I am not quite sure how it happened, but I found myself procrastinating the other day by looking through my New Zealand photo archives. And man, do I have a lot of photos from here! I've been on the lookout for ideas of new places to explore, old haunts to revisit, and ideas for future adventures.
As I scrolled through thousands (yes thousands) of images, one thing stuck with me above all – New Zealand is ridiculously pretty! Ok, yes we know that, I can't shut up about it, I know. But something else stood out for me as well – New Zealand is overwhelmingly BLUE. All-caps, rarely any exceptions. If one color dominated my photos above all, it has to be blue.
Blue lakes, blue mountains, blue rivers, blue buildings, blue ice, blue reflections and the brightest blue skies you've ever seen. And not just any blue either, the purest, strongest shades of blue I've ever laid eyes on.
If you've followed me over the years, you already know I have an affinity for colors and when I travel I often associate different destinations with a color – hence my colors of the world series. Well, it's high time New Zealand made the list. Here is my guide to blue New Zealand. Enjoy!
New Zealand has about 15,000km of coastline, so it only makes sense that no matter where I travel, I am usually close to the sea. As much as I love living in Wanaka, nothing beats smelling the ocean and the fresh salty air of the beach.
What I love about New Zealand's coastlines in particular are how they are all so different. There are clear little lagoons, white sandy tropical beaches, and craggy cliffs that tumble down to monster waves. It really has everything!
Not to mention New Zealand's waters are a million shades of blue. Everywhere is different, every spot is unique. But they are all the most beautiful blue hues you've seen (great video here).
While there are plenty of glaciers to be found around New Zealand's mountains, none are quite so iconic, impressive or as icy blue as Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers.
Two of the only glaciers in the world that drop down to a rainforest, from the skies or from a distance they look like two icy blue rivers tumbling down from the mountains. They don't look real. And when the sun hits the ice, man do they sparkle blue.
I don't really know why but whenever I photograph New Zealand's Southern Alps, the mountain range that bisects the South Island, they seem blue to me. In spite of the white snow or the green trees, for me it all blurs together into a million shades of blue.
I grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia so in some ways it feels like home to me. Well, let's be honest, it has become home for me.
I don't think I'll ever tire of these mountains views.
New Zealand is Middle Earth after all, and while the Shire is as green as can be, there are plenty of iconic blue hobbit doors waiting for you at Hobbiton.
I don't think there are two bluer lakes in New Zealand than Lake Tekapo or Lake Pukaki in Canterbury on the South Island.
Literally these lakes are so blue they reflect neon turquoise on the clouds. Because of suspended glacial flour in the water, they aren't the clearest lakes in New Zealand, but man do they shine blue. Sometimes I even have to desaturate the color in photos because it looks so fake.
Sometimes I even take a day trip out to these lakes from Wanaka just because I can!
I grew up on the east coast of the US. Our lakes are brown and murky, none of this beautiful sparkling blue that permeates all of New Zealand. Seriously, is nothing ugly here?
There are so many beautiful blue lakes here I don't know how to pick a favorite? Probably Lake Wanaka where I live but there are so many I can't really chose. I've got a list on Trover of the best here.
In fact, did you know the clearest lake in the world is in New Zealand? Aptly named Blue Lake in the Nelson Lakes National Park, I've yet to go but it's on the list!
Just like with the lakes, I grew up in a world of murky algae infested rivers that never looked blue no matter how sunny it was outside.
New Zealand has some of the bluest, clearest (and coldest) rivers I've ever seen, and that's saying something.
I live just down the road from the Clutha River in Wanaka, and it's one of my favorite spots in town to go wandering around.
And as if New Zealand wasn't cool enough (haven't I convinced you yet?) would you believe me if I told you there are caves and caves all over the country filled with twinkling blue glowworms that shine like stars in the sky?
I can still remember the first time I saw a (heavily photoshopped) image of the famous glowworm caves on Pinterest, telling myself one day I would go there. And then last year I did! I spent the afternoon wiggling through the mud and rappelling down holes in the ground and climbing up waterfalls in the Waitomo Caves conquering my fears underground.
Sadly I only went down with my wetsuit but my friends Stoked For Saturday just put together an epic video in 4K of New Zealand's glowworms that can give you a better idea here.
I really miss living in Wellington sometimes. For a city, it's pretty rad and I love it to pieces. Sometimes I even think about moving back, and considering I hate cities, that's saying a lot!
If I had to put a finger on one of the reasons I was head over heels for Wellington, it would have to be its location along the coast. There are so many beautiful beaches and bays around town, it makes it feel like a little town instead of New Zealand's capital.
On top of that the water is a beautiful turquoise here, and when it's sunny (which is rare) it's just spectacular, especially in summer!
New Zealand is home to some of the rarest and most unique birds in the world. We all know I'm a bit of a Bird Nerd, so obviously I had to include one of my faves on this list – the takahē.
They are flightless and look like something straight out of Jurassic Park, and they were believed to be extinct until they were rediscovered in the 40's deep in the wilds of Fiordland.
Takahē are a beautiful shade of sapphire blue and one of the coolest birds in New Zealand.
Put it at the top!
Absolutley stunning images of my home, you make me want to jump on the next plane home and get exploring.
You're from a magical place!
So true! Coming here from murky grey England you really notice how much more blue the skies and seas are. My boyfriend says it's like the saturation has been turned up in real life! Loved this post & have added a lot of these places to our must-see list.
I used to say the same thing to my boyfriend. The contrast are so much higher here!


text:
package org.estatio.module.order.dom.attr.prop;

import org.apache.isis.applib.annotation.Mixin;

import org.estatio.module.capex.dom.order.Order;
import org.estatio.module.order.dom.attr.OrderAttributeName;

@Mixin(method="prop")
public class Order_subject
        extends Order_attributeValueAbstract {

    public Order_subject(final Order order) {
        super(order, OrderAttributeName.CONFIRMATION_SUBJECT);
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Some of you gun enthusiasts may be familiar with this man but he was fairly unknown among the general population. That is, until his incredible videos went viral on the internet.
He goes by the name Instructor Zero, a former instructor for the Italian Army. The video below features him in a series of mind-blowingly fast and accurate shooting drills. He looks as tough as Grizzly Adams and has the skills of Jason Bourne, making him one of the most intimidating soldiers of all time.


text:
from __future__ import print_function
import daemon
import logging
import netifaces
import time
import redislite

LOG = logging.getLogger('cloudmanager_server')
RDB_FILE = '/var/tmp/cloudmanager.rdb'
STATUS_KEY = 'cloudmanager_server:status'

def get_service_addresses():
    listen_addresses = []
    for interface in netifaces.interfaces():
        if interface in ['docker0']:
            continue
        addresses = netifaces.ifaddresses(interface).get(netifaces.AF_INET, [])
        # Netifaces is returning funny values for ipv6 addresses, disabling for now
        # addresses += netifaces.ifaddresses(interface).get(netifaces.AF_INET6, [])
        if not addresses:
            continue
        for address in addresses:
            if 'peer' in address.keys():
                continue
            if address['addr'] in ['::1', '127.0.0.1']:
                continue
            listen_addresses.append(address['addr'])
    return listen_addresses

def run_server(port, rdb_file=None, daemonize=True):
    """
    Run the cloudmanager server on the local system

    Parameters
    ==========
    port : int, optional
        The port number to listen on, default: 18266

    rdb_file : str, optional
        The redis rdb file to use, default None
    """
    if not rdb_file:
        rdb_file = RDB_FILE
    listen_addresses = get_service_addresses()
    if listen_addresses:
        print('Cloudmanager service is listening on:', ','.join([addr+':'+str(port) for addr in listen_addresses]))
        connection = redislite.StrictRedis(dbfilename=rdb_file, serverconfig={'port': str(port), 'bind': listen_addresses[0]})
    else:
        connection = redislite.StrictRedis(dbfilename=rdb_file, serverconfig={'port': str(port), 'bind': '127.0.0.1'})

    if daemonize:
        with daemon.DaemonContext():
            monitor_server(rdb_file)
    else:
        monitor_server(rdb_file)

def monitor_server(rdb_file, ttl=10):
    connection = redislite.StrictRedis(dbfilename=rdb_file)
    status = 'Running'
    connection.setex(STATUS_KEY, ttl, status)
    while status != 'quit':
        status = connection.get(STATUS_KEY)
        status = status.decode()
        LOG.debug(f'Status: {status!r}')
        if not status or connection.ttl(STATUS_KEY) < 2:
            connection.setex(STATUS_KEY, ttl, 'Running')
        time.sleep(1)
    connection.delete(STATUS_KEY)
    connection.shutdown()
    return

def quit(rdb_file=None):
    """
    Send the quit command to the server if it is running

    Parameters
    ----------
    rdb_file : str, optional
        The redis rdb_file, default=None
    """
    if not rdb_file:
        rdb_file = RDB_FILE
    retry_count = 10
    while retry_count and status(rdb_file):
        connection = redislite.StrictRedis(dbfilename=rdb_file)
        connection.setex(STATUS_KEY, 10, b'quit')
        retry_count -= 1
        time.sleep(1)
    if retry_count == 0:
        raise ValueError('Server shutdown failed')

def status(rdb_file=None):
    """
    Print the server status

    Parameters
    ----------
    rdb_file : str, optional
        The redis rdb_file, default=None
    """
    if not rdb_file:
        rdb_file = RDB_FILE
    connection = redislite.StrictRedis(dbfilename=rdb_file)
    status = connection.get(STATUS_KEY)
    if status:
        return status.decode()


Here is a list of all homes now for sale west of Highland Ave. in Manhattan Beach. All are in the Sand Section. Views tend to be the best, along with beach proximity. Home values are often the highest in town, with El Porto (north end of town) somewhat more affordable by comparison.


News and analysis of the growing market for legal, regulated sports betting in the United States.
As anticipated, an Indiana conference committee has reinserted provisions for statewide mobile sports betting in the gambling bill nearing passage.
SportsGrid and industry gatekeeper Sportradar have announced an ambitious new programming partnership in the overlap between sports and gambling.


The four-hour River and Rainforest tour takes you from the shores of Macquarie Harbour into the rainforest and mountains of Tasmania's rugged west coast, while the full day Queenstown Explorer takes passengers all the way along the 35km track to the historic mining town then back to Strahan, with sightseeing stops along the way.
During your journey, your guide will tell you the stories of the railway and the resilient people lived and worked along its length. From the men who laboured to build the line and keep the trains running, to the families and children that made a life in the forest, and the two visionary Irishmen whose fierce rivalry and undaunted ambition brought the railway to life.
The half-day River and Rainforest excursion from Strahan to Dubbil Barril and return features views of Macquarie Harbour and then the King River, which is crossed via the historic Iron Bridge to reach the station at Lower Landing. Here, passengers learn of the bee hives that are carried on the railway to be placed on the Teepookana Plateau and produce the prized Leatherwood honey. Passengers can taste and if they wish purchase varieties of the honey. The journey proceeds to Dubbil Barril where they learn about the dairy farm that once occupied the river banks, enjoy the Rainforest Walks and observe the locomotive being manually turned.
On this full day steam train journey, you'll travel the length of the West Coast Wilderness Railway, stopping at every station along the line and hearing the many stories of the resilient people and extraordinary events that brought the railway to life. As you travel through an impenetrable rainforest, climb rugged mountains and pass deep gorges, you'll understand the huge challenges that were overcome to build the line that would eventually connect the region's rich copper mines to the port at Strahan. The railway also connected people and communities, and throughout the day, you'll pass through the camps, settlements, towns and farms that once thrived here. You'll stop at Lower Landing on the edge of the King River, and Dubbil Barril where locomotives are still turned for their return journey. And you'll ascend the steepest section of track under the power of the Abt rack and pinion system to reach Rinadeena, where annual rainfall can be up to three metres! Your tour includes a 90-minute lunch stop in Queenstown, where you will have time to explore this historic mining town and take an optional guided walking tour.


text:
Q: How to rebuild project after SWIG files changed? Given the below makefile:
TARGET = _example.pyd
OFILES = example.obj example_wrap.obj
HFILES =

CC = cl
CXX = cl
LINK = link
CPPFLAGS = -DNDEBUG -DUNICODE -DWIN32 -I. -Id:\virtual_envs\py351\include
CFLAGS = -nologo -Zm200 -Zc:wchar_t- -FS -Zc:strictStrings -O2 -MD -W3 -w44456 -w44457 -w44458
CXXFLAGS = -nologo -Zm200 -Zc:wchar_t- -FS -Zc:strictStrings -D_HAS_EXCEPTIONS=0 -O2 -MD -W3 -w34100 -w34189 -w44996 -w44456 -w44457 -w44458 -wd4577
LFLAGS = /LIBPATH:. /NOLOGO /DYNAMICBASE /NXCOMPAT /DLL /MANIFEST /MANIFESTFILE:$(TARGET).manifest /SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS /INCREMENTAL:NO
LIBS = /LIBPATH:d:\virtual_envs\py351\libs python35.lib
.SUFFIXES: .c .cpp .cc .cxx .C

{.}.cpp{}.obj::
    $(CXX) -c $(CXXFLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS) -Fo @<<
    $<
<<

{.}.cc{}.obj::
    $(CXX) -c $(CXXFLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS) -Fo @<<
    $<
<<

{.}.cxx{}.obj::
    $(CXX) -c $(CXXFLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS) -Fo @<<
    $<
<<

{.}.C{}.obj::
    $(CXX) -c $(CXXFLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS) -Fo @<<
    $<
<<

{.}.c{}.obj::
    $(CC) -c $(CFLAGS) $(CPPFLAGS) -Fo @<<
    $<
<<

all: $(TARGET)

$(OFILES): $(HFILES)

$(TARGET): $(OFILES)
    $(LINK) $(LFLAGS) /OUT:$(TARGET) @<<
      $(OFILES) $(LIBS)
<<
    mt -nologo -manifest $(TARGET).manifest -outputresource:$(TARGET);2

install: $(TARGET)
    @if not exist d:\virtual_envs\py351\Lib\site-packages mkdir d:\virtual_envs\py351\Lib\site-packages
    copy /y $(TARGET) d:\virtual_envs\py351\Lib\site-packages\$(TARGET)

clean:
    -del $(TARGET)
    -del *.obj
    -del *.exp
    -del *.lib
    -del $(TARGET).manifest

test:
    python runme.py

I'd like to improve a couple of things here:

*

*I'd like to consider swig files (*.i) in the makefile. For example, every time some swig file has been changed a new wrap file should be generated (ie: swig -python -c++ file_has_changed.cpp) and then rebuild the project

*I'd like to avoid having hardcoded object files. For instance, I'd like to use all cpp files using wildcards somehow

I've read a little bit of the docs talking about Makefiles but I'm still pretty much confused. How could I achieve this?
Right now I'm using a hacky solution like swig -python -c++ whatever_file.i && nmake, that's of course it's not ideal at all
REFERENCES
Achieving this inside visual studio IDE is quite easy following these steps but I'd like to use this makefile inside SublimeText, that's why I'm quite interested on knowing how to have a proper Makefile

A: Producing any kind of target from any kind of source, that's the essence of a makefile:
.i.cpp:
    swig -python -c++ $<

This elegance will, however, break with nmake (as opposed to GNU make) if the .cpp file is missing because nmake doesn't try to chain inference rules through a missing link.
Moreover, it will break silently and "build" from stale versions of the files that are later in the build chain (which includes the resulting executable) if they are present.
Possible kludges workarounds here (save for ditching nmake, of course) are:

*

*invoke nmake multiple times, first, to generate all files that are an intermediate steps between two inference rules (which can in turn require multiple invocations if they are generated from one another), and then for the final targets

*

*This requires an external script which can very well be another makefile. E.g.:
move the current Makefile to main_makefile and create a new Makefile with commands for the main target like this:
python -c "import os,os.path,subprocess;
           subprocess.check_call(['nmake', '/F', 'main_makefile']
               +[os.path.splitext(f)[0]+'.cpp'
                 for f in os.listdir('.') if os.path.isfile(f)
                                             and f.endswith('.i')])"
nmake /F main_makefile

*do not rely solely on inference rules but have an explicit rule for each .cpp to be produced (that's what CMake does btw)

*

*this asks for the relevant part of Makefile to be autogenerated. That part can be !INCLUDE'd, but still, external code is needed to do the generation before nmake gets to work on the result. Example code (again, in Python):
import os,os.path,subprocess
for f in os.listdir('.') if os.path.isfile(f) and f.endswith('.i'):
    print '"%s": "%s"'%(os.path.splitext(f)[0]+'.cxx',f)
    #quotes are to allow for special characters,
    # see https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/956d3677.aspx
    #command is not needed, it will be added from the inferred rule I gave
    # in the beginning, see http://www.darkblue.ch/programming/Namke.pdf, p.41 (567)

A: I have solved this using CMake and this translates directly to using autoconf and automake and thereby makefiles.
The idea is to introduce the following variable
DEPENDENCIES = `swig -M -python -c++ -I. example.i | sed 's/\//g'`

and make your target depend on this. The above generates a list of dependencies of all headers and .i files your SWIG interface file may include.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


To continue with my girlie girl theme, April's sticker download is inspired by, The House of Dior. The timelessness and design of the early post World War II fashion brought forth by Christian Dior, is as glam and girlie as it gets.
Bringing old inspiration and new together, I thought these would be great stickers to add to our planners. For more information on Christian Dior check out his Wikipedia page.
The link for the pdf and png files are now active for download. I hope you enjoy these stickers as much as I do! If you use them in your planners and post to Instagram please use the hashtag #studioelaine so that I can see how they turned out!
Remember these are being provided for your personal use only, and are not to be used for any other dissemination or sale.
Until Next Time Friends, Happy Planning!


text:
Which ANT-MAN Will Paul Rudd Be Playing?
January 6, 2014 William Gatevackes Movie News
What do Batman, Captain America, Iron Man and Wonder Woman have in common? Well, besides the fact that they are all comic book characters, that is. The answer: there has been more than one person operating under that heroic identity in the comics. Yes, even Batman. You might think he's always been Bruce Wayne, but there have been at least two other men to take up the mantle of the bat in the comics.
Having one character replace another in the role of a particular hero is a popular trope in comics and even a character as minor as Ant-Man is not immune from it. Three men have held the name and powers of Ant-Man in the comics–Hank Pym in the 1960s, Scott Lang starting in the 1970s, and Eric O'Grady in the 2000s. As the Ant-Man film approaches, fans are wondering which version Paul Rudd will be playing when the film hits the big screen. Director Edgar Wright might have just given us a big hint.
Yesterday, the director tweeted the above image. Through some detective work from ComingSoon.net, we have found out that it was a screen cap from an episode of the animated Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes series. It was from an episode called "To Steal an Ant-Man," which loosely adapted the origin of the Scott Lang Ant-Man. In the comics, Scott Lang stole Hank Pym's technology in order to save daughter life.
Wright tweeting this image might be the first official indication that Scott Lang will be the protagonist in the film, something the director has been hinting at since at least as far back as 2006. Of course, it could just be his way of letting us know Ant-Man was recently on TV. Time will tell.
Via Collider.
About William Gatevackes	1945 Articles
William is cursed with the shared love of comic books and of films. Luckily, this is a great time for him to be alive. His writing has been featured on Broken Frontier.com, PopMatters.com and in Comics Foundry magazine.
Edgar Wright Sets BABY DRIVER As Next Project
After walking away from ANT-MAN, the director lines up his next gig. [click for more]
Adam McKay Tweets About Declining ANT-MAN Directing Job
June 1, 2014 Rich Drees Movie News
The director clears the air, and hints at something else in his future. [click for more]
ANT-MAN Gets A Release Date, First Film In Marvel's "Phase Three"
October 15, 2012 William Gatevackes Movie News
Those of you who were hoping that Ant-Man would square off against Thanos in Avengers 2 are going to be disappointed. [click for more]
FilmEksis
Which ANT-MAN Will Paul Rudd Be Playing? http://t.co/4skRomgfn8
Brian Hughes
Is Greg Korin auditioning to play his father? He damn well better!
Richard Zeszotarski
Will Ant-Man be sleeping with anyone's significant others?
Is The Wasp aka Janet Van Dyne, going to be in the movie?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The Exchange's executive director, Oren B Helbok, receives the Visitor's Bureau's Buddy Award
May 13, 2019 | Bloomsburg, News | 0 comments
On May 7th, at the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau's annual meeting, held at Rock God Brewing Co. in Danville (a Destination Blues music venue), The Exchange's executive director, Oren B Helbok, received the Visitor's Bureau's Buddy Award.
Named for the first recipient, Buddy Knoebel of Knoebel's Amusement Resort, the award goes annually to a Bureau member, business, or event who/which has emulated Buddy Knoebel's characteristics as an advocate for the tourism industry in the two counties.
"I consider it an honor to receive an award named for someone in the Knoebel family," Oren says. "Knoebels Amusement Resort epitomizes the very best of what this area has to offer, and it makes a lot of people happy year after year after year. The Exchange likewise works to make people happy through the sharing of art and music, and to help make this the region where we all want to live, work, and play."
In the photo, by Fred Gaffney of the Columbia Montour Chamber, Oren appears next to CMVB executive director David Otto Kurecian, a former Exchange board member and frequent photographer of Listening Room concerts, who presented the award.
The Destination Blues Listening Room goes to Berwick on June 28th
Get area event news in your inbox!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from Art of PA and The Exchange.


text:
Secure Board Member Access
Mary Bihr, Board Member
Vice President, Global Publishing, LucasArts, a division of Lucasfilm (retired)
Mary Bihr joined Buckelew's Board of Directors in March, 2018. In her prior career as a business executive, Mary oversaw worldwide sales and marketing for a division of Lucasfilm. For over 20 years, she worked to establish the Star Wars and Indiana Jones brands in interactive entertainment. Her journey from commercial enterprises to Buckelew is a personal one, having lived through the struggle and tragedy of a family member who suffered from mental illness. Buckelew was a beacon during those dark times. Mary now serves on charitable boards and focuses on causes that provide hope and support for individuals and for families.
Meredith Imrie, Board Member
Meredith joined the Board of Directors in October 2018. She is a Fundraising Manager for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, representing Northern California where she advocates and raises money towards their mission of finding cures for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Prior to joining the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, Meredith provided public outreach and grassroots advocacy services to Bay Area nonprofits focused on affordable housing and support services for youth and seniors. Meredith also has experience working on local elections, providing fundraising services for campaigns in Sonoma and Solano counties. She serves on multiple Boards, lending her fundraising expertise and advocacy efforts to help put an end to the stigma surrounding mental health and strongly supports the mission of Buckelew Programs. Meredith earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from UC Davis in 2009 and earned her Master's degree in Public Administration from Sonoma State University in 2012.
Richard Jensen, Board Member
Richard Jensen joined Buckelew's Board of Directors in December 2018. He retired after working in the financial services industry for over 40 years. Before joining Wells Fargo, he worked for Bank of America and American Express. He is now a Business Management Consultant to non-profits in Marin County, providing strategic and marketing planning advice with a focus on goal formation, fundraising, board governance and financial control. Richard received his BA in Economics and MBA in General Management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco and serves on a variety of non-profit boards.
Warren Dodge, Board Member
Warren Dodge joined Buckelew in October of 2018. After a career helping build early stage companies in oncology, he retired from full-time work and now advises small and medium sized companies on growth strategies. Prior to his 25 years in cancer, he worked in similar capacities in the graphic arts industry. The common theme is helping small companies get bigger. Warren has also invested in a couple of start-up businesses and provides support as needed.
Warren lives in Marin County, is the father of 3 daughters and spends his spare time as a new blogger, playing tennis, hiking, mountain biking and most recently in a new yoga practice.
Nancy Belza, Board Member
Financial Services Sales Executive (currently on Sabbatical)
Nancy Belza is a financial services sales executive with extensive experience in bringing people together and developing personnel. Her field of expertise is diverse, having worked with Fortune 500 firms as well as in start-up situations, both domestically and abroad.
Nancy first became a friend of Buckelew/FSA Marin over 10 years ago, while working with the Junior League. She is passionate about helping others and has held numerous volunteer positions, She is currently the Chair of Mill Valley Middle School's Parent-Ed Program and The Chair of Buckelew's Governance Committee.
Stan Moore, Board Chair
Attorney (retired)
Stan Moore retired from a career in law. He became acquainted with Buckelew Programs as a member of a volunteer team of consultants organized by Stanford Business School and currently serves as Board Vice President.
Impressed with the caliber and the caring attitude of the staff, Stan considers Buckelew's services to be a vital part of the social infrastructure in the North Bay. Stan graduated from Columbia University Law School and Indiana University.
Scott Maclise,
Investment Advisor/Wealth Manager
Scott Maclise joined the Buckelew Board of Directors in January 2014. He is a self-employed investment advisor/wealth manager with over 35 years of experience in the field of finance. Buckelew's mission is close to Scott's heart because of his own personal family experience with mental illness and addiction, and he is passionate about speaking out against stigma.
Scott has lived or worked in Marin for over 55 years. He enjoys golf, hiking, camping and travel.
Doug Brown, Vice Chair
National Sales Management, Morgan Stanley Investment Management (retired)
Doug Brown joined Buckelew's Board of Directors in July 2014. He retired in 2011 after working in the financial services industry for 28 years. Before joining Morgan Stanley he practiced law in Colorado. His work as a Public Defender in Boulder provided him with a lifelong belief in the importance of programs like those offered by Buckelew.
Doug graduated from Colorado College. He received his JD from the University of Colorado and his Masters in Taxation from Golden Gate University. One of his great joys in retirement is tutoring second-graders at San Rafael's Sun Valley School through AARP Experience Corps. Doug and his wife Alice have 2 adult daughters.
Dr. Diana Demetrulias, Board Member
Higher Education Consultant
Dr. Diana Demetrulias joined the Buckelew Board of Directors in 2014. Prior to her retirement, she served as Provost at Notre Dame de Namur University and as Vice Provost at California State University, Stanislaus. She continues to provide consultant work for universities and non-profit organizations in her areas of special expertise: higher education accreditation, assessment, gender equity, grant writing, and service learning. Her community service involvement has included crises centers for women and children, homeless shelters, arts councils, Boy and Girl Scouts of America, among others. Diana has been active in the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in support of those facing the challenges of mental illness. She is dedicated to contributing to the excellence of Buckelew Programs.
Jack Scott, Board Member
Faculty Member, College of Marin
Jack Scott teaches Fine Art at the College of Marin in Kentfield. His sister is dealing with a severe mental illness, so Jack's interest in Buckelew is personal. Jack recently re-joined the Buckelew Board of Directors after a 10 months hiatus. He previously served on the Board since 2005. His extensive knowledge of the art world has been put to good use with Marin/Scapes, an Art Exhibition & Sale that benefits Buckelew Programs.
John Curtis, Ph.D., Board Member
John is a clinical psychologist in private practice in San Francisco; he also teaches at the University of California, San Francisco. He has been a resident of Marin County for over 25 years. John's initial contact with FSA occurred more than 25 years ago when he gave a talk to the clinical staff on brief psychotherapy. He joined FSA's board based on his awareness of the agency's important mission.
John is the father of two adult children and has recently become a grandparent.
Judy Kramer, Board Secretary
Program Manager, Experience Corps Marin
Judy joined the Buckelew board in June 2015. She manages 10,000 Degrees Academic Support, a non-profit program whose volunteers work with struggling students at Title I schools throughout Marin County. Previously she ran Experience Corps Marin, a non-profit focused on early literacy. When one of her volunteers introduced Judy to Buckelew, she was most impressed by the breadth of its services and its longevity. She knows how important it is to provide a continuum of care and support from experienced within her own family of alcoholism, depression and bi-polar disorder.
Judy previously spent 2 decades at Bank of America in positions focused on large corporate clients. She has long been an active volunteer and leader with a number of Bay Area non-profits. Judy has a BA from Harvard University and an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.


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Q: setup dependent triggers google apps script I have a trigger which copies data to a google sheet and does some data crunching and manipulates data for business user reporting. I then have another trigger which copies this data to another spreadsheet for which the users have access to. Is there a way to create a dependency on the trigger when trigger A is successful run trigger B?

A: triggers dont support dependencies or workflows. however, you can create the one-time trigger once your first one finishes. you can also just call the 2nd function directly if you think both will run before the six minute limit runs out.
when creating the trigger, over time those accumulate in the triggers list. you can have another trigger to delete those regularly, or have the trigger remove itself..


On the left of the first tab, you can select an emission scenario. Hold down the control key to select multiple emission scenarios.
You have the option to upload your own MAGICC emission scenario as an ASCII file. You can either provide only globally aggregate emissions or regional emissions. If you want to put your own emission data into such a scenario input file, see this page of how to create your own .SCEN file .
You can run MAGICC in two distinct modes, a "standard" one and a "probabilistic" one.
If you choose the "probabilistic" setting, your selected emission scenarios will be run multiple times by MAGICC, each time with a slightly different parameter setting. The results will not be single temperature or CO2 concentration outcomes for each scenario, but actually uncertainty distributions.
Note: Since probabilistic runs will require the climate model to be run 171 or even 600 times for each scenario, some patience is required. Normally, finishing a probabilistic run will merely take a couple of minutes, perhaps up to 10min. You will be provided with distributions of key climate outputs for every decade, but not for every year, as under the "standard" runs.
If you select this option, we will run your emission scenarios 171 times, with all combinations of 19 AOGCM calibrations and 9 carbon cycle model calibrations. These AOGCMs and carbon cycle models are from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report and belong to the so-called "CMIP3" and "C4MIP" intercomparisons. If you assume that all those 19 AOGCMs and 9 carbon cycle models are equally likely and sampling the full uncertainty space (and there are good reasons, by the way, not to make that assumption), then you can interpret your outcome as a probabilistic distribution of expected future climate change. Otherwise, simply call it what it is: a "multi-model ensemble" without assigning this statistical property to it.
This last panel provides you with the outputs for your simulations.
On the last panel, you find on the left hand side a list with all the simulations that you ran. For viewing these, choose one or multiple scenario runs that you did, whether they were using default climate settings or a probabilistic setup.
Note: If you cannot select your scenario and a little wheel is spinning to the right of it, then the runs are still to be performed (grey wheel) or currently running in the background (blue wheel). Once they are ready, the runs will automatically be selectable for plotting.
Select the climate variable that you would like to plot. For example, global-mean surface air temperatures, CO2 concentrations, radiative forcing etc. that you would like to plot.
This page was last modified on 17 June 2013, at 18:12.


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Rory McIlroy on Patrick Reed incident: "The shot does look bad"
But McIlroy admits: "I don't think it would be a big deal if it wasn't Patrick Reed."
Mon, 9 Dec 2019
Rory McIlroy has revealed what Patrick Reed did in the waste bunker was wrong at the Hero World Challenge, but had it been any other player then the story would not still be causing such a controversy.
Reed was docked two strokes after his third round when brushing the sand twice with his practice swings, in what appeared to many a blatant move to improve his lie - WATCH HERE.
Patrick Reed is a cheater! pic.twitter.com/zwVMGcckyg
— Monkey Knife Fight (@mkf) December 8, 2019
The former Masters champion has since been labelled a "cheat" by many golf fans on social media, despite Reed claiming there was "no intent" to seek an advantage. To most people's surprise, Reed even blamed the camera angle for his penalty.
"The live shot isn't as incriminating as the slow-mo," said McIlroy during an interview on Golf Channel's Morning Drive. "You try to give the player the benefit of the doubt. He's in there trying to figure out what way to play the shot.
"I don't think it would be a big deal if it wasn't Patrick Reed. A lot of people within the game, it's almost a hobby to kick him while he's down."
McIlroy continued: "That shot does look bad. It's very hard for me not to think he didn't feel what he was doing. It's a hard one. I'd rather try to give someone the benefit of the doubt, take your penalty and move on.
"It's almost an obliviousness to it rather than actually anything intent-ful in terms of trying to get away with something.
"I think it's his pre-shot routine, nearly. It doesn't make it right what he did, but if it wasn't Patrick Reed and it was someone else it would've not been as big a deal as it's been made out to be.
"If he's learned his lesson and doesn't do it again then it's a good thing."
WATCH RORY'S FULL INTERVIEW HERE
Graeme McDowell to host 2020 and 2021 Irish Open
Seamus x Nike Golf Air Zoom Victory Tour - FIRST LOOK


Ling, Bell and Crossleaved Heather, give the hills that awesome purple glow which lasts until November.
Green and Gold Royal Fern.
Conifer Tree Plantations, Willow, Birch, Rowan, Ash, Yellow Flowered Furze (Gorse).
Well preserved ancient stumps of Pine and Oak trees have been found in many of the cutaway bogs in the area and to emphasize their age it's recorded that it's 1500 years since the last of the native species of Pine trees were cut down.
Rushes, Grasses, Sedges, Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower), Spearwort, Buttercup, Ragged Robin, Yellow Flag, Marsh Marigold (Kingcup), Stitchwort, Bugle, Meadowsweet, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Spotted and Marsh Orchids and Purple Loosestrife.
Early Purple and Spotted Orchids, Vetches, Cranesbills, Storksbills, Bugle, Lousewort, Medick, Speedwells, Buttercup, Spearwort, Ragged Robin, Clover, Hawkweeds, Ox-Eye Daisy, Yellow Rattle, Ragwort, Yarrow and Self Heal.
Bluebells, Primroses, Violets, Lesser Celandine, Herb Robert, Cowslip, Wild Strawberry, Wood Sorrel, Wood Anemone, Ramsons, Honeysuckle, Sanicle, Herb Bennett, Willow Herb, Pennywort, Woundwort, Figwort, Ground Ivy and Foxglove.
Whitethorn, Blackthorn, Elder, Dog Rose, Guelder Rose, Rowan, Ash and Fuchsia.
Purple Loosestrife, Meadowsweet, Yarrow, Russian Comfrey, Angelica, Bindweed, Vetches, Cleavers, Willow Herb, Meadow Vetchling, Herb Robert, Creeping Jenny, Tutsan, Cinquefoil, Knapweed, Montbretia, Pink Indian Balsam, Foxglove, Rhododendron Ponticum and Japanese Knotweed.
Bracken, Royal Fern, Male Fern, Rustyback Fern, Maidenhair Spleenwort, Hart's tongue Fern and Polypody.
Sphagnum Mosses are the basis of the boglands and Lichen is seen on rocks and trees, while Scarlet bunches of "Matchstick" Lichen (Cladonia) are found amongst the heather.
We also have our fair share of Fungi in Autumn, several of which are poisonous and should be treated with extreme caution.


Electric wires are used in nearly everything today, from toasters to computers to the satellites orbiting high above the Earth, but wires are delicate hardware, and they need protection from heat, cold, pressure, and more. Fortunately, over the years many different sleeving and coating materials and solutions have been developed for wires to be used in nearly any machine or environment, and materials such as heat resistant sleeving, braided sleeving, flame-retardant sleeving, and silicone rubber coated sleeving, among others, are produced today to keep wires safe no matter where they are working. In some cases, the simple plastic coating found on ordinary wires is not nearly sufficient to keep the copper wires inside safe; only silicone rubber coated sleeving or similar materials will do the job. And no matter how tough or advanced, wire sleeving or plastic coating like silicone rubber coated sleeving or electrical tubing needs to be regularly inspected and repaired or updated to prevent problems. Where might cables and their tough protective sleeves be found?
Ever since the 1950s when Sputnik 1 entered orbit, humanity has been putting satellites in orbit around the Earth, and today, many of those artificial satellites are used for mass communication and GPS, such as with geospatial tracking, cell phones, WiFi, and more, and without these satellites and their constant hard work, a lot of electronics down on Earth would no longer be able to transmit data, and even pagers would be affected. In fact, the Satellite Database has a listing of all satellites orbiting the Earth today, and that list has some 2,000 operational satellites on it. These satellites rarely have to worry about problems such as meteors, but they are exposed to the sun's powerful radiation and the extreme cold of outer space, so their delicate inner components must be protected.
Many wires can be found inside a space satellite, and the delicate copper threads in them are coated with the right plastic sheathing or even hoes and cables to protect them from the cold and solar radiation. What is more, these wires must not come loose or the entire satellite may be compromised. This also means that the crimping work must be done well; that is, how wires are pressed into metal endings that allow them to interface with electronics. Wires on a satellite, if crimped well and protected from the elements of outer space, will function well.
Outer space is not the only place where wires may be exposed to environmental extremes, and down on Earth, there are many hazards that may present themselves to wires. The mildest is simple wear and tear, where years of use may cause a wire's plastic sheathing to fray and split over time and expose the wires inside, which is a serious problem. These exposed wires are hot, and they are liable to set flammable materials on fire upon contact, such as carpets, drapes, or paper, and this gave rise to the term "electrical fire." What is more, such exposed wires are also a shock hazard to people and pets both in the home and workplace. Among American workers, unfortunately, electric shock hazards at the office and other workplaces claim nearly 300 lives per year and cause around 4,000 injuries, meaning that in the United States, electric shock ranks sixth among causes of workplace deaths.
Wires may also face other extremes, and if they are not protected, such as with silicone rubber coated sleeving or safety cable kits, they may soon be damaged and rendered useless. The engine of a car, train, or airplane is a good example of this. These engines make use of wires, but the engines generate a lot of heat and may also have instances of high air pressure, and this is highly harmful to wires. So, tough woven cables are used to shield them, and these cables are built to endure heat, pressure, and even extreme cold to protect the wires inside at all times. An airplane 35,000 feet up, for example, is exposed to great cold, and wires must be protected from that, too. And of course, even this tough cabling may fail sometimes, so professionals should inspect vehicle cables every so often and report problems.


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Karl Popper versus Plato
The Politics of Skepticism
This is a course about the history of Skepticism from the ancient Greeks to today, with special attention to the political ramifications of questioning man's ability to know the world and himself with any certainty. We will discuss the debates raging between Plato and the Sophists, the rise of Christianity in the Roman world, and the so-called 'Skeptical Crisis' of the Renaissance as well as Pierre Bayle's Skepticism and David Hume's. In addition the Natural Law tradition will be explored and the relationship between Skepticism and Conservatism. In the second part, we will explore the systematic relations between Skepticism and politics. What is skeptical doubt? When is doubt relevant? How does Skepticism relate to tolerance and to freedom of expression? And can it help us to solve political problems not only in a critical, but also in a creative way?
Very good materials and quality videos. Great teachers. This course made me decide upon Erasmus as the university i want to study at, next year.
Nice Course. Enjoyed the concepts. Thanks, sincerely
Political Origins
We will discuss the historical and philosophical backgrounds to Plato's rejection of democracy: they will turn out to be intimately connected to his rejection of Skepticism. In addition we will present Karl Popper's highly critical assessment of Plato's 'totalitarian' alternative.
Karl Popper versus Plato7:26
Wiep van Bunge
Tim De Mey
Select a languageEnglish
[MUSIC] So now you know that Karl Popper launched an all out attack on the totalitarian tendencies of Plato's political thought. Popper argued that Plato was a totalitarian thinker, unable to deal with the constantly changing nature of political reality. [MUSIC] By supposing that there must be immutable essences beyond the empirical world. And by further supposing that only a few initiated specialists, that is the philosophers. Have access to these essences, Plato effectively barred the large majority of the population from the political process. All the majority has to do is to obey to their kings who cannot fail to do the right thing. As they have been carefully instructed by philosophers. And as a consequence, these philosopher kings know what is right and what's not. They know because of their access to the idea of the good and they bring them to practice justice. Indeed, as they know what the good is, they cannot fail to act accordingly. For according to Plato, it is impossible to know the good and not to act well. According to Popper, Plato is above all a Utopian political philosopher, unable to deal with the most basic reality of political life. The fact that different people may have different interests, and different perspectives on the best way to pursue these interests. According to Plato, the practice of politics is not unlike the practice of geometry. In Popper's views on the other hand, Plato is basically unable to meet the skeptical challenge at a procedural level. The fact that people tend not to agree, is met by Plato by denying that what they might have to say matters at all. Popper's suggestion is but simply to wait and see. Instead of superimposing Utopian projects, realizing all political demands at the same time. Popper preferred the more careful practice what he dubbed piecemeal engineering. According to Popper we're best advice to try and make this world a better place step-by-step. When The Open Society first appeared, many classicists were furious. All of a sudden the greatest philosopher Greece and perhaps Europe had ever produced, had been turned into a proto-fascist. But this is of course what it meant to be called a Totalitarian thinker in 1945. Bertus de Rijk, the great Dutch classicist and medievalist, was one of the few experts to agree with Popper's assessment. The fact remains, of course, that from a Platonic perspective, A, different people do not have different interests at all. And B, neither does it make any sense to distinguish between different perspectives on politics. For according to Plato, politics has only one single goal, the pursuit of justice. And being an eternal and immutable idea, the good does not allow for a variety of perspectives in the first place. In fact, a Platonist would argue that the pursuit of different interests has nothing to do with politics. If anything, the cultivation of particular interests, is part and parcel of the lower classes, now the commercial classes in particular. But merchants have no morality to speak off. By the very nature of their profession, they are only interested in their own particular predicament. Plato's take on justice, A, is concerned with a common good. B, is in everyone's interest, and C, will therefore create political unity. Which will never be reached in a democracy, which only inspires divisions. It's easy to recognize the Platonic overtones in today's political opposition to democracy as we know it. Left-wing activists feel the common good has been sacrificed to individual interests. Right-wing populists argue that in modern democracies, politicians pursue their own interests. Instead of the interests of the people they are supposed to represent. Arguably, the strongest rebuttal of Popper's skeptical critique of Plato's totalitarian may be located in Plato's Republic itself. At the end of Book IX, Plato points out that the polits, that is the political community he has described. Is actually the city whose home is in the ideal. Indeed, he even states it makes no difference whether it exists now or ever will come into being. In short, Plato's Republic should perhaps not at all be seen as a real proposal to be implemented. But rather as an ideal which should guide us, and it's at this stage that two modern associations are obvious. They both date from the heart of the environment. This passage appears to imply we are best advised to regard Plato's Republic as, A, a regulative ideal in a Kantian sense. B, arguably more importantly, as a Rousseauian proposal to affect the very language we use in articulating our political concerns. This, Plato seems to be telling us, is the way in which we should think about the way we live together. If this is how we should be reading Plato's reply to Protagoras, it seems to contain a skeptical element itself. We do not live in heaven, but on Earth. And most human beings are unable to act for the common good, as they're unable to grasp its essence. This much is certain, that Plato did not feel freedom as such is evil. In his last major work The Laws, he actually explores the relationship between law and freedom. Arguing that man needs to be educated in order to enjoy freedom if that impractical reality, a mixed government, is to be preferred. See Book III of The Laws, where it is stated that robbing the people of all liberty will actually destroy the sense of community. Here Plato appears to come very close to Rousseau indeed, Rousseau was, of course, deeply influenced by Plato. People have to be taught to enjoy their freedom for the common good. People only realize their freedom once they subsume their personal freedom under la volonté générale. Now Plato's main work on politics is of course The Republic, please read Plato Republic VIII, 555b to 569c. How did according to Plato, democracy originate? And how, according to Plato, does the desire for freedom in a democracy produce tyranny?


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Oberhofalm Filzmoos
Das Ausflugsziel in Filzmoos
Alpine hut
Festivities & Marriages
+43 (0) 6453 / 8594 Table reservation
History and chronicle of the Oberhofalm Filzmoos
350 years of tradition
The "Oberhofalm" lies at the foot of the impressive Bischofsmütze in the beautifully situated valley "Hofalmgebiet". It covers an area of 463 ha and extends from 1250 to 2948 m altitude. During summer time 120 cattle and horses and about 120 sheep graze here.
In the course of time…
Find out more about the Bischofsmütze
The highest peak in the Gosaukamm
With a height of 2458 metres, the "Große Bischofsmütze" is the highest peak in the "Gosaukamm" of the "Dachstein massif". Together with the 2430 metre high "Kleine Bischofsmütze", it forms a striking double peak. The two "Bischofsmützen" are separated from each other by the "Mützenschlucht" (gorge) and lie on the border between the municipalities of Filzmoos and Annaberg-Lungötz.
The "Bischofsmütze" did not only get its name from the shape of its summit. The name "Bischofsmütze" also refers to the border between the Archduchy of Austria and the Archdiocese of Salzburg. The Salzburg archbishop "kept watch" from the Bischofsmütze over his Ennspongau. On September 22, 1993 and on October 10, 1993, two sensational rockfalls occurred on the "Große Bischofsmütze", during which a more than 200 m high pillar broke loose and over 100,000 m³ of rock thundered down to the valley. Thus, the "Bischofsmütze" lost much of its distinctive appearance. Since then it always comes back to rockslides, such as in 1999 and 2001.
Chronicle of the Oberhofalm
From days gone by
The Oberhofalm belongs to the Oberhofgut in Filzmoos and is inextricably linked with its history. This can be traced back to 1285. The most important events are summarized here:
In this year, the archbishop of Salzburg entrusted Lord Konrad von Goldegg and his wife Mathilde von Frundsberg with the Oberhofgut.
1604 the farm came into the possession of the Antretter family and was farmed by the Hofer family in the form of serfdom. This is proven since 1648. In all probability, the Hofer family was able to buy their way out of the Antretter family in the 17th century.
The alpine hut Oberhofalm was built in 1665. It was used exclusively for agriculture. The importance of tourism was recognized early on and already after World War II guests were entertained on the Oberhofalm.
In 1886, the last Hofer handed over the Oberhofgut estate to his nephew, Salchegger.
In 1933, the title "ERBHOF" was awarded by the Salzburg Provincial Government.
In 1950 an application was made for a licence to operate a mountain hut at the Oberhofalm and since then the hut has been run as a licensed guesthouse.
Since 1967 the hut is also cultivated in winter.
In 1978 the Oberholfalm hut was extended and modernized without losing the rustic character of this ancient hut.
From 2014 to 2016 the owners of the Oberhofgut, Johanna and Christian Salchegger, built the venerable chapel "Maria am Steineggl". It is the new heart of the Oberhofalm.
Maria am Steineggl
The beautiful chapel, the heart of the Alm
We thank Hanni and Christian for this unique sacral building. It was their wish for decades to build a chapel on their own mountain pasture. On Hanni's 60th birthday, the realization of this idea began and construction began on July 14, 2015. The chapel is dedicated to Saint Mary in memory of Christians grandmother, Maria Salchegger. The place where the chapel stands is called "Steineggl" and is named to the chapel "Maria am Steineggl".
The ancestors of the German poetess Agnes Miegel, born on 9. 3. 1879 in Königsberg, deceased on 26. 10. 1964 in Bad Salzuflen, lived at the Oberhofgut and emigrated in 1732 in the course of the expulsion of the Salzburg Protestants to East Prussia. At that time, 20,000 Protestants left the province of Salzburg. To make the chapel truly perfect, a bell was cast by the "Grassmayer bell foundry". The late baroque altar, donated by Hermann Hinterhölzl, originates from a chapel in Bad Wörrishofen in the Algäu. Hanni and Christian acquired a replica of the beautiful Madonna of Thorn in South Tyrol, in Ortisei in Val Gardena. It adorns the altar splendidly. Saint Rupert and Saint Leonhard can be seen in front of the altar. The walls of the magnificent chapel show right next to the altar the "Filzmooser Kindl" in a red dress and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Above the exit, a painting commemorates the expulsion of Protestants from Filzmoos in 1732.
With the inauguration ceremony on 05 June 2016, the blessing was given by the Archbishop of Salzburg, Dr. Alois Kothgasser, who also added the relics of the Salzburg patron saint of the HL. Rupert and HL. Virgil and HL. Martin to the altar.
Therefore, on 13 May 1988, a commemorative plaque was unveiled by the then Governor of Salzburg, Dr Wilfried Haslauer, in a large ceremony at the Oberhof.
Interresting fact
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Irish priest addresses climate crisis in Pakistan
Flooding, extreme heat, poor water quality make life harder, shorter in country of 207 million
by Sarah Mac Donald | Action
O'Callaghan c.jpg
Columban Fr. Liam O'Callaghan speaks to students in a seminar on trees and plants at St. Paul's High School in Hyderabad, Pakistan. (Danish Yakoob)
Fr. Liam O'Callaghan is a 53-year-old missionary with an assignment he might never have imagined when he joined the Missionary Society of St. Columban 30 years ago: coordinator of the ecology commission for the Hyderabad Diocese in southern Pakistan.
In 2015, with the support of other Columbans, O'Callaghan helped translate Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment, "Laudato Si', Care for our Common Home," into Urdu and created an abridged version for schools and parishes. Care for the Earth is a message he is trying to get across to people within the Catholic community through seminars in parishes and schools as well as by setting up support groups.
The effects of climate change in some parts of Pakistan are "horrendous," O'Callaghan said in a telephone interview with NCR. "I am convinced that climate change is the biggest issue facing Pakistan today."
Citing data from a 2019 international study on climate risk, he said Pakistan has experienced 145 extreme weather events from 1998 to 2017, leading to the deaths of over 10,000 people. The country is ranked the eighth most affected by climate change in the world.
One of the major effects in Sindh province, where the Irish priest lives, is scorching temperatures. "Month on month, year on year, the temperatures are increasing," he said.
"Last year on 30th April 2018 in the city of Nawabshah, which is about two hours from where I am in the city of Hyderabad, a temperature of 50.2 C [122.4 F] was recorded in April, which is a world record," he said. "Never before on Earth has a temperature above 50 C been recorded in the month of April anywhere." The extreme weather event made headlines around the world.
O'Callaghan lived in the city of Lahore for 15 years before moving in 2016 to Hyderabad, where he initially lived in the parochial house of the Cathedral parish of St. Francis Xavier. For the past two years, he has lived in an apartment that doubles as the Columban office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation in a Muslim area of Hyderabad.
The Columbans are marking 40 years of mission in Pakistan this year. In addition to his work as the coordinator of the Hyderabad's diocesan ecology commission, O'Callaghan also works in interreligious dialogue.
While the heat is debilitating if not deadly, it is not the only impact of climate change that Pakistan is coping with. "Monsoon rains have become much more unpredictable, and the rainfall is much heavier, very often leading to flooding," O'Callaghan said. "Over the past 10 years, there has been some major flooding in Sindh during the monsoon season."
The 2010 floods were the worst in Pakistan's history, leaving almost 2,000 people dead in their wake and over $40 billion worth of damage, according to the government.
Because of flooding and other factors, unsafe drinking water, O'Callaghan said, is a chronic problem. BioMed Research International reports that "anthropogenic activities cause waterborne diseases that constitute about 80% of all diseases and are responsible for 33% of deaths."
A Supreme Court-ordered Inquiry of Commission on the water situation in Sindh in 2017 reported that of the 336 water samples tested across 13 districts of Sindh province, 75% of them were unfit for human consumption.
In addition to poor water quality, Pakistan is predicted to be a severely "water-stressed" country by 2025 and will experience major shortfalls for its population of 207 million.
"On the ground the situation is so bad," O'Callaghan said. "The health of people is very poor. I help out in a parish, and over the last two to three years there has been an increase in young deaths, people dying in their 30s and 40s due to unclean water as well as oppressive lives with poor nutrition. I would say the average age of death among poor people is way below the national average of 57 years. That is shocking. We are trying to raise awareness about the importance of drinking clean water. We are researching different types of water filters, ones that are affordable to the poor."
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Participants take part in a seminar on trees and plants at St. Paul's High School in Hyderabad, Pakistan. (Danish Yakoob)
He said the lack of forest coverage across the country is exacerbating other problems such as air pollution and flooding: "Pakistan has one of the lowest levels of forest coverage in Asia, totaling just 1.9% of the country, which is next to nothing. Experts say that 20 to 25% of a country's land area should be forested. If there were forests, the flooding wouldn't be as severe."
O'Callaghan welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan's announcement of a national tree plantation drive to fight the effects of climate change. The plan calls for up to 10 billion trees to be planted across the country over the next five years.
One of the challenges for the missionary is the fact that Christians are such a small minority in Pakistan, totaling just 2.5 million out of a population of 207 million. Half of the Christians are Catholics. Their marginalized position means O'Callaghan has little access or influence with those operating the levers of power or making the laws.
He described his position as ecological coordinator for the diocese as "a new position that the bishop gave me when I came down from Lahore, adding: "I am working at diocesan level within the Christian community. Progress is slow, and the interest is not great — it is a bit of an uphill struggle."
He stressed that it is not just Christians, but the poor in general, who are adversely affected by the climate crisis. As the majority of Christians are poor, they are one of the most affected groups in Pakistan. In the cities, they live mostly in poorer areas with no access to clean drinking water. The increasing heat affects Christians who do much of the manual work, a circumstance compounded by their poor levels of nutrition.
"These factors together have a detrimental effect on health," O'Callaghan said. "In rural areas as drought and salinization take effect, poor people, including Christians, are forced to move to urban areas and often end up living in very poor conditions."
Although he is committed to interreligious dialogue, he said it's a challenge to get Christians and Muslims to work together on tackling the climate crisis. He said many Christians see themselves as persecuted by the majority Muslim population and asserted that many Muslims hold discriminatory attitudes towards Christians.
But Christians are not the only group discriminated against, he said. Hindus, the missionary priest explains, are "equally despised, the lower castes especially," while the Ahmadis are considered non-Muslim and even heretics by the Sunni majority and are the most oppressed group in the country.
Yakoob c.jpg
Danish Yakoob, who works with the Columban Fathers, speaks to students at a seminar on climate change. (Pat Visanti)
So far, O'Callaghan said he has not succeeded in collaborating with any Muslim imams on the climate issue. "I am working with some NGOs [non-governmental organizations], and there are Muslim schools that we go to. But it is very hard to find an 'in.' "
"I visit mosques trying to build up relations, but I haven't got on to working on a common plantation yet. Part of the work is trying to meet government officials or local officials to keep pushing them to do something. The big frustration is that I don't have access to the people that we should be targeting — those who can make change happen."
In the context of the overall environmental crisis, he said he regards his efforts as a "drop in the ocean." He said the Columban parish in Badin is active in promoting environmental protection, and in the past year O'Callaghan and his Columban co-worker, Danish Yakoob, have begun to focus on training environmental activists in three schools and two community groups.
"Last year with help from Misean Cara [an organization supporting the development work of Irish missionaries around the world] we focused on small awareness-raising projects in schools and giving seminars to the wider community," he said. "We have been training up two Christian community groups called Mahool Dost or 'Friends of the Earth' in the local language, through workshops and a plantation. It is very much at a local level."
He added: "We journey for a year with students and teachers in each school, and with the community groups. The idea is to work in a more in-depth way with a few people, so that they in turn become agents of change in their families and the wider community, building up awareness and changing habits to protect themselves and their families."
[Sarah Mac Donald is a freelance journalist based in Dublin.]
EarthBeat | Irish priest addresses climate crisis in Pakistan


School ground to the playground, the Spartan High EV from DC Kids is their fun time sneaker. High-top silhouette. Soft and resilient textile upper. Vent holes in upper for increased airflow and breathability. Elastic laces with hook-and-loop closure for easy on and off. Vulcanized construction for enhanced board control and a slimmed down look. Material: Textile, Rubber.


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Unconventional Resources
East Med
Unrest in MENA
Gazprom Neft Continues the Development of Its Yamalo-Nenets Production Cluster
Source: www.gulfoilandgas.com 1/29/2019, Location: Asia
Gazprom Neft has won a licensing round for subsoil prospecting, exploration and production rights to the Severo-Stakhanovsky, Novoromanovsky and Puhutsyayakhsky blocks in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
Located in the Purovsky district of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Severo-Stakhanovsky license block covers an area of 2,082.9 square kilometres, adjacent to the Stakhanovsky and Valyntoisky license blocks already under development by Gazprom Neft subsidiary Gazpromneft-Noyabrskneftegaz. According to data from the Federal Agency for Mineral Reserves, recoverable D1 (perspective) hydrocarbon reserves comprise 6.4 million tonnes of oil, 47.7 billion cubic metres of gas, and 3.6 million tonnes of condensate. The block contains the Severo-Stakhanovskoye and Severo-Yokhturskoye fields, with 597,000 tonnes of C1 and 634,000 tonnes of C2 recoverable reserves.
The Novoromanovsky license block (whose 110 square-kilometre area covers the Purovsky and Nadymsky districts of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, where the Romanvosky field, already under development by Gazpromneft-Noyabrskneftegaz, is located) abuts various other blocks owned by the company, the infrastructure for which will be used in developing this new asset. Recoverable D1 reserves comprise 4.6 million tonnes of oil, 500,000 cubic metres of gas, and 40,000 tonnes of condensate.
The Puhutsyayakhsky license block is located on the Gydan Peninsula in the Tazovsky district of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, covering an area of 825 square kilometres. Official estimates put recoverable D1 hydrocarbon reserves at 1.6 million tonnes of oil, 19.8 million cubic metres of gas, and 1.4 million tonnes of condensate.
The Puhutsyayakhsky block abuts Gazprom Neft�s previously acquired Leninsky block, and forms part of the company�s major exploration cluster in the north�east of Gydan. This new asset is under-researched, and is a significant distance from transport facilities and oil and gas infrastructure. Gazprom Neft will be undertaking a range of seismic works in its initial investigations into this asset in order to clarify the block�s geological construction and resource potential.
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Sangomar Field Development Exploitation Plan Approved by Government of Senegal
Senegal >> 1/9/2020 - The Government of Senegal has approved the Rufisque Offshore, Sangomar Offshore and Sangomar Deep Offshore (RSSD) joint venture Exploitation Plan and ...
Sangomar Field Development, FID and Financing Update
Senegal >> 12/24/2019 - FAR Limited, as a partner in the Sangomar Field Development offshore Senegal, provides the following end of year update for shareholders. ...
Investment Decision on the North Komsomolskoye Project
Russia >> 12/23/2019 - Equinor and Rosneft have taken an investment decision on the first stage of the North Komsomolskoye full field development. ...
Increasing Recovery from the Balder Field
Norway >> 12/20/2019 - On Tuesday 17 December, Var Energi submitted an amended Plan for Development and Operation (PDO) for the Balder field and the associated Ringhorne dep...
Angus Energy Submits Field Development Plan for Saltfleetby Gas Field
United Kingdom >> 12/20/2019 - Angus Energy plc is pleased to update its presentation on the above Field following the submission of our Field Development Plan to the Oil & Gas Auth...
Russia >> 1/29/2019 - Gazprom Neft has won a licensing round for subsoil prospecting, exploration and production rights to the Severo-Stakhanovsky, Novoromanovsky and Puhut...
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Bella is 9 weeks old and I just got her yesterday. We are getting to know each other and she seems to be enjoying her new home.
your new little girl is sooo cute. I work as a dog groomer in ny city and i come across a lot of new cute puppies. The owners come in for their 1st groom and want them to look like they did when they first got them, and I would love to accomidate them, there is only one problem, KNOTS!!!! Owners tend to want the baby to look cute with dresses, etc. That tends to knot the hair, so as a suggestion to you before you have to endure a closely shave dog (not always pretty), I'd like to help you with some tips. First get what they call a slicker brush, this is the best brush to use for your dogs type hair, and take a few minuites a day brushing her out. Don't get nervous, you won't be doing this everyday for the rest of your life, just a couple of weeks, and as she gets used to it you can ween yourselves to once a week. It will make the grooming experience so much nicer for Bella.But please make sure to get all over, remember dogs have hair in their arm pit their butts their bellies, you get my point. Also remember you are the mommy, if you have to be firm with her to get her to let you brush her so be it. You can even reward her at the end of your beauty session. If you feel nervous about grooming her yourself for the first time goto a grooming salon near you and ask the groomer if she can take a few minuites to show you how to brush her out properly. Any good caring groomer will accomidate you so as not to have the dog endure any pain when it gets to late and to make it easyier for any groomer that grooms her in the future. Another tip, if you keep the dogs coat in good condition the time spent for her grooming appts will be minimized. I hope you find my tips helpful, again good luck with your precious new gift.


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Home » waging war on returns
operations insight
waging war on returns
John R. Johnson
Every day, somewhere in America, an unsuspecting consumer wanders into an electronics store and leaves clutching the latest wireless networking device. Dazzled by the prospect of effortless access to files stored on his home or work computer from anywhere in the world—or the capacity to turn his computer on and off from just about anywhere, at any time—or the ability to keep up with the bills during next month's extended business trip to Hong Kong, he races home to set it up.
But once he gets home, buyer's remorse quickly sets in. Try as he might, he can't install and configure the wireless network. Aggravated by indecipherable error messages and despairing of ever getting the technical support he needs, he heads back to the store's returns counter.
In a day and age when Americans are deluged by ever more sophisticated consumer electronics, the sad truth is much of it gets returned by consumers who find themselves in over their heads. That's particularly true of wireless technology, which has pushed networking out of the average user's reach. "Only the leading-edge techno-geek people are playing with a lot of this new networking equipment," admits Intel executive Scott Lofgren, who is chairman of the Ease of Use/PC Quality Roundtable.
That collective consumer frustration is causing more than just headaches for the industry; it's costing them serious money. A study conducted by the Reverse Logistics Executive Council revealed that although the average profit for a PC sold at the retail level is $75, returns and support costs can run as high as $95 per unit. That's led some manufacturers to band together to form the Ease of Use/PC Quality Roundtable, which addresses—among other things—the problems users face when they attempt to link PCs and consumer electronics devices at home. "Our job as an industry has to be to figure out how to improve the consumer experience," says Lofgren.
Rage against the machines
The problem's not limited to computers. Companies that make and sell devices like DVD recorders are experiencing similar problems. "The things we're trying to do with devices in the home right now are much different than when we just slapped a record on a turntable," says Lofgren. Manufacturers have come to realize that they're partly to blame for the frustration. "DVD recorders have [excessively] high return rates and that seems driven — by ease of use issues," admits Tony Sciarrotta, director of returns management for Philips Consumer Electronics. "The consumer is genuinely frustrated by this. We don't make these products easy to use."
Nor are they easy to network. As anyone who's ever tried to hook up a new DVD recorder to a VCR or satellite TV receiver knows, you have to fight your way through a tangle of wires and navigate a dizzying array of output and input options. "The hookup aspect is the real nightmare," acknowledges Sciarrotta. "That's where we get the most calls [to customer service]. If we solve the problem—fine. But if we don't, it's our product the consumer will probably end up returning because it was the most recent purchase." In fact, return rates for DVD recorders run well above the 5 to 6 percent typical of the consumer electronics industry.
Still another problem is a lack of standardization. Manufacturers have made little attempt to standardize their formats. Bring home a Philips or Sony DVD recorder and you may be dismayed to find that it uses a different format disk from your old Panasonic unit. It's no wonder consumers are throwing up their hands in defeat.
The best return is no return
What can manufacturers do about mounting returns costs? Some have hired third-party returns specialists to manage reverse logistics for them. Others have invested in tracking software to help rein in costs.
But Sciarrotta thinks he has a better idea: He's concentrating on finding ways to keep returns from happening in the first place—or at least minimizing the number of items that need to be returned. So far, his company has been remarkably successful implementing this strategy, known in the industry as "avoidance." Though Philips' rate of returns once ran about double the industry standard, the company has sliced its rate in half, cutting annual returns from $200 million's worth of merchandise to well under $100 million.
So what does avoidance involve? Sometimes it's simply a matter of designing products better or making them easier to use. "Avoidance really starts right from the beginning of the product design stage," says Dale Rogers, professor of supply chain management at the University of Nevada and chairman of the Reverse Logistics Executive Council.
Other times, it's not so much the products as the ancillary items or services that are responsible for consumers' frustration. Some manufacturers have found that what they really need to do is improve their after-sales support—supplying better-written user manuals or making it easier for customers to get help. And needless to say, it's essential to work out any quality control issues to ensure that products are defect-free before they leave the plant.
Point of no return?
But even providing 100-percent defect-free DVD players or cell phones is no guarantee that consumers won't return them. Statistics show that for some consumer electronic product lines, seven in 10 items that are returned have nothing wrong with them.
It's partly a cultural issue, says Sciarrotta. "Over the years we've made it extremely easy for consumers to bring an item back to a retailer and get their money back—even if it's not defective." Blanket no-questions-asked returns policies have led to abuses like the college kid who scores backstage passes to a Lenny Kravitz concert, buys a digital camera to record the big event, downloads the photos to his PC, and returns the camera the next morning.
Other times, perfectly good products are returned simply because the manufacturer has recently introduced a newer, faster, more powerful model and the consumer feels entitled to an upgrade at no cost. That's a trend that Philips, for one, has been tracking for some time now, says Sciarrotta. "Every three to six months, a higher-speed CD burner comes out, and it's evident that consumers are bringing the old ones back and getting the new higher-speed ones as replacements."
Philips' response to that has been to establish better gatekeeping policies—refusing to accept items that should not have been returned in the first place or that have been returned to an inappropriate destination. "Instead of taking anything back anytime from anybody, you use entitlement controls to authorize models that are within a certain window," Sciarrotta explains.
For example, Philips now publishes "approved model lists" that spell out for retailers which products they're authorized to accept as returns. If a retailer grants an unauthorized return and ships the item back to Philips, the company will send it back with an invoice to cover the cost of the return. Philips has also set time limits, says Sciarrotta. "We shouldn't take things back that are five years old."
To flag items that aren't eligible for returns, retailers like Wal-Mart and Target have launched electronic product registration programs. When a bar code is scanned at the register, a Wal-Mart associate, for example, also scans a serial number that records information about the sale in the retailer's database. If a customer attempts to return the product later without a receipt, the store associate can simply scan the serial number to confirm when and where the product was purchased. "We have people try to return things at Wal-Mart that are five years old," says Sciarrotta. "Our retailers can avoid that now with this … validation process."
Some retailers have even come up with programs to discourage returns on their own. Wal-Mart, for example, has implemented a national warranty repair program. If a customer walks in with, say, a two-year-old CD burner (or any item purchased outside of its approved returns window—normally 30 to 90 days), Wal-Mart will no longer exchange it for a new one. Instead, it offers to ship the product to the manufacturer, which will repair or replace it and ship it back to Wal-Mart. Once customers realize that they won't get cash back for the return, many opt to keep the product.
Though he admits the program is expensive, Sciarrotta considers it well worth the cost. For one thing, Wal-Mart enjoys extremely competitive shipping rates with UPS, which keeps transportation costs down to reasonable levels. Second, the program helps manufacturers like Philips retain customers, which is a key goal. "If Wal-Mart granted a refund," he says, "the user would most likely go out and buy something [made by someone] else."
"The combination of electronic serial number registration, plus the national warranty repair program has put them in a tremendous position to minimize returns," says Sciarrotta, who reports that Philips has seen a 50-percent reduction in returns from Wal-Mart. "That's cash flow right out of the register. If a retailer can make even a 1-percent improvement there, [it is] looking at a huge improvement to the bottom line."
Supply Chain Services Reverse Logistics Business Management & Finance Logistics Network Design
KEYWORDS Reverse Logistics Executive Council
The Logistics Matters podcast: Koray Köse of Gartner on supply chain impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war | Season 3 Episode 9
winning the war on costs
With e-commerce returns on the upswing, pressure may build on DC demand
John Johnson joined the DC Velocity team in March 2004. A veteran business journalist, John has over a dozen years of experience covering the supply chain field, including time as chief editor of Warehousing Management. In addition, he has covered the venture capital community and previously was a sports reporter covering professional and collegiate sports in the Boston area. John served as senior editor and chief editor of DC Velocity until April 2008.
Recent Articles by John Johnson
supply chain 2010 ... are you ready?
RFID: ready to roll
earning its stripes


We have all heard of those old wives tales that have been past down from generation to generation. All those remedies that our mothers and grandmothers instilled to us when we were growing up work a treat. Tomorrow Crabtree & Evelyn are launching their Handy Tips, Handed Down campaign which focuses on sharing beauty tips across generations, particularly those passed down from mother to daughter. The campaign will encourage customers to share their family beauty tips through an interactive crabapple tree which will be situated in stores around the UK. You will be able to add comments on leaf shaped cards placed on the tree. This will be replicated on a dedicated website with a digital tree blossoming of all the wonderful beauty tips and advice. Everyone who shares a tip will be rewarded with a voucher and will be entered into a competition to win a family photography experience worth £600.
The Handy Tips, Handed Down campaign launches tomorrow and runs till 30th June. For more information please visit the website.


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Birmingham pushes on ahead on social value
A recent survey of over 300 local government officers by the Guardian revealed that almost half (48%) "hadn't heard" of the Public Service (Social Value) Act 2012, despite the new legislation coming fully into force this month. (See these earlier posts on social value.)
Thankfully, this lack of awareness is not the case in Birmingham.
On Tuesday 22nd January, as part of our work on social value funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, we organised a major event on social value for Birmingham City Council officers and elected members. In all 39 people attended — a 100% attendance rate, despite the appalling weather. This tells you something about Birmingham's commitment to social value and to making the new legislation a practical reality that can deliver for Birmingham's communities.
Councillors Stewart Stacey and John Cotton — respectively Cabinet Members for commissioning and contracting, and for social cohesion and equality — were key note speakers and were joined by a number of senior officers.
It is not possible in the confines of this blog post to give a full impression of the event but you can view the main presentations below and get a feel for the discussion and the issues involved.
BSSEC speakers kicked-off with a very brief introduction to the project and the concept of social value. View presentation 1.
Councillor John Cotton and Jackie Mould then spoke about social value and its relation to other key policy drivers in Birmingham, especially equality, inclusion and cohesion. This very much reflected the 'social inclusion process' that Birmingham embarked on late last year and begins to give a very good steer about what the main 'headline' social value outcomes for Birmingham should be. View presentation 2.
Much work will need to be done in order to translate these headline aims into specific, measurable and verifiable social value outcomes — which is what the new legislation requires if they are to be legitimately included in commissioning and contracts.
Councillor Stewart Stacey and Nigel Kletz then spoke about some of the key initiatives already happening in Birmingham that have implications for social value. Central to these are the Living Wage campaign and the Birmingham Charter for Business Social Responsibility. View presentation 3.
The Commissioning Policy for Jobs & Skills also plays a part here and it is worth emphasising that Birmingham City Council was the first authority in the country to apply this policy to construction and non-construction contracts.
Finally, Gayle Monk from Anthony Collins Solicitors spoke about some of the key legal issues that practical application of the legislation is likely to throw up. View presentation 4.
The commitment and buy-in from Birmingham City Council that this event demonstrated cannot be overstated. Later this year we will also be working directly with social enterprises to help them rise to the challenge of evidencing social value.
The likely next step, however, is that we will work with key Birmingham City Council officers to begin development of the authority's social value policy. This is crucial because much of the rest of the implementation process will eventually flow from this.
BSSEC would like to thank everyone who attended the event and everyone who helped make it such a success.
UPDATE 04/02/13: Please note that the post-event report is now available — click here.


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Military Housing in Kansas
Home>military bases
Homes - Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth has been in operation for over 170 years, making it the oldest active U.S. Army post west of the Mississippi River. Fort Leavenworth has been historically known as the "Intellectual Center of the Army" and is home to the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center which includes Command and General Staff College and the Foreign Military Studies Office. Fort Leavenworth also accommodates the Department of Defense's only maximum security prison, the United States Disciplinary Barracks.
More Base Housing Details
Homes - Fort Riley
Fort Riley, referred to as "Home of America's Army' plays host to the Army's 1st Infantry Division, also known as the "Big Red One". Fort Riley is a historical old cavalry post, with many well-preserved buildings and monuments. Fort Riley is one of the army's premier force projection platforms and the post has a large area, 100,671 acres of which 70,926 are contiguous, to handle Battalion Task Force level maneuvers and live fire training.
Homes - McConnell AFB
McConnell Air Force Base is home to Air Mobility Command's 22d Air Refueling Wing (22 ARW), the Air Force Reserve Command's 931st Air Refueling Group (931 ARG), and the Kansas Air National Guard's 184th Intelligence Wing (184 IW). The 22nd ARW currently operates 48 KC-135 Stratotankers, supporting worldwide aerial refueling and airlift operations. This provides Global Reach for troops, equipment and supplies, and supports global contingency and conventional operations.


HAVING seen how community support turns to action in times of need, Rockhampton man Mal Holmes knows Queenslanders are going to throw their support behind residents living through catastrophic weather conditions in North Queensland.
Mr Holmes' organisation Hands of Compassion has come together with another local charity, Care and Share Rockhampton, to collect donations for residents in North Queensland to help get them back on their feet after the worst flooding in years.
"It is good to show support to people," he said.
"I am sure when the cyclone was here and the floods, those people helped us out too so it is good to give back.
"One thing that is so important when something like this happens is to support the local economy and buy locally.
"People need to spend money in their own community when these things happen to help get the community back on track."
Looking for donations of tinned foods and other non-perishable food items, baby formula and products and women's health products, Mr Holmes said any donation was welcome.
Donating food and other products is not the only way to support those in need Mr Holmes said.
"If people wanted to donate money they can do that through us," he said.
"We have a special account, a deductible gift recipient account. So people can give anything over a couple of dollars, they can get a tax receipt and that will go into an account and that will be given to a charity like St Vincent de Paul who will then distribute that money."
With people from Care and Share set to travel to Townsville as soon as it was safe, Mr Holmes said it would be good to take a full load.
"Someone from Care and Share will be travelling to Townsville with a ute and trailer when it is safe to do so. It just depends on when the roads reopen," he said.
Please make sure all donations are clearly marked with Townsville.
Any further enquiries should be made to Hands of Compassion or Care and Share.


Our goal is to provide the most advanced, thorough, compassionate, and efficient care to all of our patients to allow them to return to their active lifestyles as quickly as possible. We put our patients first, addressing all of their needs and concerns every step of the way.
We have combined our collective knowledge and experience to provide you with the most technologically advanced and proven techniques. Our ultimate goal is a rapid and healthy return to activity for our patients.
Our board certified podiatrists are leaders in Podiatric Surgery and the Podiatry Service at New York Presbyterian -- Allen, Columbia, Cornell, and Lawrence Hospital campuses. Dr. Bar-David, Dr. Fridman, and Dr. Kamen are frequent lecturers and educate other physicians, nursing, and health professional staff at New York Presbyterian Hospital as well as various national and regional medical conferences.
Our podiatrists also serve on the board of the Greater New York division of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. They have participated in surgical instructional courses, including the New York State Podiatric Medical Association Clinical Conference and the Vascular Surgery Diabetic Foot Conference of New York Presbyterian Hospital. Our doctors are actively involved in sports medicine in the community, serving on the Staff Podiatry Team for the PCF New York City Marathon and working with Bronx Little League Baseball.


Singing and dancing is an important part of Latvian culture and every five years we have a grand Song and Dance celebration. It is by far the most attended event in our country and selling tickets to this event is a very challenging task.
Tickets to this years celebration went on sale on March online as well as at the ticket shops, and nearly 100 000 tickets to 19 events sold out in a matter of hours. As many people predicted, the ticket sale didn't go as planned due to many technical challenges.
We are currently building a web service load testing tool that can simulate load generated from users and this blog post describes our experience with building this tool. There are a lot of things that can go wrong when the load level rises, but we think that our tool can help you pinpoint to issues before they become real problems.
Large loads usually imply many challenges that service providers must be ready for, starting with the large user load to service to attacks to system. When expecting large load, the bare minimum to test is whether servers will be able to handle all the load. Large loads may cause some race conditions that are not observed under normal load. Such race conditions may include parallel database access, network bandwidth or some problems using shared variables which does not not happen if few people use the service simultaneously. Another thing that service provider must be ready for is denial of service (DoS). During significantly higher loads than usual, this load can easily become unintentional DoS since servers are not ready to handle that much load. Especially if network interface can't handle additional loads or the added traffic is unexpected.
Also, someone may attempt to launch a distributed DoS attack to slow down the system even more. In any case, there should be a mechanism preventing DoS by distributing load among multiple handlers or rate limiting requests coming from a single location. Generic security threats must be considered as well, such as cross site scripting or SQL injections – these attacks could seriously jeopardize data integrity or lead to data leaks.
For over a year we have been developing a framework that may help identify potential issues with the use of load tests. Idea behind this framework is to simulate as many users as possible without sacrificing any conditions, such as browser specific issues. This means that you could create a very realistic setup to monitor service behaviour from end-user perspective.
For more specific apps we offer audio and video feed to simulate user's webcam and microphone input.
All things considered, there are hundreds of possible configurations that you can test during increased load situations. Coupling all these options with automated simulated user setup gives great and easy-to-setup load test tool.
For illustrative purposes we might assume that we want to test an online video streaming service. In this case we may want to test large amounts of simultaneous users watching videos, as well as DoS – both scenarios are testable using our framework.
We will take multiple steps to prepare for these use cases. First we define number of users we want to simulate and divide those users into logical groups. Video streaming services usually offer many videos, so it makes sense if we divide the users by videos they are going to watch. This way we can test many users watching some specific video while a few other users watch something else. We will call these groups "rooms". When we have defined our groups, the next task is to write test script. Don't worry, it's simple!
The framework supports Selenium scripting with NightWatch JS syntax. So all you need to do is compose actions you wish the simulated users would do, as well as some assertions to make during test.
You can decide at what pace users will join. For common use cases users would join rapidly at one point slowing the pace near the time of event. This graph illustrates potential total user count over time.
To simulate real use case scenario, we do not want all users to try and use the service at the same time, so we need to configure some ramp up time. We define ramp up time with two parameters – total time it takes for all users to join and join function. In some use cases you might want users to join at a constant pace, but in different use cases a sudden spike after few peaceful minutes might be what you are looking for.
Once the script is done, we need to configure users. This is done in two steps: define rooms and specify user configurations in each room. During creation of the script we defined different actions for users that belong to specified rooms. In this stage we need to define matching room count. In each room we then define as many users we want. For example, if our main user base was from Europe, we might want to have user distribution among regions as follows: for every 20 users from Europe, we add seven users from United States, and three from Asia. We can mix up browsers for these users and set their network conditions to simulate high speed connection, 4G, 3G or limited speed networks.
The hard part is done and we can run the tests and assert the results. Results contain a lot of useful data, that help to understand what happens at the client side. Starting with the basics – success rate. This will show whether simulated users could successfully complete their actions. Apart from general success rate, we can reconstruct the load amounts at any point in time that were targeted against the web application. Additionally, there are some complicated metrics such as user machine statistics (CPU usage, RAM usage, etc.), or webRTC statistics if that is relevant for the service. Metrics can be asserted in many different ways, such as comparing by region, by browser or any other common parameter. Take note – for increased data accuracy we advise to view these metrics together with metrics collected from application backend servers.
Our in-house tool can provide load test infrastructure with minimal setup and customizable single user. Combining this with expertise of our engineers, possibilities are endless.
This framework is best suited for new products that plan to enter the market and are unsure about server capabilities. Alternatively businesses with existing products can use this solution to load test their infrastructure to prepare for increased loads or to test new releases. Additionally, any webRTC application will be able to test their non-HTTP servers as well.