All this goes without even mentioning the literal 'education' you get when traveling the world in such a fashion. Not only will you get to explore some of the most incredible places on earth, go to some of the craziest parties ever imagined, meeting people from all over the world along the way, but you will inevitably learn SO MUCH- about yourself, about the world, about how and where you fit in. Traveling (Backpacking, specifically) has a way of getting people to realize that their world is made up of so much more than the tiny bubble they're accustomed to existing in, and inevitably stretches the beliefs and perspectives that have developed within those tiny bubbles. Call it 'global cognizance', call it 'world realization'- call it whatever you want- the reality is that you will learn to see both yourself and the world differently. You will have a better appreciation for where you come from, and you will invariably develop a greater appreciation for foreign cultures, foreign people, and foreign ideas. In today's world, the fleeting concept of global empathy is invaluable, and can, in it's own way, help make this planet a better place for everyone on it.
So again, the question- 'How can I NOT go?' If you have the opportunity, you have to seize it while you can, as it may never come around again. 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years- it doesn't matter. What matters is you getting out there and living your life. In the end, that is what it is all about- actually LIVING your life, and honestly, that is why you should go.


text:
Hydrogen is the future, but managing complex risks is key, Allianz warns
By Deborah Ritchie 2021-04-29
Hydrogen has the potential to morph from a niche power source into big business, and with the right approach to risk management, could be key to the global energy transition.
This is the message from Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, whose latest bulletin highlights the operational risks that need to be addressed around the production, storage and transportation of hydrogen, including fire and explosion hazards, impact of embrittlement and business interruption exposures.
While hydrogen technology has been in use for some decades, plans to scale up mega projects require an equivalent scaling up of risk management. As an alternative to fossil fuels like oil and coal, hydrogen solutions could be key for tackling climate change in future, helping many industries to reduce their carbon emissions.
"Hydrogen (produced from low-carbon or even renewable energies) is of growing importance for the substitution of fossil fuels in the fields of energy, supply, mobility and industry," says Chris van Gend, global head of energy and construction at AGCS. "It has the potential to morph from a niche power source into big business, with countries committing billions to scale up their infrastructure and with projects being introduced around the globe. Despite these successes, there are challenges to overcome for hydrogen to become a major part of the energy transition, such as the cost of production, supply chain complexity and a need for new safety standards."
Over 30 countries have produced hydrogen roadmaps. The global shift toward decarbonisation has triggered strong momentum in the hydrogen industry. Hydrogen offers several options for the transition towards a low-carbon economy: as an energy carrier and storage medium for conversion back to electricity, as a fuel for all means of transport and mobility and as a potential substitute for fossil hydrocarbons in industries such as steel production or petrochemicals.
Around the world, there is strong governmental commitment for hydrogen initiatives, backed by financial support and regulation: As of the beginning of 2021, over 30 countries have produced hydrogen roadmaps and governments worldwide have committed more than £50bn in public funding, according to McKinsey, for more than 200 large-scale production projects.
The UK government has said it will unveil a hydrogen strategy in 2021 to help reach its 2050 net-zero goal, and the European Commission's "hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe", released in July 2020, includes an ambitious target of 40 gigawatts of European electrolyser capacity to produce 'green' hydrogen by 2030.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In 2006 Chris Forbes-Ewan received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council for his contribution towards the development of Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand. His contribution was in the area of Estimated Energy Requirements.
The obesity epidemic sweeping across the world is being closely followed by another, more insidious epidemic – an ever-increasing number of books on how to lose weight.
No two of these books advocate the same approach, but all promise that their method – and only their method – will result in the desired weight loss. Another common, and significant, characteristic of most of these books is that they are written by people with no relevant qualifications or professional experience, and no publications in the peer-reviewed literature.
So how deep is Fulton's understanding of the science he claims to have used to devise his unique approach to weight loss and better health?
A good indication is his opinion about the relevance to human metabolism of the First Law of Thermodynamics, which states that energy may be neither created nor destroyed, only changed from one form to another. Fulton dismisses the First Law as merely "physics". He claims that "this could be true if our body only paid attention to physics. But it doesn't. We obey other subjects like biology, chemistry and biochemistry." Denying that human metabolism necessarily obeys one of the fundamental laws of science is just one of many gross errors Fulton makes in this poorly‑researched book.
As might be predicted from his lack of understanding of basic science (and even simple logic), Fulton's recommendations on how to achieve weight loss constitute a mixed bag, with some worthwhile advice overshadowed by many inappropriate recommendations, and even potentially dangerous advice.
According to Fulton, you should determine how much weight you need to lose by looking in the mirror and deciding for yourself how much extra body fat you are carrying. Unfortunately, most people are not good judges of their body shape and likely body fat levels. This applies especially his intended readership (Fulton's book is clearly targeted at female adolescents and young women). Many young females compare their image in the mirror with the airbrushed photos of the very slim models who dominate women's magazines.
At the extreme level, an adolescent female with anorexia nervosa may still "see" an obese image in the mirror even when her body fat percentage is life‑threateningly low. What's more, anorexia nervosa is no longer the preserve of females; it also occurs in males and its incidence is apparently increasing. Telling adolescents – many of whom have distorted body images – that only they can accurately judge their body shape, and that there's no limit to the amount of fat they can lose, is fraught with danger.
Fulton advises that you should never eat breakfast. Not only is this advice unlikely to be effective, it will probably lead to inadequate nutrition, poorer cognitive performance, and may even result in increased body weight. And his recommendation to take a cool bath each morning is very unlikely to lead to the claimed "12–15 hours" increase in metabolic rate.
Fulton (appropriately) discusses the importance of eating a wide variety of nutritious foods, and not "just a few foods" as recommended in some diet books, but he inappropriately stresses a high protein/low-carbohydrate intake. In fact, his recommended intake of carbohydrate is less than the minimum recommended for good health by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Fulton also advises drinking a couple of cups of unsweetened black coffee each day. The reason he gives – that caffeine will boost metabolic rate – does have some support from the scientific literature, but his claim of a substantial and sustained increase is not based on sound scientific evidence. The increase is likely to be less than 10%, and to last for only a few hours.
Six Weeks to OMG has the capacity to do very little good, and the potential to cause much harm to many vulnerable people. I would not recommend this book to anyone.


RBIS Rasami British International School is situated in a central, leafy suburb in the very heart of Bangkok with relatively easy access to all public transport. The nearest BTS Sky Train stations are Victory Monument and Sanam Pao.
Please be informed that teachers have a scheduled appointment every week for parents' benefit; they also are available before and after school should you need to discuss your child's progress. An appointment is not needed, but we would suggest telephoning the school office to ensure that the teacher can see you when you would prefer at the telephone numbers beneath.


text:
Action Quick Guide Sports
Maldives in Top 45 Places to Go in 2012: New York Times
Mohamed Sajid	213 views January 11, 2012
Maldives Promotion House – New York Times has listed Maldives among the top 45 international destinations to visit in 2012. Maldives was ranked 27th on their list of exotic must visit destinations, and was chosen as a surfer's paradise. It was ranked ahead of places such as Antarctica, Jordon and Italy.
The newspaper describes Maldives as "a cushy place for hardcore surfers." According to Ross Phillips, the founder of Tropicsurf, a leading outfitter in the high-end surfing scene, Maldives is ideal for hardcore surfers. "[There are] good, consistent waves, warm water, a wide choice of five-star resorts and plenty of things to do for the partners who don't surf," Ross described.
This past summer, six world champion surfers arrived in Maldives for what was billed as the world's most exclusive surfing event, the Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy, which was held at the Four Seasons Kuda Huraa resort.
Surfing in the Maldives started out as body-boarding. Earlier natives have been known to body-board with and without wooden planks. Drift wood were also used by the natives for body-boarding. The modern wave surfing was introduced in the late 70s and is the second most popular water sport in Maldives. With its many small islands spread over the Indian Ocean, Maldives proves to be a perfect destination for surfing enthusiasts.
The Maldives in recent years has attracted professional surfers as well as beginners. International surfing competitions have also been held in Maldives making it a world famous surfing destination. With medium and small waves, the capital city Malé hosts a specific area for wave surfers. With an average water temperature of around 28 degree centigrade, consistent surfing conditions are observed throughout the surfing season. The surfing season begins during mid February and ends in November.
TagsFeaturedNew York TimesNews
British long distance swimmer Adam Walker conducts 5-day swimming camp at Summer Island Resort
Adventure excursions at Kuramathi Maldives
World doubles ace Mate Pavic to serve up once-in-a-lifetime sessions at Vakkaru Maldives


•	The Trima Accel Automated Blood Collection System includes the Trima Accel device, the tubing set and the Trima Accel software. The system uses a centrifuge to separate whole blood into its components — platelets, plasma and red blood cells (RBCs). The Trima Accel system then collects the components based on customer-configured priorities and the donor's physiology and blood count.
•	To meet collection goals, blood center administrators configure desired product volumes, yields and combinations. In addition, the device can be aligned with the blood center's cell counter to ensure final products meet specifications.


Which changed first; the ute or the ute market? With so much on offer to so many, the Ford Ranger Wildtrak 4WD could be the answer to arguments both for and against. By Cameron Officer.
Talk about a shake-up. No, I don't mean in the seismic sense, although in the three years since the Canterbury earthquakes, that province more than most has been overrun with well-spec'd utes.
The shake-up I'm referring to more specifically is that which has occurred in the light commercial segment of the new vehicle market.
Part economy-driven, part societal shift, the humble work ute has all of a sudden become the sort of calling card of success that only a German sports sedan could have ably represented a couple of decades ago. The company director of 2014 is more likely to be driving a double cab ute with all the fruit than they are something with 'RS' or 'AMG' suffixing the nameplate. As a result, the ute market has expanded dramatically in recent times. Among the large volume distributors, the battle for tradie bums on seats has heated up considerably.
spectrum receive as a matter of course these days. Mitsubishi, Nissan, Mazda and Holden have all expanded model lines and specification offerings for their utes, putting up attractive pricing and 'car-like' levels of kit in equal measure. But the really interesting battle has been between light commercial stalwarts Toyota and Ford.
For Toyota it has been an emotional fight at the top of the sales charts. Their iconic Hilux not only helped seal the brand's reputation for reliability in early-'80s New Zealand, it effectively invented the private ute market in this country by teaching farmers first, tradies second, that the work ute could offer as much performance on tarmac as it could practicality in the paddock. Ford? They've been building pick-ups for as long as they've been building cars. The company continues to make their home market's best-selling vehicle, the F150, to this day. Here in New Zealand the Courier was a popular 1990s option and many are now finding second lives as lowered boy racer-mobiles; coupes without boots, so to speak.
But with the drawn out decline of the Falcon (and flagging sales of the ute version bottoming out even faster than the sedan upon which it was based) it became imperative at the start of the decade that a new sort of ute was needed. Enter the Ranger. One of the FoMoCo's increasing number of 'World Cars' (same platform, same engine, different steering wheel position depending on where it is being sold), the Ranger ticked the boxes right from the start.
Good looks, solid performance figures and no fewer than 16 different versions to choose from in our market; the Ranger hit the ground running and has been tussling with Toyota at the top for sales dominance ever since.
Hop aboard the Double Cab 4WD Wildtrak iteration and you can see why it has proven so popular.
navigation system, cruise control, a centre console replete with a cooler box for your lunchtime fruit juice, exterior roof rails and side steps… the list goes on. Dimensionally, the Ranger is a big beast.
It boasts a supremely comfortable cabin, with rear seat passengers enjoying decent levels of leg, shoulder and head room. Of course, the other side of the coin is that, with many Rangers also pressed into service as weekend transport for the family, it'll fill to bursting even the biggest car park in town. Thank goodness the Wildtrak comes with a standard reversing camera and parking sensors then; with so much sheet metal to see over, the technology is a welcome addition when backing out of a car park, entrance way or between those stationary excavators at the work site.
The wellside tray, framed by standard chrome sports bars on the Wildtrak, features a retractable sliding cover. It's an elegant-looking addition, although perhaps comes at the compromise of practicality; even a hard tonneau (something which in itself has built-in limitations) would allow slightly taller loads to remain hidden from prying eyes. Still, with a 1549mm long, 1560mm wide (1139mm between wheel arches) and 511mm deep cargo area, there remains a decent amount of space to fill.
The gutsy 3.6-litre turbo diesel is a serious performer, offering 147kW of power for the highway and an all-important torque figure of 470Nm; handy when towing or plugging your way up a metalled access road in 4H. The Wildtrak also features a locking rear differential and a towing capacity of 3.5 ton (braked).
All this stuff does come at a price. Sitting at the very top of the Ranger line-up, the Wildtrak we sampled asks $67,140 of its potential owner. Mind you, that's on par with top models from many of Ford's competitor brands in the ute segment; more expensive than a top shelf Volkswagen Amarok or Toyota Hilux, cheaper than the comparative Nissan Navara. And mind you again; for the owner director looking to stand out a bit in the field, $67,140 will only get you a base level BMW or Audi and won't even get you in the door with Jaguar or HSV. Sure those are all premium brands, but you wouldn't take them to a work site. In Ross. In July.
The Ranger would still afford the driver as much comfort and performance in getting there as it would sure-footed ability once you leave the bitumen.
If you're surveying just how much vehicle you're getting for the money, the Ranger wins hands down.


text:
Motivity Capital Partners, LLC. All Rights Reserved. © 2013
Richard R. Rennhack Partner
Rick@MotivityCapital.com
Rick Rennhack served as Chief Executive Officer of Rennhack Marketing Services Inc (RMS), a leading business services company focused on providing premium and incentive marketing services to the Retail Banking Market, which was founded by his father in the 1970's. As CEO, he quickly grew RMS into the largest company in the industry, increasing revenues by 300% in three years. Mr. Rennhack also transitioned product sourcing and development from the US to Asia, increasing EBITDA by 800% during the same period, resulting in a compounded annual growth rate of 100%.
RMS was named to the Dallas 100™ three consecutive years. The Dallas 100™ Awards is an annual event that identifies and honors the 100 fastest-growing privately held companies in the Dallas area. Mr. Rennhack later sold the majority of his ownership in RMS to Brazos Private Equity Partners and fully exited upon its subsequent sale to HIG Capital. Since his exit from RMS, Mr. Rennhack has invested in a number of companies, both directly and with private equity firms. He has also been very involved with the strategic direction and growth of these companies.
Mr. Rennhack has invested in and is very involved with a variety of philanthropic endeavors. He also serves as Councilman for the Town of Westlake, Texas and as Trustee of Westlake Academy an IB World School. Mr. Rennhack was also instrumental in starting YoungLife at Carroll High School and was a YoungLife Leader.
Mr. Rennhack earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from the Cox School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Dedman College at Southern Methodist University.
Martin J. Sobol Partner
Martin@MotivityCapital.com
Martin Sobol has over 20 years of private equity, mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and operations experience, including serving as President of Sobol Consulting LLC, an M&A firm which invested with and provided strategic consulting to private equity firms and their portfolio companies; Managing Director at Abacus Ventures LLC, a Dallas-based private equity firm which invested in middle market companies; and as a Manager in the Middle Market Services Group at Deloitte LLP, working with high growth companies and private equity firms.
During this time, Mr. Sobol invested in a number of companies and was in a leadership role on multiple mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations, private-equity roll-ups, IPOs, private offerings and strategic consulting for companies ranging in size from middle-market to Fortune 100 and on transactions totaling more than $1 billion. He has also served as CFO and in other operational roles for private-equity backed retail companies, developing and executing strategic plans which resulted in significant company growth and high exit multiples. While at Deloitte, Mr. Sobol also spent time in Russia shortly after the fall of communism, assisting a Russian company through the IPO process.
Mr. Sobol devotes a substantial amount of his free time to charities, including Team-in-Training (TNT), the fundraising arm for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for which he has raised significant funds by running marathons.
Mr. Sobol is a CPA and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance and Marketing from McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. While completing his MBA, he led a yearlong study for the Dean of the Graduate School of Business on developing a venture capital fund and curriculum at The University of Texas at Austin and launched a self-funded startup upon graduation.
Jack V. Gunion Partner
Jack@MotivityCapital.com
Jack Gunion has a long history of starting and managing rapid growth companies. His first entrepreneurial venture was Eye Care Centers of America, Inc. (ECCA) where he completed a series of 5 acquisitions, forming the second largest eyewear superstore chain in the US, commonly known as EyeMasters (now VisionWorks). After the sale of ECCA to Sears, he was a founding member and CEO of Discovery Zone, awarding over 150 franchises prior to its sale to Blockbuster, Inc. Mr. Gunion then founded or acquired several businesses, growing them and then selling to larger entities within their industries.
Mr. Gunion spent the first 22 years of his career on the corporate side of retailing, assuming increasingly responsible positions with large retail companies such as Sears, where he rose over 10 years from a Management Trainee to become a Group Merchandise Manager for their largest administrative unit, Chicago; to Target Stores where he was a Regional Merchandise Manager for their stores in the Southwestern US; to County Seat Stores where he was Regional Director for their Northern Region; to Waldenbooks as Vice President of Stores where he guided their transition from 600 stores to 950 in just over three years; and finally, to Genesco, Inc as President of their Retail Group, managing over 1,100 shoe stores (Johnston & Murphy, Journeys, and other branded stores) in the US and Canada. He has participated in opening nearly 800 retail stores in his career.
Mr. Gunion has raised, or participated as an investor in over $150 million in various forms of investment capital, including IPO's, Private Placements, Subordinated Debt, and Senior Debt agreements. He has also raised over $40 million in the non-profit sector, primarily for the YMCA.
Mr. Gunion earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Drake University and completed the Financial Management Program at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
motivity [məʊˈtɪvɪtɪ] n. the power of moving or of initiating motion...


text:
{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
module Network.Wai.Middleware.Push.Referer.ParseURL (
    parseUrl
  ) where

import Data.ByteString (ByteString)
import Data.ByteString.Internal (ByteString(..), memchr)
import Data.Word8
import Foreign.ForeignPtr (withForeignPtr, ForeignPtr)
import Foreign.Ptr (Ptr, plusPtr, minusPtr, nullPtr)
import Foreign.Storable (peek)

import Network.Wai.Middleware.Push.Referer.Types

-- |
--
-- >>> parseUrl ""
-- (Nothing,"")
-- >>> parseUrl "/"
-- (Nothing,"/")
-- >>> parseUrl "ht"
-- (Nothing,"")
-- >>> parseUrl "http://example.com/foo/bar/"
-- (Just "example.com","/foo/bar/")
-- >>> parseUrl "https://www.example.com/path/to/dir/"
-- (Just "www.example.com","/path/to/dir/")
-- >>> parseUrl "http://www.example.com:8080/path/to/dir/"
-- (Just "www.example.com:8080","/path/to/dir/")
-- >>> parseUrl "//www.example.com:8080/path/to/dir/"
-- (Just "www.example.com:8080","/path/to/dir/")
-- >>> parseUrl "/path/to/dir/"
-- (Nothing,"/path/to/dir/")

parseUrl :: ByteString -> IO (Maybe ByteString, URLPath)
parseUrl bs@(PS fptr0 off len)
  | len == 0 = return (Nothing, "")
  | len == 1 = return (Nothing, bs)
  | otherwise = withForeignPtr fptr0 $ \ptr0 -> do
      let begptr = ptr0 `plusPtr` off
          limptr = begptr `plusPtr` len
      parseUrl' fptr0 ptr0 begptr limptr len

parseUrl' :: ForeignPtr Word8 -> Ptr Word8 -> Ptr Word8 -> Ptr Word8 -> Int
          -> IO (Maybe ByteString, URLPath)
parseUrl' fptr0 ptr0 begptr limptr len0 = do
      w0 <- peek begptr
      if w0 == _slash then do
          w1 <- peek $ begptr `plusPtr` 1
          if w1 == _slash  then
              doubleSlashed begptr len0
            else
              slashed begptr len0 Nothing
        else do
          colonptr <- memchr begptr _colon $ fromIntegral len0
          if colonptr == nullPtr then
              return (Nothing, "")
            else do
              let authptr = colonptr `plusPtr` 1
              doubleSlashed authptr (limptr `minusPtr` authptr)
  where
    -- // / ?
    doubleSlashed :: Ptr Word8 -> Int -> IO (Maybe ByteString, URLPath)
    doubleSlashed ptr len
      | len < 2  = return (Nothing, "")
      | otherwise = do
          let ptr1 = ptr `plusPtr` 2
          pathptr <- memchr ptr1 _slash $ fromIntegral len
          if pathptr == nullPtr then
              return (Nothing, "")
            else do
              let auth = bs ptr0 ptr1 pathptr
              slashed pathptr (limptr `minusPtr` pathptr) (Just auth)

    -- / ?
    slashed :: Ptr Word8 -> Int -> Maybe ByteString -> IO (Maybe ByteString, URLPath)
    slashed ptr len mauth = do
        questionptr <- memchr ptr _question $ fromIntegral len
        if questionptr == nullPtr then do
            let path = bs ptr0 ptr limptr
            return (mauth, path)
          else do
            let path = bs ptr0 ptr questionptr
            return (mauth, path)
    bs p0 p1 p2 = path
      where
        off = p1 `minusPtr` p0
        siz = p2 `minusPtr` p1
        path = PS fptr0 off siz

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Posts tagged with "UAE"
Arab normalizers face dilemma as Israel goes to the far right
January 16th, 20230 Israel's sharp tilt to what is likely to be the most hard right government in its history puts its new Arab allies in the awkward position of having to deal with ultra-nationalists while trying to do more than just pay lip service to the Palestinian cause. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet, sworn in two weeks ago, includes...
Lebanese chess champion withdraws from international competition
August 23rd, 20220 LEBANON — Nadia Fawaz, a Lebanese chess champion, was matched with an Israeli player, Elia Grozman, in the fourth round of the 28th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival. Lebanese outlet The961 has reported that Fawaz, however, decided she did not want to play with an Israeli and has withdrawn from the international chess...
Iraq makes it illegal to attempt normalizing ties with Israel
May 28th, 20220 BAGHDAD – Iraq's parliament approved a law on Thursday that will ban normalizing relations with Israel, at a time when several Arab countries have established formal ties. The Iraqi parliament has been unable to convene on any other issue, including electing a new president and forming its own government, prolonging a political...
Seeking change, Lebanese living abroad cast 142,000 ballots for May 15 parliamentary elections
May 10th, 20220 Lebanese living abroad cast 142,041 ballots for parliamentary elections on Friday and Sunday, many backing political newcomers after the worst crisis since Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war led to widespread poverty and a wave of emigration. Only 225,277 Lebanese living overseas were eligible to participate in the elections in more than 50...
News from Yemen: Fighting eases in Marib, Biden speaks with Saudi king
February 8th, 20220 ADEN — The Saudi-led coalition deployed newly formed units near Yemen's Marib, where battles abated over the last week, according to military and government sources, as the warring sides hold their positions in the fight for energy-rich areas that has led to the war's biggest escalation in years. Last month the Houthi movement...
Israeli spyware strikes again, causing panic among Apple users
September 17th, 20210 An alarming discovery that the Israeli spyware company NSO Group targeted an ordinary citizen's iPhone yet again caused Apple to deliver an important security update to its users. Researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab said a security issue in Apple's software was exploited to plant spyware on a Saudi...
Outrage, frustration from community after student Abdulmalek Alsanabani tortured and killed in Yemen
September 16th, 20210 DEARBORN — The tragic kidnapping, torture and murder in Yemen of Abdulmalek Alsanabani, a Yemeni student who resided in California, sparked outrage and protests in the U.S. and Yemen this week. Alsanabani was a 25-year-old living in Fresno, California and had decided to take an often dangerous journey across the south of Yemen to...
Emirates allows travelers to Beirut from U.S. and some other countries to bring extra luggage through September
August 26th, 20210 DUBAI – Starting Thursday, Aug. 26 through Sept. 30, Emirates airline's economy class passengers traveling to Beirut from the U.S. and some other countries via Dubai will be eligible to carry an additional piece of luggage totaling 50 lbs. The additional baggage allowance will help customers pack extra items to support family and...
UAE's Hope Probe enters orbit in first Arab Mars mission
February 12th, 20210 DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates' first mission to Mars reached the red planet and entered orbit on Tuesday after a seven-month, 494 million-km (307 million-mile) journey, allowing it to start sending data about the Martian atmosphere and climate. The Mars program is part of the UAE's efforts to develop its scientific and...
Local activists react to U.S backed normalization treaties struck between UAE, Bahrain and Israel
September 18th, 20200 DEARBORN — So-called "peace agreements" between two Arab countries, the UAE and Bahrain, with Israel were signed on Tuesday, in a ceremony at the White House hosted by President Trump. The normalization efforts between governments of the two Arab countries and Israel carried little consent from the people of those nations and...
Sultan of Oman reshuffles government
August 21st, 20200 MUSCAT - The Sultan of Oman issued 28 new royal decrees this week during a reshuffle of government roles and responsibilities. Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said has named Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi as foreign minister to replace foreign affairs chief Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah after 23 years of service. When you have...
Saudi Arabia fails to gather a firm Arab stand against Iran
May 31st, 20190 MECCA — Saudi Arabia's king told an emergency Arab summit on Thursday that decisive action was needed to stop Iranian "escalations" in the region following attacks on Gulf oil assets, as American officials said a U.S. military deployment had deterred Tehran. King Salman had opened an earlier meeting of Arab Gulf leaders with a...
UAE uses cyber-weapon "Karma" to spy on adversaries
January 30th, 20190 UAE - The United Arab Emirates employed a team of former U.S. government intelligence operatives to hack into the iPhones of activists, diplomats and rival foreign leaders with the help of a spying tool called Karma. This campaign shows the potential of dangerous cyber-weapons that are passing through the hands of world's superpowers...
Trump offers to mediate talks on Qatar crisis
September 8th, 20170 WASHINGTON — On Thursday, President Trump said he would be willing to step in and mediate the worst dispute in decades among the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states and Qatar, and said that he thinks a deal could come quickly. "If I can help mediate between Qatar and, in particular, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, I would be willing to do so,...
Arab powers sever Qatar ties, citing support for militants
June 5th, 20170 DUBAI ― The Arab world's biggest powers cut ties with Qatar on Monday over alleged support for Islamists and Iran, reopening a festering wound two weeks after President Trump's demand for Muslim states to fight terrorism. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Qatar in a coordinated...


Jeurys Familia will be back Friday night, activated off the disabled list. The Mets closer may not pitch the ninth inning in meaningless games at Washington this weekend, but for Familia and the Mets, anytime he takes a major-league mound in these final six weeks will be important.
"I want to finish the season right now, I know I can pitch, just like I said," said Familia, who pitched on back-to-back days on a minor-league rehab assignment in Brooklyn this week. "I want to have a couple outings at the end of the season, offseason relax in my house and I want to make sure they can see 100% that I am healthy."
And after missing three months of facing major league hitters, Familia needs to see that himself.
"Yeah, I want to know that before I go home," Familia said of reassuring himself before heading into the offseason. "I know I am healthy. I know I can pitch. I just want to do it before I go home (to the Dominican Republic) and relax for the winter."
Familia is coming back from surgery to have a blood clot removed in his shoulder, a surgery in mid-May that many thought would have him out the rest of the season. The 27-year-old has had a very smooth return and is scheduled to pitch in lower-leverage innings over the weekend.
"We'll make sure he's pitched a few games before he does that," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He's still on the comeback trail. I think we've got to be careful. We know he can do back-to-back days, even though he went the last two days, and then we'll worry (about closing.)"
The 27-year-old is more concerned about comfort on the mound than what inning he pitches.
"I know right now my arm is 100% good," Familia said. "I don't worry about that. I just try to get here and do my job."
Familia said that the doctors have assured him that the blood clot issue is not one he has to worry about recurring. He said that the only symptom he suffered was an occasional numbness in his right middle finger and coldness in his hands. He admitted that may have affected the command of his pitches in his last big league appearance before surgery, May 10, when he allowed three runs on two hits in a third of an inning against the Giants.
"Honestly I think the last day I pitched, I feel like my command is way different," Familia said.
Noah Syndergaard did not throw to live batters Thursday. The righthander, who has been on the disabled list since May 1 with a torn right lat muscle, is heading to Port St. Lucie to continue his rehab throwing program, the team announced in an unusual press release with updates on all their injured players Thursday. The release said Syndergaard's program would include throwing a live batting practice, but did not say when. Terry Collins had indicated that Syndergaard would be throwing to live hitters on Wednesday, but the team said they backed him off as a precaution.
Matt Harvey will make his fourth rehab start Saturday with Class-A St. Lucie, the Mets announced Thursday. The right hander is expected to be back in the major league rotation Sept. 1.
Righthander Seth Lugo is scheduled to throw a bullpen on Friday and if he comes through that OK will likely start one of the Mets' two games Sunday in Washington.


When she was a little girl she never cried.
in defeat … smiles vanishing forever.
and sliding around like silly kids.
Susan Deer Cloud is a mixed lineage mountain Indian from the Catskills. An alumna of Binghamton University (B.A. & M.A.) and Goddard College (MFA), she is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, two New York State Foundation for the Arts Poetry Fellowships, an Elizabeth George Foundation Grant and a Chenango County Council for the Arts Individual Artist Grant. Her work has been published in numerous literary journals and anthologies; her most recent books are Braiding Starlight, The Last Ceremony & Car Stealer.
She likes to eat blueberries in winter and sing to feral cats.


text:
High-tech's service workers are a growing underclass
Bus drivers, janitors, security share none of the perks at tech's biggest companies.
High-tech's service workers are a growing underclass Bus drivers, janitors, security share none of the perks at tech's biggest companies. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/1ovgJtp
Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY Published 4:19 p.m. ET Aug. 13, 2014 | Updated 2:26 p.m. ET Aug. 15, 2014
Eulogia Figueroa, 49, a janitor at Apple, in front of the Apple campus in Cupertino, Calif. She earns $14.94 an hour, barely enough to scrape by in Silicon Valley.(Photo: Martin E. Klimek for USA TODAY)
SAN FRANCISCO — Michael Johnson used to work as a field engineer in the telecommunications industry, but that job was wiped out in the dot-com bust.
So Johnson went back to school. Today he has a master's degree and dreams of finding another job in high-tech.
But to pay the bills and pay down his student loan debt, the 52-year-old divorced father of three has worked security jobs on and off for years. And, for as many years, he has watched his bank account shrink.
He says he makes "Wal-Mart" wages as a security supervisor at a major tech company that he declined to name for fear of losing that job.
DRIVING THE BUS: It's a long, tiring haul for Silicon Valley's bus drivers
He can't afford an apartment, so he rents a room in a friend's house. A friend sold him a truck and let him pay it off in installments.
Johnson watches every dollar he spends on food. He fills out surveys at Denny's to get a discount on breakfast and takes advantage of the two pieces of chicken for $2 at Popeye's on Tuesdays.
"I am living straight hand to mouth," Johnson said.
Johnson belongs to a new and growing underclass who work inside some of the world's wealthiest companies.
They push mops and clean toilets. They cook and serve gourmet lunches. They patrol suburban office parks. They ferry technology workers to and from their jobs in luxury shuttle buses.
These contract workers are part of a new and growing underclass who work inside some of the world's wealthiest companies. VPC
But they are not on the payroll at Apple, Facebook or Google, companies famous for showering their workers with six-figure salaries, stock options and perks.
Instead they are employed by outside contractors. And they say the bounty from the technology boom is not trickling down to them.
Over the past two decades, U.S. companies under growing pressure from Wall Street to deliver higher returns have outsourced jobs such as janitors and security officers to drive down labor costs.
That nationwide trend has led to declining wages, eroding health and safety conditions and a lower standard of living for these workers, says David Weil, author of The Fissured Workplace and head of the U.S. Department of Labor's wage and hour division.
Nowhere is that trend more pronounced than in Silicon Valley where the economic divide is widening between highly educated and skilled high-tech workers and low-paid workers who are trying to piece together a living in one of the country's most expensive places.
A much higher percentage of these low-paid workers are black or Hispanic, making them stand out on high-tech campuses where those historically underrepresented groups account for a tiny fraction of the professional workforce.
High-tech companies contacted by USA TODAY declined to comment and referred calls to outside contractors.
"It's not a tech-specific phenomenon," University of California-Berkeley economics professor Enrico Moretti said. "But it comes across as a more salient and more poignant trend when you have these people working next to people who are extremely highly educated and skilled and whose wages have improved."
WIDENING INCOME DISPARITY
Silicon Valley tops the list of the highest-paid metropolitan areas for tech talent.
The average tech worker in Silicon Valley commands a salary of $108,603 and an average annual bonus of $12,458, according to Dice.com. Software engineers make even more — an average of $126,288 and a bonus of $9,741 — and compensation for engineers is rising quickly.
Contract workers for Silicon Valley companies, on the other hand, have seen their wages stagnate. Most of these jobs come with few if any benefits.
Many of these workers can get only part-time hours and are not paid for sick or vacation leave.
Few can afford health insurance or to set aside money for retirement. Some work second jobs just to pay the rent. They have no job security and few job protections.
Silicon Valley used to offer these workers a middle-class living through good-paying manufacturing jobs in the tech industry.
But as those jobs have vanished, the region is losing its social and economic balance, said Derecka Mehrens, executive director at Working Partnerships USA.
Each technology boom has ushered in more wealth than the last, pricing lower-wage workers out of Silicon Valley. Nearly a third of jobs in Silicon Valley pay $16 an hour or less, not enough to support a family, Mehrens said.
Russell Hancock, CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, says the region is becoming "a valley of haves and have-nots."
"We have never seen a bigger income gap, and it's only growing," he said.
And that is creating a whole new class of workers in Silicon Valley, said Stanford sociologist Marianne Cooper, author of Cut Adrift: Families in Insecure Times.
"We are seeing the emergence of a serving class," Cooper said. "And that is a real dividing line in society."
FEELING LIKE A SECOND-CLASS WORKER
Marcial Delgado, 36, says he used to make $12 an hour putting in about 30 hours a week in the kitchen at Yahoo as a supervisor.
Unable to get more hours, he held down a second job so he could buy diapers and formula for his two children.
Looking around at Yahoo employees, he said he felt like a second-class worker.
"They made five or 10 times what I was making," Delgado said. "I felt bad. I was doing the hardest work for the least money."
Terrance Rollins, 50, leaves Stockton, Calif., at 3:40 a.m. for the 90-minute commute to the bus yard in San Carlos, Calif., where he picks up the 45-foot shuttle that ferries Facebook workers to and from work.
He works a split shift, meaning he is on duty in the morning and again in the evening.
He's not allowed to take another job, and driving home is not an option.
So from about 10:45 a.m. until 3:45 p.m., he either tries to sleep sitting up in a chair in the break room or dozes fitfully in the front seat of his car. He and his co-workers drape blankets over their cars to shield themselves from the midday heat.
Rollins makes $18 an hour for eight or nine hours of work. He says it's not enough with the high cost of living and the high personal cost of seeing his kids only on the weekends.
"Driving people back and forth to their jobs is a very stressful job," Rollins said. "They say you are a professional driver, but you are not getting professional pay."
GOING THE EXTRA MILE FOR WORKERS
Some high-tech start-ups are looking for ways to better provide for contract workers.
Meal-delivery service Munchery employs a couple hundred drivers. Some work 15 hours a week, but those who work 30 hours or more get the same benefits as other employees.
When Tri Tran launched Munchery, he made the deliveries himself. He quickly realized how important it was for customers to be greeted with a smile and a friendly attitude. At Munchery, drivers keep the same routes, building rapport with customers and becoming ambassadors for the service.
"Drivers feel invested in the company, and they feel respected by the company," said Tran, Munchery co-founder and CEO.
And drivers who show initiative can move up in the company, Tran said.
LITTLE HOPE FOR OTHERS
Eulogia Figueroa, a 49-year-old mother of two who works as a janitor on Apple's Cupertino, Calif., campus, worries the future does not hold that kind of promise for her family.
She earns $14.94 an hour, barely enough to scrape by in Silicon Valley.
Figueroa and her husband share a three-bedroom duplex in East San Jose with her son, daughter and son-in-law.
Their budget is tight — and getting tighter as prices go up. They used to buy 4 pounds of meat; now they can only afford 2. They skimp on anything but necessities.
Figueroa says she's luckier than many of her friends at other technology companies. She has a union job that provides health insurance and retirement benefits.
But, "we sacrifice a lot just to survive," she says. "We don't have much left over at the end of the month."
Her biggest sacrifice by far: not being able to send her kids to college.
She used to dream they would escape the grind of low wages by landing jobs writing code or designing gadgets for a company like Apple.
Instead her 24-year-old son works by her side at Apple as a janitor.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1ovgJtp


text:
This Week in COVID-19 | 4.13.2020
Hal Conte April 13, 2020
Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash
Brazil's Amazon Imperiled By COVID–19
by Hal Conte
Illegal logging in the Amazon has soared to the highest rate in a decade, with seven indigenous people infected by the coronavirus which otherwise wouldn't reach the remote dwellers. A few have compared the situation to the arrival of European colonialists in the 15th century, who brought with them smallpox and other new ailments which had a genocidal effect on the population. Transportation to the forests as a whole has declined, though, with authorities seeking to limit the spread.
Image source: Al Jazeera
Some Pakistani Muslims Reject Mosque Gathering Ban
A ban on attending religious services by five or more people in mosques was flouted by thousands of Pakistani Muslims over the past week. Some believers say they're immune from the coronavirus due to their prayers, although government officials have identified 60 percent or more of all cases as coming from those returning from pilgrimages. A fraction of congregations have scorned the state Council of Islamic Ideology. Police have been attacked in some cases and tacitly allow services in others.
Image source: NPR
Arab Cities Unite To Find Solutions To Pandemic
Rabat, Sidon, Essaouira, Byblos, Alexandria, members of the Coalition of Arab Cities against Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Intolerance, are reacting to the coronavirus by providing subsidies to local textile workers to enable them to switch to making masks, toll-free mental health hotlines, free internet for the poor, facilitating at-home coronavirus teststing, and training sanitation wokers.
Image source: UNESCO
Deprived Angola Cuban Doctors' Next Stop
Angola is the next destination for 244 Cuban doctors acting to stop the coronavirus. The African country's economy is likely to contract significantly by 9 percent as a result of its basis in commodity production. A calamitous decline in oil prices has slammed OPEC's impoverished members even with a global deal to cut output.
Image source: AFP
Quebec Businesses Demand Swift Reopenings
A business campaign to pressure Quebec's government to reopen parts of the economy succeeded as officials greenlit mines, mechanic's shops, and construction companies to end lockdowns. Restrictions remain in safety precautions, though. Quebec coronavirus rates have been higher than Canada's on average, as an elderly population and closer social gatherings are a pre-existing factor.
Image source: CBC
Rights Groups Tell Eritrea To Release Dissident Leaders Amid Virus
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch demanded Eritrea, one of the world's most isolated and repressive countries, free political prisoners including a 23-year-old young woman, Ahmed Ciham Ali, who was arrested without charges at 15, due to fears that the country's jails could become a hub for the virus. Eritrea has 22 confirmed cases and thousands of political detainees, and is likely to face the worst effects of the virus due to poverty.
Image source: Getty
A Guide to Tokyo's Sweet Potato Heaven
This Week in the World | 4.13.2020


It's a long way to Thailand, so if time allows tag another location on to your stay at Kanlaya's. Our own two favourite destinations, easily reached from Chiang Mai are Ko Lanta at the furthest reach of the Andaman Sea and Luang Prabang in Laos.
Ko Lanta is the most southerly of the larger Thai islands of the Andaman Sea, well beyond Phuket and much nicer. Famed for the superb coral sand beaches that flank its western shore, and magnificent sunsets, the further south you go the better it gets.
Kantiang Bay regularly features in reviews of the world's best beaches. We love the charming Top View Guest House http://topviewresort.wordpress.com/ perched on a rocky promontory above. Family owned by the idiosyncratic "Man with no shoes," who flew bare foot on his first visit to Bangkok, bought the biggest car in the showroom for cash and drove it home still shoeless, it's simple, charming, amazing value and has magical views. They will meet you off the ferry, take you fishing, farming, to the market and cook whatever you wish as the blood-red sun sinks in the west.
There are other hotel options as you go up the price scale: www.srilantakrabi.com situated on Klongnin Beach is a 3* resort with 4* Spa and Swimming Pool offering rustic villas in 12 acres of natural landscaping; www.crownlanta.com is a majestic 5* hotel situated on a spectacular elevated peninsula with two private beaches and is located at the north of the island near the port of saladan where there is much more nightlife, shopping & an abundance of restaurants; www.thehouben.com is a small 4* boutique hotel with swimming pool and beatifully designed bedrooms located further South near Kantiang Bay & the Top View Guest House. A short walk along the beach from here gives way to the coconut palms that shade the heavenly restaurant, Same Same but Different.
Fly to Phuket direct from Chiang Mai, transferring by ferry to Phi Phi Don and jump ship to the smaller onward ferry for Ko Lanta, total journey time about seven hours, or stop over night in Phuket. Alternatively Air Asia are now flying from Chiang Mai direct to Krabi with return flights from Krabi to Bangkok.
Luang Prabang was the French Colonial capital of Northern Indochina, and before that royal capital of the Plain of Jars. It richly deserves its World Heritage status, with charming French colonial architecture from the turn of the 19th century, intermingled with a profusion of exquisite and richly adorned temples.
The little town occupies a peninsular at the confluence of the mighty Mekong River, the world's tenth largest, and one of its principal tributaries. The scenery is spectacular, jagged limestone peaks, dense jungle and very simple tribal villages. 95% of the Laos population is rural and you will see a way of life little changed for centuries. Visit magnificent waterfalls and take a long tail boat on the river to sacred Buddhist shrines and caves. At night dine on the precipitous banks of the river and stroll the market, one of the finest for silks and weavings in the Orient.
Fly direct from Chiang Mai, a low level flight of around an hour, or take the Slow Boat from the Golden Triangle three hours' drive north of Chiang Mai for a two day cruise down the Mekong. Be warned though; book the luxury boat, not the public river bus if you want the best.
rated in the world's top twenty beaches."


Hiring Civil Engineer Based at Canada/ Australia/ Hong-kong 5-10 yrs Oasis Resource Management Pvt. Ltd.
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text:
Reading About Quantum Creativity
In this article, game designer Sande Chen looks at the science of creativity, as inspired by quantum physics.
Sande Chen
[This article originally appeared on Game Design Aspect of the Month under the topic of Creativity Enhancing Games.]
A few days ago, I started reading the book, Quantum Creativity, by Amit Goswami. A retired professor in theoretical physics, Goswami views creativity through the lens of quantum physics. And just like quantum physics was a leap away from Newtonian physics, so too is what Goswami calls "quantum creativity." While Goswami did intend this book for people not familiar with quantum physics, it's not actually that easy to follow.
What I have gleaned is that creativity can be understood as belonging into two categories: inner and outer creativity. You can have one without the other, but merging both together is immensely better.
Outer creativity is the manifestation of expression in the arts and the sciences that we would have no problem calling creative. We see the works of art. We see the scientific discoveries. Inner creativity, however, is about spiritual transformation and growth. It's about meaningful context. Psychologist Abraham Maslow distinguished this type of creativity as self-actualizing creativity and for outer creativity, he used the term, talent-driven creativity.
Learning about the science behind human creativity made me see that my search for meaningfulness in stories and games is likely because I don't want an inner and an outer creativity in a dichotomy, broken down into Hero's Journey and Heroine's Journey, but as an entwined creative experience that can be led by emotions and admired or felt on a spiritual level.
I realize I may be headed into the New Age-y zone with this book, but I did find it interesting to see a perspective so different from my own experience. Never would I have thought that quantum physics would contain such insights into the workings of creativity. I think it's important to read these different perspectives and I expect I will definitely be reading this book over to try to understand it better.
Sande Chen is a writer and game designer whose work has spanned 10 years in the industry. Her credits include 1999 IGF winner Terminus, 2007 PC RPG of the Year The Witcher, and Wizard 101. She is one of the founding members of the IGDA Game Design SIG.


text:
Most seven days (January 7-January 13), violent
April 11, 2019	admin
people in Los Angeles know Chinatown as a distinctly Asian community where you
can go if you want genuine Asian food or products. It's also known as a good
place to shop for cheap due to the low prices and availability of goods. Because
it is an Asian area, it is possible that people project their stereotypes when
they visit Chinatown. One such stereotype is that Asians are smart and do well
in school; surprisingly, has a high rate of people with less than a high school
degree and a low rate of people with higher education. An insensitive social
worker could make an inappropriate comment without even thinking about it if
they believe this stereotype. A not so surprising demographic is that there the
mean age is 37. When in Chinatown, you see more elderly than younger people
working the stores or the shops. What is even more shocking is that the elderly
moves so quickly and seem so much healthier than the younger people. One thing
that might be a problem is that shopkeepers do follow you around until you buy
something, or they speak in Mandarin or Cantonese in front of you and makes it
feel like they are talking about you; it is a bit uncomfortable. Social workers
might have a hard time gaining their trust since they may say one thing in
English but something different in Mandarin or Cantonese, something may be lost
in translation when speaking, or a social worker might accidently insult the
person if they are not familiar with Asian culture etiquette.
According to the Los Angeles Times, in the
last seven days (January 7-January 13), violent crime reports jumped
significantly, and property crime reports dipped. Over the last three months, Chinatown averaged 1.5 violent crimes and 8.8 property
crimes per week. There are 2.4 crimes per 10,000 people. If we look at the last
six months (June 12, 2017 to Dec. 10, 2017), the rate of 83.2 crimes per 10,000
people is lower than in nearby Downtown, Boyle
Heights, Echo Park, Lincoln Heights and Elysian Park
(Los Angeles Times). Chinatown is covered by two
police jurisdictions; Central and Rampart.
There are 101 veterans living in
Chinatown, with the percentage of veterans who served during World War II or
the Korean War being the highest at 56; 28 in the Vietnam War; 6 in wars from
1975-1989; and 10 in wars from 1990-1999.
The average household size is 2.8 with renting
your home at 91% and owning your home at 9%. There are 220 families (9.6%)
headed by single parents. For males, 59% are married, 4.4% are divorced, 2.5%
are widowed, and 34.2% have never married. For females, 53.3% are married, 4.2%
are divorced, 14.9% are widowed, and 27.5% have never married.
In Chinatown, only 8.3%
of residents 25 and older have a four-year degree, low for the
city of Los Angeles and low for the county which
means that 4, 017 people have less than a high school education level, 1,033
have a high school education level, 1,024 have some college, 441 have a
Bachelor's Degree and 110 have a Master's Degree or higher. There are three
schools operating within Chinatown – Endeavor College Preparatory Charter School, grades
4-8; Castelar Street Elementary School, grades
K-5; and Cathedral
High School, a private Catholic boys' school, just down the hill from Dodger
Stadium, on the north side of Chinatown. There is also a public library.
The median household income (2008 dollars)
in Chinatown is $22,754
(Los Angeles Times). 1,880 people make $20,000 or less; 873 people making
between $20,000 and $40,000; 303 people making between $40,000 and $60,000; 260
people making between $60,000 and $125,000; and 35 people making $125,000 and
In terms of ethnicity break down,
Chinatown is mostly Asian with 70.6% with Latinos falling in
second with 23.5%, followed by Whites 2.5%, Black/African-Americans 1.8%, and
other 1.5% (Los Angeles Times). The median age in Chinatown is 37, with1,371
being 10 or less; 879 being 11-18; 2,126 being 19-34; 1,944 being 35-49; 1,377
being 50-64; and 1,914 being 65 and up. Chinese (56.5%) and Mexican
(17.1%) are the most common ancestries with 6,960 (72.4%) of residents are foreign born. China (55.3%) and Mexico (12.4%) are the most common
foreign places of birth (Los Angeles Times).
Chinatown, Los
Angeles, California is a relatively small area in Central LA; it has an area of
0.91 square miles. Its borders include Boyle Heights, Elysian
Park to the north, Lincoln Heights to the east, Downtown to the south and
southwest and Echo Park to the west and northwest; to the north is Beaudry Avenue, Stadium Way, North Broadway; to the east is the Los Angeles River; and to the southwest is Cesar Chavez Avenue.
When looking at a map, Chinatown forms the shape of a lopsided-heart (?).
According to a U.S. Census in 2000, Chinatown's population was 9,610. In 2008,
based on the L.A. Department of City Planning estimates, the population had
reached 28,839. There is about 10,568 people per square mile, which is about
average for the city of Los Angeles and about
average for the county (Los Angeles Times).
Larchmont will ease congestion from streets and
Research by virtue of their position of
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Jurassic Park Essay


text:
North Korea Has A Whole List Of Insults For Biden: He's 'A Low-IQ Idiot'
Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
May 22, 2019 8:19 PM ET
North Korea's state-owned news agency, KCNA, published a piece Tuesday attacking former Vice President Joe Biden, who is currently leading in the polls going into the 2020 Democratic primary.
"North Korea issues a list of criticisms against former VP Joe Biden, calling the presidential candidate 'a low IQ idiot' and saying his 'candidacy should not carry high expectations,' ABC Politics tweeted Wednesday.
North Korea issues a list of criticisms against former VP Joe Biden, calling the presidential candidate "a low IQ idiot" and saying his "candidacy should not carry high expectations" https://t.co/zr8Nc8aNpO pic.twitter.com/t8PVn2VqNN
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 22, 2019
USA Today added, "North Korea has called Joe Biden a 'fool of low IQ' and an 'imbecile bereft of elementary quality as a human being."
North Korea has called Joe Biden a "fool of low IQ" and an "imbecile bereft of elementary quality as a human being." https://t.co/MKp5p7jYg6
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) May 22, 2019
Claiming that the former Delaware senator "is misbehaving," the article referred to him as someone "who likes to stick his nose into other people's business and is a poor excuse for a politician." (RELATED: Trump: 'What The Hell Happened To Joe Biden?')
Biden was also attacked for recent comments he made about North Korea on the campaign trail, saying of Kim Jong Un that "this is a guy with his uncle's brains blown out, sitting across a table. This is the guy who's a thug."
Biden also argued at a campaign stop in Philadelphia that it was concerning that President Donald Trump appears to be drawn to "dictators and tyrants like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Kim Jong Un."
The article was not framed as a direct response to Biden's comments but did acknowledge them, saying that he had "dared to blaspheme our Supreme Dignity at a recent campaign event" and claiming that "blasphemy" didn't "even meet the standards of basic human dignity, let alone a politician."
Some of the expressions used may have been lost in translation, however. BNO News reported that the article referred to Biden's candidacy as "enough to make a cat laugh."
North Korea unloads on Joe Biden for criticizing Kim Jong Un, calling him an "imbecile," "a fool of low IQ," and his candidacy "enough to make a cat laugh." pic.twitter.com/tXPTTlzWMH
— BNO News (@BNONews) May 22, 2019
Follow Virginia on Twitter
Tags : donald trump joe biden kim jong un north korea
Virginia Kruta


The believers in the early church came together and shared all they had, having one heart and mind—to show the compassion of God to unbelievers so the unbelievers could know Christ. God has established churches today to do the same thing. We are to take our place sharing our gifts and talents so the Body can be whole. How do you fit in the Body? How are you supporting the church? Ask God to help you find your fit in the church.


text:
Diatomist Karthick Balasubramanian bags T N Khoshoo Memorial Award
The award was given for his pioneering contributions to the study of diatoms or single-celled microscopic algae, which are found in rivers, wetlands, oceans and soil.
Written by Aksheev Thakur
November 27, 2022 13:26 IST
Karthick Balasubramanian has been awarded the T N Khoshoo Memorial Award for his work on the taxonomy and systematics of freshwater diatom flora. (Express)
Leading diatomist Karthick Balasubramanian has bagged this year's T N Khoshoo Memorial Award for his work on the taxonomy and systematics of freshwater diatom flora. The award was given for his pioneering contributions to the study of diatoms or single-celled microscopic algae, which are found in rivers, wetlands, oceans and soil, and are a source of food for many organisms.
The award, named after world-renowned environmental scientist Dr Triloki Nath Khoshoo, is given to academicians or practitioners whose work made an impact in the fields of environment, conservation, or development.
Balasubramanian is presently working as a scientist with Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune. Spending his early days in Rasipuram, Tamil Nadu, Balasubramanian wanted to become a station master till he was introduced to the world of Zoology and Botany by his school teachers.
"In my Class 11, my teachers introduced me to the world of botany and zoology. We had more hands-on sessions which I loved and the interactions of students with the teachers were insightful. I was a below-average student but scored 98 and 99 per cent in botany and zoology which encouraged me to study these further. Since I did not like mathematics, I did not take computer science engineering even though my father wanted me to take that. I pursued BSc in microbiology at KSR College in Tiruchengode. I can say that teachers are very important and they can make anybody a scientist," Balasubramanian said.
During his tenure at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, Balasubramanian worked under renowned scientist Dr TV Ramachandra.
"I wanted to do a good MSc project as I was interested in pursuing my PhD. I wrote to hundreds of people across the country and got a response from Dr TV Ramachandra, who allowed me to present my thoughts on wetlands. Hard work is synonymous with him as he works 15 hours a day even today. I joined Dr Ramachandra as a project assistant to study the water quality of the Aghanashini, Kali and Bhetki rivers of the Western Ghats in the Uttar Kannada region of Karnataka," he said.
Balasubramanian has described 106 new species or new combinations of diatoms from India. A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species of organism in scientific papers. Diatoms even indicate the quality of water in which they grow.
"Diatoms are responsible for 1/4 of global oxygen. They are the base of aquatic food chains. Diatoms also have biofuel potential. While there are several microalgae present in water, diatoms are unique because they are the only species having silica in their cells," he said.
He disseminates the knowledge of science to the underprivileged in English and Tamil in schools.
"The idea of taking the teachings in science to schools and science communication comes from Dr Ramachandra. Science is for people, so it is the responsibility of each scientist to convey our discoveries to as many people as possible, especially to kids from rural areas. They have limited access to information and their way of looking at life is different from one who has a lot of access to information," said Balasubramanian.
1Karnataka govt forms committee to study possibility of according second official language status to Tulu
2BBMP asks builders, owners of high rises to stop crane works from February 9 to 19 during Aero India
3English training for teachers, resumption of bicycle scheme among Karnataka education dept's wishlist for budget
More from Bangalore
The T N Khoshoo Memorial Award was started by the Khoshoo family and Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru in 2004 to honour Dr Khoshoo's legacy.
Sunday Long Reads: Sale of Ustad Asad Ali Khan's rudra veena, Anurag Kashyap's dark phase, Babil Khan's debut, and more


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  eruby = TinyEruby.new(File.read('example.rhtml'))
  print eruby.src                 # print ruby code
  print eruby.result(binding())   # eval ruby code with Binding object
  print eruby.evalute(context)    # eval ruby code with context object

Methods

      convert
      evaluate
      new
      result

Constants

          EMBEDDED_PATTERN
          =
          /<%(=+|\#)?(.*?)-?%>/m

Attributes

          src
           [R]

Public Class methods

          new(input=nil)

[Source]

# File erubis/tiny.rb, line 20
    def initialize(input=nil)
      @src = convert(input) if input
    end

Public Instance methods

          convert(input)

[Source]

# File erubis/tiny.rb, line 27
    def convert(input)
      src = "_buf = '';"           # preamble
      pos = 0
      input.scan(EMBEDDED_PATTERN) do |indicator, code|
        match = Regexp.last_match
        len   = match.begin(0) - pos
        text  = input[pos, len]
        pos   = match.end(0)
        #src << " _buf << '" << escape_text(text) << "';"
        text.gsub!(/['\\]/, '\\\\\&')
        src << " _buf << '" << text << "';" unless text.empty?
        if !indicator              # <% %>
          src << code << ";"
        elsif indicator == '#'     # <%# %>
          src << ("\n" * code.count("\n"))
        else                       # <%= %>
          src << " _buf << (" << code << ").to_s;"
        end
      end
      #rest = $' || input                        # ruby1.8
      rest = pos == 0 ? input : input[pos..-1]   # ruby1.9
      #src << " _buf << '" << escape_text(rest) << "';"
      rest.gsub!(/['\\]/, '\\\\\&')
      src << " _buf << '" << rest << "';" unless rest.empty?
      src << "\n_buf.to_s\n"       # postamble
      return src
    end

          evaluate(_context=Object.new)

[Source]

# File erubis/tiny.rb, line 63
    def evaluate(_context=Object.new)
      if _context.is_a?(Hash)
        _obj = Object.new
        _context.each do |k, v| _obj.instance_variable_set("@#{k}", v) end
        _context = _obj
      end
      _context.instance_eval @src
    end

          result(_binding=TOPLEVEL_BINDING)

def escape_text(text)

  return text.gsub!(/['\\]/, '\\\\\&') || text

end

[Source]

# File erubis/tiny.rb, line 59
    def result(_binding=TOPLEVEL_BINDING)
      eval @src, _binding
    end

[Validate]


Greatest Cornrow Braided Bun Hairstyles – The one fundamental and most fundamental consideration to keep in mind is that hairstyles are all directly about the form of the face. Consequently, if you're looking for easy to do hairstyles in your home, then this is your very simple procedure for the specific same. Unlike ordinary black hairstyles, French braids are made using the whole length of their hair, rather than simply the ends.
You will create some really gorgeous hairstyles by creating tons of experiments with varied techniques. The formal hairstyles need to be created to match your own dress and style to the function. Curly weave hairstyles is the best strategy to enliven your look.
If you're attempting to find a different hairstyle that demands little to no maintenance, the hairstyles mentioned previously can radically alter your look. In such a circumstance, braided hairstyles arrive in the rescue. Extended single braid hairstyles are created on hair somewhat under the shoulder.
You can tie the braids into a traditional updo. It is customary to provide a tip, in the event the braids are finish nicely. Should you leave your braids in for any variety of weeks, you may be concerned about the amount of hair that is seemingly falling out once you eliminate the braids. You can have large together with micro braids, dependent on your own alternative. Micro braids, also known as invisible braids, are really compact braids that are laced in the scalp to a particular point, and left unlaced in the endings. Micro braids empowers your hair to possess an organic motion, permitting you to wear several patterns. Anything you desire, after you realize how to curl micro braids, then the chances are endless.
The braids are little and tight and the process could be painful. French braids are great hair designs that could endure for the entire moment. It's possible to spin these more compact braids to shape small buns. Additionally, it is important not to forget that after getting your braids completed, you've got to maintain them. Such braids differ from front-to-back layouts to styles which involve curves along with shapes. These braids might also be styled into the next hairdos. Herringbone braid also called fishbone braid appears very special.
Braids are the ideal option for those who wish to have an effortless makeover to your self, without a great deal of money squander. French braids are also an exceptional choice for formal occasions. Another kind of braids you are ready to think about is micro braids. Cornrow braids are incredibly versatile and can be employed to create unique hairstyles. Another very popular way of wearing a cornrow braid would be to wear massive cornrows that extend to the rear of the head with zigzag partings.
Braids are a amazing pick for military girls as they are flexible, easy to keep, and appear good inside and out of uniform! These braids are a breeze to make, and with just a little exercise you can do it all on your own. Though other kinds of braids can be produced in the house, it's best that for micro braids, you should talk a professional as it's a complex hairstyle. If you locate the fundamental braids dull, cornrow designs are best for you.
Braids might not only supply you with a clean and elegant look, but might help control or manage your unmanageable hair also. It needs to be mentioned that braids which are overly tight and retained for prolonged periods can place you in a chance of traction alopecia. With some training, you are likely to be in a place to create these excellent braids.


Had an early birthday celebration with Azure, Booze Queen & Iceman at Satsuma Shochu Bar just now. The food was not bad – though the vegetables was way too salty. Went to Orihara Shouten for sake after that. The night was super hot & super humid. But the company was fantastic!
Mr Gentleman, Where Art Thou?


We use a holistic approach when designing your financial plan. We want to learn more about your personal situation, identify your dreams and goals, and understand your tolerance for risk.
This includes a thorough understanding of your lifetime goals and financial obligations and include the make-up of your family, such as being married, single or a member of the LGBT community.
Long-term relationships that encourage open and honest communication have always been and continue to be the cornerstone of our foundation of success.


Excerpted From Keith Arnold's "Five things we learned: Notre Dame vs. Utah"
It was an analogy Brian Kelly didn't want to use, but football is a lot like the game of life. Ebb and flow. Highs and lows. Good and bad. And after three solid weeks of nothing but negativity, Kelly's Notre Dame squad went out on Senior Day and summarily dispatched Utah 28-3 on Saturday afternoon.
After counter-punching much of the first quarter and spotting Utah a field goal on a failed fourth down gamble, the Irish got a big special teams play from cornerback Robert Blanton, who blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. From there, the Irish systematically beat down the No. 15 Utes, giving the Irish their biggest win over a ranked opponent since 2005.
Any hope Utah had of overcoming a 14-3 halftime deficit was eliminated thirteen seconds into the second half, when freshman Austin Collinsworth stripped Shaky Smithson on the opening kickoff and Tommy Rees found senior Duval Kamara in the corner of the endzone to push the score to 21-3. Kamara would add another touchdown catch in the third quarter to seal the deal.
After losing a plethora of starters and last minute games to Michigan, Michigan State and a shocking defeat to Tulsa, the Irish finally came unbridled, finding their stride.
"You saw today a football team that didn't have on their shoulders the traditions and reputations and all the things that you have to worry about sometimes being a football player at Notre Dame, and they just flat out played," Kelly said.
And for the first time since the gallows of 2007, the senior class walks away from Notre Dame Stadium with a win, celebrating with a student section that had no intent of leaving the field.
Bob Diaco's defense was astounding in every sense of the word.
If a coaches reputation can be made (or ruined) in one Saturday, Bob Diaco tested the theory during the Irish's loss to Navy. Unable to solve even the most rudimentary elements of the Midshipmen offense, Diaco admitted that the 35-17 loss was his most frustrating as a defensive coordinator.
While Kelly caught some flack for keeping Diaco and offensive coordinator Charley Molnar away from the media this week, the move obviously paid dividends, as Diaco's defense put together their most complete performance of the season, holding a Utah team that averaged 41 points a game to a single gimme field goal, one that was courtesy of an offense that turned the ball over on downs at midfield.
How dominating was the Irish defense's performance? Consider that it was only after the score was 28-3 that Utah put together a drive that was over 24 yards. The front seven of the Irish defense completely dominated the line of scrimmage, holding a powerful Utah running game to 2.4 yards a carry and under 100 yards, even without interior stalwarts Ian Williams and Carlo Calabrese. The pass rush pressured Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn endlessly, and the secondary blanketed Utah receivers, with Harrison Smith making the best interception of his career and Gary Gray in the right place at the right time all day.
Diaco deserves all the credit in the world for dialing up a game plan that terrifically suited an Irish defense still incredibly thin due to injury. Even more impressive, the development of the defensive roster is incredibly apparent after 10 football games, with freshman like Prince Shembo and Kona Schwenke making big plays, and guys like Kapron Lewis-Moore and Sean Cwynar rising to the occasion. It's easy to see how defensive line coach Mike Elston, linebacker coaches Diaco and Kerry Cooks, and secondary coach Chuck Martin have put their fingerprints on this unit. Their performance might get lost in the shuffle, but it certainly shouldn't tonight.


"Great country! Church to be built there as soon as possible!" were the words of Bishop O'Reilly after visiting Jordan Valley for the first time in 1914. Bishop O'Reilly was inspired by the faithful Catholics of the rural community of Jordan Valley. Two years after his visit, a church was erected and still stands a hundred years later as a strong anchor of faith for Catholics in Jordan Valley.
On The Feast of the Ascension, May 28, 2017, St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Jordan Valley celebrated its 100 year anniversary and rededication. The church was newly renovated in 2016, by Fr. Bailey Clemens, the pastor at St. Bernard. Bishop Liam Cary of the Baker Diocese celebrated the Mass and rededication of the church. This was Bishop Cary's first visit to Jordan Valley since the renovations took place. In his homily, he stated how his eyes were dazzled by the interior beauty of the church, and drew him in an upward direction towards God. He stated that the Feast of the Ascension is a calling upward. It raises our eyes. Similarly, the walls of the Church take our eyes and our minds upward. When we rededicate a Church, we are reminded to rededicate ourselves to that which is above. Also, St. Paul says that the Church is the Body of Christ. Similarly, the church building symbolizes Christ who is "The Way, The Truth, and The Life.' The floor of the church represents The Way. It is the passage by which we walk. The walls represent stability, The Truth, which guards us on our way through life. The walls hold up the roof which protects us from the elements just as we are sustained by The Life of Christ.
Over 100 people joined in the celebration, with several relatives of the original builders of the church present. The women of St. Bernard served a wonderful banquet and there were games for the children, while the weather was perfect for the celebration. The beautiful remodel and rededication of the church is a testimony that the Catholics of Jordan Valley plan to be there long into the future.


text:
/ Eat Like This to Create a "Magic Shield" Against Cancer
Eat Like This to Create a "Magic Shield" Against Cancer
By	Lee Euler	/	September 2, 2018
In 2002 Valter Longo, Ph.D. was looking at ways to protect cancer patients from the damaging side effects of chemotherapy.
Based on his experience working in the same lab as a well-known anti-aging scientist named Roy Walford, Dr. Longo knew that in many animals, damaging cellular changes could be prevented and life could be extended by an eye-popping percentage by severely restricting the amount of food the creature was allowed to eat.
The problem for us humans is that, to put this concept to work, you pretty much have to starve yourself.
Unfortunately, long-term calorie restriction also comes with negative effects that make it inappropriate for people with cancer. Studies on mice, however, showed that short periods of fasting could protect cells with few downsides.
Yet when a brief three-day water-only fast was tested in cancer patients, it proved unsuccessful. It was too hard to comply with.
So Dr. Longo and his research team came up with another idea; a short-term, calorie-restricted diet where the patient did not feel like she was starving, yet the health benefits were just as good as those from fasting on water. He called it the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD).
Blood test results improve with fasting
From mouse studies, Dr. Longo and his colleagues at the Andrus Gerontology Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, determined that four important changes had to occur in the blood to prove fasting was truly protective.
The researchers were looking for lower levels of glucose and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1 is implicated in cancer development), higher amounts of ketones (from fat breakdown), and higher levels of growth factor inhibitor (IGFBP1) which neutralizes IGF1.
To successfully produce these outcomes, the scientists created a nutritious diet rich in healthy fats but low in proteins and sugars.
They then tested the fasting-mimicking diet for three days, twice a month in middle-aged mice until they died, comparing the outcome with a control group.
Dr. Longo describes the results as "remarkable," with reduced abdominal fat; less loss of bone density; tumors and inflammatory skin disorders cut by half; stem cell-dependent regeneration of the immune system and several organs; better performance in cognitive tests; increased lifespan.
FMD tested on volunteers
After equally exciting findings from further mouse studies, it was time to test the FMD on humans.
One hundred volunteers adopted FMD for five consecutive days each month for three months. The results were impressive, with risk factors for cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes all headed south.
Obese subjects lost over eight pounds and gained muscle mass relative to bodyweight. Participants who tested high at the beginning of the study for blood pressure, cholesterol, IGF-1, C-reactive protein (a measure of inflammation) and triglycerides saw their numbers fall.
Even three months after the test subjects had finished FMD, they were still benefiting from reductions in most of these measures.
Difference between intermittent fasting and FMD
Various types of intermittent fasting programs have become popular today such as the 5:2 diet — fasting on two days of the week, or alternate-day fasting — but these are different from FMD.
In both fasting and FMD the body goes through three stages:
Stage 1: 24 to 30 hours after a meal the body starts using fat for fuel, taps into glycogen (glucose) reserves in the muscles, and generates new liver glucose.
Stage 2: After 48 hours, autophagy is triggered — the process of cleaning up intra-cellular debris, eliminating waste and optimizing function.
Stage3: After four days, old, damaged and inefficient cells are removed, and more circulating stem cells become available, creating new healthy tissue.
Overall, after five days, these changes in physiology:
shift the body into an abdominal/visceral fat burning mode, clearing the body of the most damaging type of fat
protect lean body mass and activate the muscles' own stem cells
promote autophagy
kill damaged cells and replace them with newly regenerated cells from activated stem cells
enhance cognitive performance
switch all body cells into an anti-aging mode
Intermittent fasting has demonstrated improved well-being in clinical trials – weight loss, improved glucose levels and fat metabolism – but it does not put the body into stages 2 or 3 of fasting or FMD. Intermittent fasting is pretty much a stage 1 affair that doesn't give the body the opportunity to experience all the above benefits.
What can you eat on FMD?
Day 1: This consists of 1,150 calories. 550 come from vegetables and 550 from nuts and olive oil. Includes 25 grams of plant-based proteins, three or four cups of tea without sugar, unlimited water plus nutritional supplements.
Days 2 – 5: Similar to day 1 except calories are reduced to 800.
Day 6: FMD is finished, but for the 24 hours of day 6 the diet should consist only of complex carbohydrates with minimal amounts of fish, meat, saturated fats, pastries, cheese, milk etc.
Fasting as effective as chemo
Starving normal cells puts them in a protective, non-growth mode, whereas cancer cells ignore normal cellular signals and keep growing. These malignant cells also need a lot of nourishment.
This gave Dr. Longo the idea that fasting would protect healthy cells, shielding them from the worst effects of chemotherapy, while cancer cells would be at their most vulnerable after fasting.
At least that was the theory. FMD had proved itself in mice and humans without cancer, but would it work in practice in human patients?
First, fasting had to be tested in rodents.
In 2008, mice with cancer were subjected to a water fast for several days before receiving multiple cycles of high-dose chemotherapy.
Dr. Longo summed up the findings thus: "In many cases, cycles of fasting (or of a fasting-mimicking diet) are as effective as chemotherapy [and] fasting combined with chemotherapy definitively cured cancer even in the disease's end stages after it had metastasized."
Other animal studies found FMD not only made cancer cells more vulnerable to the immune system, but actually supercharged it so it became more aggressive towards the disease.
Testing at six independent labs has shown that FMD protects against the side effects of a wide range of chemo drugs. Together with standard therapy, it boosts effectiveness in over ten different forms of cancer
Dramatic reduction in side effects
When news about a "magic shield" that protects healthy cells from chemotherapy and enhances cancer treatment hit the press, some people improvised, coming up with their own versions of FMD to treat their own cancers.
A number of these contacted Dr. Longo. One was a judge with breast cancer who became cancer free and remains so today. Another was a pilot diagnosed with metastatic kidney cancer. Two years later, he totally overcame the disease and returned to flying.
Dr. Longo managed to obtain ten files on patients who had contacted his lab. They showed considerable reductions in almost all of 14 short term side effects that come with chemotherapy, such as fatigue, weakness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Several trials also demonstrated the same protective effects seen in water-only fasting.
A study conducted in Germany tested either a four-day FMD or normal eating together with standard therapy in 34 women with ovarian and breast cancer. There were clear reductions in side effects in the FMD group.
Ongoing trials involving more than 300 patients are taking place in the US, the Netherlands and Italy. It will be some time before the final outcomes for cancer patients undergoing combination therapy are known.
Meals in a box
For cancer patients, a program of four-day meal replacement kits has been created that includes everything needed to eat and drink during the FMD. It's called Chemolieve. This will only become available if trials prove successful.
FMD has not been tested in conjunction with any alternative cancer therapies, but there's no reason to believe it would not improve results.
For readers who don't have cancer but want to reduce risk factors for disease and gain the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction without hunger, a five-day meal replacement kit called Prolon is available now. The box arrives at your door with three meals a day of plant-based foods including soups, snacks, desserts and drinks as well as nutritional supplements.
At least you don't have to figure out what you're going to eat for five days.
Let's leave the last word with Dr. Longo: "Our clinical trials looking into FMD and cancer prevention and treatment are ongoing, but if early results are any indication, it could be a powerful new weapon in the arsenal we have to fight, and one day defeat, cancer."
Discoveries on how to beat cancer continue to pour in from all over. Even licorice contains a powerful anticancer substance. If you missed this news in our last issue, it's running again below.
The Longevity Diet, by Valter Longo, PhD, Avery Books 2018


text:
Gavin's Gadgets
A Different View of Tech
About/Help Me/Shopping Links
Reviews – Index
Phones, iPads, Computers & Chromebooks
Smartwatches, Straps,Fitness & VR
Audio, Headphones, Amp DACs, Projectors & More
Photography – Lenses, Tripods, Gimbals, Apps, Guides
Connected Apps, Home & Security Devices
Accessories (Power,Cases, Cables etc)
The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet – 800 calories a day for 8 weeks
How to Win in America – Chinese Company LeEco opens for business in the USA in style
April 30, 2016 Tech Newsdetails, LeEco opens new HQ in USAGavin Fabiani-Laymond
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Thursday in San Jose, LeEco established a new 80,000 square foot facility that will serve as the company's North American headquarters. The new facility will be capable of supporting up to 800 employees and will also serve as the home, dubbed the LeFuture AI Institute, for LeEco's move into the autonomous vehicle market.
LeEco issued a press release –
"Silicon Valley is critically important to our global growth strategy," said LeEco Chairman and CEO Yueting Jia. "Silicon Valley is known for its unique talent and culture of innovation and inspiration, which aligns perfectly with LeEco's mission to bring extraordinary experiences to people everywhere. We're looking forward to sharing our vision of one connected ecosystem with U.S. consumers – where users can create a seamless, premium connected experience across all of our lifestyle products."
LeEco is certainly trying to make a bold statement here. Not only will it be offering its wide range of products from phones and TV and more, but it will be also able to state how it uses America labour to design its products. Smart move in my book.
← Apple opens up Apple Music even further – details	Samsung launches a band adapter for the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch →


Your classic summer staple, featuring a double-layer of fabric over the bust and a tie on the back, in addition to the neck ties. Cut on the bias – this organic dress is turned at the top, left raw at the bottom and is slightly fitted around the waist.
Your classic summer staple. The Knee Halter features a double-layer of fabric over the bust and a tie on the back, in addition to the neck ties. Cut on the bias – this style is turned at the top, left raw at the bottom and is slightly fitted around the waist. This dress is made exclusively with certified organic cotton woven to our exact specification.


Credit Card Rates Stable - How Long Will It Last?
Credit card rates stable: How long will it last?
There were no changes in any of the credit card offers surveyed by IndexCreditCards.com, but beneath that apparent calm, events are unfolding that could spark a new wave of changes in credit card rates in the weeks ahead. Two key events that could soon affect credit card rates are unrest in North Africa and the Middle East and implementation of the Durbin amendment to the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation.
Unrest in the Middle East has sent the price of oil sharply higher. The more this starts to create inflation pressures, the more difficult it will be for the Federal Reserve to keep from raising the bank prime rate from the current 3.25 percent, and many credit card rates are based upon that prime rate.
Meanwhile, the Durbin amendment is due to be implemented in April, and threatens the profitability of debit cards. This legislation is specifically targeted at interchange rates on debit cards, not credit cards, but trying to squeeze the profitability out of a financial institution is often like squeezing one end of a balloon--it simply shifts things somewhere else. If debit card profitability is stifled, then banks will look to make up for it somewhere else, and credit card rates or fees are possibilities.
Consumer credit card rates remained at 16.82 percent overall, with the average rate on non-reward credit cards at 15.27 percent, and the average rate for reward credit cards at 17.48 percent.
That contrast between the reward and non-reward rates represents an important choice for consumers. In essence, the higher interest rate on reward credit cards subsidizes the cost of those rewards. Deciding which is best depends on a consumer's financial habits.
For those who diligently pay off their full credit card balance on time every month, the decision is a no-brainer--the interest rate in those cases is a non-factor, so these consumers can reap the benefits of a rewards card without being affected by higher rates. For those who regularly pay interest on a credit card balance, the decision involves the trickier matter of trying to calculate the cash value of rewards received, and comparing that to the extra interest paid for a reward card.
With no change to the business credit card offers surveyed, average rates remained stable at 14.72 percent in the non-reward category, and 16.21 percent in the reward category.
The difference between non-reward and reward credit card rates is less in the business category than it is in the consumer category. In theory, this would make reward credit card offers more attractive to businesses than to individual consumers, but businesses do have the complication of working out policies on how credit card rewards are to be accrued and redeemed if a card is used by multiple employees.
Reward credit card offers are most valuable to businesses that pay off their credit cards in full and on time, and thus can benefit from rewards without paying a higher interest rate.
Student credit card rates remained stable at an average of 16.40 percent. This is fairly comparable to general consumer rates (i.e., it is higher than the average non-reward rate, but lower than the average reward rate), so it represents a reasonable opportunity for students to start to establish a credit history.
With no change in credit card offers generally, the difference between average rates for customers with good credit and those with not-so-good credit remained the same. For consumer credit card offers overall, this differential remains at 4.03 percent.
In total, IndexCreditCards.com surveys information from some 50 different credit cards, and includes multiple credit-rating tiers from many of those cards. Examples of institutions surveyed include Bank of America, HSBC, Citi, American Express, and Capital One. The information compiled not only demonstrates trends in credit card rates over time, but also indicates the different values credit card companies put on different target markets (consumer, business, etc.), as evidenced in the differences between rates for those markets.
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