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White Out: Asia's Rice Price Crisis
Our Correspondent Apr 1, 2008
Although Asia's farmers and exporters ought to be laughing all the way to the bank over the rapidly increasing price of rice, they aren't. All sides – producers and consumers – are suffering and governments are struggling to cope, and farmers in Thailand, the Philippines and other countries are guarding their fields at night to prevent theft.
The price increases have forced rice-exporting countries to put the brakes on exports to keep domestic prices down and curb inflation. The rising price of rice is part of a global trend in rising food costs, with wheat leading the way, up more than 180 percent on the year, soybeans up 82 percent, soybean meal up 67 percent. But it is rice, with its fundamental place on the plates of Asia's consumers, that is worrying governments. A year ago, rice was trading on the Chicago Board of Trade at $10.08. It has gone up to $20.175.
Philippine officials have been raiding rice warehouses near Manila where unscrupulous traders have been repackaging government-subsidized rice intended for poor areas and reselling it as high-grade commercial rice at twice the price. ``Hoarding widens the gap in supply,'' Luz Lorenzo, an economist at ATR-Kim Eng Securities Inc. in Manila, told Bloomberg. ``The raids will mitigate the problem. Hopefully, rising prices will encourage governments all over the world to boost production.''
Even in wealthy Korea, consumers went into a near panic in early March when the cost of ramen, an instant noodle made from wheat that is a staple of the Korean diet, spiked in price. Housewives emptied grocery shelves for days to snap up supplies before the increase went into effect.
Higher fuel costs, with crude soaring above US$100 a barrel and threatening to stay that way, have partly been blamed for making fertilizer more expensive, raising the cost of growing rice as well as increasing transport costs. In Southeast Asia, disease, pests and a 45-day unprecedented cold snap from China down all the way to Vietnam in January and February that hurt harvests has also been blamed. Flooding in the Philippines and Vietnam has also contributed to the growing crisis.
Part of the problem, however, has been caused by ill-advised government programs. Economically disastrous subsidized biofuel programs intended to ease global warming in the United States and Europe have caused a precipitous decline in the amount of agricultural lands planted for other food sources such as wheat and soybeans. Some 16 percent of US agricultural land formerly planted in soybeans and wheat is now being planted in corn, according to the US Department of Agriculture, most of it being used for biofuels. More corn – 86.7 million acres (35 million hectares) in 2008 – is being grown in the US today than at any time since World War II ended 63 years ago. A full 600,000 acres (242,800 hectares) more are in corn now now than in 2007. Given the heavy energy inputs that go into biofuel production, the Union of Concerned Scientists has warned that the production of the fuel itself, ethanol, may not help lessen climate change after all.
Low government rice stockpiles have also created an environment in which supply disruptions can result in rapid price swings. World rice stocks have shrunk from a peak of 130 million tonnes in 2000-2001 to 72 million tonnes in 2007-2008, according to US Department of Agriculture figures, the lowest level since 1983-84. That is estimated to meet only 17 percent of global consumption. Nearly half of the world's 6.6 billion people are dependent on rice and are already eating more than is harvested yearly.
In order to curb rising domestic prices, the governments of Vietnam, India and Cambodia have taken steps to lower rice exports. Primarily because of rising food prices, including rice, consumer price indexes have soared upwards across the region, with unadjusted inflation in Singapore at its highest level in 25 years according to Lehman Brothers. In China it is at a 12-year peak, while Hong Kong and Taiwan are facing a 10-year high.
Vietnam reduced its rice exports by almost a quarter last week, ordering authorities to not sign any more rice export contracts and capping exports at 3.5 million tonnes for this year, down from 4.5 million in 2007. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was quoted in a government statement as saying the cut was to stabilize prices and curb inflation. Consumer prices rose by 20 percent in Vietnam in March, the highest in 12 years, with rice prices rising by 26 percent so far this year.
On the same day as Vietnam's announcement, India raised the minimum sale price of rice exports by more than 50 percent. The move effectively ended overseas rice sales except for only the highest grades of rice. Tax incentives for non-basmati rice exporters were also scrapped. The move is also seen as an attempt to keep domestic prices down and combat inflation. India's wholesale price inflation rose to a near 14-month high amid a slowdown in economic growth.
Cambodia, suffering from spiraling costs, also announced a two-month ban on rice exports last week. Prime Minister Hun Sen said on 26 March, "It's a temporary measure. But it is to ensure food security." In a country where a third of the population lives on less than US 50¢ a day, Cambodians are hurting from a doubling in the cost of cooking gas and a rise in the price of most staple goods.
Indonesia, traditionally a rice importing nation, is also reportedly considering a ban on exports to secure its domestic stocks. Although Indonesia expects a bumper crop this year, the increased output combined with a decline in domestic prices has raised fears of increased exports which could have an adverse impact on domestic stocks.
Thailand's government has not, as yet, taken any moves to curb exports, although it is reportedly under consideration. For the moment, Thailand continues to maintain its exports while trying to keep domestic prices at acceptable levels. The Philippines has reportedly already bought 130,500 tonnes of Thai rice to shore up its stockpiles. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej announced on March 27 that Indonesia wants to buy 100,000-300,000 tonnes of Thai rice annually.
Both Thai white rice and jasmine rice are expected to reach US$1,000 per tonne in the next three months. This is an almost doubling of the price of white rice, from US$556 per tonne and an increase from US$790 per tonne for jasmine rice. Thai rice merchants say prices have risen as much as US$20 per day.
Thailand has been the world's leading rice exporter since the mid-1960s. The country exported a high of 9.55 million ton last year, earning US$3.6 billion. This year's exports are expected to reach 8.75 million tonnes with earnings projected at US$4.7 billion.
Rising rice prices have governments worried about domestic supplies as farmers become increasingly interested in selling to the export market in order to make larger profits. Governments fear not having enough rice for local consumption and having to spend more on imports driving the price of rice up. Domestically it means that farmers are forced to sell at artificially low rates because they are denied export markets for their crop.
However, in an increasingly interconnected world where farmers and businessmen are well aware of international prices, they are much less willing to sell on the domestic market at prices that are often controlled by the government and are much lower than international rates. This has resulted in the kind of hoarding and speculation that Philippine authorities are trying to fight and that can subvert export bans.
Vietnamese rice harvests were down this year due to a cold snap in January and February in the north of the country that destroyed 100,000 hectares. The crop was also hit by the tungro virus and an infestation of the brown planthopper insect. Despite the bad harvest, Vietnam exported 859,000 tonnes of rice in the first three months of this year, which represents a 5.3 percent increase over last year. Expecting further price increases, Vietnam's farmers and exporters have been stockpiling the grain, thus contributing to reduced supplies on the domestic market and raising prices at home.
The Indian government, while saying that there is no shortage in the country, is reportedly also concerned about domestic supplies amid fears of higher exports brought on by the scarcity on the global market. India was thought to possibly surpass Vietnam as the second largest rice exporter in the world this year.
Indonesia and the Philippines are concerned over domestic rice stocks. Indonesia worries that higher international prices will see its farmers and businessmen sell more rice overseas resulting in less for the local market.
In the Philippines, where there is not enough arable land to grow enough rice to feed its population, rice stocks are already low. Government officials have requested that the public save leftover rice and have even requested that fast food restaurants reduce the portion of rice sold with meals. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has arranged a 1.5 million tonne purchase of rice from Vietnam, and she has also ordered the crackdown on hoarding, price manipulation on profiteering from government subsidized rice as soaring prices undermine her already-shaky hold on government and declining popularity.
Thailand is trying to keep domestic prices down through government distribution from its own stocks. Thailand's Commerce Minister announced that 300,000 tonnes of white rice stocks will be given through bidding to millers this week in an attempt to limit an increase in domestic prices. The rice is from a 2.1 million-tonne stockpile from the 2004-2006 harvests. Rice from the program will be sold 40 percent lower than the current price. Bids from millers will be accepted only if they pack the rice in 5 kilogram bags for the domestic market. Thailand's government stockpile is estimated to be good for only three months, then it will have to buy on the local market to replenish stocks.
While this move may appease consumers, Thailand's rice producers are not happy with the government's current cap on domestic prices. The Thai Rice Packer's Association has demanded that the Ministry of Commerce increase the retail price of rice by 10 percent in April. The association claims the step is necessary due to increasing production costs.
The volatile rice prices have not been a boon to exporters. The common practice is for rice exporters to sell forward at fixed prices and then buy rice on the common market to meet orders. This has resulted in problems across the region as rapidly rising prices leave exporters losing money due to having to buy rice at prices that are much higher than what their export contracts were agreed for when signed several months ago. Exporters who insist on the previous price are finding it difficult to source enough rice to meet orders, forcing delays or even defaults on orders.
For Vietnamese exporters, the problem is compounded because their contracts were signed in dollars. They are now having difficulty filling orders due to farmers hoarding in expectation of further price increases, while their profits are shrinking as the falling dollar makes their contracts worth less than when signed months ago.
Thailand's exporters have the same trouble. Chookiat Ophaswongse, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said last week, "There will be a lot of defaults coming up because we cannot find rice on the market." Indonesia and Iran are expected to want orders for 1.5 million and 1 million tonnes of rice respectively filled in the next three to four months, but exporters are unsure of their ability to meet the demand. The default on international orders could cause up to $5 billion worth of damages.


PET jug producing is one of the most stretched out bundling industry on the planet. Because of its solidness and quality to boundary water, dampness and gases makes it ideal for putting away and transporting. Additionally, PET bundling is reasonable for materials with various properties like strong, powder, fluid, semi-strong, and so on. To make bundling and capacity appropriate for extensive variety of materials there are sure tests to guarantee the nature of bundling.
The motivation behind Drop Test is to decide a containers capacity to withstand free-fall affect powers. Amid the primer plan time of plastic jugs, the drop affect test is one of the client's prerequisites. In ASTM D2463-95 (2001), drop testing of the plastic jugs can be led by totally filling a jug with water and dropping it onto the floor. The targets for the drop affect test are to control the container's characteristics and furthermore to decide the mean disappointment stature. Numerous endeavors have been made to perform PC reproduction of the drop affect trial of plastic containers to decide their effect quality.
The Drop Tester (according to IS: 7028 Pt IV) is a valuable gear for determining the vehicle value of ridged and strong fiber boxes and transporting compartments. It has arrangement with rakish drop game plan to help precisely discover the vehicle value of the bundle from all points. It is broadly utilized in a few enterprises to test and to substantiate the intensity of plastic jugs and folded boxes. The machine works by dropping a test example from a specific tallness to learn the quality of the example. The testing gear can be tweaked and made accessible in various determinations according to the interest of the client.
In this test, the example is made to fall free from a tallness to perceive how it would act whenever dealt with improperly. The tallness is picked according to the business gauges. This test fills numerous needs, it tests the obstruction against free fall and effect too. Be that as it may, affect test is path unique in relation to drop test however later one can be skipped if drop test has been performed.


In this paper, we study the construction of (2t+1)-variable Boolean functions with maximum algebraic immunity, and we also analyze some other cryptographic properties of this kind of functions, such as nonlinearity, resilience. We first identify several classes of this kind of functions. Further, some necessary conditions of this kind of functions which also have higher nonlinearity are obtained. In this way, a modified construction method is proposed to possibly obtain (2t+1)-variable Boolean functions which have maximum algebraic immunity and higher nonlinearity, and a class of such functions is also obtained. Finally, we present a sufficient and necessary condition of (2t+1)-variable Boolean functions with maximum algebraic immunity which are also 1-resilient.
This work was supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China under Grant number 60373092.


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Graduation, foster youth and honor roll award
Grossmont grads honored with traditions
Spring semester successes at Grossmont
As the school year comes to an end, we want to take a moment and celebrate some of the good...
Helix end of school year roundup
The end of the 2018-19 school year is rapidly approaching, and it's time to celebrate. Commencement ceremonies for the class...
Program offers opportunity to mentor Helix High students
Do you remember how crazy it was trying to plan your future as a teenager? If you do, you won't...
The fallen Foothillers of the Vietnam War
More than 60 years ago, a war began that created a cultural divide in the United States. Today, a simple,...
Grossmont High School's 'distinguished' history
By Connie and Lynn Baer For 98 years, Grossmont High School had taken pride in its outstanding academic and athletic...
Chancellor Cindy Miles announces retirement
By Anne Krueger The 10-year era of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District with Chancellor Cindy L. Miles at the helm...
College enrollment on the rise for Helix students
By Jennifer Osborn When Helix became a charter school in the 1997-98 school year, the major goal was to provide...
The band plays on …
By Connie and Lynn Baer In 1921–1922, Grossmont's second school year, its first orchestra was offered as a school subject...
PRIDE program teaches emotional intelligence
In the 2015-2016 school year, Grossmont High School began its PRIDE program, which is designed to teach students school-wide behavioral...
College district picks trio for employee excellence award
The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District has a winning trio of its own — the winners of the 2018 Chancellor/Classified Senate...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Amazon Resource Optimization reports list metrics only for resources that you can access from the My Amazon Assets and My Team's Amazon Assets portals.
Users with the aws_admin or cloud_admin role can configure, execute and view reports.
Users with the ec2_operator, cloud_operator, aws_user, or cloud_user role can view reports.
Note: The dashboards show only current records. To view older data, modify the gauge to show a previously executed report.
Navigate to Amazon AWS Cloud > Administration > Resource Optimization Rules and click Generate Report.
The system performs the calculations and generates the latest reports. The reports are saved in the Resource Optimization Report table with the last executed report time. After a report is generated, the latest rows are marked with Current=true and all prior records are updated to Current=false.


The SG3DXX series is speech synthesis series chip which with 6 seconds (at 6KHz play rate) single-channel voice and dual channel melody output. The chip integrates a microcontroller, two timers, two I/O ports, a sound sensor, and a short-range communication module. By programming the microcontroller, the user can implement the following functions: voice segment combination, trigger mode control, output state control, high performance melody, and voice output with background melody. In particular, the user can realize sound control triggering through the built-in sound sensor, and realize communication and interaction between toys through the short distance communication module.


The New Earth Resiliency Training Module (NERTM) is a series of tours, workshops and sessions organized by artist Tattfoo Tan that highlight climate change, preparedness, and resiliency by training self-reliance and the ethos of living closer to the earth within an urban environment. The project explores these and related topics in the context of Freshkills Park and Staten Island communities.
suggest closer connections with our land within a greater urban environment.
Tattfoo Tan led a group ride in which riders were dressed in "horo" (which translates to "arrow catcher"), a resilient silk cloak worn by warriors on horseback in feudal Japan. This trip emphasized urban cycling safety and suggested different forms for protective gear.
Tattfoo Tan showed students how to make natural and traditional supplies from their gardens as part of BioBlitz! at Freshkills Park. In partnership with Macaulay Honors College, nature lovers and citizen scientists canvassed one section of Freshkills Park to count all of the birds, reptiles, mammals, fish, and plants that call this park home.
During a cleanup at Schmul Park, volunteers received their own special edition field notebook as part of the ongoing series of UnCommon Pages workshops. Tattfoo Tan bound books with paper made from Phragmites and included an enclosed reading list of online resources and books on various survival skills.


Bahrain is implementing a $32 billion infrastructure development programme which is expected to help diversify the economy, boost the kingdom's competitiveness and generate opportunities.
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, made the remarks as he last night visited the majlises of Dr Khalifa Al Dhahrani, Abdulla bin Hamad Al Nuaimi, and the Al Jishi and Al Khozaie families.
He affirmed that citizens will continue to be at the forefront of the kingdom's development programme, led by His Majesty King Hamad.
The Crown Prince highlighted that, as the GCC's fastest growing economy, it is important that Bahrain maintains momentum.
Bahrain's economic resilience is a consequence of diversification and fiscal consolidation measures that have yielded high rates of return across all non-oil activities, he said.
The Crown Prince extended greetings on Ramadan.


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Julia Sutherland
Sutherland was Fred MacAulay's radio co-host when she stumbled into stand-up as part of an on-air stunt, over a decade ago. She co-wrote BBC Radio Scotland sitcom "Homework", and starred in it alongside Sanjeev Kohli and Miles Jupp. Julia has also appeared as a panellist on Radio Scotland's "Breaking the News", performed stand-up on "BBC Radio 4 Extra Stands Up" and was the host of comedy panel show "The Good The Bad and The Unexpected". TV credits include Rory Bremner's 'Rory Goes To Holyrood' and  'Scotland's Historic Year', both on BBC Two.
Download press photos:


You've made the decision: you're going home. It may be only a few hours away, but it can seem like another planet. As recently as the 1960s, chances are you would have traveled back home by boat – 4-6 weeks to think about how your posting had been and what you'd be going back to. Not such a bad idea, if you ask me. Now it's changed: you get on a plane, and within a few short hours you're back in your home country, and after a few short weeks everyone except you has forgotten that you were ever away.
The thing is, you haven't forgotten! Being an expat, even for a short time, changes you from the inside out. Yes, you become adept at adapting to a new culture, but does that mean that adjusting back to your own will be easy?
Back on the boat, you would have had a chance to think. To re-evaluate and take stock: what have I gained from this experience; what am I taking with me; what is next? Unfortunately, you are denied this chance by modern transport, so you need to build it into your life before, during and after you return and adjust. In fact, I think moving back home provides a massive opportunity to do just that – re-address who you are and where you're going next. Most people in our fast-paced world aren't given the chance to stop and think and perhaps even step out of the rat race, even just for a short while. This puts you in a pretty unique position.
So, how can you make the most of your transition?
The first step is to look back.
How has your assignment been? What have been the challenges? How have you changed (emotionally, politically, mentally, spiritually, materially, etc.)? What have been the highs? What do you want to take with you from your time away? What do you need to leave behind? There are so many questions you could ask yourself; I'm sure you can come up with more. If you want to do it in a more structured way, find a professional to give you a personal debriefing. The military and mission sectors have been doing this for years, recognizing how much needs processing when someone comes 'home'. Many other people could benefit too – debriefings are about giving people the chance to process the ups and downs of their placement in a non-judgmental space. They normally last 1-3 hours and many people find them invaluable.
The next step is to focus on the present.
What responsibilities and priorities do you have in your life – now that you're back – that need attention? Perhaps there are extended family members who need reckoning in to your time and schedule, or elderly parents who you came back to help. Career. Finance. Health. Accommodation. Kids' education. Friends. Leisure. If you move within your own country or change jobs, it's likely that one or two of these priority areas will be imbalanced. When you return home after being overseas, you suddenly find that most areas of your life have been thrown into disarray – which is why it feels so unsettling and out of control at times. So take time to look at each of those areas and figure out what would you like them to look like, and how close you are to that ideal.
When my husband and I returned from Central Asia four years ago, we took time every couple of weeks to look at where we were and what was demanding our attention. We then thought about what we could do in each of these areas to make a small difference, so that we felt more in control and that we were moving in the right direction. We even set ourselves dates and times by which time we wanted to have done those things. It made a massive difference to how we felt about being unsettled – we felt purposeful and saw the chaos start to subside, while also acknowledging that some was exactly that: chaos.
The final step is to look to the future.
Coming home provides an amazing opportunity to mold what comes next – treat yourself to some dreaming: what do you want to do or have, and who do you want to be? Spend some time working out the life you had always dreamed of and work towards it. Try something new; make some changes. Find ways to make use of the new skills you've acquired. Invest in working with a life coach to help you work out the next phase. Whatever you do, don't miss out on the chance to rethink and make sure you're on course to be more fully you in the next stage of life – even if you end up doing the same thing you've always done – but knowing that is the best place for you.
Before you even step on that plane, you can be looking back on your time abroad (ha, ha! I hear you cry, no time for that, packing and sorting to do!) – but even letting it mull in the background is a start; then make time and space once you're back to be fully present to your priorities and look towards the future. Give it time – it will likely be exhausting and unsettling for a while – but seize the day. Make the most of this opportunity.


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5 Signs Kuwait is One of the Richest Countries in the World
Kuwait is a country full of wealth generated from the limited petroleum-based economy and a leading position in the GCC countries financial sector. Such combined industries have led Kuwait's dinar to become the world's top valued currency.
1. Their currency is the most expensive in the entire world. Enough said.
Most people tend to think of the Euro, the Pound and American dollars as the top currencies in the world. However, that's not true. In fact, the top three currencies are all from the GCC.
2. Their population is only about 4 million
Their small population means that their capita per person equates to being very high. Hence, pushing them to be the second richest country in the GCC and fifth in the world.
3. The cars are outrageous
It's like one huge competition of whose car accelerates the fastest. If you don't have a luxury car here, you're at least always admiring one.
4. They have a pond full of gold
They have enough petrol to account for over half of Kuwait's GDP, 94% of its export revenues and 90% of the government income.
5. Having everything done for you is not uncommon
When having home help, gardeners, drivers and car cleaners is the norm, that's when you know there are ultra rich people.


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Current: LGIAsuper welcomes new CEO
LGIAsuper welcomes new CEO
LGIAsuper has welcomed Kate Farrar as its new Chief Executive Officer.
First published: April 16
Ms Farrar brings 25 years' experience in senior leadership roles to the fund, most recently as Senior Implementation Leader at McKinsey & Company.
She has also held executive positions in the energy sector and financial services industry.
Announcing the appointment, LGIAsuper Chair, John Smith, said Ms Farrar's appointment followed an extensive executive search, with an exceptional field of candidates considered for the role.
Mr Smith said the appointment came at an exciting time for the fund, which has just implemented the world's most advanced administration systems and been named as Australia's best medium fund by Conexus Financial. "Kate joins us at an exciting time in our fund's history," he said.
Former CEO, David Todd, will continue in his role as Chief Investment Officer, a position he has held alongside the CEO role since 2006.
Mr Smith thanked Mr Todd for his contribution as CEO, noting a number of significant milestones reached under his leadership, including the successful merger with City Super and LGIAsuper's transition to a public offer fund in 2017.
Ms Farrar starts her new position today.


Raise your hand if your mornings are chaotic and you're always in a rush to get out the door? If you raised your hand then this post might be of use to you.
Every morning I get out of bed like clockwork at 8:15 and with the demeanor of a Monk who is in deep meditation (Those of you who are not morning people know what I'm talking about). I step into the shower at 8:15 and I get out of the shower at 8:25. Then I'm out the door by 8:35 and off to work. This is my morning routine and each step in my morning routine is exactly 10 minutes and I've perfected to be exactly that. But what if my alarm goes off a little late? Or I hit the snooze button one to many times? Want happens then?
Like most people my morning turns into a chaotic nightmare and I'm no longer an Organized Monk but a Psychotic Cheetah who's only thought is "How in the world am I going to make it out the door in time?" and more often than not these are the mornings where I can't find my keys, I forget to take my lunch, or I leave the house without my phone and wallet.
There are many things we all have to do each morning before we leave and this morning rush can be exhausting and frustrating. Those that have children understand this better than most. Because with children all of these tasks are magnified, you have to get them dressed, feed, pack their lunch, and make sure they have their homework. Not to mention the task of getting them to school and then yourself to work. And with children it seems like the same questions are always asked on your way out the door: Where are my keys? Do you have your homework? Where are your shoes?
Try also making a wallet size copy that you can tape to your sun visor in your car. That way you're sure to see it before you leave.
2) Have an organizer by your front door. Whether it's a box or a bowl try having some sort of container by your front door to put your keys, phone, sunglasses, or wallet in. This will help you keep track of those small things that always seem to get lost.
3) Buy a small beeper or alarm and attach it to your keys. This will help you find them in the morning and it will also remind you that its time to go. Set the alarm too go off at the time you must be out of the door.
I hope these suggestions are beneficial to you and hopefully they will help you keep the chaotic nightmare of the mornings at bay and help you be a more Organized Monk.


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2003. је била проста година.

Догађаји

Јануар

 20. јануар — Бивши председник Србије, Милан Милутиновић, добровољно се предао Хашком трибуналу где је оптужен за ратне злочине на Косову и Метохији током 1999. године.
 27. јануар — Скупштина Србије усвојила предлог Уставне повеље Државне заједнице Србија и Црна Гора и Закон о њеном спровођењу. На овој седници, тадашњи српски премијер, Зоран Ђинђић, одржао је говор када је посланицима ДСС-а рекао "Ако сте уморни, идите па спавајте бре!".
 30. јануар — Скупштина Савезне Републике Југославије ратификовала Споразум о двојном држављанству СРЈ и Босне и Херцеговине.

Фебруар
 1. фебруар — У несрећи свемирског шатла Колумбија који се распао изнад Тексаса погинуло је свих седам астронаута.
 4. фебруар — Свечано проглашена Државна Заједница Србија и Црна Гора.
 21. фебруар — На ауто-путу Београд — Загреб, код хале "Лимес", покушан атентат на премијера Србије Зорана Ђинђића. Камион (којим је управљао Дејан Миленковић-Багзи) покушао да пресече колону возила премијера.
 24. фебруар — Војислав Шешељ се предао Хашком трибуналу.

Март
 6. март — У удесу алжирског путничког авиона "Ер Алжир" одмах по полетању са аеродрома Таманрасет (Алжир), погинуле су 102 особе.
 7. март — Светозар Маровић изабран за председника новоформиране СЦГ.
 12. март — Премијер Србије Зоран Ђинђић је убијен у атентату испред зграде Владе Републике Србије.
 15. март — Уз присуство више стотина хиљада грађана, Зоран Ђинђић сахрањен у Алеји великана на Новом гробљу у Београду.
 17. март — Изабран први Савет министара СЦГ, чији је председник (по Уставној повељи) био председник државе - Светозар Маровић. Министар спољних послова постао Горан Свилановић, а одбране Борис Тадић.
 18. март — Скупштина Србије за новог републичког премијера изабрала Зорана Живковића, тадашњег заменика председника ДС.
 19. март — Отпочела дуго најављивана инвазија савезничких снага предвођених САД на Ирак, са званичним циљем да се свргне са власти Садам Хусеин.
 29. март — Карло Урбани, доктор који је идентификовао САРС, умро од те болести.

Април
 1. април — Британски суд осудио двојицу Алжираца на 11 година затвора због прикупљања новца за терористичку мрежу "Ал-Каида"
 2. април — Председавајући Председништва БиХ Мирко Шаровић поднео оставку због афере извоза оружја Ваздухопловног завода "Орао" из Бијељине Ираку, који је био под санкцијама УН.
 3. април — У Стразбуру државна заједница Србија и Црна Гора примљена у Савета Европе, као 45. земља чланица те најстарије паневропске организације.
 4. април — Америчке војне снаге заузеле багдадски међународни аеродром "Садам" и преименовале га у "Багдад Интернационал".
 8. април — Бивши председник Председништва Србије, Иван Стамболић (који је киднапован августа 2000. године и чији је леш пронађен две и по године касније на Фрушкој гори) сахрањен на Новом гробљу у Београду.
 9. април — Америчке снаге заузимају Багдад.

Мај
 1. мај — Амерички председник, Џорџ Буш, прогласио крај америчке инвазије у Ираку.

Јун

 13. јун — На београдском насељу Церак, ухапшен бивши официр ЈНА и хашки оптуженик Веселин Шљиванчанин. Приликом операције хапшења, дошло до сукоба полиције и више стотина грађана који су покушали да спрече хапшење. Повређено више десетина особа.

Јул

 25. јул — Томица Милосављевић, министар здравља у Влади Србије, поднео оставку на своју дужност.

Август

 13. август — Непознате особе су убиле двоје српске деце у селу Гораждевац док су се купали у реци Бистрици.
 14. август — Велики испад електроенергестског система се догодио на североистоку САД и у канадској покрајини Онтарио, оставивши више од 50.000.000 људи без електричне енергије.
 19. август — У бомбашком нападу на седиште Уједињених нација у Багдаду (Ирак) 23 особе су погинуле, међу којима и изасланик УН за Ирак Сержо Вјеиро де Мело.
 20. август — Основана организација Г20 земаља у развоју
 27. август — Фудбалски клуб Партизан након драматичне пенал завршнице савладао енглески Њукасл Јунајтед и по први пут се у својој историји и пласирао у Лигу Шампиона. То је уједно и први пласман неког клуба из Србије у најелитније европско такмичење од распада СФРЈ.
 27. август — Марс се приближио Земљи најближе у последњих 60.000 година, прошавши на растојању од 55.758.005 -{km}-.
 31. август — Незапамћено и стравично невреме (праћено кишом, олујним ветром, и великим градом)погодило Зрењанин. Повређено више особа, а причињена велика материјална штета.

Септембар

 10. септембар — Шведска министарка спољних послова Ана Линд избодена је ножем у трговачком центру у Стокхолму и умире дан касније.
 27. септембар — Лансиран је сателит Смарт 1.

Октобар
 7. октобар — Арнолд Шварценегер је победио на изборима за гувернера Калифорније.
 15. октобар — Кина је у свемир лансирала Шензој 5, своју прву свемирску летелицу са људском посадом.
 30. октобар — Око стотинак припадника Савеза самосталних синдиката Србије (СССС) у два наврата успело је да пробије кордон и окупи се испред здања парламента, али су их снаге Жандармерије потиснуле ка Скупштини града након жестоких сукоба.

Новембар

 13. новембар — Вршилац дужности председника Србије, Наташа Мићић, распустила парламент и расписала ванредне парламентарне изборе у Србији за 28. децембар.
 14. новембар — Откривен Транс-нептунски објект 90377 Седна.
 16. новембар — Ни у трећем покушају, Србија није добила председника. Кандидат Српске радикалне странке Томислав Николић убедљиво победио кандидата владајућег ДОС-а, Драгољуба Мићуновића, али му победа није призната због одзива бирача који је био испод законског минимума.
 20. новембар — Детонирано неколико бомби у Истанбулу, Турска. Бомбе су уништиле британски конзулат.
 20. новембар — Мајкл Џексон ухапшен због наводног сексуалног искориштавања малолетника.
 23. новембар — Под притиском демонстраната и опозиције, дугогодишњи председник Грузије Едуард Шеварнадзе поднео оставку због оптужбе око фалсификовања изборних резултата.
 25. новембар — Уједињене нације званично су укинуле програм "Нафта за храну" у оквиру кога је Ирак седам година продавао нафту под контролом УН за набавку хране и лекова.
 26. новембар — Конкордов последњи лет изнад Бристола, УК.

Децембар

 13. децембар — Амерички војници су током операције Црвена зора пронашли и заробили бившег ирачког председника Садама Хусеина.
 28. децембар — у Србији одржани ванредни парламентарни избори. Највише посланичких места освојила Српска радикална странка (82). На другом месту Демократска странка Србије (53). Затим следе Демократска странка (37), Г17+ (34), а коалиција Српски покрет обнове-Нова Србија и Социјалистичка партија Србије освојиле су исти број посланика (22).

Датум непознат
 Основан бенд Fair Nancy у Београду.

Рођења

Јануар
 3. јануар — Грета Тунберг, шведска активисткиња за заштиту животне средине

Фебруар
 20. фебруар — Оливија Родриго, америчка глумица и певачица

Март
 20. март — Немања Мотика, српски фудбалер

Април
 24. април — Никола Станковић, српски фудбалер

Мај
 5. мај — Карлос Алкараз, шпански тенисер

Јун
 9. јун — Никола Јовић, српски кошаркаш
 11. јун — Бријана Иди, америчка глумица

Август
 4. август — Марко Миловановић, српски фудбалер
 28. август — Квавенжане Волис, америчка глумица и списатељица

Септембар
 21. септембар — Андреј Ђурић, српски фудбалер

Смрти

Јануар
 5. јануар — Масимо Ђироти, италијански глумац. (* 1918)
 28. јануар — Милош Милутиновић, југословенски фудбалер и тренер. (* 1933)

Фебруар
 4. фебруар — Стефан Боца, жички епископ СПЦ. (*1916)
 14. фебруар — Овца Доли (*1996)
 16. фебруар — Александар Тишма, српски писац. (*1924)

Март

 12. март — Зоран Ђинђић, српски премијер, убијен. (*1952)
 13. март — Енрико Јосиф, српски композитор. (*1924)
 19. март — Драган Стојнић, српски певач шансона. (*1937)

Април
 4. април — Антоније Блум, митрополит Руске православне цркве и припадник француског покрета отпора. (*1914)

Јун

 29. јун — Кетрин Хепберн, америчка глумица. (*1907)

Јул
 4. јул — Бери Вајт, амерички музичар. (*1944)
 14. јул — Компај Сегундо, кубански музичар. (*1907)
 27. јул — Боб Хоуп, британско-амерички стендап комичар, глумац и певач. (* 1903)

Август

 19. август — Татјана Лукјанова, српска глумица. (*1923)
 30. август — Чарлс Бронсон, амерички глумац. (*1921)
 30. август — Бранко Вукојевић, сценариста и музички критичар. (*1956)

Септембар
 5. септембар — Милош Минић, српски политичар и народни херој. (*1914)
 9. септембар — Едвард Телер, амерички физичар мађарског порекла. (*1908)
 12. септембар — Џони Кеш, амерички музичар. (*1932)
 17. септембар — Љубица Марић, српски композитор. (*1909)

Октобар

 19. октобар — Алија Изетбеговић, босански политичар и муслимански активиста. (*1925)
 20. октобар — Миодраг Петровић Чкаља, српски глумац, комичар. (*1924)

Новембар
 1. новембар — Хенрик Махалица, пољски глумац. (*1930)

Децембар
 8. децембар — Рубен Конзалес, кубански музичар. (*1919)
 10. децембар — Сава Пенчић, српски слависта. (*1925)
 17. децембар — Милутин Морача, генерал-пуковник ЈНА и народни херој (*1914)
 26. децембар — Милан Васић, српски историчар из Републике Српске. (*1928)

Нобелове награде
 Физика — Алексеј А. Абрикосов, Витали Гинсбург и Антони Ј. Легет
 Хемија — Петер Агре и Родерик Мекинон
 Медицина — Паул Ц. Лаутербур и Питер Мансфилд
 Књижевност — Џон Максвел Куци
 Мир — Ширин Ебади
 Економија — Роберт Ф. Енгел и Клајф В. Ј. Гранџер

2000-е

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Eid al-Adha 9 - 13 July
Eid ul-Adha 2022 is rapidly approaching, the second of the two major Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims each year.
It follows on from Eid ul-Fitr, which is marked at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, which fell on Monday 2 May.
The date of Eid ul-Adha is based on the sighting of the moon, which means it cannot be calculated with complete accuracy – but here's when it is predicted to take place this year.
When is Eid 2022?
The Eid ul-Adha festival will begin on the evening of Saturday 9 July and last four days, coming to an end on the evening of Wednesday 13 July.
It falls on the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic Hijri calendar, with its date in the Gregorian calendar shifting forward around 11 days each year.
According to Saudi Arabia, whose official verdict is followed by many Muslims across the world, Dhul-Hijjah began on Thursday 30 June, following the sighting of the crescent moon on Wednesday 29 June.
This means that the Eid ul-Adha festival will begin on the evening of Saturday 9 July and last four days, coming to an end on the evening of Wednesday 13 July.
While the date is slightly unpredictable, observers do at least get more warning than with Eid ul-Fitr, when the festival falls right at the start of the month.
There is some debate as to whether the idea of a moon sighting should refer to you physically witnessing the moon in your region, which could be hampered by factors such as weather conditions, or whether to defer to sightings in Saudi Arabia or other regions.
What is the meaning behind Eid ul-Adha?
Known as the "Festival of the Sacrifice" or colloquially as "Big Eid", Eid ul-Adha is considered the holier of the two Islamic Eid festivals.
It honours the famous story of the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (known in the Christian Old Testament as Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God's command.
However, before Ibrahim carried out the heartbreaking request, God, known as Allah in Islam, produced a lamb for him to sacrifice instead.
To commemorate this, an animal is traditionally sacrificed and divided into three parts in an act known as Qurbani. One part of the sheep is given to the poor, one to the immediate family at home and one is reserved for relatives.
Nelson Mandela International day 18 July
World Youth Skills day 15 July
international non-binary people's day 14 July


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Work hard… negative split every marathon... always finish with a kick… and most importantly, make running a lifelong affair.
I enjoy being outside – also having a wonderful group of friends to run with – it gives me time to catch up with my friends and just talk.
My first marathon – as I approached the finish line and I felt the inertia of running. I had been running for so long I was thinking "how am I going to stop?" – my legs wanted to keep moving. At that moment I knew another marathon (or several) was in store for me.
Running has not always been easy for me, so I enjoy pacing to help others believe in themselves and achieve goals which may seem insurmountable.
Pacing the Madison Half Marathon (2008) – the first time I ever ran a "perfect pace" and came in on the dot. Also I had several folks in my group who completed a half marathon for the first time and it was really exciting seeing how proud they felt of their accomplishment.
I'll keep you steady and focused throughout the race, especially at the beginning when the tendency is to go out too fast. You will thank me for it at the end.
I run a steady pace but walk through the water stops, especially in the beginning miles. I take Gu every hour and encourage folks to do the same. Bring your own as you don't know what they will have on the course. For half marathons, stick with the pace group until miles 8-10 even if you are feeling strong. For the marathon, stick with us until 18-20. Resist the temptation to break away too early. And last but not least, listen to your body!
My parents are my biggest inspirations in running. They both began running marathons in the early 1980s and still run into their 60s. My mom ran my first marathon with me when I was 23 and she was 50. She was the best pacer I ever had. I love that running is a sport we can all enjoy together.


text:
Found 3 collections related to Drugs -- Religious aspects
D.M.T: An Hallucinatory Bead Game broadside, circa 1966
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 23003
The "D.M.T: An Hallucinatory Bead Game" broadside was created by Jackie Cassen, Ralph Metzner, and Mary McKay, probably around 1966. The broadside has a short, typewritten text that gives a mystical, metaphorical description of a "strange journey"... more
The "D.M.T: An Hallucinatory Bead Game" broadside was created by Jackie Cassen, Ralph Metzner, and Mary McKay, probably around 1966. The broadside has a short, typewritten text that gives a mystical, metaphorical description of a "strange journey" achieved through the use of DMT (Dimethyltryptamine). The bottom of the broadside states, "For Timothy Leary." less
Leary, Timothy, 1920-1996
Timothy Leary papers, 1910-2009
265.67 linear feet (610 boxes, 11 oversized folders, 22 tubes, 4043 computer files, 56 disk images); 1.78 Gigabytes (4043 computer files, 56 disk images)
Timothy Francis Leary, Jr. (1920-1996), a psychologist and writer, became known as an advocate for the use of psychedelic drugs and a counterculture icon. The Timothy Leary papers contain records created and accumulated by Leary over his entire... more
Timothy Francis Leary, Jr. (1920-1996), a psychologist and writer, became known as an advocate for the use of psychedelic drugs and a counterculture icon. The Timothy Leary papers contain records created and accumulated by Leary over his entire life, as well estate records created after his death. The papers comprehensively document his life and activities: as a child, student, professional psychologist, lecturer and researcher at Harvard, unaffiliated psychedelic guru, prisoner, escapee, exile, and futurist. less
Leary, Rosemary Woodruff
Rosemary Woodruff Leary papers, 1935-2006 [bulk 1965-2002]
11.15 linear feet (24 boxes, 1 volume); 11.75 mb (48 computer files)
Rosemary Woodruff Leary (1935-2002), (also known as "Ro" and Sarah Woodruff), sought to educate people about the psychedelic experience. Woodruff lived for over twenty years as a fugitive for her role in assisting her husband, Dr. Timothy Leary,... more
Rosemary Woodruff Leary (1935-2002), (also known as "Ro" and Sarah Woodruff), sought to educate people about the psychedelic experience. Woodruff lived for over twenty years as a fugitive for her role in assisting her husband, Dr. Timothy Leary, escape from prison in 1970. This collection documents her relationship with Leary and her twenty years as a fugitive through correspondence, photographs, ephemera, clippings, and drafts of her unpublished memoir, A Magician's Daughter. less


I started on this project last month and then just had too many things to do since then... BUT, I FINALLY got this spike ball DONE..
I want to name him Cled... I'll end up letting Elie choose the name though.
Babbman it looks GREAT!!!! The kids should love the friendly looking appeal. Looking forward to seeing it out in Napvlle next weekend.
it looks charming and should be a hit. Good job, Babbman!
a few more pics of Cled... Took him out for the 1st time last night where Chris and I flew... had the kids and listened to a few exclaim..."WHAT'S THAT BIG YELLOW BALL!"
inflates well and holds the air great in thanks to Mike and his valve idea..
and has a familiar spark in the pupils...I wonder what they are?
It looked great at Naperville... bright colors and so new-looking! The kids really loved it! Stuff like that really adds to a great festival, i think!


text:
Tomopteridae zijn een familie van borstelwormen (Polychaeta) uit de orde van de Phyllodocida.

Geslachten
De volgende geslachten zijn bij de familie ingedeeld:
 Briaraea Quoy & Gaimard, 1827
 Enapteris Rosa, 1908
 Escholtzia Quatrefages, 1866
 Tomopteris Eschscholtz, 1825

Synoniemen
 Johnstonella Gosse, 1853 => Tomopteris (Johnstonella) (Gosse, 1853)


text:
The impact of foresight on environmental science and technology policy in the Netherlands
Barend van der Meulen
Globalisation, high tech development and environmental issues have made policy makers aware again of the possibilities of future studies for policy making. However, the lack of systematic knowledge about their impact is a major obstruction to a proper use of future studies. Especially since future studies no longer claim to predict the future, but are seen as a strategic tool for improving strategic interaction between key actors and for anticipatory policy making, insight in the dynamics of future studies is indispensable. In this article we review four future studies in the Netherlands with an eye on their methods and related impact on research in sustainable technology. Although in content the four studies were quite similar, they were complementary in linking research strategies and policy objectives.
IR-73987
van der Meulen, B. (1999). The impact of foresight on environmental science and technology policy in the Netherlands. Futures, 31(1), 7-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-3287(98)00107-4
van der Meulen, Barend. / The impact of foresight on environmental science and technology policy in the Netherlands. In: Futures. 1999 ; Vol. 31, No. 1. pp. 7-23.
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AB - Globalisation, high tech development and environmental issues have made policy makers aware again of the possibilities of future studies for policy making. However, the lack of systematic knowledge about their impact is a major obstruction to a proper use of future studies. Especially since future studies no longer claim to predict the future, but are seen as a strategic tool for improving strategic interaction between key actors and for anticipatory policy making, insight in the dynamics of future studies is indispensable. In this article we review four future studies in the Netherlands with an eye on their methods and related impact on research in sustainable technology. Although in content the four studies were quite similar, they were complementary in linking research strategies and policy objectives.
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text:
Q: How to make an Ajax loader follow mouse? I want to have something on my site that follows the mouse around, sort of like how Windows 7 does it.
Like in Windows 7 when something is loading up a little circle comes and follows the mouse.
I am using the jQuery library so I know I can use Ajax Start and Stop to make it appear but am not sure how to make it follow the mouse around.
Any plugins to do this or how to do this?

A: That question was already answered here: jQuery tooltip follow mouse
However, that solution may slow down users' browsers due to the amount of calculations made during that proccess. I'd recommend you to change the browser's cursor using this trick in CSS:
cursor : url("custom.cur");

A: Just change the cursor instead to one of the standard OS "wait" cursors.  http://www.quirksmode.org/css/cursor.html has a good grid of options and browser compatibilities.  Hover over the cursor name in the grid to see an example in your browser.
It looks like you might want the progress cursor.
mystyle { cursor: progress; }

A: I figured I'd add a bit to this answer. My addition to the answer doesn't actually cover how to use JQuery to do this. Instead it covers how to use the ASP.NET Ajax Framework. This framework is automatically part of the page if your page (or MasterPage) has a ScriptManager on it. This framework is the one that's used by UpdatePanels and other Ajax Server controls in order to work.
The PageRequestManager Class manages partial-page updates (ajax requests). You can use this class to implement methods that should be executed whenever something to do with an ajax request occurs (like an ajax request begins or ends, or if an error has occurred while making the ajax request).
So, to implement this solution using the Ajax.NET framework instead of JQuery, grab a reference to the PageRequestManager and implement methods that will executed during the PageRequestManager's beginRequest and endRequest events to change the cursor style for the page:
<script type="text/javascript">
    var prm = Sys.WebForms.PageRequestManager.getInstance();
    prm.add_endRequest(endRequestEventHandler);
    prm.add_beginRequest(beginRequestEventHandler);

    function beginRequestEventHandler() {
        var bodyElement = document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0];
        bodyElement.style.cursor = "wait";
    }
    function endRequestEventHandler() {
        var bodyElement = document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0];
        bodyElement.style.cursor = "default";
    }
</script>

It's pretty simple. When the page is making an Ajax request to the server the PageRequestManager's "beginRequest" event occurs and your method changes the cursor to a "wait" cursor (by default I think it's the circle thing in Vista but I'm not sure and can't test it because I'm working with XP right now).
When the Ajax request returns to the browser the PageRequestManager's endRequest event occurs and your method changes the cursor back to "default".
The only thing that the user will have to do in order to see this cursor change is move the mouse a bit (then the style's applied). At least I noticed this behaviour in FireFox when I tested the above code.
Happy coding
-Frinny

A: I would rather do it more elegantly like so:
$(function(){
  $("html").bind("ajaxStart", function(){
     $(this).addClass('busy');
   }).bind("ajaxStop", function(){
     $(this).removeClass('busy');
   });
});

CSS:
html.busy, html.busy * {
  cursor: wait !important;
}

Source: http://postpostmodern.com/instructional/global-ajax-cursor-change/

A: Do you mean mouse trails?
If so, you can do it via DHTML. Click Here for a good example with code.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Can laptops catch up to the multitouch capabilities of tablets and smartphones? Synaptics' new ClickPad will try.
For all the advancements laptops have made, the humble touch pad has been essentially running the same hardware and software for years.
When you get right down to it, laptops only consist of a few key parts as far as user interface is concerned. Keyboard, screen, speakers--and, of course, the touch pad. With multitouch tablets and smartphones changing the interface landscape drastically, it's quickly becoming a multitouch world, and computers are the devices playing catch-up. Synaptics, makers of most multitouch touch pads used today, have a next-generation clickpad in development that hopes to close the gap quickly. Called the Series 3.0 Clickpad, it's a wider, button-free click surface that's the successor to clickpads seen in some current Windows laptops. We tried a prototype concept sent to us by Synaptics, installed on a Samsung R480, to see how it changed the Windows experience. And the answer, for the most part, is that it approaches what's already available on any Apple MacBook--with a few extra bonuses.
More accurate finger recognition. The 3.0 Clickpad has 10-finger independent recognition on its capacitive surface, something more akin to what devices like the iPad have. Synaptics' image-sensing technology on the touch pad also is far more accurate at locating the shape of the finger being used, and whether it's a flat surface or something resembling a palm. This allows an override of the touch technology when a palm is accidentally placed on the surface when typing.
Multifinger gestures. Apple's clickpad has had this for years, but the new Clickpad allows up to four-finger gestures and a wide variety of gestures to clear the desktop, browse back and forth between Web pages, and more accurately pinch-to-zoom and rotate. Four-finger swiping brings up a clever "deck" of open windows, which can be easily navigated between.
Chiral scrolling, edge scrolling. Other new features added attempt to make scrolling easier; one, "chiral scrolling," lets you draw your finger in a spiral to scroll up and down pages. Edge scrolling keeps moving whatever object you're dragging, even when you've hit the edge of the screen. These are useful wrinkles, but not utterly essential ones.
Clicking anywhere. Current clickpads work like a giant lever, angling downwards from a hinge on the back. Apple's clickpads don't click well at the back end, and neither do equivalent Windows clickpads. Synaptics' next-gen model is a large surface that can click down at any part of the pad. Sometimes the concept model felt a little loose, but in future pads it'll be nice to engage in some top-clicking.
Scrybe. Synaptics is working on a gesture-based vocabulary for other clickpad-initiated controls. Some may involve drawing a question mark to begin a search, for instance. We welcome more features, but a gesture vocabulary will need cross-application support and could get confusing to master. We're reminded of Graffiti for the Palm Pilot; hopefully, it won't be as confusing.
Does ClickPad Series 3.0 reinvent the wheel? No, of course not, but it is a nice evolution, and it looks to be the ultimate version of the button-free clickpad. It also lets those used to "old-fashioned" button touch pads to use the new-gen Clickpads the same way, gesturing with one finger and clicking on the bottom with another. That's a clever way to welcome old and new users alike.
We'll keep an eye on laptops that may feature Synaptics' ClickPad Series 3.0, perhaps as soon as CES 2011.


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Allows multiple uses as well as uses for social media websites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, etc).
For uses on manufactured goods, in software, templates or packaging and for cover photos.
You can find more information on our licences here.


text:
E-cigarette use represents more population-level harm than benefit, based on the existing scientific evidence
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) may help cigarette smokers quit smoking, yet they may also facilitate cigarette smoking for never-smokers. We quantify the balance of health benefits and harms associated with e-cigarette use at the population level.
Methods and findings
Monte Carlo stochastic simulation model. Model parameters were drawn from census counts, national health and tobacco use surveys, and published literature. We calculate the expected years of life gained or lost from the impact of e-cigarette use on smoking cessation among current smokers and transition to long-term cigarette smoking among never smokers for the 2014 US population cohort.
The model estimated that 2,070 additional current cigarette smoking adults aged 25–69 (95% CI: -42,900 to 46,200) would quit smoking in 2015 and remain continually abstinent from smoking for ≥7 years through the use of e-cigarettes in 2014. The model also estimated 168,000 additional never-cigarette smoking adolescents aged 12–17 and young adults aged 18–29 (95% CI: 114,000 to 229,000), would initiate cigarette smoking in 2015 and eventually become daily cigarette smokers at age 35–39 through the use of e-cigarettes in 2014. Overall, the model estimated that e-cigarette use in 2014 would lead to 1,510,000 years of life lost (95% CI: 920,000 to 2,160,000), assuming an optimistic 95% relative harm reduction of e-cigarette use compared to cigarette smoking. As the relative harm reduction decreased, the model estimated a greater number of years of life lost. For example, the model estimated-1,550,000 years of life lost (95% CI: -2,200,000 to -980,000) assuming an approximately 75% relative harm reduction and -1,600,000 years of life lost (95% CI: -2,290,000 to -1,030,000) assuming an approximately 50% relative harm reduction.
Based on the existing scientific evidence related to e-cigarettes and optimistic assumptions about the relative harm of e-cigarette use compared to cigarette smoking, e-cigarette use currently represents more population-level harm than benefit. Effective national, state, and local efforts are needed to reduce e-cigarette use among youth and young adults if e-cigarettes are to confer a net population-level benefit in the future.
Full text access
Soneji SS, Sung H-Y, Primack BA, Pierce JP, Sargent JD (2018) Quantifying population-level health benefits and harms of e-cigarette use in the United States. PLoS ONE 13(3): e0193328. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193328
Keywords: electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes, health effects, health benefits and harms, quantifying population-level health benefits and harms of e-cigarette use in the United States, expected years of life gained or lost.
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text:
SJSU Appoints Vice President for Student Affairs
by Pat Lopes Harris | May 1, 2015 | Academics
Reginald Blaylock
Media contact: Pat Harris, Media Relations, 408-924-1748
Reginald Blaylock has been appointed vice president for student affairs, effective June 1, 2015.
Throughout the search process, campus stakeholders were impressed by Blaylock's unbridled enthusiasm and evident commitment to student success," President Qayoumi said. "I look very forward to welcoming him to SJSU and believe everyone will find him to be an engaging, collaborative, committed leader and community member."
Blaylock joins SJSU from San Diego State University, where for the last 27 years he has supported and cultivated student success. Since 2013, he has served as SDSU's associate vice president for student services, leading 10 departments within the Division of Student Affairs, including those that provide educational opportunity programs and ethnic affairs; health, wellness and disability services; international student and study abroad services, as well as many other programs.
Student Affairs Experience
Beyond his leadership responsibilities, Blaylock was instrumentally involved in numerous SDSU strategic initiatives. These included the Aztec Scholars Initiative, which works to recruit and retain underrepresented African American and American Indian students, as well as efforts to implement physical and campus culture improvements to better serve those with disabilities within SDSU's campus community.
Previously, Blaylock served in leadership roles in student recruitment, school relations, outreach and enrollment management, and intercollegiate athletics (student-athlete support services at SDSU are housed within Student Affairs). Blaylock holds a doctorate in educational leadership with an emphasis in postsecondary education, as well as bachelor's and master's degree in public administration, all from SDSU.
The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, San Jose State provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor's and master's degrees in 134 areas of study with 110 concentrations—offered through its eight colleges.
With more than 30,000 students and nearly 4,000 employees, San Jose State continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing more than 7,000 graduates to the workforce.


text:
Simon O'Neill on his Distant Beloved
The Kiwi Heldentenor, one of the leading Wagnerians of his generation, talks about his new album of German lieder, his idol Fritz Wunderlich, his new opera role, and "commuting" from New Zealand.
by Jo Litson on March 8, 2019
Your new album Distant Beloved,featuring Lieder by Beethoven, Schumann, Strauss and Wagner, is your debut release for Decca?
Yes, it's a great honour; being with Decca is extraordinary. I had a recording with EMI, back in 2010, of Wagner arias with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, which was great as well. You think EMI and you think Franco Corelli, Maria Callas, and with Decca you think Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti, it's quite extraordinary.
Simon O'Neill. Photo © Albert Comper Photography
Why did you record German Lieder?
Well, as I say in the little personal remark I make on the album cover about the 1963 Fritz Wunderlich recording, [in which he paired Beethoven's An die Ferne Geliebtewith the Strauss songs that I have recorded here] Fritz Wunderlich was my idol. Even though he wasn't a Heldentenor, he was just my ideal singer. He was German and he was a beautiful singer of German repertoire and I just loved his recording of the Beethoven An die Ferne Geliebte. I've performed that for many years and to record it was really lovely, actually. I've been...
Did you hear about the bigamous composer and the Russian courtesan?
Behind every mediocre man there might be a fascinating woman.
In Your Living Room: Opera
Clive Paget recommends an Australian Butterfly, a resurrected Austrian miracle and six of the best from Belgium.
Clive Paget picks 18th and 21st century winners, and then puts three rings on it.
Rogues' Gallery: Twenty composers who did things they shouldn't
A candid assessment of those who went down and those who got off scot free.
Five Great Recordings to Revisit in Self-Isolation
Limelight critic Phillip Scott looks at recordings that were the talk of the town on their first appearance, and that have continued to impress pundits and public ever since.
Pietari Inkinen makes his SSO debut
The sought-after Finnish conductor discusses Stravinsky's "earth-shattering" Rite of Spring, and the SSO's new Symphony Hour concerts.
Classical Music, Opera
Rising star: Rachael Joyce
Winner of Season 2 of 3MBS' The Talent in 2019, the soprano discusses the importance of championing new and Australian composition, dream roles, and falling asleep to Andreas Scholl.
Limelight partners with Primephonic to deliver new classical playlists
A free three-month trial will allow you to listen to this month's hottest new recordings.
Nina Stemme: The Exclamation Point
Richard Wagner said he wrote music with an exclamation point. Isn't the dramatic soprano the exclamation point? asks Nina Stemme. The world's reigning dramatic soprano talks to Jansson J Antmann ahead of her much-anticipated return to Hobart for a Wagner Gala with John Lundgren.
Tristan und Mike
Recording WASO's concert performance of Tristan und Isolde with Asher Fisch and Stuart Skelton was a huge challenge, says producer Virginia Read, but also a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Helena Dix: Tackling the druid priestess
Soon to unveil her Norma for Melbourne Opera, the Australian soprano talks about the challenges of accompanied recitative, the tension between words and music, and putting her own stamp on bel canto's Mt Everest.
Emma Matthews: Leading by example
The beloved soprano reflects on her new role as WAAPA's Head of Classical Voice and Opera Studies ahead of her From Broadway to La Scala tour.
Theory of Revolution
Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek discusses her upcoming debut with Opera Australia in Giordano's Andrea Chénier, playing a spoilt noblewoman, and how she keeps in character in the wings.
Ermonela Jaho: Tudor Rose
As Ermonela Jaho prepares to take on Donizetti's Three Queens, beginning with Anna Bolena, Justine Nguyen talks to the soprano about the role's challenges and delves into the origins of the trilogy.
Read the June 2019 issue of Limelight online
This issue includes features on Lang Lang, Whiteley: The Opera, Gondwana Choirs, Notre Dame, Jayson Gillham, Sweeney Todd, and much more.
Limelight In-Depth: Shifting the Opera Gaze
The arts play a crucial role in questioning and shaping cultural norms and attitudes. In this time of tectonic social change, we need to reconsider what opera can be in the 21st century says Sally Blackwood.


text:
AUTHOR: IVO MARTINS
EDITION: (Catalogue) Centro Cultural Vila Flor DATE: December 2020
Much has changed over the last fifteen years, between 2006/2020, making it unclear what can currently be defined as art. No one is able to fully understand the economic, social, political or cultural implications of the artistic process, nor its full scale or complexity. In his book, "Critique of Cynical Reason", Peter Sloterdjik suggests that art is the ultimate guarantor of a sovereign and realistic conscience, positioning it between religion and science. Unlike religion, art does not appeal to our faith, since it is based on the experience and vivacity of our senses, and unlike science, it does not need to circumscribe itself solely with the empirical realm. We can therefore conclude that art teaches us different ways to feel and create, and constitutes a kind of freedom.
The inauguration of the Centro Cultural Vila Flor made it possible to conceive a series of exhibitions developed exclusively for the exhibition room of the old "Palace", that was part of a unique and fundamental cultural facility in Portugal. The Mannerist style building has tremendous architectural dignity, and its long history is associated with the social and cultural life of the city of Guimarães, and moments deeply rooted within local heritage.
In the "Palace", art was perceived as a kind of subjective and interior quicksand, something that manifests itself in an unpredictable and flexible manner, engendering feelings of darkness, contradiction and debate. In this place of open possibilities, each presentation tried to elude the impossible, as a moment of experience in which miracles happen. Before the eternal fleeting presence of artists who enthusiastically embraced the chance to work with us, each exhibition confronted the existential paradox of duration, impacted and yet and left intact by the turbulence of the outside world - in some cases unattainable, in others with a zero degree of meaning. Notwithstanding the many associated doubts, uncertainties and incongruities, the works of art presented in the "Palace" can often be viewed as a critical approach, offering good-humoured perspectives that incorporate a kind of revitalising and provocative knowledge of the conservative values ?of the market and prevailing systems of recognition. Despite abundant forms of communication and mass circulation the present era is inundated with ideas of monoculture and mono-information. This makes it impossible to remain indifferent to the past 15 years of activity, in contact with an immense and plural universe of artists who through their generous spirit have helped make this project a reality. Without them, the "Palace" could never be an epiphenomenon that led many people to seek out new causes and consequences.
No matter how much verbal space everyone has access to, and uses, to frame and describe this exhibition space, the work achieved herein is surprisingly resistant to the limits of language. The quickest way to understand the "Palace" is to assume that there was never a plan or any letter of intent. Some of the key moments, although their selection is always debatable, represent sensitive points of reference, that guide the observer towards personal and inner discovery. The editorial production that resulted from the curatorial work developed in the "Palace" showcases these trends and, although it does not harbour all the necessary information, it reveals essential and useful documents to understand their usefulness, triggering internal processes of understanding, fostering clarifications, and proving that everything can be compatible, even when the words themselves are incompatible. Without an established road map of objectives, over the past 15 years the "Palace" has always acted as if it were offering an attentive gaze towards the echo of collective and individual emergencies, provoked by those who believe in our contemporaneity. It turned its programmatic dynamics into an arrhythmic, disruptive and plural platform. Through its intermittent nature, it sought out the limits of democracy and freedom of the spaces used for public presentation, which from a utopian perspective might be considered to constitute what Hakim Bey calls a TAZ - a Temporary Autonomous Zone.
At the "Palace", we are aware of the fact that through entertainment, it is possible to safeguard art's full creative potential, diverting it from its destructive and reactive tensions. It is also possible to create small pockets of freedom and emancipation, that confront the oppositions of arrogant defence of established norms, in a system whose dynamics of affection and contempt provoke a hardening of discourses, loss of lightness and absence of irony. Gazing at a "Palace" can produce such ironic hyperbole.
TRANSLATION: MARTIN DALE
REVIEWS AND COLLABORATIONS
ABOUT IVO MARTINS
ESSAYS, ARTICLES AND TEXTS
GUIMARÃES JAZZ
PRESS AND PUBLISHING
LITERATURE AND THINKING
GUIMARÃES JAZZ / TOAP PROJECT
[ PORTUGUÊS ]


@gideonevans Just one last spike in the market is all it will take to start a new deflation trend. Plan your soft landing now.
Just one last spike in the market is all it will take to start a new deflation trend. Plan your soft landing now.
Where are the angry southerners demanding their southern heritage flag not be flown with the Nazi flag?


The Indian healthcare sector is evolving rapidly and is expected to grow up to $280 billion by 2020. It is critical to realise the significance of this sector as peoples health will contribute to overall economic health. With increasing disease burden, the healthcare sector in India is in dire need of establishing the right policy framework and infrastructure.
The cardiovascular disease (CVD) landscape in India is paradoxical. On one hand, CVD is the No. 1 cause of death in India, with forecasts estimating that over 61.5 million people will suffer from coronary heart disease in 2015. On the other hand, over the past two years, despite the high prevalence of CVD, growth of angioplasty procedures has actually decreased from 22% in 2013 to 14% in 2014. What explains this discrepancy?
Cardiac stents offer significant clinical benefits for coronary artery disease. However, past efforts to reduce the price of cardiac stents have proven ineffective in increasing treatment uptake. The price reduction approach is based on an assumption that the demand for medical technology responds to pricing in the same way as prescription pharmaceuticals. What this assumption fails to take into account is that the decision to accept an implant is influenced by many factors. In the past three to four years, prices of cardiac stents have been reduced under the Central Government Employee Health Scheme (CGHS) but these price reductions have not yielded an increased number of stents implanted as they were implemented without addressing fundamental barriers, such as advanced infrastructure, skilled physicians and, most importantly, awareness among people.
• Quality Healthcare Professionals- Recent statistics show that more than 100,000 beds per year need to be added and there will be a shortage of approximately 600,000 physicians, 1 million nurses, and a significant number of paramedical staff. There is not enough capacity to address this skill gap and under these conditions. Addressing this critical enabler will unlock supply side constraints and help the industry address the growing healthcare needs of the nation.
• Regulatory Environment – The biggest challenge in the regulation of medical devices is that the Drug & Cosmetics Act, 1940, does not include a definition of medical devices. Medical devices are classified as drugs under the current frame of law. However, medical devices are very different from drugs and pharmaceuticals and bracketing devices as drugs poses unique challenges to manufacturers, importers and distributors. These challenges are not limited to registration for manufacture and import, but also extend to other related administrative and regulatory departments dealing with reimbursements, taxation, price control, provision of services, training of healthcare practitioners, etc. Indian regulatory bodies have acknowledged the need to define guidelines and clarify regulatory approval processes specifically for medical devices in order to achieve quality benchmark that is at par with global standards.
• Awareness – Patients, caregivers and physicians are unaware of advanced medical procedures involving medical devices. There are misconceptions and myths about advanced medical procedures due to the absence of structured information on healthcare. Greater public awareness and accurate factual information on treatment outcomes are important to increase uptake of medical devices.
• Accessibility – While cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death in India, with forecasts estimating that over 61.5 million people will suffer from coronary heart disease in 2015, access to the standard care of therapies continues to be poorly understood and addressed. A majority still do not have access to life-saving medical technologies. Due attention should be given to building infrastructure and providing support to small centres that need support in training and infrastructure to cater to growing demand.
• Medical Education - Medical education at primary, secondary and tertiary levels need to be systematised so physicians have a deeper understanding of the advancements in medical technologies.
While the Indian healthcare sector has been witnessing improvements over the past couple of decades, there is still a long way to go and much more to do to address the key challenges of accessibility and economic value.
Milind Shah joined India Medtronic as the Managing Director in October, 2004. Today, as the VP for South Asia, he is responsible for driving the company's expansion and growth in the region, in addition to running the entire operations for Medtronic South Asia. Milind has over twenty eight years' experience in leadership, sales & marketing and corporate planning positions in Healthcare, Specialty Chemicals, Telecommunications and Petrochemicals.
Milind Shah joined India Medtronic as the Managing Director in October, 2004. Today, as the VP for South Asia, he is responsible for driving the company's Show more.. expansion and growth in the region, in addition to running the entire operations for Medtronic South Asia. Milind has over twenty eight years' experience in leadership, sales & marketing and corporate planning positions in Healthcare, Specialty Chemicals, Telecommunications and Petrochemicals.


Toll's corporate floors offer an engaging workplace for the company's administration and logistics management staff to support Toll's new port set-up. Given the intention for the Toll workplace to offer shared facilities such as meeting rooms, training rooms, a corporate lounge and larger café hub, accessible to warehouse staff, it was necessary for the design to feel approachable and not overly corporate. This drove the concept of "Connected, Structured, and Collaborative" where minimal yet precise detailing was adopted to express an industrial, honest and natural look and feel.
Upon entry, the reception and lift lobby has a striking presence. Industrial, black mesh ceilings and grey terrazzo flooring are softened by the use of natural tan leather upholstery and a bold horizontal banding of tactile wall finishes. A delicate pendant light suspended over the reception desk accentuates the double-height volume, while timber veneer that clads the lift lobby walls creates an enticing framed portal.
Toll's upper level provides three large meeting rooms and an expansive corporate boardroom offering views across the port. A pared-back palette of neutral finishes; black framing, oak vinyl flooring and corrugated wall panels impart a modest, yet refined aesthetic. The open plan work floor includes a number of ancillary spaces including touch-down benches and casual meeting settings that have renewed Toll's way of working with a focus on collaboration and informality.
A compact tea point provides amenity for the work floor and blurs the distinction between meeting and social spaces. Located on the perimeter, this area draws in an abundance of natural light and enables staff to delight in the portside views.
A black steel interconnecting stair with a generous void increases sightlines between the corporate levels. The stair leads to a warm and welcoming lounge area, enlivened by lush planting, oak vinyl flooring and pops of coloured upholstery. Mirroring the void, the banquette seating integrates power to charge devices and encourages collaboration between clients and colleagues.
A large café hub provides an engaging social setting for staff to gather, dine and dwell. A central stretch of banquette seating effectively divides the service and seating spaces, its black steel framing with mesh infill panels complementing the industrial character of the building. A continuation of this detail is evident across the intimate booth settings that line the far wall of the dining space, while the remaining area is populated with oak communal dining tables.
Geyer prepared standard workplace layouts for each leasable warehouse level which were tweaked to suit the operational needs of each tenant. A typical work café was rolled out across each level to provide further amenity for these tenancies.
Geyer worked closely with the incumbent architect of the base building to deliver Toll as an integrated fit-out. This engagement facilitated a meaningful exchange between architect and designer, which provided benefits such as the inclusion of the internal staircase, base building foyer, lift lobbies, and amenities design upgrade, ultimately ensuring that Toll City supports the activities of its tenants, while facilitating the desired staff and visitor experience.


The highly anticipated Vanquish sets a new standard in the lightweight front drag spinning segment. With its extremely lightweight design which is build on the most high grade composites from Shimano, like the Shimano patented CI4+ material and magnesium alloy, the new Vanquish is even lighter than its famous predecessor. Not only the reel itself is lighter but when one picks up the reel to give the handle a swing one will really notice the major improvement of this new Vanquish. Because of a totally new design of the Magnumlite Rotor and related internal parts the reels run smoother than ever before. Build on the design capabilities of Shimano resulting in the Hagane body and the Hagane gear the angler can be confident to enjoy the outstanding performance of this reel for many years to come. Shimano offers the new Vanquish in many different models to satisfy the need of every avid angler out there. The Vanquish is developed with only one thing in mind; Only the best is good enough!.
Shimano S A-RB bearings are high corrosion resistant A-RB ball bearings with an extra shield for improved protection against sand, salt or dust.
The HAGANE Drive Gear is produced by Shimano's coldforging technology, without the need for additional machining. This delivers a longlasting smoothness, strength, lightness and power at the very heart of the reel. Traditional diecast, machined gears are less durable under heavy loads.
Cold Forged aluminium is used for some 'round' reels, fly reels and is also used for many types of spool. Made from one single piece of aluminium Cold Forging produces great strength.
Shimano AR-C Spool is a patented spool design with an angled spool lip. This design enables the line to leave the spool with less friction and in smaller coils resulting in longer more accurate casts. AR-C spools are proven to reduce backlash and wind knots when using braid.
Shimano use magnesium for a select number of ultra high quality reels where weight saving is essential. The use of magnesium offers a weight saving of up to 10% compared with aluminium.
G Free Body technology has been developed to shift the reel's centre of gravity closer to the rod. This has been achieved by moving the worm shaft oscillation mechanism 19mm from the bottom of the reel to the top. By moving the centre of gravity closer to the anglers hand position, the G Free Body helps to reduce fatigue and enhance casting comfort.
Slow Oscillation - the spool moves slowly allowing more line wraps per cycle.
The key friction area on most fixed spool reels is where the spool drive shaft meets the pinion. Shimano designers have overcome this by reducing a large percentage of surface area contact and incorporating bearings on either side of the shaft. The resultant design leaves the shaft in a 'floating' position, considerably improving efficiency and longevity.
Super Stopper II eliminates backward movement and free play in the handle when the reel is set in anti-reverse.
Dyna-Balance reduces wobble during the retrieve by counter balancing the rotor to enhance sensitivity and smoothness. By using computer balancing Shimano are able to redistribute the rotor weight to create eliminate vibrations.