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Section 2: Labour & Land Resources in Ethiopia
Chart: Labour Market Risk, 2019
Chart: Working Age Population, 2018
Table: Minimum Wage
Table: Labour Regulations
Table: Registering Property
Table: Industrial Parks Lease Price: Readymade Sheds, 2019
Fitch Solutions Labour Market Risk Index
Ethiopia is placed in fourth position out of 11 East Africa states and in 140th position out of 201 states globally in Fitch Solutions' Labour Market Risk Index.
Ethiopia outperforms against the East Africa average in the Labour Risk Index, most notably for availability of labour and to a lesser extent for education. Ethiopia scores lower than the East African regional average for labour costs.
Labour Market Risk Index: Methodology and Components
100 = Lowest risk; 0 = Highest risk
The overall Labour Market Risk score is calculated from the average of the Availability of Labour, Education and Labour Cost sub-component scores.
Education: the education sub-component focuses on general and tertiary schooling. Scores are based on enrolment at each level of education and interest in technical subjects, such as science, manufacturing, construction and engineering. This gives an indication of the talent pool available in a country, and emphasises higher value technical skills.
Availability of Labour: the availability of labour score takes into account the size of the workforce, the quality, age and health of the labour pool and its composition (both with regards to the nationality of workers, and their occupations).
Labour Cost: this sub-component assesses worker flexibility and the cost of hiring in a particular country. It includes factors such as the minimum wage, severance pay and unemployment. The scores are calculated to reward the countries with the lowest cost of hire.
Labour Supply & Skills
Ethiopia has by far the largest working-age population in the region at around 60.7 million people, compared with 30.8 million in Tanzania (the second largest in East Africa), owing to its population size of more than 105 million people. This indicates significant potential for businesses that require low to semi-skilled labour. Nevertheless, low life expectancy owing to inadequate healthcare provision, a low urbanisation rate and a shortage of highly skilled labour due to poor educational attainment levels reduce the structural attractiveness of the country's labour market. Businesses will experience production disruptions as employees will seek frequent off-time and will exit the workforce early because of poor health, resulting in high labour turnover for businesses.
Ethiopia's Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), which is in its second five-year phase, places emphasis on higher education to help accelerate economic growth and achieve the developmental goals of becoming a middle-income country by 2025. As such, the government is making progress in boosting education attainment levels. Government investment in vocational programmes and universities will improve the labour market over the long term.
Companies encounter few barriers in hiring expatriate workers. All foreigners wishing to engage in employment in Ethiopia are required to obtain a work permit, which will be granted if the employer can prove that the job cannot be performed by a local recruit.
Labour Costs & Regulations
Ethiopia has an attractive labour market profile from a direct labour cost perspective, owing to the absence of a statutory minimum wage, low tax contributions and inexpensive work permits for expatriates. Given that the majority of the domestic labour force is low to semi-skilled, it is unlikely that the minimum wage will be set at high levels even if it were to be implemented, because the government is aware that such a move would induce severe levels of unemployment.
Labour market laws are also highly flexible regarding employer obligations, giving businesses greater bargaining position in employment contracts. Though the severance pay for redundancy dismissal at 10.5 salary weeks is higher in Ethiopia than in other countries in the region, it is still not a major burden for businesses. The risk of disruption to firms caused by worker strikes is also limited, as there is weak unionisation of workers in the country compared to the rest of the region. Unionisation in Ethiopia is constrained by the largely agricultural and informal nature of the economy and industrial strikes are quite rare.
The potential risk for businesses regarding workers having weaker bargaining power, including the lack of a minimum wage in a low-skill labour market environment, is that this can create an incentive for underpaying workers, since the bargaining power is tipped in favour of employers. In turn, this raises exposure to reputational damage and legal risks in the long term. However, businesses can easily avoid these potential risks by ensuring reasonable wages and working conditions are implemented to support sustainable operations and avoid disruption further down the line.
Land Resources, Construction Permits & Registering Property
Private ownership of land does not exist in Ethiopia, given that all land belongs to the people and is administered by the government. The government has the right to expropriate land for the 'common good', raising land rights risks for businesses operating in the country. Furthermore, local community opposition to large-scale infrastructure projects is not uncommon in Ethiopia and presents a risk to project implementation across the power, transport and industrial construction sectors.
Obtaining construction permits is time-consuming and costly, proving a significant barrier to investors looking to construct new premises. The process involves 13 procedures and takes an average of 134 days. In terms of costs, obtaining a construction permit generally costs 14.4% of warehouse value, which is notably uncompetitive against the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) average of 8.8%. That said, the process has improved marginally over the last couple of years, as the time needed to obtain planning consent has fallen. Registering property in Ethiopia is roughly equal in cost to the regional average, at just under 6.0% of property value.
Industrial Real Estate
According to the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC), there are three types of leases and prices for industrial parks:
Readymade sheds: Start at a price of US$2 per sq.m. per month.
Readymade land: Investors to pay a single fee of US$0.04 per sq.m., as well as land development recovery costs (depends on location). The land includes road and utility infrastructure, but investors are expected to build their own factory sheds at own expense.
Raw land: Investors to pay a single fee of US$0.04 per sq.m., plus all costs of land development and infrastructure.
Manufacturing in East Africa: Ethiopia
Section 1: Industrial Manufacturing Focus
Section 2: Labour & Land Resources
Section 3: Infrastructure
Section 4: Regulations & Tax Incentives
Appendix: Relevant Government Bodies
ETHIOPIA: New Online Customs Service to Slash Import/Export Bureaucracy
Appendix: Relevant Government Bodies in Ethiopia
Section 4: Regulations & Tax Incentives in Ethiopia
Source for quality suppliers and manufacturers of toys and games on hktdc.com.


Classic jazz solos as played by: Cannonball Adderley, Paul Desmond, Eric Dolphy, Johnny Hodges, Charlie Parker, and Phil Woods. Analyses and note-for-note transcriptions by Stuart Isacoff. Complete with a catalog of jazz phrases by each artist.


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Dr Emma Milne
empowering women by sharing knowledge about pregnancy, sex, and motherhood
Abortion is criminalised in the UK
January 20, 2023 January 17, 2023 ~ Dr Emma Milne
Julie Bindle interviews me about my research
Early in January 2023, Julie Bindle and I met online to record an interview about my research for Julie's substack site. During the interview we talked about the fact that abortion is still illegal in Britain, that vulnerable women are criminalisation for ending their own pregnancies, crisis pregnancies, the Infanticide Act, and what can be done to stop this injustice for women.
I've been a huge admirer of Julies for a long time, so it was an absolute honour to speak with her about these important issues. Her work fighting for women's rights is commendable.
The interview was turned into a podcast that can be listened to here or on your podcast provider of choice.
Published by Dr Emma Milne
Dr Emma Milne is a UK academic researching social controls and legal regulations of women in pregnancy, sex and reproduction. Author of Criminal Justice Responses to Maternal Filicide: Judging the Failed Mother View all posts by Dr Emma Milne
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What is a 'crisis' pregnancy and why do women experience them?
Criminal Justice Responses to Maternal Filicide: Judging the Failed Mother – Book Launch
Abortion Abortion Act 1967 Abortion is healthcare Accessing abortion Crime Crisis pregnancy Emma's Research Feminism Feminist Feminist theory Fetus Fetus-first Foetus Foetus-first Intensive mothering Medicalisation Mother blame Motherhood Myths of motherhood Offences Against the Person Act 1861 Patriarchy Pregnancy Pregnant Respecting women Texas USA Women's rights
Campaigns and Advocacy
Center for Reproductive Rights global human rights organization of lawyers and advocates who ensure reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights
Fawcett Society UK's leading membership charity campaigning for gender equality and women's rights at work, at home and in public life
Guttmacher Institute research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States and globally
Maternity Action UK's leading charity committed to ending inequality and improving the health and wellbeing of pregnant women, partners and young children
National Advocates for Pregnant Women working to secure the human and civil rights, health and welfare of all people, focusing particularly on pregnant and parenting women, and those who are most likely to be targeted for state control and punishment
Pregnant Then Screwed tackling the root causes of maternity discrimination and promote the rights of women
Reproductive Health Access Project mobilising, training, and supporting clinicians to make reproductive health care accessible to everyone
Rights of Women providing women with the legal advice and information they need to understand and use the law and their legal rights
We Trust Women the campaign to decriminalise abortion across the UK
Birth Trauma Association supporting women who suffer birth trauma – a shorthand term for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after birth
Birthrights providing advice and information to women and birthing people, and campaign for respectful and safe maternity care that protects fundamental human rights
British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) providing abortion services, pregnancy advice, Sexually Transmitted Infection screening, contraception, and vasectomies across England, Scotland and Wales
Ectopic Pregnancy Trust providing information, education and support to those affected by early pregnancy complications
Endometriosis UK working to improve the lives of women affected by endometriosis
Miscarriage Association providing support and information to anyone affected by miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy
MSI Reproductive Choices UK independent provider of sexual and reproductive health services in the UK
Planned Parenthood nonprofit organization that provides sexual health care in the United States and globally
RCOG – Menopause and women's health in later life Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists information hub about women's health around the menopause and beyond
Sands UK stillbirth and neonatal death charity

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Infraction- Contact with the #44 car on the backstretch on the first lap of the heat race.
Penalty- Placed to the rear of the running order under caution flag conditions.
Infraction- Contact with the #87 car on the backstretch on the first lap of the feature.
Infraction- Contact with the #31 car in turn 4 on lap-8 of the feature.
Penalties- Placed to the rear of the running order under caution flag conditions.
Infraction- Contact with the #88 car in turns 3&4 on lap-20 of the feature.
Penalties- Removed from the SMS handicapping process, will start behind all handicapped cars in qualifying and feature for the next event attended.
Infraction- Contact with the #2 car in turn 4 on lap-5 of the feature.
Infraction- Contact with the #37 car in turn 4 on lap-5 of the feature.
Penalties- Black flagged for contact with the #37 car and parked for the remainder of the feature event for second like offense in the event.
Infraction- Contact with the #22 car in turn 1 on lap-11 of the feature.
Infraction- Contact with the #37 car in turn 3 on lap-24 of the feature.
Infraction- Solo spin in turn 2 on lap-3 of the feature.
Penalties- Placed one (1) lap down for drawing an intentional caution flag.


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Q: Large number of zombie processes on Ubuntu Server 14.04 I'm using an Ubuntu 14.04 server and a few times in the last few days, MySQL has become unresponsive and I had to reboot remotely. I've been away until now so not able to have a proper look, but today I see thousands of the following zombies (# ps -aef):
sshd 1852 1 0 11:04 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct
www-data 1888 1 0 11:05 ? 00:00:00 [spine] defunct
www-data 1941 1 0 09:02 ? 00:00:00 [spine] defunct
root 1946 1 0 11:05 ? 00:00:00 [pure-ftpd-mysql] defunct
sshd 1963 1 0 09:02 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct
sshd 1975 1 0 06:46 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct
root 1979 1 0 06:46 ? 00:00:00 [php5-fpm] defunct
mysql 1239 1 0 Apr21 ? 00:23:31 [mysqld] defunct

I restarted mysql and ran Zombie Slayer  http://blog.alexolivan.com/getting-r...bie-processes/ which uses gdb to kill all the zombie processes, but more are immediately appearing.
Within a couple of minutes I have:
root 18256 1 0 12:00 ? 00:00:00 [php5-fpm] defunct
sshd 18741 1 0 12:03 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct
sshd 18746 1 0 12:03 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct
root 18899 1 0 12:03 pts/3 00:00:00 [gdb] defunct
sshd 19038 1 0 12:03 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct
sshd 19122 1 0 12:03 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct
sshd 19124 1 0 12:03 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct
www-data 19128 1 0 12:04 ? 00:00:00 [spine] defunct
sshd 19156 1 0 12:04 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct
sshd 19236 1 0 12:04 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct
sshd 19238 1 0 12:04 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct
sshd 19337 1 0 12:04 ? 00:00:00 [sshd] defunct

...and the list is growing fairly rapidly (about 200 in half hour). I guess the problems occur when I run out of PIDs, but why is this happening? Can anyone suggest any lines of enquiry?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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'More Spies in America Now Than Ever in US History'
By Samuel Culper • April 13, 2016 April 13, 2016
"There are more spies in the United States today from foreign nation states than at any time in our history — including the Cold War. And they're stealing everything. If it's not bolted down, it's gone," said the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Rogers (R-MI). Citing reports from the U.S. Intelligence Community, Rogers described the threat, saying that, "It's massive, it's huge. And the numbers are overwhelming."
Over the weekend, news broke that a Navy officer has been held for months after being accused of spying for China. In a separate case, a Navy engineer was arrested for passing classified information to what he believed were his Egyptian handlers — when in fact, he was passing information to FBI agents posing as Egyptians. Last year we saw yet another similar case when a cleared Navy employee and Iranian national, for three decades, hid his identity and Iranian citizenship from the Navy, and is suspected of being an Iranian spy.
[Analyst Comment: These are just three recent instances — there's an untold number of active investigations and espionage arrests that we haven't heard about. And given 2015's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) breach, which gave China access to background investigation paperwork for millions of Americans with high level security clearances, the amount of sensitive and classified information being siphoned out of the U.S. is at unprecedented levels.
It's widely known that up to two-thirds of Chinese espionage activities are directed at economic and industrial targets. That, in part, has contributed greatly to China's technological rise. Instead of investing billions of dollars in research and development, the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) directs Chinese students and citizens abroad, working in Silicon Valley or Washington D.C., to steal technology and other sensitive information.
Although many applaud Edward Snowden for releasing volumes of highly classified intelligence, his work has also enabled and emboldened foreign intelligence services, allowing them to avoid detection and, in some cases, exploit known vulnerabilities and limitations of U.S. Intelligence.
And therein lies support for the trend — America is an empire in decline, by these numbers if none else. The nation is losing its advantages in warfare, technology, and economics, and it's going to affect all Americans. We must seriously consider the growing potential that future wars against Russia or China will not be won decisively, will likely come at a larger cost of lives and resources than Americans expect, and may be wars decisively lost. While this may be greeted as a positive development, Americans have enjoyed the world shaped by American foreign policy through the Cold War. The future world — the world where America has lost its advantages at home and abroad; its liberty, peace and prosperity at home; and the American ideals set forth by the Founders in the hearts of a growing number of Americans — is an America for which we need to be preparing.]
Become a subscriber and enjoy all our intelligence reporting and training. This month, we'll begin teaching (online) our series, SHTF Early Warning Intelligence. If you're concerned about an unstable and uncertain future in an America in decline, don't miss the rest of our SHTF Intelligence training. Subscribe here.
11 APR 16 – Weekly Infrastructure Report18 APR 16 – Weekly Infrastructure Report


The Association of Design Education (ADE) was formed to promote excellence in the field of specialized design education. We know how important it is to find quality programs that educate and support today's design entrepreneur.
We also know how important it is for interior redesigners, interior designers and decorators, and home stagers (real estate stagers) to have a helping hand when beginning and growing a successful decorating business.
Effective 1/1/2019, The Association of Design Education has merged with The Decorating and Staging Academy! As such, our Members and Trainers have become part of one of the most respected training and membership organizations in the decorating, staging, and redesign world!
To find out about taking classes and workshops please check out the list of ADE-approved Trainers on our Professional Trainers page. Our list of Members is under our Find a Professional page. In addition you will find our Trainers and members listed on the DSA website. For further information please contact our Trainers or members directly.
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In keeping with my celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, I have decided to repost yet another of my favorite Puerto Rican recipes. If you haven't tried Carne Guisada before, I urge you, I beg you, I IMPLORE you to try it! Really, it's that good.
Place meat and salt in pan with enough water to cover.
Cook at medium high heat until boiling, then lower heat and cook 45 minutes.
Add recaito, tomato sauce, olives, potatoes, carrot, celery, bay leaves, olive oil and beef stock. Cook at moderate heat until boiling.
Lower to medium heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring once.
Add meat; continue to simmer at medium heat for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on September 2, 2013 by theselftaughtcook.


In 1975, one year after Patty Hearst and her captors robbed Hibernia National Bank, a second kidnapping took place far from the glare of the headlines. Virginia Holman's mother, in the thrall of psychosis, spirited her two daughters to a cottage on the Virginia Peninsula, painted the windows black, and set up the house as a MASH unit for a secret war. A war that never came. The family -- captive to her mother's schizophrenia and a legal system that refused to intervene -- remained there for more than three years.
"What sets this book apart," the Hartford Courant observed, "is Virginia's voice...brave, smart, tough." Reviewers nationwide have praised Holman's "riveting," "endearing," and "wryly humorous" story of a young girl caught in the whirlwind of madness -- a girl who chooses a brainwashed heiress as her role model. Holman's memoir vividly and brilliantly evokes the interior worlds of the sane and the insane and the delicate membrane in between. An essential exploration of identity, captivity, and love, Rescuing Patty Hearst will inspire readers' faith in the resilience of one family's spirit to survive and thrive even in the direst of circumstances.
Virginia Holman is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize, a Roslynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowship, and a North Carolina Arts Council grant. Rescuing Patty Hearst won the 2003 Outstanding Literature Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, where she is at work on a novel.
Pat Conroy One of the best books about schizophrenia I have ever read. Virginia Holman has delivered a gift to the world of letters and to the literature of mental illness.
USA Today Electrifying, like lightning in a Mason jar.
People Holman...infuses her nightmarish past with compassion and insight....Bottom line: Captivating.
Glamour Holman's passionate book is a fierce testament to the power of love.


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Q: Unity leaderboard doesn't work once it is published on the Play Store I have this problem for my app I made in Unity, the leaderboard works when I use it on the APKs for x86 and x64 but when it's uploaded on Google Play, (that requests an .abb and no .apk,) the sign in for the user is okay, but when I go to the leaderboard, it shows the panel but it never ends loading and no score is shown.
I used the plugin for Google Play services. Any idea what might be causing this problem?


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Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) Students in Physics & Astronomy
University of Notre Dame / Department of Physics & Astronomy
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The University of Notre Dame's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program, which celebrated 35 years in 2021, provides opportunities for undergraduate physics majors to experience hands-on participation in research in many areas of physics. The REU program gives you valuable research experience, to help you decide if physics research is right for you. You will work closely with faculty and graduate students on a variety of current research projects and benefit from a number of activities organized to enrich your experience. These include: weekly seminars, a course on computer programming, a GRE preparation course, ethics workshops, a workshop on applying to graduate schools, field trips to nearby national laboratories, and the REU Symposium where you will present the results of your research. You will also maintain a logbook and write a project report. In addition, a variety of recreational and social activities are organized to make your stay with us "fun". Basically, this means that if you are a rising junior or senior, you can come to Notre Dame and work on a research project for ten weeks.
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Notre Dame Physics and Astronomy provides an outstanding and distinctive education to our undergraduate and graduate students while maintaining a broad, vibrant research program as we attempt to answer some of the most fundamental questions in nature. Research spans a number of exciting areas including Astrophysics, Biophysics, Condensed Matter, Nuclear, and High Energy Physics. This research is carried out by 45 tenure and tenure-track faculty members members, 19 teaching and research faculty, along with 100+ graduate students, as well as postdoctoral research associates and technical staff. Our research is collaborative, interdisciplinary, and highly international. Notre Dame physicists are active in collaborations around the globe, including particle physics at CERN, nuclear physics in Japan, condensed matter experiments in France and Switzerland, and telescope observing in South America. We also host many visitors from abroad that come to Notre Dame to work with our faculty and take advantage of the Department's excellent research facilities.
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Home / News and publications / The new £10 note is here
The new £10 note is here
The new £10 note has been issued. The note features the renowned novelist Jane Austen and is the first UK banknote with a tactile feature to support blind and partially sighted users.
Just over one billion polymer £10 notes have been printed ready for issue, and you will begin to see them in the following days and weeks as the notes leave cash centres around the country and enter general circulation.
Find out more about the new £10 note at www.thenewten.co.uk.
The new Jane Austen £10 joins the Churchill £5 in the first series of polymer Bank of England banknotes. A new £20 note featuring J.M.W Turner will follow in 2020.
Commenting on the introduction of the new £10 note, the Governor said: 'Our banknotes serve as repositories of the country's collective memory, promoting awareness of the United Kingdom's glorious history and highlighting the contributions of its greatest citizens. The new £10 note celebrates Jane Austen's work. Austen's novels have a universal appeal and speak as powerfully today as they did when they were first published.
The new £10 will be printed on polymer, making it safer, stronger and cleaner. The note will also include a new tactile feature on the £10 to help the visually impaired, ensuring the nation's money is as inclusive as possible.'
The new £10 note contains sophisticated security features which make it very difficult to counterfeit. It is expected to last at least 2.5 times longer than the current paper £10 notes – around five years – and stay in better condition during day-to-day use.
The series of raised dots in the top left-hand corner helps blind and partially sighted users to identify the denomination of the note. This tactile feature is in addition to the elements already incorporated in Bank of England banknotes for vision impaired users: the tiered sizing, bold numerals, raised print and differing colour palettes.
Victoria Cleland, the Bank's Chief Cashier, said: 'Today is an exciting day. It is wonderful to see the inspirational author Jane Austen celebrated on the new £10, and even more poignant being launched during the 200th anniversary of her death. I am grateful to the cash industry for their support in bringing the cleaner, safer, stronger notes to the public.'
Paper £10 notes featuring Charles Darwin will be gradually withdrawn from circulation as they are banked by retailers and businesses. You should continue to spend paper £10 notes as usual until legal tender status is withdrawn in spring 2018. The exact withdrawal date will be announced at least three months in advance.
// News // News release
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The ABCs of Science
24. September 2015 13:57 by Steve Leigh in Technology News // Tags: 3d printers, 3d printing, braille, magnets // Comments (0)
The contradictory nature of language makes it fascinating. The nuances and inflections found in various languages seem to separate us. Meanwhile, the widespread use of language brings us together. Language is one of the hallmarks of human evolution. It's a diverse, evolving system that represents our inherent need to connect with one another.
Although the importance of language can't be overestimated, its prolific use is often taken for granted. Varying dialects and physical disabilities create even more difficulties in communication, even among those who speak the same language. Whether or not it's a matter of life or death, people need to be able to get their message across as clearly as possible. Fortunately, when regular words fail us, technology lends some assistance.
Hands-On Speech
Since its creation in 1824, the Braille writing system has been an invaluable resource for the visually impaired. Braille readers are able to decipher literature physically by moving their hands across deep impressions in paper. Unfortunately, the process by which Braille pages are printed is both costly and time-consuming. In the fast-paced Digital Age, this puts the blind at risk for not getting crucial information in a timely fashion. One young inventor is hoping to change that.
Image via Smithsonian Mag
Although twelve-year-old Shubham Banerjee has full use of his sight, he is well aware of the statistics regarding the drop-off in modern Braille usage. With the prohibitive cost of printing and the popularity of voice-to-text technology, he saw that people were missing out on access to an important literary tool. It was then that the young engineering student used a LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robotics kit to build a prototype Braille printer that he named Braigo. The printer expedites the printing process while using materials that significantly lower the cost. Banerjee, now a high school freshman, has founded his own company, Braigo Labs, which has already begun crafting the new model of his invaluable printing device.
Biochemist Linden Gledhill was growing and cultivating live coral when his internet research led him to information on ferrofluids. Ferrofluids are created when fluids are infused with magnetic particles that allow them to be controlled and manipulated. The unique patterns fascinated Gledhill and he soon found that he could recreate specific patterns over and over again. That's when he informed his friend Craig Ward, a former advertising executive, and the two of them began to form a series of random blobs into a specific language.
Image via Wired.
The collaboration led to the creation of the Fe203 Glyphs alphabet. It consists of 138 individual designs, which resemble Rorschach-style ink blots. Although the glyphs were created for no specific purpose, the creators say they've gotten many interesting suggestions. They say the system has been suggested as an alternative to Braille, cryptography, and even QR codes.
Whether these newly invented writing styles become the new norm or become ancient history remains to be seen. What's certain is that technology has increased the number of ways people can communicate with one another. Linguistic barriers are no longer as imposing as they once were.


Jade Forrest done. Moving on. What a ride.
Yep, yesterday marked the day I finished all of Jade Forrest. Man, I can't even remember the last time I bothered doing all the quests in a zone before moving on.
Also, I was called over to Valley (I think) to come and help kill a Rare Elite (Champions they are called these days) by some guildies. I can recall thinking "Since when does it take 3 people to kill a Rare Elite?" but I got proven wrong on that pretty fast. As it turns out these guys have been buffed quite a bit, and hit hard on occasion.
Mr. Cournith, a Rare Elite Champion dude bit the dust. But he showed us the meaning of asswhooping first.
Some random screenies of the bootyfull scenery in Jade Forrest.
The start of an epic journey lies ahead!
And also at level 87 you unlock 2 new dungeons. I've only tried out one so far, and it's pretty much the same caliber, except maybe the final boss. He sure does a lot of things at the same time. I can see this being a wipefest on heroic mode for tunnelvision people.
Not the final boss, for some reason I forgot to take a screenshot of the fight, so you'll have to do with this one.
← MoP dungeons are easy. What happened?


size is 8" X 12"
Wipe Size: 12" x 8"
Love the wipes hate the new container. For the size of the container it is to flimsy and to big to put in a bag to pack. Need to go back to the old packaging. The lid for the new wipes just falls off so how can you keep that amount of wipes wet. Horrible packaging. Sorry we like the old packaging because it was the right size for traveling. If you made one good sturdy tub that we could put the wipes into when at home and left the other packaging as they were it would make more sense. Just make a refillable tub. Send one sturdy container with each case order just for the bed side table.


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Combichrist Annihilate Expectations With Vicious Industrial Beast This Is Where Death Begins
18 May 2016 By jesse Leave a Comment
One quick perusal through the comments section on Facebook after the announcement and a sampler were posted for This Is Where Death Begins, Combichrist's 8th album, and it's pretty obvious that the Combi camp falls into two very passionate categories: the die hards and the haters. The haters are there to endlessly languish about the demise of Combichrist's earlier aggrotech sound and constantly comment how they use "too many guitars" and are "way too metal". Then there's the die-hards who, you guessed it, love the fuck out of the band no matter what they evolve into.
The beauty of our society is that we get to have those opinions and express them (And even have Combichrist respond back to some with hilarious results). Then there's the beauty of my job where I get an advanced copy of the record in question and can devilishly smile as the arguments play out online knowing what's to come.
So is the new record finally going to unite the tribes again? Well, not exactly. Combichrist is never going to completely go back to their original sound. What band wants to? This beast started as a voice for vocalist Andy LaPlegua and has since morphed into a full-fledged band so yeah, the guitars are staying for a bit. That said, This Is Where Death Begins is probably the closest amalgamation of the two eras that the band has ever achieved.
I'd go on to point out that this song sounds like it could've been on this Combi record or that one but the truth is, every Combichrist record has its own unique sound and this one is no different. "We are the Plague" begins This Is Where Death Begins in classic Combichrist fashion by absolutely crushing skulls with a flurry of chugging guitars and ominous synths as LaPlegua switches from a subtle bark to a vitriolic scream (The last "Watch this place burn!" LaPlegua wails on will leave you with chills). "My Life My Rules" which follows is a goddamn anthem and a half. A veritable sing-a-long even! And a fucking pulverizing beast to boot. You can almost picture drummer Joe Letz's arms flailing away on stage during this while he continuously messes with his drum tech. Then "Glitchteeth" almost completely abandons the guitars and reminds listeners of some of those KMFDM electro noise jams of the mid-'90's.
The synthetics and guitars mesh in perfect synchronicity during "Exit Eternity" which features a glorious screamfest of a chorus on top of it all. And the electro-ferocity doesn't stop there! "Time Again" is an electronic tribal assault propelled by Brent Ashley's low end and Letz's almost hypnotic pounding while "Don't Care How You Feel About It" is pure electro gold with swirling synthetics that make the song fit for an interpretive dance routine at your favorite goth club.
Then "Blackened Heart" enters and the Letz drum show returns in full with Eric 13's syncopated riffing. "Tired Of Hating You", meanwhile, is like an old school Sister Machine Gun song until the floodgates open and it becomes a full-fledged shredfest. And if you like the shred then head on over to "Slakt", a raucous headbanger and easily a pit favorite going forward. Later on, "Black Tar Dove pt2" is all bleeps and boops and noise (Those are obviously technical terms) until "Homeward" closes up the 15-track beast and hearkens back to We Love You's brutal opener during its epic conclusion.
In the end, though, haters gonna hate and die-hards are gonna stay hard but up until this moment there hasn't been a Combichrist album as near perfect as this one. Hear for yourself when This Is Where Death Begins is unveiled in all its glorious brutality on June 3rd through Out Of Line Music. A slew of pre-order options are available here and here.
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Music, New Releases, Rock And Roll Fables Tagged With: Andy LaPlegua, Brent Ashley, Combichrist, Eric 13, Joe Letz, Out Of Line Music, Rock And Roll Fables, This Is Where Death Begins


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Studio SOS: Monitoring
Acoustics / Studio Design
Studio Stories
By Hugh Robjohns & Paul White
Published December 2005
The untreated studio...
Dave Rogers was having trouble with his monitoring, so the SOS team sped over to his home studio in Bristol, England, to sort things out.
Dave had improvised speaker stands using piles of concrete building blocks. However, his original design (above) was rather unstable, so Paul rearranged it into this more stable configuration, and added some Auralex Mo Pad foam isolation pads for good measure.Dave Rogers left his native Boston on the east coast of the USA to live in Bristol, where he has set up a home studio in a small room created by partitioning off the last eight feet of his single garage. This has left him with a near-cuboid space measuring approximately eight by eight by nine feet, where three of the walls are solid and one is a studding 'drywall' partition incorporating a doorway to the rest of the garage. A side door in one of the solid walls provides access.
Dave's recording system is based around a Mac Powerbook laptop fitted with 1GB of RAM and connected to the outside world via an M-Audio Firewire 410 audio interface that provides one set of MIDI ports. The active monitors are also from M-Audio (BX8s) and Dave had these set up on piles of heavy concrete building blocks, a cheap alternative to speaker stands which Paul suggested to him on the phone while arranging the visit. He also has a Novation rackmount synth, a Micro Korg synth and a couple of processor boxes, including a Dbx 266XL compressor, which he had connected to the aux send and returns of the small Behringer Eurorack MX2004A mixer he was using to feed his synths into the audio interface.
When we arrived, the room was completely untreated, so the acoustic was predictably boxy and ringy, given that there was only the floor covering and the equipment in the room to absorb and scatter the sound energy. We played some commercial tracks over the speakers, and were greeted by a very confused sound with exaggerated presence and high end, no real stereo imaging, and a lot of overhang on the bass notes. As is common with small rooms, the bass end dipped considerably if you listened from the dead centre of the room, which is where Dave's chair normally sat. He'd noticed something was wrong, because his headphone mix always seemed to have a lot more going on at the low end than appeared in his monitors.
As usual, we started by trying to optimise the monitoring system prior to treating the room, and it was immediately obvious that the stacked concrete blocks were far from rigid, so we dismantled them and built them up again as shown in the photograph, with two blocks one way, then two the other, capped off with flat blocks on top to form a platform. This was far more rigid, and once we'd added a pair of Auralex's dense foam Mo Pads the speakers were at the correct height with the tweeters pointing directly at Dave's head when he was seated in his monitoring chair.
Hugh switched off the mid-range boost setting on the M-Audio active monitors, and also tamed their over-prominent high-end response by reducing the tweeter level a little.
Hugh then checked the EQ settings on the backs of the speakers, which were set flat except for the mid-range presence switch. He turned this off and also dropped the tweeter level by 2dB, as one characteristic of these speakers seems to be an over-pronounced high end. He also reduced the bass extension from the lowest 37Hz setting to 47Hz, which initially seemed more appropriate for the small room.
Rewiring & Reorganisation
The result was a slight improvement, but at this stage the room acoustics were still playing havoc with the monitoring. We also noticed that every time David needed to replay anything he had to do a lot of re-patching, so we suggested reorganising his system slightly before proceeding with the acoustic treatment. With small systems such as this, a simple option is to feed the stereo output from the audio interface into the two-track returns on the mixer and then select this two-track return as the mixer's monitoring source. The advantage of this approach is that the mixer's control room monitor level control can be used to adjust the monitors, whereas previously Dave had fed the monitors directly from the output of his audio interface, which meant that he had to adjust the playback volumes in software. The input channels could then be mixed as normal and fed to the audio interface inputs via the mixer's main stereo output.
Dave has his synths connected to the mixer, but he also has a DJ deck setup that could be fed into the mixer for monitoring or recording purposes. For playback or keyboard playing without the computer, the mixer could be switched back to monitoring the main stereo mix rather than the two-track input. We rewired as above using Dave's existing cables, all of which were unbalanced. There was little hum or noise in evidence, but using balanced cables to feed the active M-Audio monitors would have been better. The two-track inputs were on unbalanced phonos anyway, so the existing cables were fine.
Dave had been monitoring his mixes directly from his audio interface output, but this meant that he needed to re-patch to play anything else back over his studio monitors. By rewiring the audio interface outputs to the mixer's two-track inputs instead, Hugh was able to set up much more flexible monitoring, making better use of the mixer's routing facilities.
Next we explained that compressors aren't normally used in effects send-return loops unless you're doing certain unconventional mastering tricks, and as Dave was using Logic Pro 7 on his laptop he could always compress within the software using Logic 's included plug-ins. However, he liked the sound of the Dbx on certain bass-synth sounds, so Paul suggested that he hard-wire the Dbx compressor between his Novation synth (which is the one he usually uses for bass) and the mixer input.
One odd occurrence Dave demonstrated to us was that whenever he booted up the computer, the stereo image was obviously offset to one side. This turned out to be due to Audio MIDI Setup in the Mac OS turning down one channel by 2-3dB for no apparent reason. Dave had even gone so far as to completely reinstall the OS, but the problem still remained, and he tells us that it only started after he installed the M-Audio Firewire 410. Until a solution is found, he has to go into Audio MIDI Setup and reset the faders every time he starts up the computer.
Control Room Bass Problems
After an eclectic lunch of chocolate Hobnobs augmented by real chip-shop fish and chips, we turned our attention to the sound of the room itself. Being realistic, a small room like the one Dave has is never going to make an ideal monitoring environment, but we felt that it should at least allow mixes to be created that don't sound too far out of balance when played on other systems. As we knew we were going to face bass-end problems in such a small room (the smaller the room, the more widely spaced the room modes, and the less even the bass will be), we brought along a couple of Mini Traps kindly donated by Ethan Winer of Real Traps. Ideally you'd need four or more of these traps to really make a serious dent in the problem, but Dave agreed that if he could hear an improvement with two fitted, he'd buy two more to fit himself at a later date.
Fitting the Real Traps bass traps was a simple matter of fixing nylon cord through the holes on the back of each trap's metal frame, and then hanging the traps from hooks which had been screwed through the plasterboard into the ceiling joists.
Mini Traps work on a different principle to the acoustic foam panels that Auralex normally provide for our Studio SOS visits: acoustic foam absorbs sound by frictional loss, and its effectiveness at low frequencies is directly related to its thickness and its spacing from the wall. On the other hand, the Mini Traps use the principle of lightweight panels between which are sandwiched three inches of damping material. These traps are then fitted across corners (usually between walls and ceilings), the idea being that the bass energy tries to move the panels and the damping material behind absorbs the energy rather than reflecting it back into the room.
The easiest way to hang these panels is by using picture-frame wire or nylon cord, and we used the latter for simplicity. However, getting the cord length right to get the panels hanging correctly proved to be quite tricky. We also had to locate the ceiling joists to screw in the hooks needed to support the cord. However, once the panels were up, they looked fine and seemed stable. Another listening test showed that the bass dip in the centre of the room was noticeably less fierce and the bass notes didn't appear to overhang as much. Equally importantly, the levels of bass notes were now more even, though still not perfect. Two further traps would improve this situation, but as it was, the bass performance of the room seemed adequate, provided that any crucial monitoring decisions were made with the chair pushed back behind the centre of the room.
In order to tidy up the monitoring system's stereo imaging, Paul and Dave used contact adhesive to glue acoustic foam panels around the side walls of the room, thereby reducing acoustic reflections reaching the mixing position.Next we used four panels of Auralex foam to tame the remaining ringing and boxiness, following the usual strategy of placing absorbers at each side of the listening position to damp side-to-side reflections — these are the ones that have the most detrimental effect on stereo imaging. A further panel was placed on the rear wall to reduce reflections from that surface, and the remaining panel was cut in two and glued to the wall behind the monitors. Ideally we'd also have placed a panel on the ceiling centred just forward of the monitoring position, but we didn't have enough material with us to do this. Dave said that he'd buy a panel as soon as possible and fix this himself.
A spirit-level helps with optimal positioning of the Auralex treatment.
Once the acoustic foam was in place, the difference was immediately obvious. Just speaking in the room showed that it was much better damped, and all that 'broom cupboard' boxiness was gone. Playing the same material over the monitors confirmed that everything now sounded less confused, more controlled, and tighter, with greatly improved imaging. There was still some bass drop-off at the exact centre of the room, but nothing as bad as what we'd heard before putting up the Mini Traps. The consistency of level across different bass notes was also better. Dave seemed very pleased with the sonic improvements, and also with the ergonomic benefits of rewiring the mixer to allow it to control the monitor level.
During the day, we'd tried using the monitors set to a higher bass roll-off position, but with all the treatment work complete, we found we got a better correlation between the monitor mix and the headphone mix if we set the speakers back to their full bass extension. We stuck with the flat mid-range setting and the 2dB high cut, and left the environment switch set for half-space operation, which is usually best when the speakers are used close to a wall. For judging mixes, it would still be better to roll the seat backwards a foot or so away from the dead centre of the room, but that's easy enough.
Sequencer Tips
We used up our remaining time going through a few Logic tricks with Dave. He's a big fan of synth bass sounds, so we tried processing some of his patches using Logic 's Guitar Amp Pro and Phase Distortion plug-ins, which Paul has found to be very effective in getting dirty Leftfield-type heavy bass sounds. The guitar amp can produce more subtle effects, and by choosing the right speaker-cabinet simulation it's often possible to create more analogue-like sounds. Not only does this sound good, but it also tames the high-frequency harmonics in the sound, so it's often easier to place the bass line in the mix without it trampling all over the mid-range. Paul also demonstrated using Logic 's Tremolo plug-in as a beat-sync'ed chopper for turning pads or other sustained sounds into rhythmically supportive elements.
To wrap things up, Paul demonstrated how Dave could make Logic quicker to use by spending some time setting up a suitable default project, with all the MIDI routing, audio tracks, and mixer channels he might need.
Dave was fairly new to Logic, so we also covered a couple of basic operation tips, the first and most obvious being to spend the time to create a comprehensive default Song with Screensets arranged to navigate quickly between the most commonly used screens, such as the Arrange window, the Track Mixer, and the Environment. The use of Screensets is particularly important when using a laptop, because of the very limited screen space. However, Screensets are saved with each Song, so you need to work them into your default Song if you want them to appear in new Songs you create.
Another great space-saver for laptop users is to use the Arrange window's View Channel Strip Only key command, so that you can easily toggle between seeing the whole channel strip on the left of the window or all the parameter windows plus just a part of the channel strip.
Our final tip was to use the Escape key to bring up the toolbox at the current cursor position, as this saves having to move over to the left of the screen every time you wish to select a new tool. Hitting Escape a further couple of times brings you back to the original tool. Paul also recommended Dave get the version 7.1 upgrade, as it includes a few further improvements. Upgrading Mac OS to Tiger would probably also be a good move as well in his experience, as Logic is much more stable under Tiger than under the previous versions of Mac OS X.
Before we left, Dave asked our advice on improving the entrance door. As daylight was clearly visible around the edge, and it was a lightweight door, it leaked quite a lot of sound. We suggested adding a layer of half-inch plywood to the inside, with Rockwool filling any spaces, then fitting a compression latch to pull the door hard against the frame when closed. The door frame could then be modified with neoprene foam seals that touch the door on all four sides to make it airtight. While a single door will never be as good as two spaced doors for isolating sound, the difference should be very worthwhile. It may also be worth damping the door leading through to the garage, as the light pine panels may resonate when hit with high levels of bass.
Dave's Comments
"First I would like to say thank you to the team — this has been one of the highlights of my life! I never thought about how the sound would change or even how to go about changing it, but the room now sounds fantastic. The Mini Traps do a proper job, and I have already been looking into getting at least two more for the room. I have also taken your advice and changed most of my unbalanced cables to balanced, as well as hard-wiring the compressor.
"I feel much more confident with my mixes now. I know where to put the guitar amp and where to sit for mixdown. The Screenset tips you gave me make getting around Logic quick and easy. I love going into the studio with confidence that it's all good."
Radiophonic Recording At Eve Studios January 2022
SOS visits Real World Studios October 2021
Distant City Studios January 2021
Why I Love... Well-run Studios October 2020
Recording Studios Are... Pointless / Essential ! August 2020
Re: What Synth?
The Elf >
21 Jan 2022, 18:06Keyboards & Synthesis
Re: Mixes: art or product
RichardT >
21 Jan 2022, 18:01Mixing, Mastering & Post Production
Re: New Misa Kitara-like
BJG145 >
Re: Issue with the "lining up" line in Pro Tools
Aleks_O >


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CAPS has professionally trained staff who listen, understand and provide counseling with clinical excellence and Christian integrity.
While the relationship between your student and their counselor is confidential, suggesting CAPS as an option is often an important first step for caregivers. Counseling is available free of charge to all degree-seeking students at Hope College.
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Global Citybreaks
Hongkong City
Yoyakarta
Beach Moment
Kho Yao Yai
Uni. Arab Emirates
Albania >
Nature, culture and adventure through the land of eagles
Das Baptisterium von Butrint, Albanien
Group from 6 persons and
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Private tour for 2 persons
starting from (p.P.) : USD 2139
SOME HIGHLIGHTS WITH Roundtrips.Global
Wine tasting in Berat
Visit the archaeological site of Apollonia
Hike to the Santa Andre bay
Cultural discovery of Butrint
Tirana city, Albania
Transfer from the airport to the hotel in downtown Tirana will be according to your flight schedule. Founded in 1614, Tirana became the capital of Albania in 1920 and is the country's most important cultural and industrial center. The city boulevards are characterized by fascinating relics of the Ottoman, Italian and Communist past. Tirana has changed incredibly in the last twenty years, from the dull, gray city it once was. Tirana is a city where fun is guaranteed: lively, loud, crazy, colorful, simply fascinating.
Overnight: Tirana.
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Kruja castle in Albania
TIRANA - KRUJA - ADVICE (B, D)
The day starts with the transfer to Kruja. It sits on a mountain 600m above sea level and has an ancient history. It was the capital of Albanopolis, inhabited by the Illyrian tribes of the Albanians, was the capital of the Principality of Arber, is the city in which the history of Skanderbeg began. The city has resisted various Ottoman attacks and only came under Ottoman rule after the death of Skanderbeg. The city is rich in monuments of culture and ethnography. The castle of Kruja is located on a hill and the view from there is great. The castle dates from the VI - VII century and was rebuilt by the Byzantines and later by the Ottomans. The main remains of the castle are the Clock Tower, St. Andrew's Church, the Fatih Mosque and the Medieval Baths. Within the castle ruins are two important museums that we will visit: the Museum of the National Hero and the Ethnographic Museum. The tour of Kruja ends with a walk on the crafts market built about 400 years ago. You will have the opportunity to visit a workshop and observe the traditional way of wool processing and. After lunch, the journey continues to Durrës. Located in western central Albania, Durrës is Albania's most important port city and of great importance to the country's economy. Durrës is one of the oldest cities in the whole Adriatic region. It was in 627 BC. As Epidamnos, founded by Greek colonists from Corinth and Corfu. In the year 280 BC Chr., The Illyrian king Monun coined the first coins with the new Illyrian name of the city, Dyrrah. The city became one of the starting points of Via Egnatia, which connected the Adriatic Sea with Byzantium. Durrës is one of the first cities in the Balkan Peninsula, and indeed in Europe, to host a Christian community. The tour of Durrës begins with a visit to the ruins of the market complex (Macellum) of the late Roman and early Byzantine era. The circular area within a colonnade in the center provided a space for more formal activities. Then we will visit the Roman Amphitheater, one of the largest monuments of antiquity built in the first decades of the II century, probably during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Unlike other amphitheaters of the time, which are built exclusively on flat terrain, it is partly based on a hill, and partly on level ground with a facade that looked to the main part of the city. After the visit, transfer to Berai - dinner.
Overnight: Berat
View at old city of Berat
ADVICE (B, D)
Berat is one of the main attractions of the country. It has a 2407 year history and is a wonderful combination of Eastern and Western cultures and traditions. The life of the city began as an Illyrian settlement. Later, in the 3rd century BC, it was converted into a castle town known as Antipatrea. During feudalism, churches were built with valuable frescoes and icons inside the castle. The castle is unique because it is still inhabited today. In 2008, the old town of Berat was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We will visit the Mangalemi area with its attractions, the Ethnographic Museum and the Little Michaelis Church. Then we will walk through the Gorica district on the Ottoman stone bridge "Ura e Goricës". An interesting attraction is the Roman cistern, which was used until the 19th century. Famous is the Onufri Museum with works by the most important Albanian icon painter of the same name. Finally, visit the castle of Berat, which is one of the top attractions of the old town, planned. The Region Berat is known in Albania for wine production. For the afternoon, a wine tour is planned in the Cobo winery. After the visit of the winery follows the tasting of typical wines and other drinks: Berat white wine, sparkling wine, Berat red wine, nut raki, grapes Raki. All wines are accompanied by products from the territory of Berat: cheeses of various kinds, ham, olives etc.
Dhermi Village, Albania
Dhërmi
BERAT - DHËRMI (B, L)
The day begins with the transfer to Apollonia. It was 588 BC. Founded as a Corinthian colony, it is named after the god Apollo. Of the 24 cities in the ancient Mediterranean with this name, the Illyrian Apollonia was the most important. It is estimated that the city had about 60,000 inhabitants, a record for ancient times. In the city lived in addition to the Greek settlers numerous Illyrians. Since 229 BC Apollonia stood under Roman protection and in the civil war between Pompey and Caesar stood on Caesar's side. A little later Marcus Antonius fortified the strategically important place. In addition to agriculture in the area, the industries (especially pottery) formed the basis for the wealth of the city. The School of Fine Arts was famous throughout the ancient world. The decline of the commercial center began in the 4th century, when an earthquake changed the course of the river Vjosa and the port of Apollonia silted. The city lost its economic importance and turned into a simple religious center. The archaeological area is very well preserved. Archaeologists call Apollonia the Pompei of Albania, as only 10% of the territory of the former city has been discovered to this day. The journey follows in the direction of Vlora, the city with a very long and beautiful coast, which lies between the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea. The lunch is planned in a beautiful restaurant located in Radhima, directly by the sea. Then we drive to the Llogara National Park, where we will have a short coffee break. It is one of the most beautiful places in Albania and covered with eternal greenery. In the inner part of the forests there are beautiful meadows, countless natural resources and varied animal and bird species. An amazing part of this geo-park is the "balcony" in the Llogara Pass, at the height of 1050m, from where you can see the Ionian Sea. The last destination of the day is Dhërmi. It is one of the most important and important tourist centers in all of Albania and one of the oldest and most characteristic villages of the Ionian coast. In Dhërmi there are many old houses with characteristic architecture, many churches and a monastery with a built in the XIV century church. The beach of Dhërmi is one of the biggest beaches of the Ionian coast. The white sand and the clear water create ideal conditions for sunbathing and a perfect rest. In the afternoon you have some free time to visit the village, or to enjoy the sun and the sea.
Overnight: Dhërmi
Dhermi Beach in Albania
DHËRMI: HIKING TO SANTA ANDRE BAY (B, Lunch Package)
This day begins with the transfer to Palasa, where the trek begins. We follow the path that runs parallel to the sea, up to the Santa Andre bay. The path is not very steep and sometimes flat and offers very nice views. This bay, completely isolated from the rest of the world, retains its intact nature, clean beach and crystal clear waters. After a swim, the boat tour starts along the coast towards the bay of Grama. This part of the coast is especially beautiful. Small pebble beaches, pristine coves, hidden underwater caves and crystal clear waters make your tour an extraordinary experience. The Grama Bay has a pristine beach in a special atmosphere where you can enjoy the sea and the sun. Since ancient times, ships used to anchor there. The coastline along the bay has cultural value and can be considered one of the richest "rocky diaries" in the Mediterranean. In the afternoon boat trip to Dhërmi - dinner.
Saranda city port at ionian sea. Albania
DHËRMI - SARANDA (B, L)
After breakfast, we will head south to the bay of Porto Palermo, one of the most beautiful places on the Ionian coast. The bay of Porto Palermo was one of the most important military bases during the Cold War. From the height of the street the tunnel entrance of the submarines is visible. On a small peninsula near the coast is imposing the castle of Ali Pasha Tepelena, which we will visit. Then we will drive to the starting point of the hike near the village of Kudhës. It is a very traditional village with cobbled streets and stone houses. There we will be guests of a local family to have lunch and taste traditional homemade products. From the village we follow the broad, partly rocky path to the village of Upper Qeparo. Transfer to Saranda - dinner
Overnight: Saranda
Butrint (Buthrotum), Albania
SARANDA: CULTURAL DISCOVERY OF BUTRINT (B, D)
The day begins with the drive to Butrinti, which is about 20 kilometers south of the city of Saranda. You will visit the ruined city, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992. Originally Butrint was an epirotic city: the population consisted of Illyrians and Greeks. It was one of the main places of the Chaonier, one of the three great Epirotic tribes. The oldest finds date from the 10th to the 8th century BC. After the visit, drive to Ksamil, a famous seaside resort because of the particularly clear and warm sea. Free time is planned there to enjoy the sea and the sun. The dinner is planned in a restaurant in the "Lëkursi fortress" on a hill overlooking the bay of Saranda. It will be an excellent experience. You will taste homemade dishes that are typical of the region, accompanied by the sound of traditional Albanian folk music, the so-called iso-polyphony. It is original music and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Overnight: Saranda.
Gjirokaster, UNESCO Heritage, Albania
SARANDA - TIRANA (B, L)
After breakfast, the journey begins in the direction of Gjirokastra. It's amazing how the landscape changes during the journey. After only a few kilometers, the characteristic Mediterranean villages, with their stone houses embedded in the mountain slopes, give their place to traditional medieval villages. On the way to Gjirokastra we will enjoy the spectacular, secluded landscape of the spring and the park of the "Blue Eye". This source is unique for its appearance, like a deep sapphire blue "hole" beneath the surface of the calmer turquoise water - a color scheme typically seen only in saltwater springs. Divers have made it 50 meters into the water, but its true depth still needs to be revealed. Gjirokastra is an outstanding example of an Ottoman trading city and one of the few remaining in the Balkans. We will visit the castle and a very traditional museum house. Lunch in Gjirokastra. In the late afternoon transfer to Tirana - dinner.
Overnight: Tirana
TIRANA: TRANSFER TO THE AIRPORT (B)
Depending on your departure flight, drive to the airport for your flight home or onward flight.
Day 1 Tirana
Day 2 Berat
Day 4 Dhërmi
Day 6 Saranda
Day 1 - Tirana
Day 2 - Berat
Day 4 - Dhërmi
Day 6 - Saranda
7x Breakfast. 1x Lunch Paket, 3x Lunch, 3x Dinner
Private Car/Minivan
English Speaking (German Speaking on Request!)
To make your Roundtrip more interesting, we recommend you to check out our other package: Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria or Greece.
We reserve the right to adjust the above mentioned prices in the case of strong currency fluctuations between the USD ($) and the Euro (€)
8 nights in your chosen accomodation
Meal as specified in itinerary
(B = Breakfast, BR = Brunch, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
Activities and excursions according to itinerary
Tours and excursions in mini buses/buses
or with public transportation according to itinerary
- visit of Kruja
- Wine tasting in Berat
- Visit the archaeological site of Apollonia
- Visit the National Park in Llogara
- Hike to the Sankt Andre book
- Boat trip to Grama Bay and Pirate Cave
- Hike from Kudhës to Qeparo
- Cultural discovery Butrint
- Visit to Gjirokasta - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Admission fees according to itinerary
Meals other than mentioned in itinerary
Tours and Excursions other than mentioned in itinerary
Early check-in and late check-out at hotels
Personal expenses and tips for driver/guides
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Inquiries are Missing
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My Cam/Mic isn't working
By clicking on the Cam/Mic button in your room, you can select the microphone or camera that you'd like to use for your meeting. However, in some cases Whereby won't detect a cam or mic, or the device selection won't save. In these cases, there are a few things you can do get everything working again!
Check your system and browser settings
Still not working? A couple more things to check....
For some users, we've found that having another video conferencing program open like Skype or Google Hangouts can cause Whereby to be unable to access the cam/mic. If your cam/mic buttons are greyed out, it's possible that this is what's causing the problem. In this case, the first thing to check on is if your browser is up to date. We support the most recent versions of our supported browsers, so double check that there isn't an update for the one you're using! There are links below that walk you through updating your browser if you don't know how to:
Microsoft Edge - This browser is updated automatically when you update Windows
If you are using an older operating system like Windows Vista or XP, these no longer have support from Microsoft or browser teams like the Chrome and Firefox; and they won't be able to run an up-to-date browser. In these situations we highly recommend you update your operating system to a more current version.
If your browser is up-to-date, it's possible that this is caused by a stale mic/cam permissions cookie, or possibly because of another application that's taking priority access over Whereby.
In this case we recommend clearing your cache and cookies for your entire browser and then restarting your computer. Sometimes a reset of your system environment will resolve these types of issues, so this is a "catch-all" solution before further investigation is required. Instructions for clearing your cache and cookies for our supported browsers are linked below:
If resetting the system environment doesn't solve the problems you can try the below items to resolve the issue!
Confirm the Microphone/Camera settings for your operating system
MacOS 10.14 (Mojave) and newer
In MacOS Mojave, Apple has introduced some system-level privacy controls for your mic and camera. These are great for privacy, but it is possible that your browser was mistakenly blocked from accessing your devices. You can check on this and allow your browser to access them from the Security & Privacy section in your System Preferences.
To access these settings, do the following:
Click on the apple in the top left > select System Preferences
Click on the Security & Privacy section
Click on Camera in the list of options, and tick the box next to your browser to allow access
Repeat Step 3 for your Microphone
After doing this, restart your browser for the updates to take effect
MacOS 10.13 (High Sierra) and older
If you use an older version of MacOS, there are not system level permission for your camera, and instead MacOS will default to the settings on the application level. However if your mic selection isn't sticking, there is a system level control of your mic. You can access this by clicking on the Apple in the top left corner of the screen and selecting System Preferences. From here, click on Sound and then select the Input tab. This area will list all input devices that are available, and you can set the default as necessary.
In Windows 10, you're able to set a default Microphone, but there are also system-level Camera permissions on what applications can access your camera. For either of these settings, the first thing to do is open up your system settings by clicking on the Start menu and selecting the Settings gear.
Default Mic
You can adjust the microphone settings by typing "Mic" into the search bar and going to the Sound settings. Scroll down to Input and use the dropdown to select the proper input device
Camera Permissions
Camera permissions can be accessed by typing "Cam" into the search bar. These settings are under your general Privacy settings, but search is the easiest way to access them. From here, be sure that your browser has permission to access your camera.
Confirm the Mic/Cam settings for your browser
Mic and Cam defaults can be accessed in a number of ways in Chrome, but the easiest is to paste the following links into your URL bar:
Cam: chrome://settings/content/camera
Mic: chrome://settings/content/microphone
From these areas, you can manage the default cam/mic for Chrome, and also whitelist or block websites from accessing your cam/mic! Be sure that Whereby is listed under the Allow section.
In Firefox, you can also use a URL link to get to your privacy settings. Start by going to about:preferences#privacy, and then looking under the Permissions section. Here you can adjust which websites are allowed to use your camera, and you'll want to see Whereby listed as Allow.
To adjust which camera or microphone Firefox is accessing, you'll need to go into a Whereby room. From here, click on the icon that's just to the left of your URL bar, and you'll have a dropdown menu where you can select the camera you want to use.
In Opera you can get to settings by typing " settings" into your URL bar. From here, click on Websites in the left hand menu list. Then scroll down to the Microphone and Camera area, and use the dropdown menus to select the default devices. You can also adjust your permissions preferences and set up Exceptions as necessary.
Some browsers are not able to connect through strict networks/firewalls. Also there may be bugs in the browser causing problems with connection. If you are experiencing this, try switching to another browser. Currently Firefox is not supporting connections through very strict firewalls, so if you are on a corporate network, try to get all participants to use Chrome or Opera.
Interfering browser extensions: It is not uncommon for some third party extension to cause problems with some websites. To test this, try using your browser through an Incognito tab or Private browsing window. If all works normally then you know that an extension is causing an issue. Unfortunately there is no way to identify which one easily. A process of elimination will need to be done on each extension to fine the one causing the problem.


Since the beginning of time, we've looked up at the night sky, imagining what else might be out there, trying to give meaning to life by wanting to understand the origins of where we came from. Science and technology has brought us closer to understanding the mysteries of the universe, and now through VR, we have the opportunity to visit the far reaches of the cosmos and even witness the birth of a star.
Fistful of Stars, McNitt's first VR piece made in collaboration with Intel, premiered last week at SXSW and was demoed with the Positron Voyager chairs, also used by the Mummy Zero Gravity VR experience. Fistful of Stars' booth also featured a hologram of the Hubble Space Telescope that intrigued all the VR enthusiasts waiting in line to experience the piece.
Moments after you put on the headset, you find yourself drifting past the Hubble Space Telescope in Earth's orbit. You feel weightless in the chair as you drift across our Galaxy and arrive at the center of the Orion Nebula, one of the most photographed and studied celestial objects in the sky. The visuals are stunning and seem so real, considering everything is based off of actual Hubble imagery. "The Orion Nebula is the birth place of star life, and it's the only place where it felt like this film could exist" said McNitt.
The music of the VR experience is from The Hubble Cantata, composed by Paola Prestini about the birth, life and death of a star; the music inspired McNitt to create a visual story in VR. Last summer the song was performed live by a 30-piece ensemble and a 100-person choir for thousands in Brooklyn. During this performance the audience viewed the experience through Google Cardboard headsets while experiencing the live music. The soundtrack in the piece however, was re-recorded in 3D audio.
While experiencing a star being born in VR, I was able to reflect on our place in the cosmos, and realized again just how small we actually are. You can't help but think about cosmic connections. Fistful of Stars creates a beautiful fusion between science and art by showing the potential of VR and creates a path for future exploration of the cosmos.
Fistful of Stars will be released publicly later this year, and McNitt is now working on an interactive episodic experience in collaboration with Intel inspired by the photograph of the Pale Blue Dot. Each episode will bring to life a different interactive world that is a vision of our own future at the fringes of our solar system while also showing the fragility of our own planet.


Peterborough-based Recruit Mint has secured £7,200 from Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP via Signpost 2 Grants to invest in new office equipment and workspaces.
Since 2012, Recruit Mint Ltd has offered recruitment services to Peterborough, Huntingdon and the surrounding areas. Continued growth has led them to seek out new premises to expand the team and provide current staff with a more comfortable workplace. The grant has been used to equip workstations, install a new telecoms system and filing, among other essentials required when moving into new premises.
This expansion has created a number of new jobs.
The new office equipment is now in place at Recruit Mint and helping them to further increase their client base and their team.
"The funding we received from Signpost 2 Grants enabled us to furnish and equip our new city centre office in Peterborough to an extremely high standard. As employees continue to look for companies with the right feel and culture, it was paramount we got the office looking and feeling right to allow us to attract the right personnel. The proof of the effect this has had is evident in the fact that our head count has increased 140%. Being able to create that positive and comfortable working environment played a vital role in recruiting these new employees.
"We have also been able to add two new sectors to the three we had already established, and Signpost 2 Grants has enabled us to add Recruit Mint Education to our successful portfolio of specialisms.
Signpost 2 Grants is designed to support companies who are keen to invest in their growth, and is funded by the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP. Grants of between £2,000 and £20,000 are available to local SMEs who are looking to invest in new equipment, new machinery, improvements to their premises, or other capital purchases. The grants can be used to fund up to 20% of a total project cost, to provide businesses with the extra help they need to grow.
To be eligible, businesses must be located within the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP area to apply, which covers Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, West Suffolk, West Norfolk, Uttlesford, North Hertfordshire, South Holland and South Kesteven.
You can find out more at www.signpost2grants.co.uk, by calling 01223 967676 or 01733 602060, or by emailing hello@signpost2grow.co.uk.


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UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS & COLLABORATION MANAGED SERVICES AV AS A SERVICE AUDIO VISUAL SERVICE PORTAL
GALLERY TESTIMONIALS MEEC PORTAL
HOME + SERVICES
UNIFIED COMMUNICATION & COLLABORATION MANAGED AV/IT SERVICES AV AS A SERVICE AUDIO VISUAL SERVICE PORTAL
+ TOUCHLESS
PRODUCTS + CLIENTS
Pixelflex
11675 Ridgeline Drive
DIGITAL COMMITMENT Liberty AV helps make the switch from analog to digital
As part of the continuing evolution of Liberty AV and its commitment to helping customers make the transition from analog to digital as easy as possible, the company is calling new attention to its role as a master distributor for the entire catalog of Intelix products. "AV professionals have relied upon Intelix for well over a decade," says Liberty AV President John Dace. "Now, as we all try to navigate the tricky waters of the analog-to-digital transition, Intelix has engineered a new generation of products designed to make the journey a much safer and easier one." While there is something for virtually any application to be found within the Intelix catalog ranging from traditional matrix mixers to analog-to-digital converters, the fastest growing segment among the company's product groups revolves around HDMI. "It's certainly not a secret that manufacturers of AV components are rapidly standardizing with HDMI," notes Cameron Smith, Intelix's national sales and marketing manager. "The role of many of our new products is to help systems integrators adapt to this reality quickly and in a pain-free environment. Our technology delivers real world solutions that will help them successfully integrate legacy technologies, extend the distances signals can travel, manipulate encryptions, provide the proper handshakes required between gear, and manage all of the other elements important to HDMI." Designed and built expressly to serve within professional applications—i.e., ones in which signals need to be transported more than 15 feet and multiple outputs are used—the current generation of Intelix HDMI products includes the company's award-winning 8 x 8 HDMI matrix switcher, an 11 x 2 analog-to-digital converter/upscaler, and a variety of other devices that enables video, audio, IR, and RS232 to be easily routed over single twisted pair cabling. "Many have gotten into HDMI recently," Smith adds, "but that doesn't always mean they understand the standard fully. "We are a research and development company, and therefore it's our place to delve deeply into discovering what it takes to make HDMI products work, as well as what makes them break. As a result, we can confidently place the end results of our efforts in the hands of others with the assurance that they will perform as promised with real value and reliability." Long known for its wide-ranging offerings of wire and cable, Liberty AV was formerly known as Liberty Wire & Cable. Having officially changed its name to Liberty AV Solutions in June earlier this year, it first unveiled its new moniker, a totally revamped booth, and the debut of a number of new brands and product lines at this year's InfoComm.
Contact Net-AV
Net-AV
4506 Lower Beckleysville Road
Hampstead, MD 21074
http://net-av.com/
For any inquiries, questions or commendations, please call: 800-717-5215 or fill out the following form
sales@net-av.com
Buying Vehicles
MEEC Contract Holder
WOSB Contract Holder
MD DOIT Contract Holder
8a Contract Partner
SEWP Contract Partner
NetCents Contract Partner
SDVOB Contract Partner
For any inquiries, questions or commendations, please call:
800-717-5215 or fill out the following form


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"...(Thursday, Jan. 22), to the "special-called City Council meeting, public hearing, and interactive town hall" to discuss the sweeping..."
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Could developers become Austin's new benefactors?
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Public Notice: "A Failed Experiment"
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"Shaping policy for generations to come"
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"...few years ago. Local Realtor® Austin Stowell of KEEP Investment Group bought the property in 2015, and though he..."
"..."focus less on widening roads, and more on supporting public transportation and promoting safety for our kids and seniors..."
"...for home ownership ... and not drive lots of investment to purchasing homes that nobody's ever going to live..."
"...and Slaughter Lane. Over the past months, with little public input or awareness, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority..."
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"...of $25 or more will receive a certificate of investment in the project. Retiring U.S. Congressman "Kika" de la..."
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"...floor, which is above the areas open to the public anyway). This will not affect the rest of the..."
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"...wants to make an inappropriate contact to get state investment managers to put money into a pet business, you'll..."
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https://www.middletownpress.com/nationworld/article/Criticism-mounts-over-Washington-state-police-11791275.php
Criticism mounts over Washington state police shootings
Published 9:36 am EST, Friday, February 13, 2015
Melted candle wax, a rock and roses are part of an impromptu memorial for Antonio Zambrano-Montes set up on the sidewalk Thursday Feb. 12, 2015 outside of Vinny's Bakery & Cafe in Pasco Wash. It's at the site where the Pasco man was shot and killed by police officers on February 10, 2015. Four people have been shot and killed by police in recent months in this agricultural city of 68,000 in southeastern Washington, and the most recent death of an orchard worker accused of throwing rocks at officers has sparked protests after witnesses said he was running away. (AP Photo/The Tri-City, Herald, Bob Brawdy) less
Melted candle wax, a rock and roses are part of an impromptu memorial for Antonio Zambrano-Montes set up on the sidewalk Thursday Feb. 12, 2015 outside of Vinny's Bakery & Cafe in Pasco Wash. It's at the ... more
PASCO, Wash. >> The fourth fatal police shooting since last summer in this agricultural city of 68,000 in southeastern Washington is drawing criticism and scrutiny from as far away as Mexico.
Tuesday's death of orchard worker Antonio Zambrano-Montes sparked protests after witnesses said he was running away when he was shot.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department issued a statement Thursday condemning the shooting of Zambrano-Montes, who was raised in Mexico. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said he was monitoring the situation.
Franklin County Coroner Dan Blasdel, whose office was conducting an autopsy on Zambrano-Montes, said he was considering convening an inquest jury to look into the death.
"We don't want another Ferguson here in Pasco," Blasdel told The Seattle Times, referred to the riots that followed the Aug. 9 shooting death of an unarmed black man by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, and a grand jury's decision not to indict.
Police say Zambrano-Montes' threatening behavior led officers to open fire. The 35-year-old threw multiple rocks, hitting two officers, and refused to put down other stones. They say a stun gun failed to subdue him.
He had a run-in with Pasco police early last year, having been arrested for assault after throwing objects at officers and trying to grab an officer's pistol, court records show.
In three previous fatal police shootings in Pasco, prosecutors cleared officers with the Pasco Police Department and a sheriff's deputy who was working on a regional SWAT team.
Pasco Police Chief Bob Metzger has appealed for patience during an investigation by the Tri-City Special Investigation Unit and an internal review.
"The officers are ... on administrative leave — until they are reviewed and everything is done, they will not be back to work," he said. "It's important we get the right information."
Blasdel says he won't decide about an inquest until the investigation is complete.
"This was really not a racial issue," Metzger told KING-TV of Seattle. The chief met for two hours with the dead man's relatives at a small bakery near where he died.
"Three police officers against one man throwing a rock?" an aunt, Angela Zambrano, said to The Times. "This was murder in cold blood."
Some people who saw the shooting at a busy intersection videotaped the confrontation.
In one video recording, five "pops" are audible shortly after the video begins, and the man can be seen running away, across a street and down a sidewalk, pursued by three officers. As the officers draw closer to the running man, he stops, turns around and faces them. Multiple "pops" are heard and the man falls to the ground.
Protesters chanted "We want justice" in English and Spanish at Pasco City Hall on Wednesday, and they planned to demonstrate again Saturday.
Meanwhile, a handful of people showed up at City Hall on Thursday to show support for police. "It's important for these officers to know the entire community is not out to get them," Chris Black, an Army veteran, told the Tri-City Herald.
Inslee said his staff has been in contact with local officials.
"We are going to need to get to the bottom of understanding the circumstances of this," he said. "There will be, and needs to be, a very complete assessment of all of the circumstances of what happened here. And that needs to happen, in detail, in depth."
Zambrano-Montes was raised in Michoacan, Mexico, and has lived for about a decade in Pasco, where more than half the residents are Hispanic.
In its statement, Mexico's Foreign Relations Department called the shooting one of the "events in which unwarranted use has been made of lethal force."
The department said the Mexican Consul in Seattle had "sent a message of protest to the Pasco chief of police ... requesting information on the disciplinary measures that could eventually be imposed on the police officers involved in the incident."
The department said it was helping Zambrano-Montes' family "with the aim of ensuring that all available legal avenues are explored and taken to their fullest extent."
Family members told the Tri-City Herald that Zambrano-Montes battled depression after being separated from his two teen daughters.
"He was a kind person, family-oriented," his cousin, Blanca Zambrano, told the newspaper. "He was hard-working."