text:
Who benefits from Obama flap? Obama. Looks like a set up by Bush to me.
Posted on March 21, 2008 by WHY
Ya know, not all Muslims are bad. the Saudi elite and Bushies are close. I said it first. I will say it again. Obama can't possibly be who he says he is, and when you take EVERYTHING into consideration (read my blog), it's a no brainer. Bush wants Obama. Romney wants Obama. They DO NOT want Clinton. Am I the only sober one still standing?
Obama's wife sits on CFR. And you think they are bringing the troops home? LOL
They are going to rearrange the loungers.
So, tonight's breaking news is another attempt to shift attention away from Rev. Wright and onto the sympathy factor for Obama. Oh My – The Outrage !! Are they hiding all that secret info about Obama's secret trip to Iran? So, if there is nothing found in the passport probe, what's the harm in using it as a tool to turn a tide?
Gawd, we're so stupid.
Nothing that happens from here on out is what it appears to be. Look to see who benefits. Then have some cake and stop worrying. But, go and vote and you have a brand spankin new covenant with their Gods. You can have them.
whoohooo
Filed under: BUSH, CLINTON, family, fraud, life, McCain, news, Obama, politics, religion, Uncategorized, WOMEN |	1 Comment »
AP CEO believes Bush is lying about Iraq journalist ?
AP president: US arrests journalist in Iraq to 'control' information
Filed by David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Associated Press president Tom Curley says his news organization does not buy the government's argument that one of its photographers arrested in Iraq was working on behalf of the enemy, and he alleged the US is rounding up journalists in an attempt to control information.
http://www.propeller.com/viewstory/2008/03/19/ap-president-us-arrests-journalist-in-iraq-to-control-information/?url=http%3A%2F%2Frawstory.com%2Fnews%2F2008%2FAP_President_chides_Bush_Admin_for_0319.html&frame=true
Filed under: BUSH, family, IRAQ, Journalism, life, news, politics, religion, VETERANS, WOMEN |	Leave a comment »
I am not buying anything made in China.
The insanity in Tibet, and earlier in Myanmar has convinced me that unless every country, and every person within it, comes together to say NO! —-then this too shall not pass. I have vowed not to buy goods OF ANY KIND at Walmart. That outta cover it. But, I will be checking the label of everything I buy from this day forward, in honor of the Tibetan people and those suffering in Myanmar. And for the record, I don't believe my government is REALLY interested in stopping this insanity. If they did, it would stop.
What will YOU do ?
Filed under: buddhism, CHINA, family, life, Myanmar, news, Olympics, politics, religion, walmart, WOMEN |	1 Comment »
VACCINATIONS: Please report adverse reactions as they occur !!!
Vaccincation Decisionsen Espanol
Parents Dos and Don'ts
Introductory Message If you are trying to make a decision about whether to vaccinate yourself or your child we hope you find the information on our website helpful in making an informed decision. We recommend that you not only use NVIC's information in making a decision but also talk to trusted health professionals and consider browsing through other vaccine information web sites, many of which are linked directly from this web site. If you or your child has suffered a serious health problem following receipt of a vaccine, it is very important that you make a vaccine adverse event report to NVIC (click here to report a reaction). Since 1982, NVIC has operated a vaccine adverse event database which is helping to stimulate independent research into vaccine adverse events. A record of what happened to you or your child could help identify common factors which pre-dispose individuals to reacting to vaccines; find ways to prevent others from suffering the same kind of vaccine-related health problems you or your child are suffering; and may well contribute to future development of therapies to help repair vaccine damage. You should also make a vaccine adverse event report to the federal government's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The health professional that administered the vaccine has a duty under the law to report all serious health problems which develop within 30 days of vaccination to VAERS. If that person refuses to make the report, contact NVIC and we will help you make the vaccine adverse event report to VAERS yourself. We encourage you to continue to seek information and ask questions. This is not an easy subject and it is not an easy decision to make. You are in charge of your own health and that of your child(ren). You must live with the consequences of the decision that you make. Look at all sources of information including sources that describe how the different diseases are contracted and how they are spread. Without this information you cannot make an informed decision. The following articles on this website may be helpful to you: In the Wake of Vaccines
Are We Over Vaccinating Our Children?
VACCINATION DECISIONS FOR PARENTS
Vaccination is a medical procedure which carries a risk of injury or death. As a parent, it is your responsibility to become educated about the benefits and risks of vaccines in order to make the most informed, responsible vaccination decisions.
1. Your doctor is required by law to provide you with vaccine benefit/risk information materials before your child is vaccinated. Consumer groups, including the National Vaccine Information Center, worked with government health agencies to develop parent information booklets on each mandated vaccine. Ask your doctor for the booklet and take time to read it before your child is vaccinated. You may also ask your doctor to show you the information insert provided by the drug company which manufactured the vaccine(s) your child is scheduled to receive.
2. Your doctor is required by law to keep a permanent record of all vaccinations given, including the vaccine manufacturer's name and lot number. Ask for a copy of the doctor's record on vaccinations given to your child to keep for your records.
3. Your doctor is required by law to report all adverse events, including injuries and deaths which occur within 30 days after vaccination to federal health authorities. If your doctor refuses to report a reaction following vaccination, you have the right to report to the government yourself.
4. If your child is left permanently brain damaged or dies as a result of a vaccine reaction, you may be entitled to benefits under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.
Become educated about childhood diseases and vaccines. You have the ultimate responsibility for your child's health and well-being and you, not your doctor or state or federal health officials, will live with, and be responsible for the consequences of your decision.
Ask your doctor to give your child a physical exam to make sure your child is healthy before you permit vaccination. A sick child can be at increased risk for having a vaccine reaction.
Write down your child's personal and family medical history listing major illnesses and diseases or medical conditions, especially previous reactions to vaccinations, and have it included in your child's permanent medical records. Before permitting vaccination of your child, ask your doctor if any of these conditions will put your child at risk for having a vaccine reaction. A child who has had a previous severe reaction to a vaccination can be especially at risk for even more severe reactions if more vaccine is given. If you are not satisfied with the answers you are given, get a second opinion.
Monitor your child closely after vaccination. Call your doctor if you suspect a reaction. If your doctor is not concerned and you are, take your child to an emergency room.
Obtain a copy of your state mandatory vaccination laws. Become educated about state vaccine requirements, your rights and legal exemptions to vaccination. Click here to review your state law.
Don't be intimidated by medical personnel and forced into a vaccination decision before you are comfortable with your decision.
MERCK'S GARDASIL VACCINE NOT PROVEN SAFE FOR LITTLE GIRLS
National Vaccine Information Center Criticizes
FDA for Fast Tracking Licensure
Washington, D.C. – The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is calling on the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to just say "no" on June 29 to recommending "universal use" of Merck's Gardasil vaccine in all pre-adolescent girls. NVIC maintains that Merck's clinical trials did not prove the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine designed to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts is safe to give to young girls.
"Merck and the FDA have not been completely honest with the people about the pre-licensure clinical trials," said NVIC president Barbara Loe Fisher. "Merck's pre and post-licensure marketing strategy has positioned mass use of this vaccine by pre-teens as a morality play in order to avoid talking about the flawed science they used to get it licensed. This is not just about teenagers having sex, it is also about whether Gardasil has been proven safe and effective for little girls."
The FDA allowed Merck to use a potentially reactive aluminum containing placebo as a control for most trial participants, rather than a non-reactive saline solution placebo.[1] A reactive placebo can artificially increase the appearance of safety of an experimental drug or vaccine in a clinical trial. Gardasil contains 225 mcg of aluminum and, although aluminum adjuvants have been used in vaccines for decades, they were never tested for safety in clinical trials. Merck and the FDA did not disclose how much aluminum was in the placebo.[2]
Animal and human studies have shown that aluminum can cause nerve cell death [3] and that vaccine aluminum adjuvants can allow aluminum to enter the brain, [4 5] as well as cause inflammation at the injection site leading to chronic joint and muscle pain and fatigue. [6 7] Nearly 90 percent of Gardasil recipients and 85 percent of aluminum placebo recipients followed-up for safety reported one or more adverse events within 15 days of vaccination, particularly at the injection site.[8] Pain and swelling at injection site occurred in approximately 83 percent of Gardasil and 73 percent of aluminum placebo recipients. About 60 percent of those who got Gardasil or the aluminum placebo had systemic adverse events including headache, fever, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, myalgia. [9 10] Gardasil recipients had more serious adverse events such as headache, gastroenteritis, appendicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, asthma, bronchospasm and arthritis.
"Merck and the FDA do not reveal in public documents exactly how many 9 to 15 year old girls were in the clinical trials, how many of them received hepatitis B vaccine and Gardasil simultaneously, and how many of them had serious adverse events after being injected with Gardasil or the aluminum placebo. For example, if there were less than 1,000 little girls actually injected with three doses of Gardasil, it is important to know how many had serious adverse events and how long they were followed for chronic health problems, such as juvenile arthritis."
According to the Merck product manufacturer insert, there was 1 case of juvenile arthritis, 2 cases of rheumatoid arthritis, 5 cases of arthritis, and 1 case of reactive arthritis out of 11,813 Gardasil recipients plus 1 case of lupus and 2 cases of arthritis out of 9,701 participants primarily receiving an aluminum containing placebo. Clinical trial investigators dismissed most of the 102 Gardasil and placebo associated serious adverse events, including 17 deaths, that occurred in the clinical trials as unrelated.
"There is too little long term safety and efficacy data, especially in young girls, and too little labeling information on contraindications for the CDC to recommend Gardasil for universal use, which is a signal for states to mandate it," said Fisher. "Nobody at Merck, the CDC or FDA know if the injection of Gardasil into all pre-teen girls – especially simultaneously with hepatitis B vaccine – will make some of them more likely to develop arthritis or other inflammatory autoimmune and brain disorders as teenagers and adults. With cervical cancer causing about one percent of all cancer deaths in American women due to routine pap screening, it was inappropriate for the FDA to fast track Gardasil. It is way too early to direct all young girls to get three doses of a vaccine that has not been proven safe or effective in their age group."
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), founded in 1982 by parents of vaccine injured children, has been a leading critic of one-size-fits-all mass vaccination policies and the lack of basic science research into biological mechanisms and high risk factors for vaccine-induced brain and immune system dysfunction. As a member of the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), Barbara Loe Fisher urged trials include adequate safety data on pre-adolescent children and warned against fast tracking Gardasil at the November 28-29, 2001 VRBPAC meeting .[11]
Full 2001 FDA Transcript: http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/cber01.htm#Vaccines & Related Biological
For more information go to www.NVIC.org.
1. Merck & Co., Inc. 2006. Gardasil [Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Types 6,11,16,18) Recombinant Vaccine] product insert. Table 6.
2. Food and Drug Administration. May 18, 2006. FDA Background Document for Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee: Gardasil HPV Quadrivalent Vaccine.
3. Kawahara M et al. 2001. Effects of aluminum on the neurotoxicty of primary cultured neurons and on the aggregation of betamyloid protein. Brain Res. Bull. 55, 211-217.
4. Redhead K. et al. 1992. Aluminum-adjuvanted vaccines transiently increase aluminum levels in murine brain tissue. Pharmacol. Toxico. 70, 278-280.
5. Sahin G. et al. 1994. Determination of aluminum levels in the kidney, liver and brain of mice treated with aluminum hydroxide. Biol. Trace. Elem. Res. 1194 Apr-May;41 (1-2):129-35.
6. Gherardi M et al. 2001. Macrophagaic myofastitis lesions assess long-term persistence of vaccine-derived aluminum hydroxide in muscle. Brain, Vol 124, No. 9, 1821-1831.
7. Shingde M eta la. 2005. Macrophagic myofastitis associated with vaccine derived aluminum. MJA, 183 (03):145-146.
8. Merck & Co. May 18, 2006. Merck briefing document for Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee: Gardasil. Table 24.
9. Merck & Co., Inc. 2006. Gardasil product insert: Serious Adverse Experiences.
10. Food and Drug Administration. May 18, 2006. FDA Background Document for Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.: Gardasil. Table 32.
11. Food and Drug Administration. November 29, 2001. Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. Excerpt from transcript.
Mercury/Thimerosal
Almost every vaccine used for children is now produced in a thimerosal-free form. Several vaccines continue to have trace amounts of thimerosal.
Ask your doctor for thimerosal-free vaccines. Ask to see the package insert and the vial that is used that contains the vaccine.
Some versions of tetanus and flu vaccines still contain the full amount of thimerosal.
BE PROACTIVE AND ASK YOUR DOCTOR.
See how much mercury is in your child's vaccines.
The Mercury Calculator
Read Evidence of Harm by David Kirby to understand the thimerosal debate
Get involved in your state to remove mercury from vaccines.
No Mercury.org
Does Your Baby Weigh Over 500 Pounds? June 2006
Thimerosal Linked to Immune System Problems March 21, 2006
Letter to the CDC from Congressman Dave Weldon (R-FL), October 31, 2003
NVIC, SafeMinds, Mercury Project: Stop the Use of Thimerosal in Vaccines Press Release
FDA/HHS Petition filed by the National Vaccine Information Center,
FDA Denial of Citizen Petition – 4 Years Later
Unlocking Autism
Giving Mercury to Children on Purpose is Stupid
SafeMinds
Which Vaccines Contain Mercury?
State Laws to remove Mercury
Power of Truth Rally
Oceana– Mercury in the Oceans
Voice of the Environment: Concerned about heavy metals and chemical toxicity
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.- Deadly Immunity,
Rolling Stone, June 30, 2005
Merck Misled Public On Vaccines Containing Thimerosal, March 7, 2005 Los Angeles Times
CDC Study Raises Level of Suspicion, December 8, 2003 Insight Magazine
Vaccines: A Hidden Danger November 2003
WXYZ- Detroit MI -Three Part Series -Video
BBC Radio News 4 Transcript – Mercury in Vaccines
Special Report on Mercury in Vaccines by Television Journalist, Valeri Williams, WFAA-TV
Dallas Texas, May 20, 2002
Filed under: family, GARDASIL, life, merck, news, politics, PTA, religion, school, TEACHERS, VACCINATIONS, WOMEN |	Leave a comment »
Evidence that the HPV vaccine may increase pre-cancerous cervical lesions by 44% ?
……this story reveals evidence that the vaccine currently being administered for HPV — Gardasil — may increase the risk of precancerous cervical lesions by an alarming 44.6 percent in some women. The vaccine, it turns out, may be far more dangerous to the health of women than doing nothing at all.
If true, this information reveals details of an enormous public health fraud being perpetrated on the American people, involving FDA officials, Big Pharma promoters, and even the governors of states like Texas. The health and safety of tens of millions of young girls is at stake here, and what this NaturalNews investigative report reveals is that HPV vaccinations may not only be medically useless; they may also be harmful to the health of the young girls receiving them.
http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_HPV_Vaccine_0.html
Filed under: cancer, family, health, HOMESCHOOL, HPV, life, news, politics, religion, science, WOMEN |	Leave a comment »
Notice the Pastor's comments exposed before Dem nominee picked? Not after?
There is nothing more a good solid Democrat loves in these times than some Pastor railing against the evil Bush administration. If Obama wants to win the nomination, just keep lookin deep for those same kinds of rants from his Pastor. Dems will flock to him. NOT to Clinton, who would follow in Bush's footsteps. So, there's that.
But, know this, NOTHING is as it appears. NOTHING. Don't forget that Michelle Obama sits on CFR. And, Obama is teamed with lots of peeps who WOULD NOT bring change. Old Guard with new suits.
Don't even try to figure it all out. They have a bigger puter than you.
Just detach my friend. Go on a picnic and hug your children. Or stay aligned with the world's most creepish evil and watch it all unfold up close and personal, over and over and over and over.
Filed under: CLINTON, family, life, news, Obama, Pastor Wright, politics, religion, VETERANS, WOMEN |	1 Comment »
SATAN'S HPV VACCINE BEING PUSHED HARD BY DOCTORS
No-Brainer Syndrome: Using the HPV Vaccine and Male Circumcision to Fight Disease
By Alexander Sanger, Alexander Sanger – Beyond Choice
Posted on March 14, 2008, Printed on March 14, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/79642/
Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, called the new HPV vaccine, Gardasil, approved last year by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), "a no-brainer." Many advocates in the blogosphere use the same phrase, "no-brainer," to describe the World Health Organization (WHO) 2006 recommendation for male circumcision as an HIV/AIDS prevention strategy, at least in sub-Saharan Africa. Most health professionals agreed, even if they didn't use the exact phrase.
The public disagreed. A mere 10 percent of girls in the U.S. have been vaccinated so far with Gardasil and few men in Africa have had "the snip." Within the past weeks the Virginia Legislature has taken steps to repeal its mandate for the HPV vaccine for schoolgirls, and the Health Minister of South Africa has refused to endorse male circumcision as part of its national AIDS program.
So, are these recommendations "no-brainers" or not?
They aren't, for three reasons: 1) they might not be as effective as advertised; 2) they run the risk of diverting funds from more effective prevention strategies; and 3) there is a real risk of unintended harm to women.
Both epidemics, HPV and HIV, have certain similarities: both are viruses, both are transmitted sexually, and both flourish because of the molasses-like pace of change, or lack thereof, in the human sexual behavior needed to thwart them. The ABC (Abstinence, Be faithful, Condoms) approach has been effective in some countries in Africa and elsewhere, especially where it resulted in more condom use, but alas, condom use is not universal for many reasons — cultural, sexual, economic and otherwise, including the prosaic fact that the worldwide condom supply is both erratic and insufficient. Alas, even when condoms are available and used, they are not universally effective against HPV/genital warts. Thus HPV and HIV march on.
In desperation the public health establishment embraced two seeming magic (and expensive) bullets in the fight against HPV and HIV: a new vaccine and a re-branding of circumcision.
The HPV Vaccine — Gardasil
Gardasil is recommended for young females, preferably ages 11-12, who are not yet sexually active and hence not already infected with HPV, though it has been approved by the FDA for all females ages 9-26. In clinical trials for the 16-26 year old age group, Gardasil was virtually 100 percent effective for five years against the four strains of HPV that it targets (there are over 100 strains of HPV). Yet parents did not rush to get their daughters vaccinated.
Aside from safety, effectiveness and cost issues, some parents and public health officials had additional concerns:
1) Efficacy — while the vaccine does protect against HPV-16 and HPV-18 (the strains that cause 70% of cervical cancer), by so doing the vaccine may be unleashing other HPV strains which can infect the woman — thus, the ultimate efficacy of the vaccine against all HPV infections and, ultimately, against cervical cancer may be less than the initial studies indicated;
2) Misallocation of Funds — money to pay for Gardasil as part of the Medicaid program or some other government program would have to come from somewhere, perhaps leading to a reduction in health prevention or treatment of HPV itself. There is an argument that whatever millions are spent on HPV vaccination might be better spent on a more comprehensive STI prevention program, including condom use and more extensive Pap screening.
3) Risk Compensating Behavior — conservative groups argued, only somewhat disingenuously, that HPV vaccination would inevitably lead to adolescents engaging in more, earlier and unprotected sex, thereby causing more transmission of HPV and other sexually transmitted infections. Vaccinated, and unvaccinated, adolescents might have a reduced fear of contracting HPV, and might thus engage in more and riskier sex. This is known in the public health world as "risk compensation", and occurs when there is a perceived change (i.e. reduction) in the risk of acquiring a disease or being involved in an accident, for instance with drivers with seat belts and air bags driving faster. The fact that there is still a multiplicity of sexually transmitted infections out there (including other HPV strains) that Gardasil does not prevent, and thus that there should be no false sense of immunity, has not dissuade these conservative groups from their campaign. This argument might be, in theory, a valid concern, but remains unproven.
Male Circumcision
In 2007 the World Health Organization announced that it was recommending male circumcision "as an efficacious intervention for HIV prevention."
Circumcision has a long and often contested history — socially, culturally, medically and religiously — which the WHO was well aware of, yet in 2007 two studies, one in Kenya and one in Uganda, were halted early by medical authorities, when the preliminary results showed a 53 percent and 51 percent reduction in risk respectively in acquiring HIV infection by circumcised males as opposed to uncircumcised males. The case for circumcision was so clear that it appeared to be a "no-brainer", even though scientists have no proof of how circumcision might actually work as an HIV preventative. Possible explanations include the keratinisation, or extra layers of skin forming on the penis, that occurs after circumcision serving as a retardant to HIV transmission, or the susceptibility to HIV in the Langerhans cells in the inner foreskin. Langerhans cells are immune cells which act as a reservoir and replication site for the HIV-1 virus. They also appear in other parts of the male and female genitals, including the clitoris. There was no suggestion by WHO that these cells, or the surrounding skin on the organs that contain them, be excised. The WHO circumcision recipe for the goose is not one for the gander.
Some policy makers raised similar objections to circumcision as those raised against HPV vaccination:
1) Efficacy — the WHO itself emphasized that circumcision was not 100 percent effective, and that, in fact, the HIV infection rate in circumcised males in the African clinical trials was still unacceptably high. There was no evidence that male circumcision protects female partners, or the partners of men who have sex with men. Both these sad facts have been born out by subsequent trials. Circumcised men who are HIV positive transmit the virus to their partners at the same rate as uncircumcised men. In fact, there was an observed increase in infection in the female partners of circumcised men who commenced sexual intercourse before their circumcision wounds had healed, despite extensive counseling of the couples to abstain until they got a go-ahead from a nurse.
2) Misallocation of Funds — some public health officials argued that a more effective use of funds was the current armament of HIV prevention strategies, such as ABC, especially the "C". It is hard to imagine an effective public health campaign that urged circumcision and continued condom use — why should a man go through circumcision if he still has to wear a condom?
3) Risk Compensating Behavior — there is a real prospect of an increase in risky sexual behavior by those circumcised, including reduced condom use and more sexual partners. In Africa the widespread male dissatisfaction with condom use and an innate desire for multiple partners and large families would likely be the chief motivators for males to seek circumcision in the first place, so that they would have a ready excuse not to wear condoms.
A final danger for women is that there might be a conflation of male circumcision with female genital mutilation, especially if the theory of the Langerhans cells (which appear in both the foreskin and the clitoris) is proven. The conflation in some parts of the world of male and female circumcision as a cultural marker or initiation rite is already problematic. It would be horrific if the call for more males to be circumcised in cultures where it is not practiced led to more female genital mutilation.
HPV Vaccination and Male Circumcision: Case Studies in the Failure of Public Health
So, here we have two new, expensive public health recommendations relating to sexually transmitted infections, one for females and one for males. Neither is a "no-brainer." Each is less than 100% effective, and has the real possibility of greater harm: Gardasil if the vaccination unleashes other HPV strains and circumcision if males have sex before the wound heals and if they embark on more partners without wearing condoms. Each risks draining resources from other prevention strategies, and each could harm women especially.
Cervical cancer can be caught and cured with pap smears, and HIV by a comprehensive ABC program. HIV in Africa is mostly transmitted by female prostitutes. Thailand embarked on a program to require condom use in brothels. Africa has not. The HIV prevalence rate in Thailand is now far lower than in Sub-Saharan Africa. ABC can work. The circumcision recommendation is, I believe, more a comment on the world's failure to implement ABC than on the benefits of the procedure, just as the HPV vaccine recommendation is a sad commentary of the U.S. and the world's failure to have a comprehensive public health system that gets Pap smears to every woman.
The foregoing is abridged from a longer article of the same title that can be found at http://www.AlexanderSanger.com
Alexander C. Sanger, the grandson of Margaret Sanger, who founded the birth control movement over eighty years ago, is currently Chair of the International Planned Parenthood Council.Mr. Sanger previously served as the President of Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC) and its international arm, The Margaret Sanger Center International (MSCI) for ten years from 1991 – 2000.
Mr. Sanger speaks around the country and the world and has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund. More of his writing can be found on his website, http://www.alexandersanger.com
© 2008 Alexander Sanger – Beyond Choice All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/79642/
Filed under: family, news, politics, religion, WOMEN |	Leave a comment »

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
A falgyom (Parietaria) a rózsavirágúak (Rosales) rendjénak csalánvirágúak (Urticanae) alrendjébe, ezen belül a csalánfélék (Urticaceae) családjába tartozó nemzetség. Falgyomfű és falfű néven is ismert. Magyarországon őshonos faja a közönséges falgyom (Parietaria officinalis).

Elterjedés
A nemzetség a mérsékelt és trópusi éghajlaton az egész Földön elterjedt. Az Európában őshonos P. judaica Amerikában, az Amerikában őshonos P. pensylvanica Európában meghonosodott, terjedő gyomnövény. Magyarországon a közönséges falgyom (Parietaria officinalis) az egyetlen őshonos faj.

Jellemzők
20-80 centiméter magas egyéves vagy évelő növények. A levélállás szórt, a levelek nem összetettek, ép szélűek, ferde vállúak. A virágok (3 vagy több) levélhónalji csomókban csoportosulnak.

Fajok
A lista nem teljes.

Parietaria alsinifolia Delile
Parietaria australis (Nees) Blume
Parietaria cardiostegia Greuter
Parietaria cretica L.
Parietaria debilis G.Forst.
Parietaria diffusa Mert. & W.D.J.Koch
Parietaria filamentosa Webb & Berthel.
Parietaria floridana Nutt.
Parietaria hespera B.D.Hinton
Parietaria judaica L.
Parietaria laxiflora Engl.
Parietaria lusitanica L.
Parietaria mauritanica Durieu
Parietaria micrantha Ledeb.
közönséges falgyom (Parietaria officinalis) L.
Parietaria pensylvanica Muhlenb. ex Willd.
Parietaria praetermissa B.D.Hinton
Parietaria ruwenzoriensis Cortesi

Források

Növénynemzetségek
Csalánfélék

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


To celebrate the 20th year anniversary of the Harvest Moon franchise, Harvest Moon: Light of Hope comes to Steam! A fresh start in new surroundings, you set off for a new life! It's going to be up to you to help rebuild your new town, save the lighthouse, and start a family!


Over the last several years many life insurance companies have received third-party administrative summonses from IRS agents seeking documents and information concerning life insurance policies sold to trusts and individual taxpayers. Most of these summonses arise in the context of trust arrangements the IRS considers abusive. The summonses typically arise in two types of IRS examinations – (1) income tax examinations of the individual taxpayers who participated in the arrangements and (2) promoter penalty examinations of the agents or brokers.
An IRS third-party summons, and particularly one issued in promoter examinations, can be very costly and burdensome. For example, the summons may request detailed information over a period of many years regarding everything from actuarial and reinsurance documents and information to all types of communications with the promoter. An IRS summons is not self-enforcing. If the company refuses to comply, however, the IRS can go to Federal District Court to seek enforcement. There are legal remedies available to a third-party summons recipient in Federal District Courts; however, the IRS has speci c statutory authority under I.R.C. § 7602 to issue such a summons and the courts generally have not been kind to recipients who resist. These summons enforcement actions in court can be time-consuming and costly. Therefore, satisfaction of the IRS's request for information outside of court in the most cost-effective manner is usually the best course.
if the situation is handled properly. The IRS agents do not want to be overwhelmed with paper and, perhaps more importantly, operate under timing and budgetary restrictions that incentivize them to be reasonable. The best approach for the company in terms of managing both its costs and external risks is to cooperate with the IRS agents within the scope of their limitations and attempt to negotiate a process that will result in a more limited compliance burden.


When you climb up into the attic of an older home, you almost always discover a few surprises. The only way to determine the condition of your home's thermal envelope is to perform a thorough inspection.
Image Credit: Claire P - Flickr Inspect your home from top to bottom, inside and out. The more you poke around, the more clues you'll get to how your home is performing.
The advice is good, but it doesn't do much to educate the questioner. Perhaps you are an intrepid homeowner who is willing to poke around your home's nooks and crannies. Is there anything you can learn about your house without a blower door and an infrared camera?
Yes, of course there is. This article will explain the steps that homeowners can take to assess the condition of their house from an energy perspective.
If your house has a basement, that's a good place to start your inspection. (If your house has a crawl space or an above-grade mechanical room, some of the advice in this section also applies to those areas.) The most important tool for this type of inspection is a powerful flashlight.
What Should I Do With My Old Windows?
Check for air leaks. On a cold day, it's fairly easy to locate basement air leaks; you may be able to feel infiltrating air with your bare hand. You may find that an incense stick is helpful in locating air leaks. Another way to locate air leaks is to turn off all of the lights in the basement and look for cracks of light. (This method only works during the daytime, of course.) Typical air leakage locations include the mudsill, around exterior doors, around windows, at utility penetrations, at pet doors, and at dryer vents.
Ideally, the rim joists will be insulated on the interior with rigid foam insulation or spray foam insulation. If the rim joists are uninsulated, it's a good idea to air seal the area and install insulation.
Inspect your basement walls for insulation. If the insulation is visible, it should be easy to inspect. In this location, what you want to see is rigid foam or spray foam insulation. If you see fiberglass batts, that's worrisome. Peel back one of the batts to look for any mold that might be growing behind the batts. If you see rigid foam behind the batts, that's good news, and the batts can probably stay.
If you don't see any insulation on the interior of your basement walls, it's possible that your basement walls have exterior insulation. Go outdoors and check the top of one of your walls. If your walls appear to be finished with stucco, pierce the stucco with an awl or a long punch. If you discover rigid foam behind the stucco, that's good news.
For more information on insulating basement walls, see How to Insulate a Basement Wall.
Look for exposed dirt floors. If your basement or crawl space has a dirt floor, it should be covered with a durable vapor barrier (a layer of polyethylene that is at least 6 mils thick, or a sturdy membrane such as rubber roofing, Tu-Tuf, or a pond liner). If you see bare dirt, it's important to install a vapor barrier soon.
Inspect your heating equipment. Most U.S. homes are heated by a furnace or an air-source heat pump connected to an air handler. These two types of systems use ducts to distribute hot air through your house.
A minority of U.S. homes are heated by a boiler that distributes heat through hot-water pipes.
If you are planning major energy retrofit work that will include a new heating system, you may want to read Choosing HVAC Equipment for an Energy-Efficient Home.
Inspect your ductwork. If your home is heated with a boiler, there probably isn't any ductwork in your basement. If you have a furnace or air handler, however, you've got ducts. Inspect the ducts to see if any ducts are disconnected, or if ducts are so poorly connected that there is a visible gap between duct sections. Disconnected ducts will need to be re-connected and sealed with mastic or high-quality tape.
For more information on duct sealing, see Sealing Ducts: What's Better, Tape or Mastic?
Inspect your water heater. At a minimum, you should note the water heater's age, if known. You should also look for leaks, puddles, and drips. If it is a gas water heater, inspect the flue pipe to see if it looks secure, with flue pipe sections well connected. If your water heater is more than 15 or 20 years old, plan to replace it soon.
If you are contemplating the purchase of a new water heater, you may want to read All About Water Heaters.
Now get out your step ladder, tape measure, and flashlight, and head for the attic. If you're unfamiliar with attics, you should know that you can easily step through the ceiling if you don't place your feet carefully on the joists spanning the attic floor. If you don't like balancing on joists, bring a couple of 2 ft. by 3 ft. pieces of plywood to step on while inspecting your attic.
If your house has pull-down attic stairs, you probably have a major air leak in your ceiling. For more information on this topic, see How to Insulate and Air-Seal Pull-Down Attic Stairs.
Inspect the insulation on the attic floor. Most varieties of fluffy insulation (including fiberglass and cellulose) have an R-value of about R-3.5 per inch. For the purposes of an attic inspection, you can use that number to get a rough idea of the amount of insulation in your attic.
If you live in Climate Zone 1, 2 or 3 (including most of California, Oklahoma, and South Carolina, or anywhere further south), you want at least 9 inches of fluffy insulation (about R-30).
If you live in Climate Zone 4 or 5 (including Oregon, Nebraska, Ohio, or Massachusetts), you want at least 11 inches of fluffy insulation (about R-38).
If you live in Climate Zone 6, 7, or 8 (including Montana, Minnesota, or Maine), you want at least 14 inches of fluffy insulation (about R-49).
For more information on insulating attics, see Insulating Roofs, Walls, and Floors.
Look for air leaks. Because most attic air leaks are hidden, they can be hard for homeowners to find. But if you've been reading GBA articles, you may know where to look: above kitchen soffits, at chimney chases, at plumbing vent pipes, above partition top plates, at the perimeter of ceiling-mounted duct boots, and near bathroom fans and recessed can lights.
If you're willing to play detective, lift up a few fiberglass batts in these areas and snoop around. If you see that the underside of a batt is black, that's a good indication that air has been leaking through the batt for years.
For more information on sealing attic air leaks, see How to Air-Seal an Attic.
All of your bath exhaust fan ducts should lead to the outdoors. The best place to terminate an exhaust duct is at the gable end of your house. If your house has a hipped roof, you'll have to extend the duct through the roof.
Look for moisture problems. Inspect the underside of the roof sheathing for signs of roof leaks, mold, or other moisture problems. If the sheathing has lots of mold, that's a sign that your ceiling has air leaks that allow warm interior air to enter the attic. In most cases, homes with moldy roof sheathing also have a damp basement or crawl space.
Assess the insulation. If you want to poke around in your walls to see if there is any wall insulation, the first step is to turn off your main circuit breaker. Choose an electrical outlet on an exterior wall; plug a light into the outlet to verify that the electricity is off.
Remove the cover plate. One side of the electrical box should be attached to a stud; on the other side of the box, insert one or two wooden chopsticks and see what you can find. If the crack is large enough, shine your flashlight in there. Widen the crack if necessary, but don't make the crack any wider than the plastic cover plate.
Once you are done snooping around, replace the cover plate. Perform a similar inspection on all four sides of the house; in an older house, it's possible to discover different types of insulation in different locations.
How many layers of glazing? Does your house have single-pane windows, double-pane windows, or single-pane windows with storms?
If you've never thought about the issue, here's how to tell the difference between a single-pane window and a double-pane window. Open a window so you can put one finger on the interior side of the glass and another finger on the exterior side of the glass. If your fingers almost touch, it's single glazing. If there is a gap of 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch between your fingers, you have double glazing.
If you look at the perimeter of double-glazed windows, you will be able to see the metal spacer that separates the two panes.
If you have double-glazed windows or single-glazed windows with storms, you are all set. If you have single-glazed windows without any storms, you should probably plan to invest in storm windows.
Are there any signs of rot? Go outdoors and inspect your window sills for rot. If you see lots of rot, you may need to replace some of your windows. Remember, though: replacing older windows with new double-glazed or triple-glazed windows is so expensive that you will never save enough energy to justify the cost of window replacement.
For more information on this topic, see What Should I Do With My Old Windows?
Do you have too much unshaded west-facing glass? In a hot climate, west-facing glass often causes problems. In mid-afternoon, when the sun moves around from the south side of your house to the west side, outdoor temperatures are usually highest. During this time of day, the sun is lower in the sky than at noon, so the sun's rays reach deeper into your house.
If you live in a hot climate, and your house has big, unshaded west-facing windows, you should consider installing window films that reduce solar heat gain. For more information on window films, see Window Film: An Overlooked Retrofit Option?
Do you have any duplicate appliances? If you have a second refrigerator or a freezer in your basement or garage, now is a good time to determine whether you really need it. You can save a lot of energy by getting rid of an extra refrigerator or freezer.
OK, I finished the inspection. Now what?
Now that you have finished inspecting your house, you have a much better idea of the home's condition than when you started, and you may have identified a few serious flaws that need to be remedied.
I would add an assessment of laundry - front load washers save lots of water, water heating energy (if warm or hot cycles are used) and drying energy via more effective final spin.
Also consider a brief search for phantom loads - use an advanced tactile thermal response sensor (palm of hand) to find things that run warm while "off" Those items, typically older media gear and chargers, should be put on a power strip or on a curb on collection day.
What?! Nothing about air conditioners?
Similarly to looking at heating equipment, checking the age of the AC system can give you an idea of how soon you might need a new one. Some units will give the date of manufacture on the condensing unit (the noisemaker outside). If it's more than 10 years old, it's time to start saving for a replacement. If it's 15 years old, you're about to need a new one. I replaced our 24 year old AC a few years ago, but it was long past due. Here are 5 questions to ask when replacing your air conditioner.
Go outside and look at the condition of the condensing unit. If the fins are all bent up or filled with dirt, it needs to be cleaned. If it's got a lot of plants or other obstructions around it, clear some space for it. An AC condensing unit needs to breathe!
Check the filter. Dirty filters are a common problem that makes your system waste energy and not cool as well.
Get the AC serviced. If it's been more than a year, you need to get a pro to open up the system and do the regular maintenance, including checking the state of the evaporator coil and cleaning it if necessary. You don't want a sludge that kills, like this one had.
Here are some tips for getting better performance from your air conditioner that I wrote last year during the heat wave, when we set a record for high temperature in Atlanta.
In addition to the regular ductwork, don't forget to check the dryer vent. If it's clogged, it can burn your house down. Even if it doesn't do that, it can waste a lot of energy by making your dryer run longer to get the clothes dry. Here are some products that can help with dryer vents.
Great tips from both of you. Thanks for the additions.
What is the mechanism of fiberglass batt insulation causing mold on rim joists?
Rim joists are cold during the winter, so you don't want to use an air-permeable insulation like fiberglass to insulate the interior of a rim joist. The insulation does nothing to stop the warm, humid interior air from contacting the cold rim joist.
When the warm, moist interior air contacts the cold rim joist, the moisture can condense (in the form of frost) or the joist can absorb moisture. Once the joist is damp, it will grow mold or begin to rot.
Acceptable insulation materials for insulating rim joists include rigid foam insulation and closed-cell spray polyurethane foam. If you use rectangles of rigid foam, remember to seal the perimeter of each piece of rigid foam with caulk or canned spray foam.
For more information, see The Best Way to Insulate a Rim Joist and Basement Insulation.
Is spray painting the joists an effective method of reducing mold and rot?
To avoid mold and rot, don't insulate with fiberglass. If you have fiberglass insulation on the interior side of your rim joists, paint won't prevent problems.
Remove the fiberglass and leave the rim joists uninsulated. Don't insulate the rim joists until they are dry. If you don't have time to insulate the rim joists correctly, it's better to leave them uninsulated than to insulate them with fiberglass. Once the rim joists are dry, insulate with rigid foam or closed-cell spray foam.
To preserve the heat in the house can I leave the batts cutting away 4-6" at the exterior ends?
You are remarkably resistant to my advice. I've tried twice to point you in the right direction. At this point, all I can say is, "It's your house. You can do whatever you want."
If you are using CC spray foam for crawlspace rim and band joists as well as crawlspace wall insulation, how/where do you create the 3" inspection gap?
Regulations governing termite inspection gaps vary widely from one area to another, depending on local practices and the severity of the local termite problem. Your best source of information is your local building department.
If local regulations require a 3-inch-wide inspection strip, the usual practice is to omit the insulation at the top of the wall, so that you can see the top 3 inches of the concrete wall -- just bare concrete. Of course, following this practice incurs an energy penalty; but if the alternative is an infestation of termites, then the penalty is worth it.


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Darts News, Featured, Home Page Rotator, WDF News
By Phill Barrs September 3, 2021 4 mins read
WDF World Masters Postponed.
The WDF World Masters, which were set to take place for the first time in December 2021 in Assen, the Netherlands, has been postponed for a year.
Because several WDF member countries, including the hosts in the Netherlands, are still subject to COVID-19 restrictions, the WDF Executive has decided to postpone the event for another year.
It is confirmed that the WDF World Masters will take place between Thursday 8 and Sunday 11 December 2022 at the Bonte Wever in Assen, the Netherlands.
"During these difficult times, the WDF Promotions team, with the help of the NDB, have made every effort to facilitate this new tournament for the benefit of our nations and their players," said WDF President Bill Hatter.
"But for an event on the scale of the WDF World Masters to be truly viable, it needs to be accessible to the majority of our 72 member countries. With just three months to go until the event and different restrictions in place for travelling worldwide, and restrictions around events being held in the Netherlands, we have been left with no option but to cancel the World Masters event for 2021."
"Unfortunately, under the current government guidelines it is not allowable for the Netherlands to host multi-day events," said NDB Director Paul Engelbertink.
"We hope that restrictions will be eased later in September, but by then it's too late to expect so many nations from around the world to commit to sending their players to the World Masters. In support of the WDF, we are still looking into the possibility of hosting the World Open and Lakeside qualifiers for any individuals wishing to travel to Assen in December 2021 and we are already looking forward to hosting the World Masters next year and will do everything we can to make it a darts festival that is worth the wait!"
"Having ensured that everything was in place both commercially and logistically for the 2021 World Masters, it is extremely frustrating for all concerned that we are unable to run the event as planned in December due to ongoing restrictions," said WDF Chief Development Officer Richard Ashdown.
"The support of the WDF member nations has been integral to our progress and our objectives remain for the continued development of the ranking system and the promotion of the major tournaments. We look forward to what is sure to be a spectacular return to Lakeside for the WDF World Championships in January, followed by what we all hope will be a full calendar year of ranking events worldwide, leading up to the new World Masters in December 2022."
WDFWorld Masters
Phill Barrs
Founder of Online Darts. Phill is always busy around the press room. Phill has been covering darts for over 3 years, starting first with Live Darts. Over this time has built up outstanding relationships, and produced some outstanding content in the darts world.
Hungarian Darts Trophy Day 1 Schedule
PDC Challenge Tour Events 7 and 8 Roundup – Titles For Dennant and Thomas


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Today in 1899, the world's first jukebox was installed at the Palais Royal Hotel in San Francisco.
Today in 1956, a sheet metal worker was arrested in Toledo for punching Elvis Presley. The man claimed his wife's love for Presley caused their marriage to end. The man was fined $19.60 but, because he couldn't pay the fine, ended up experiencing …
The number one U.S. single today in 1963 was probably getting almost no air time on that day:
The number one British album today in 1974, Elton John's "Greatest Hits," represents about 10 percent of his career:
In contrast, the number one single today in 1974 was a one-hit wonder recorded in two takes:
The number one album today in 1974 was the Rolling Stones' "It's Only Rock and Roll":
The number one British single today in 1975:
The number one British album today in 1991 was Genesis' "We Can't Dance":
Birthdays start with Betty Everett:
Alan Paul of Manhattan Transfer:
Bruce Hornsby:
Chris Bostock played bass for the Jo Boxers:


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This is just a workaround until we have proper support for these formats. Please remember to add these texts properly to the wiki later.
.end files must be UTF-8 encoded!
This page was last modified 12:39, 2 April 2019 by Splashman. Based on work by SaltyBucket, NamelessLegacy, DTM, Nutzer, Kill-o-matic and Tony.


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Munich Museums
Munich is the capital of Bavaria, and, it is the third-largest city of Germany after Berlin and Hamburg, as well as the 12th-largest city in the European Union. Straddling the banks of the River Isar, a tributary of the Danube, it is the most densely populated municipality in Germany. The city is a major centre of the arts, technology, finance, publishing, culture, and innovation in Germany.
The name of the city is derived from words meaning "by the monks" and relates to the monks of the Benedictine order, who ran a monastery at the place that was later to become the Old Town of Munich. A monk is depicted on the city's coat of arms and strongly resisted the Reformation, and later Bavaria was established as a sovereign kingdom in 1806. With a strong independent spirit, Munich is the home to some of the great museums of the world.
Explore Munich Museums
Museum Brandhorst
Greek and Roman Art
Staatliche Antikensammlungen
Staatliche Sammlung für Ägyptische Kunst
Kunsthalle Munich
Deutsches Museum – German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology
Munich's Museums
German: München
State: Bavaria
Population: 2.6 million, Metro
Map of Munich
Explore Germany's Museums
Berlin Museums
The Pergamon Museum
Alte Nationalgalerie – National Gallery (Berlin)
Spy Museum Berlin
German Resistance Memorial Center
Hamburg Museums
Frankfurt Museums
Dresden Museums
Nuremberg Museums
Germanisches Nationalmuseum
German Proverbs and Quotes
"I don't have plans, I only have goals."
– German Proverb
Photo Credit: Stefan Kühn [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], from Wikimedia Commons


The banquet of desire led her down an alley where she could safely appear at last from the green room into the light of the grand hall. Her friends from before opened the stage right door. The script was written and the position of actors were readied for their parts. However we come to poet streets is of no matter, what is of importance is that we are there now. Evan walked out on to the stage of the quiet and austere grand hall theater. It was all she dreamt of. The gilded theater boxes, the opulent seats in velvet, the curving ceiling painted with clouds and tiny stars that actually twinkled.
(Enter stage right) Marina Mc Coy is a charming forty-ish woman with a flair for the dramatic with an air of old theater-somewhat stylized in delivery. Marina opens her arms with great love and greeting to Evan.
Marina: I am so glad you are here. I have been waiting for you darling. So did you find the green room wonderful or what! I love how they leave flowers and fruit baskets. The sparkling water all ice-cold and that yummy tray of pumpkin muffins. Yes, it is remarkably generous don't you think?
Evan: It is wonderful. I am not sure if I deserve such treats.
Marina: Oh but you do, we all do. We are appreciated here. Come let us get a few of the lines down before the others arrive. (they cross to down stage center looking out a window.) Here is your script.
Evan: (with enthusiasm) Are you seeing this? The street is filling up for the parade. Look at all the folks putting out their lawn chairs and coolers. It's going to be quite the show this year they are saying. Isn't it?
Marina: Lots of input from the local theaters this year, a collaboration of actors and musicians.


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← WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE MYSOGYNIST GANDER…
ISLAM IS WORSE THAN MY OLD SCHOOL →
INDIA FOLLOWS DREAM
Posted on October 23, 2013 by Jonathan
From IBTIMES GOLD:
India has gone into frenzy mode trying to locate what could be a massive pot of gold based on the dream of Swami Shobhan Sarkar, a sadhu or holy man. Mr Sarkar claimed he dreamt of once-ruler Rao Ram Baksh who allegedly told him where the latter kept his riches before he was hanged in 1858 after rising up against the British.
Mr Sarkar's dream was apparently highly valued, based on the way the central government responded, by ordering the state Archaeological Survey of India to send a team of archaeologists in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh to the village of Daundia Khera. Their mission - to find the precious gold based on Mr Sarkar's dream, beginning on Friday. It is presumed the archaeologists won't stop digging until they find that gold.
In September, Mr Sarkar said the spirit of the 19th century king told him that gold of up to 1,000 tonnes was buried underneath the ruins of an old palace in the state. Estimates placed the missing loot to be worth $40 billion.
"It is a hidden treasure for the country," Mr Sarkar told the Mail Today newspaper, adding the spirit of the dead ruler continues to roam the palace, striking up communication channels with people who can dig up gold.
Mr Sarkar alleged the dead ruler king was worried India was going to the pitfalls, that's why he wants his hidden gold treasure found and unearthed to help boost up the country's ailing economy.
However, not everyone thinks the state sponsored dig is a sensible way to spend taxpayers' money.
"This entire hunt is a complete waste of time, money, energy and resources. Shame on the government for ordering this ridiculous exercise," R.C. Agarwal, a former director general of the Archaeological Survey, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal. "We have become a laughing stock."
Barefaced Politicians
No Excuse


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Banking-related phishing scams spike more than 2,500% in first half of 2020
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A person using a smartphone. (File photo: Xabryna Kek)
26 Aug 2020 12:18PM (Updated: 26 Aug 2020 12:26PM )
SINGAPORE: The total number of banking-related phishing scams increased by more than 2,500 per cent in the first half of this year to 898 cases, compared to 34 cases in the same period in 2019, said the police on Wednesday (Aug 26).
Banking-related phishing scams recorded the fourth-highest number of reported cases among all scam types, and the total amount cheated increased from S$93,000 to S$3.6 million.
READ: Crime up more than 11% in first half of 2020, mainly due to rise in scam cases
READ: More than S$21.2 million recovered by police's anti-scam centre in first year of operations
Police highlighted an incident in January when a victim was cheated of S$506,000, making it the largest sum cheated in a single case in the first half of this year.
The victim had provided his one-time passwords (OTPs) to scammers who claimed to be employees from local banks, said the police.
The scammers told the victim that his accounts have been hacked and they needed his OTPs to disable his bank accounts.
"In the majority of these cases, victims were tricked into disclosing Internet banking usernames, personal identification numbers (PIN) and OTPs to scammers posing as bank staff," said the police in a news release.
Police warned that platforms like IMO, Viber and WhatsApp were also commonly used by these scammers to communicate with their victims.
READ: Police warn of phishing scams after nearly 30-fold spike in cases
Overall crime in Singapore rose by about 11 per cent in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period last year, mainly due to a rise in scam cases, said the police.
"Criminals have been taking advantage of the COVID-19 situation to find new victims, by exploiting the public's fear and sense of uncertainty.
"This is evident from the significant increase in online scam cases reported in the first half of 2020," said the authorities.
E-COMMERCE SCAMS REMAIN TOP SCAM TYPE
E-commerce scams, social media impersonation scams, loan scams and banking-related phishing scams are "of particular concern", said the authorities, with these types of scams making up 71 per cent of the top 10.
E-commerce scams remain the top scam type - reported cases increased by 73.8 per cent from 1,202 in the first half of last year to 2,089 on year.
The total amount cheated increased to S$5.4 million, up from S$1 million in the same period last year, with the largest sum of S$175,000 cheated in a single case on an e-commerce marketplace.
The common scam transactions involved sales of electronic items, gaming-related items and COVID-19 related items such as face masks and hand sanistisers, said the authorities.
SOCIAL MEDIA IMPERSONATION SCAMS SURGE
Social media impersonation scams recorded the second-highest number of reported cases among all scams.
The number of cases reported jumped by more than 1,300 per cent, from 83 cases in the first half of last year to 1,175 in the same period in 2020.
READ: More than 180 investigated over scams involving S$1.5 million
Top ten scam types in Singapore based on number of reported cases. (Table: Singapore Police Force)
In April, a total of S$367,000 was cheated off one victim in a social media impersonation scam, said the police.
The victim said she had transferred about S$367,000 to an unknown person after she responded to a link on a purported monetary grant sent by her friend via Facebook messenger.
She had also provided her personal details such as her bank account, the police added.
In the majority of social media impersonation scams, victims were tricked into disclosing their mobile numbers or credit card information and OTPs to scammers who used compromised or spoofed social media accounts to impersonate their victims' friends or followers, the police said.
"Scammers would often claim to help their victims sign up for online contests or promotions which turned out to be fake.
"Their victims would later discover that unauthorised transactions had been made from their bank accounts or mobile wallets," added the police.
Instagram and Facebook were the most common social media platforms where such scams took place, with 578 cases and 575 cases reported respectively.
LOAN SCAMS REMAIN A CONCERN
The total number of loan scam cases and amount cheated also saw "significant increases" in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2019.
Loan scams increased by 56 per cent to 1,014 cases, up from 650 in the same period last year.
The total amount cheated more than tripled, from S$1.9 million in the first half of 2019 to S$6.5 million on year.
"Business operators such as banks, digital platform owners and telcos have a responsibility to prevent, deter and detect crimes committed through their platforms," said the authorities.
"Putting in place anti-scam measures and precautions against crimes will also help business operators keep their customers safe from scams."
Source: CNA/ad(ta)
Singapore Police Force
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The Beauty of Names
Words Have Meaning, Names Have Power.
Name Requests and Naming Help
A List of Names Taken from French Royal Mistresses (3)
Hortense Mancini by Jacob Ferdinand Voet
I'm so sorry this took so long to post! I had had it written out and then I accidently deleted it and was too lazy to rewrite it until now. I hope you all still enjoy it!
Diane d'Andoins - Henry IV
Françoise de Montmorency-Fosseux - Henry IV
Esther Imbert - Henry IV
Antoinette de Pons - Henry IV
Gabrielle d'Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort - Henry IV - Had children by him named César de Bourbon, duc de Vendome, Catherine Henriette de Bourbon, and Alexandre de Bourbon, Chevalier de Vendôme.
Henriette d'Entragues, Marquise de Verneuil - Henry IV - Had children by him named Gaston Henri, duc de Verneuil also known as Henri de Bourbon, and Gabrielle Angelique de Bourbon, Madame Verneuil.
Jacqueline de Bueil, Countess of Moret - Henry IV - Had a son by him named Antoine, Count de Moret.
Charlotte des Essarts - Henry IV - Had daughters by him named Jeanne Baptiste, and Marie Henriette.
Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency - Henry IV
Charlotte de Sauve - Henry IV - Also a spy for Catherine de' Medici.
Catherine Bellier - Louis XIV
Olympe Mancini, Countess of Soissons - Louis XIV - Also known as Olympia, she was one of the five famous Mancini sisters, nieces to the Cardinal Mazarin. The other sisters were Laura "Laure", Olympia "Olympe", Anna Maria "Marie", Marie Anne, and Ortensia "Hortense". They also had three brothers, Paul, Philippe, and Alphonse.
Lucie de la Motte-Argencourt - Louis XIV
Mademoiselle de Marivault - Louis XIVMarie Mancini - Louis XIV - Another Mancini. She was originally Anna Maria, and won the love of the King, who desired to marry her. She was eventually exiled.
The daughter of a gardener known simply as NN - Louis XIV - She had an unnamed daughter by him.
Hortense Mancini - Louis XIV - She was born Ortensia but was known in France as Hortense. She was proposed to by the exiled king Charles II of England, but her uncle wasn't interested in the pairing, thinking he had little potential. When he became the King of England in the months following, he tried to get them back together, and even gave her a dowry of 5 millions livres. Her marriage later was a strange one, and eventually she took a female lover. Her husband had them both sent to a convent where they terrorized the nuns and escaped out the chimney. She left her husband and lived under the protection of Louis XIV for many years.
Henrietta Anne of England - Louis XIV - Most shockingly, his sister-in-law.
Louise de La Vallière - Louis XIV - Had children by him named Charles, Philippe, and Louis de La Baume de Le Blanc, and two who were legitimized; Marie Anne de Bourbon and Louis de Bourbon, Count of Vermandois.
Bonne de Pons d'Heudicourt - Louis XIV
Catherine Charlotte de Gramont - Louis XIV
Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise of Montespan - Louis XIV - She was called the true Queen of France due to her influence. She had children by him named Louise Françoise de Bourbon (died at age two), Louis-Auguste de Bouron, Louis César de Bourbon, Louise Françoise de Bourbon, Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon, Françoise Marie de Bourbon, and Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, who were legitimized.
Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise of Thianges - Louis XIV - Sister to Françoise Athénaïs.
Anne de Rohan-Chabot - Louis XIV
Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise of Maintenon - Louis XIV - Became Louis' second wife, though it was never officially announced.
Claude de Vin des Œillets - Louis XIV - Involved in the scandalous Affair of the Poisons, during which members of the aristocracy were charged with poisoning and witchcraft. She had a daughter by him named Louise de Maisonblanche.
Isabelle de Ludres - Louis XIV
Marie Angélique de Scorailles, Duchess of Fontanges - Louis XIV - Possibly died from poisoning during the Affair of the Poisons. She had a son and possibly a daughter by Louis.
Labels: French, Royalty
Bree, twenty-four years old with an unhealthy obsession with coffee, and cats. Enjoys picturing herself at the age of twenty-five with a best-selling novel, movie deal, and a house in the French Alps. Never gets around to writing best-selling novel.
A Collection of Names Taken from Evil Queens
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As the weather warms up, thousands of cyclists are dusting off their bikes after a winter of hibernation, and preparing for a fun year of riding. One of the highlights of the calendar is always the highly successful Tour de Yorkshire, and whether you're eagerly awaiting it or haven't even heard of it, then we've got everything you need to know.
As it returns for its third year, the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire is offering even more of the fabulous scenery, buzzing atmosphere and nail-biting pro-racing which made its name. We've created a handy preview to the whole three days to get you in the mood and help you work out the best way to watch it; whether that's from the comfort of your own home or close enough to smell the adrenaline on the course itself. Last year the Tour de Yorkshire drew over 2 million spectators, and with two UNESCO World Heritage Sites joining the route this time around, the stage is set for an unforgettable race.
As you might have guessed, we have the Tour de France to thank for the Tour de Yorkshire. The latter was born from the huge success Yorkshire had as hosts to the Tour de France's Grand Depart in 2014, when the county was gripped by cycling fever. Having inspired that passion, it's been revived every year since to great acclaim and this year could be the best yet. 'God's Own Country' will welcome the world's finest male and female pro peloton riders on Friday 28th April for three days of brutal and brilliant racing. Among the global figures hungry for glory will be Otley-born Lizzie Deignan (who you may know better as Lizzie Armitstead), Cycleplan's very own brand ambassador. It's her first race since the Rio Olympics and we know we're not alone in being extremely excited to see her back in action.
Lizzie and her Boels-Dolmans teammates will be facing some stiff competition, though, with 17 other teams trying to pip her to the trophy. The men's lineup is no less intimidating, featuring some of the biggest names in world cycling – from BMC and Sky to Mark Cavendish's Dimension Data.
But as experienced as many of these riders are, Yorkshire's roads and lanes will not be taking it easy on them.
The three men's stages will treat riders to a pretty robust tour of the whole county, with a total distance of 990km! Here we've outlined where the riders will be and when, so if you're thinking of heading down you can find the perfect spot.
The 2017 Tour de Yorkshire kicks off in the gorgeous coastal town of Bridlington Spa at 12:35, heading south west towards Pocklington for the first of the intermediate sprints (expected around 13:48). When the peloton moves north, things will get steep quickly.You can enjoy the first of the classified climbs up the Côte de Garrowby Hill around 14:06 and then again on Goathland about an hour later. There's another sprint when they rejoin the coast in Whitby around 16:03, before taking in Robin Hood's Bay for a final climb and a sprint finish at 17:00 in Scarborough.
Stage 2 follows the same route as the Asda Tour de Yorkshire women's race, with visits to some of the county's most picturesque market towns. If you want to see the start, be on Tadcaster Bridge at 9:15 as Lizzie and the rest of the pro-women set off. The sprinters will fight for the first intermediate points in Knaresborough at 09.53, before allowing the climbers to take centre stage on Côte de Lofthouse an hour later. Known as Lofthouse Hill for the rest of the year, it's a name that is disarmingly friendly, since the riders are at risk of getting dropped for 4.5km at an average gradient of 6% before they can bunch again. There's another sprint at Ripon (11.38) before passing the world-famous Fountains Abbey and gearing up for the big stage finish in Harrogate an hour later at 12.27, the same finish line that the Tour de France organisers chose on Parliament Street in 2014.
If you want to catch the men in action, their route is exactly the same, leaving Tadcaster at 14.03, sprinting in Knaresborough at 14:40, and hitting the Lofthouse climb around 15.31. They will start crossing the finish line in Harrogate at around five in the evening.
You may want to pay even closer attention to the Stage 3 route, as you can actually test your legs on this route in the morning ahead of the pros if you want. The sportive Fox Valley to Fox Valley still has spots available at the time of writing and gives you the option of riding either 45KM, 75KM or 100KM – which is handy since the pro course is the toughest ever in the history of the race.
Setting off from Bradford City Park at 12:10, the pro route heads for Saltaire, then takes in part of the 2014 Tour de France route at Burley-in-Wharfedale, before rolling past Bolton Abbey on the way to the Yorkshire Dales. After passing through Skipton, we get the first of the eight – yes, eight – categorised climbs around 14:04, and the riders should pass over the cobbles at Shibden Wall 50 minutes later.
There won't be long before the sprinters get stuck in at Clifton (15.09), and you'll want to be in Stocksbridge around 16.47 to catch the last of the intermediate sprints.
But if you think there's a flat spin to glory, you're very much mistaken. A nasty 22km loop awaits, which holds four categorised climbs before the finale in Fox Valley around 17.15pm.
(We'd recommend keeping up to speed with the race online on the day as the conditions may mean racers get to each spot a bit before or after these predicted times).
The event is bike and family friendly, so even if you don't feel like securing a spot on a prime bit of roadside, you can watch all the action on one of the big screens, find out more here.
For many of us, practical or geographical factors will mean we have to follow the action on telly, but there's nothing to stop you from getting kitted up in your lycra while you do it. For Sky viewers, Eurosport will be covering every single thrilling moment, and for everyone else –just turn over to ITV4 or watch online at ITV.com.
We hope you're as excited about the race as we are. But whether you're cycling to the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire, or inspired to spin out at the next available opportunity, make sure you're well covered with Cycleplan insurance to keep you and your bike safe wherever you go.


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Australia's increasing thirst for bottled water
ENVIRONMENTALISTS have pleaded with authorities to help cut waste caused by Australia's increasing thirst for bottled water.
Demand for the product is growing by 10per cent annually, adding to the 118,000 tonnes of plastic drink containers manufactured each year.
Latest research by Clean Up Australia shows that just 35per cent of all plastic bottles are recycled. The rest end up in landfill sites.
Figures compiled by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) show the manufacture and transportation of bottled water is leaving a massive "carbon footprint".
For every tonne of one-litre bottles of Evian water shipped to Australia each year, for example, at least 84kilograms of harmful emissions are created.
About 150 million litres of bottled water is consumed in Australia each year.
Clean Up Australia founder and activist Ian Kiernan said the bottled water industry was a "con". He has called on governments to discourage people buying water in bottles.
He said a national deposit or refund scheme, similar to the one operating in South Australia, would encourage recycling.
Mr Kiernan said "world health quality water" is available from the tap for the equivalent of $1.20 a tonne, while standard bottled water costs $3000 a tonne.
Mr Kiernan said the bottled water industry is plundering aquifers.
Shadow minister for climate change, environment and heritage Peter Garrett joined the call for action, saying people needed to be responsible when choosing their water source and be aware of the consequences of the choice to drink bottled water.
Environmental campaigns running overseas encourage people to ditch the bottles and switch to tap water.
In New York, city officials have paid for advertising championing tap water, while in San Francisco officials are no longer able to use public money to buy water in plastic bottles if tap water is available.
Top restaurants in California and New York have agreed not to sell bottled water, serving customers tap water instead.
ACF research coordinator Elle Morrell said that despite recycling efforts, 65 per cent of plastic drink bottles still ended up in landfills. The recycling process itself can also have an impact on the environment.
UncategorizedOz statsFuturesMacro trendsOz researchFuture of Work
Another report from Bernard Salt…
"Even if bottled water is recycled, it uses a huge amount of water and energy in the process," she said.
Cafes and restaurants should get on board and stop selling bottled water, offering customers a cooler full of tap water instead, Ms Morrell said. A note next to the cooler could reinforce the message that plastic should be shunned.
She said a government-run anti-waste campaign was needed. The ACF suggested a premium be put on the price of bottled water as a disincentive.
Delivering the huge variety of bottled water brands is also taking a serious toll on the environment, producing significant carbon emissions as it is imported from countries such as France, Italy and Fiji.
Source: The Sun-Herald
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Conservation > Newsroom
AMC releases study on the scenic impact of wind power in Maine
David Publicover
The Appalachian Mountain Club today released a new report titled The Impact of Wind Power Development on High Value Scenic Resources in Maine. This study, conducted by AMC Senior Staff Scientist David Publicover and Assistant Staff Scientist Catherine Poppenwimer, examined the extent to which certain scenic resources (mountain summits and great ponds) have been and…
AMC Celebrates New Hampshire Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development
Susan Arnold
The Appalachian Mountain Club applauds the New Hampshire Legislature and Governor Sununu for establishing a new Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development when they approved this year's state budget legislation this year. With this bill, New Hampshire joins over a dozen states across the country in establishing an office focused on outdoor recreation to coordinate…
Forests are not protected under current air quality standards, court decides
G. Murray
Human health standard upheld, rebuffing challenges that it is overprotective A decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in late August 2019 affirms AMC and others' claims that the 2015 ozone standard left forests under-protected. The court sent portions of the rule back to the EPA where they must…
Conservation > News > Newsroom
Northern Pass Appeal Defeated in N.H. Supreme Court
Nina Paus-Weiler
The New Hampshire Supreme Court this morning ruled to uphold the state's decision not to move forward with the Northern Pass transmission project, delivering a final, fatal blow to the proposal first put forward by Eversource in 2010. "After nearly nine long years, we are thrilled to finally see this misconceived, poorly designed, outdated overhead…
AMC Celebrates Permanent Reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Continued focus needed to ensure full and dedicated funding The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) welcomed passage of legislation this week in Congress to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) as part of a package of bills related to public lands. The public lands package passed the Senate on February 12th with overwhelming…
Congress Fails to Renew LWCF
Mark Zakutansky
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate failed to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), despite overwhelming bipartisan support when it approved a continuing budget resolution minus a critical lands package. LWCF, America's most important conservation program for protecting parks, forests, watersheds, and open space, expired at the end of September. The program now…
News > Newsroom
Sale of AMC Fire Island Cabin Proposed
UPDATE (August 3) — In March, the Appalachian Mountain Club Board of Directors considered and delayed a decision on the proposed sale of AMC's Fire Island Cabin in Atlantique, NY. Since that time, the Fire Island Committee has worked with the vice president of operations to develop plans for the cabin with the aim of assessing…
Conservation Victory in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands
AMC Cheers Highlands Conservation Act Renewal and Full Funding Protecting the places you love just got a lot easier. Congress last week renewed the popular Highlands Conservation Act for seven more years, providing $10 million this year to fund open space projects in the Mid-Atlantic region. First passed in 2004, the Highlands Conservation Act (HCA) allowed…
Double Defeat For Northern Pass
Northern Pass Rejection in NH Matched by MA Selection Committee Earlier today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts terminated contract negotiations with Eversource under the MA Clean Energy RFP, eliminating the energy company's highly controversial Northern Pass project from consideration. Northern Pass as proposed would have cut a 192-mile transmission corridor through scenic New Hampshire landscapes, constructing…
High Tension, Hard Pass
AMC Commends Unanimous Rejection of Northern Pass Transmission Project Boston, MA – The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee (SEC) charged with key permitting authority over the now-infamous Northern Pass Transmission proposal voted unanimously yesterday to halt the project in its tracks. Along with the Appalachian Mountain Club, an outspent but never outclassed contingent of partner…


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Who Gets to Perform? The Ethics and Aesthetics of Social Practice
On October 25, Dance Umbrella and Dance UK hosted a discussion at King's College London called The Politics of Participation, part of Dance Umbrella's Body Politic series. A panel of guests in London and Brooklyn from across artistic disciplines discussed the use of non-professional performers in the arts. The event was livestreamed and can still be viewed here. Simon Dove, co-curator of Crossing the Line, and Julie Anne Stanzak of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch participated from BAM. Below, Dove elaborates further on some of the important topics that arose in the conversation.
Pina Bausch's Kontakthof (1978) has been staged with "non-professional" casts comprised of both senior citizens and high-school students (pictured above).
by Simon Dove
After decades of "community arts" experiences, and years of what the visual arts world terms "social practice," many artists are now working together with the public as collaborators and participants—all kinds of people, in all kinds of ways. I reject the binary distinction between "professional" and "non-professional" as a false premise. The notion of "professional" is not about whether artists earn a living wage from their work (in the US, this is very rare). It is actually based on a very narrow notion of what "performance skills" are, and the specific training or education that produces them rather than the actual people who use these "skills."
In dance and performance, this idea of "skills" has historically been a huge controlling force to promote and legitimize a certain way of moving (with many teachers' and institutions' income dependent upon it), or narrowly defining only a certain body type that can execute these skills "properly." This exclusivity works against the reality of human diversity. Some commentators talk about this kind of engagement with "non-professionals" as a "de-skilling" of performers, but I see it more as a politicization of practice: a move to work with the rich history and vivid imagination that make a performer unique rather than the specific and narrow skill set that the performer may possess. William Forsythe, the innovative classical dance maker, once famously pulled out of a Royal Ballet commission in London, as he was faced with dancers he felt had nothing to contribute to the creative process.
"Skills" that have been developed and honed over many years also provoke a tendency to want to be displayed. This can certainly create a momentary "wow factor" for an audience due to the difficulty of the action, rather than what it might say or communicate in the context of the piece. So a work that is primarily an exercise in skill display keeps the audience at a distance from the performers, never letting us engage with the person behind the form. It can also enable mediocrity to thrive, as makers can endlessly assemble sequences that merely deploy skills (and believe me they do!) without any concern for content, perspective, or purpose.
Rosemary Lee's Square Dances (2011). Photo: Hugo Glendinning
The "social practice" approach—working with the whole person through a process, often for a long period of time—shifts the notion of the artist from a producer of things or events that can be consumed, to a facilitator of experiences, relationships, and ongoing processes. There is an implicit critique of art as just a consumable commodity, and this approach, instead, positions it as experiential—an ongoing process, even a life long practice.
People can buy into this process-based work either as a participant or as a viewer, spending time or money, but for the participant, the potential impact on their worldview is immense. Rosemary Lee's Square Dances (2011), a celebration of the communities that live in residential London squares, was ultimately a "performance" to see, but for all those who participated or experienced it, the potency of the work came from the process of building community and celebrating who the participants are and what they value.
This social practice is thus not a distracting "show" of skills, but rather a deeply engaging celebration of what it is to be human. The future of performance lies not in the "stars," showing us their impressive skill sets, but rather in ordinary people beautifully sharing their lives. This challenges many of our extant notions of who the artist is, who the audience is, and who the producer is—as well as where art is made, where art is presented, what we mean by art, and ultimately, what art can mean to us all.
Simon Dove is an independent curator and educator, currently co-curator of Crossing the Line, the annual trans-disciplinary festival in New York City. He was Director of the School of Dance at Arizona State University from 2007 to 2012, and Curator and Artistic Director of Springdance, the international festival of new developments in dance and performance in the Netherlands from 2000 to 2007. Prior to that he ran one of the first National Dance Agencies in the U.K, the Yorkshire Dance Centre in Leeds, was the founder and Artistic Director of Vivarta – the first contemporary South Asian performance festival in the U.K., and contributed to national dance policy development at the Arts Council of Great Britain.
Posted by Chris at 1:16 PM
Labels: Dance Umbrella, Kontakthof, performance, Politics of Participation, Simon Dove
CurlyV December 7, 2014 at 11:02 PM
I was surprised and delighted to read this blog post. I am not a professional dancer, but in 2012 I got up the courage to audition for Montreal choreographer Sylvain Émard's large work for both trained and untrained dancers, called Le Grand Continental. This half-hour long dance was performed at Pier 16 at the Seaport as part of the River to River Festival. We rehearsed 2-3 evenings per week for many months. It was challenging and rewarding. The experience was one of the highlights of my life. We were nearly 150 people of all ages, experiences, backgrounds and ethnicities. Community was built, friendships were made — and yes, bodies were toned! But that is not the end of the story. Nearly a year later, many of us came together to create the Shakedown Dance Collective, under the choreographic guidance of Jamie Benson and Deborah Lohse, both of whom were teaching assistants — as well as performers — for Sylvain during Le Grand Continental. I was part of this new dance collective until schedule conflicts forced me to leave. But the group is thriving and is open to all (so don't hesitate to find them on Facebook and go dance with them!) It gives me immense pleasure to know that this experiment in "community arts" or "social practice" has gone on to change even more lives than just our original group of dancers in 2012. That, in my opinion, is absolutely world-changing — and it is why social practice is so valuable in the arts.
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WCO Benthic survey
As part of the Western Channel Observatory, the PML benthic survey is an ongoing ecological time-series aimed at capturing the natural temporal and spatial variability of the marine ecosystems encompassed by the Plymouth Sound and contiguous coastal waters. Initiated in 2008 and supported for the last three years as part of the Oceans 2025 Project (NERC), the survey has been aggregated by the Western Channel Observatory, due to the uniqueness and comprehensiveness of the datasets collected, which are aimed primarily at the training and further development of ecosystem models at PML.
Bimonthly sampling has been undertaken at a variety of sites within the Plymouth Sound and contiguous coastal waters, to cover a diversity of habitats and to account for physical, biological and chemical parameters. In this way, every sampling point enables an insight into the different levels of complexity of these ecosystems, the biodiversity and the ecosystem processes it sustains. In parallel, the long-term time-series will enable ecologists and modellers to better grasp the spatial and temporal variation of these ecosystems, and use this to forecast future change of global oceans.
The four sites presently covered by the Survey - L4, Rame Mud, Cawsand Bay and Jennycliff Bay - have contrasting combinations of depth, sediment type and level of exposure. Cawsand and Jennycliff represent shallow habitats (approx. 10 m deep), sheltered from the prevailing south westerly winds, but have different sediment types (Jennycliff being very muddy and Cawsand being sandier). L4 and Rame Mud are exposed sites with a depth of approximately 50 m, with sediments ranging from mud to sand.
Water profiles of suspended particulate matter, chlorophyll, alkalinity, nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, silicate and phosphate), temperature, dissolved oxygen and salinity as well as primary production data have been collected at these stations and continue to be monitored at L4. The diversity and abundance of macrofauna, meiofauna and bacterial communities within the sediment are also being studied in parallel to a range of sediment parameters such as sheer stress, granulometry, redox, CHN and steroid analysis. The reproductive stages of selected macrofauna species are also being determined through histology. As important processes in the marine nitrogen cycle since 2009 bimonthly estimates of anammox and denitrification rates have also been monitored, as have nutrient fluxes between the sediment and the water column. The monitoring of three new parameters has been incorporated into the survey in 2011 - nitrous oxide and methane (greenhouse gases),and bioturbation (the collective infaunal activities that lead to sediment particle movement) – and are further enriching the comprehensiveness of the long-term time-series with regards to the assessment of marine ecosystem processes, now and in the future.
Bioturbation assessment using 2D particle tracer methods. Images captured using time-lapse photography under UV lighting. Sediment core collected at Cawsand Bay, where a fluorescent green tracer layer has been added to the surface on recovery to the lab. The tracer can be seen being incorporated into the sediment over time, by various infaunal organisms - e.g. brittle stars and polychaetes - that compose the benthic community at this site. Bioturbation is quantified as the change in the biodiffusion coefficient over the six day incubation.


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Givenchy выпустили новые жидкие помады-тинты Encre Interdite Encre a Levres с 24-часовой стойкостью. Формула на водной основе, без масла содержит очень стойкие красители, которые бережно окрашивают кожу губ и ухаживают за ней.
В продаже в России с июня.