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Air taxis set to soar over Seoul's skies
Nov 16, 2020 Commercial-drones
Questions hover over viability of airborne anti-congestion strategy but drones are being tried extensively
By ANDREW SALMON
SEOUL – South Korea will introduce flying taxis to ease ground traffic congestion in 2025, but a regulatory jungle needs to be cleared before private flying cars and delivery drones are permitted to soar over high-rise cities.
Even so, a wide range of applications are being trialed. And South Korea is well positioned to take a lead in drone adoption.
For one thing, the country has implemented tremendously successful industrial policies: physical infrastructure and metal bashing firms in the 1960s; mobile telecoms; broadband Internet and tech firms in the 1990s. For another, its citizens are enthusiastic adopters of new technologies.
Last week was "Drone Week" as the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transportation, or MOLIT, promoted a range of programs to highlight the potential of airborne systems.
On Wednesday, six prototype flying taxies, developed by Chinese company Ehang, were demonstrated on and over Yeouido, an island on Seoul's Han River.
Safety was paramount. Yeouido, the site of the city's first airfield, boasts a huge park and plaza at its center, uncluttered by high rises. And the vehicles did not accept fares. Instead, sacks of rice were used to simulate passengers.
On Friday evening, 315 drones drew images in the night sky over Seoul's Chamshil Olympic Park. The drone swarm was designed to showcase homegrown technologies.
"We will commercialize UAM (Urban Air Mobility) by 2025," Kim Sang-do director of aviation policy at MOLIT said on Friday. "The government, in partnership with the private sector, is building the infrastructure and an air-traffic management system."
Flying taxis, air corridors and 'vertiports'
A "K-drone Traffic Management System" is being developed with state financing of 25 billion won ($22 million). The basis of airborne traffic management is a three-stage, vertical zoning system that de-conflicts aircraft, flying taxies and drones.
From the skyline up to 150 meters will be the province of small drones, such as delivery and hobby UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). The airspace between 300 and 600 meters will be reserved for flying taxis. Above 600 meters will be exclusively for aircraft.
The government's plan envisages a three-phase infrastructure build and rollout, and is predicated on future technological advances.
The first phase, set for 2025, would consist of an air taxi flight corridor beginning operations between Incheon International Airport to an as-yet-unspecified central Seoul location alongside the Han River – a distance of 48 kilometers.
Dedicated "vertiports" will be built at both locations, providing landing pads at which passengers will get on and off.
"The vertiports will be like 2-3 story buildings, with electric chargers on the top, and stores, restaurants and so on below," Kim said. The flying taxis will be electrically powered, rather than fossil-fueled.
The second phase, anticipated in 2030, would be an increase in vertiports – probably to be added on to and around existing ground-transport hubs. "The next step will be terminal-to-terminal," Kim said. "For example, from a subway station to another subway station."
The third phase, which Kim expects by 2035, would be a true taxi service.
"The final version is an on-demand hailing system," Kim said, possibly with helipads on high rises taking the place of purpose-built vertiports.
Helicopter taxis are banned in Seoul due to noise pollution, but that noise is obviated by drone technologies. However, multiple Seoul high rises already boast helicopter landed pads – albeit for emergency, not commercial use, deputy director of MOLIT's Drone Transport Division Jang Young-ki told Asia Times.
According to Kim, the flying taxi project aims to cut road congestion in Seoul. The city has a dense population of 10 million, with 25 million in the extended conurbation, and suffers horrendous traffic jams.
Hovering questions
Seoul already boasts highly efficient mass transit systems, a widespread, modern subway system and a bus network that operates on dedicated lanes.
Given this, it is not clear that the vehicles showcased on Wednesday will be able to meet that aim without massively scaling up.
The flying taxis, as envisaged, offer only two or five-seats. Moreover, the vehicles will not be true UAVs. One seat will be taken up by the pilot, adding to the cost.
UAVs were originally pioneered by the military. Civilian flying vehicles use drone rather than helicopter or plane technologies. Far more stringent safety regulations are essential, as they will carry passengers.
Even so, once technologies are upgraded, safety protocols are tested and proven, and the public accepts the new paradigm, Jang anticipates a three-phase transformation of the vehicles.
The first flying taxis will be piloted. The second phase will be piloted remotely and the final phase will be fully autonomous.
But as the aim is congestion reduction, current plans are only being designed for flying taxis, rather than privately owned flying cars, Jang admitted. This factor, affecting potential economies of scale, may affect the commercial viability of production for manufacturers.
A Chinese made UAV makes a demonstration flight over Yeouido in Seoul as the city gears up for flying taxi services. Photo: AFP
Aerial ads
True drones – that is, UAVs – offer a broad range of applications, from delivery services to public safety to entertainment. Entertainment was the name of the game in Chamshil on Friday.
In a 15-minute show, a 315-strong drone swarm performed a series of in-formation aerial maneuvers that sketched out images in the sky, including a 1988 Olympic symbol, a 2002 World Cup symbol, a 2020 Covid-19 virus and a map of the Korean peninsula.
The drones were owned and flown by specialist company UVify, which was founded in 2014 and has annual revenues of around 2 million dollars, CEO Hyon Lim told Asia Times. It not only operates the light shows, it manufactures and exports drones to 20 countries, Lim said.
Locally, UVIfy was a guinea pig in the government's "regulatory sandbox" for drones, so has earned experience not only in "aerial ads" – messages written in night skies – but also in gaining the necessary permits for its clients. Laws enabling aerial ads were passed in 2018, enabling a drone show over the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games that year.
"We deliver messages in the sky, and spectators really focus on it. They all photograph it and post on Instagram," Lim said. "It's impactful, it's unique, and it attracts eyeballs."
Drone shows have been used over government festivals, K-pop concerts and even baseball matches. "Like fireworks, it is most effective in the evenings," Lim said. He expects his products to replace fireworks for many events as fireworks are one-off and environmentally unfriendly.
Night skies could, feasibly, become the next corporate billboard. Lim says he is planning a major show at year-end for a corporate client.
Drones, 360 degrees
Lim's MOLIT-sponsored Friday show required special permissions. There are stringent restrictions on drone use in Seoul not simply for the obvious risks of machines dropping out of the sky on to people or vehicles. The city lies just 50 kilometers south of North Korea.
"In Seoul, all drones are restricted for security reasons," Park Sang-jun, a researcher at the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology told Asia Times. The entire city lies in the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone.
Airborne security is a real issue. North Korean drones have penetrated the air space over central Seoul. One loitered over the presidential Blue House before crashing and being recovered by the National Intelligence Service.
Partly for this reason, and partly for the reasons of safety among high-rise densely-populated cities, the government is primarily testing drones and related regulations in rural areas, Jang said. In the countryside, drones are being used for a wide range of applications. These include public surveillance of dams, forest fires and wildlife, for example, and pesticide spraying.
While South Korea sees the US as the benchmark for the use of military drones, it looks to China for their use in the civilian space, Park said. South Korean regulators are in touch with their counterparts in the EU as new regulations are researched and developed, Jang noted.
"Right now, we are trying to build a Drone Law," Moon Seok-jun, director of MOLIT's Advanced Aviation Division told Asia Times. "We are at the stage of setting a foundation for the regulation,"
One of the most promising and widely awaited applications of civilian drones is aerial delivery, as pioneered by companies including Amazon, DHL and the Russian Postal Service. While much of South Korea's drone testing has been undertaken in rural areas, trials for delivery applications are underway in urban areas.
In September, MOLIT tested an autonomous drone food delivery service in Sejong City, a purpose-built administrative hub 130 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Five drones delivered products to recipients in high-rise buildings over a range of two to three kilometers.
Next year, trials will be ramped up in urban environments. "We can call these demonstrations, but we are aiming at commercialization," Moon said.
He anticipates drones being commercialized for logistics use in 2023.
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News & Notes: Around-the-World Tri, Couples Championship, and Miss USA
Some of the buzz from the multi-sport world this week.
December 4, 2021 Sarah Wassner Flynn
Jonas Decihmann finishing his run portion. Photo: Markus Weinberg
German man completes "around the world" triathlon
How about these stats: 456km (283 miles) of swimming. 21,000km (13,049 miles) of biking. 5,000km (3,100 miles) of running. 18 countries.
Those are the numbers German Jonas Deichmann, 34, racked up during his around-the-world triathlon, a solo endeavor he began 14 months ago that was accompanied by both physical and bureaucratic challenges, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. A well-known endurance adventurer, Deichmann set out to break the world record for the "world's longest" triathlon in the summer of 2020, and with a bike ride from Portugal to Munich, finally completed his journey on Nov. 29. "After 429 days on the road and a distance of 120 x Ironman across 18 countries I am back in Munich where it all began September last year," he posted this week. "It has been an incredible adventure with so many ups and downs but for now I am just very happy to have finished." Deichmann has already published a book about his experience and a film documenting the journey will follow.
A post shared by Jonas Deichmann (@jonas_deichmann)
Team USA earns mixed relay bronze at Junior Pan American games
After a series of COVID-related delays, the 2021 Junior Pan American Games finally went off last weekend in Cali, Colombia, with a cadre of rising U.S. triathlon stars competing. Highlighting the event for Team USA was the mixed relay team, which snagged a bronze medal behind Ecuador and Mexico. Drew Shellenberger, Liberty Ricca, Madisen Lavin, and Nicholas Holmes comprised the relay team, with each athlete completing a super-sprint triathlon consisting of a 300-meter swim, draft-legal 6.2-kilometer bike, and 1.5-kilometer run before tagging off to the next teammate. Lavin and Holmes were the top performers in the individual events, placing fifth and sixth in the women's and men's races, respectively.
RELATED: What is the Triathlon Mixed Team Relay?
Ironman Lake Placid's future continues to hang in the balance
The will-they-or-won't-they debate over the future of Ironman Lake Placid continues as members of the local community met for a town hall this week to discuss responses to a survey focused on the local economic impact of the event. Lake Placid's Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) hosted the virtual town hall, and shared the survey's results: Out of 1,441 respondents, 49% said they support the race and 41% stood opposed (the remaining 10% claimed a neutral stance on the race.) While Lake Placid has signed a contract with Ironman to keep the event through 2022, some locals have been vocal for discontinuing the race beyond that, citing race-day traffic, overcrowding in town, and "event fatigue" among their complaints. A designated Ironman Task Force is expected to make a recommendation regarding the continuation of the race within the next month.
Couples Championship set for March
Who's the fastest and fittest couple in triathlon? A new race to determine just that is set for March 6, 2022 in Tierra Verde, Florida. Simply named the Couples Championship, this race will peg pairs of pros (married or otherwise dating; they must be in a relationship for six months or longer to qualify—no word on how that is being confirmed) against one another to vie for a $100,000 first place prize. The relay-style format will have each athlete compete in a sprint-distance triathlon before tagging his or her partner, then each repeating the same distance. Confirmed couples include Mirinda Carfrae and Tim O'Donnell, Paula Findlay and Eric Lagerstrom, Taylor Spivey and Vincent Luis, and several more.
Greensboro College adds women's triathlon, hires coach
North Carolina's Greensboro College is the latest NCAA program to add women's triathlon as a varsity sport. The Division III school is now the 38th school in the nation to offer women's triathlon at the varsity level, inching USA Triathlon closer to its goal of securing 40 varsity programs by 2024 and becoming a full-fledged NCAA Championship sport status. Greensboro has also hired Karen Buxton, a fixture on the local triathlon scene, to helm the team, which will make a debut in the fall of 2022.
RELATED: Is Triathlon Ready for the NCAA?
Pearson to run in the USATF Half-Marathon Champs
Morgan Pearson, who earned a silver medal in Tokyo as part of the mixed relay triathlon team, will test his talent in an open half marathon on Sunday. The 28-year-old, who has a 1:02:15 half-marathon PR, is considered among the top contenders for the USAT Half-Marathon Championship, which offers a $40,000 prize purse and goes off on Sunday morning in Hardeeville, S.C. Another competitor of note? Triathlete-turned runner Gwen Jorgensen, who has one of the fastest entry times for the women.
Top age-group triathlete competes in Miss USA pageant
From triathlons to tiaras: Taylor Fogg, who was crowned an age-group world champ in 2014, vied for a different type of crown at last week's Miss USA pageant. Representing New Hampshire, the 26-year-old Columbia University graduate and aspiring lawyer did not finish in the pageant's top 16, which was ultimately won by Miss Kentucky, Elle Smith. Aside from winning her age-group at the 2014 World Triathlon Grand Final in Edmonton, Canada, Fogg is a five-time USAT National Champ.
Greg Bennett celebrates his 100th episode with Ironman 70.3 World Champion Lucy Charles-Barclay as his guest.
Tommy Zaferes heads to The Triathlete Hour to chat about his journey as a professional triathlete to professional photographer, as well as his new role as USAT's Talent ID Coordinator.
The Iron Women podcast focuses on NCAA triathlon stars this week, bringing on the Division1 Champion Kira Gupta-Baltazar, as well as Hannah Henry and Alexe Coursol, both members of the 2021 NCAA Championship squad from the University of Arizona.
The hosts of ProTriNews discuss potential outcomes of this weekend's major races, including Ironman Indian Wells 70.3, Clash Daytona, and the XTERRA World Championships.
Ian O'Brien, who coaches American star Taylor Knibb among other elites, is the featured guest on this week's World Triathlon Podcast, during which he shares his philosophies and how he trains his athletes to be the world's best. (You can read more about O'Brien in this feature article on Triathlete.).
The Real Triathlon Podcast offers some hot takes on recent triathlon news, including Kristian Blummenfelt's record-setting 7:21 finish at Ironman Cozumel.
British breakout star Ruth Astle is on the MX Endurance Podcast to chat about her recent win at Ironman South Africa and her journey in the sport so far.
Dr. Stacy Sims, author of the bestselling book Roar, is featured on The Evidence Based Triathlete Podcast to discuss her work and thoughts on the physiology of female triathletes.
The legendary Sister Madonna Buder, now 91, joins the Inside Triathlon Show to reflect on her lengthy career as an athlete, noting among other things that she is grateful that her life "means something to somebody" and how that notion gives her a reason to keep her keeping on. Coach Joe Friel also joins the show after Buder to offer insight on training into your 50s and beyond.
Get all the latest triathlon news in your inbox twice/week. Sign up for the Triathlete email newsletter.
Data Dive: The Fastest and Slowest Ironman and 70.3 Courses of 2021
Alfredo Molinas
Can Triathlon Ever Be a Spectator Sport?
Brad Culp
Do Triathletes Really Want To End Drafting?
Chris Foster
Tri's Race to Survive
Triathlon News & Notes: Mary Cain at Malibu Tri, Arland Macasieb Released from Hospital, and More
Triathlon News & Notes: Javier Gomez Retires (Sort of), Training Camp Crashes, Fast Single-Sporting, and More
Triathlon News & Notes: Ironman Acquistions, Xterra Gets the Greenlight, and More

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
'The shortest Russian street is in Novosibirsk, Western Siberia: 40 metres long, its only got three buildings'
russian news wires
Is this the world's oldest secret code?
By Anna Liesowska
Scientists close to precise dating of the Shigir Idol, twice as ancient as the Egyptian Pyramids.
The oldest wooden statue in the world. Picture: Ekaterina Osintseva, The Siberian Times
The Idol is the oldest wooden statue in the world, estimated as having been constructed approximately 9,500 years ago, and preserved as if in a time capsule in a peat bog on the western fringe of Siberian. Expert Svetlana Savchenko, chief keeper of Shigir Idol, believes that the structure's faces carry encoded information from ancient man in the Mesolithic era of the Stone Age concerning their understanding of 'the creation of the world'.
German scientists are now close to a precise dating - within five decades - of the remarkable artifact, which is a stunning example of ancient man's creativity.
The results are likely to be known in late February or early March, The Siberian Times can reveal.
Now the question is turning among academics to a better understanding of the symbols and pictograms on this majestic larch Idol, one of Russia's great treasures, which is now on display a special glass sarcophagus at its permanent home, Yekaterinburg History Museum, where Savchenko is senior researcher.
There is no such ancient sculpture in the whole of Europe. Picture: Ekaterina Osintseva, The Siberian Times
German pre-historian Professor Thomas Terberger said: 'There is no such ancient sculpture in the whole of Europe. Studying this Idol is a dream come true. We are expecting the first results of the test at the end of winter, (early) next year.'
Professor Mikhail Zhilin, leading researcher of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Archeology, explained: 'We study the Idol with a feeling of awe. This is a masterpiece, carrying gigantic emotional value and force. It is a unique sculpture, there is nothing else in the world like this. It is very alive, and very complicated at the same time.
'The ornament is covered with nothing but encrypted information. People were passing on knowledge with the help of the Idol.'
He is adamant that we can draw conclusions about the sophistication of the people who created this masterpiece, probably scraping the larch with a stone 'spoon', even though the detail of the code remains an utter mystery to modern man.
This is a masterpiece, carrying gigantic emotional value and force. Pictures: Ekaterina Osintseva, The Siberian Times
Asked if they lived in permanent fear of mighty forces of mysterious nature, nervously casting around, petrified by danger, he replied: 'Forget it. The men - or man - who created the Idol lived in total harmony with the world, had advanced intellectual development, and a complicated spiritual world.'
'It is obvious that the elements of geometrical ornament had some meaning,' stated Savchenko and Zhilin in explaining the Idol's ancient markings.
'The difficulty of interpretation is the polysemy symbolism of these symbols' - in other words, the possible multiple related meanings. According to ethnography, a straight line could denote land, or horizon - the boundary between earth and sky, water and sky, or the borderline between the worlds.
'A wavy line or zigzag symbolised the watery element, snake, lizard, or determined a certain border. In addition, the zigzag signaled danger, like a pike. Cross, rhombus, square, circle depicted the fire or the sun, and so on.'
Savchenko and other museum staff have postulated that among its purposes was that of an early map, or navigator. Straight lines, wave lines and arrows indicated ways of getting to the destination and the number of days for a journey, with waves meaning water path, straight lines meaning ravines, and arrows meaning hills, according to this theory which has yet to be fully researched.
The ornament is covered with nothing but encrypted information. Pictures: Ekaterina Osintseva, The Siberian Times
Author Petr Zolin, citing scientific work by Savchenko and Zhilin, stated: 'The characters of Idol cannot have an unambiguous interpretation. If these are images of spirits that inhabited the human world in ancient times, the vertical position of figures (one above the other) probably relate to their hierarchy.
'Placing images on the front and back planes of the Idol, possibly indicate that they belong to different worlds. If there are depicted myths about the origin of humans and the world, the vertical arrangement of the images may reflect the sequence of events. Ornaments can be special signs which mark something as significant.'
The Idol reflects what these people looked like, with straight noses and high cheekbones.
The men - or man - who created the Idol lived in total harmony with the world, had advanced intellectual development, and a complicated spiritual world. Pictures: Ekaterina Osintseva, The Siberian Times
The impression of the main three-dimensional face, with a gaping mouth, is of an Aztec look, but it is only because the part of the nose of the main face was broken. In all there are seven faces, six of which are one dimensional.
'It is clear that the faces together with the ornament form separate figures,' said Savchenko and Zhilin. 'On both the front and back of the Idol there are three figures. Here they are located one above the other, and the upper seventh figure...connects both sides and crowns the composition.'
Some have claimed the Idol includes primitive writing, which, if true, would be amongst the first on Earth, but there is no consensus among experts who have studied the Urals statue.
The Idol was preserved due to a stroke of luck concerning its resting place in the Urals.
It happened 'thanks to a combination of antiseptics,' said Professor Zhilin. 'The idol was made from the Phytoncidic larch, then 'canned' in turf which is an acid anaerobic environment that kills microorganism-destroyers and also has a tanning effect.'
Some have claimed the Idol includes primitive writing, which, if true, would be amongst the first on Earth. Picture: Ekaterina Osintseva, The Siberian Times
The scientists from the Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage are using AMS - accelerated mass spectrometry - enabling them to compare analysis of five microscopic samples of the larch from the idol with climate changes data for the past 10,000 years.
This will allow them to figure out when exactly the 159 year old larch - from which the Idol is carved - grew.
The tests follow what Professor Terberger called 'a very successful summer trip' in which 'we worked together with our Russian colleagues from the Yekaterinburg History Museum'.
The Idol was originally recovered in January 1890 near Kirovograd; some 2.8 metres in height, it appears to have seven faces. It was protected down the millennia by a four metre layer of peat bog on the site of an open air gold mine.
Lack of funding has, until now, prevented the proper age testing of this Urals treasure. Professor Uwe Hoysner, from Berlin Archaeological Institute said: 'The Idol is carved from larch, which, as we see by the annual rings, was at least 159 years old. The samples we selected contain important information about the isotopes that correspond to the time when the tree grew.'
The samples used for testing were cut in 1997. The Idol was extracted in several parts from the peat bog.
First reconstructions of the Idol as walking and standing upright, archeologist Vladimir Tolmachev and his drawings of the Idol, and marked faces of the Idol. Pictures: Yekaterinburg History Museum
Professor Dmitry. I. Lobanov combined the main fragments to reconstitute the sculpture 2.80m high but in 1914 the Siberian archaeologist Vladimir Tolmachev proposed a variant of this reconstruction by integrating previously unused fragments.
Tragically, some of these fragments were later lost, so only Tolmachev's drawings of them remain.However, these suggest the original height of the statue was 5.3 metres. Some 1.93 metres of the statue did not survive the 20th century's revolutions and wars and it is only visible on his drawings.
But even the size is it now makes it the highest wooden statue in the world.
One intriguing question debated by Russian scientists is how the Idol - as tall as a two-storey house - was kept in a vertical position.
Museum staff believe it was never dug into the ground to help it stand upright, and that it was unlikely it was perched against a tree, because it would have covered more than half of its ornaments.
the Shigir Idol
Reminds me of (Steven Spielberg's (ET) in the best possible way of course. I like him, the "Idol Code Man".
jojnjo, Dublin
Wonderful discovery, this is Paleo-Sanskrit writing that was deciphered decades ago by the late epigrapher K. Schildmann and has been republished for the web here with a new free book of translations, lexicon, etc.-
http://www.human-resonance.org/sanskrit.html
Alexander Putney, La Mana, Ecuador
My daughter agrees with Steve, first totem! I think it's just a decorative piece of old wooden sculpture! Thanks for sharing!
Denise, USA
Looks like an ancient alien to me.
John, USA
Looks like some ancient alien to me.
John, FEMA Region III USA
Slenderman
juanski, mexico
I'm confused by the statement that this sculpture at 5.3 metres (as remarkable as it is) is the highest wooden statue in the world. There are several totem poles on the Pacific Northwest coast of America at or near 50 metres tall. Perhaps the author meant the highest prehistoric wooden sculpture?
Susan, America
Looks like the world's first Totem Pole to me.
Steve, USA
Another intruiging chapter in this marvellous saga.The original inhabitants of my country drew or carved on rock,their symbols are largely unknown today,not unlike this statue.Thank you for sharing.
Anne Tisell, Lakes Entrance,Australia
con el debido respeto de los señores científicos, yo pienso que es la representación de los oscuros por nuestros ancestros ,cuando el hombre vivía en armonía con la naturaleza.
german fuentes, venezuela
One of the main theological problems that has been stumbling block for many who search for God is the tendency for human to anthropomorphize God-to prescribe human features to the divine. Through out the ages virtually in every culture people have worshiped a God or Gods created in they own image with all foibles and shortcomings of human personality. God created in human image served many purposes including security and protection, there insecure people preferred God of great power and wrath to smite they enemies, and since God did all the smiting there was no need for guilt-it means projection in psychological terms. Despite this concerns the sacred texts of various spiritual traditions contain numerous instances of human projection. It only becomes confusing if one read this text as literal and infallible word of God, without any consideration for human roll in assigning human characteristics to the divine, like many ancient text the bible/quran/torah and so on, contain much truth and inspired wisdom, but its not infallible or literal accurate.
Lazar, Moscow
C'est un trésor de l'Humanité. La taille de cette statue et sa conservation sont impressionnantes . Merci pour cet intéressant article. Thank
Jocelyne, FRANCE
Lifelike face of a tattooed Tashtyk man seen for first time behind a stunning gypsum death mask
Aged 25 to 30 when he died 1,700 years ago, he is from the mountainous region of modern-day Khakassia.
Alfresco art gallery 'shows woolly mammoths and rhinos depicted by our ancestors 15,000 years ago'
Petroglyphs some 7,000 years older than earlier thought with ancients artists using same style in Siberia and Mongolia.
Mystery of unique 2,100-year-old human clay head - with a ram's skull inside
Modern fluoroscopy identifies sheep bones inside the Tagar culture death mask.
Neanderthals made two epic invasions of Siberia, says new study
Cold-defying conquests traced to 120,000 years ago when they crossbred with Denisovans, and 60,000 years ago when they collected sparkling crystals.
Giant sauropods lived in polar conditions in world's coldest region, say scientists
Evidence of the dinosaurs found at Teete locality in Yakutia, just 450 km south of the Arctic Circle.
Russian birch trees are 'climbing mountains' due to climate change
Forests on the march thanks to global warming, says new research by Krasnoyarsk Science Centre.
Opera Theatre


text:
package org.bitcoins.marshallers.rpc.bitcoincore.networking

import org.bitcoins.protocol.rpc.bitcoincore.networking.PeerInfo
import org.scalatest.{FlatSpec, MustMatchers}
import spray.json._

/**
 * Created by Tom on 1/6/2016.
 */
class PeerInfoMarshallerTest extends FlatSpec with MustMatchers {
  var str =
    """
      |{
      |        "id" : 20,
      |        "addr" : "158.85.83.84:18333",
      |        "addrlocal" : "173.26.115.141:63270",
      |        "services" : "0000000000000001",
      |        "lastsend" : 1452098899,
      |        "lastrecv" : 1452098899,
      |        "bytessent" : 3815198,
      |        "bytesrecv" : 10495519,
      |        "conntime" : 1452092808,
      |        "timeoffset" : 55,
      |        "pingtime" : 0.14842800,
      |        "version" : 70002,
      |        "subver" : "/Satoshi:0.9.3/",
      |        "inbound" : false,
      |        "startingheight" : 501654,
      |        "banscore" : 0,
      |        "synced_headers" : 495724,
      |        "synced_blocks" : -1,
      |        "inflight" : [ 9, 10
      |        ],
      |        "whitelisted" : false
      |    }
    """.stripMargin

  val json = str.parseJson
  val peer : PeerInfo = PeerInfoMarshaller.PeerInfoFormatter.read(json)

  "PeerInfoMarshaller" must "parse peer information" in {
    peer.id must be (20)
    peer.addr must be ("158.85.83.84:18333")
    peer.addrLocal must be ("173.26.115.141:63270")
    peer.services must be ("0000000000000001")
    peer.lastSend must be (1452098899)
    peer.lastRecv must be (1452098899)
    peer.bytesSent must be (3815198)
    peer.bytesRecv must be (10495519)
    peer.connTime must be (1452092808)
    peer.timeOffSet must be (55)
    peer.pingTime must be (0.14842800)
    peer.version must be (70002)
    peer.subVer must be ("/Satoshi:0.9.3/")
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Reading Round the World: Wrapping Up Asia
The three books:
Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje (Sri Lanka)
Tokyo Year Zero by David Peace (Japan)
Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (Philippines)
Not my original list, you may note, and though in deciding on these three titles, I've more-or-less adhered to the guidelines of the 2014 Global Reading Challenge, I've had to revise my self-imposed 'rules' somewhat.
Most significantly, none of the three titles feature series characters. I just wasn't able to find any Asian sleuths that suited.
Of perhaps lesser importance, none are written by native-born residents of their book's locale, though all three writers have strong ties to their respective locales. I would have preferred Asian crime fiction series written by Asian writers, but I had great difficulty finding any that fit Moody Sleuth's rather specific criteria. So, why did I choose these three?
All are murder mysteries of a sort. I've not deviated from that self-imposed requirement.
The challenge. All three step beyond the murder mystery genre structurally and in various other ways, demanding a bit more work on the readers' part.
Peer recognition and accolades. All three titles have taken prestigious awards. I don't always agree with the judges choices, but I do like to read at least one or two on the short lists to see what's getting attention.
The protagonists – the deciding factor, I think. In two of the three, Anil's Ghost and Tokyo Year Zero, the protagonists would definitely qualify as moody sleuths (if they'd been 'cloned' into noir-ish crime series). Not so moody as the others, the protagonist in Ilustrado is an amateur sleuth, and I haven't found many amateur sleuths lately, so I thought it was about time for another.
Though born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Michael Ondaatje has been a Canadian since the '50s, so technically a Western writer. He's probably best known for The English Patient, winner of the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1992, and an Academy Award-winning film in 1996.
Anil's Ghost (1997) Awards: Giller Prize, Prix Médicis étranger, Governor General's Award for English-language fiction
First the raves:
This is a beautiful book; I'd love to be as articulate in describing it as the reviewer, Michael Pakenham, at the Baltimore Sun: (condensed to this 'blurb' for the Amazon.com review)
"[Anil's Ghost]… unfolds as a detective tale…The details of forensic analysis is an ongoing, fascinating fabric of the book…Ondaatje produces a timelessness that is sustainingly moving…But what is most compelling is the power of language…. Ondaatje is a magnificent writer. Precision of expression, concision of thought, cleanness, clarity of detail permeate every page. He is a storyteller, and his stories work marvelously, but he is also a thinker, an explorer, a seeker of truth…"
The story and the sleuth:
Anil Tissera, a forensic pathologist, returns to Sri Lanka, her birthplace, after fifteen years in the West. Under the auspices of an international human rights organization, Anil is sent to investigate four 'modern' skeletons recently discovered in a sixth century Buddhist monks' burial midden, in an area of a government archaeological preserve supposedly only accessible to the current military. Anil and Sarath, a Sri Lankan archaeologist assigned by the government to work with her, excavate the four skeletons, nick-naming them Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor. Upon examining the bodies, Anil determines that 'Sailor' is a murder victim, tortured, burned, and buried, then dug up and reburied in the Bhuddhist midden.
And who was this skeleton? In this room, among these four, she was hiding among the unhistorical dead. To fetch a dead body: what a curious task! To cut down the corpse of an unknown hanged man and then bear the body of the animal on one's back . . . something dead, something buried, something already rotting away? Who was he? This representative of all those lost voices. To give him a name would name the rest.
As Anil's search for Sailor's identity and proof of his murder becomes an obsession, she risks her own safety to unearth secrets the government, and other forces, will preserve at any cost.
I'd thought I might explore Anil's 'moody sleuth' qualities, but since she's in a stand-alone novel, I'll refrain. Instead, before moving along to my take on Tokyo Year Zero, I'll leave you with an excerpt from the book… the pleasure of Michael Ondaatje's way with words:
She woke early the next morning in her rented house on Ward Place and walked into the darkness of the garden, following the sound of koha birds busy with their claims and proclamations. She stood there drinking her tea. Then walked to the main road as a light rain began. When a three-wheeler taxi stopped by her she slipped into it. The taxi fled away, squeezing itself into every narrow possibility of the dense traffic. She held on to the straps tightly, the rain at her ankles from its open sides. The bajaj was cooler than an air-conditioned car, and she liked the throaty ducklike sound of the horns.
Tokyo Year Zero by David Peace
Born and raised in Yorkshire, David Peace has lived in Tokyo since 1994. Probably best known for The Red Riding Quartet, Peace was chosen as one of Granta's 2003 Best Young British Novelists, received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the German Crime Fiction Award, and the French Grand Prix de Roman Noir for Best Foreign Novel.
Tokyo Year Zero – the story and the sleuth:
1946, one year after the end of WWII, Japan's emperor formally accepts the victors' provisions of defeat. On the same day, the bodies of two young women are discovered in a local park; one has been murdered recently, the other is merely a skeleton with a few items of clothing.
In the words of Detective Minami of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police:
It takes three hours for us to report the finding of the second body to Metropolitan Police Headquarters. I stare at her white half-sleeved chemise. Three hours for them to send Suzuki back here to photograph the second body. I stare at her yellow and dark-blue striped pinafore dress. Three hours for the Keiō University Hospital to send out another ambulance to take away the second body. I stare at her pink socks. Three hours for my men to seal off the crime scene and the immediate area around the second body. I stare at her white canvas shoes. Three hours for us to requisition the necessary uniformed men from the Atago, Meguro and Mita police stations in order to secure the area where the bodies were found. Their red, red rubber soles. Three hours sweating and swatting, itching and scratching, gari-gari, while I stand and I stare at this second body –
Her flesh far from here, carried in the mouths of others …
I stare at the bleached white bones of her fingers –
… Her last, contorted smile …
Passed over for the more recent murder, Detective Minami is assigned the more difficult task of identifying the second skeleton, then tracking down her killer.
Theguardian.com review of Tokyo Year Zero reveals that the story 'emerged' from an actual case:
…out of a newspaper article (Peace is a great fossicker in archives) with the headline 'Sex maniac confesses to killing four young women' and the information that the accused, Kodaira Yoshio, 'was executed at the Miyagi Prison in Sendai Prefecture on the fifth of October, 1949'. Out of these facts, Peace weaves a thriller that is both a gory psychological whodunit and a meditation on the origins of modern Japan.
The result is something dark and bloody, the tone lying somewhere between Kurosawa's Macbeth and the caricatures of the more violent manga cartoons.
I almost find it regretable that Detective Minami doesn't follow on into the next book in Peace's Tokyo Trilogy, in light of the following snippet from the New York Times online review of Tokyo Year Zero. The tormented Detective Minami is the epitomy of moody-sleuth-ness!
… starving, lice-infested, plagued by the ceaseless heat and dressed in rags, he's troubled by a drug habit, a neglected family, a mistress who obsesses him, an uneasy relationship with the local crime boss, treacherous subordinates, impatient superiors and disturbing memories of wartime atrocities in which he may have participated. He hardly needs to add an unsolved murder to his woes.
I consider David Peace's Tokyo Year Zero the darkest of Japanese noir. It's definitely not an easy read; I moved between reading it on my e-reader and listening to the audio version, which had me agreeing with Sarah Weinman of the LA Times:
[Tokyo Year Zero]..is more accurately described as a lengthy prose poem, its emotive power and accessibility gained from the use of repetition, distilled imagery that evokes all senses and the stacking of one-line paragraphs to focus the eye on single words…
And finally, my third choice:
Miguel Syjuco, born and raised in Manila, currently living in Montreal, Canada, received the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize and the Philippines' highest literary honor, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, the Filipino Readers' Choice Award, the Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction, for the unpublished manuscript of Ilustrado, which was finally published in 2010.
The judges for the Man Booker prize 2008, had high praise for Syjuco's work:
…Ilustrado seems to us to possess formal ambition, linguistic inventiveness and sociopolitical insight in the most satisfying measure. Brilliantly conceived, and stylishly executed, it covers a large and tumultuous historical period with seemingly effortless skill. It is also ceaselessly entertaining, frequently raunchy, and effervescent with humour.
Ilustrado- the story…
When the author's life of literature and exile reached its unscheduled terminus that anonymous February morning, he was close to completing the controversial book we'd all been waiting for. His body, floating in the Hudson, had been hooked by a Chinese fisherman. His arms, battered, open to a virginal dawn: Christlike, one blog back home reported, sarcastically. Ratty-banded briefs and Ermenegildo Zegna trousers were pulled around his ankles. Both shoes lost. A crown of blood embellished the high forehead smashed by crowbar or dock pile or chunk of frozen river.
… and the sleuth:
The narrator, also named Miguel Syjuco, disagrees with the coroner and with public opinion; he believes his friend and mentor, Crispin Salvador, was murdered:
I, of course, believe the conspicuous lack of clues is stranger than the disarray of the domestic scene from which he was mysteriously absented. Ockham's razor is chipped. Every bone in my body recoils at the notion Salvador killed himself. Walking through his apartment afterward, I saw his viridian Underwood typewriter loaded, cocked, and ready with a fresh blank page; the objects on his desk arranged in anticipation of writing. How could he have brought himself to the river without passing his conscience reflected in that Venetian mirror in the hall? He would have seen there was still so much to do.
To end his own life, Salvador was neither courageous nor cowardly enough. The only explanation is that the Panther of Philippine Letters was murdered in midpounce.
Ilustrado is often as hilarious as Tokyo Year Zero is desolate, and the structure so exhuberantly complex, I'm quite willing to believe that Syjuco experienced a 'Eureka moment' while watching a documentary about the T'Boli people's T'nalak weaving, which prompted him to take apart the completed draft of his novel and reassembled it, inspired by their unique methods of creating patterns. (from a review by Marya Salamat at Bulatlat.com)
I really must 'wrap up' Asia now as 2014 is rapidly coming to an end, but all-in-all, despite not discovering any moody sleuth series on this leg of the 2014 Global Reading Challenge, I am gratified to have found crime fiction of such high calibre.
But I do have to ask – are Asian writers not producing the type of 'moody sleuths' I'm looking for? Is there cultural reasons? Okay, I will allow that there's also the possibility that I haven't been diligent enough in my searching, so if you have recommendations, please share.
Filed Under: Uncatagorized Tagged With: 2014 Global Reading Challenge, Asia, David Peace, Japan, Michael Ondaatje, Miguel Syjuco, Phillipines, Sri Lanka


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Environmental Equity
Urban Greening
Business & the Environment
Transportation Equity
Home / Environmental Equity / Transportation Equity
Low-income households in the U.S. suffer from disproportionate exposure to air pollution from transportation sources, such as trucks, trains, and planes. Low-income households also use transit more frequently than affluent households do; however, they still rely heavily on vehicles to fill their mobility needs. Due in part to the high cost of housing near job and transit centers, many other low- and moderate-income individuals are stuck with long commutes in vehicles than are older, less efficient, and costlier to maintain than the average privately owned vehicle. This is especially true in high-housing-cost states like California.
California is also at the forefront of progressive environmental initiatives, including many innovative transportation-related environmental justice programs. The following research from the Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI) has informed the design and implementation of transportation equity programs in California.
Clean Transportation Programs and Policies
Informing Policy Incentives for Zero-Emission Trucks (Current project)
Researchers: James Di Filippo, Colleen Callahan, Britta McOmber, and Naseem Golestani
Heavy-duty truck traffic is the main source of diesel particulate matter pollution and a major contributor to smog precursor and greenhouse gas emissions in California. Exposure to diesel particulate matter disproportionately affects the communities of color located near ports and freight movement corridors. Zero-emission truck technologies will become widely available in the near future. LCI is working on two studies to support the rollout of these new zero-emission trucks.
The first project focuses on drayage trucks operating at the adjacent Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach, the first and second, respectively, largest ports by container volume in the U.S. The mayors of Long Beach and Los Angeles signed a joint executive directive confirming commitment to transition to a zero-emission freight transportation system. Their stated goal is "zero emissions for drayage trucks serving the ports by 2035." In collaboration with a coalition of environmental justice organizations, LCI is analyzing opportunities and challenges to meet that goal.
The second project will explore strategies to incentivize zero-emission heavy-duty truck adoption in the Inland Empire of Southern California. This work is supported by a Climate Change Research partnership grant from the Strategic Growth Council.
Supporting Electrification of Ridesharing Fleets (Current and proposed projects)
Researchers: James Di Filippo and J.R. DeShazo
California Senate Bill 1014, passed in 2018, makes California the first state in the U.S. to regulate the GHG emissions produced by ride-hail vehicles. The bill requires transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft to account for and reduce the per-passenger-mile GHG emissions of trips taken through their service.
In support of California's regulatory goals, LCI will analyze statewide and regional incentives that could spur greater use of EVs among ride-hail drivers. Research will focus on alternative policies that target fuel supply and fueling infrastructure, driver vehicle choice, and ride-hail platform operations. This research is partially supported as part of a Climate Change Research partnership grant from the Strategic Growth Council as well as from a gift from the ClimateWorks Foundation.
Future research will provide siting guidance for the targeted deployment of fast-charging electric vehicle service equipment to fuel electric ride-hail vehicle fleets. Using data obtained through a partnership with Lyft, LCI will develop data-driven tools to predict the spatial distribution of charging demand by electric ride-hail vehicles in the Los Angeles Metro Area and recommend siting locations to optimally serve charging needs.
Designing Light-Duty Vehicle Incentives for Low- and Moderate-Income Households (2019 report)
Authors: Gregory Pierce, Britta McOmber, and J.R. DeShazo
California will require a transformation of its light-duty vehicle fleet in order to meet statewide air quality and climate change goals. As a percentage of household earnings, lower-income populations face disproportionate costs to maintain and operate a vehicle. Optimally priced incentives and financing options can therefore promote household economic well-being while generating broader environmental benefits. To do so, financial incentives should be designed to accelerate the retirement and replacement of older, high-polluting vehicles and increase the adoption of clean vehicles. Yet several challenges persist in enabling low- and moderate-income households to adopt near-zero and zero-emission vehicles in California.
This report, based on an LCI survey of 1,604 low- and moderate-income households, assesses current policies and informs future strategies intended to improve clean vehicle access and use by low- and moderate-income households in California. The results help identify effective policy approaches to improve access to, and adoption of, clean vehicles.
Evaluating a Smog Repair Program for Low-Income Californians (2018 report)
Authors: Gregory Pierce and Rachel Connolly
LCI researchers analyzed data from the San Joaquin Valley's smog test and vehicle repair program known as Tune In & Tune Up. We found that the program is a model that other regions could use to efficiently reduce emissions from cars and other light-duty vehicles while addressing the mobility needs of low-income households. It is one of the first transportation programs in the nation premised on jointly achieving efficiency, equity, and environmental objectives, and is now informing a grassroots outreach pilot program, led by the Liberty Hill Foundation, bringing clean vehicle, clean energy, and financial assistance programs to low-income households in Los Angeles County.
Assessing the Design and Implementation of a Clean Vehicle Program for Low-Income Households (2017 report)
Authors: Gregory Pierce and J.R. DeShazo
The Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program (EFMP) Plus-Up pilot program is helping hundreds of low-income drivers get out of old, inefficient vehicles and into cleaner, more efficient cars. This LCI report describes how the EFMP Plus-Up pilot was implemented in the two air districts chosen for the pilot phase, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and South Coast Air Quality Management District, during the first year of program operation. The research is informing the state's expansion of the program (now renamed Clean Cars 4 All) to other parts of California.
A previous study and article from LCI informed the design of the EFMP Plus-Up pilot. That research found that policymakers could facilitate more emission reductions by strategically linking vehicle purchase incentives with vehicle retirement incentives, which consequently the California Air Resources Board designed EFMP Plus-Up to do in support of low- to moderate-income households.
Increasing Clean Vehicle Rebates for Low- and Moderate-Income Drivers (2016 paper)
Authors: Tamara Sheldon, J.R. DeShazo, and Richard Carson
More Californians can now afford clean vehicles, in part thanks to research involving the LCI. The researchers assessed the performance of alternative rebate designs for plug-in electric vehicles and compared these alternatives in terms of cost-effectiveness and equity. They found that providing progressive rebate levels based on consumer income levels would provide benefits within those performance criteria. These findings helped inform the adoption of California's progressive rebate system in which low- and moderate-income drivers receive an additional $3,000 to $6,500 in financial incentives to purchase a clean vehicle. Additionally, income rules for most rebates limit eligibility to households with less than $500,000 in annual income.
See the LCI's Transportation Program page, including our Clean Mobility for Low-income Households initiative, for other examples of how LCI scholars are influencing transportation policy and programs to benefit low-income households and communities.
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Planning
High Power Electric Vehicle Charging for Residents of Multi-unit Housing (Current project)
Researchers: James DiFilippo and J.R. DeShazo
LCI is partnering with EVgo, America's largest public network of electric vehicle fast chargers, on a high-power charging pilot program. The collaborative study is evaluating the potential for centralized fast charging as a model – similar to gas stations – to support electric vehicle ownership by residents in apartments and other multi-unit dwellings (MuD). The research consists of three main tasks:
assess baseline infrastructure availability and fast-charging use in the MuD resident customer segment,
evaluate service that MuD residents receive at the fast charging pilots, and
analyze charging behavior at the pilot locations compared to other fast chargers.
The research could reveal whether the centralized fast-charging model influences the adoption of electric vehicles. As such, it could inform future infrastructure investments to support the electrification of cars driven by MuD residents, who are often low- and moderate- income.
Overcoming Barriers to Electric Vehicle Charging in Multi-unit Dwellings: Westside Cities Case Study and South Bay Case Study (2017 and 2016 reports)
Authors of 2017 report: Jason Karpman, Norman Wong, and J.R. DeShazo
Authors of 2016 report: Alex Turek and J.R. DeShazo
These two reports explore barriers and opportunities to plug-in electric vehicle adoption for residents of apartments and other multi-unit dwellings, using the South Bay and the Westside Cities subregions of Los Angeles County as case studies. The lessons learned are relevant to other areas as well. The studies were supported by the Southern California Association of Governments and the California Energy Commission.
See the LCI's EV Infrastructure Planning page for other examples of how LCI scholars are informing a strategic expansion of EV infrastructure.
3323 Public Affairs Building, Box 951656, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656
© Copyright - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
Maps, Directions & Parking


FICCI Gujarat State Council was established in 2003. Initially, though based out of Vadodara, FICCI- GSC soon launched a full-fledged operations base out of Ahmedabad.
Interactive Session on "Budget & I"
Seminar on "Gujarat: Preferred Hub for Defence Production"
Seminar on "mGovernance: Towards a More Empowered Society"


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Junior Gold
Teen Masters
Youth Open
USBC Youth
Florida's Driscoll selected as USBC Youth Volunteer of the Year
David Driscoll (pictured) has played an integral role in the growth of high school and youth bowling in Florida and for his efforts he has been selected to receive the United States Bowling Congress Youth Volunteer of the Year Award by the USBC Youth Committee. The prestigious award is annually presented to an adult volunteer who has displayed outstanding efforts to foster, organize and promote certified youth bowling programs at the local, state and/or national level for the last seven years or more.
USBC Youth Ambassadors of the Year are named
Amanda Hollenbaugh (left) of Tucson, Ariz., and Kyle Mauerman (right) of Tremont, Ill., have been selected as the USBC Youth Ambassadors of the Year. The award recognizes USBC Youth bowlers for exemplary contributions in the sport of bowling, academic accomplishments and community involvement. Awarded annually to one male and one female bowler, each winner will receive a $1,500 scholarship and be presented the award at the USBC Convention in Reno this spring.
USBC Youth programs to make major changes
The United States Bowling Congress Board of Directors has approved several major changes to USBC Youth programs that will take effect in the 2009-10 season. These changes are designed to attract more youth bowlers to certified league play and provide a more efficient and rewarding system for youth bowlers. "We have seen USBC Youth membership decline at a significant rate," said USBC Youth Development Director Brian Graham. "Our research shows that kids love the sport and a large number are currently bowling in non-certified leagues. These changes aim to provide more value in USBC leagues and make it easier to join."
Thousands in scholarships available at Chris Barnes Thanksgiving Youth Classic
Youth bowlers will compete for thousands of dollars in scholarship awards in the Fourth Annual Chris Barnes Thanksgiving Youth Classic, to be held Nov. 26-30 at AMF Showplace Lanes in Euless, Texas. The scratch tournament, certified by the United States Bowling Congress and conducted on challenging USBC Sport Bowling lane conditions, will award scholarships to at least one in every 10 bowlers entered. Participants also may compete in an optional USBC Junior Gold qualifying event for an additional fee.
USBC National Youth Committee Member honored by NCYS
Volunteer wins STRIVE Award as Local Youth Sports Administrator of the Year
The National Council of Youth Sports has named United States Bowling Congress National Youth Committee Member Frank Wilkinson (pictured), 21, of Staten Island, N.Y., as its Local Youth Sports Administrator of the Year. The NCYS honor is one of several annual Hershey's STRIVE Awards that recognize "heartfelt passion, enthusiastic commitment and a contagious spirit to help kids succeed in youth sports activities." Along with the honorary title, Wilkinson will receive a check for $2,500, payable to the youth sports organization of his choice.
Five students earn $5,000 Earl Anthony Memorial Scholarships
Five recent high school graduates have been selected by the United States Bowling Congress to receive its 2008 Earl Anthony Memorial Scholarship awards. The prestigious $5,000 scholarships, which recognize youth bowlers' community service and academic achievements, were awarded to Amy Domiano of Buffalo, N.Y.; Richard Fornshell of Summertown, Tenn.; Margaret Rotz of Hubbard, Ohio; Desiree Swenson of Bertram, Texas; and Christina Taylor of Everett, Wash.
Four champions crowned at Pepsi Youth Championships
Four players from across the country earned national titles Wednesday as the 2008 Pepsi United States Bowling Congress Youth Championships came to a close at Sunnybrook Lanes. The Pepsi Youth Championships features nearly 200 bowlers from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and U.S. military zones competing for tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships. The top 16 players in each of four divisions took part in single-game, double-elimination match play to determine the champions.
Petravich, Young claim U.S. Junior Amateur titles
Sunnybrook Lanes, Sterling Lanes and Century Bowl in Detroit, Mich., USA (June 5-11, 2008)
Kristie Petravich of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Geoffrey Young of Denton, Texas, beat a field of the best youth bowlers in the country Friday to win U.S. Junior Amateur titles at the 2008 United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold Championships. The championships featured nearly 1,500 bowlers from across the country competing for $100,000 in scholarships, individual titles and spots on Junior Team USA. The top four finishers in each division earned automatic spots on Junior Team USA 2009 with the National Selection Committee picking two boys and two girls to join the team.
2008 USBC Junior Gold Championships - Stories and Results
Williams, Spink lead Junior Gold Championships after semi-finals
After failing to qualify to compete in the USBC Junior Gold Championships last year, Daniel Spink of Florissant, Mo., traveled to the event to watch his sister bowl, wondering what could have been. Spink moved on from dreaming of his missed opportunity last year to seizing it this year as he shot 300 Thursday in the semifinals to take the lead after 30 games at Sunnybrook Lanes in suburban Detroit. Spink's total of 6,641, an average of 221, leads Andrew Koff of Miami by 72 pins. Junior Team USA member Ricki Williams of Wichita, Kan., leads the girls division with 6,268, an average of 208.
Standings after 30 Games
Consistency leads Seibel to 300 at Junior Gold Championships
Heading into the 2008 United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold Championships, Liz Seibel of Hellertown, Pa., has paid special attention to becoming a more consistent bowler. The work she's put in culminated with a perfect game Tuesday night. Seibel became just the fourth female to shoot a perfect game in the 11-year history of the Junior Gold Championships, recording the 300 in the first game of the second Round of qualifying at Sterling Lanes. She finished her 18-game qualifying total Wednesday with 3,704, an average of 205 per game.
Boys and Girls - Standings after 12 games
Carcagente eyes second year on Junior Team USA at Junior Gold Championships
Michelle Carcagente (l.) pocketed her big first-round total of 1,371 in the USBC Junior Gold Championships at Sterling Lanes, which has proven to be the highest scoring of the three bowling centers being used for qualifying this week. The boys leader, Tommy Smith of DesPlains, Ill., also competed at Sterling Lanes on Monday and shot 1,424. Qualifying continues Tuesday and Wednesday with the top 105 males of 1020 and 57 females of 471 including all ties after 18 games will advance to the semifinals.
Boys and Girls - Standings after six games
New Yorker gets off to perfect start at Junior Gold Championships
As the players around him stopped bowling, Adam Chase of Seaford, N.Y., felt the pressure begin to grow. With nothing but strikes to begin the first game of the 2008 United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold Championships, Chase was the center of attention. Three clutch, flush strikes later, Chase celebrated his first 300 game on USBC Sport Bowling lane conditions and was off to a perfect start to his opening qualifying round at Sterling Lanes in suburban Detroit on Monday. He finished the six-game block with 1,316, an average of 219 per game. After 18 games of qualifying, the top 105 males and 57 females (including all ties) will advance to the semifinals.
Brown, Martinez look to defend Junior Gold titles
Since winning last year's United States Bowling Congress Junior Gold Championships, Jenny Brown of DeLand, Fla., and Adam Martinez of San Antonio have been on a journey any fellow youth bowler would envy. The pair have received advice from the best coaches in the world, competed alongside the best bowlers in the country on national television in Bowling's Clash of Champions and are now preparing for a stretch of the most important tournaments they have ever competed in.
Indianapolis to host youth events in 2009, 2010
The United States Bowling Congress has reached an agreement to conduct the USBC Junior Gold Championships and the USBC Youth Open Championships in the Indianapolis metropolitan area in 2009 and 2010. "Indianapolis last hosted the Junior Gold event in 2005 and we were extremely pleased with the success of that year's event," USBC Director of Youth Development Brian Graham said. "The facilities available to us in the Indianapolis area are second to none, which makes that city a perfect fit for these extremely important youth championships."
Georgia girl wins USBC's Annual Zeb Scholarship
In recognition of her academic success and community service, Natalie Demarko of Brunswick, Ga., has been named the winner of the United States Bowling Congress Annual Zeb Scholarship. The honor includes a $2,500 scholarship and an expense-paid trip to Detroit for Demarko and a parent or guardian to attend a formal awards ceremony July 11 at the close of the USBC Junior Gold Championships, a national event for high-average youth bowlers.
USBC News
Junior Team USA players selected for international events
Two Floridians among eight tabbed to compete at World Youth Championships in Orlando
Four boys and four girls from the 16-player Junior Team USA have been selected to compete at the World Youth Championships, scheduled for July 19-25 at Boardwalk Entertainment Center in Orlando, Fla. Two Florida natives - reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion Jenny Brown of DeLand and Michelle Carcagente of Palm Coast - join Emily Maier of Sparks, Nev., and Ricki Williams of Wichita, Kan., as girls team selections for the World Youth Championships, a biennial U-22 tournament being held for the first time in the United States.
Twelve teens receive USBC's gift for life scholarships
Two awards earmarked for son and daughter of police, fire and rescue personnel
Twelve teens from across the country have been selected to receive $1,000 Gift for Life Scholarships by the United States Bowling Congress. "Through the Gift for Life Scholarships we aim to provide hope and encouragement to our USBC Youth members who face financial hardships, often due to serious medical conditions that affect family finances," said USBC Chief Operating Officer Kevin Dornberger. USBC's Gift for Life Scholarships were established in honor of all who risk danger to save the lives of others and have been awarded annually since the 2001-02 bowling season.
Jack Thomas selected to receive 2008 Kerm Helmer Horizon Award
Bowling center manager and youth bowling proponent Jack Thomas of Sacramento, Calif., has been selected by the United States Bowling Congress to receive its 2008 Kerm Helmer Horizon Award for his efforts to establish and increase USBC Junior Gold and collegiate competition opportunities for young bowlers. The award, which annually honors a leader in the bowling community who has the vision to bring dreams to life, will be presented to Thomas on May 9 at the USBC Convention in Kansas City, Mo.
USBC Youth Volunteer, Coach and Ambassadors of the Year selected
Winners to be presented with awards at USBC Convention in Kansas City
John Fukasawa, Michael Nyitray, Kayla Chick and Kyle Calcote have been selected as recipients of United States Bowling Congress Youth recognition awards. Fukasawa, right, was named USBC Youth Program Volunteer of the Year for his outstanding efforts in fostering, operating and promoting youth bowling programs. Nyitray, left, was selected as the David Dahms Coach of the Year for his outstanding commitment to coaching, sportsmanship, and knowledge of USBC Youth bowling rules.
Viator, Burgoyne named to USBC youth development positions
Team USA 2007 members added to newly formed department
Two members of Team USA in 2007, Brenda Viator and Amanda Burgoyne, have been named to positions in the newly formed Youth Development department within the United States Bowling Congress. Brenda Viator, 33, will serve as Program Developer with an emphasis on youth ages 13 and under. Amanda Burgoyne, 23, will serve as Youth Tournament Coordinator - focusing on the USBC Youth Open Championships, USBC Junior Gold Championships and Pepsi USBC Youth Championships.


"Higher C-reactive Protein Levels Predict Postoperative Delirium in Old" by Simon T. Dillon, Sarinnapha M. Vasunilashorn et al.
Background—Delirium is a common, morbid, and costly postoperative complication.. We aimed to identify blood-based postoperative delirium markers in a nested case control study of older surgical patients using a proteomics approach followed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) validation.
Methods and Materials—The Successful Aging after Elective Surgery Study enrolled dementia-free adults age ≥70 undergoing major scheduled non-cardiac surgery (N=566; 24% delirium). Plasma was collected at 4 timepoints: preoperatively (PREOP), post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), postoperative day 2 (POD2) and 1 month follow-up (PO1MO). Matched pairs were selected for the independent discovery (39 pairs) and replication cohorts (36 pairs), which were subsequently combined into the pooled cohort (75 pairs). iTRAQ-based relative quantitation mass spectrometry proteomics was performed to identify the strongest delirium-related protein, which was selected for ELISA validation. Using the ELISA results, statistical analyses using non-parametric signed-rank tests were performed in all cohorts examining the association between the identified protein and delirium.
Results—C-reactive protein (CRP) emerged from the proteomics analysis as the strongest delirium-related protein. ELISA validation confirmed that compared to controls, cases had significantly higher CRP levels (*p<.05, **p<.01) in the discovery, replication, and pooled cohorts at PREOP (median paired difference [mg/L] 1.97*, 0.29, 1.56**, respectively), PACU (2.83, 2.22*, 2.53**, respectively) and POD2 (71.97**, 35.18*, 63.76**, respectively), but not PO1MO (2.72, −0.66, 1.10, respectively).
Discussion—Elevated pre- and postoperative plasma levels of CRP were associated with delirium, suggesting that a pre-inflammatory state and heightened inflammatory response to surgery are potential pathophysiological mechanisms of delirium.


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QualysCloudAgent.exe : The command parameter was already specified.
Any assistance would be appreciated, as this is holding my install up.
I had this same issue occur - easy fix!
Does it work as Administrator from a command prompt ?
Are there any log files created ?


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6 of the Best 2020 Shows You Should Book in Advance: 4. THE LIFE OF PI
By Phil Willmott Monday, January 13 2020, 15:58 - News
There are certain shows that you know will sell out fast either because of the title or the creative team and stars. In a series of 6 articles we report on the likely box-office smashes of the forth coming year so you can book in advance and not miss out. Use our search engine at the top of the page to find the perfect performance to suit you and get booking!
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Now here's a forthcoming production that doesn't need star name to grab out attention. It's a transfer from The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield of their stage version of the Man Booker Prize winning novel LIFE OF PI.
To say this was critically acclaimed in Sheffield is an understatement. Critics were falling over themselves to find new superlatives to describe it. The Times reviewer summed it all up by saying "Long after the curtain falls, Life of Pi will make you believe in the power of theatre". Sounds good to me.
The show will be presented in a specially re-configured Wyndham's Theatre to allow for the full impact of the projections and the piece also feeds into the recent renaissance in British puppetry and puppeteering which began with WAR HORSE (a co-pro with an Australian company) and continues right now with THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE at the National Theatre and the exquisite creations in the gorgeous musical AMELIE at the Other Palace in which the baby girl puppet is so expressive you'd swear you were watching a real child.
So expect stunning and life-like puppets representing the animals in this story of a sixteen year-old boy named Pi who shares a life boat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a ferocious Royal Bengal tiger. But which one of them will survive and who'll end up as tiger food?
The original book has sold over fifteen million copies worldwide so expect it to be very popular and to sell out fast.
We have some great ticket deals HERE so book now and don't miss the boat!
Review: FIX at the Pleasance Theatre
By Stuart King Friday, January 17 2020, 11:43
A house in the woods, its old woman occupant and a storm closing-in. What looks like a simple 'pitch-up, fix washing machine and leave' scenario for repairman Kevin, takes on an altogether darker and more sinister tone in Julie Tsang's new play at The Pleasance.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Musical Adaptation Of CINDERELLA To Hit The West End In September 2020
By Josephine Balfour-Oatts Monday, January 13 2020, 09:13
This September, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella opens at the Gillian Lynne Theatre to the tune of a stellar creative team. Excited? Us too.
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