As the the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship Final fast approaches and the chance to qualify becomes more limited, riders from all over Europe came out to try and secure their ticket to The Jones Center, Springdale, Arkansas.
In Estonia the local BMX community brought the heat and with a deep pool of talent across the region the field of riders was as strong as ever. With a Storm hitting Parnu earlier in the day, heavy winds and rain looked to jeopardise the race but as the skies cleared the riders began to put on an incredible show of speed.
In the men's category the favourite on the day was Estonian BMX National Champion Ardo Oks. Oks was carrying incredible speed but struggling to link the entire run together and it fell to Latvian Helvijs Babris to put his pump track racing experience to the test. Having finished 4th in Latvia he had it all to prove and claimed the top step of the podium on the day.
In the Women's field, Latvian National Champion and 2017 Junior Women World Number 3 Vineta Patersone was no match for the other the women and from start to finish dominated the day of racing securing her ticket to the World Final.
In Balzers, Lichtenstein, the racing put a field of World Cup MTB athletes to the test. With the Swiss National team on a training camp nearby, they used the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship to challenge themselves further. Current National Champion and World Cup Rider Noel Niederberger continued his winning streak in recent weeks by securing the top spot and the fastest time of the day.
For Christa von Niederhäusern the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship was her return to competitive racing after being injured and she did so in incredible style. Not only did Christa take the win but she secured her place at the World Final.
With two more European Qualifers ahead of the LCQ at the Jones Center, the World Final is gearing up to be an incredible showdown of the best talent from around the world.


text:
Arruolatosi nella marina imperiale giapponese nel 1907, si fece notare per le sue capacità e fu inviato nel Regno Unito per integrare gli studi. Tornato in patria, si specializzò in artiglieria navale, ottenne la nomina a tenente di vascello e in due riprese (1913-1914 e 1917-1919) frequentò e completò i corsi al Collegio navale, uscendone come capitano di corvetta; quindi nei primi anni venti fu ufficiale di collegamento a Berlino, dove fece parte anche di una commissione che controllava l'aderenza della Germania al trattato di Versailles. Rientrò in Giappone e, dall'inizio del 1924 alla fine del 1926 fu aiutante di campo dell'erede al trono e poi imperatore Hirohito. Brillante organizzatore, servì negli stati maggiori della 1ª Flotta e della Flotta combinata, lavorando anche come istruttore; capitano di vascello alla fine del 1927, alla fine del 1929 ebbe il suo primo comando, l'incrociatore pesante .

Negli anni trenta servì a lungo in seno allo stato maggiore generale della marina: Capo della Sezione 1, Ufficio N1 dal 1930 al 1932 e Capo del medesimo Ufficio dalla fine del 1935 alla fine del 1937. Inframmezzato a tali ruoli ebbe, inoltre, il comando dell'incrociatore da battaglia . Divenuto contrammiraglio nel 1935 e viceammiraglio nel 1937, fu posto a capo della 5ª Flotta nel 1938 e della 2ª Flotta nel settembre 1941, quando l'Impero giapponese decise per un'espansione nell'Oceano Pacifico. Kondō diresse la flotta nelle vittoriose campagna della Malesia, campagna delle Indie orientali olandesi, incursione nell'Oceano Indiano. Nel maggio 1942 fu incaricato di proteggere la flotta d'invasione destinata all'atollo di Midway, partecipando alla decisiva battaglia (4-6 giugno); egli rivestì un ruolo secondario e perse anzi l'incrociatore pesante Mikuma. Ebbe una parte importante, invece, nel corso della sfibrante campagna di Guadalcanal come comandante superiore in mare durante la battaglia delle Salomone Orientali (23-25 agosto), la battaglia delle isole Santa Cruz (26 ottobre) e la battaglia navale di Guadalcanal (12-15 novembre). Nel corso dei combattimenti non dimostrò particolari qualità come condottiero e perse due navi da battaglia solo nell'ultimo confronto.

Kondō rimase al comando della 2ª Flotta sino all'agosto 1943, quando fu rimpatriato e assegnato dapprima allo stato maggiore generale, poi alla fine dell'anno a un comando navale periferico. Sopravvissuto alla seconda guerra mondiale, morì all'inizio del 1953.

Biografia

La carriera iniziale
Nobutake Kondō nacque il 25 settembre 1886 nella prefettura di Osaka. Entrò giovane nell'Accademia navale di Etajima e fece parte della 35ª classe; si laureò il 20 novembre 1907 (primo su un totale di 172 allievi), ottenne il brevetto di aspirante guardiamarina e fu assegnato all'incrociatore protetto , col quale compì la sua prima crociera. Tornato in Giappone, il 28 luglio 1908 fu imbarcato sulla famosa nave da battaglia  e il 25 dicembre gli fu riconosciuta la qualifica di guardiamarina. Il 1º ottobre 1909 fu trasferito sull'incrociatore corazzato , continuando l'esperienza in mare. Nell'estate 1910 tornò a terra e dal 25 luglio iniziò a frequentare il Corso base alla Scuola d'artiglieria navale, al termine del quale fu promosso sottotenente di vascello (1º dicembre) e passò al Corso al base alla Scuola siluristi (25 dicembre). Il 20 aprile 1911, concluso con successo il corso, salì a bordo del cacciatorpediniere di terza classe Kisaragi, sul quale prestò servizio per un anno. Riconosciuto brillante ufficiale inferiore, un anno esatto più tardi fu nominato addetto all'equipaggiamento presso il Comando costruzioni navali; al contempo fu scelto per un viaggio nel Regno Unito a scopo formativo, partendo poco dopo: mentre si trovava all'estero, fu informato del suo trasferimento all'incrociatore da battaglia  avvenuto il 1º dicembre 1912. Tuttavia, poté effettivamente unirsi all'equipaggio dell'unità solo quando, a seguito dell'ordine di rientro pervenutogli il 5 novembre 1913, fece ritorno in Giappone. Già il 1º dicembre, però, fu promosso tenente di vascello ed entrò nel Collegio navale per seguire il Corso B quale membro della 17ª classe e, terminatolo con esito positivo, passò a frequentare dal 27 maggio 1914 il Corso avanzato dello Scuola d'artiglieria navale. In seguito all'avvenuta specializzazione, il 1º dicembre fu spostato con la qualifica di ufficiale addetto all'equipaggiamento all'arsenale di Kure, quartier generale del 2º Distretto navale; dal 26 febbraio 1915 fu inoltre membro dell'equipaggio della nave da battaglia  (all'epoca ammiraglia). Fu, poi, fu integrato nello stato maggiore della 2ª Flotta (8 settembre) e della 1ª Flotta (dal 13 dicembre), incarico al quale affiancò, dal 1º settembre al 14 ottobre 1916, un breve periodo di lavoro allo stato maggiore della Flotta Combinata. Il 1º dicembre 1916 riprese servizio in mare come ufficiale addetto all'artiglieria dell'incrociatore protetto , rimanendovi un anno circa. Dal 1º dicembre 1917 iniziò a studiare nel Corso A, 17ª classe del Collegio navale, e si diplomò due anni più tardi esatti con annessa la promozione a capitano di corvetta: fu subito assegnato allo stato maggiore generale della marina imperiale giapponese.

Gli anni venti e trenta
Il 1º dicembre 1920, Kondō lasciò nuovamente il Giappone alla volta della missione diplomatica nipponica in Svezia, nella quale servì per appena una settimana come addetto militare, giacché il 7 dicembre fu ridestinato all'ambasciata giapponese in Germania: rimase a lungo nel paese, ampliando e approfondendo le proprie conoscenze, un soggiorno prolungato che fece nascere in lui forte simpatia per la nazione tedesca. Dal 1º agosto 1922 fu sovrintendente alla stretta aderenza del governo tedesco al trattato di Versailles, incarico che si concluse il 15 febbraio 1923; il 20 gli pervenne l'ordine di rientro. Una volta tornato in patria, l'11 giugno fu imbarcato sulla corazzata e ammiraglia  in qualità di ufficiale capo alle operazioni. Il 1º dicembre ricevette la nomina a capitano di fregata e un mese più tardi, il 10 gennaio 1924, fu trasferito allo stato maggiore generale per un altro mese circa: il 5 febbraio fu scelto come aiutante di campo del principe erede al trono Hirohito, un compito che ricoprì per quasi tre anni. Solo il 1º dicembre 1926, infatti, tornò a incarichi prettamente militari nella veste di membro degli stati maggiori della 1ª Flotta e della Flotta combinata, a riprova delle sue eccellenti doti organizzative, amministrative e della fiducia nutrita in lui dagli alti comandi. Il 15 novembre 1927 passò nuovamente nello stato maggiore generale e, al contempo, fu nominato istruttore al Collegio navale; capitano di vascello dal 1º dicembre, lasciò l'incarico allo stato maggiore generale per assumere un posto di istruttore anche al Collegio militare. Poco meno di due anni più tardi fu investito del suo primo comando, che esercitò dal 30 novembre 1929 sull'incrociatore pesante .

Il 18 giugno 1930, Kondō tornò a operare all'interno della macchina burocratico-organizzativa come Capo della Sezione 1, Ufficio N1 dello stato maggiore generale e, in contemporanea, divenne membro dello stato maggiore del Gran Quartier Generale imperiale; il 13 settembre 1932 gli fu riconfermato solo il primo incarico, che abbandonò definitivamente il 1º dicembre di quell'anno per assumere il comando dell'incrociatore da battaglia Kongo. Il 15 novembre 1933, con l'avvenuto avanzamento a contrammiraglio, fu trasferito al Collegio navale in qualità di istruttore capo. Il 15 marzo 1935 ebbe una duplice nomina a capo di stato maggiore sia della Flotta combinata, sia della 1ª Flotta; prima della fine dell'anno (esattamente il 15 novembre) fu ancora integrato nello stato maggiore generale in attesa della successiva mansione, che gli giunse il 2 dicembre: divenne Capo dell'Ufficio N1. Dal 20 novembre 1937 fu inoltre aggregato alla sezione della marina operante negli stati maggiori riuniti delle forze armate giapponesi. Il 1º dicembre 1937 fu promosso a viceammiraglio e continuò a dirigere l'Ufficio N1. Solo a metà novembre 1938 tornò al servizio in mare come comandante in capo della 5ª Flotta.

La seconda guerra mondiale

L'espansione nell'Oceano Pacifico
Il 29 settembre 1939, con la seconda guerra mondiale iniziata da meno di un mese, Kondō fu chiamato allo stato maggiore generale e per tre settimane circa rimase in attesa di assegnazione, che gli fu resa nota il 21 ottobre con la nomina a vicecapo dello stato maggiore generale. In quanto tale, Kondō ebbe non poca influenza e, nonostante il suo apprezzamento per la Germania, condivideva con l'ammiraglio Isoroku Yamamoto, comandante in capo della Flotta combinata, l'opinione che un confronto militare con gli Stati Uniti d'America avrebbe di sicuro portato alla rovina l'Impero giapponese; entrò dunque a far parte della cosiddetta "fazione dei trattati" in seno alla Marina imperiale, che riuniva ufficiali moderati e aperti al compromesso con le potenze occidentali. Come vicecapo di stato maggiore, però, fu coinvolto nelle prime pianificazioni per attaccare di sorpresa Pearl Harbor; in una delle simulazioni impersonò il comandante britannico di un'eventuale squadra della Royal Navy operante nei dintorni della base statunitense. Questo ruolo, che ben si addiceva al suo "portamento da tipico ufficiale britannico gentiluomo", strideva con il malcelato disprezzo nutrito da Kondō verso il Regno Unito.

In seguito all'Operazione Barbarossa, la grande invasione tedesca dell'Unione Sovietica, nel Gran Quartier Generale imperiale e nel Supremo Consiglio di Guerra fu discussa l'opportunità di attaccare Iosif Stalin da est: nel corso delle riunioni in merito, Kondō si oppose con una curiosa affermazione, e cioè che la campagna sarebbe costata circa cento sommergibili, un numero che la marina nipponica, all'epoca, neppure possedeva. Accantonati i progetti d'intervento dell'Estremo Oriente russo, il Giappone si preparò alla conquista delle distese occidentali dell'Oceano Pacifico e del Sud-est asiatico: nel quadro dell'organizzazione militare, il 1º settembre 1941 Kondō fu nominato comandante della 2ª Flotta. La massiccia formazione era demandata alla scorta a distanza e alla copertura della flotta da trasporto recante a bordo la 25ª Armata, che doveva occupare la Malaysia e Singapore. In contemporanea all'attacco di Pearl Harbor (l'8 dicembre a causa della linea internazionale del cambio di data), ebbero inizio gli sbarchi nel Golfo di Kuantan; la nave da battaglia  e l'incrociatore da battaglia , inviati dai britannici a contrastarli, furono attaccate e affondate il 10 dicembre dai reparti dell'11ª Flotta aerea (viceammiraglio Nishizō Tsukahara), schierata da Kondō per non rischiare le proprie unità di superficie. La campagna della Malesia proseguì senza altri interventi navali nemici e il 15 febbraio si arrese Singapore: Kondō, perciò, concentrò la 2ª Flotta più a sud, per supportare gli sbarchi nella grande isola di Sumatra e l'attacco finale a Giava. Tra il 27 e il 28 febbraio diresse le divisioni navali giapponesi nella battaglia del Mare di Giava, ma non prese personalmente parte allo scontro che segnò la sconfitta della flotta ABDACOM. Caduta l'isola il 9 marzo, suggellando così la conquista nipponica delle Indie orientali olandesi, Kondō fu incaricato di condurre un'audace puntata offensiva nell'Oceano Indiano allo scopo di sostenere le operazioni della 15ª Armata in Birmania e distruggere la Eastern Fleet britannica, di stanza a Ceylon; ebbe sotto il suo comando la 1ª Flotta aerea del viceammiraglio Chūichi Nagumo (reduce da Pearl Harbor e diverse altre azioni), cui aggregò le navi da battaglia Kongo e , appartenenti alla 2ª Flotta, e una squadra di incrociatori pesanti e naviglio silurante del viceammiraglio Jisaburō Ozawa. Il 26 marzo Kondō salpò e tra il 5 e il 9 aprile lanciò attacchi su Trincomalee, Colombo e isolate unità britanniche, affondandone diverse (compresa la portaerei leggera ), ma il grosso delle forze inglesi sfuggì; al contempo, Ozawa condusse un'efficace caccia ai mercantili che solcavano il Golfo del Bengala, dove ne furono colati a picco una trentina. Riguadagnate le acque dell'Indonesia, il 18 aprile Kondō assunse il comando di una squadra che tentò invano di agganciare la Task force 16 e la Task force 18, responsabili dell'incursione aerea su Tokyo.

L'attacco, simbolico, convinse l'ammiraglio Yamamoto a pianificare l'occupazione dell'atollo di Midway, attirare lì la flotta di portaerei americane e annientarla. Il viceammiraglio Kondō (che peraltro criticò l'intero piano per la scelta delle basi di partenza, troppo esposte alle intercettazioni radiofoniche) ebbe l'incarico di scortare il gruppo di trasporti con a bordo truppe e materiali da sbarcare sull'atollo; egli salpò dalla baia di Hashirajima il 29 maggio. Il mattino del 3 giugno fu localizzato 700 miglia a ovest-sud-ovest di Midway e nel corso di due attacchi aerei ebbe una petroliera danneggiata: con ciò ebbe avvio la cruciale battaglia delle Midway, le cui azioni determinanti si svolsero però a nord dalla 2ª Flotta e portarono alla distruzione di quattro portaerei. Il pomeriggio del 4 giugno, perciò, l'ammiraglio Yamamoto ordinò a Kondō di organizzare un bombardamento navale di Midway per neutralizzarne le piste aeree: egli inviò la 7ª Divisione incrociatori alle 15:00. La sera ricevette comunicazione che era stato messo al posto di Nagumo al comando della 1ª Flotta aerea e poi, alle 00:20, che doveva richiamare gli incrociatori e riunirsi al grosso giapponese a ovest. Nel corso del disimpegno il Mikuma e il  vennero a una collisione; furono scovati e attaccati ripetutamente da velivoli imbarcati statunitensi e il primo affondò il 6 giugno. Dopo un fiacco tentativo di impegnare i nemici in una battaglia notturna, Yamamoto ordinò il ripiegamento definitivo nelle prime ore del 7 giugno.

La campagna di Guadalcanal
In seguito alla vittoria a Midway, gli Stati Uniti sbarcarono a Guadalcanal il 7 agosto 1942. Nella seconda metà del mese, Kondō fu posto a capo dell'operazione "KA", ovvero l'invio via nave di rinforzi all'isola sotto la protezione di un potente scaglione della marina imperiale, formato dalla 2ª Flotta e unità aggregate: in totale tre portaerei, due navi da battaglia, tredici incrociatori pesanti, tre leggeri, una trentina di cacciatorpediniere, dodici sommergibili e il trasporto idrovolanti . Kondō prese il comando diretto del gruppo di forze avanzate a protezioni delle portaerei Zuikaku e Shokaku, comprese nella formazione del viceammiraglio Nagumo, e alzò le proprie insegne sull'incrociatore  della 4ª Divisione incrociatori (con anche il  e il ). Allo scopo, infine, di sviare le forze imbarcate statunitensi, predispose una piccola squadra centrata sulla portaerei leggera  da utilizzare come esca. La battaglia delle Salomone Orientali (23-24 agosto) fu uno scontro segnato da incertezze ed errori; la dispersione della grande flotta in diverse squadre indipendenti, tipica tattica giapponese, giocò a sfavore di Kondō, che condusse la battaglia solo con le portaerei e le altre unità di Nagumo. Alla fine la Ryujo, un trasporto e un cacciatorpediniere furono perduti e la guarnigione di Guadalcanal non ricevette rinforzi.

Dopo alcuni mesi di scarsa attività, Kondō fu nominato comandante in capo di una sortita in massa della 2ª Flotta che, una volta caduto l'aeroporto di Guadalcanal in mano alla 17ª Armata, doveva intercettare la flotta statunitense che sarebbe giunta in soccorso e annientarla. Le forze che salparono il 24 ottobre (nonostante il fallimento delle operazioni a terra) erano imponenti e riunivano quattro portaerei, quattro navi da battaglia, tredici incrociatori tra pesanti e leggeri e una folta scorta di cacciatorpediniere, senza contare un distaccamento di battelli e gli stormi aerei della marina basati a Rabaul; Kondō mantenne le sue insegne sull'incrociatore Atago e anche la complessa articolazione in gruppi autonomi delle sue forze. Il 26 ottobre egli si scontrò con le Task force 16 e 17 vicino alle isole Santa Cruz, di nuovo solo con un'aliquota delle decine di navi in mare: a costo di gravi perdite tra gli aviatori e di danni pesanti alla Shokaku, la portaerei  fu affondata, lasciando la marina statunitense con la sola  nell'intero scacchiere del Pacifico sud-occidentale. Tuttavia, questa vittoria non ebbe altre ripercussioni strategiche e la stremata componente aeronavale nipponica fu ritirata.

Nel disperato tentativo di annientare Henderson Field, l'ammiraglio Yamamoto ordinò a Kondō di condurre un bombardamento dal mare con le due navi da battaglia  e , appositamente assegnategli. Kondō divise in due grandi gruppi la 2ª Flotta: egli (con due portaerei e la loro scorta, gli incrociatori pesanti Maya, Atago, Takao e alcuni cacciatorpediniere) si pose a est delle isole Salomone mentre il viceammiraglio Hiroaki Abe ebbe il compito di eseguire il cannoneggiamento con le due grandi unità, accompagnate da due incrociatori leggeri e una decina di cacciatorpediniere. La missione tuttavia non fu portata a termine, giacché nella notte tra il 12 e il 13 novembre Abe cozzò contro i Task group 67.4 e 62.4 del contrammiraglio Daniel Callaghan: si generò una furiosa e caotica battaglia, numerose navi statunitensi furono distrutte o affondate, ma al mattino Abe ordinò alle sparpagliate navi giapponesi la ritirata, lasciandosi dietro due cacciatorpediniere e la fumigante Hiei, infine colata a picco dall'equipaggio. A questo punto, Kondō aggregò al proprio gruppo tutte le unità non troppo provate e, nel pomeriggio del 14 novembre, condusse nuovamente nelle acque di Guadalcanal la Kirishima con quattro incrociatori e nove cacciatorpediniere; riteneva queste forze più che sufficienti per affrontare la piccola squadra di due incrociatori e qualche cacciatorpediniere segnalatagli dai ricognitori. Nella notte, a ovest dell'Isola di Savo, ingaggiò battaglia contro la Task force 64 che contava quattro cacciatorpediniere e le due corazzate  e , scambiate per incrociatori: l'errore d'identificazione fu ripetuto da un'avanguardia di naviglio silurante che Kondō inviò a perlustrare i dintorni di Savo. Dopo circa un'ora di accaniti scambi di colpi e nonostante le perdite inflitte agli americani (i cacciatorpediniere affondati o alla deriva, la South Dakota in fiamme), Kondō rinunciò alla missione poiché la Kirishima era stata devastata dal tiro della Washington e gli equipaggi erano esausti. La corazzata affondò nelle prime ore del 15 novembre, seguendo il cacciatorpediniere .

Apparentemente, la sconfitta e le dure perdite non ebbero riflessi sulla carriera di Kondō, che continuò a mantenere il comando della 2ª Flotta. Il 22 novembre anzi, in una conferenza tenuta a bordo della  per discutere circa i risultati della strategia navale nella campagna, l'ammiraglio Yamamoto lo ringraziò pubblicamente per "gli encomiabili sforzi" nella condotta delle operazioni.

1943 - 1945
Tra la fine di gennaio e il febbraio 1943, nel quadro dell'evacuazione delle forze giapponesi da Guadalcanal, Kondō si mantenne con le proprie forze (quattro corazzate, sei incrociatori, una dozzina di cacciatorpediniere) nei dintorni dell'isola di Choiseul: funse così da diversivo per lo sgombero e fece sì che il viceammiraglio William Halsey radunasse navi e velivoli per controbattere un'ennesima offensiva giapponese, invece di colpire a fondo il Tokyo Express.

Il 18 aprile 1943 l'ammiraglio Yamamoto rimase ucciso in un'imboscata aerea e il comando ad interim della Flotta combinata fu preso da Kondō, che lo cedette il 21 al successore ufficiale, Mineichi Kōga. Il 29 del mese Kondō fu promosso ammiraglio e rimase ancora alla testa della 2ª Flotta, senza partecipare ad alcuna azione; fu poi rimpatriato e il 9 agosto nominato Consigliere navale presso lo stato maggiore generale della marina, potendo in tale veste partecipare alle sedute del Supremo Consiglio di guerra. Da allora non ebbe più importanti comandi in mare: il 1º dicembre 1943 divenne comandante in capo della Flotta dell'Area cinese, ai margini delle battaglie decisive nel Pacifico. Il 15 maggio 1945 fu richiamato al posto di Consigliere navale, dove lo colse la resa dell'Impero giapponese, il 15 agosto.

Ultimi anni e morte
L'ammiraglio Kondō lasciò la marina imperiale il 5 settembre 1945, tre giorni dopo la formale capitolazione del suo paese. Nel dopoguerra, visto che non fu imprigionato né giudicato dal Tribunale militare internazionale per l'Estremo Oriente, si dedicò al commercio e seppe costruirsi un lucroso giro d'affari. Si spense il 19 febbraio 1953, all'età di 66 anni.

Onorificenze
Dati tratti da: e

Note

Bibliografia

Voci correlate
 Gradi della Marina imperiale giapponese
 Erich Raeder
 Harry Hill
 James Somerville
 Bruno Brivonesi

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Ammiragli giapponesi

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The cooking demonstrations in aid of Cancer research was a great success with a full house. Ashley Cowie of Three Seas Fish who compered the evening was delighted with the response. Three Seas Fish and Bews Butchers supplied quality fish and meat for the cooks to use. Ashley gave information about the varieties of fish being used and explained how certain fish could be replaced with others of similar taste and texture but at a cheaper price. In addition to the cooking tips and information about ingredients the two chefs use at Ackergill Tower and Portland Arms Hotel there was plenty of humour with Quinton who hails from Australia donning a chefs hat complete with corks.
The Royal British Legion is the setting on Wednesday 24 October for a set of demonstrations by local celebrity chefs Quinton from the Portland Arms Hotel and Kevin from Ackergill Tower.
The event is a fundraiser for Cancer Research and is being sponsored by three Seas Fish, and Bews Butchers.
Demonstrations by the chefs will be supplemented with fish sales and tastings. All proceeds from Fish Sales by Three Seas Fish will go to Cancer Research.
Ashley Cowie of Three Seas Fish said "This is intended to be an entertaining evening demonstrating how to cook a variety of meats and fish by two of the prominent chefs in the county."


Wild Romance is a range with a bold touch, perfect for the woman who is looking for adventure. The so-called Woman of the World. The styles in this range contain a pronounced animal print, and are finished with powder pink coloured lining. This makes the look of the styles a bit softer and more feminine. New in this collection is this bustier with mould cups and boning. The bustier closes on the back with a double hook and eye closure.


text:
July 17, 2020 Petrick Sinuraya
Premier League 2019/20: Arsenal vs Liverpool – tactical analysis
Coming to this game, Liverpool were on the quest for breaking the Premier League record for most points in a single season. They needed to win all three remaining games to achieve the historic feat. For a team that only needed a record-breaking 31 games to win the league, that wouldn't be a mammoth task, right? Even more, they only faced Arsenal: a team on a roller-coaster-like performance.
Liverpool's dream started well when Sadio Mané scored within 20 minutes. However, the Reds seemed to show some sense of complacency in the latter part of the first half. Both Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk made amateurish errors that gave Arsenal all of their goals. How did both managers react? This tactical analysis will dig deep on both team's tactics throughout the game.
Credit: Wyscout.
Mikel Arteta once again chose 3–4–3 for his team. The trio of Rob Holding, David Luiz, and Kieran Tierney was chosen to protect Emiliano Martinez in between the sticks. Up top, Alexandre Lacazette led the attacking line. The Frenchman was flanked by Reiss Nelson and Nicolas Pépé to provide the attacks for Arsenal. The Gunners' bench was filled with players like Dani Ceballos, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Joe Willock, Sead Kolašinac, and talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Moving to the opposite side, Jürgen Klopp deployed a regular 4–3–3 for his team. In this game, the Reds' engine room was filled with Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Georginio Wijnaldum. The attacking trident of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Mané once again started for the visitors. Names like Naby Keïta, Takumi Minamino, Xherdan Shaqiri, and Divock Origi had to start the game from the dugout.
Early exchange
Similar to their previous games, Arsenal deployed a makeshift back-four when building their attacks. This means Tierney — left centre-back — would drift wide to be the temporary left-back, while Bukayo Saka — left wing-back — steps up in parallel with the attacking line. The objective behind this was to give Arsenal a numerical overload against Liverpool's front three in their first line of build-up.
Tierney steps up to be a temporary left-back in Arsenal's short build-ups.
In the opposite side, Liverpool used their usual high-pressing 4–3–3 since the beginning. Indeed the Reds would only have three players against Arsenal's four in their first line of pressing. However, they had three midfielders versus the Gunners' double-pivot in the next line. It means the visitors would match Arsenal's numbers in their build-up plays, thus limiting their threat early on.
The visitors' main shape off the ball.
Specifically, Liverpool had two particular pressing schemes to prevent Arsenal from building their plays smoothly from the back. The next part of the analysis will explain more about the Reds' defensive tactics.
Liverpool's various pressing scheme (part one)
In this scheme, Salah would step up to aggressively press Luiz when he had the ball. In the process, Salah would try to curve his run inside and force Luiz to be more central. It means that he would leave Tierney free while pressing the centre-back.
The first pressing scheme started by Salah moving immediately to press Luiz.
With Tierney being free, Luiz would try to access him. However, he couldn't do that directly as Tierney was too far and Salah blocked the passing lane with his cover-shadow. What Luiz did was to make a square pass to Granit Xhaka, then let the midfielder to play the ball wide to Tierney.
Luiz will try to access free Tierney on the left flank via Xhaka.
A simple way to escape the press, right? Actually no. When Xhaka tried to find Tierney, Oxlade-Chamberlain would step up aggressively and press the Scotsman. In front of Tierney, Saka would try to drop and offer a nearby passing option. Liverpool reacted to this by instructing Trent Alexander-Arnold to close Saka down immediately. The result was as planned: Tierney got trapped in the wide area and need to escape only with a long pass. Good for Liverpool, the statistics show that Tierney only completed four (30.77%) progressive passes throughout the game.
When the Scotsman receive the ball, Oxlade-Chamberlain will press him aggressively. Notice that Tierney has no nearby passing options against this calculated press.
Alternatively, this pressing scheme could finish earlier. It means that Luiz wouldn't be able to find Xhaka, let alone play the ball to Tierney. In the process, Salah's hard-press would limit the Brazilian's time and space with the ball. As a result, Luiz was forced to deploy ineffective long balls.
Alternative result: Luiz deploying ineffective long balls.
Liverpool's various pressing scheme (part two)
The second pressing scheme was more simple. This time it happened mostly on the left flank. Different to Salah, Mané wasn't tasked to press the defender in front of him with much aggression. Instead, the Senegalese would let Holding to have the ball and then build Arsenal's attack through their right-flank.
Once again, the current Champions League titleholder had a particular pressing scheme. This scheme included Wijnaldum to execute the press. The target was Arsenal's right (wing) back, Cédric Soares. Whenever the Portuguese received the ball, Wijnaldum would leave the midfield line and press him immediately.
Cédric can't play centrally as Lucas Torreira is surrounded by multiple men in black. This forces him to return the ball to Holding.
Liverpool didn't need to worry. They would still have Fabinho and Oxlade-Chamberlain against Torreira and Xhaka in the midfield line. Beside them, Mané's less-aggressive positioning would also prevent Cédric to play the ball centrally. As a result, no nearby passing options available for the Portuguese. The stats even show that Cédric finished the game with zero forward passes, zero long passes, and … yep, zero progressive passes completed. 0% accuracy from a combined eight attempts.
Arsenal then moved to a more direct approach after knowing they didn't stand a chance against Liverpool's high-pressing game. This means goalkeeper Martinez was tasked to play directly, either from goal-kicks or when he has a live ball to play. Unfortunately, his distribution quality wasn't the best. He only completed three (20%) of his long passes in this game. One of the inaccurate long balls even ended with Mané's goal just three minutes before the first water break.
The game's opening goal started from an inaccurate long ball from Martinez.
The direct approach is not as effective as expected.
The home side also displayed a high-pressing game
Arsenal used the 5–2–3 shape when pressing Liverpool high. Their aim was to focus on the central area, thus forcing the Reds to build from the flank. One important feature in Arsenal's pressing was Lacazette's role. As a centre-forward, he usually would drop a little bit instead of being the most aggressive player. The reason behind that was he's tasked to close Fabinho down and prevent him from receiving the ball.
Arsenal's central-heavy high-press. Notice Lacazette's task to close Fabinho down.
With no Lacazette around them, Liverpool's centre-backs indeed had more space and time with the ball in their early build-up phase. However, it wouldn't last long. The nearby Arsenal winger would try to press the on-ball centre-back whenever he had the possession. The scheme was a bit similar to Salah: either Pépé or Nelson would leave Liverpool's full-backs to press on Joe Gomez or Van Dijk. For a fact, Lacazette's goal came from this scheme.
Pépé quickly tries to close Gomez down when he has the ball.
The well-planned scheme initiates Lacazette's goal.
As mentioned previously, both Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson would be left free in Arsenal's central-focused press. Liverpool had two ways to access them. First of all, by diagonal balls from goalkeeper Alisson. Secondly, Klopp would instruct one of the midfielders to drop next to Fabinho, thus offering an additional vertical option for the deeper players. This extra player then was tasked to immediately send the ball wide to access one of the full-backs.
Wijnaldum offers himself as the outlet for Gomez.
Arsenal had an issue, but …
Arteta asked his players to defend in a man-oriented way against Liverpool's midfield trio. It means that both Torreira, Xhaka, and later, Ceballos, would focus to follow the nearest Liverpool midfielder to them rather than defending zonally. With only two midfielders to do the task, for many times Liverpool could exploit this particular tactic from Arsenal.
Arsenal's man-oriented midfield can force Liverpool to play riskier long balls.
Firstly, the visitors would allow Firmino to drop from his position. With Xhaka, Torreira, and Lacazette engaged to all Liverpool's midfielders, Firmino would have ample space to be accessed. Specifically, the deeper players could find him with a vertical pass to exploit this defensive approach.
Gomez finds Firmino vertically. However, the Brazilian loses the ball immediately to Saka.
Secondly, Klopp would allow his players to rotate rather freely. Sometimes even combined with Firmino's dropping movements. It means that Wijnaldum and/or Oxlade-Chamberlain could be found playing wide while (one of) the attackers move inside.
Wijnaldum drifts wide and pulls Torreira with him. Yet, the Dutchman doesn't play Mané despite the ample space.
Somehow, Liverpool couldn't exploit the issue maximally. Sometimes the free player in space was not played, while on other occasions the receiver's bad control or body orientation let his team down. Their flank-heavy approach could also be blamed in this. That's because even when they were allowed much space centrally, Liverpool would incline to send the final ball with their signature crosses.
Both Oxlade-Chamberlain and Firmino pull Arsenal's midfielders out of their positions. However, Wijnaldum and Mané (not in picture) can't capitalise on the issue.
Second-half adjustments
Arsenal dumped the aggressive pressing to play more safely in the second half. The stats even show that they never had more than 22% of possession after the half-time break. In the process, they used a deeper 5–2–3, which at times could even move to 6–2–2. With up to six players in their backline, Arsenal were ready to combat Liverpool's crossing-heavy tactic.
Arsenal are happy to concede more possession in the second half.
One of Liverpool's approach in deploying crosses was by using an overload-and-switch to Alexander-Arnold. It means that Liverpool would try to overload the left flank before sending the ball diagonally to the young Englishman. The distributor could vary from one of the midfielders to Van Dijk, who finished the game with six (66.67%) completed long passes.
However, the practice wasn't similar to Manchester City's signature. In this process, Alexander-Arnold would start by standing deeper. Then, the passer would try to locate him with a diagonal ball in behind; sometimes even close to the corner post. The objective behind that was to disrupt the defensive line, as well as allowing the Englishman to deploy cut-back crosses.
Keïta finds the marauding right-back with a diagonal ball. Notice that Alexander-Arnold is the only Liverpool player on the right flank.
The wing-play almost bore its fruit early in the second half. That was Alexander-Arnold's cut-back cross accurately found Salah, who was denied brilliantly by Martinez. However, probably that was the only highlight of Liverpool's cross-heavy tactic. If we look at the statistics, Alexander-Arnold only completed two (28.57%) of his crosses. Liverpool's total was not much better, with eight successful crosses from 25 attempts (32%).
Some of Liverpool's crosses are as bad as this.
Arsenal ended the game with two goals from two shots on target. They even had a chance to add one more if only Willock didn't miss his last-minute chance. Indeed Liverpool made costly errors and Arsenal were clinical, but lest we forget Arteta's tactical brilliance throughout the game. His high-pressing scheme was the main reason behind that. His decision to opt for a safer approach could also be appreciated highly.
At the end of the day, this result ended Liverpool's dream to break City's 100-point record. This also marked their second defeat from five games in the last two weeks. Some may say that the Reds have started to allow the seeds of complacency to kick in. Some others argue Liverpool will easily recover to their top form in the next game.
So, what do you think: is this the start of the decline? Or, will Liverpool use those results to be much stronger than ever?
23-year-old. A gracefully blessed football writer and tactical analyst from Indonesia. I support Manchester United. Follow me on Twitter!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Vävra is een plaats in de gemeente Kungälv in het landschap Bohuslän en de provincie Västra Götalands län in Zweden. De plaats heeft 102 inwoners (2005) en een oppervlakte van 19 hectare.

Plaats in Västra Götalands län


text:
New Software Tool Helps Arrow Electronics CFO Cut Costs
By Claudia J. Lambert on	 September 3, 2019 Software tool
Arrow Electronics' CFO Inc.
turns to software to realize $ 130 million in annual savings on electronics distributor operations, an effort that could be expanded if the company's outlook deteriorates due to trade tensions between the United States and the United States. China.
The Centennial, Colo.-Based company lowered its forecast in mid-July following lower sales. It posted a net loss of $ 549 million in the second quarter, compared to a profit of $ 170 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Arrow cited a drop in demand for all component products, all regions and most industries in a earnings release in early August.
"We don't want a lasting impact on operating income and earnings per share," CFO Chris Stansbury said in an interview on Tuesday. "Barring the moderating effects on demand from tariffs and trade wars, Arrow would have expected operating profit to increase year over year," Stansbury said.
Arrow expects to collect $ 130 million in costs by the end of the year and its new enterprise resource planning system is expected to play a key role in achieving that goal, Mr Stansbury said.
The company's ERP system links a range of business processes into a common data or network structure. ERP systems combine information on finance, inventory management, supply chain management and human resource management.
Arrow now operates three versions of the same ERP program in three business regions, the Americas, Europe and Asia. Integrating previously separate systems into the three they have now allows the CFO to have a more holistic view of the company's operations, Mr Stansbury said.
The company is focusing on back office functions such as finance and human resources as well as warehousing and operations to reduce costs, Mr Stansbury said. It will also end its business of selling personal computers and mobility assets, a repair and recycling unit. Front-line engineering and sales staff will not experience cuts, Mr Stansbury said.
"ERP has enabled us to achieve all of these cost reductions," said Stansbury. "We couldn't have done them without it."
Analysts expect a large chunk of the savings to come from job cuts.
"Their biggest cost is people," said Shawn Harrison, vice president of Longbow Research LLC. "The only area where they're not cutting expenses are their engineering and design teams. "
The company employed around 20,100 people as of Dec.31, according to Arrow's annual report.
The new ERP system will help the business during the current uncertain economic phase, Mr. Harrison said. Arrow gets better visibility of its accounts receivable and accounts payable through the software, he said.
The system could also increase efficiency across departments, reducing the potential need for further reductions in a year or two, said Steven Fox, managing director of Cross Research LLC.
"If there are any side economic effects, we obviously have to start over," Stansbury said. He added that current cost-saving measures would not be enough to fully compensate for the company's lost profits.
Trade tensions between the United States and China have hurt Arrow customers, Mr Stansbury said. "I don't think the tariffs are going to go away," he said, adding that "it is a moving target".
Arrow passes the cost of tariffs on to its customers in the form of higher prices, Mr Stansbury said. "Tariff pain comes in the form of lower demand, resulting in lower sales, resulting in decreased ability to generate profit relative to our fixed expense base," he said. .
The company has approximately 200,000 customers worldwide, many of which are small and medium-sized industrial enterprises. "What they see in their business is a direct reading of manufacturing trends on a global scale," said Mr. Harrison of Longbow.
Activity at US factories contracted for the first time in three years in August. New factory orders, employment and production all declined last month from July, according to manufacturing figures released Tuesday by the Institute for Supply Management.
—Mark Maurer contributed to this article.
Write to Nina Trentmann at [email protected]
Copyright © 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
NetSpot is a great Wi-Fi survey software tool to analyze your wireless network
A new software tool – Fawkes
DRDO develops software tool to track COVID-19 patients in quarantine
New software tool SwRI wins R&D 100 award
Claudia J. Lambert


Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College, and Adult age groups are welcome to participate in Downtown Rochester's Ninth Annual Skateboard Art Competition & Exhibition – Deck Art 2019. Artists are asked to provide their unique work on a blank skateboard deck. Winning pieces will be picked in each category by a panel of judges, and prizes will be awarded. Deck Art 2019 is scheduled for May 9 & 10.
This year's event is expected to include as many as 50 local merchants, transforming Deck Art 2019 into a Downtown Rochester crawl. Completed artwork will be artfully displayed throughout participating restaurants and businesses for onlookers to enjoy. Last year's Deck Art 2018 drew over 500 artists from all over South Eastern Michigan. In the past, the states of Arizona, California, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, as well as Canada were represented.
The Rochester Downtown Development Authority (DDA) will host both the Thursday Night Kickoff on May 9, and Friday Night Crawl on May 10, both from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. The events will include unique artwork, musical entertainment and a kid's activity. Specific event details will be available in the coming months.
Registration for Deck Art 2019 begins Friday, February 1. Registration forms can be found online. Submit completed registration forms to South Street Skateshop (410 Main). There is a registration Fee of $20.00 (plus tax) for one blank skateboard deck. The registration deadline is Friday, April 12.
South Street Skateshop winter hours (now – March 17) are Monday – Wednesday, 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Friday, 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Starting on March 18 South Street Skateshop will switch over to their spring hours, Monday – Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.


Currently listening to Kyounosuke Yoshitate. He's a cover artist with an androgynous voice.
Something that makes waking up in the morning a lil bit more glorious.
I listen to a lot of 70s/80s J-Pop, and have a blog where I post a lot of the stuff I'm listening to here.
I'm not sure what genre this stuff would fall into... "chill", kinda?


SUBJECT. Eligibility to use GSA sources of supply and services.
1. Purpose. This order provides definitions and listings of those agencies and other activities authorized to use GSA sources of supply and services. It also provides definitive guidelines concerning eligibility requirements.
2. Cancellation. ADM 4800.2C is canceled.
3. Background. The Federal Property and Administrative Service Act of 1949, as amended, authorizes the Administrator to procure and supply personal property and nonpersonal services for the use of executive agencies, mixed-ownership Government corporations, as identified in the Government Corporation Control Art, and the District of Columbia. Other organizations may be eligible by reason of enabling statutory authority.
4. Nature of revision. This revision updates the listings of organizations determined eligible to use GSA sources of supply and services.
5. Definition. GSA sources of supply and services are defined as those support programs administered by GSA and prescribed in the Federal Property, Management Regulations (FPMR) 41 CFR Parts 101-26-Procurement Sources and Programs, 101-39-Interagency Fleet Management Systems, 101-40-Transportation and Traffic Management, 101-43 thru 101-46, 101-48, and 101-49, Utilization and Disposal Programs, and in the Federal Information Resources Management Regulation (FIRMR), 41 CFR Part 201-32 for ADP and 41 CFR Part 201-40 for telecommunications, and in the Federal Travel Regulation, 41 CFR Part 301-15, Travel Management Programs.
6. Authority to use GSA sources of -supply and services. The authority to use GSA sources of supply and services is established by statute (see par. 7), regulation, and the specific terms of certain contracts.
7. Eligible activities. Organizations eligible to use GSA sources of supply and services are covered by the provisions of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended, hereafter referred to as the Property Act. Definitions of the organizations follow. It is noted, however, that although an organization may be eligible to use these sources, it does not necessarily mean that resources or assets are available, especially in the case of the Interagency Fleet Management System, or that it would always be practical for GSA to make such sources available, or further still, that all contracts allow participation by non-Federal organizations. Also, certain entities may be eligible to use only specific GSA sources and/or services.
(1) Executive Departments. These are the cabinet departments defined in 5 U.S.C. 101 and are listed in App. A.
(2) Wholly owned Government corporations. These are defined in 31 U.S.C. 9101 and are listed in App. A.
(3) Independent establishments in the executive branch of the Government. These are generally defined by 5 U.S.C. 104. However, it is often necessary to consult specific statutes, legislative histories, and other references to determine whether a particular establishment is within the executive branch. To the extent that GSA has made such determinations, the organizations, qualifying under this authority are listed in App. A.
b. Other Federal agencies, mixed-ownership Government corporations and the District Columbia. Subsections 201 (b) and 211 (b) of the Property Act authorize, the Administrator of General Services to provide GSA sources of supply and services to these organizations upon request.
(1) Other Federal agencies. These are Federal agencies defined in subsection 3(b) of the Property Act that are not in the executive branch; i.e., any establishment in the legislative or judicial branch of the Government (except the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Architect of the Capitol and any activities under his direction). To the extent that GSA has made such determinations, the organizations qualify under this authority are listed in App. B.
(2) Mixed-ownership Government Corporations. These are included in 31 U.S.C. 9101. They are listed in App. 8.
(3) District of Columbia. The Government of the District of Columbia is eligible to use GSA sources of supply and Services. The Government of the District of Columbia, and those parts thereof that have been determined by GSA to be eligible to use its Sources of supply and services, are listed in App. B.
c. The Senate, House of Representatives, and activities under the direction of the Architect of the Capitol. These organizations are eligible to use GSA sources of supply and services, under subsection 602(e) of the Property Act, upon request. To the extent that GSA has determined that various activities qualify under this authority, they are listed in App. B.
d. Other organizations authorized under the authority of the Property Act. GSA has further determined, under the Property Act, that certain other types of organizations are eligible to use its sources of supply and services.
(1) Cost-reimbursement (and subcontractors) as properly authorized. Part 51 .,of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provides that agencies may authorize certain contractors (generally cost-reimbursement contractors) to use GSA schedules, GSA stock, and GSA Contract travel and transportation services. In each case, the written authorization must conform to the requirements of FAR Part 51, Use of Government Sources by Contractors. Subpart 51.2 prescribes policies and procedures governing Federal agencies in authorizing cost-reimbursement contractors to obtain interagency fleet management system vehicles and related services. The eligibility of agency authorized cost-reimbursement contractors to obtain Government Contract air/rail fares is limited to the city-pair routes of contract carriers that have agreed to furnish the GSA contract fare to such contractors. Regulations governing the use of contact air/rail passenger service by cost-reimbursement contractors are found at 41 CFR Part 301-15, Subpart 6, specifically, section 301-15.24(h). GSA contracts for other travel related services; e.g., travel management services or contractor-issued charge cards, generally do not include cost reimbursement contractors.
(2) Fixed-price contractors (and subcontractors) purchasing security equipment. Under subsection 201 of the Property Act, the Administrator has determined that fixed-price contractors and lower-tier subcontractors who are required to maintain custody of security classified records and information may purchase security equipment from GSA. Procedures regarding these organizations are set forth in FPMR 101-26.507 and 101 -26.407.
(3) Non-Federal firefighting organizations cooperating with the Forest Service. Under section 201 of the Property Act, it has been determined that certain non-Federal firefighting organizations may purchase wildfire suppression equipment and supplies from the Federal Supply Service (FSS) (Article V, Agreement No. FSS 87-1, May 26, 1987).
(4) Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs. Under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of the interior and the General Services Administration (FSS-83-3) and Pub. L. 93-638, tribal Government grantees of the Bureau of Indian Affairs may use GSA sources of supply and services.
(d) American Printing House for the Blind.
(3) Foreign entities. Section 607 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, 22 U.S.C. 2357, provides that the President may authorize certain countries and organizations to use GSA sources of supply and services as part of the foreign policy of the United States. To the extent that the Department of State has made determinations on behalf of the President, they are included in App. C. Purchases made by international organizations through GSA sources of supply and services must be for civilian use only.
(4) Nonappropriated fund activities. FPMR 101-26.000 provides that military commissaries and nonappropriated fund activities may use GSA sources of supply and services for their own use, not for resale, unless otherwise authorized by the individual Federal agency and concurred in by GSA.
8. Ineligible activities. Except for the acquisition of excess personal property through sponsoring agencies, Federal grantees are ineligible to use GSA sources of supply and services. In addition, a cost-reimbursement contractor cannot transfer procurement authorization to a third party leasing company to use GSA sources of supply and services, unless the leasing company has an independent authorization to use GSA contracts.
9. Travel. Organizations seeking to use GSA sources of supply and services for travel/ transportation must obtain a separate determination. This is necessary to determine whether or not the requesting entity is eligible under the language of the specific contract for the service being requested; i.e., travel management services, travel and transportation payment and expense control system (including contractor-issued charge cards for official travel), and/or air/rail passenger transportation.
10. Excess, surplus, and forfeited property. The eligibility of activities and organizations to obtain supplies and services from GSA's personal property utilization and disposal programs is governed by FPMR Parts 101-43 thru 101-46, 101-48, and 101-49, and not by this order.
11. Determination of eligibility. Activities or organizations other than those covered in the appendixes to this order may be eligible to use GSA sources of supply and services. Requests to use these services received from activities or organizations whose eligibility is in question must be forwarded to the Office of the Controller, Attention: Regulations Management Staff (FPR), for determination.


It's Thursday and it's two days before I go to Spain so I told carly to come over and I would take her out for a meal and then go with her to some art gallery opening she really wanted to go to, so we get all dressed up and go out and I mingle and pretend I know anything about art (I'm wearing a tie and all), so eventually we stumble home and fall down on the sofa, she asks if I'm going to stick something on, I look at her and pause for a second, am I really going to do this? Of course I f*****g am, BAM IT'S GHOST RIDER TIME.
Okay so first can I just say I completely forgot about the Ghost Rider movie for a long time, until Nicholas Cage's stunning face appeared on my television screen letting me know there was apparently a second ghost rider coming out, I'm pretty sure as soon as I heard this news I blacked out due to sheer joy and didn't recover for a few days, I'm not really sure what happened during this time but I like to imagine it was mainly spent crying tears of joy and watching Con Air and Face Off on repeat.
So anyway I get up and put Ghost Rider on, and get ready for the excellence to wash over me, to be reborn anew under the judgemental glare of Nicholas Cage, well obviously none of that happened but I did get an odd urge to buy a leather jacket and slick my hair back, so this movie starts with a 17 year old Johnny Blaze (Cage) selling his soul to the devil to heal his father from lung cancer, and that's where the plot stops, there's some stuff about blackheart the devils son and how he has to be stopped so the world doesn't end, but honestly you don't really care, you're too busy thinking about awesome wheelies and trying to figure out how Nicholas cage is somehow attractive to the women in this movie, also how he can somehow pick up a shotgun and turn it into a weapon capable of killing an angel by shooting hellfire, now I'm not really big on guns but can someone out there back me up on this?
By this point it's well past midnight and I'm trying to figure out how much longer I can stay awake, can I make it through another ghost rider movie? Or will I pass out like carly? At this point I remembered what my uncle ben said to me "with great blogging comes great responsibility" so in memory of my uncle I will do this, I dutifully pay the £3.99 for ghost rider on demand and wake up carly by shaking her for a second and telling her to wake up because there's more Nicholas Cage to come, I'm pretty sure she thought it was a dream so no one tell her all this actually happened okay.
anyway that pretty much sum's this film up, honestly it's pretty watchable when it's past Midnight and you're pretty deep into a 12 pack of beer, honestly the notes I took pretty much all read something like "HAHA EXPLOSION" and "HAHA MOTORCYCLES ARE AWESOME" So obviously I don't really trust those note's that much, but honestly from what I remember it's pretty bad, if you're on your own on a Sunday at midday don't watch it, take up knitting or something, but if you've stumbled home and it's midnight or later, yeah sure put it on, just make sure there aren't ANY other action movies you can put on before hand.


Here is the third in a series of quizzes on the road to preparing for confirmation. This quiz shows the connections between Confirmation and Baptism. Good Luck.
Here is your opportunity to show what you know about Baptism, a sacrament of initiation that leads to the sacrament of Confirmation. Take a deep breath, think hard, and do your best.
What is the best age to be Baptized?
Who can Baptize someone in the Catholic faith?
In danger of death, anyone.
What are the effects of Baptism?
What are the symbols of Baptism?
Why do we use water in Baptism?
Why do we use the oil of Chrism in Baptism?
What is the connection between Baptism and Confirmation?
What do you promise in Baptism?
What are some of the ways you can live out the promises of your Baptism?
Why is Confirmation necessary if I am Baptized?


1. Step Press Windows + R to open the Run Window-> Type cmd and press Enter.
2. Step Right click in the uppermost bar which contains the Maximize, Restore and Exit-> Click Properties.
3. Step Now you get all the properties Options, Font, Layout and Colors.
4. Step Change as you wish and get the effect on your Command Prompt Window.
Options, Font, Layout and Colors.
You can increase or decrease the cursor size.
There are Edit Options like Quick Edit Mode, Insert Mode.
Screen Buffer Size, Window size and Window Position.
The Window position is not fixed, it changes whenever we move the window from one place to another.
Command Prompt Screen, Screen Text, Popup Text, Popup Background.
Well, I hate to belabor the point, but you can do this same action in Windows 7 as well!


I've been designing and developing bespoke websites for brilliant clients for 7 years, building bespoke custom web design solutions which fit their needs.
Every successful design project starts with an awesome brief.
This article discusses what you should do to make perfect UX portfolio and introduces some inspiring UX portfolio examples.
Are you unhappy with the current customer retention rate on your website? If your answer is "yes", then you are not the only one.
I'd love to grab tea to talk about anything - from design and tech to esports and kpop. Shoot me an email and we can work something out.


text:
Edgar Ruben Garfias (Tennessee, 23 de julho  1960) é um ator de televisão e cinema americano. Atuou como Luis Gotaroem Brooklyn Nine-Nine e Ricardo Magalles como ator convidado em The Good Doctor.

 Carreira
Em 2001 ele estrelou o filme  'The Barrio Murders' '' com Noel Guglielmi e Nena Quiroz

Como ator, Garfias interpretou o papel de Rafa no filme  Ladrão que rouba ladrão com Fernando Colunga, Miguel Varoni, Gabriel Soto, Saúl Lisazo, Julie Gonzalo, Soyna Smith, Ivonne Montero e  Óscar Torre.

Em 2008 ele interpretou o Presidente Klaus no filme Super Agent 86: Bruce e Lloyd's Fora de Controle. Mais tarde, o Sr. Suárez volta a interpretar em O jogo perfeito.

Ele também participou de um filme de terror Insidious: Capítulo 3 como Ernesto. Ele então participou de séries como The Good Doctor, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds, The Terror, Brooklyn Nine-Nine e Rosewood.

Em 2017 ele apareceu como uma performance especial da série Grey's Anatomy temporada 14 episódio 21 como "Bob". Em 2019 ele fez sua estréia como a voz de Héctor Casagrande em Los Casagrande, uma série de animação da Nickelodeon.

Em 2021, o elenco do filme  Paradise Cove se juntou ao ator Sheriff Garcia.

Filmografia

Filmes

Televisão

Ligações externas

Atores dos Estados Unidos


text:
'use strict';

var chai = require('chai'),
	chaiAsPromised = require('chai-as-promised'),
	errors = require('../lib/errors'),
	fs = require('q-io/fs'),
	langBuilder = require('../'),
	Q = require('q'),
	sinon = require('sinon'),
	winston = require('winston');

chai.use(chaiAsPromised);
var expect = chai.expect;

function removeDir(dir) {
	return fs.isDirectory(dir)
		.then(function(isDirectory) {
			if(isDirectory) {
				return fs.removeTree(dir);
			}
		});
}

describe('langBuilder', function() {

	beforeEach(function() {
		sinon.stub(winston,'info');
		sinon.stub(winston,'warn');
		sinon.stub(winston,'error');
		sinon.spy(winston,'remove');
	});

	afterEach(function() {
		winston.info.restore();
		winston.warn.restore();
		winston.error.restore();
		winston.remove.restore();
		return Q.all([removeDir('./test/temp'),removeDir('./test/temp2')]);
	});

	describe('find files', function() {

		it('should error when input directory is a file', function() {
			return expect(langBuilder._findFiles('./test/errors/not-a-directory'))
				.to.eventually.be.rejectedWith(errors.invalidInputDirectory());
		});

		it('should error when input directory does not exist', function() {
			return expect(langBuilder._findFiles('./test/does-not-exist'))
				.to.eventually.be.rejectedWith(errors.invalidInputDirectory());
		});

		it('should list files inside the directory', function() {
			return expect(langBuilder._findFiles('./test/sample'))
				.to.eventually.have.length(3);
		});

	});

	describe('read file', function() {

		it('should throw when file has non-JSON extension', function() {
			var filename = 'non-json-extension.badext';
			var promise = langBuilder._readFile(
				'./test/errors',
				filename
			);
			return expect(promise)
				.to.eventually.be.rejectedWith(errors.nonJsonExtension(filename));
		});

		it('should throw when file contains invalid JSON', function() {
			var promise = langBuilder._readFile('./test/errors', 'invalid-json.json');
			return expect(promise).to.eventually.be.rejectedWith('Unexpected token');
		});

		it('should use empty object when file is empty', function(done) {
			langBuilder._readFile('./test/errors', 'empty-FILE.json')
				.then(function(file) {
					expect(file).to.not.be.null;
					expect(file.name).to.equal('empty-FILE');
					expect(file.content).to.eql({});
					done();
				}).fail(done);
		});

		it('should return filename and parsed content', function(done) {
			langBuilder._readFile('./test/sample', 'fr-CA.json')
				.then(function(file) {
					expect(file).to.not.be.null;
					expect(file.name).to.equal('fr-CA');
					expect(file.content).to.have.property('B','b-CA');
					done();
				}).fail(done);
		});

	});

	describe('read files', function() {

		it('should read all files in a directory', function() {
			var promise = langBuilder._readFiles(
				'./test/sample',
				['fr.json','fr-CA.json','fr-FR.json']
			);
			return expect(promise).to.eventually.have.length(3);
		});

	});

	describe('extract', function() {

		it('should lowercase language subtag', function() {
			var result = langBuilder._extract(
				[{name:'en'},{name:'EN-CA'}],
				'en'
			);
			expect(result.regions[0]).to.have.property('language','en');
		});

		it('should uppercase region subtag', function() {
			var result = langBuilder._extract(
				[{name:'en'},{name:'en-ca'}],
				'en'
			);
			expect(result.regions[0]).to.have.property('region','CA');
		});

		it('should have reference to file content', function() {
			var result = langBuilder._extract(
				[{name:'en'},{name:'en-CA',content:{A:'b'}}],
				'en'
			);
			expect(result.regions[0].content).to.eql({A:'b'});
		});

		it('should populate languages with base language content', function() {
			var result = langBuilder._extract(
				[{name:'en',content:1},{name:'fr',content:2},{name:'es',content:3}],
				'en'
			);
			expect(result.languages).to.have.property('en',1);
			expect(result.languages).to.have.property('fr',2);
			expect(result.languages).to.have.property('es',3);
		});

		it('should populate regions', function() {
			var result = langBuilder._extract(
				[{name:'en'},{name:'en-CA',content:1},{name:'en-GB',content:2}],
				'en'
			);
			expect(result.regions).to.have.length(2);
			expect(result.regions[0]).to.have.property('language','en');
			expect(result.regions[0]).to.have.property('region','CA');
			expect(result.regions[0]).to.have.property('content',1);
			expect(result.regions[1]).to.have.property('language','en');
			expect(result.regions[1]).to.have.property('region','GB');
			expect(result.regions[1]).to.have.property('content',2);
		});

		it('should throw if fallback language is missing', function() {
			var expectedError = errors.missingFallback('en');
			expect(function() {
				langBuilder._extract([{name:'en-CA'}], 'en');
			}).to.throw(expectedError);
		});

	});

	describe('mergeLang', function() {

		it('should throw if key not present in fallback language', function() {
			var expectedError = errors.missingBaseLanguageKey('A', 'en', 'fr');
			expect(function() {
				langBuilder._mergeLang({}, {A:'b'}, 'en', 'fr', '');
			}).to.throw(expectedError);
		});

		it('should warn if key not present in base language', function() {
			var expectedWarning = errors.missingOverrideLanguageKey('A','es','de');
			var fallback = {A: 'a'};
			var language = {};
			langBuilder._mergeLang({A:'a'},{},'es','de','');
			expect(winston.warn.calledOnce).to.be.true;
			expect(winston.warn.getCall(0).args[0]).to.equal(expectedWarning);
			expect(fallback).to.have.property('A','a');
		});

		it('should throw if data type mismatch', function() {
			var expectedError = errors.typeMismatch('A', 'it', 'pt');
			expect(function() {
				langBuilder._mergeLang({A:'b'}, {A:{}}, 'it', 'pt', '');
			}).to.throw(expectedError);
		});

		it('should throw if value is not a string or object', function() {
			var expectedError = errors.invalidDataType('A', 'en');
			expect(function() {
				langBuilder._mergeLang({A:1}, {A:2}, 'en', 'US', '');
			}).to.throw(expectedError);
		});

		it('should override fallback with base language', function() {
			var fallback = {A:'a'};
			var language = {A:'a-override'};
			langBuilder._mergeLang(fallback, language, 'gr', 'tu', '');
			expect(fallback).to.have.property('A', 'a-override');
		});

		it('should override nested values', function() {
			var fallback = {A:{AA:'aa'}};
			var language = {A:{AA:'aa-override'}};
			langBuilder._mergeLang(fallback, language, 'qe', 'ct', '');
			expect(fallback).to.eql({A:{AA:'aa-override'}});
		});

		it('should not override with empty objects', function() {
			var fallback = {A:{AA:'aa'}};
			var language = {A:{}};
			langBuilder._mergeLang(fallback, language, 'na', 'ma', '');
			expect(fallback).to.eql({A:{AA:'aa'}});
		});

	});

	describe('mergeRegion', function() {

		it('should throw if key not present in base language', function() {
			var expectedError = errors.missingBaseLanguageKey('A', 'en', 'US');
			expect(function() {
				langBuilder._mergeRegion({}, {A:'b'}, 'en', 'US', '');
			}).to.throw(expectedError);
		});

		it('should throw if data type mismatch', function() {
			var expectedError = errors.typeMismatch('A', 'en', 'US');
			expect(function() {
				langBuilder._mergeRegion({A:'b'}, {A:{}}, 'en', 'US', '');
			}).to.throw(expectedError);
		});

		it('should throw if value is not a string or object', function() {
			var expectedError = errors.invalidDataType('A', 'en');
			expect(function() {
				langBuilder._mergeRegion({A:1}, {A:2}, 'en', 'US', '');
			}).to.throw(expectedError);
		});

		it('should keep base language if no region override', function() {
			var base = {A:'a'};
			var region = {};
			langBuilder._mergeRegion(base, region, 'en', 'US', '');
			expect(base).to.have.property('A', 'a');
		});

		it('should override base language with region', function() {
			var base = {A:'a'};
			var region = {A:'a-override'};
			langBuilder._mergeRegion(base, region, 'en', 'US', '');
			expect(base).to.have.property('A', 'a-override');
		});

		it('should override nested values', function() {
			var base = {A:'a',B:{BA:'ba',BB:'bb'}};
			var region = {B:{BB:'bb-override'}};
			langBuilder._mergeRegion(base, region, 'en', 'US', '');
			expect(base).to.eql({A:'a',B:{BA:'ba',BB:'bb-override'}});
		});

		it('should not override with empty objects', function() {
			var base = {A:'a',B:{BA:'ba',BB:'bb'}};
			var region = {B:{}};
			langBuilder._mergeRegion(base, region, 'en', 'US', '');
			expect(base).to.eql({A:'a',B:{BA:'ba',BB:'bb'}});
		});

	});

	describe('combine', function() {

		it('should throw if base language is missing', function() {
			var input = {
				languages: {en:{}},
				regions: [
					{language:'fr',region:'CA'}
				]
			};
			var expectedError = errors.missingBaseLanguage('fr', 'CA');
			expect(function() {
				langBuilder._combine(input,'en');
			}).to.throw(expectedError);
		});

		it('should combine region with base language', function() {
			var input = {
				languages: {
					fr: require('./sample/fr.json')
				},
				regions: [
					{
						language: 'fr',
						region: 'CA',
						content: require('./sample/fr-CA.json')
					},
					{
						language: 'fr',
						region: 'FR',
						content: require('./sample/fr-FR.json')
					}
				]
			};
			var expectedResult = {
				languages: {
					fr: require('./output/fr.json')
				},
				regions: [
					{
						language: 'fr',
						region: 'CA',
						content: require('./output/fr-CA.json')
					},
					{
						language: 'fr',
						region: 'FR',
						content: require('./output/fr-FR.json')
					}
				]
			};
			expect(langBuilder._combine(input, 'fr')).to.eql(expectedResult);
		});

	});

	describe('writeFiles', function() {

		beforeEach(function() {
			return fs.makeDirectory('./test/temp')
				.then(function() {
					return fs.write('./test/temp/file.json','stuff');
				});
		});

		it('should throw if output not a directory', function() {
			return expect(langBuilder._writeFiles('./test/errors/not-a-directory'))
				.to.eventually.be.rejectedWith(errors.invalidOutputDirectory());
		});

		it('should empty directory if it exists', function(done) {
			langBuilder._writeFiles('./test/temp',{languages:{},regions:[]})
				.then(function() {
					return fs.list('./test/temp');
				}).then(function(files) {
					expect(files).to.have.length(0);
					done();
				}).fail(done);
		});

		it('should create directory if it not does exist', function(done) {
			langBuilder._writeFiles('./test/temp2',{languages:{},regions:[]})
				.then(function() {
					return fs.isDirectory('./test/temp2');
				}).then(function(isDirectory) {
					expect(isDirectory).to.be.true;
					done();
				}).fail(done);
		});

		it('should write a region to a file', function(done) {
			var input = {
				languages: {},
				regions: [
					{
						language: 'en',
						region: 'AU',
						content: {A:'a'}
					}
				]
			};
			langBuilder._writeFiles('./test/temp',input)
				.then(function() {
					return fs.read('./test/temp/en-AU.json');
				}).then(function(content) {
					content = JSON.parse(content);
					expect(content).to.have.property('A','a');
					done();
				}).fail(done);
		});

		it('should write a language to a file', function(done) {
			var input = {
				languages: {
					it: { A: 'a' }
				},
				regions: []
			};
			langBuilder._writeFiles('./test/temp',input)
				.then(function() {
					return fs.read('./test/temp/it.json');
				}).then(function(content) {
					content = JSON.parse(content);
					expect(content).to.have.property('A','a');
					done();
				}).fail(done);
		});

	});

	describe('builder', function() {

		it('should pipe result to the callback', function(done) {
			var opts = {
				input: './test/sample',
				output: './test/temp',
				fallback: 'fr'
			};
			langBuilder(opts, function(err) {
				expect(err).to.not.be.defined;
				done();
			});
		});

		it('should pipe errors to the callback', function(done) {
			langBuilder(null, function(err) {
				expect(err).to.be.defined;
				done();
			});
		});

		it('should silence winston with silent option', function(done) {
			var opts = {
				input: './test/sample',
				output: './test/temp',
				silent: true
			};
			langBuilder(opts,function(err){
				expect(winston.remove.calledOnce).to.be.true;
				done();
			});
		});

		it('should pass logLevel on to winston', function(done) {
			var opts = {
				input: './test/sample',
				output: './test/temp',
				logLevel: 'foo'
			};
			langBuilder(opts,function(err){
				expect(winston.level).to.equal('foo');
				done();
			});
		});

	});

});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Saudi Arabia-United Arab Emirates (UAE) decision to break relations with Qatar, and more importantly their insistence for others to follow their lead, has pitted the Federal Government of Somalia ('Somali government') against many of its federal member states. This has created a serious challenge for the country's nascent state-building process.
When Saudi Arabia cut ties with Qatar in June this year, it was the third time in three years that the nation (with the UAE close behind) had called on the Horn of Africa to remake its foreign policy in line with Riyadh. In 2015, Saudi Arabia convinced the entire Horn – save Ethiopia – to sign up to its coalition against the Houthi movement in Yemen; a key priority given Iran's support for the Houthis, who are also Shia Muslims. Then in early 2016 when Saudi Arabia broke relations with Iran, Djibouti, Sudan and Somalia did so as well.
Both these developments demonstrated how Saudi Arabia views its relationship with the Horn first and foremost via the prism of its proxy war with Iran, and the success its incentive-laden foreign policy has had on this front. After the break in relations with Qatar, Somalia – under the newly elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Farmajo) – remained neutral. This threw Somalia into chaos, with the government coming under fire both internally and externally.
At heart are two interrelated concerns – unclear definitions of the roles and responsibilities between the Somali government and the six federal member states in practice; and the undercutting of the weak Somali state-building project by external actors.
In the first instance, Farmajo's position has proved unpopular to many in Somalia who believe the potential benefits of siding with Saudi Arabia and the UAE far outweigh those associated with neutrality (which in essence is a vote for Qatar). Opponents note that the Saudi Arabia-UAE contingent offers Somalia much more in terms of a market for livestock exports, a source of migrant remittances and opportunities for ports management than Qatar can compete with. Nonetheless, Farmajo has held his ground.
In August Puntland announced it was breaking from the Somali government's position of neutrality, citing its strategic relationships with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Dubai-based P&O Ports secured a 30-year concession for Puntland's main port of Bosaso earlier this year, which probably influenced the decision and underlined the claim that siding with the Saudi-UAE camp was more beneficial.
This presented a clear challenge to the Somali government. Article 54 of the Somali Provisional Constitution allocates it the sole responsibility for foreign affairs, but Article 53 notes that the government should consult the federal member states 'on negotiations relating to foreign aid, trade, treaties, or other major issues related to international agreements'.
It was the lack of consultation that Puntland cited. Its decision was followed in September by similar declarations from the South West and Galmudug administrations, openly challenging the Somali government's policy. Both regions also cited the lack of consultation, again raising questions as to specific roles and responsibilities within Somalia's federal system.
The challenges have not stopped there. Days after announcing his break with Farmajo's foreign policy, Galmudug regional president Ahmed Duale Gelle Haaf was voted out of office by a faction of his region's lawmakers. The Somali government supported the move, which Haaf claimed was illegal, orchestrated from Mogadishu and in reaction to his foreign policy stance. Other federal member states agreed, opposing Haaf's ousting and the government's apparent interference. Haaf himself maintained the support of another faction, in effect dividing Galmudug in two.
These developments demonstrate how the relationship between the Somali government and its federal member states is being threatened, with the resulting politicking a worrying prospect for building Somali stability at a local level. A similar no confidence motion may occur in the South West, while ex-HirShabelle leader Ali Abdullahi Osoble was also removed from office shorty after opposing the government's stance.
The need for clearly defined roles and responsibilities in Somalia's federal system is apparent now more than ever. The lack of agreement means that parties work together when convenient, but don't when it's not. It also allows for manipulation underpinned by a lack of trust, with accusations of the Somali government's involvement in internal federal member state electoral processes, and the latter's demands for a role in foreign affairs.
The tensions between the government and the federal member states go well beyond the Qatar crisis, and remain perhaps the biggest stumbling block to resurrecting a coherent Somali state.
Nonetheless, while the crisis has highlighted this internal dilemma, this has been exacerbated by outside actors. Not being able to convince Farmajo to change his mind, the UAE set out instead to undermine his position by appealing directly to the federal member states. For example, South West leader Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden reportedly visited the UAE right before his decision, while Haaf travelled there right after.
The UAE has always maintained relations with Somalia's federal member states in a way that other external actors involved in Somalia, such as Turkey, have not. Yet the UAE's active bypassing of the Somali government in this case undermines its authority, contributing to an erosion of the state-building process in which the international community has invested so much.
In short, the Qatar crisis has highlighted some major tensions in Somalia's state-building process, demonstrating how easily this fragile project can become unhinged. Until there is clear agreement between the Federal Government of Somalia and the federal member states on the roles and responsibilities of each, combined with implementation mechanisms and respect from external actors, state-building in Somalia will be subject to persistent crises and incremental gains.


text:
The Michael H. Armacost Chair
Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for East Asia Policy Studies, John L. Thornton China Center
Twitter @ryanl_hass	Share by Email Email
PDF File Ryan Hass's CV
Ryan Hass is a fellow and the Michael H. Armacost Chair in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings, where he holds a joint appointment to the John L. Thornton China Center and the Center for East Asia Policy Studies. He was part of the inaugural class of David M. Rubenstein fellows at Brookings. He is also a nonresident affiliated fellow in the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School. Hass focuses his research and analysis on enhancing policy development on the pressing political, economic, and security challenges facing the United States in East Asia.
From 2013 to 2017, Hass served as the director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia at the National Security Council (NSC) staff. In that role, he advised President Obama and senior White House officials on all aspects of U.S. policy toward China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, and coordinated the implementation of U.S. policy toward this region among U.S. government departments and agencies. He joined President Obama's state visit delegations in Beijing and Washington respectively in 2014 and 2015, and the president's delegation to Hangzhou, China, for the G-20 in 2016, and to Lima, Peru, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meetings in 2016.
Prior to joining NSC, Hass served as a Foreign Service Officer in U.S. Embassy Beijing, where he earned the State Department Director General's award for impact and originality in reporting, an award given annually to the officer whose reporting had the greatest impact on the formulation of U.S. foreign policy. Hass also served in Embassy Seoul and Embassy Ulaanbaatar, and domestically in the State Department Offices of Taiwan Coordination and Korean Affairs. Hass received multiple Superior Honor and Meritorious Honor commendations during his 15-year tenure in the Foreign Service.
Hass was born and raised in Washington state. He graduated from the University of Washington and attended the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies prior to joining the State Department.
Council on Foreign Relations, term member
McLarty Associates, senior advisor
National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, member
The Scowcroft Group, senior advisor
Yale Law School, Paul Tsai China Center, nonresident affiliated fellow
Center for East Asia Policy Studies
John L. Thornton China Center
U.S.-China relations
East Asian regional security
Maritime issues
Nonresident Affiliated Fellow, Paul Tsai China Center, Yale Law School
Political Officer, Office of Korean Affairs, Department of State (2017)
Director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolian Affairs, National Security Council (2013-2017)
Political Officer, Embassy Beijing (2009-2012)
Political-Military Officer, Office of Taiwan Coordination, Department of State (2005-2007)
Consular Officer, Embassy Ulaanbaatar (2005)
Consular Officer, Embassy Seoul (2003-2005)
Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (2001-2002)
B.A., University of Washington, 2001
Global China: East Asia
Tarun Chhabra, Rush Doshi, Ryan Hass, and Emilie Kimball
Trans-Atlantic Scorecard – October 2019
The stress test: Japan in an era of great power competition
Richard C. Bush, Lindsey Ford, Ryan Hass, Adam P. Liff, Michael E. O'Hanlon, Jonathan D. Pollack, Mireya Solís, Bruce Jones, Laura McGhee, and Ted Reinert
View All Research
Order from Chaos
Don't let partisanship poison US-Taiwan relationship
Why has China become such a big political issue?
Hold the faith on Taiwan's future
Mentions & Appearances
The United States should continue to deter Beijing from use of force, maintain an unblinking eye on Hong Kong, and make Beijing pay a heavy reputational cost for curtailing the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong citizens...[Yet] I worry that the protesters in Hong Kong risk misinterpreting American sympathy and support of their cause for expectation that the United States will shield them from Beijing's heavy hand.
Ryan Hass New York Times	 Sunday, November 3, 2019
Dating back to the Obama administration, the U.S. argument has been that China has a reputational challenge in the United States, where it more often is associated with problems for American people than solutions. Curbing the flow of fentanyl provides an opportunity for Beijing to show it is helping to solve problems for Americans, rather than be the source of them.
Ryan Hass CNN	 Thursday, May 2, 2019
On April 7, Ryan Hass spoke on a panel about China's Belt and Road Initiative and China's relations with the Middle East during a session of the "World Economic Forum on the Middle East and Africa," which was held in Amman, Jordan.
World Economic Forum, Amman, Jordan
What does a global China mean for the US and the world?
Lindsey Ford, Tarun Chhabra, and Ryan Hass
What happened at the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore?
Ryan Hass, Michael E. O'Hanlon, Jung H. Pak, Jonathan D. Pollack, Thomas Wright, and Fred Dews
Watch: Experts discuss an era of new geopolitics
Ryan Hass, Bruce Jones, Robert Kagan, Suzanne Maloney, Jung H. Pak, Alina Polyakova, and Thomas Wright
View All Multimedia
Get foreign policy updates from Brookings
Contact Ryan Hass


The project is a single family house, built in an exclusive neighbourhood in Madrid.
The site, originally of 6.000sqm, already had a built house.
It was divided in two lots of 3.000sqm each: one containing the existing house, and the other one, where the project sits, free of existing buildings but conditioned by the trees of the former garden and the proximity to the existing house.
The house sits in the upper side of the garden, where the best views of the site can be seen.
It was also the area where we found a clearing to sort the trees.
The house divides in two the garden: one, constrained, related to the entrance, closes up to the existing house, and the other one, wide opens up to the garden.
The ground floor is arranged in three areas that meet in the hall: public area –bar, dinning room, living room-, semiprivate area –guest room, children´s playroom, study-, and service area –kitchen, pantry and laundry room-.
The void that is outlined in the centre of these three "wings" defines the hall.
The limits are unclear and vary due to the nearby spaces that open or close on to it, allowing the flow of space.
The upper floor is also arranged in three areas, housing the bedrooms.
Its footprint sets back in order to disguise the upper volume from the garden.
Considered as a high standard residential dwelling, the high quality is given by the spatial conditions, the light, the views, the detail and scale, rather than the cost of the materials.
Each space has been projected as a unique cell considering the best orientations for its use and opening up the strategic windows to avoid the surrounding buildings, taking advantage of the views of the garden.
The house it is not perceived as a unitary volumen, its appearance varies depending from where it is seen.
As it is a fragmented house, it has more façade, so the construction detail of the outer skin has been projected to improve its thermic conditions.
A simple but efficient solution has been chosen: honeycomb clay block, thermal insulation and a continue finishing of Baumit.
The house is climatized with a cooling and heating floor.
The cubic volumes of the house are transformed by the erosions of the cornered windows and the cuts made in the upper floor as skylights.
These skylights create views without interferences with the surroundings houses and allow additional light into the rooms.
From the exterior, these skylights define the volumes of the house.
Baumit StarSystem white EPS 6 cms.


text:
Why IncubeTech?
Ready For A Change?
MSC Malaysia Status
Manage IT Support Solutions
Pay-As-You-Go IT Support
Continuity & Disaster Recovery
IT Consulting & Implementation
Affordable POS Solutions
Web Package
IncubeTech CMS
We are proud to partner and obtain certifications with the following organizations:
A Microsoft Certified partner is a company that has agreed to collaborate and establish a close working relationship with Microsoft. Having that title means the company who applied itself has earned the highest standards of Microsoft's widely-recognized partnership program. Achieving such a status means Microsoft has declared that the company has committed itself to evolving Microsoft technologies for the interests of its own needs as well as those of its clients.
Benefits of Microsoft Professional Certification
Many independent companies decide to become a Microsoft Certified partner as they are entitled to many competency benefits and privileges, like having exclusive access to Microsoft tools, utilities and toolkits, as well as to partake in Microsoft's ongoing training programs (available for low or no cost) and tutorials.
Firms who are Microsoft Certified receive continuous online technical support, news, updates and useful information from the software giant. There are also advantages in becoming a Microsoft Certified partner that other companies do not have - that is, until they too decide to partner with the software giant. These advantages include permission to provide Microsoft-based IT services and products to other businesses or clients, among other things.
Founded in 2000, Synology creates network-attached storage (NAS), IP surveillance solutions, and network equipment that transform the way users manage data, conduct surveillance, and manage network in the cloud era. By taking full advantage of the latest technologies, Synology is committed to delivering products with forward-thinking features and best-in-class customer service.
Our award-winning technology
We have been named a leader in endpoint security, cloud security, and server security, and are highly recommended for Breach Detection and Intrusion Prevention Systems. We also have the most advanced threat intelligence network in the world – our Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™, which is continually enhanced by big data analytics and machine learning, and is bolstered by hundreds of Trend Micro security experts and the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI).
See Industry Accolades
Symantec protects the Cloud Generation through our Integrated Cyber Defense Platform, the industry's most complete portfolio for securing cloud and on-premises environments. We support 15,000 enterprises in taking full advantage of cloud computing without compromising the security of the people, data, applications, and infrastructure that drive their business. Our advanced technology portfolio is powered by the world's largest civilian threat intelligence network, enabling us to see and protect against the most advanced threats.
15 Years Running, a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Security
13 Years Running, a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed Security Services
Symantec Endpoint Protection 14 wins AV-TEST Award for Best Protection 2016
Symantec DLP: Leader in 2016 Forrester Wave Data Loss Prevention Suites
The Forrester Wave™: Cloud Security Gateways Leader, 2016
10 Consecutive times: a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader for Data Loss Prevention
Symantec Advanced Threat Protection 100% effective against advanced techniques in Dennis Technology Labs 2015 report
AAA rating—14 consecutive quarters and in every single Dennis Report
Small businesses are encouraged to migrate to EnGenius Wireless Network to increase employee productivity and efficiency, gain a competitive advantage and provide network users with a new level of freedom and flexibility.
Some of the major reasons customers are choosing to migrate to EnGenius Wireless Network include:
Simplified WLAN deployment
Low-cost management
Reduced total cost of ownership (TCO)
Extended Connectivity
Secure guest access
Outdoor wireless Mesh networking
Advanced Security feature
EnGenius Wireless Network supports the industry's most comprehensive product line for enterprise WLANs. It combines the best elements of wireless and wired networking to deliver secure, scalable, high-performance WLANs with a low total cost of ownership.
EnGenius will evolve the EnGenius Wireless Network to support new business applications, WLAN technology developments and enterprise-class network demands.
At IncubeTech, we are all ears
to your needs. Throw us your
questions and we will be in
contact with you.
In the heart of Kota Bharu.
Lot 1733, Taman Kenangan,
15200 Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Feel free to contact us the
old fashioned way.
Or reach us on our
social network page.
© Copyright: www.incubetech.com.my