text:
namespace pdalboost {} namespace boost = pdalboost; namespace pdalboost {
namespace detail {
namespace winapi {
#if defined( BOOST_USE_WINDOWS_H )
    using ::GetLastError;
#else
    extern "C" __declspec(dllimport) DWORD_ WINAPI
        GetLastError();
#endif
}
}
}

#endif // BOOST_DETAIL_WINAPI_GETLASTERROR_HPP


text:
Home > Industries > Green Technology > Reliance Power Limited
Plunkett Research Online: Reliance Power Limited
RELIANCE POWER LIMITED (532939) Company Profile, Corporate Revenues, Growth, Market Size, Analysis, Business Forecasts, Market Share, Metrics, SWOT
Reliance Power Limited is a member of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, and focuses on the development, construction and operation of power generation projects in India. The company, on its own and through its subsidiaries has a large portfolio of power generation capacity, both in operation as.....
RELIANCE POWER LIMITED
Ticker: 532939
Exchange: Bombay
Fax: 91-22-3303-3662
Address: S. Block, 3/Fl, Reliance Center, Santacruz
Mumbai, 400 055 India
N. Venugopala Rao CEO
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Chmn.
Reliance Power Limited is a member of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, and focuses on the development, construction and operation of power generation projects in India. The company, on its own and through its subsidiaries has a large portfolio of power generation capacity, both in operation as.....See More See More

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Whether you dine alfresco or indoors, take in dramatic vistas of the desert valley at Talavera, a Spanish steakhouse with a touch of local flavor. With vibrant decor, dramatic views and the best patio dining in the Valley, the restaurant's lively ambiance is matched by an upscale-casual approach to dining, with a range of menu choices fit for every occasion.
The menu focuses on traditional and modern takes on Spanish classics, emphasizing prime cuts of meat from boutique purveyors, a wide variety of seafood and vegetable tapas, hand-crafted paellas, as well as local produce from surrounding Arizona farms.
Imbibe in a vermouth or Sherry paired with Spanish olives and Manchego cheese, or create your own Gin Tonic with our extensive list of gins and botanicals in our Gin Bar. Whether dining as a group to enjoy tapas for the table, or celebrating an intimate night out for two, Talavera's extensive menu has something for every guest. Salud!
Talavera is open for dinner from 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday (Thursday - Sunday from June - Mid September).
Onyx Bar & Lounge is open at 4:00 p.m. daily.


Where a religious denomination is not represented in Canton, we have provided the nearest house of worship in neighboring towns. Please contact any house of worship for exact hours.
Sunday School for all ages 11:30 a.m.
Weekly Bible Study Thursday 9:15 a.m.
Sunday 9:30 a.m., Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Thursday 7:00 p.m.
Family Worship - 9:30 a.m.
School of Christian Learning - all ages, 11:00 a.m.
Worship - Friday 7:30 p.m.
Church School & Nursery - 10:00 a.m.
Worship - 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.
Masses - Saturday 5:00 p.m., Sunday 8:00 & 10:00 a.m.
Daily Mass - Tue, Wed, Fri 8:30 a.m.
Confession - Saturday 4:00-4:30 p.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite 1 - 8:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite 2 - 10:00 a.m.


Dottie Blyth is an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying information science and French. She is a 2016 Communications and Advocacy Summer Intern at IntraHealth International.
Elle reports on the progress Senegal has made increasing the use of contraceptives—and the pioneers making it happen.


text:
The Free Library > Law/Government/Politics > Government > The Public Manager > June 22, 2000
The Free Library > Date > 2000 > June > 22 > The Public Manager
The Joint Financial Management Improvement Program Strikes Gold.
<a href="https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Joint+Financial+Management+Improvement+Program+Strikes+Gold.-a066498034
MLA style: "The Joint Financial Management Improvement Program Strikes Gold.." The Free Library. 2000 Bureaucrat, Inc. 18 Jan. 2022 https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Joint+Financial+Management+Improvement+Program+Strikes+Gold.-a066498034
Chicago style: The Free Library. S.v. The Joint Financial Management Improvement Program Strikes Gold.." Retrieved Jan 18 2022 from https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Joint+Financial+Management+Improvement+Program+Strikes+Gold.-a066498034
APA style: The Joint Financial Management Improvement Program Strikes Gold.. (n.d.) >The Free Library. (2014). Retrieved Jan 18 2022 from https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Joint+Financial+Management+Improvement+Program+Strikes+Gold.-a066498034
The JFMIP, at 50, continues its dedication to improved practices, as substantial legislative requirements are implemented by the feds.
This year is the golden anniversary for the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (JFMIP), which was established by the 1950 Budget and Accounting Procedures Act. Our mission is to improve financial management practices in the government through the joint and cooperative efforts of the US Department of the Treasury (Treasury), the General Accounting Office (GAO), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and all federal agencies.
However, our focus has evolved significantly in step with major changes in federal financial management statutes, institutional arrangements, business processes, and technology infrastructure.
The Financial Management Challenge: Raising the Bar
Statutes passed in the 1990s continue to drive change in the federal financial management framework. Compliance with these laws increased accountability now measured by consistent standards and reporting methodologies. Also, technology available to support systems has changed dramatically in the last decade with the emergence of powerful computing and communications technologies. Finally, government is experiencing unprecedented human capital challenges to replace the graying federal workforce with a new workforce. The future workforce must be able to conduct the business of government that has been redefined by recent legislation and using new technology and business processes.
What are the recent changes? The 1990 Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act changed federal accounting and reporting by transferring responsibility for establishing accounting standards to the executive branch, requiring agencies to improve financial systems and internal controls, and mandating the conduct of independent audits of agencywide financial statements. The CFO Act provided for the designation of a CFO in each major agency to oversee these responsibilities and for the establishment of a government-wide CFO Council to collaborate on common challenges.
The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 amplified accountability by requiring a formal strategic planning, performance planning consistent with an agency budget request, and performance reporting to disclose what federal agencies achieved for what they spent. The Government Management Reform Act of 1994 further expanded accountability activities by mandating the consolidated annual audited financial statement for the preceding year that includes all accounts and associated activities of the executive branch. The passage of the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act (FFMIA) in 1996 reemphasized the need for federal financial systems to support the building blocks of financial and performance information by placing in statute three existing policy requirements. This statute recognized the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board. Section 803 (a) requires that each agency shall implement and maintain financial management systems that comply substantially with federal financial management sys tems requirements, applicable federal accounting standards, and the US government standard general ledger at the transaction level.
Financial management systems that support federal accounting needs are key for achieving the improvement in financial management envisioned by the CFO Act and subsequent legislation. The vision for federal financial management systems is to support partnership between program and financial management to assure integrity of information for decision making and performance measurement. To achieve that vision, federal financial systems need to:
* produce accurate, timely, complete, reliable, and consistent information;
* provide adequate agency management reporting;
* support governmentwide and agency policy decisions;
* support preparation and execution of agency budgets;
* facilitate financial statement preparation;
* provide information to central agencies; and
* provide audit trail information.
Without timely, accurate, and consistent financial data, it is difficult, at best, to make informed decisions regarding the delivery of federal programs. The importance of financial systems in providing this functionality is indisputable.
Many federal financial systems are antiquated and unable to provide critical financial information. Currently, most financial management systems used by federal agencies are internally-developed products. Only about 13 percent of current system applications are commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, and many of those are highly customized, making it difficult to accommodate new requirements. While some agencies have been able to implement new financial systems successfully, many other agencies have struggled. Federal agencies are trying to meet the challenge and significant efforts are planned. The 1999 inventory of federal financial systems reports that federal agencies plan to substantially upgrade or replace 79 percent of the 1,107 current financial system applications. Agencies will rely heavily on the COTS market for the next generation of systems.
The Changing JFMIP Role
Prior to the CFO Act, JFMIP was uniquely chartered to facilitate collaborative improvement efforts among federal agencies and GAO. In the last decade, JFMIP responsibilities have been augmented with specific focus on improving financial management systems--an issue that was highlighted in the CFO Act. JFMIP responsibilities now include issuing federal financial system requirements, testing and qualifying core financial system software for federal agency use, and facilitating information exchange among all stakeholders.
The 1999 "Federal Financial Management Status Report and Five-Year Plan," prepared by OMB and the CFO Council, articulates the governmentwide priority to establish financial management systems throughout the federal government to support fiscal and programmatic accountability. Strategies are to:
* provide a financial management systems environment in which financial systems can be successfully planned, developed, operated, and maintained;
* establish government systems requirements that support information standards; and
* improve the availability of systems that meet governmentwide systems requirements.
JFMIP provides key building blocks to achieve those goals. JFMIP issues comprehensive functional requirements, tests and qualifies core financial system software for federal agency use, and provides critical tools through the establishment of the electronic "knowledgebase" to facilitate industry and other stakeholder partnerships.
The CFO Council's commitment to developing and using these capabilities is demonstrated by its dedicating a portion of member agencies' charge card refunds to support the JFMIP program management office (PMO). Starting in fiscal year (FY) 1999, at the request of OMB, the JFMIP Steering Committee, and the CFO Council, Congress passed Section 652 of PL 105-277, the FY 1999 Treasury and Postal Service Appropriation Act, to fund the JFMIP PMO. Similar funding provisions have been included in subsequent appropriations acts, These provisions allowed CFO Act agencies to transfer a portion of charge card rebate funds up to a total of $3 million to JFMIP. These joint investments enable the retention of a mix of highly qualified staff and access to private sector experience through consultants to provide more long-term strategic solution to long-standing shortfalls in federal financial systems. JFMIP has a long history of support and cooperation from all federal agencies.
Modernizing Federal Financial System Requirements
JFMIP has been in the business of issuing financial system requirements documents since the 1980s. The "Framework for Federal Financial Management Systems" describes the federal agency system architecture as including the core financial system, managerial cost accounting, and 13 feeder systems. The system requirement documents serve many roles. Initially they were developed as guides to help facilitate the exchange of software for common administrative functions within the federal government. Now these are used to help justify agency system improvements or replacements. They help organize the private sector market by communicating mandatory functionality that commercial software must be able to provide to federal agencies, as well as identifying value-added features desired by federal agencies. They provide benchmarks for agency compliance under FFMIA and have served as a tool for oversight agencies to evaluate systems.
Upon passage of the FEMIA in 1996, requirements documents existed for the core financial system and 6 of the 13 subsidiary systems. Several of those documents needed to be updated for recent law and regulatory revisions.
Starting in 1998, JFMIP undertook efforts to bring all existing documents up to date and to develop documents for those functions where none existed. In 1998, "Systems Requirements for Managerial Cost Accounting" was issued for the first time, incorporating system requirements necessary to support FASAB Standard Number 4, "Managerial Cost Accounting Concepts and Standards for the Federal Government."
In 1999, JFMIP updated four financial system requirements documents, including "Core Financial System," "Human Resources and Payroll Systems Requirements," "Direct Loan System Requirements," and "Travel System." In 2000, system requirements' documents have been issued for "Seized Property and Forfeited Assets System" and "Guaranteed Loan System Requirements." JFMIP is currently reviewing exposure draft comments for "Grant Financial System Requirements" and "Property Management System Requirements" and anticipates their issuance this summer. Efforts are underway to develop benefit system requirements. Remaining for the future are acquisition system, revenue system, insurance claim system, and budget formulation system requirements. Our current goal is to have efforts underway by 2001 to address these functional requirements.
Development of these documents demonstrates commitment from stakeholder agencies to define governmentwide requirements and help organize standard expectations regarding what financial systems must be able to support. A senior executive from the financial or functional staff of a major stakeholder agency leads each team and the team includes expert representatives from other interested government agencies, GAO, 0MB, and in some cases, the private sector. JFMIP staff supports these collaborative efforts.
Core Financial System Testing and Qualification Process
Recently, the CFO Council and JFMIP partnered to reengineer the core financial system testing qualification and procurement processes to improve the availability of commercial software that supports federal requirements and to improve the chances that agencies can successfully implement new systems. Prior to 1999, testing of core financial system software was accomplished in connection with the mandatory General Services Administration's Financial Management System Software (FMSS) schedule. Information regarding the testing process was limited. The test addressed less than one-third of the existing requirements. Arrangements for the software testing relied upon agency volunteers and other ad hoc approaches. Past experiences indicated that these arrangements were not sufficient to meet the challenge. In 1997, the CFO Council endorsed change and adopted recommendations to:
* establish a PMO under the JFMIP to develop the tools and capabilities necessary to improve financial systems across the federal government;
* separate the test and qualification process from the procurement process; and
* establish an electronic "knowledgebase" to share information widely.
October 1, 1999 marked the transition from old process to new process. The components of this new process included:
* issuance of up-to-date core financial system requirements, complemented by identification and prioritization of value-added features desired by federal agencies;
* an open and comprehensive testing and qualification process that tests, in part or in whole, all testable mandatory requirements;
* modification of 0MB Circular A-127, "Financial Management Systems," to eliminate the mandatory use of the FMSS schedule to procure core financial systems and require federal agencies to purchase software that has attained the JFMIP certificate of compliance; and
* establishment of a web-based "knowledgebase."
The purposes of testing were to reduce the risk to the government, produce useful information, reduce agency test efforts, and provide critical information to commercial business partners to allow them to be successful in providing core accounting software that meets federal requirements. Before the first round of testing could even begin, several major tasks had to be accomplished. First, the system requirements had to be brought up to date. The core financial system requirements document, issued in February 1999, contains 251 mandatory requirements covering functions of core financial system management, general ledger management, funds management, receipt management, payment management, cost management, and reporting. About 20 percent of the requirements were new or changed since the last issuance. In addition, 143 value-added features were identified and prioritized by federal agencies.
JFMIP developed an efficient test of 166 steps that tests about 91 percent of the mandatory requirements fully or partially. This test was validated with help of the GAO. The test is an open book test. Test data, assumptions, data dependencies, and expected results are published on the "knowledgebase" for all stakeholders to use. We also published a test trace matrix to fully disclose the relationship between requirements and test steps, and to identify limitations of the test so that agencies have full information about the depth of the test and any requirements that are not tested.
As of October 1, 1999, OMB policy terminated the FMSS schedule for new procurements and required federal agencies acquiring new core financial systems to use JFMIP tested and certified software. At that time, four products were qualified. As of May 2000, nine software products offered by seven vendors have received certificates of compliance. JFMIP maintains a current list of qualified software on the "knowledgebase" along with information about value-added features to facilitate agency research.
JFMIP issues a certificate of compliance, which is valid for three years for specific versions of COTS packages. The process is designed to ensure that our commercial business partners update their products to meet new requirements. If federal requirements change during that three-year period, JFMIP administers an incremental test for the new requirements that vendors must pass to retain their certificate of compliance. In 2000, JFMIP is administering the first incremental test to ensure that software can support the Federal Agencies' Centralized Trial-Balance System II--or FACTS II--process for reporting budget formulation data and budget execution data to central agencies.
The JFMIP "knowledgebase," at www.financeNet.gov/fed/jfmip/pmo.htm, supports rapid and efficient communication among government and private sector stakeholders. Currently it hosts searchable database information on core financial systems requirements, test materials, reference materials, and best practices. We have had over 37,000 hits to this site in the last year.
Other JFMIP Efforts to Improve Financial Management Systems
In addition to the above initiatives, I would like to highlight three ongoing initiatives where JFMIP is partnering with the CFO Council and other stakeholders to leverage resources and address common financial management systems challenges. These include:
* The "Financial System Compliance Review Guide," jointly sponsored by the CFO Council, the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency, the Federal Audit Executive Council, and JFMIP, is under development. Once completed this will offer a tool to agencies, the oversight community, and the vendor community to help establish consistent expectations and methods to conduct financial management system compliance reviews. The product is designed to help managers evaluate whether financial systems substantially comply with financial management system requirements that are contained in law and implementing policy to include FFMIA, the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act, and the Information Technology Management Reform Act. This guide been issued as an exposure draft and we are currently reviewing comments.
* The "Roadmap Project" is designed to create a framework to manage financial systems change in the federal government. By September 2000 we plan, in partnership with the CFO Council, to augment the JFMIP knowledgebase to include information on the full life cycle of financial management system planning, implementation, and management.
* The "Human Capital Project" is a collaborative effort by the CFO Council financial systems committee, human resources committee, and JFMIP designed to build capacity within the federal financial management workforce to meet this challenge. Having the right project management and functional skills are essential to transitioning to the next generation of financial management systems.
Communication of federal agency needs and willingness to reengineer business practices to take advantage of commercial services is stimulating new delivery mechanisms. The concept of using commercial infrastructure to support government administrative requirements is expanding rapidly. In 2000, federal agencies:
* use commercial charge cards for small purchases and business travel;
* make payments, and transfer benefits using commercial electronic funds transfers (EFT) infrastructure; and
* use the World Wide Web to access government information and process transactions.
These examples represent major changes in the way the government does business and forecast future transformations that will parallel industry business practices. Use of commercial infrastructure and services can allow the government to take advantage of economies of scale. For us to take advantage of these opportunities, the mandatory information requirements, including interface requirements to pass required information, must be identified in a standard way and communicated. JFMIP is helping agencies to take advantage of these new service delivery methods by communicating effective practices and organizing strategies to remove barriers.
In summary, the leveraging of resources through JFMIP to provide system requirements, testing, and tools demonstrates commitment among federal stakeholders to address common system challenges in a cost-effective manner. The short-term payoff has been to reduce agencies' cost and risk in replacing systems. The longer-term payoff will be achieving federal financial management systems that support the program management and financial management vision of having the right information at the right time to make informed decisions in the conduct of their missions.
Karen Cleary Alderman is the executive director of the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Bureaucrat, Inc.
ALDERMAN, KAREN CLEARY
The Public Manager
Geographic Code:
1USA
Introduction to the Mini-Forum.
Investments in Human Capital: A Crisis for Financial Managers.
Finance departments


Multy Lift supplies the full range of Mitsubishi GRENDiA IC Engine Counterbalance Trucks ranging from 1.5 tonnes up to 5.5 tonnes. For further information on the GRENDiA products or any of our other Mitsubishi Products or to arrange a demonstration, call our Sales Team on 01623 794094 or complete our enquiry form below.
Fully hydrostatic steering is responsive, precise and effortless for the operator and requires little maintenance.
Rugged rear axle assembly with metal bush mounts (instead of competitors' more fragile rubber mounts) is extremely durable.
Angle-sensitive steering system provides quick turning at low speeds and precision control at higher speeds.
LED lights fitted as standard for 'see-and-be-seen' safety.
Onboard diagnostics and detailed fault diagnosis via laptop connection alerts operators and service engineers to problems, speeds up servicing and prevents damage.
Integrated Presence System (IPS) prevents all movement of the truck and its mast if the operator is not seated, as well as providing a seatbelt warning light and parking brake alarm.
PIN code start-up with driver-specific settings is included as standard to prevent unauthorised or inappropriate use.
Operator identification system can be activated – if owner wishes – to prevent unauthorised use of the truck.
Powerful hydraulic system offers high residual capacities for comfortable handling of heavier loads.
Cowl-mounted hydraulic levers provide easy-to reach, easy-to-use control of mast operations.
All-round visibility together with ergonomic design and layout of all controls improves comfort, reduces fatigue, increases precision and raises productivity.
Fully adjustable, full-suspension seat with hip restraints and safety belt keeps driver comfortable through the longest of shifts.
Clear, informative meter panel includes essential warning lights and LCD display with speedometer, clock and dual hour meter.
Low noise level at operator's ear just 78 dBA and low vibration from powertrain increase comfort and reduce fatigue.
Adjustable steering column with memory function helps guarantee optimum driving position, every time.
Automotive-style pedals with optimum pedal angle are easy to use and give good control without leg strain.
Market-leading ErgoCentric design results in easy on-off access, a unique, adjustable steering column with position memory, user-friendly controls, a practical layout and great all-round visibility – for maximum precision and productivity.
Heavy-duty clear-view mast offers market-leading vision of fork tip and load, for faster cycle times and reduced damage.
New bearing High-strength carriage features six bearings, allowing for quicker load handling.
Fully hydrostatic drum brakes give excellent control with little effort and are easy to maintain.
Electronically controlled parking brake allows safe, effective immobilisation of the truck with minimum effort – and without restricting knee and leg movement.
Advanced speed control – as standard – restricts speed while still maintaining full power on ramps.
Engine management controller allows for simultaneous, multiple engine and electronic functions, resulting in industry-leading fuel consumption and lower emissions.
Fully floating powertrain with two-speed forward and one-speed reverse transmission maximises grade-ability and travel speed, minimises noise and vibration, and uses maintenance-free gears instead of belts to lower running costs.
Adjustable transmission shift timing increases versatility, for optimum performance in a wide variety of applications.
Large diameter drive axle shafts are extremely durable and require little maintenance.
Full belly guard construction protects engine compartment from any ingress – including dirt, dust and water – for long engine life.
Compact design allows for reduced aisle dimensions, ensuring cost-effective operations.
Robust construction has been designed and rigorously tested to ensure high stability, rigidity and protection.
Stylish, purposeful design reflects this machine's power to work productively, non-stop, whatever the conditions.
Rapid access features give quick and easy entry to all areas for checks and servicing.
Long service interval and choice of high-quality components, together with low-maintenance design, minimises downtime and cost of ownership.
Sealed wheel arches together with belly guard significantly reduces dust emitted during operations for clean performance.
Optimal air filter placement means that filter cartridge replacement is minimised.
Belly Seal protects against damaging dust and debris – preventing the 'cyclone effect' where dust and dirt is drawn into the engine and recirculated into the working environment.


Researchers at Big Blue have developed an encryption method that they claim is much tougher to crack than conventional technology.
IBM (IBM) said today that its researchers have developed a new encryption method that takes a big step toward a "truly invincible" system for protecting data traveling over the Internet.
The new public key encryption technique, if and when it debuts, could make electronic commerce safer and more appealing to consumers, IBM said. The encryption can also be tailored to allow different levels of security to comply with various governmental regulations.
However, developers will have to wait for the new technology. Categorizing the development as "more scientific than practical," the company said there is more work ahead before it yields a commercially viable system. IBM gave no date for delivery of commercial products.
The encryption method, developed by IBM researchers Miklos Ajtai and Cynthia Dwork, departs from today's cryptograph systems that use randomly generated encryption codes, which are vulnerable to attack. The new method is considered by mathematicians to be impossible to solve, IBM said.
Ajtai and Dwork presented their finding this week at the Association of Computer Machinery Symposium on Theory of Computing in El Paso, Texas. IBM has posted a technical report describing the new system.


text:
by Paul Lilly — Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 09:30 AM EDT
Apex Legends Character Roster To Grow By 10 According To New Assets Leak
Apex Legends has stormed onto the scene and asserted itself as a hugely popular battle royale shooter, hitting 1 million players in just 8 hours after launch, and leaping to 50 million players in its first month. Inevitable leaks come with that level of popularity, and as such, the names of potentially 10 upcoming character additions might now be known.
It was already leaked last month that developer Respawn Entertainment would be adding new legends to the game, eight in all. Now, however, a list of player cards has attached names to those upcoming characters, along with two others that were not previously known. That brings the total number so far up to 10 new characters.
The names include Rampart, Rose, Talchum/Crypto, Octane, Nomad, Skunner, Jericho, Natalie/Wattson, Husaria, and Prophet. Twitter user Shrugtal tweeted out a mockup of the new characters, which was edited by another user into a character selection screen. Have a look...
Source: Twitter via Shrugtal, Surgent179, and Whipped McCree
Sometime this month, players will be able to purchase a Battle Pass for Apex Legends, in anticipation of four Seasons in 2019. Each new season is expected to bring new legends, weapons, and loot. Assuming the 10 leaked characters are real, it's not clear when exactly each one will out, or if there might be even more slated for this year.
Adding legends is one way to keep the momentum going. In addition, Respawn Entertainment has been aggressively banning cheaters, having dropped the ban hammer on 355,000 of them so for on the PC version alone.
We'll have to wait and see how things turn out, but so far, it's looking like Apex Legends has the legs to keep running with the big dogs.
Tags: Gaming, Electronic Arts, (NASDAQ:EA), respawn entertainment, apex legends


Page 9. What makes a good soil?
A versatile soil capable of many uses needs to be deep, fine-textured, moist, free-draining, loamy, and have an organic-rich topsoil. These properties best enable plant roots to take up nutrients, water and oxygen, and get enough support for rapid growth. Fertility is highest in soils young enough not to have been leached and old enough to have built up organic matter. They are also derived from parent rocks that are well supplied with essential nutrients.
New Zealand's best soils are called 'versatile' or 'high-class'. They supply the nutrients required for optimum plant growth, and are good for growing food. Their area is limited (about 5.5% of New Zealand). High-class soils are most common among the Recent and Allophanic soils. They are also found among the other soil orders, but least among Podzol, Raw, Anthropic, and Brown soils that are acidic, lie on steep hills, or where the earth is frequently disturbed.
Because high-class soils are rare in New Zealand, it has been argued that they should be reserved for horticulture and agriculture, and not used for towns.
The last century of farming in New Zealand has changed many soils that were originally poor. Acidity has been corrected by adding lime, low fertility by using fertilisers, drought by implementing irrigation, wetness by drainage, and poor drainage by breaking up subsoil 'pans' with deep-pronged equipment. These and other interventions have contributed to the country's wealth, and an increasing intensity of land use. More intensive production, whether by horticulture, cropping or dairying, raises the issue of sustainability. Can we continue to use soils without losing quality or harming the environment? A knowledge of soils, and the opportunities and constraints they present, is essential for managing the land.