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The journalist who threw his shoes at George W Bush 'would do it again'
Iraqi journalist Muntadhar Al-Zaidi made headlines by hurling his shoes at then President George W Bush
June 20, 2020 at 9:02 am | Published in: Asia & Americas, Interviews, Iraq, Middle East, US, Videos & Photo Stories
It is seventeen years since US bombs started to rain on Baghdad. The illegal US-led 2003 invasion caused more than 150,000 deaths, cost trillions of dollars and its repercussions continue to have serious effects across the region, on foreign policy and on thousands of families.
The invasion was a crime of aggression under international law, and was opposed by people and countries all over the world. Thirty million people took to the streets in 60 countries on 15 February 2003 to express their opposition to the war, and their horror that this could really be happening in the 21st century. Iraq, they pointed out, posed no threat to the US. Its government had neither the means nor the intention of waging war against America, nor did it issue any threat to do so.
"[US President] George W Bush said that if he were to enter Iraq," explained Muntadhar Al-Zaidi, "the Iraqis would welcome him with flowers and this turned into a stereotype thanks to the security agencies and the Zio-American and Arab media portraying us as the betrayers." Al-Zaidi is the journalist who, memorably, in 2008 threw his shoes at Bush during a press conference. "The people of Iraq resisted the occupation from day one. It was and remains their legitimate right to resist occupation."
READ: With unrest across the US, asks the Twittersphere, where is the 'Free American Army'?
Working for Al-Baghdadia TV, Al-Zaidi made headlines by hurling his shoes at Bush in Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki's official residence. "This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog," he yelled in Arabic as he threw the first shoe. "This is from the widows, the orphans, and those who were killed in Iraq," he added with the second.
The video of the incident is iconic. Nevertheless, Al-Zaidi was convicted of assaulting a foreign leader and imprisoned, unaware of the impact of his protest. He was held in solitary confinement in a tiny cell for three months.
Now 39, Al-Zaidi served a total of nine months in prison. He alleges that he was tortured by Iraqi security officers. His early release was down to good behaviour. Solitary confinement haunts him to this day, and he habitually spreads his arms to measure room sizes and compare them with the size of his cell.
"When I was remodelling my bathroom," he said, "I remembered my cell. I spread my arms and found that it was bigger than my cell, which was barely big enough for me to spread my arms. I could barely fit in it."
As Al-Zaidi explained later in an op-ed for the Guardian, as a journalist he had to report on daily tragedies in Iraq. He would enter ruined homes and hear the screams of orphans; he pledged to seek vengeance.
"I vowed that if I met this criminal [Bush] I was going to show him his worth with my shoe because he lied and said that the Iraqi people would welcome him with flowers. Unfortunately, the world believed him, and we were surrounded by lies that had nothing to do with us."
After his release from prison, Al-Zaidi quit journalism and moved to Geneva and then Beirut, where he set up a humanitarian organisation to help victims of the Iraq war. The intention was to help build orphanages and medical centres offering free treatment to those affected by the war.
US: 'We will continue reducing our forces in Iraq'
Rather than simply being an observer or listener to accounts of torture, the former journalist now regards himself as a survivor. For those like himself, he insists, there is unfinished business.
Today, Al-Zaidi is back in Baghdad and working as a politician against the corruption that plagues his country. His only motivation for entering politics is to achieve justice. "I don't want to see anyone oppressed and not help them. I want to help anyone I can. This is my goal in life. My people have suffered enough."
The West's hypocrisy in the region (and elsewhere) can be measured by its relationship with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain. When he invaded Iran in 1980 he was the West's man. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in the eight years of the war. By 2003, the West had no more use for him.
Former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein [File photo]
Moreover, has anyone ever been punished for the scandalous abuse of Iraqi and other detainees at Abu Ghraib prison? The dehumanising images that emerged from the prison showed naked Iraqis having leashes attached to them as though they were animals; being stacked upon each other; and being subjected to torture including waterboarding and sodomy. Smiling American soldiers were in many of the images, their obscene grins symbolising a kind of unthinking cruelty that came to define the war for a generation of Iraqis. Such images only came out of the camps we know about and which have been leaked to the public.
READ: Iraq-US launch talks after rise in tensions
"It is our ambition and dream that foreign intervention in Iraqi affairs is eliminated," said Al-Zaidi. "This will be hard, but it is not impossible. We will remain on the streets until we get what we want. Of course, our biggest demand is a free and independent Iraq without foreign intervention, and a fair government that takes care of its people, without massive corruption. We have only got rid of 10 per cent of the effects of the occupation; it is only the tip of the iceberg."
Most of the men running Iraq today are former exiles who flew into Baghdad in 2003 on the heels of the US and British invasion forces. Iraq's young people have taken to the streets to demand an end to the corrupt post-2003 Iraqi political regime and American and Iranian influence over Iraqi politics.
One former exile in the West, Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, the cousin of former US-appointed interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, was nominated as Prime Minister in February because the incumbent Adil Abdul-Mahdi had said last November that he would step down in the face of the protests on the streets of Iraq. More than 600 protesters have been killed to date. Allawi withdrew his nomination within weeks after the National Assembly failed to approve his cabinet. Abdul-Mahdi eventually stepped down last month.
"My objections and reservations are not with the people who are elected," explained Al-Zaidi, "but with those who appoint the same corrupt parties that we protested against. We did not sacrifice almost 700 martyrs for them to replace Adil Abdul-Mahdi with Mustafa Al-Kadhimi or even with Muntadhar Al-Zaidi or anyone else. No! We protested against the corrupt clique that ruled Iraq for 17 years and did not achieve anything at all, not even a simple project."
READ: Iraq, the US and the difficult dialogue
According to Al-Zaidi, solidarity for justice must be global. In fact, he believes that his relative fame gives him a responsibility to struggle for this. He's using his social media platforms, where he has more than 56,000 followers, to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the protesters calling out police brutality in the wake of George Floyd's killing in the US last month.
"We stand in solidarity with these protesters because they are oppressed," he told Mashable. "We in Iraq have suffered from American power and authority since the occupation of the US military in 2003 so all of our support, sympathy and solidarity is with those on the streets in America and elsewhere."
Muntadhar Al-Zaidi wants people to remember that he did not stay silent against the oppressor, against the occupation of his country and the killing of his people. "I hope people around the world will continue to fight against injustice. If I was able to go back in time, I would throw my shoes at George W Bush again. My wish is to see him and everyone who occupied Iraq in prison one day."
Asia & AmericasInterviewsIraqMiddle EastUSVideos & Photo Stories


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Home PAKISTAN German FM Baerbock: Arms exports to Egypt dependent on human rights
German FM Baerbock: Arms exports to Egypt dependent on human rights
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has told Egypt that the human rights situation in the country will play a greater role in future arms deliveries.
Exceptions to a "restrictive policy" should only be made in justified individual cases and after careful examination, Baerbock said on Saturday in Cairo during a joint appearance with her Egyptian colleague Sameh Shoukri.
"And the human rights situation already plays an important role in this, but also in the future," she said.
"Of course, this will also have an impact on countries that have so far been major recipients of German arms exports."
Egypt has occupied a top position in German arms export statistics for three years. Arms deliveries to the North African country are therefore extremely controversial.
Critics see a disastrous human rights situation there. Under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, the government is cracking down on critics and opponents. Tens of thousands of people are in prison because of this.
In addition to Shoukri, Baerbock also met al-Sissi in Cairo.
She explained that she had spoken openly and honestly with her counterparts about the human rights situation. Security and stability can only exist in the long term "where all people have perspectives and the chance to participate peacefully in politics and society."
"Egypt has emphasized that it does not base its relations [with others] on the basis of conditionality, but on the basis of mutual respect, joint interests and respect for non-interference in internal affairs in line with the UN charter rules and international norms," Shoukri said.
"When Egypt turned to Germany to meet its armament needs, it was to protect its national security and borders.
"What Egypt has provided in terms of security and stability in this region has generated a direct impact on security in Europe," Shoukri continued.
Cairo is the last stop on Baerbock's Middle East tour. She had previously visited Israel and Jordan in the past two days.
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Submitted photo: Visitors enjoyed Family Night on the Farm at the Sobeck Brothers Farms in 2018. This year the Aldinger Family Dairy will host the event on June 26.
Winona Area Chamber of Commerce officials said the future of its annual Family Night on the Farm event is brighter after this Tuesday, when the Winona County Board cut through red tape affecting the event. Every summer for the past 40-plus years, Family Night on the Farm has given hundreds of local children and adults a chance to see where food comes from, and the county has approved the event with minimal regulation, but recently, county staff determined the event needed to go through extensive permitting requirements, including $550 in permit fees, a public hearing, and votes by both the Planning Commission and County Board. After Winona Area Chamber of Commerce President Della Schmidt said that regulatory "rigamarole" was making it hard for the chamber to find farmers willing to host the event, the County Board waived a portion of the permit requirements last month, and this week permanently did away with the rest.
This is a volunteer-led event, Schmidt said. "When you put up extra barriers it makes it that much harder for volunteers to jump through those hoops," she added.
The "rigamarole" Schmidt was concerned about was the county's large gathering ordinance, which requires events hosting more than 500 people to meet a laundry list of health and safety requirements, get two different kinds of permits including a conditional use permit (CUP), and go through an often two-month-long public hearing and approval process. Although Family Night on the Farm seemingly meets the written definition of a large gathering under county ordinances, for years, county staff did not hold the longstanding event to all of those requirements. Recently, under new leadership, the county's planning department staff determined the event met the definition of a large gathering and needed to meet the requirements of the large gathering ordinance. Event organizers were taken aback and asked the County Board for help.
The large gathering ordinance was written in response to a rural Woodstock-like concert in the 2000s and never intended to apply to Family Night on the Farm, Winona County Board member Marcia Ward said. Other events, including the Winona County Fair and Pickwick Mills Days, are exempt from the requirements of the large gathering ordinance and Family Night on the Farm should be, too, Ward argued. The County Board voted last month to waive this year's CUP requirement, and on Tuesday, the board amended the large gathering ordinance to add Family Night on the Farm to the list of events exempted from the ordinance's requirements.
Before the vote, County Board members Chris Meyer and Marie Kovecsi questioned whether the county would be exposing itself to any legal liability or neglecting its duty to protect public safety by waiving the permit requirements. Many counties do not have any large gathering ordinances, county administrator Ken Fritz responded. "From a legal perspective, the county doesn't have to do that," he added. Meyer and Kovecsi ultimately voted with the rest of the board in favor of exempting Family Night on the Farm from the large gathering ordinance.
The County Board also voted unanimously to direct county staff to review the large gathering ordinance and consider revising its rules for all events. "It's not a burning issue, but this ordinance needs to be updated. It's cumbersome. It's clunky. It doesn't fit," Ward said.


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This Weekend in College Football: Week 6
As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.
Noon:
Oklahoma vs. Texas (@Dallas, TX; ABC): Well, things are looking really, really bad for Texas at this point, but I guess if it's some consolation it's not unknown for this game to feature wacky shenanigans. The thing about that, though, is that you can't exactly bet on that.
Indiana @ Pennsylvania State (ESPN): Though part of the reason that Indiana almost pulled off a stunning upset of the Buckeyes last weekend has to due with Ohio State's issues on offense, they still appear to be a more solid team than Penn State.
Baylor @ Kansas (FS1): Kansas lost to Memphis 55-23. Uh-oh.
Illinois @ Iowa (ESPN2): Illinois fired their coach a week before the season started. Iowa has been stagnant under Kirk Ferentz's unassailable contract for the past several seasons. Naturally, these teams are a combined 9-1. That said, Illinois still got blown out by UNC and they squeaked by Nebraska last weekend, which gives me more confidence in Iowa.
Tulane @ Temple (ESNPU): It feels odd to predict Temple dominating, nay, blowing someone out, but here we are.
New Mexico State @ Mississippi (SEC): Dear Aggies: Get money, get paid, y'all.
Duke @ Army (CBSS): This one doesn't look good for the Black Knights.
Maryland @ Ohio State (BTN): So as it turns out, maybe having two quarterbacks is worse than having none? Ohio State is currently one of the least efficient offenses in the country, a fact which definitely contributed to their near-upset at Indiana. That said, the Terps offer a wonderful chance for them to get things back on track.
12:30: Virginia @ Pittsburgh (ACC): UVA was last seem getting beaten 56-14 by Boise State two weeks ago, so I'm going to go with Pitt.
3:00: Wake Forest @ Boston College (ACC/RSN): BC put up some good numbers early in the season, but against anyone with a pulse on defense they have completely faltered. I'm going with Wake here.
3:30:
Georgia @ Tennessee (CBS): Tennessee can't keep finding excruciating ways to lose, can they? And not to get too Bill Simmons on you, but UGA had a stomach-punch game of their own last weekend, mostly in the sense that soon after the second half started they were pretty much out of it, and wrecking their shot a national title. I think Georgia's going to win, but I'm sure 38-10 sounds relative pleasurable to Vols fans right now.
Navy @ Notre Dame (NBC): While this looks good a good edition of Navy, it's hard to see Notre Dame losing here.
Georgia Tech @ Clemson (ABC/ESPN2): So, yeah, as it turns out, having to replace all your skill position players (other than the QB) is kind of a problem? (In fairness, injuries have not helped at all.) As I said going into the season, I was generally weary of all the preseason hype and expectations, and this weariness has been borne out in the worst possible way. The rest of the schedule is brutal, starting here. It'll be… interesting to see how this team responds to the now significantly lower expectations.
Wisconsin @ Nebraska (ESPN2/ABC): Most of the Internet college football types were somewhat, I wouldn't say surprised by the Pellini firing, but I'd say it wasn't exactly a lauded move. This was especially true after Nebraska poached Mike Reilly, who isn't a bad coach or anything, but it just seemed like a lateral move, except that Reilly probably swears a lot less. While Wisconsin is having a bit of a crisis of their own (realize that these are the two teams that just lose to Iowa and Illinois), the Badgers still figure to have the upper hand here.
Louisiana State @ South Carolina (@Baton Rouge, LA; ESPN): I applaud LSU's classiness and general level of support of South Carolina due to the floods in South Carolina, given that a truly neutral venue was unable to be found in time. I'd still expect LSU to win here, though.
Minnesota @ Purdue (ESPNU): The Gophers are solid, but their offense is "somewhat" lacking. But, hey, if there's a team they can score some points against…
Syracuse @ South Florida (CBSS): USF is pretty awful, so the 'Cuse should figure to take this one.
Northwestern @ Michigan (BTN): I'm sure the Big Ten is somewhat regretting a few things involving their TV rights at the moment, or at least I am because I don't get the Big Ten Network in HD. That said, both these teams feature solid offenses and really stingy defenses. I'm not well versed in Big Ten lore, but I would hazard a guess that this is the biggest Northwestern-Michigan game ever. I'm giving a slight edge to Michigan, but on my pick 'em I have Northwestern covering the 7.5.
3:45: Connecticut @ Central Florida (ESPNEWS): UCF is really, really, incredibly bad. I don't know if I'd be shocked if they won this game, but I'd be at least vaguely surprised.
Oregon State @ Arizona (FS1): One of these two loss teams is slightly better than the other, and it's a fair guess that team (Arizona, by the way) will be trying very, very hard to get a win after losing 111-47 to UCLA and Stanford.
Troy @ Mississippi State (SEC): Troy is vaguely better than New Mexico State, so I guess there's some slight increase in dignity for the Bulldogs compared to their rivals?
6:00: Washington State @ Oregon (Pac12): Like I said last week, Oregon isn't terrible or anything, they're just not great anymore. What would really be a shock, though, is if they bungle things against Wazzou.
Arkansas @ Alabama (ESPN): Okay, Razorbacks, you finally got a win, but you got one against the most self-destructive team in the country. If there's anything even this slightly diminished edition of Alabama doesn't do, though, it's beat themselves.
Oklahoma State @ West Virginia (ESPN2): Oklahoma State gets a chance to prove they're actually kind of a decent. It's a late game in Morgantown, so we know how that can go, but for now, I'm sticking with the Cowboys.
Boise State @ Colorado State (CBSS): Boise looks like they're back, y'all.
Texas Christian @ Kansas State (FOX): So one of my cousins is playing for K-State, maybe they'll let him play quarterback? Otherwise, if there's anyone who has the wizardy to win with offensive linemen lining up behind the offensive line, it's Bill Synder, but… yeah, things look kind of grim here.
East Carolina @ Brigham Young (ESPNU): This would be easier if either of these teams was more like what I initially thought before looking them up, but alas. It looks like both these teams are solid with some tough losses. With it being in Utah, though, I'm giving the edge to BYU.
Florida @ Missouri (SEC): Is Florida back? It's not like they were gone for very long, though. That said, while this 5-0 vs. 4-1, that 4-1 is somewhat deceiving, considering whom Mizzou has beat and their eight point loss to Kentucky. I'm going with the Gators here. (By the way, while we're here, this past Tuesday was the 25th anniversary of the Fifth Down game.)
Miami @ Florida State (ABC): I guess there's some unrest vis-a-vis Al Golden down in Miami? I don't think he's doing that bad, but they're probably going to lose this game, which will almost certainly be very bad for his continued job security.
Michigan State @ Rutgers (BTN): I'm currently operating under the assumption that Sparty's narrow, three point win over Purdue was a bit of a fluke and they'll have a much easier time with the Scarlet Knights.
California @ Utah (ESPN): As it turns out, this is the Utes's first game since their 62-20 drubbing of Oregon two weeks ago. Cal, in the meantime, eked out some narrow wins over Washington and Wazzou, which while exciting do not inspire confidence against the Utes. This is the game of the day, though, and I'd recommend finding a way to watch it, provided you're not watching USA-Mexico like I'm going to be.
Colorado @ Arizona State (Pac12): Getting blown out by USC and then soundly beating UCLA isn't exactly a recommended way to be a contender, but hey, whatever works. The Sun Devils shouldn't have much trouble with the Buffs, either way.
10:15: Wyoming @ Air Force (ESPN2): The Falcons aren't good, but fortunately for them, Wyoming is very, very bad.
10:30: Utah State @ Fresno State (CBSS): Through four games, Utah State has managed to score only 76 points. Through five games, Fresno State has scored 109 points. So that's pretty similar. The difference? Utah State has only given up 82 points. Fresno, 201 points. Yeah, uh, giving up 40 points a game is… not good. Yes, they did give up 73 to Ole Miss, but they also gave up 45 and 49 to Utah and San Jose State. I'm pretty okay with say Fresno State isn't very good at defense. So I'm go with the Aggies.
This entry was posted in college football, On TV This Weekend on October 10, 2015 by ASimPerson.
← This Weekend in College Football: Week 5 This Weekend in College Football: Week 7 →


text:
package com.eims.ris.integration.dicom;

import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.net.MalformedURLException;
import java.net.URL;
import java.security.GeneralSecurityException;
import java.security.KeyStore;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.concurrent.Executor;

import org.dcm4che2.data.BasicDicomObject;
import org.dcm4che2.data.DicomObject;
import org.dcm4che2.data.Tag;
import org.dcm4che2.data.UID;
import org.dcm4che2.net.Association;
import org.dcm4che2.net.CommandUtils;
import org.dcm4che2.net.ConfigurationException;
import org.dcm4che2.net.Device;
import org.dcm4che2.net.DimseRSP;
import org.dcm4che2.net.NetworkApplicationEntity;
import org.dcm4che2.net.NetworkConnection;
import org.dcm4che2.net.NewThreadExecutor;
import org.dcm4che2.net.NoPresentationContextException;
import org.dcm4che2.net.TransferCapability;
import org.dcm4che2.net.UserIdentity;

/**
 * @author gunter zeilinger(gunterze@gmail.com)
 * @version $Revision: 14419 $ $Date: 2010-11-26 14:22:31 +0100 (Fri, 26 Nov 2010) $
 * @since Mar 18, 2006
 *
 */
public class CFIND {

    private static char[] SECRET = { 's', 'e', 'c', 'r', 'e', 't' };

    private static final int[] RETURN_KEYS = {
        Tag.AccessionNumber,
        Tag.ReferringPhysicianName,
        Tag.PatientName,
        Tag.PatientID,
        Tag.PatientBirthDate,
        Tag.PatientSex,
        Tag.PatientWeight,
        Tag.MedicalAlerts,
        Tag.Allergies,
        Tag.PregnancyStatus,
        Tag.StudyInstanceUID,
        Tag.RequestingPhysician,
        Tag.RequestingService,
        Tag.RequestedProcedureDescription,
        Tag.AdmissionID,
        Tag.SpecialNeeds,
        Tag.CurrentPatientLocation,
        Tag.PatientState,
        Tag.RequestedProcedureID,
        Tag.RequestedProcedurePriority,
        Tag.PatientTransportArrangements,
        Tag.PlacerOrderNumberImagingServiceRequest,
        Tag.FillerOrderNumberImagingServiceRequest,
        Tag.ConfidentialityConstraintOnPatientDataDescription,
    };

    private static final int[] SPS_RETURN_KEYS = {
        Tag.Modality,
        Tag.RequestedContrastAgent,
        Tag.ScheduledStationAETitle,
        Tag.ScheduledProcedureStepStartDate,
        Tag.ScheduledProcedureStepStartTime,
        Tag.ScheduledPerformingPhysicianName,
        Tag.ScheduledProcedureStepDescription,
        Tag.ScheduledProcedureStepID,
        Tag.ScheduledStationName,
        Tag.ScheduledProcedureStepLocation,
        Tag.PreMedication,
        Tag.ScheduledProcedureStepStatus
    };

    private static final String[] LE_TS = {
        UID.ExplicitVRLittleEndian,
        UID.ImplicitVRLittleEndian };

    private static final byte[] EXT_NEG_INFO_FUZZY_MATCHING = { 1, 1, 1 };

    private final Executor executor;
    private final NetworkApplicationEntity remoteAE = new NetworkApplicationEntity();
    private final NetworkConnection remoteConn = new NetworkConnection();
    private final Device device;
    private final NetworkApplicationEntity ae = new NetworkApplicationEntity();
    private final NetworkConnection conn = new NetworkConnection();
    private Association assoc;
    private int priority = 0;
    private int cancelAfter = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
    private final DicomObject keys = new BasicDicomObject();
    private final DicomObject spsKeys = new BasicDicomObject();

    private boolean fuzzySemanticPersonNameMatching;

    private String keyStoreURL = "resource:tls/test_sys_1.p12";

    private char[] keyStorePassword = SECRET;

    private char[] keyPassword;

    private String trustStoreURL = "resource:tls/mesa_certs.jks";

    private char[] trustStorePassword = SECRET;

    public CFIND(String name) {
        device = new Device(name);
        executor = new NewThreadExecutor(name);
        remoteAE.setInstalled(true);
        remoteAE.setAssociationAcceptor(true);
        remoteAE.setNetworkConnection(new NetworkConnection[] { remoteConn });

        device.setNetworkApplicationEntity(ae);
        device.setNetworkConnection(conn);
        ae.setNetworkConnection(conn);
        ae.setAssociationInitiator(true);
        ae.setAETitle(name);
        for (int i = 0; i < RETURN_KEYS.length; i++) {
            keys.putNull(RETURN_KEYS[i], null);
        }
        keys.putNestedDicomObject(Tag.RequestedProcedureCodeSequence,
                new BasicDicomObject());
        keys.putNestedDicomObject(Tag.ScheduledProcedureStepSequence, spsKeys);
        for (int i = 0; i < SPS_RETURN_KEYS.length; i++) {
            spsKeys.putNull(SPS_RETURN_KEYS[i], null);
        }
        spsKeys.putNestedDicomObject(Tag.ScheduledProtocolCodeSequence,
                new BasicDicomObject());
    }

    public final void setLocalHost(String hostname) {
        conn.setHostname(hostname);
    }

    public final void setRemoteHost(String hostname) {
        remoteConn.setHostname(hostname);
    }

    public final void setRemotePort(int port) {
        remoteConn.setPort(port);
    }

    public final void setTlsProtocol(String[] tlsProtocol) {
        conn.setTlsProtocol(tlsProtocol);
    }

    public final void setTlsWithoutEncyrption() {
        conn.setTlsWithoutEncyrption();
        remoteConn.setTlsWithoutEncyrption();
    }

    public final void setTls3DES_EDE_CBC() {
        conn.setTls3DES_EDE_CBC();
        remoteConn.setTls3DES_EDE_CBC();
    }

    public final void setTlsAES_128_CBC() {
        conn.setTlsAES_128_CBC();
        remoteConn.setTlsAES_128_CBC();
    }

    public final void setTlsNeedClientAuth(boolean needClientAuth) {
        conn.setTlsNeedClientAuth(needClientAuth);
    }

    public final void setKeyStoreURL(String url) {
        keyStoreURL = url;
    }

    public final void setKeyStorePassword(String pw) {
        keyStorePassword = pw.toCharArray();
    }

    public final void setKeyPassword(String pw) {
        keyPassword = pw.toCharArray();
    }

    public final void setTrustStorePassword(String pw) {
        trustStorePassword = pw.toCharArray();
    }

    public final void setTrustStoreURL(String url) {
        trustStoreURL = url;
    }

    public final void setCalledAET(String called) {
        remoteAE.setAETitle(called);
    }

    public final void setCalling(String calling) {
        ae.setAETitle(calling);
    }

    public final void setUserIdentity(UserIdentity userIdentity) {
        ae.setUserIdentity(userIdentity);
    }

    public final void setPriority(int priority) {
        this.priority = priority;
    }

    public final void setConnectTimeout(int connectTimeout) {
        conn.setConnectTimeout(connectTimeout);
    }

    public final void setMaxPDULengthReceive(int maxPDULength) {
        ae.setMaxPDULengthReceive(maxPDULength);
    }

    public final void setPackPDV(boolean packPDV) {
        ae.setPackPDV(packPDV);
    }

    public final void setAssociationReaperPeriod(int period) {
        device.setAssociationReaperPeriod(period);
    }

    public final void setDimseRspTimeout(int timeout) {
        ae.setDimseRspTimeout(timeout);
    }

    public final void setTcpNoDelay(boolean tcpNoDelay) {
        conn.setTcpNoDelay(tcpNoDelay);
    }

    public final void setAcceptTimeout(int timeout) {
        conn.setAcceptTimeout(timeout);
    }

    public final void setReleaseTimeout(int timeout) {
        conn.setReleaseTimeout(timeout);
    }

    public final void setSocketCloseDelay(int timeout) {
        conn.setSocketCloseDelay(timeout);
    }

    public final void setMaxPDULengthSend(int maxPDULength) {
        ae.setMaxPDULengthSend(maxPDULength);
    }

    public final void setReceiveBufferSize(int bufferSize) {
        conn.setReceiveBufferSize(bufferSize);
    }

    public final void setSendBufferSize(int bufferSize) {
        conn.setSendBufferSize(bufferSize);
    }

    public final void setCancelAfter(int limit) {
        this.cancelAfter = limit;
    }

    public static String[] getLeTs() {
		return LE_TS;
	}

	public void addMatchingKey(int[] tagPath, String value) {
        keys.putString(tagPath, null, value);
    }

    public void addReturnKey(int[] tagPath) {
        keys.putNull(tagPath, null);
    }

    public void addSpsMatchingKey(int tag, String value) {
        spsKeys.putString(tag, null, value);
    }

    public void setFuzzySemanticPersonNameMatching(boolean b) {
        this.fuzzySemanticPersonNameMatching = b;
    }

    public void setTransferSyntax(String[] ts) {
        TransferCapability tc = new TransferCapability(
                UID.ModalityWorklistInformationModelFIND, ts,
                TransferCapability.SCU);
        if (fuzzySemanticPersonNameMatching)
            tc.setExtInfo(EXT_NEG_INFO_FUZZY_MATCHING);
        ae.setTransferCapability(new TransferCapability[]{tc});
    }

    public void open() throws IOException, ConfigurationException,
            InterruptedException {
        assoc = ae.connect(remoteAE, executor);
    }

    public void close() throws InterruptedException {
        assoc.release(true);
    }
    public List<DicomObject> query() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
        TransferCapability tc = assoc.getTransferCapabilityAsSCU(
                UID.ModalityWorklistInformationModelFIND);
        if (tc == null) {
            throw new NoPresentationContextException(
                    "Modality Worklist not supported by "
                    + remoteAE.getAETitle());
        }
        System.out.println("Send Query Request:");
        System.out.println(keys.toString());
        DimseRSP rsp = assoc.cfind(UID.ModalityWorklistInformationModelFIND,
                priority, keys, tc.getTransferSyntax()[0], cancelAfter);
        List<DicomObject> result = new ArrayList<DicomObject>();
        while (rsp.next()) {
            DicomObject cmd = rsp.getCommand();
            if (CommandUtils.isPending(cmd)) {
                DicomObject data = rsp.getDataset();
                result.add(data);
                System.out.println("\nReceived Query Response #"
                        + result.size() + ":");
                System.out.println(data.toString());
            }
        }
        return result;
    }

    public void initTLS() throws GeneralSecurityException, IOException {
        KeyStore keyStore = loadKeyStore(keyStoreURL, keyStorePassword);
        KeyStore trustStore = loadKeyStore(trustStoreURL, trustStorePassword);
        device.initTLS(keyStore,
                keyPassword != null ? keyPassword : keyStorePassword,
                trustStore);
    }

    private static KeyStore loadKeyStore(String url, char[] password)
            throws GeneralSecurityException, IOException {
        KeyStore key = KeyStore.getInstance(toKeyStoreType(url));
        InputStream in = openFileOrURL(url);
        try {
            key.load(in, password);
        } finally {
            in.close();
        }
        return key;
    }

    private static InputStream openFileOrURL(String url) throws IOException {
        if (url.startsWith("resource:")) {
            return CFIND.class.getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream(
                    url.substring(9));
        }
        try {
            return new URL(url).openStream();
        } catch (MalformedURLException e) {
            return new FileInputStream(url);
        }
    }

    private static String toKeyStoreType(String fname) {
        return fname.endsWith(".p12") || fname.endsWith(".P12")
                 ? "PKCS12" : "JKS";
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Traditional and historic 8 point shuriken. This model can be traced far back into feudal Japan as well as various regions in China. Used by both Samurai and Ninja clans of Japan. This shuriken is made of heavy, durable 12 gauge thick steel! Black oxide plated and coated with light oil to preserve finish. This as all our shuriken is intended for regular throwing practice and use. The 12 gauge thick steel is extremely durable though do not stick as well as our 14 gauge steel into some targets.


text:
Types of Careers Listed by Industry, Job, and Salary
Job Scams
Job Searching Basics
Hero Images / Getty Images
Are you checking out career options, looking for a new career, or thinking about changing jobs? The more you learn about possible options, the easier it will be to decide whether you're interested in a particular job or industry. You might discover that you love a job, or you might find that it's something you'd never want to do. It's always a good idea to take time to explore career opportunities, regardless of whether you're just starting out or at mid-career looking for something different the next time around.
Here's some information on a variety of different careers, organized by industry. You can also check out lists of careers organized by other categories, such as type of position (seasonal, part-time, etc.), and explore jobs that pay particularly well.
You will learn the steps you need to take to enter a particular career field, what types of qualifications you will need (including required education, skills, and experience), specific job titles within the field, and more.
You will also find information on where to find job listings, interview advice, and salary information.
Careers Listed by Industry and Title
Below is a list of job titles organized by industry. If you're not sure what kind of job you're looking for, click on some of the job titles that interest you. Read the articles to get an idea of what each job entails and the qualifications you would need to apply.
Aviation: The airline industry is a multi-billion-dollar business. The Department of Transportation organizes the industry into four categories: international, national, regional, and cargo. Could your next job be in one of those areas?
Aircraft Dispatcher
Airline Pilot
Federal Air Marshall
Arts: Love art? With a little perseverance and luck, creative types can forge their careers in an arts-related field.
Art Appraiser
Art Auctioneer
Music Conductor
Business: You don't necessarily need an MBA to make it in business, although many jobs in this category will require some education past high schoolas well as an aptitude for numbers.
Administrative Assistant/Secretary
Nonprofit Job
Law Enforcement: Educational requirements vary for law enforcement jobs; while federal law enforcement jobs tend to require at least a bachelor's degree, some police officers can get started in the field with on-the-job training or a few years of college or military experience.
Border Control Agent
Correctional Officer
DCIS Special Agent
Fish and Game Warden
ICE Agent
K-9 Police Officer
Police Dispatcher
Uniformed Secret Service Officer
Media: If occupational outlook is the most important factor in your search for a career, most media jobs might seem like a bad bet. But look closer—publishing gigs might be harder to come by, but the world always needs clever wordsmiths. And if you're tech savvy, your horizons are unlimited.
Freelance Editor
Medical: Look at any list of top-paying, fast-growing jobs, and you'll see healthcare jobs right at the top of the ranking. Even during the depths of the Great Recession, this industry was booming. Of course, these jobs aren't for everyone;it takes compassion and emotional fortitude to work in this field, as well as the willingness to spend time and money training.
Forensic Psychologist
Mental Health Counselor
Service Industry: If you think of waitstaff or bartenders when you think of the service industry, you're only looking at part of the picture. There are many different jobs that involve serving the public. Could one of these be right for you?
Bank Teller
Personal Fitness Trainer
Ski Instructor
Teaching: Love teaching? Don't assume that the classroom is the only place to ply your trade. Technology has made it possible to teach online, while teachers who crave flexibility and human interaction can try subbing, working parttime, or teaching abroad.
College Professor
Technology: The tech industry is booming, and your career can boom right along with it. You don't necessarily need a degree to get these jobs. Pick up the necessary skills via online courses, boot camps, or practical experience, and many employers will put you to work.
Computer Systems Administrator
Other Options: If you haven't spotted your career on our list just yet, don't despair. Here are a few of the other growing careers that don't fit anywhere else.
Animal Careers
STEM Careers
Jobs Listed by Type of Position
Check out this list of jobs if you're looking for a career to fit a particular situation. For example, if you're looking for a part-time job, or if you're a high school student looking for a job, click on the list that fits your needs.
First Jobs
Jobs for 14- and 15-Year-Olds
Jobs for High School Students
Part-Time Jobs for College Students
Jobs for College Graduates
Jobs Abroad for College Graduates
Temp-to-Perm Jobs
Summer Jobs for Kids
Summer Jobs for Teachers
Jobs for Parents
Work-at-Home Jobs
Work-at-Home Data Entry Jobs
Types of Jobs That Pay Well
Looking for a job that will allow you to make a very good salary? Check out these lists of jobs that pay well.
Best First Jobs
Best Jobs for College Graduates
Best Jobs That Don't Need a Four-Year College Degree
Best Paid Hourly Jobs
Best Paid Jobs for Community College Graduates
Best Paid Jobs for Women
Best Paid Management Jobs
Best and Worst Paid Jobs That Require a Master's Degree
Top 10 Unexpectedly High Paying Jobs
Top 15 Unique Jobs
Use These Top Sites to Find Part-Time Jobs
The Top Careers in the Organic Industry
How to Find the Right Summer Internship
Here Are Some Great Job Hunting Tips for College Grads and Students
100+ Free Professional Resume Examples
Get Answers to Questions About Criminal Justice and Criminology Jobs
Love It or Leave It: Best and Worst Jobs
Top 23 Best Niche Job Sites
Learn How to Apply for Jobs Online With These Helpful Tips
How to Start Your First Job Search
Get Samples of the Best Cover Letters Listed by Job and Type
10 Tips to Evaluate Your First Job Offer After College
Write Your Best Resume with These Samples for Every Career Level
Here Is a List of Media Industry Jobs You Can Get without a Degree


Simon Cowell is holidaying with a bevy of beauties aboard his £30 million yacht.
The music mogul - who is expecting his first child with New York socialite Lauren Silverman - has been joined in the South of France by ex-girlfriend Sinitta as well as blonde stunners Kelly Bergantz, who works for his Syco production company, and her sister, Jamie, despite initially planning a ''boys only'' vacation.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: ''A holiday wouldn't be a holiday for him if he didn't have Sinitta there. She is his closest and oldest friend and just the sort of person he needs after the month of chaos he has just been involved in.
Two of Simon's other former flames, make-up girl Mezhgan Hussainy and TV presenter Terri Seymour, are also due to arrive on the yacht within the week.
The 53-year-old 'X Factor' boss may have been celebrating with his boat-based beauties after it emerged Lauren and her estranged husband Andrew - Simon's former friend - are due to reach an ''amicable'' divorce settlement soon.
However, it could cost Simon £10 million to prevent details of his romance with Lauren being aired in court.
He recently met property developer Andrew - who hasseven-year-old son, Adam, with Lauren - for talks at New York's Francis S. Gabreski Airport before he headed off to France.
A source told the Daily Star newspaper: ''Everyone is conscious there is a seven-year-old boy that is the priority here.
Lauren - who is said to be 12 weeks pregnant - has been married to Andrew for 10 years.
Kanye West spends a million dollars on 'anti-kidnap' cars?


The Universal Serial Bus, or USB connector has been a mainstay of a wide range of devices for years, though the actual port used and cable required, could vary dramatically. USB4 could change that by adopting many of the best features of Intel's Thunderbolt 3 standard. USB4 will be faster, better equipped, and perhaps even more standardized across the industry than every type of USB that came before it.
While we wait for supporting devices to show up though, you might want to wrap your head around USB 3.2. It's more confusing than USB4 will be.
USB4 was announced in March, 2019, with a rough outline of its features and capabilities. What we haven't been given yet, is a full breakdown of USB4 specifications. The USB4 standard is currently in the "final stages of review," according to a statement from the USB Promoter Group released in March, 2019. The full specification is slated to be released sometime in mid-2019.
As for products that support USB4, its backwards compatibility (see below) means that there are already existing products that will work with it. For USB4 certified devices though, we could be waiting until the second-half of 2020 before they start to become available.
The most immediate benefit of USB4 is how much faster it will be than its predecessors. Where the USB 3.2 2×2 specification can only transfer data at up 20 Gbps (gigabits per second), USB4 will be capable of up to 40 Gbps. That's also four times the speed of the far more common USB 3.1 (3.2 gen. 2) and eight times as fast as USB 3.0 (3.2 gen. 1).
The speed of USB4 also matches Thunderbolt 3's, which is an important factor in the development and planned future for the USB standard.
USB4 will be built around the USB-C connector, so will be entirely reversible — no more flipping back and forth like you had to do with USB-A cables. It will also be able to offer charging and power delivery up to 100 watts, so USB4 will be perfectly capable of charging your laptop, or powering your monitor.
That combination of high data throughput and power delivery means it will be able to act as a singular cable for displays. It will be able to handle two 4K displays or one 5K display over a single connector. It will also have enough data throughput to connect external graphics cards to desktops and laptops.
USB4 will also be backwards compatible with USB 3.x, 2.x, and 1.x devices. You might just need to change the cable you connect those devices with.
Although not a feature for USB4 itself, one of its greatest improvements could be greater standardization. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the group that manages the promotion and marketing of USB, hopes that it can use the new USB generation to make the standard more uniform across devices. With a singular connection type in USB-C, there won't be a wide array of potential cables or ports. The USB-IF will also create a standard feature list which it will push manufacturers to support with USB4 devices. That will be a stipulation of certification, although it will not be mandatory, and as an open standard, USB4 can be implemented by any manufacturer in any fashion they choose.
It's not clear yet whether confusing naming conventions used with the USB 3.x generation of ports will continue, but from the outset, USB4 will be the singular name used for such devices.
If all the features and performance numbers for USB4 sound a lot like Thunderbolt 3, that's no coincidence. Although both USB and Thunderbolt 3 have coexisted for four years, they haven't been interchangeable in most cases. USB4 will change that, to a certain degree. Thunderbolt 3 and USB4 should support one another in almost every way. While they will continue to exist as separate entities, USB4 and Thunderbolt 3 ports and devices should be compatible with one another across the board.
That said, at this time, with no official specification for USB4, we can't say for sure whether it will exactly match the capabilities of Thunderbolt 3. While in theory it should be capable of things like handling external graphics cards, Intel has made it clear that that's a Thunderbolt 3 feature for now. Likewise, Thunderbolt 3 is capable of creating a 10Gb Ethernet connection between computers, which there has been no mention of with USB4 so far.
Time will tell whether USB4 will be able to offer the same sorts of features, but in the short term it may be that Thunderbolt 3 remains the more comprehensive standard.
One difference between the two technologies that we know for sure will remain, though, is that that Thunderbolt 3 requires certification where USB4 will not. USB4 is also an open standard where Thunderbolt 3 isn't, so we could see a much wider array of USB4 devices in the future, all of which should work with existing Thunderbolt 3 ports and devices.
While the confusion over which is which may continue with the launch of USB4, it won't matter as much, since everything that supports one should work just fine with the other.
Grab these deals while you can: As part of their Deal of the Day promotion, Amazon is offering deep discounts on a wide variety of PC accessories including premium gaming mice, external hard drives, and even Wi-Fi routers.


text:
Home > Life & Culture
David Letterman, celebrated late-night TV host, receives US humour prize
Mon, Oct 23, 2017 - 12:15 PM
[WASHINGTON] David Letterman, a pioneering entertainer who was the longest-running host of late-night TV in US history, was honoured on Sunday for his contributions to American culture.
After-hours television was built around the set-piece interview and guest appearance when Letterman's Late Night broke the mold in 1982 with absurd pranks and send-ups.
Everyday viewers went on his show to present "stupid pet tricks". Behind his desk, Letterman could be serious, dry and cerebral. But he often volunteered for oddball pranks. In one well-known stunt, he worked a shift at a Taco Bell in suburban New Jersey, taking pickup orders.
In another sketch, Letterman was dunked in water while covered in Alka Seltzer tablets.
Receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center, the national showcase for arts, Letterman, 70, was praised for his imagination, comic daring and heart.
Many younger comedians, including current late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, have described Letterman as a major influence.
Before Kimmel's on-stage tribute to Letterman, the entertainer recalled one of his favourite, offbeat moments.
"Dave brought this doorknob out. And he put it on a table. And he said 'It's just plain big.' That was it." Letterman hosted more than 6,000 episodes of his original Late Night with David Letterman on NBC and its successor on CBS, Late Show with David Letterman, which ended its run in May 2015.
He won multiple Emmy Awards, US television's highest honour, for his work as a writer, performer and producer.
The Indiana native made his first of 22 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1978. After hosting Late Night for 11 years, he moved to CBS in 1993 after losing out to longtime rival Jay Leno to succeed Carson at The Tonight Show.
On Sunday, comic friends teased Letterman about his late-night wars with Leno and retirement but the honouree struck a poignant note in his acceptance speech.
"Mark Twain's definition of patriotism is this: Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."
In 2012, Letterman was recognised for his contributions to the arts and American culture at the Kennedy Center Honors, a lifetime achievement awards for performing artists.
The Letterman tribute will be aired on public television stations on Nov 20.
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So welcome back true believers! Today I present two more pieces from the archives of LITW friend and painter Dragomir.
The first of these pieces is his bust of Horus. This started out as the Spacewolf terminator bust from forgeworld but became something totally insane by the time it was finished. The pictures do this model little justice, even so it is a hugely impressive piece of conversion/resculpting work.
The things that I like the most about it are the lettering done on several of the surfaces and the veining that shows through the thin layers of skin tone on the head. This was actually the inspiration for the similar skin tones and veining on my Alpharius figure (I actually went to Dragomir for advice throughout the building and painting of my figure).
Overall this was a really sweet model which went far beyond the boundaries of the initial core model to become something entirely original and definitively Dragomir's.
The second piece was also pretty special in that it represented something really different for Dragomir in his Golden Demon entries and modelling projects. Where his last 3 pieces had all been large scale models and mostly scratch built/sculpted, his new project was to take an existing GW model - the ubiqquitous Chaos Rhino at that - and to try and put a worthy twist on it.
His work in milliput was a real eye opener for me and through talking to him about it I picked up many useful insights that I still use while sculpting today. The basework was something that I really enjoyed and I have to say that this model stood tall and proud garnering lots of attention in what was arguably the most talked about Golden Demon category of the day. In the end another LITW friend Vince Hudon won gold and Slayer for his entry in the same category (the incredible Magmatrax), Dragomir took silver with this Chaos Rhino and LITW contributor, Slayer sword Winner and fellow Team North America painter Chris Borer took Bronze for his Landraider.
While he didnt get the gold, Dragomir did get the award that he most coveted for the day - the Forgeworld Best in Show. This was a pretty cool moment for him and certainly a well deserved honour. LOTS of more pics of both of these models including WIP shots can be seen in the Dragomir section of my friends galleries!
COMING SOON: Dragomir Part 3 -More Models! More Awards! AND an Interview with the man himself!


Washington, D.C. - Congress should pass legislation this year to renew the nation's commitment to clean and safe water, according to a new report from the Water Infrastructure Network, a non-partisan coalition of local elected officials, drinking water and wastewater service providers, environmental groups, labor unions and construction and engineering professionals.
In the report, the network calls for a five-year, $57 billion federal investment in drinking water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure to replace aging pipes, upgrade treatment systems and continue to protect public health and the environment. The report also urges Congress to create a long-term, sustainable and reliable source of federal funding for clean and safe water.
The report, Water Infrastructure Now, indicates that the funding increase is urgently needed to help close a $23 billion per year gap between infrastructure needs and current spending.
Local governments and their ratepayers currently cover 90 percent of the costs to build, operate and maintain public water and sewer systems. However, as older systems deteriorate and water quality rules tighten, local budgets simply cannot keep pace, according to the report.
"The staggering cost of maintaining, operating, rehabilitating, and replacing our aging water infrastructure requires a new partnership between federal, state and local government," said Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, president of the National League of Cities. "We call upon the new leadership in Washington to renew the federal financial commitment to assist local governments in meeting the growing water and wastewater infrastructure needs."
To bridge the investment gap, the federal government should meet localities halfway - by authorizing an average of $11.5 billion in capitalization funds over five years - the report proposes. States would receive the funds and in turn offer grants and loans to local agencies. In an era of unprecedented federal surpluses, the time for renewing the nation's commitment to its water resources is now, the report's authors said.
Providing expanded, targeted technical assistance to communities most in need.
The report can be accessed at www.amsa-cleanwater.org/advocacy/winow.htm.
Washington, D.C. - Environmental Protection Agency, along with nine other federal agencies, nine states along the Mississippi River, and two tribes have developed an action plan to reduce the size of the "dead zone," a large, oxygen-starved area of the Gulf of Mexico which threatens the nation's most productive and valuable fishing grounds. The states and federal agencies have agreed to work together to cut the "dead zone" by about half its average size over the next 15 years.
According to EPA officials, the action plan establishes a goal of reducing the so-called "dead zone" by reducing its size by half by 2015. The officials also have agreed to develop strategies to reduce nutrients entering the Gulf, particularly the amount of nitrogen, by 30 percent. The action plan calls for continued research and monitoring to better understand this problem and use the information as a basis to modify the goals and actions as may be necessary in the future. The action plan, which has been praised by both environmental and farm industry groups, also calls for incentive-based approaches be used to improve water quality protection in agriculture.
Every summer along the Texas-Louisiana portion of the Gulf of Mexico, certain nutrients, especially nitrogen, drain down from the Mississippi River into the Gulf and decrease the oxygen supply to aquatic organisms. This area becomes and is referred to as a "dead zone," because some organisms die while others flee the area. The decrease in oxygen, called hypoxia, affects an area that over the last five years has averaged 5,454 square miles off Louisiana's coast. This area has traditionally been one of the nation's most productive fisheries.
The decrease in oxygen is primarily the result of excess nitrogen from the 31-state Mississippi River drainage basin. A significant portion of the nutrients entering the Gulf from the Mississippi River come from human activities: discharges from sewage treatment and industrial wastewater treatment plants and storm water runoff from city streets and farms. Nutrients from automobile exhaust and fossil-fueled power plants also enter the waterways and the Gulf through air deposition to the vast land area drained by the Mississippi River and its tributaries. About 90 percent of the nitrates entering the Gulf come from runoff. About 56 percent of the nitrates enter the Mississippi River above the Ohio River. The Ohio basin adds 34 percent of the nitrates. High nitrogen loads come from basins receiving wastewater discharges and draining agricultural lands in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, southern Minnesota and Ohio.
Under the action plan, states, working as river-basin committees, would have flexibility to develop the most effective, practical measures to reduce discharges of nutrients and remove them from their waters. The strategies are expected to rely heavily on voluntary and incentive-based approaches for dealing with agricultural runoff and restoring wetlands. The action plan calls for new resources to fund these activities, EPA officials said.
"The use of regulatory mechanisms would impose excessive cost burdens on producers," said Bob Stallman, American Farm Bureau Federation president. "Properly funded assistance programs that work with farmers to retain productivity while improving water quality will be more efficient and effective."
Scott Faber, a water resources specialist for Environmental Defense, said that the next Farm Bill will help decide the future health of the Gulf of Mexico. "Many farmers are implementing practices that help combat hypoxia, but nearly as many farmers who want to help are being turned away due to inadequate federal funding."
Environmental Defense called on Congress to expand incentive programs administered by the Department of Agriculture, including programs that pay farmers to restore lost wetlands, retire environmentally-sensitive lands, install buffers of trees and grasses along streams, and implement other practices that reduce fertilizer use or that intercept and filter polluted runoff. Environmental Defense also urged Congress to create new programs to reuse manure. Congress may reauthorize federal farm programs this year.
Since l997, EPA has chaired the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force to develop this plan for reducing Gulf hypoxia. In l998, Congress passed the Harmful Algal Boom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act, which specifically requires this action plan.
The plan and additional information are available on EPA's Office of Water Web site at www.epa.gov/ow, under "What's New."
Washington, D.C. - Final standards and guidelines for discharges into waterways from oil and gas drilling operations that use synthetic-based drilling fluids were issued on Jan. 22, Environmental Protection Agency officials announced.
The new rule applies to oil and natural gas extraction drilling beyond three miles from shore. Most of the affected facilities are located beyond three miles from shore in the Gulf of Mexico, beyond three miles off the coast of California, and off Cook Inlet, Alaska. The rule does not apply to offshore oil and gas facilities located within three miles of a coastal area, which are covered by a separate effluent guideline allowing no discharges.
EPA officials said they expect implementation of this rule to reduce annual discharges of pollutants into water by 118 million pounds per year, to reduce air emissions by nearly 3,000 tons a year, and to reduce energy use by the equivalent of 200,817 barrels of oil from new and existing sources. EPA projects that the overall economic effect will be a significant savings in operating costs, to result in an annual savings of $48.9 million, with no adverse economic impacts to drilling operators.
Effluent limitation guidelines are national regulations, specific to individual industries, issued under the Clean Water Act that control the discharge of pollutants to surface waters and to publicly-owned treatment works.
Additional information on the final effluent limitations guidelines and standards for synthetic-based drilling fluids is available www.epa.gov/ost/guide/sbf.
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Peter G. Fitzgerald (R-IL) reintroduced a bill that would ban the fuel additive methyl tertiary butyl ether. The measure, which Fitzgerald originally proposed last spring, would phase out MTBE use without altering existing clean air laws, paving the way for ethanol to replace MTBE as the leading additive in the nation's clean air program.
"Tainted drinking water is an unacceptable price to pay for cleaner air, particularly when there is a viable alternative to MTBE," Fitzgerald stated. "We should eliminate MTBE without sacrificing air quality, and I believe we can do that by promoting ethanol as an environmentally friendlier substitute in the clean air program."
MTBE, an oxygenate that helps fuel burn cleaner, has been found in groundwater in several states, and some studies suggest that the fuel additive may pose health risks.
Fitzgerald's MTBE Elimination Act would completely phase out MTBE within three years. The bill also requires, in the meantime, that all gasoline containing MTBE be properly labeled.
While some senators favor eliminating MTBE by repealing the oxygenate requirement - the provision in the Clean Air Act that mandates the production of reformulated gasoline - Fitzgerald said that this approach could needlessly jeopardize air quality improvements achieved over the last decade. Instead, Fitzgerald's bill would ban MTBE outright while leaving existing clean air standards in place.
The senator said that ethanol has proven effective at reducing emissions without the harmful side effects of MTBE. However, concerns have been cited by organizations such as the Oxygenated Fuels Association that ethanol is a poor substitute for MTBE due to supply problems and ethanol's contribution to the formation of smog.
Massachusetts - Estimating streamflows in areas where there are no gauges once took days but now only takes minutes. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey have developed a "user-friendly" streamflow-estimating system, called "Streamstats," that uses an equation-based method for estimating statistics that indicate the range of streamflow that can be expected at user-selected sites.
A pilot project has been completed in Massachusetts, and the USGS plans to implement this kind of service, which can be accessed on the Internet at ma.water.usgs.gov/streamstats, nationwide as part of its National Streamflow Information Program.
"With this new Web-based tool, users can view maps of areas of interest. They need only to select a site on a stream to get estimates of streamflow statistics," said USGS hydrologist Kernell Ries, the principal investigator. "Automatically the physical characteristics of the watershed that drains to the site will be measured, a set of equations will be solved, and the estimated streamflow statistics and a location map will be provided to your desktop within seconds."
Ries said that previously, users of streamflow statistics had to measure the physical characteristics and insert them into the equations by hand, which can be tedious and time-consuming.
Federal, state, and local agencies need streamflow statistics for such activities as developing environmentally sound river basin management plans and siting and permitting of new water withdrawals, interbasin transfers and discharges of pollutants.
USGS hydrologists developed a set of 13 equations that can be used to estimate streamflow statistics for most streams in Massachusetts based on long-term records of flow from USGS streamgages. At the web site, users are shown a map of Massachusetts with town boundaries and locations of USGS data-collection sites. Users can select the location of a data-collection site to get streamflow statistics for the site from a database or they can select any site on a stream to automatically get estimated streamflow statistics and prediction intervals that indicate the accuracy of the estimates for the site they selected.
Washington, D.C. - Citing a need to address infrastructure needs while the costs are manageable, Sen. George V. Voinovich introduced legislation that would increase the annual authorization of the loan program financing improvements to wastewater treatment facilities.
The Clean Water Infrastructure Financing Act (S. 252) would provide $3 billion per year for five years in grants to states which in turn loan the funds to local communities to repair and upgrade existing wastewater treatment facilities. In addition, Voinovich's legislation would provide technical and planning assistance for small water systems, expand the types of projects eligible for loan assistance and offer financially distressed communities extended loan repayment periods and principal subsidies.
The new funds would go to the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund, which was created in 1987 to provide low-interest or no-interest loans to help address local wastewater infrastructure needs. The money, appropriated through EPA's appropriation bill, has been funded at $1.35 billion for the past several years.
A survey conducted by Environmental Protection Agency in 1996 documented $139 billion worth of wastewater capital needs nationwide. In April 1999, that national assessment was revised upward to nearly $200 billion, while some private studies have estimated the needs to be closer to $300 billion.
Puerto Rico - Caribbean Petroleum Corp., MetLife Capital Corp. and Water Quality Insurance Syndicate will pay $83.5 million to the federal and Puerto Rican governments to settle claims related to a 1994 barge grounding that caused an 800,000 gallon oil spill, Justice Department officials announced.
The parties will reimburse the federal government for the costs the government incurred while removing oil and cleaning up beaches and other areas near San Juan, Puerto Rico, which included damage claims submitted by fishermen, hotels and small businesses. The settlement also compensates natural resource trustees of the federal government and Puerto Rico for injuries to natural resources and for assessment costs, and Puerto Rico for its economic claims.
On Jan. 7, 1994, the barge Morris J. Berman ran aground off the coast of Puerto Rico as it was under tow with the tug Emily S from San Juan to Antigua, British West Indies. The ship, carrying a cargo of almost 1.5 million gallons of oil, discharged fuel oil into the surrounding waters and beaches.
The owners and operators of the barge assisted in cleaning up the oil for the first several days. The U.S. Coast Guard then undertook the remainder of the cleanup effort, which took over five months of continuous response activity, including the processing of approximately one thousand damage claims using funds from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. The fund, created by Congress in 1990 following the Exxon Valdez spill, provides money to respond to oil spills and to pay damage claims. Under the settlement, $60 million will be deposited into the fund, the largest recovery in the fund's history.
"This settlement again demonstrates the United States' commitment to protecting the nation's waters and natural resources," said David W. Ogden, assistant attorney general in charge of the Civil Division.
During the oil pollution incident, the barge crushed a reef and discharged oil onto nearby land, affecting beaches and parklands in Puerto Rico. Natural resource trustees - including the Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - assessed the damage and determined that it was appropriate to address injuries to the reef and injuries related to the public's loss of use of beaches and historic sites. A plan with proposed restoration projects will be made available soon for public comment.
Fort Worth, Texas - Six of the key federal, state, and local organizations responsible for managing western agricultural water supplies joined together in a new "Bridging-the-Headgate" partnership in the Water Resources Forum at the recent National Association of Conservation Districts convention in Fort Worth, Texas.
The partnership brings the National Water Resources Association, the Western States Water Council and the Bureau of Reclamation together with the NACD, the National Association of State Conservation Agencies and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
In signing the "Bridging-the-Headgate" agreement, the federal, state and local partners have acknowledged the need to work together for the sustainable and efficient use of western agricultural water supplies.
In terms of western agriculture, a "headgate" can be thought of as an agricultural "faucet" through which local farmers receive their irrigation water from local water suppliers or districts. Reclamation, WSWC, and NWRA represent the federal, state and local organizations that serve those farmers from the "off-farm," or water supply, side of those agricultural headgates.
The intent of the partnership is to encourage and facilitate increased collaboration among local irrigation districts, conservation districts, state water resource agencies, conservation agencies, and local Reclamation and NRCS offices in addressing western agricultural water management issues and opportunities.
Washington, D.C. - Water and sewer bills, on average, will have to double without a big federal investment in new pipes and modern treatment plants, local governments and water agencies said in a study being released February 13.
Safely moving clean water and flushed wastes involves a "staggering cost," said Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, president of the National League of Cities. Older systems soon will need to be replaced, and that will take "a new partnership between federal, state, and local government," he said in a statement.
The league and 28 other organizations are urging Congress to put up $57 billion over the next five years to help localities meet environmental requirements, replace old pipes and upgrade their plants.
"Local governments alone cannot keep pace with the skyrocketing costs of new drinking water and wastewater infrastructure," agreed William Schatz of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District in Cleveland.
Local governments and individual ratepayers currently bear about 90 percent of the cost of providing clean tap water and running wastewater systems, said Schatz, who has been lobbying on behalf of the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies for more federal dollars.
Keeping up with the nation's water and sewer needs will cost $1 trillion over the next 20 years, say private and government studies. That's about $23 billion a year more than already is being spent by state and local governments and ratepayers combined.
"Financing the full $23 billion a year need with utility rate increases would result in a doubling of rates, on average, across the nation," the report says. "If this were to happen, at least a third of the population of the United States would face economic hardship."
Experts predict an acute need for repairs and replacement of water and sewer facilities because many of the nation's wastewater treatment plants were built at roughly the same time - in the 1970s and early 1980s - with roughly a 30- to 40-year life span.
Those plants connect to underground pipes whose 50 to 75-year average life spans are ending or, in the oldest cities, to cast iron or brick pipes laid about 100 years ago and nearing the end of their useful lives.
Congress has begun to recognize the looming problem, but so far there have been few moves in the direction sought by Archer, Schatz and the numerous interest groups working together as the Water Infrastructure Network.
Last week, Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, proposed a $15 billion, five-year program to deal with other wastewater infrastructure improvements, but he said Monday he knows that won't be enough to make all the needed improvements.
"Additional solutions need to be found," Voinovich said. "The size of the need continues to be enormous and the safety of our water supply and the environment cannot be ignored."
The groups lobbying together for a massive federal investment suggested a variety of proposals including grants and loans, loan subsidies and research into ways to extend the life-span of existing infrastructure.
Madrid, Spain - On February 9 Spain approved a controversial $21 billion plan to transfer water from the Ebro River in the north to the parched east and south, overriding concerns it could endanger the environment and wildlife.
The government says the plan is crucial to the future development of Spain and complies with environmental standards.
Ecologists claim it violates European Union's rules and would ruin the habitat of the Iberian lynx, a species on the edge of extinction.
"Taking water out of just one river to irrigate all Spain obviously cannot be (right), and the world is increasingly conscious that the transfer of resources has to be limited to the indispensable," Pascual Maragall, a Socialist opposition leader in the northeastern Catalonia region said.
The project, held up for 15 years by regional bickering, would drain the Ebro of 1,050 cubic hectometres of water a year - enough to provide Spain's 40 million people with 70 liters a day each, according to local press estimates.
The Ebro, one of Spain's biggest rivers, originates in the northern Cantabria region and meanders 625 miles south-eastward to the Mediterranean Sea.
The water project, involving a series of new dams and water diversions, has prompted mass protests in the northern region of Aragon, but has been cheered in the dry southeast.
In October, a reported 300,000 protesters marched through the Aragon capital of Zaragoza, along the banks of the Ebro, soon after the government approved a preliminary version of the plan.
The protesters fear that small farms would disappear and the interior of the sparsely populated, land-locked region would be ruined.
Arid southeastern regions like Murcia and Almeria, famous for their desert-like landscapes, would be some of the areas to benefit most.
Fort Pierce, Fla. - Some scientists hypothesize that nitrogen flowing into Florida Bay from the Everglades is quickly killing once vibrant coral reefs far to the south in the Florida Keys.
Others say sewage and nutrients created by man and flowing from the Keys into the ocean are to blame for the dying of the underwater world, the only living shallow water reef system off the continental United States.
Scientists are just beginning to try to understand what is causing biological changes in this underwater home to fish, grasses, sponges and multiple other forms of sea life, but there's no consensus yet. Many scientists agree that in recent years reefs worldwide have suffered a 10 percent loss in coral.
The reasons vary. In Hawaii, scientists blamed badly sedimented reefs at Kahoolawe on soil erosion on the mainland. After goats eating grasses on the coastline were removed the reefs began recovering.
In Australia, scientists believe global warming caused devastation to the Great Barrier Reef in 1998, saying soaring temperatures caused the bleaching of reefs, making them vulnerable to diseases.
Scientist Brian Lapointe of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution theorizes that water is overenriched with nitrogen from artificial fertilizers that is flowing from sugar cane fields in the Everglades to Florida Bay is causing drastic changes to ocean water that is killing the reefs.
Other biologists give little credence to Lapointe's theory, saying water dumped into Florida Bay likely never reaches the reefs, which sit more than 100 miles away.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1998 predicted about two-thirds of the world's reefs may be dying. About 10 percent are beyond recovery and 30 percent may die within 10 to 20 years, NOAA said.
The underwater world has been around for at least a couple of million years and while man's influence on marine ecology - from overfishing to coral breakage caused by divers to polluted water - have had a significant affect the health of reefs, there may still be time to regenerate life.
"Since it is the living coral that builds the reefs, it is of deep concern to see this kind of downward trend. But reefs have been with us for many thousands of years so in the long term, I have optimism about coral reefs," Kruczynski said. "We don't know if this is just a blip in the long term."
The above news briefs were adapted from articles that first appeared in the environmental news letter produced by Stevens Publishing Corp.: Environmental Protection News.
For concise, continuous coverage of the news and issues that affect all aspects of the environmental industry, call Ralph Jensen at (972) 687-6745, visit www.stevenspublishing.com.
This article appeared in the March 2001 issue of Environmental Protection, Vol. 12, No. 3, on page 50.


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February 2019 The EU and USA
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has rejected the resignation of his Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the BBC informed.
In a letter, Rouhani praised Mr Zarif's record and said: "I think your resignation is against the country's interests and I do not accept it."
Zarif submitted his resignation on Monday, saying that he hoped to allow his ministry to reclaim its "proper statutory role".
He went through sharp criticism from hardliners over his role negotiating the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.
Many hardliners opposed the decision to accept limits on the country's nuclear activities in return for the lifting of crippling sanctions.
Pressure on Zarif grew last year after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and reinstated U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's oil and banking sectors.
Iran Military Sites Off-Limits for IAEA Inspections, AEOI Spokesman Asserts
International Assertions About Iran's Involvement in Arming Houthis
Iran's Terrorist IRGC Files 'Revenge' Charges against Man Imprisoned for Facebook Posts and His Wife
Iran 'Strongly Denies' Arming Yemen Rebels, Rapps U.S. National Security Strategy
Iran: Political Prisoner Still in Jail despite Court Decision


Auditions for the 2018-2019 Season have concluded!
Auditions for the 2019-20 Season will be held on August 17-18, 2019 at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts on the Emory University campus.
Audition scheduling via the Emory eAudition system will be available in late June, 2019. The eAudition scheduling link will be published here at that time.
Auditions consist of solo repertoire, scales, and sight reading. Students should prepare 4-6 minutes of music of their own choosing including two contrasting excerpts (technical and lyrical) from the solo repertoire. A single work with contrasting sections is also an acceptable option. Memorization is not required. Please note that we do not require set excerpts.
Selected major scales for winds and brass will be asked at the audition. Lastly, a basic sight-reading excerpt will be provided at the audition.
Percussionists should prepare solo/etude excerpts on two out of three of: snare drum, timpani, mallets. Basic rudiments (snare), major scales (mallets), and timpani tuning (A-D) may be requested.
Students are evaluated on the basis of tone quality, intonation, rhythmic accuracy, musicianship, expressiveness, and reading ability.
Auditions are held at Emory University's Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. Students should arrive at least 30 minutes ahead of their audition time to check in and be escorted to a warm-up room. Auditions last approximately 8 minutes. Free parking is available in the Fishburne Parking Deck next to the Schwartz Center.
The audition fee is $25. Students should bring payment to their audition.
Approximately one week before auditions are held, each student will be sent more detailed information including warm-up room locations.
Audition scheduling via the Emory eAudition system will be available in mid-July, 2019. The eAudition scheduling link will be published here at that time.
Questions regarding auditions should be directed to Ms. Martha Shockey at mshocke@emory.edu.


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Q: RTD 100 hooked up to Lee Dickens BD-300 Isolating Signal Converter, Issues Reading the Output I have a three wire RTD 100 probe and a BD-300 Isolating Signal Converter. I wired up the BD-300 like the datasheet said to, and the unit powers powers on and indicates that it has power (red LED is on). However I do not get a stable voltage from the output pins. I have my multimeter hooked up black to output pin 7 and red to output pin 8. The voltage that I get cycles from 0mv to about 400mv and
then repeats.
If I read the center lead of the RTD (while hooked up and powered on) and an outside lead, I get about 110ohms which looking against this table tells me I'm in the ball park for the right temperature. So it seems like my probe is good to go.
The converter did come with a funny looking yellow resistor looking item with markings that I can't make out, bridging to the 4 and 6 input pins.
Any help with this or pointing me in the direction to do more reading would be greatly appreciated, my google searches have turned up nothing other than advertisements (I probably don't know the correct search terminology).
If it matters my end goal is to be able to read the temp value, accurate to 0.1 degree, and use it with a PID loop to control mash temperatures for homebrewing. So if there is an easier way to interface this probe, I'm all ears!

A: If you were expecting a 1-5V output and you accidentally purchased a current output model isolator, simply connect a high-precision 250 ohm resistor across the output terminals (or even better, across the input terminals of whatever is connected to your signal isolator). Resistors of this type are commonly available for exactly this purpose.
Ohm's law:
V = I * R
V = [4mA - 20mA] * (250 ohms)
V = 1V - 5V
While it may seem like a pain, a 4-20mA signal is preferable to a voltage output in many applications:

*

*It allows the detection of a broken sensor wire (it goes to 0mA) in addition to sensing the process variable (sensor output).

*Some sensors can be 'loop powered' - they require less than 4mA to operate, and can therefore be used as a two-wire device without need for a separate power supply wire.  The savings in wiring cost alone can be significant.

*A current signal eliminates error due to resistive losses in the conductors between sensor and readout/ADC. (Though it trades this for errors related to the 250 ohm resistor)

*Noise immunity is substantially better due to the inherent common mode rejection.  This is a huge win in industrial settings when tend to be very electrically noisy.

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