compete for the mirrorball trophy on Dancing With the Stars this season, including a former Bachelor, a YouTube sensation and Peloton instructor. So basically 2021 in a nutshell.
Here's all the celebrity news you need to know this week:
FASTOBSERVER
3 methodologies for automated video game highlight detection and capture – TechCrunch
Every Look You Need to See From Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2022


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Fraus quadrangula is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is endemic to Western Australia.

References

Moths described in 1989
Hepialidae


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Golf games and oceanic views can all be had in the picturesque Portuguese region of Costa Verde. With sculptured scenic golf courses, five star restaurants and resorts, Costa Verde and neighboring towns like Braga, Oporto (Porto) and Viana do Costelo provide creature comforts for anyone looking for a Latin based holiday Villa.
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As for Oporto, otherwise known as Porto, Latin/British overtones can be seen in the local monuments and architecture. A charming European retreat, Oproto (the port) is the second largest city in Portugal. Famed for its delectable wines, foodies and connoisseurs of the grape will certainly find Oporto worth a visit.


Belton Prepping Your Home for Spring Break Vacation | Bell Air Conditioning Inc.
Spring is in the air here in Belton and that means vacation plans are in your near future. While you're planning what you need to pack and take with you, don't forget what stays behind, your home. The Bell Air Conditioning Inc. team has some tips that will work to keep your home protected and help save some money on your utility bills while you revel in a well-deserved vacation.
Install Timers - Timers are an economical way to make your home seem as though you're still home by turning off and on the lights as if you never left. It's a smart idea to program your lights to sync up with your usual schedule.
Wait to share - We aren't going to tell you not to share photos of your fabulous trip on social media, but try to put it off until after you are back to post information about your trip. Family and friends probably already know you're leaving so there's no need in letting potential criminals know your plans. Everyone will be just as delighted by the amazing things you saw after you safely return home.
Unplugged - If an electrical item is plugged in, even if it's not on, it's using energy. An easy way to cut back on energy while you're away is to unplug a few of your electronics. Something that you may not think of unplugging is your garage door. It will conserve energy and it will also be another safeguard for your home.
Adjust the thermostat - If you're not going to be home there's no sense keeping your home heated and cooled to your comfort level. If you have a digital thermostat you can set the thermostat back to your usual level so you arrive back to a safe, cozy home.
These are some simple tips to add to your spring break prep list, right after finding the perfect bathing suit. If you have any questions about safeguarding your home this season or want to talk about additional energy saving tips, give Bell Air Conditioning Inc. in Belton a call at 254-307-9572.


These items are great for gifting or holiday house prep.
We took a stroll through Bed, Bath & Beyond's magical holiday offerings, and we liked what we saw. These items can be gifted, used for holiday house prep or tucked away for yourself (there's no shame in some self-love). No matter how you're using them, these are wintertime must-haves.
The only thing better than an ice cream maker is a mint blue ice cream maker with a built-in candy crusher.
I can personally attest to the fact that this is the softest, chunkiest, most incredible blanket ever.
A knitted pillow to go with your chunky knitted blanket? Yes, please.
Slip on this plush robe for extra-cozy winter evenings.
This classic Monopoly set is the perfect centerpiece for a game room. The built-in money drawer alone makes this luxe gameboard worth the price.
See what we think Tory Burch, Oprah and Chrissy Teigen will be gifting for the holidays.
Presents with presence from HGTV Magazine! Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these links.
The ugly holiday sweater trend is still alive and well, thanks to our gal, Whoopi Goldberg.
You can't go wrong spreading holiday cheer, especially if it's Witherspoon-approved.
Enchant your favorite Harry Potter fan with these magical creature-inspired items. Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these links.
Skip the gift card and buy them something they will want (and use)!
Yes, it's true. Amazon is selling three types of real, full-size trees that you can order in your pajamas from the comfort of your home.
Swap controversial conversation topics for a little family-friendly competition.