text:
Home » About ESS » ESS news » Europeans accept climate change is happening
Europeans accept climate change is happening
A great majority of Europeans think that climate change is happening, but do not have strong concern about the issue, according to a new European Social Survey (ESS) report.
The results show that, while most Europeans think the consequences of climate change will be bad, many only feel a moderate responsibility to reduce climate change and think that personal efforts will not be very effective.
However, support for renewable energy sources and energy efficiency regulation are high across Europe, with a majority in all countries who want a large amount electricity to be generated from renewable sources.
The report - European Attitudes towards Cimate Change and Energy - was authored by a team of external academics led by Professor Wouter Poortinga from Cardiff University.
Attitudes to Climate Change
A great majority of respondents in each country think that the world's climate is changing, that this is at least partly due to human activity, and that the consequences of climate change will be bad.
However, just over a quarter (28%) of respondents across Europe stated that they were very or extremely worried about climate change.
Concern was highest in Portugal (51%) and Spain (48%), and lowest in Russia (14%), Poland (15%) and Estonia (15%).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, people indicated more concern over the affordability of energy, with 40% across Europe claiming to be very or extremely worried.
Concern about the affordability of energy is particularly widespread in Spain (70%) and Portugal (68%), the two countries that also have the highest levels of concern about climate change. Conversely, fewer than 15% of respondents in Sweden, Iceland, Switzerland, and Norway indicated concern over the cost of energy.
Looking at personal responsibility to reduce climate change on a scale of 0-10 (where 0 represents no responsibility and 10 means a great deal responsibility), the mean score was only slightly above the scale mid-point of 5.
Feelings of personal responsibility to mitigate climate change were highest in France and Switzerland (with mean scores close to 7 on a 0-10 scale), and lowest in the Czech Republic and Russia (both with a mean score lower than 4).
When asked whether they could reduce their energy use, many respondents did not feel very confident that they could do so, especially those in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Russia.
And it also appears that people do not think that it is highly likely that limiting their energy use would help to reduce climate change
The authors found that people who feel personally responsible to help reduce climate change also feel more confident that they could save energy and think that doing so would be effective in reducing climate change.
Support for renewable energy sources
Respondents were asked how much electricity should be generated from a number of fossil, nuclear and renewable energy sources.
The vast majority of respondents in the European Union and European Free Trade Association area indicated support for renewable energy sources.
Around three-quarters think that a large or very large amount should be generated from wind and solar power.
In contrast, coal and nuclear are highly unpopular sources of electricity generation, with only around 10% of respondents thinking a large or very large amount of electricity should be generated from them.
Support for environmental policies
The European Social Survey also assessed support for different environmental policies to reduce climate change.
The results show that the use of public money to subsidise renewable energy is particularly popular, with 76% of respondents favouring this policy.
More than half of those surveyed are in favour of a ban on sales of the least energy-efficient household appliances, while only one in five are against this policy.
In contrast, only 30% of respondents are in favour of increasing fossil fuel taxes, while 40% are somewhat or strongly against this policy.
The report - European Attitudes towards Cimate Change and Energy - was authored by: Wouter Poortinga (Cardiff University), Stephen Fisher (University of Oxford), Gisela Böhm (University of Bergen), Linda Steg (University of Groningen), Lorraine Whitmarsh (Cardiff University) and Charles Ogunbode (University of Bergen).
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text:
Sleeping Giant Wake Up
Prepare your brain to be unchained.
#blackpanthers #formation
#superbowl50
Was Beyonce's Super Bowl Performance A Show Of Black Solidarity Or Just A Show ?
Beyonce made a daring performance for Super Bowl 50. Following up behind Bruno Mars, making an entrance with an entourage of black leather-clad black women in black berets with afros. Giving much resemblance to the '60s and 70's black power movement of the Black Panthers, minus the fishnet stockings and leotard.
The R& B diva's performance is in close relation to her new single, Formation which is being promoted as an awareness demonstration for the Black Lives Matter movement. Forming an 'X' while performing the singer and dancers also gave reverence to the renowned black activist Malcolm X.
The anticipation was already building around her awaited Super Bowl performance after she out of the blue dropped a video for the song yesterday; depicting controversial scenes of white police officers in formation facing an unarmed black youth, and spray paint on a building reading "stop shooting us".
Another scene in the video depicts Beyonce in a post-Hurricane Katrina torn New Orleans, bringing to mind allegations that former President George Bush was guilty of leaving blacks to fend for themselves.
Not long after the video's release, social media feeds like Facebook and Twitter were teeming with reactions to the artist's controversial lyrics and scenes including the appearance of the singer's daughter Blue Ivy.
The Black Panthers were an armed activist group that was established in Oakland in 1966, right near where the Super Bowl is being played tonight, Once the bane of President J Edgar Hoover's existence; the Panther's founded by Bobby" Seale and Huey P. Newton, fought against the racial injustices of blacks and had a massive influence nationwide. President J. Edgar Hoover deemed them "the greatest threat to the internal security of the country".
Malcolm X born Malcolm Little in 1925 was another notorious black activist of the '60s, and the Panthers took his approach for fighting inequality rather than Dr. Martin Luther King's turn the other cheek.
How does Beyonce plan to add up to the Panthers and Malcolm though? Though her video and performance may have been a tad bit controversial it certainly is not political. More like marketing to a targeted audience by appealing to their current conditions.
Throw a few flooded scenes from New Orleans in a video and a kid surrounded by cops and that's all it takes for some to believe you're making a political statement;....but what about everything else the video portrays?
Black women are still being sexually exploited and her lyrics are sexually explicit. The glamorization of brand names like Red Lobster whose sales increased 33% compared to last year's Super Bowl Sunday. She also mentions Givenchy, Jose Cuevo, and a reference to albino gator shoes; all in a supposed pro-black political statement. Her reference to Blue Ivy's hair and her husband's nose were no declarations of racial pride, but rants responding to the current media buzz. What about her hair or her nose which has changed much since Destiny's Child?
Beyoncé's Clothing Line Modeled After A Slave Brand
A stage full of black women with afros on the set of the video and Super Bowl performance was a very uplifting gesture accentuating that black women should unapologetically embrace their natural selves. Beyonce however, did not share in that same sentiment as her dancers, making it a very misleading suggestion. Beyonce doesn't seem to appear to be as pro-black as her performance is trying to suggest.
A group of pro-black women with black afros look kind of clownish following the lead of another black woman with a blond Asian hair weave, no matter how frizzy it looks. So, what was the political message? Ladies getting into formation to do what? Shake their behinds, chase money, and brag about how they "slayed it" in their Givenchy dresses?
The black women who actually were members of the Panther's would probably be appalled to be represented as some burlesque entertainers in fishnet stockings putting on a show. Those women were serious about the struggle, while Beyonce is commercializing the struggle.
The only genuine show of solidarity came from a small group of Beyonce's Super Bowl background performers who held a sign reading "Justice 4 Mario Woods", the 26-year-old black man shot to death by San Francisco police officers in December.
Beyonce's performance also caused tension within the white community with some calling for a boycott of Beyonce from the Super Bowl. This is due to the white community feeling that the Black Panther's were a black hate group equal to a terrorist organization.
Beyonce's performance was nothing more than a marketing scheme. Controversy makes these people and corporate entities rich; puts them in the spotlight so they can get more endorsements. This is the same marketing scheme used by weapons dealers in times of war called "war profiteering". They supply both parties with the ammo they need to kill each other; meanwhile, they get richer in richer. Black and white people are falling for the same trick used in the media to create controversial topics that turn race groups against each other, baiting them like fish using sensitive topics of discussion or current events. We need to be smarter than that and stop paying these people attention and focus on things that will help all of America as a whole; in reality not just on TV.
Labels: #beyonce #blackpanthers #formation #superbowl50
They Stole My Sons Organs: A Cry For Help
Modern Day Castration Of The Black Male
©2018 Sleeping Giant Wake Up, All Rights Reserved
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Space shuttle Atlantis casts off from the International Space Station on May 23, 2010 after a week-long stay to add a new Russian room and other spare parts to the orbiting lab. It is the last time Atlantis is scheduled to visit the station and fly in space.
Thisstory was updated at 12:47 p.m. ET.
Thespace shuttle Atlantis has begun the trip home from orbit. The shuttle's sixastronauts bid farewell to the International Space Station early Sunday after aweek of orbital construction for their mission ? one slated to be the finalflight of Atlantis.
Atlantisundocked from the space station at about 11:22 a.m. EDT (1522 GMT) while bothspacecraft flew 220 miles (354 km) above the Indian Ocean southwest ofAustralia. The 25-year-old shuttle is due to land in Florida on Wednesday and beretired later this year.
Shuttlecommander Ken Ham said the two crews, which added up to 12 people on the linkedAtlantisand station ? had great fun working together, but it was time to head home. Thetwo crews shared hearty hugs and handshakes before going their separate ways.
"Ofcourse, it will be a little bit sad," Ham told the station crew. "Butwe'll see you all on the surface of planet Earth soon."
Stationastronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson, of NASA, rang the ship's bell on the orbitinglab ? a tradition for departing spacecraft.
"Havea safe trip back and Godspeed to you," radioed station commander OlegKotov, a Russian cosmonaut, to the shuttle crew as Atlantis headed home. "Andthank you again."
Shuttlepilot Dominic "Tony" Antonelli flew the orbiter on a victory laparound the station so his Atlantis crewmates could see the fruits of theirlabor at the orbiting lab. The shuttlelaunched on its 12-day mission on May 14.
Duringtheir flight, the Atlantis crew attached a new Russianresearch module to the station, replaced six solar array batteries anddelivered a spare antenna and other cargo.
The$100 billion space station is about 98 percent complete in terms of habitablevolume and weighs more than 816,000 pounds (370,131 kg).
"Thisplace is now a palace. It's huge and I've had a great fun exploring it,"said Atlantis astronaut Piers Sellers, adding that it's been fun exploring theoutpost. "We're seeing the station pretty much in its final form and it'sreally magnificent."
Constructionbegan on the station in 1998 by 16 different countries. Today, it is thelargest human-built structure in space, home to six people from three differentcountries and can easily be seen in the sky on clear nights with the unaidedeye.
The$200 million Rassvet module is a 19.7-foot (6-meter) cylindrical room thatdoubles as a docking port on an Earth-facing spot on the station'sRussian-built Zarya control module. Its arrival boosted the station to13 rooms, counting its small seven-window lookout dome.
Metalshavings were found floating inside the Rassvet module, but the module's fansand air filters should clean up the debris, station managers said.
"Thenew module Rassvet looks really, really good," Kotov told reporters earlySunday. It will be used primarily for research, he added.
Morethan a ton of supplies is also packed away in the new Russian chamber, which iscalled Rassvet (Russian for "Dawn"). Threespacewalks were performed by the crew of Atlantis to upgrade the station.
Thespace station crew still has a busy few weeks ahead. Kotov and two othermembers of the station's six-person crew plan to return to Earth on June 2aboard their Russian Soyuz spacecraft. A new trio of spaceflyers will launchsoon after to replace them.
NASAwill launch one more new room, a storage closet, to the space station withshuttle Discovery in September. Russia also plans to deliver one more, largercompartment in the next year or so.
Onlytwo more shuttle flights remain after this one (on Discovery and Endeavour)before NASA's shuttle fleet is retired.
Whilethis mission is Atlantis' 32nd and final scheduled mission, NASA and somelawmakers are lobbying to fly the shuttle one more time in June 2011. NASAalready plans to prepare Atlantis for flight as a precaution. The orbiter mustbe ready to serve as a rescue ship for NASA's final shuttle mission onEndeavour in late November.
NASAcurrently does not have approval for an extra shuttle mission in 2011.President Barack Obama's administration would have to order the flight and signoff on extra funding for it by the end of next month to make it happen, NASAofficials have said.
Antonellisaid he wasn't sure what would happen with Atlantis after its final flight (museumsacross the United States are vying for the three orbiters) but he knew wherethe shuttle would go if he could pick: His own backyard.
Butfirst, the crew of Atlantis has to return home.
OnMonday, the astronauts plan to inspect their spacecraft's heat shield for anynew dings caused by space debris or micrometeorites. The shuttle has alreadyreceived a clean bill of health with respect to any launch debris. Shuttleinspections have been standard since wing damage from debris led to the tragic2003 loss of shuttle Columbia and its crew.
OnTuesday, the Atlantis crew will ready the shuttle to once again fly in Earth's atmosphere.Landing is set for Wednesday at 8:48 a.m. EDT (1248 GMT) at NASA's KennedySpace Center in Florida.


After a lengthy study period, the Monroe County School Board this year reinstated random drug testing for athletes, but the critical need for affordable workforce housing for employees later topped the list of prominent stories in 2017 along with the aftermath of Irma.
The Keys' three traditional high schools began drug testing athletes and students in performance groups connected to sports, the School Board unanimously decided in April. The trial program will run for the 2017-18 school year only and the board would have to revisit the issue to keep it going longer.
Griffiths was the board member who later proposed the board build at least 20 affordable living units for school employees behind Sugarloaf School, spending its own money on a new neighborhood. But Superintendent Mark Porter cautioned such a project would take time and formed a task force to investigate options.
Next came philanthropist John Padget's proposal to build units at Trumo Point in Key West, where the School Board has its headquarters on waterfront property.
Citing an urgent need for affordable workforce rentals, Padget says he will plunk down the money to design 480 apartments on eight acres along Trumbo Road. But government officials, including the School Board and city of Key West elected leaders, will have to take the action to make sure land-use regulations and permitting is allowed, Padget said.
But considering the tight building regulations in the Keys, Padget's plan looks to confront numerous hurdles. He wrote in his proposal: "Waivers needed: height restrictions, density, no motor vehicle parking" and, apparently, bypassing the city's rules on building permits.
In January the board unanimously decided Porter deserves his first raise since he was hired five years ago. He received three more years on the job plus a $15,000 raise and $650-per-month car allowance.
Porter made no comment on the contract extension when it was approved, nor did any of the five elected members. Porter, who moved to the Keys from Minnesota to take the job in 2012, now earns $165,000 a year.
Also this year, board member Bobby Highsmith was elected chairman while Mindy Conn was chosen as vice chairwoman.


text:
// Copyright (C) 2010  Davis E. King (davis@dlib.net)
// License: Boost Software License   See LICENSE.txt for the full license.
#undef DLIB_HoG_ABSTRACT_Hh_
#ifdef DLIB_HoG_ABSTRACT_Hh_

#include "../algs.h"
#include "../matrix.h"
#include "../array2d.h"
#include "../geometry.h"
#include <cmath>

namespace dlib
{
    enum
    {
        hog_no_interpolation,
        hog_angle_interpolation,
        hog_full_interpolation,
        hog_signed_gradient,
        hog_unsigned_gradient
    };

    template <
        unsigned long cell_size_,
        unsigned long block_size_,
        unsigned long cell_stride_,
        unsigned long num_orientation_bins_,
        int           gradient_type_,
        int           interpolation_type_
        >
    class hog_image : noncopyable
    {
        /*!
            REQUIREMENTS ON TEMPLATE PARAMETERS
                - cell_size_ > 1
                - block_size_ > 0
                - cell_stride_ > 0
                - num_orientation_bins_ > 0
                - gradient_type_ == hog_signed_gradient or hog_unsigned_gradient
                - interpolation_type_ == hog_no_interpolation, hog_angle_interpolation, or
                                         hog_full_interpolation

            INITIAL VALUE
                 - size() == 0

            WHAT THIS OBJECT REPRESENTS
                This object is a tool for performing the image feature extraction algorithm
                described in the following paper:
                    Histograms of Oriented Gradients for Human Detection
                    by Navneet Dalal and Bill Triggs

                To summarize the technique, this object tiles non-overlapping cells over an
                image.  Each of these cells is a box that is cell_size by cell_size pixels
                in size.  Each cell contains an array of size num_orientation_bins.  The array
                in a cell is used to store a histogram of all the edge orientations contained
                within the cell's image region.

                Once the grid of cells and their histograms has been computed (via load())
                you can obtain descriptors for each "block" in the image.  A block is just a
                group of cells and blocks are allowed to overlap.  Each block is square and
                made up of block_size*block_size cells.  So when you call operator()(r,c)
                what you obtain is a vector that is just a bunch of cell histograms that
                have been concatenated (and length normalized).

                The template arguments control the various parameters of this algorithm.

                The interpolation_type parameter controls the amount of interpolation
                that happens during the creation of the edge orientation histograms.  It
                varies from no interpolation at all to full spatial and angle interpolation.

                Angle interpolation means that an edge doesn't just go into its nearest
                histogram bin but instead gets interpolated into its two nearest neighbors.
                Similarly, spatial interpolation means that an edge doesn't just go into
                the cell it is in but it also contributes to nearby cells depending on how
                close they are.

                The gradient_type parameter controls how edge orientations are measured.
                Consider the following ASCII art:
                    signed gradients:           unsigned gradients:
                           /\                           |
                           ||                           |
                       <---  ---->                ------+------
                           ||                           |
                           \/                           |

                An image is full of gradients caused by edges between objects.  The direction
                of a gradient is determined by which end of it has pixels of highest intensity.
                So for example, suppose you had a picture containing black and white stripes.
                Then the magnitude of the gradient at each point in the image tells you if you
                are on the edge of a stripe and the gradient's orientation tells you which
                direction you have to move get into the white stripe.

                Signed gradients preserve this direction information while unsigned gradients
                do not.  An unsigned gradient will only tell you the orientation of the stripe
                but not which direction leads to the white stripe.

                Finally, the cell_stride parameter controls how much overlap you get between
                blocks.  The maximum amount of overlap is obtained when cell_stride == 1.
                At the other extreme, you would have no overlap if cell_stride == block_size.

            THREAD SAFETY
                Concurrent access to an instance of this object is not safe and should be protected
                by a mutex lock except for the case where you are copying the configuration
                (via copy_configuration()) of a hog_image object to many other threads.
                In this case, it is safe to copy the configuration of a shared object so long
                as no other operations are performed on it.
        !*/

    public:

        const static unsigned long cell_size = cell_size_;
        const static unsigned long block_size = block_size_;
        const static unsigned long cell_stride = cell_stride_;
        const static unsigned long num_orientation_bins = num_orientation_bins_;
        const static int           gradient_type = gradient_type_;
        const static int           interpolation_type = interpolation_type_;

        const static long min_size = cell_size*block_size+2;

        typedef matrix<double, block_size*block_size*num_orientation_bins, 1> descriptor_type;

        hog_image (
        );
        /*!
            ensures
                - this object is properly initialized
        !*/

        void clear (
        );
        /*!
            ensures
                - this object will have its initial value
        !*/

        void copy_configuration (
            const hog_image& item
        );
        /*!
            ensures
                - copies all the state information of item into *this, except for state
                  information populated by load().  More precisely, given two hog_image
                  objects H1 and H2, the following sequence of instructions should always
                  result in both of them having the exact same state.
                    H2.copy_configuration(H1);
                    H1.load(img);
                    H2.load(img);
        !*/

        template <
            typename image_type
            >
        inline void load (
            const image_type& img
        );
        /*!
            requires
                - image_type is a dlib::matrix or something convertible to a matrix
                  via mat().
                - pixel_traits<typename image_traits<image_type>::pixel_type>::has_alpha == false
            ensures
                - if (img.nr() < min_size || img.nc() < min_size) then
                    - the image is too small so we don't compute anything on it
                    - #size() == 0
                - else
                    - generates a HOG image from the given image.
                    - #size() > 0
        !*/

        inline void unload (
        );
        /*!
            ensures
                - #nr() == 0
                - #nc() == 0
                - clears only the state information which is populated by load().  For
                  example, let H be a hog_image object.  Then consider the two sequences
                  of instructions:
                    Sequence 1:
                        H.load(img);
                        H.unload();
                        H.load(img);

                    Sequence 2:
                        H.load(img);
                  Both sequence 1 and sequence 2 should have the same effect on H.
        !*/

        inline unsigned long size (
        ) const;
        /*!
            ensures
                - returns nr()*nc()
        !*/

        inline long nr (
        ) const;
        /*!
            ensures
                - returns the number of rows in this HOG image
        !*/

        inline long nc (
        ) const;
        /*!
            ensures
                - returns the number of columns in this HOG image
        !*/

        long get_num_dimensions (
        ) const;
        /*!
            ensures
                - returns the number of dimensions in the feature vectors generated by
                  this object.
                - In particular, returns the value block_size*block_size*num_orientation_bins
        !*/

        inline const descriptor_type& operator() (
            long row,
            long col
        ) const;
        /*!
            requires
                - 0 <= row < nr()
                - 0 <= col < nc()
            ensures
                - returns the descriptor for the HOG block at the given row and column.  This descriptor
                  will include information from a window that is located at get_block_rect(row,col) in
                  the original image given to load().
                - The returned descriptor vector will have get_num_dimensions() elements.
        !*/

        const rectangle get_block_rect (
            long row,
            long col
        ) const;
        /*!
            ensures
                - returns a rectangle that tells you what part of the original image is associated
                  with a particular HOG block.  That is, what part of the input image is associated
                  with (*this)(row,col).
                - The returned rectangle will be cell_size*block_size pixels wide and tall.
        !*/

        const point image_to_feat_space (
            const point& p
        ) const;
        /*!
            ensures
                - Each local feature is extracted from a certain point in the input image.
                  This function returns the identity of the local feature corresponding
                  to the image location p.  Or in other words, let P == image_to_feat_space(p),
                  then (*this)(P.y(),P.x()) == the local feature closest to, or centered at,
                  the point p in the input image.  Note that some image points might not have
                  corresponding feature locations.  E.g. border points or points outside the
                  image.  In these cases the returned point will be outside get_rect(*this).
        !*/

        const rectangle image_to_feat_space (
            const rectangle& rect
        ) const;
        /*!
            ensures
                - returns rectangle(image_to_feat_space(rect.tl_corner()), image_to_feat_space(rect.br_corner()));
                  (i.e. maps a rectangle from image space to feature space)
        !*/

        const point feat_to_image_space (
            const point& p
        ) const;
        /*!
            ensures
                - returns the location in the input image space corresponding to the center
                  of the local feature at point p.  In other words, this function computes
                  the inverse of image_to_feat_space().  Note that it may only do so approximately,
                  since more than one image location might correspond to the same local feature.
                  That is, image_to_feat_space() might not be invertible so this function gives
                  the closest possible result.
        !*/

        const rectangle feat_to_image_space (
            const rectangle& rect
        ) const;
        /*!
            ensures
                - return rectangle(feat_to_image_space(rect.tl_corner()), feat_to_image_space(rect.br_corner()));
                  (i.e. maps a rectangle from feature space to image space)
        !*/

    };

// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    template <
        unsigned long T1,
        unsigned long T2,
        unsigned long T3,
        unsigned long T4,
        int           T5,
        int           T6
        >
    void serialize (
        const hog_image<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6>& item,
        std::ostream& out
    );
    /*!
        provides serialization support
    !*/

    template <
        unsigned long T1,
        unsigned long T2,
        unsigned long T3,
        unsigned long T4,
        int           T5,
        int           T6
        >
    void deserialize (
        hog_image<T1,T2,T3,T4,T5,T6>& item,
        std::istream& in
    );
    /*!
        provides deserialization support
    !*/

// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

}

#endif // DLIB_HoG_ABSTRACT_Hh_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Justia Regulation Tracker Agencies And Commissions General Services Administration Federal Acquisition Regulation; Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-38; Introduction, 65598-65599 [E9-28928]
Federal Acquisition Regulation; Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-38; Introduction, 65598-65599 [E9-28928]
Download as PDF 65598 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 236 / Thursday, December 10, 2009 / Rules and Regulations and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION ACTION: Summary presentation of rules. This document summarizes the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rules agreed to by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) in this Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005–38. A companion document, the Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG), follows this FAC. The FAC, including the SECG, is available via the Internet at http:// www.regulations.gov. SUMMARY: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 48 CFR Chapter 1 [Docket FAR 2009–0001, Sequence 9] Federal Acquisition Regulation; Federal Acquisition Circular 2005–38; Introduction AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), DATES: For effective dates and comment dates, see separate documents, which follow. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The analyst whose name appears in the table below in relation to each FAR case. Please cite FAC 2005–38 and the specific FAR case numbers. For information pertaining to status or publication schedules, contact the FAR Secretariat at (202) 501–4755. LIST OF RULES IN FAC 2005–38 Item Subject I ............ Revocation of Executive Order 13201, Notification of Employee Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees. Governmentwide Commercial Purchase Card Restrictions for Treasury Offset Program Debts ... Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) ................................................................................................... Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110–247) .................................................................. Postretirement Benefits (PRB), FAS 106 ........................................................................................ Travel Costs ..................................................................................................................................... Technical Amendments ................................................................................................................... II ........... III .......... IV .......... V ........... VI .......... VII ......... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Summaries for each FAR rule follow. For the actual revisions and/or amendments made by these FAR cases, refer to the specific item number and subject set forth in the documents following these item summaries. FAC 2005–38 amends the FAR as specified below: mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with RULES2 Item I—Revocation of Executive Order 13201, Notification of Employee Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees (FAR Case 2009–017) This final rule amends the FAR to delete FAR subpart 22.16 and the corresponding FAR clause at 52.222–39, Notification of Employee Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees, which implemented Executive Order 13201, of February 17, 2001, of the same title. Executive Order 13201 required contractors to post a notice informing employees of their rights concerning payment of union dues or fees and detailed that employees could not be required to join unions or maintain membership in unions to retain their jobs. Executive Order 13496, of January 30, 2009, Notification of Employee Rights under Federal Labor Laws, revoked Executive Order 13201. VerDate Nov<24>2008 17:21 Dec 09, 2009 Jkt 220001 FAR case Item II—Governmentwide Commercial Purchase Card Restrictions for Treasury Offset Program Debts (FAR Case 2006–026) This final rule amends the FAR at parts 4, 8, 13, 16, 32, and 52 by restricting the use of the Governmentwide commercial purchase card as a method of payment for offerors with debt subject to the Treasury Offset Program (TOP). This final rule facilitates the collection of delinquent debts owed to the Government by requiring contracting officers to determine whether the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database indicates that the contractor has delinquent debt that is subject to collection under the TOP. If a debt flag indicator is found in the CCR database, then the Governmentwide commercial purchase card shall not be authorized as a method of payment. The contracting officer is required to check for the debt flag indicator at the time of contract award or order issuance or placement. The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) deleted the requirement to check CCR for the indicator before exercising an option. Purchases and orders at or below the micro-purchase threshold are exempt from verification in the CCR database as to whether the contractor has a debt flag indicator subject to collection under the TOP. PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4700 Analyst 2009–017 Cundiff. 2006–026 2005–041 2008–017 2006–021 2006–024 Jackson. Woodson. Jackson. Chambers. Chambers. Item III—Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) (FAR Case 2005–041) This final rule adopts the proposed rule published in the Federal Register at 71 FR 50011, August 24, 2006, as a final rule with minor changes. This final rule amends FAR parts 7, 11, 12, and 39 to require Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) compliant products be included in all new information technology (IT) procurements requiring Internet Protocol (IP). IP is one of the primary mechanisms that define how and where information moves across networks. The widelyused IP industry standard is IP Version 4 (IPv4). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M–05–22, dated August 2, 2005, requires all new IT procurements, to the maximum extent practicable, to include IPv6 compliant products and standards. In addition, OMB Memorandum M–05–22 provides guidance to agencies for transitioning to IPv6. Item IV—Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110–247) (FAR Case 2008– 017) This rule adopts as final, with no changes, the interim rule published in the Federal Register at 74 FR 11829 on March 19, 2009. This rule implements the Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110–247), which encourages executive agencies and their contractors, in contracts for the provision, service, or E:\FR\FM\10DER2.SGM 10DER2 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 236 / Thursday, December 10, 2009 / Rules and Regulations sale of food, to the maximum extent practicable and safe, to donate apparently wholesome excess food to nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to food-insecure people in the United States. The contracting officer is required to insert the clause at FAR 52.226–6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations, in solicitations and contracts greater than $25,000 for the provision, service, or sale of food in the United States. Contractors would only be impacted if they decided to donate the excess food; they would bear all the costs of donating the excess food. The Act would extend to the Government and the contractor, when donating food, the same civil or criminal liability protection provided to donors of food under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996. mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with RULES2 Item V—Postretirement Benefits (PRB), FAS 106 (FAR Case 2006–021) Currently FAR 31.205–6(o) allows contractors to choose among three different accounting methods for PRB costs; pay-as-you-go (cash basis), terminal funding, and accrual basis using generally accepted accounting principles by applying Statement 106 of Financial Accounting Standards (FAS 106). The FAR also requires that any accrued PRB costs be paid to an insurer or trustee. This final rule amends the FAR to permit the use of Internal Revenue Code sections 419 and 419A contribution rules as an alternative method of determining the amount of accrued PRB costs on Government costbased contracts. Item VI—Travel Costs (FAR Case 2006– 024) This final rule amends the FAR to change the travel cost principle (FAR 31.205–46) to ensure a consistent application of the limitation on allowable contractor airfare costs. This rule applies the standard of the lowest fare available to the contractor. This rule takes notice that contractors frequently obtain fares that are lower than those available to the general public as a result of direct negotiation. The cost principle is clarified by removing the terms ''coach or equivalent'' and ''standard'' from the description of the classes of allowable airfares, since these terms increasingly do not describe actual classes of airline service. Thus, even when a ''coach'' fare may be available, given the great variety of fares often available, the ''coach'' fare may not be the lowest fare available, in particular when a contractor has a negotiated agreement with a carrier. VerDate Nov<24>2008 17:21 Dec 09, 2009 Jkt 220001 Item VII—Technical Amendments Editorial changes are made at FAR 6.302–2, 8.703, 15.305, 52.209–6, and 52.212–5. Dated: November 30, 2009. Al Matera, Director, Acquisition Policy Division. Federal Acquisition Circular Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-38 is issued under the authority of the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of General Services, and the Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Unless otherwise specified, all Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and other directive material contained in FAC 2005-38 is effective December 10, 2009, except for Items V and VI, which are effective January 11, 2010, and Item II, which is effective February 1, 2010. Dated: November 25, 2009. Shay D. Assad, Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy. Dated: November 24, 2009. David A. Drabkin, Senior Procurement Executive, Office of Acquisition Policy, U.S. General Services Administration. Dated: November 20, 2009. James A. Balinskas, Director, Contract Management Division, Office of Procurement, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [FR Doc. E9–28928 Filed 12–9–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6820–EP–S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 48 CFR Parts 2, 22, and 52 [FAC 2005–38; FAR Case 2009–017; Item I; Docket 2009-0040, Sequence 1] RIN 9000–AL47 Federal Acquisition Regulation; FAR Case 2009–017, Revocation of Executive Order 13201, Notification of Employee Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). ACTION: Final rule. PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4700 65599 SUMMARY: The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (the Councils) are issuing a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to delete FAR Subpart 22.16 and the corresponding clause at FAR 52.222–39, Notification of Employee Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees, which implemented Executive Order (E.O.) 13201 of February 17, 2001, of the same title. E.O. 13201 required contractors to post a notice informing employees of their rights concerning payment of union dues or fees and detailed that employees could not be required to join unions or maintain membership in unions to retain their jobs. E.O. 13201 was revoked by E.O. 13496 of January 30, 2009, Notification of Employee Rights Under Federal Labor Laws. DATES: Effective Date: December 10, 2009. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For clarification of content, contact Ms. Rhonda Cundiff, Procurement Analyst, at (202) 501–0044. For information pertaining to status or publication schedules, contact the Regulatory Secretariat at (202) 501–4755. Please cite FAC 2005–38, FAR case 2009–017. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A. Background On January 30, 2009, the President issued E.O. 13496 (74 F.R. 6107, February 4, 2009) which requires contractors to post a notice informing employees of their rights under Federal labor laws, including the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. 151 et seq. This Act encourages collective bargaining, allowing workers to freely associate, self-organize, and designate representatives of their own choosing for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection. E.O. 13496 revoked the prior E.O. 13201. The new E.O. sets forth a different policy that will be included in the FAR as a separate rule in conjunction with guidance from the Secretary of Labor on the appropriate content for a replacement notice to employees. Therefore, the language at FAR Subpart 22.16 that prescribes the policy and procedures of E.O. 13201 is no longer applicable. This final rule amends the FAR to delete FAR Subpart 22.16 in its entirety as well as the corresponding clause at FAR 52.222–39. FAR clauses 52.212–5 and 52.244–6 are also amended to delete any references to the revoked E.O. 13201 and FAR clause 52.222–39. The Department of Labor rescinded its E:\FR\FM\10DER2.SGM 10DER2
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 236 (Thursday, December 10, 2009)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[FR Doc No: E9-28928]
48 CFR Chapter 1 and Parts 2, 4, 7, et al.
Federal Acquisition Regulations; Final Rules and Small Entity
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 236 / Thursday, December 10, 2009 /
48 CFR Chapter 1
[Docket FAR 2009-0001, Sequence 9]
Federal Acquisition Regulation; Federal Acquisition Circular
2005-38; Introduction
AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration
(GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
ACTION: Summary presentation of rules.
SUMMARY: This document summarizes the Federal Acquisition Regulation
(FAR) rules agreed to by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and
the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) in this Federal
Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-38. A companion document, the Small
Entity Compliance Guide (SECG), follows this FAC. The FAC, including
the SECG, is available via the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov.
DATES: For effective dates and comment dates, see separate documents,
which follow.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The analyst whose name appears in the
table below in relation to each FAR case. Please cite FAC 2005-38 and
the specific FAR case numbers. For information pertaining to status or
publication schedules, contact the FAR Secretariat at (202) 501-4755.
List of Rules in FAC 2005-38
Item                          Subject                             FAR case                 Analyst
I..............  Revocation of Executive Order 13201,           2009-017                 Cundiff.
Notification of Employee Rights Concerning
Payment of Union Dues or Fees.
II.............  Governmentwide Commercial Purchase Card        2006-026                 Jackson.
Restrictions for Treasury Offset Program
Debts.
III............  Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)...........  2005-041                 Woodson.
IV.............  Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 (Pub. L.     2008-017                 Jackson.
V..............  Postretirement Benefits (PRB), FAS 106.......  2006-021                 Chambers.
VI.............  Travel Costs.................................  2006-024                 Chambers.
VII............  Technical Amendments.........................  .......................  .......................
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Summaries for each FAR rule follow. For the
actual revisions and/or amendments made by these FAR cases, refer to
the specific item number and subject set forth in the documents
following these item summaries.
FAC 2005-38 amends the FAR as specified below:
Item I--Revocation of Executive Order 13201, Notification of Employee
Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees (FAR Case 2009-017)
This final rule amends the FAR to delete FAR subpart 22.16 and the
corresponding FAR clause at 52.222-39, Notification of Employee Rights
Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees, which implemented Executive
Order 13201, of February 17, 2001, of the same title. Executive Order
13201 required contractors to post a notice informing employees of
their rights concerning payment of union dues or fees and detailed that
employees could not be required to join unions or maintain membership
in unions to retain their jobs. Executive Order 13496, of January 30,
2009, Notification of Employee Rights under Federal Labor Laws, revoked
Executive Order 13201.
Item II--Governmentwide Commercial Purchase Card Restrictions for
Treasury Offset Program Debts (FAR Case 2006-026)
This final rule amends the FAR at parts 4, 8, 13, 16, 32, and 52 by
restricting the use of the Governmentwide commercial purchase card as a
method of payment for offerors with debt subject to the Treasury Offset
Program (TOP). This final rule facilitates the collection of delinquent
debts owed to the Government by requiring contracting officers to
determine whether the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database
indicates that the contractor has delinquent debt that is subject to
collection under the TOP. If a debt flag indicator is found in the CCR
database, then the Governmentwide commercial purchase card shall not be
authorized as a method of payment. The contracting officer is required
to check for the debt flag indicator at the time of contract award or
order issuance or placement. The Civilian Agency Acquisition Council
and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council (Councils) deleted the
requirement to check CCR for the indicator before exercising an option.
Purchases and orders at or below the micro-purchase threshold are
exempt from verification in the CCR database as to whether the
contractor has a debt flag indicator subject to collection under the
Item III--Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) (FAR Case 2005-041)
This final rule adopts the proposed rule published in the Federal
Register at 71 FR 50011, August 24, 2006, as a final rule with minor
changes. This final rule amends FAR parts 7, 11, 12, and 39 to require
Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) compliant products be included in
all new information technology (IT) procurements requiring Internet
Protocol (IP).
IP is one of the primary mechanisms that define how and where
information moves across networks. The widely-used IP industry standard
is IP Version 4 (IPv4). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Memorandum M-05-22, dated August 2, 2005, requires all new IT
procurements, to the maximum extent practicable, to include IPv6
compliant products and standards. In addition, OMB Memorandum M-05-22
provides guidance to agencies for transitioning to IPv6.
Item IV--Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-247) (FAR Case
2008-017)
This rule adopts as final, with no changes, the interim rule
published in the Federal Register at 74 FR 11829 on March 19, 2009.
This rule implements the Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 (Pub. L.
110-247), which encourages executive agencies and their contractors, in
contracts for the provision, service, or
sale of food, to the maximum extent practicable and safe, to donate
apparently wholesome excess food to nonprofit organizations that
provide assistance to food-insecure people in the United States.
The contracting officer is required to insert the clause at FAR
52.226-6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations, in
solicitations and contracts greater than $25,000 for the provision,
service, or sale of food in the United States. Contractors would only
be impacted if they decided to donate the excess food; they would bear
all the costs of donating the excess food. The Act would extend to the
Government and the contractor, when donating food, the same civil or
criminal liability protection provided to donors of food under the Bill
Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996.
Item V--Postretirement Benefits (PRB), FAS 106 (FAR Case 2006-021)
Currently FAR 31.205-6(o) allows contractors to choose among three
different accounting methods for PRB costs; pay-as-you-go (cash basis),
terminal funding, and accrual basis using generally accepted accounting
principles by applying Statement 106 of Financial Accounting Standards
(FAS 106). The FAR also requires that any accrued PRB costs be paid to
an insurer or trustee. This final rule amends the FAR to permit the use
of Internal Revenue Code sections 419 and 419A contribution rules as an
alternative method of determining the amount of accrued PRB costs on
Government cost-based contracts.
Item VI--Travel Costs (FAR Case 2006-024)
This final rule amends the FAR to change the travel cost principle
(FAR 31.205-46) to ensure a consistent application of the limitation on
allowable contractor airfare costs. This rule applies the standard of
the lowest fare available to the contractor. This rule takes notice
that contractors frequently obtain fares that are lower than those
available to the general public as a result of direct negotiation. The
cost principle is clarified by removing the terms ``coach or
equivalent'' and ``standard'' from the description of the classes of
allowable airfares, since these terms increasingly do not describe
actual classes of airline service. Thus, even when a ``coach'' fare may
be available, given the great variety of fares often available, the
``coach'' fare may not be the lowest fare available, in particular when
a contractor has a negotiated agreement with a carrier.
Item VII--Technical Amendments
Editorial changes are made at FAR 6.302-2, 8.703, 15.305, 52.209-6,
and 52.212-5.
Dated: November 30, 2009.
Al Matera,
Director, Acquisition Policy Division.
Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-38 is issued under the
authority of the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of General
Services, and the Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space
Unless otherwise specified, all Federal Acquisition Regulation
(FAR) and other directive material contained in FAC 2005-38 is
effective December 10, 2009, except for Items V and VI, which are
effective January 11, 2010, and Item II, which is effective February 1,
Shay D. Assad,
Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy.
David A. Drabkin,
Senior Procurement Executive, Office of Acquisition Policy, U.S.
General Services Administration.
James A. Balinskas,
Director, Contract Management Division, Office of Procurement, National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-28928 Filed 12-9-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-EP-S


A Signature Event Showcasing the Cultures of Westbriar!
Taste of Westbriar – Sample cuisine from around the world! We are excited to taste your dish. In order to participate in any part of International Night, your family must bring a dish that serves 6-8 people. An ingredient card will be provided when you drop-off your dish in the cafeteria so those with food allergies or preferences can make informed decisions.
Parade of Nations – Students dressed in clothing of the country of their choice will march behind the respective flag. Students must sign-up by 3/20 to ensure enough time for the PTA to procure all the flags.
Multicultural Performances – Participants are required to attend the dress rehearsal on March 29th starting at 6:00 pm in the Gym in order to perform on International Night. Any music accompaniment for individual performances must be submitted at the rehearsal as an mp3 to allow time for the DJ to coordinate the music. Performance slots are limited, so sign-up today. Last minute cancellations take away slots from other children and are logistically challenging to manage, so please only sign up if your child intends to perform.
Music and Dancing - End the evening by dancing to music from around the world!
Make sure your culture and country are represented!
WE CANNOT HOLD THIS EVENT WITHOUT YOUR HELP!


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text:
Ms. Lisa E. Rosenthal, Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Lisa Rosenthal is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Mayvin, a dynamic women-owned small business. In less than 4 years, her team doubled the firm's revenues annually making the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing firms 3 years in a row. She is a seasoned leader and business developer with significant government and commercial experience managing a broad spectrum of tasks, functions, processes, and systems from concept to implementation. Ms. Rosenthal is recognized for strong leadership skills, facilitating organizational change, well as developing strategies for significant business decisions. She is a proven leader that achieves high levels of productivity and efficiency in very diverse and fluid environments. Lisa proudly served on the American University (AU) Alumni Board of Directors and the American Health Education Center Network Board of Directors. She further supports the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association Small Business and Education Subcommittee, the National Board of Directors for Women in Defense HORIZONS Scholarship, STEM, and Academia Director, the AU Entrepreneurship Council, and sits on the Quality Systems Management, Inc. Advisory Board. She also proudly serves as a judge for the Kogod Case Competition and the George Washington Business Plan Competition. She has a Master's of Business Administration, International Finance as well as Management of Global Information Technology from The American University. She also has a Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor's of Arts in Environmental Policy from The American University. View PDF
Mr. Victor Pirowski, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Victor Pirowski has been the Chief Financial Officer of Mayvin since the company's incorporation in 2008. Victor has a proven record of developing and implementing financial and operational controls for Mayvin and its clients. His skills are directly applicable to a wide range of administrative, technical, and analytical functions in the formulation, presentation, defense, and execution of Department of Defense program budgets. He has significant experience in planning, organizing, and executing annual and multi-year budgeting projects. Victor's knowledge of Contract Administration, Regulatory Compliance, and Government Business Systems allows Mayvin to interact smoothly and efficiently with clients. Under his guidance, Mayvin has earned DCAA Accounting System acceptability and developed an infrastructure that is capable of servicing Mayvin's clients, and scalable to meet surge requirements. Victor holds a Bachelor's of Arts in Finance from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, and earned a Masters of Business Administration from George Mason University in May 2015. View PDF
Mr. Derrick Williams, Vice President - Growth
As Vice President of Growth for Mayvin, Mr. Derrick Williams is responsible for driving strategic partnerships and transactions to accelerate Mayvin's growth. He is focused on identifying and realizing opportunities to expand Mayvin's presence across the Federal and Defense contracting space. He brings over a decade of industry experience managing all aspects of business development, including market engagement, capture management, proposal development, marketing, and acquisitions. Before joining Mayvin, he worked for both large and small companies, including an international firm doing business with governments worldwide, governmental and non-governmental international aid organizations, and commercial enterprises. Prior to industry, Derrick spent 20 years in the United States Army and served in the Armored Cavalry and other units from platoon-level up to, and including, Headquarters Department of the Army and Joint staffs. In the Army, he supported Special Mission Units and served as a Strategist for higher level staffs. Derrick graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from Weber State University and has a Master of Science Degree in Business from Central Michigan University. Additionally, he works with Challenge America, whose mission is to connect service members, veterans, and their families to the resources they need to live the lives they earned and deserve. Derrick lives in Vienna, VA with his wife, daughter, and dog. Derrick — "I almost bowled a perfect game once... but I ruined it in the second frame." Challenge America
Mrs. Deb Yeagle, Vice President - Capture and Proposal
As Vice President of Capture and Proposal for Mayvin, Mrs. Deb Yeagle is responsible for developing capture management plans, win strategies, and proposals and supporting corporate professional development to accelerate Mayvin's growth. She is focused on executing Mayvin's Growth Plan Strategy to expand Mayvin's presence across the Federal and Defense contracting space. She brings over 35 years of Federal Government contracting experience. Before joining Mayvin, she worked for both large and small companies and served in a wide variety of business development and operational leadership roles to support clients in the Defense, Homeland Security, Intelligence, and Federal Civilian markets. Prior to industry, Deb served in DoD for over 25 years. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from James Madison University. Additionally, Deb is Project Management Professional (PMP) certified by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and is an accredited member of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) with a Foundation Level Certification (AM.APMP). She volunteers with numerous organizations to support transitioning military and Veterans in starting successful businesses. Deb lives in Tampa, FL with her husband, Jeff. In her spare time, Deb enjoys reading, watching sports, solving Sudoku puzzles, and reminding everyone up north how warm and sunny it is in Florida.
Reqs & Capabilities
Engineering, IT/Cyber,
& Technical Analysis


text:
You Are Here: Home » Dossiers and more » Be All You Can Be
Posted by Csms Magazine on July 1, 2009 // Comments Off
John woke up one day and he was almost 80. Suddenly. Where had my life gone? He looked sadly to his feet, as if searching for an answer. It might have been better that none came to him. The question was hard enough. But the answer was harder still. John had spent his life drinking. And there went his life. And here he was. Almost 80, and nothing to show for it. The sorrow was frightful, vengeful. All the more real because there wasn't anything he could do about it. John was left to suffer, and to suffer until he finally lay dead.
John remembered his youth, his special days. All the more special now, because he didn't realize how special they were until 50 years past. John smiled sadly, you don't know what you have until it's gone, he said out loud. Only know did John realize. And only now was he beginning to see the truth.
Years earlier, nothing could have told him different. Different from the path he walked, booze in one hand, sweat in the other, his mind ablaze, his heart empty. Youth was youth. But even then, life wasn't pretty.
John had grown up to a poor, immigrant family from Vietnam. Known and respected in the local Vietnamese community in San Francisco, they worked long hours at the family fruit and vegetable stand, with a high regard for honor and family. John's father having saved every nickel to bring the family here, to America, to escape the poverty and persecution of the mother land: warrior tribes roaming the jungles, holding John's village hostage, enslaving the men, raping the women.
Nevertheless, the family loved their native Vietnam, just shy of the Cambodian border, though they longed for John to have the opportunity they themselves never had. For John to make them proud, to make a name for himself. Mother and father hoped beyond hope that he would be a wealthy business man. One to climb the ladder of success, to make his fortune in America. And so they went, aboard ship with meager belongings slung over their shoulders. For John. For John to be prominent and strong, to bring great honor to the family name. To mother and father, none could be an honor as high.
As John grew into his adult years, he had other ideas. He felt lost between two worlds, Vietnam and America. His parents speaking lovingly of thousands of miles away, in a village in a jungle, praise to Buddha, a world to John which was a world away. A world he never knew. And as he grew older, it was a world that John felt estranged from, and yet somehow had the idea that he was supposed to know it better despite never having been there.
Meanwhile, John wanted to be an American. Rock and roll music, pretty blond girls. This was his ticket. His fame and fortune. The life he had his eye on. But his family sternly disapproved. Go to college, marry the woman of the furniture store from across the street. The marriage would be a good arrangement. Her family owns the furniture store. You could run it after you finish college. Working and bearing children, this is the good life. John listened, thought, and eventually, developed a resentment. A mighty resentment. One that sputtered and burned.
Why can't they just let me have my life? Why must they control mine? He thought angrily to himself. Cursing under his breath. But to their face he said nothing. He couldn't. Such disrespect to his parents would of the highest dishonor. Shameful. Unheard of. It could not be so in his Vietnamese family. Nothing could be worse. John knew this, and yet John still wanted to live for John. To carve out his own life, to . . . be all you can be, he heard in a commercial for the Army. It was as if the commercial was a message straight from Buddha himself. And John was captivated. Entranced by the men sailing away in the helicopter. Find a future, take charge of your life. The calling was loud and prominent. It could not be ignored or thought over.
John fairly dove for the phone, fingers shaking as he dialed the 1-800 number. Two months later he was packing his bags for the army base at Carmel, California. John was proud as he straightened his green button-up overcoat. Snapping to attention as if at role-call in boot camp. Pleased with the clicking his boot-soles made against one another. John was as proud as his family disapproved. His father yelled, pointed his stubby finger. He could kill you with that finger. How could you do such a thing? For this government which invaded your homeland years ago? Have you no honor? And John slammed the door behind him, determined to make it anyway. And on the bus he went. For Carmel, and for his new life. Be all you can be, that's what the commercial said.
Too bad commercials weren't as realistic as John had assumed. 2 months after shipping out, John was called into combat. Let's just say that life in the military had its ugly side. The shellings, bombings, miss-drops where babies and old women died by burning in agony. A mistake, his commander said. And then John's platoon would march through the ruins like flies over feces. Inspecting, hungry. John remembered his father's tales of soldiers in his village. The hatred of the villagers. Stone-faced, and yet stoic, with their heads high, their worn faces staring intently, right through the soldiers as if eyes became sniper rifles. John saw these faces upon the native peoples as they stared at him. 4 years in combat felt like 40 years.
And John was grateful to hear his call to discharge. And home he went. Assuming he was returning a hero. To a comfy bed, and a beautiful wife, to a job and children. Smooth sailing from here. 'Everything is gravy' once you get out, the black soldiers used to say. John always assumed it would be so. Alas, his hopes and dreams were again thwarted by reality.
As he settled down at home, in his civilian life, John found his sleep stricken by nightmares, his wake stricken by anger and sadness. His wife, who had waited 4 years for him while he was overseas, was deeply troubled by these changes. He was not the man she had married. Not the man she had come to love. Able to bear his rage and preference for aloneness no longer, she left him. And so John was alone.
Drinking became all the more comforting. In the army, in the beginning, it was just once and a while. As a youth, John was pushed hard to study and succeed, never having had time for the party. But with the freedom the army granted him when he was off duty, John discovered, what he thought, was the missing part of his life. Booze and girls, late nights of laughter, and mornings with his head in the toilet bowl. Life was at times crazy, but John loved it. And despite his passion for the party, for a time, John kept it together. He had to, for in the military, there was no room for sloppiness. Not in what it meant to John. John had lost his family, his heritage, and as his father said, his honor. Now all John had was the military. And he was determined to make good of it. To stand tall and proud, to defend his country. To, be all you can be. But the parties sure were something.
Meanwhile, back in civilian life, it went from a thing of celebration and holiday to a thing of escape. An escape from the pain of loneliness, of failure, of dishonor. Of the life that John had come to know. A life where dreams were shattered and promises broken. And John was bitter. And so he drank. Jobs came and went. More drinking. Girls came and went. More drinking still. That's when John woke up and he was almost 80. Where had the time gone? John asked himself sadly.
But then something finally began to change, after a time that was short and timeless all at once. Not that an answer came, an answer to where time had gone. But that John had begun to ask the right question. What can I do about it now?
And finally, somehow, John reached out for help. At 78 years old. He went to the Veterans Administration Hospital and enrolled in their drug and alcohol treatment program, put together a little time free of drinking, and slowly, the cob webs began to clear. The army, my wife, my life, my youth . . . where did it go? Alas, the question seemed to deaden in mid-air. And the pain was excruciating. But John pressed on. Sobriety comes first, that's what his counselor said. And John listened, and John did as he was told, as was familiar to his life in the military, where following orders was of the utmost priority.
But so was living and providing for himself. At almost 80 years old, John found that this was hard. Life was hard. His VA benefits kept some money coming in, but his expenses were piling up. He developed bronchitis and other medical problems, and found that much of the services he needed were not covered by his benefits. Cut backs, budget cuts, said the nurses who handed him bills. Pretty soon, it seemed like all of his money was going to medical bills.
So he scrimped by on a meager diet of rice and beans, living in one of the VA barracks for veterans who were in the drug program, met with his counselor, and somehow managed to stay away from the drink. It was hard, but John was grateful, though the loss of his youth continued to keep him awake at night. Where did it go? He wondered out loud in the dark. The chirping of the crickets outside in the woods was his only answer.
Meanwhile, he was beginning to sweat over what would come of the future. Treatment isn't forever, I make $900 a month, $400 for medical bills, how can I find a place to live and eat on $500 a month? Only 3 months left in the program. . . The uncertainty of it was frightful.
And John kept asking himself questions he couldn't answer. Was it supposed to be this way? No! It wasn't! John remembered his youth, when he was hostage in his father's home. Listening to his father drone on about being a business man and getting married, honor, respect. John resented his father greatly for his heavy hand and dictating how John should live. That's why I left. That's where my youth went. The military. Be all you can be. That's what the commercial said. John stared bitterly at the mass of bills on his counter top. All I can be, he said.
Note: Graham Danzer is a writer who lives in San Francisco. Mr. Danzer also holds a master's degree in Social Work. He is Ph.D candidate in his field.
Tags: Booze, Business Man, Cambodian Border, Csms, Danzer, Fruit And Vegetable, Hand Sweat, Hostage, Jungles, Ladder, Land Warrior, Magazine Staff, Mother And Father, Mother Land, Native Vietnam, Persecution, Poor Immigrant Family, Sorrow, Vietnamese Community, Warrior Tribes


The YWCA is proud to tell you about our most recent success story. A single grandparent household has just moved into her own apartment. This woman came to North Dakota to be with family, and when she arrived with one of her daughters and three grandchildren, her plans for a place to live fell through. They had traveled far, and tried to make it work by finding jobs and looking for apartments that they could afford. Her daughter had decided that trying to force her situation was not worth what she left behind in her home state, so she packed up and left with two of her children. After a very hard goodbye, Grandma and one of her grandchildren moved into the shelter.
The YWCA learned so much about the triumphs this woman had been through. She was not perfect, but she was honest about those imperfections. This woman served as "grandma" to all the residents living in the YWCA shelter, and tried to offer advice and wisdom to many younger women.
Finally, after a long wait here in North Dakota, an apartment came through for her and her grandchild. The YWCA was able to help her with clothing, all the necessities, and help filling out assistance applications, so that her and her grandchild would have the very best possible chance at success. The YWCA was also able to help pay for her deposit and some rent to get her started, and she is now out on her own……grandchild in tow. This woman is a true story of perseverance, resiliency, and has the belief that if she does the right things, good things will happen. If you are interested in this woman's full story, she has agreed to share it at the YWCA Women of Distinction Banquet - tickets available here. It will be a story of inspiration and change you won't want to miss it!


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Nintendo win 2 Interactive Awards
Nintendo Wins Two Interactive Achievement Awards
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has honored Nintendo with two
Interactive Achievement Awards, including Handheld Game of the Year for The
Legend of Zelda®: Phantom Hourglass for Nintendo DS™ and Adventure Game of the
Year for Super Mario Galaxyâ"¢ for Wiiâ"¢. Both games have also enjoyed strong
momentum, with more than 2.5 million copies of Super Mario Galaxy sold since
its Nov. 12, 2007, debut and more than 1.1 million copies of The Legend of
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass sold since its Oct. 1, 2007, release.
Nintendo received nine nominations in eight gaming categories. The awards were
presented the night of Feb. 7, 2008, at the Academy's annual Design, Innovate,
Communicate, Entertain conference in Las Vegas. The awards are among the most
respected in the interactive entertainment community.


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Are We Right to Blend Hanukkah and Thanksgiving This Year?
Rabbi David Kudan
As you've undoubtedly heard, the Jewish calendar and the secular calendar offer a strange convergence in the United States this year as Hanukkah and Thanksgiving coincide. The Jewish media has been full of humorous articles about combined menus (like this one from Jewish cooking expert Tina Wasserman) featuring foods like latkes with cranberry sauce, and the term "Thanksgivukkah" has been coined to describe the merged holiday.
Hanukkah Confessions of an Interfaith Kid
Logan Zinman
I'm pretty sure my family coined the term Christmukkah. We were interfaith hipsters, once we realized that the alternative, Festivus, wasn't really for the restofus.
A Special Worship Service for Jews with Disabilities and Their Families
by Nancy Crown When I was called to meet with a member of my synagogue's Congregation-Based Community Organizing Committee, I almost declined. I was asked to think about what the temple could do that it was not already doing. My main reaction was to reflect on the many opportunities for learning, worship, and community that I wasn't partaking of, due to limited time and a longstanding "outsider" feeling when it comes to religion. Like many others, my upbringing did not include much meaningful participation in the spiritual aspects of Judaism. My daughter, now 28 years old, has developmental disabilities. She was keenly interested in Judaism as a young child, but as a teen, she began to talk about converting to another religion. By that time, our son was enrolled in school at Congregation Rodeph Sholom, where we were members. We chose a Jewish day school for a number of reasons, including our desire for our son to feel more secure in his Jewish identity than my husband, my daughter, or I had felt. We began lighting candles on Friday nights. I took Hebrew classes. We attended services, where, at moments, I would feel an achy kind of longing, alongside a feeling of being an outsider. Try as I might, I couldn't quite find a way in.
In Toledo, Asleep in the Room of the Moneylenders
Ilana DeBare
We took advantage of our empty nest status to take a week-long trip to Spain this month, the first time in almost 20 years that we could travel at a time when schools weren't on vacation.
Debbie Friedman: Singing Unto God
Hank Bordowitz
Debbie Friedman's user-friendly liturgical compositions are sung in Reform congregations across North America, and her Mi Sheberach has helped countless individuals derive strength from singing in solidarity. What are the sources of her inspiration?
(-) June 2002


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Еле́ктроліти́чна чару́нка (, ) — електрохімічна чарунка, де електролітична енергія перетворюється в хімічну. Реакція в такій чарунці викликається зовнішнім електричним струмом, самочинно вона не відбувається.

Загальна зміна вільної енергії для реакції в чарунці є позитивною. У такому пристрої електричний струм від зовнішнього джерела використовується для проведення окисно-відновних реакцій чи електрохімічних процесів.

Див. також
 Електрохімічний осередок

Джерела

Електрохімія

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This is the second set of player evaluations from the Best of the Midwest tournament held in Geneva, IL. Comments involve players from two Chicago area AAU teams -- Chicago Hoops Express II (16s) and Chicago Flame (17s+).
2006 Teah Gant (5'10 F, Chicago Hoops Express II) -- Another player that makes you "wow" with her versatile game. Listed by her coach as a forward, but she has serious guard skills. She will pick your pocket before you even begin to realize its happening. On Saturday against the Pacesetters, she went three-for-five in less than two minutes, all five attempts she created for herself off steals. She attacks on defense in the backcourt. Very active on offense and defense. Elusive on offense and can he can score in either direction.
2006 Kaitlin McInerney (6'2 PF, Chicago Hoops Express II) -- McInerney is a workhorse around the basket. Has a good nose for rebounding, and scores quite a few points off of garbage off the offensive boards. Rebounding really stuck out with her, but she also had a nice stroke on a spot-up three-pointer.
2007 Alison Jackson (5'11 F, Chicago Hoops Express II) -- A smooth and athletic forward with a soft pull-up jumper. You can tell a lot about the comfort zone of a player when they are put under pressure, and AJ looks to go inside. She has solid small forward skills at the moment, and if you look for a player who creates her own shot as defining that position, Jackson leans heavily to slashing toward the basket. She has two more years to hone her outside game, but now is highly skilled at slashing and finishing around the basket. Two players on CHEII this weekend, Jackson and Woods, will keep college coaches busy visiting Fenwick over the next couple of years.
2007 Samantha Woods (6'3 C, Chicago Hoops Express II) -- A player that would be interesting to see more of, especially considering this team leaned more toward guard play in the two games I witnessed. She has several things that bode well for her future at this age. She is active around the basket, and can not be confused with someone who waits for the game to come to her. She posts up aggressively and calls for the ball with those long arms. She also appears to have a sharp eye for her teammates on the in-and-out, and is a passing post.
2004 Candace Parker (6'4 F, Chicago Flame) -- What can I say about Parker that has not already been said a thousand times? Her father said the doctors cleared her to play, but to take it easy. Easy evidently meant not running the entire game, as she still atempted dunks, got down into low defensive stance, and generally did everything seen of her before the knee problem. I will say this -- Parker is physically different than any other player at the tournament. Her defensive stance engulfs players. Why the Flame needs to bring in ringers Parker and Reed I can't fathom, because the team really didn't need them. However, it was great to see both players.
2004 Charese "Tudy" Reed (5'11 F, Chicago Flame) -- The first player I saw when entering the gym during the tournament, and it was on a missed dunk attempt. Later, she took an alley-oop from Candace Parker during warmups and dunked on the third attempt, landing and giving her bench her best impression of a flexing Arnold Schwarzenegger. She has amazing springs, and her legs serve her well in the open court too. She didn't seem to be the scorer her abilities might tend to support, but ends up having a few ticks in almost every statistical column by the end of a game. A small forward who can run like a guard and dunk like a center. Some mentioned her as a guard, but her rebounding ability is so advanced I'd hate to see her spend too much time on the outside. Yet she will greatly pad team rebounding numbers collapsing from the outside and outjumping the competition.
2005 T.K. LaFleur (5'9 G, Chicago Flame) -- I was very interested in seeing this move-in from Texas, now playing in the Chicago area. Very quick feet and pushes the tempo. She is the queen of the floating jumper. Her vision is good and may border on the edge of being a flashy performer. Heard Baylor mentioned among three suitors, a list that will have her playing ball in the southwest somewhere.
2005 Danielle Campbell (6'4, Chicago Flame) -- I hate comparisons to other players because they are so problematic, but Campbell reminded me of Purdue's Camille Cooper when I saw her run the court. Her thin body is strong, and she posts up aggressively and calls for the ball. Her offensive moves are polished, and looked to be flawless shooting within ten feet.
2005 Stanecia Graham (6'1, Chicago Flame) -- A very good player and a load to handle in the low post. Despite her size, she has some good open court speed. Strongest aspect of her game is rebounding, and if she blocked out more consistently would get even more. Still, it is hard for opponents to get around her when she hasn't got them contained anyway. I can't put my finger on it, but something is missing from her game, and deserves a look later in the summer to see her progress once the teams begin playing multiple games through the week and weekends. May be an early season conditioning issue. The Flame is a very athletic team. Needs some work on her freethrows.
2005 Lindsay Schrader (6'0, Chicago Flame) -- How many stars can you fit on one team? One more to the mix is Schrader, who made a case for one of the most complete players on the floor this weekend. She has fire in her belly, can go one-on-one with a great degree of success, and attacks the basket and finishes. Has some unbelievable scoring outbursts that works to change the defense to react to her. Saw her attack the sides of the lane from both sidelines, and can read the defense well enough to slash at full speed through the lane and not get bogged down by the help defense. Her grandmother seemed especially happy about her decision to go to Notre Dame, a school she visited four times before deciding to commit. While other schools were considered, Notre Dame was a focus for her attention. And they have a good player in Schrader.


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FILE PHOTO: Workers of the state-oil company Pdvsa holding Iranian and Venezuelan flags greet during the arrival of the Iranian tanker ship "Fortune" at El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela May 25, 2020. REUTERS./
Defying Trump, Iran Aims to Keep Offloading Gasoline Glut to Venezuela
By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin
LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) – Iran could send two to three cargoes a month in regular gasoline sales to ally Venezuela, sources say, helping offload domestic oversupply but risking retaliation from U.S. President Donald Trump who has sanctions on both nations.
Iran has since April sent five tankers totalling about 1.5 million barrels to the leftist government of fuel-starved Venezuela, though the shipments have done little to alleviate hours-long lines at gas stations.
The Trump administration, which is seeking both to block Iran's energy trade and bring down Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, has threatened reprisals and warned ports, shipping companies and insurers against facilitating the tankers.
But Tehran plans to keep up the shipments, according to five trading and industry sources close to the Oil Ministry.
Two of the sources said Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards military unit, which answers to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were determining policy on Venezuela.
"This is a long-term strategic decision made by the state to expand influence," said one Iranian trader familiar with the policy, likening it to Iran's cargoes for Syria.
Requests for comment from Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Oil Ministry, and from Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, Oil Ministry and Information Ministry, were not answered.
A State Department spokesman said the United States would not tolerate "meddling" or sanction-breaking to support Venezuela, but did not specify what actions could be taken.
"The international business community should already be aware of the legal risk of any transactions with the illegitimate and tyrannical regime of Nicolas Maduro," he said.
"It is no surprise that the deeply corrupt and oppressive Iranian regime would find a kindred spirit with Maduro's brutal kleptocracy."
A net gasoline importer for decades, Iran announced self-sufficiency last year with the third phase of its newly-constructed 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) Persian Gulf Star refinery in the port of Bandar Abbas.
But the coronavirus pandemic cut demand to almost 450,000 bpd in the first quarter of 2020 from about 650,000 last year, according to energy consultancy FGE.
Even before the virus, oversupply had reached 84,000 bpd of gasoline in the last quarter of 2019, but it soared to 172,000 in the first three months of this year, according to FGE.
'VENEZUELA ONLY VIABLE OPTION'
With insufficient storage capacity, Iran was unprepared for the glut, the trading and industry sources said, meaning Maduro's appeal for help fell on ready ears.
"Iran's gasoline oversupply equals 15 to 20 medium cargoes every month. Iran exports only five cargoes a month to Asia and Africa. So Venezuela is the only viable option," said one of the sources. They all asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the subject.
Iran is also helping the fuel-starved South American country restart its mostly idled 1.3 million bpd refining network. An Iranian-flagged cargo ship is currently making its way toward Venezuela, according to an analysis of the vessel's trajectory by oil industry data provider TankerTrackers.com, which added it was carrying refining equipment.
Refinitiv Eikon data show the vessel, the Golsan, is navigating west across the Atlantic Ocean after departing Iran's Bandar Abbas – the same port where the gasoline cargoes came from – in May. The shipment comes after Iran sent refining equipment to Venezuela through more than a dozen flights by sanctioned airline Mahan Air earlier this year.
Even when the pandemic has passed and domestic demand picks up to an estimated 550,000 bpd in the second half of this year, Iran will still have the capacity to send two to three cargoes to Venezuela per month, according to traders and FGE data.
A medium tanker, of the sort Iran has been sending to Venezuela, can carry between 190,000-345,000 barrels.
Though the political solidarity is evident, with Maduro due to visit Tehran soon to "thank the people", Reuters has not been able to establish the financial details of Iran's trade with Venezuela.
FILE PHOTO: President Rouhani in meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Source	https://www.tasnimnews.com/ Author:Hossein Zohrevand. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
The deal could, however, help Iran stem potential losses at the production end from storage reaching capacity, according to the head of one oil products trading firm in Tehran.
"For every single day that a refinery is shut down, the loss will be far greater than exporting cheap gasoline to Venezuela," he said.
Tehran has not been hiding its trade with Caracas.
Unlike most Iranian tankers that turn off transponders for shipments skirting U.S. sanctions, the five ships delivering to Venezuela kept their automatic identification system (AIS) on.
In the last two years, Trump has quit a nuclear deal with Tehran and reimposed sanctions on Iran's energy and bank sectors plus the Revolutionary Guards.
(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London; Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington and Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Chizu Nomiyama)
#Oil and Gas
#US Sanctions
IRGC
Rouhani


What's The Goriest Horror Movie You've Ever Seen?
Horror movies are fun to watch, and some super-bloody horror movies are pure art.
For example, maybe you were impressed by all the blood in 1985's Day of the Dead. LOOK AT ALL OF IT!
Perhaps the original Martyrs was almost too much gore for you to handle, but you couldn't look away.
Or maybe you were shaken after watching Cannibal Holocaust (1980), because that movie was MESSED UP.
Sometimes, the blood is what makes the movie, so tell us: What's the goriest horror movie you know of?