Cairo, the third-fastest growing city in Africa, has suffered from traffic congestion and a lack of adequate and planned transport networks for years now, putting pressure on and posing a risk to its economic development.
According to the World Bank, congestion in the Greater Cairo Metropolitan Area costs Egypt 3.6 per cent of its annual GDP, and it is therefore clear that Egypt's economic development is closely related to Cairo's expansion and transport systems.
The growing demand for transportation is due to the development of cities such as Cairo, where adequate public transport must be made available. This increase in demand burdens policy-makers with ever-growing challenges translated into transportation problems including congestion, delays and traffic-related accidents. Such problems have tangible negative environmental, economic and social impacts. As the population of Cairo and other cities continues to grow, such problems will increase.
In order to achieve this, governments and policy-makers around the world are pursuing strategies to increase public-transit networks, improve the management of urban mobility, and enhance public engagement and accessibility. By including these principles on the government agenda and with the emergence of the political will to tackle such challenges, now is the time to address concerns of urban mobility in Egypt.
President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi has recently issued directives to continue efforts aimed at upgrading transportation systems in Egypt and enhancing their capabilities. The president's remarks came during meetings with the government after he had been re-elected for a second term in office, and he underscored the importance of the transport sector and noted that it directly affects people's everyday lives.
In order to realise this ambitious goal of providing everyone with access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport in Egypt, we need to look at cities with successful and established public-transport services in an attempt to replicate their experiences. The developed world offers a variety of tools to deal with the transportation and mobility challenges of cities, and these can help improve conditions on the ground and create more balanced and more effective transport systems.
The good news is that the authorities in the region are improving risk assessments, investigating urban upgrading, and investing in mapping urban mobility systems to capitalise on the power of data to tackle transportation and mobility challenges. In the Gulf, Dubai has recently hosted the MENA Transport Congress and Exhibition organised by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), a worldwide network bringing together public-transport stakeholders and sustainable transport modes to highlight how citizen-led initiatives can make a difference when it comes to the way cities deal with transportation challenges, for example.
The event included 86 international and regional speakers from 21 countries and shed light on how the transport industry can go forward in the region. One of the high-profile speakers at the event was Egypt's transport minister, Hisham Arafat, who mentioned during his speech that Egypt had made unprecedented efforts to achieve economic and social recovery after a period of instability and that it was aiming to encourage more investments in an encouraging climate.
He added that what had been accomplished in Egypt among infrastructure projects, mainly in the transport field, was a strong indicator for available opportunities in Egypt for more investment.
TRANSPORT CHALLENGES: During the final session of the Congress, experts stated that public-transport mobility and management were still facing challenges in cities and areas not privileged with extensive development opportunities.
Such cities were lacking in the technologies required for compiling and using data and digital information, they noted. This session was chaired by Richard Probst, representative of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, a German NGO, in Egypt, who highlighted the significant role of data in improving public transport in association with experts from Belgium, South Africa, Egypt and Jordan.
Mohamed Hegazi, director of Transport for Cairo in Egypt, delivered a speech at the Congress that reviewed the public-transport networks in Cairo, highlighting the links between improving these networks and their role in reducing environmental pollution. He started by introducing Transport for Cairo, which works on mapping informal public transport in Cairo using a model inspired by the Nairobi-based Digital Matatus Project, which has mapped out routes and stops used by privately-owned minibuses called matatas used by over 70 per cent of the inhabitants of the Kenyan capital.
Hegazi went on to explain that according to the World Bank congestion in Cairo alone costs $8 billion annually and that reforms to the current infrastructure cannot be made without first understanding the transport system in detail. "Informal modes of transport are invisible. We try to make them more visible," he said, adding that the current lack of data made it hard for users to know how to navigate such systems and created limitations for planners when developing models.
He also highlighted the significance of making informal transit routes available as open data for non-commercial use via apps developed by independent companies as well as by established ones like Google Maps. These apps can map the variability of traffic over the course of the day and store it in General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data format, a common format used for public-transportation schedules. Transport for Cairo aims to address the knowledge gap that is halting planned development at present, he said, and make public transport more accessible for both users and planners.
Other key points stressed during the Congress included the involvement of experts in addressing the challenges of the future and the role of civil society as a platform for networking between stakeholders to raise awareness and promote the necessary paradigm shift needed in addressing sustainable mobility.
Such attempts to address the transport challenges of the region were not one of a kind either, as in Cairo last November another major regional conference was held by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the Access to Knowledge for Development Centre at the American University in Cairo. This focused on citizen-led initiatives tackling urban transport issues, specifically in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, and highlighted how initiatives like Maan Nasel in Amman, the Beirut Bus Map Project, and Transport for Cairo can make real differences in the ways our cities deal with transportation challenges.
It is becoming more and more clear that exchanging approaches, experiences, and best practices on issues and strategies concerning urban development between public institutions, civil society, the private sector, development organisations, researchers and above all policy-makers has a significant role to play in finding innovative technology and data solutions that can help our transportation systems leapfrog into a better position and put our nation on the right track to sustainable mobility and development.
Hala Al-Said, Egypt's minister of planning, has declared that the achievement of Egypt's Vision 2030 strategy will require extensive and broadly based social participation in order to harmonise the goals of government with the outlooks of the private sector, civil society, national and international organisations, experts and academics. Indeed, this participatory approach is one of the main foundations on which the strategy rests, she has said.
I urge all the players to join hands to improve Egypt's public-transport infrastructure by offering innovative solutions to help the government adopt open-data policies and engage the technology community in developing smart solutions that can put our country securely on the road to development and among the developed nations.
The writer is media and communication consultant.


You have learned the secrets of sotto voce, the eerie, dry whispering voice used to pass on cult secrets.
Benefit: You may cast sotto voce (Faction guide spell, not added to d20pfsrd.com yet) as a spell-like ability three times per day as a spell-like ability. This spell-like ability is cast at your highest caster level; if you have no caster level, it functions at CL 1st.


In a county renowned for its food, we sometimes forget about the awesome drink the region has to offer. With Shrewsbury being at the heart of the ever-popular foodie and festival scene, there is a simple solution to this obvious problem – a huge pub in the park!
Following the success of the 2017 festival with over 10,000 visitors, this year's event promises to be even bigger and better.
Shropshire OktoberFest once again takes place over three days from Friday 5 October to Sunday 7 October.
With micro-breweries appearing alongside the bigger brands in pubs it seems drinkers are getting more particular about their tipples. So, what better solution than putting 200 real ales in one place so you can find your favourite or discover something new.
If Real Ale is not your thing, then discover the Lager Bar, Prosecco Parlour, Gin Den and Rum Shack.
A brand new Cider area is set to take centre stage with an array of apple and pear Ciders on offer from a wide range of producers.
Gin lovers will enjoy the Gin'diferent' experience… this year the festival has teamed up with Gindifferent from Shrewsbury Market Hall for Gin tastings, experiences and of course cocktails galore – it's definitely not a festival all about beer!
The comedy club is the ideal location to sit back and have a good laugh with an awesome line-up of the funniest people on the circuit, that promises to leave you smiling.
If music is more for you, then make your way to the huge Rees Astley Music Stage. From Ompah bands to the best of Shropshire Talent – we are blessed with the best of local music.
Looking for some fun? Then take a visit to the DM Recruitment games tent.
New for 2018 is a light show in the huge beer tent with local digital artist Andy McKeown, commissioned to make the space a show in its own right!
On Sunday, the festival turns into a family fun day and street food festival. Families can enjoy a Sunday Lunch alongside drinks and great music in the new larger marquees full of FREE kids' entertainment!
Tickets are selling fast with £10 for entry into the biggest Shropshire beer festival ever, so don't miss the chance to experience this truly unique Shropshire event.


stylos: Watson: "After your funeral begins your festival. Long for suppertime."
Watson: "After your funeral begins your festival. Long for suppertime."
Who would not mourn for sin that are sure to meet with such rewards! 'They shall be comforted'. The marriage-supper will make amends for 'the valley of tears'. O saint of God, you who are now watering your plants and weeping bitterly for sin, at this last and great feast your 'water shall be turned into wine'. You who now mortify your corruptions, and 'beat down your body' by prayer and fasting, shall shortly sup with Christ and angels. You who refused to touch the forbidden tree shall feed upon 'the tree of life in the paradise of God'. You impoverished saint, who have scarce a bit of bread to eat, remember for your comfort, 'in thy father's house there is bread enough', and he is making ready a feast for you, where all the dainties of heaven are served in. O feed with delight upon the thoughts of this marriage-supper! After your funeral begins your festival. Long for suppertime. 'The delay is long which separates us from our honey-sweet joys'. Christ has paid for this supper upon the cross, and there is no fear of a 'reckoning' to be brought in. 'Wherefore comfort one another with these words'.


L. Waldrop Bergman and C. Heuzé (2018) "Influence of initial stratification, wind and sea ice on the modelled oceanic circulation in Nares Strait, northwest Greenland", Ocean Science Discussion, doi:10.5194/os-2018-122.
/!\ Discussion open until 19 Dec. Please comment on our work, especially if you know about the sea ice model.
or the initial sea ice thickness?
We showed that hydrographic observations that capture the E-W or N-S density gradients were more crucial than a high resolution wind.
Click here to download the full-text and discover why.


Leonardo da Vinci is reputed to have declared that "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
ECO FRIENDLY Availability: This item is generally in stock. Price includes one 64" long bench. Shorter bench 48 x 14 x 17.5", matching dining table and sideboard and side tables also available. Materials: High quality, environmentally-sustainable, solid bamboo hardwood. Color: New color is Dark Chocolate and although there still a few of the caramelized and nutmeg benches GH003C and GH003N still available, they have officially been discontinued. Color is achieved by 'carbonation,' a high pressure steaming process. The processing method of this Bamboo leaves it between 20 and 100% harder than oak. Leonardo da Vinci is reputed to have declared that "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"


text:
ECU returns for spring semester as COVID-19 concerns loom
By Justin Lundy
Published: Jan. 10, 2022 at 8:26 PM EST|Updated: Jan. 10, 2022 at 8:33 PM EST
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - East Carolina University students returned to campus for the first day of the spring semester Monday as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the East, statewide, and nationwide.
The college with more than 28,000 students had to be cautious about the delta variant in the fall. Now they have to worry about the omicron variant, which scientists say is nearly three times more transmissible than delta.
ECU junior Makayla Layne says the return to campus has been a little rough.
"I know there's some people in my building that have it. It's spreading pretty quick. It's kind of scary," Layne said.
In the past seven days, 83 students and nearly 100 employees have tested positive for COVID-19. It is a number that concerns Layne.
"ECU was prepared with it, but not as much as they should've been... in my opinion with the testing."
Meanwhile, Virginia Hardy, ECU student affairs vice chancellor says testing is a responsibility that falls on students and that the university has provided locations on campus for them to do so as they return to campus.
While schools like Elizabeth City State University decided to delay classes until Jan. 18th, ECU made the call to proceed as planned.
"What the trend is telling us and what we're seeing across the world is that it's a high peak and then it plateaus and then it comes down relatively quickly," Hardy said.
"We're keeping our fingers crossed that it will happen here as well."
Virginia Hardy, ECU student affairs vice chancellor
Another duty students must follow is wearing masks in the classroom to try and limit the spread of the virus. It is a duty that Layne hopes everyone participates in.
"I know a lot of people hate them, but it's going to help," Layne said.
"In classes and stuff, I don't see people wearing their mask. If you could just pull your mask up, wash your hands good, make sure you're not going to touch people and all that, then we're all going to be fine."
Makayla Layne, ECU junior
Dr. Paul Cook, ECU infectious diseases chief, predicts the omicron variant surge could peak sometime in late January or early February.
Saliva testing will be available starting on Jan. 18th in the main campus student center for all students. No appointments are needed.
Lenoir County school bus involved in crash, no students on board

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Questioning photography, its analysis, deconstruction of its components and determinants, the exploration of the basics of the medium – T, f, ∞.
What follows is the fundamental question – What is a photograph. But instead of focusing on the meaning, on what, we can turn our attention to topography and ask Where is a photograph. Given the implicit, at least metaphorical time dimension of the where question, we can add: When is a photograph. The first question remains significant at all times, whereas the second and the third open up broad horizons of possible considerations.
In his photographic project Re-Format, Bojan Radovič combines these questions and adds a fourth one – How is a photograph. His basic point of departure is a specific space and time. The nucleus of an exhibition project consisting of the author's personal story connected with a house is the wall as a vehicle of messages, and the many years the artist spent there, his decade-long absence and his recent return to this space. During his absence the house was uninhabited, the interrupted state of human intervention consequently facilitating the unhindered influence of natural phenomena: moisture, temperature variations and, most of all, light as one of the most attractive modifiers of the surface.
The wall is a border between inside and outside, it delineates… and carries a record of habitation. At the same time, it is a direct physical topos and sign of the passage of time; it historicises habitation, in return facilitating an analysis of its traces. The artist reproduced the wall with a scanner and with the images created photographic "wallpaper" for the exhibition. There is striking similarity between the final product, created with a digital camera or a scanner, although differences are obvious to the expert eye. While questioning the use of technical tools, the artist critically focuses on the question of what a photograph is. This "photographic copying" of the wall by means of a scanner seems completely genuine to the naked eye. Indeed, the human eye, this unreliable, easily manipulated organ, is tricked if perception remains superficial. Today this is even more the case, because through this sense the most intense political/social/economic/geopolitical reality is constructed. The photo-graphic wallpaper takes on the role of the representation of reality, while at the same time questioning the medium of photography by generating multiple layers and translating the image to similar media. By means of the scan the artist records pure matter. Here we must not ignore his desire to record, to document the existing physical reality from up close, to come as near as possible to it. For those who created them, the traces on the wall are signs with references in their memory. An element of the documentary is present.
The sharp haptic quality of the photographic wallpaper deludes the viewer even more. The fascinating, structured surface of the wall offers the aesthetic pleasure of seeing what can be seen in the context of many associations and references to the artistic and conceptual background. The visual effects of the images strongly resemble those of painting, while the "metaphor of the gaze" triggers many interpretations.T – time, f – aperture, ∞ – infinity: these three signs are placed in the centre of photographs or scans of the wall. The image, replica of the wall, placed on the wall along with a framed photograph of the wall, questions reality and the borders of a work of art and of the medium employed. The selected motif of the "empty" frame, of emptiness on the wall, which was created over a longer period of time and was revealed in a moment when an object, probably framed picture, was removed, is an extremely suggestive photograph (the artist's game with transformations of formats does not allow the replication of the real state of things). Now it seems to have been a temporary decoration, because an empty apartment without people living in it does not need anything on the wall. This is evident from the framed emptiness, which had its value because otherwise the object would remain on the wall even when its inhabitants ceased to exist in its space; it can be defined as temporary decoration for the inhabitants, but not as a wall as such. The three codes are variables; they appear in all three segments of the artist's display, including photographs of photograms, in interpretation, the infinite possibility and finality of the current exhibition and selection.


text:
Die Saison 1999/2000 war die achte Spielzeit der Superliga, der höchsten türkischen Eishockeyspielklasse. Meister wurde zum fünften Mal in der Vereinsgeschichte der Büyükşehir Belediyesi Ankara SK.

Hauptrunde

Modus
In der Hauptrunde absolvierte jede der acht Mannschaften insgesamt 14 Spiele. Die vier bestplatzierten Mannschaften qualifizierten sich für die Playoffs, in denen der Meister ausgespielt wurde. Für einen Sieg erhielt jede Mannschaft zwei Punkte, bei einem Unentschieden gab es ein Punkt und bei einer Niederlage null Punkte.

Tabelle

Sp = Spiele, S = Siege, U = Unentschieden, N = Niederlagen

Playoffs

Halbfinale
 Büyükşehir Belediyesi Ankara SK – Bogazici PSK Istanbul 1:0
 İstanbul Paten SK – Gümüş Patenler SK 10:1

Spiel um Platz 3
 Bogazici PSK Istanbul – Gümüş Patenler SK 2:4

Finale
 İstanbul Paten SK – Büyükşehir Belediyesi Ankara SK 4:8

Weblinks

1999
Eishockeysaison 1999/2000

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia