The realisation that Beeching may have been somewhat myopic, and certainly a little hasty, with his seminal ' Reshaping of British Railways' report in 1963 has been a long time in coming. However, official opinion seems to be slowly turning in favour of re-investment in railways as a suitably economical and environmental alternative to road traffic for public transport. In light of this welcome move, the latest developments - whether work in progress or mere feasibility study (or in some cases rumour) - will be charted below as they appear in the local press. Please feel free to email me with any stories you have come across regarding railways in the Birmingham and West Midlands Area or your opinions on the stories featured here: I give mine so it seems fair to give yours too!
The annual Warley National Model Railway Exhibition takes place at the NEC Birmingham over the 23rd/24th November and features a huge array of exhibitors, model manufacturers and all other manner of railway-related ephemera sellers and traders.
For further details, please see the Warley Model Railway Club Exhibition website.
Both publications provide a brief history of the respective city's railways and then move-on to a 'past and present' approach for a selection of each city's stations with numerous present-day photographs accompanied, mostly, by period photographs and postcards showing the stations covered in their heyday.
As I'm sure are most readers of RAB, I'm always on the lookout for new publications covering the railways of the West Midlands and these two new additions by prolific railway author Mike Hitches make welcome additions.
Both books can be purchased through the Rail Around Birmingham Bookstore or can be ordered directly from Amberley Publishing HERE.
The annual exhibition from Warley Model Railway Club rolls-in to the NEC over the 19th/20th November and promises to be as good as ever with a huge array of exhibitors, model manufacturers and all other manner of railway-related ephemera sellers and traders.
Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd of November see the Warley Model Railway Club hosting their annual exhibition at the Birmingham NEC. One of, if not 'the' largest model railway clubs in the UK, the exhibition is always a major event on the railway calendar featuring all matter modeling but a whole host besides and is a must for anyone interested in the UK's railways both past and present: my old mate Mark Norton is even launching 3 books on Birmingham railways there this year!
For further details, please see the Warley Model Railway Club website.
To commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Reshaping of British Railways, or Beeching Report, that largely decimated the country's branch lines, including stations and lines within the RAB region, the BBC is running a selection of programmes from their archives on Britain's railways.
In addition, both the BBC Birmingham and BBC Black Country websites have information on the Beeching Axe and the region's railway history, including two articles written by me!
Chasewater Railway have just released their Christmas 2008 timetable and are now taking bookings for their ever-popular 'Santa Specials' that run over the festive period and include a train ride and visit to Santa's Grotto (including a free gift for children and a drink and mice pie for adults).
For further details, please see the Chasewater Railway website.
This seminar provides railway engineering professionals with the opportunity to explore this important safety issue in greater depth. Providing a unique opportunity to bring the railway and user representative bodies together the seminar will provide a forum to understand the problems and explore how technology can be appropriately applied to mitigate the risks.
"An international exhibition of documentary photography with a broad railway theme, combines vintage, iconic and contemporary images with a rare opportunity to explore Birmingham's historic Curzon Street Station, the oldest surviving railway terminus in the world.
A landmark of British railway architecture, Curzon Street Station was designed in 1838 by Philip Hardwick to serve both the Grand Junction and London and Birmingham Railways. Built in the classical Ionic style, with a magnificent pillared frontage, it was the identical twin of the original station hall at Euston (demolished in 1962). In use as a passenger terminus for less than 20 years, it was relegated to a goods depot and finally closed in 1968. Employed as offices for a number of years, and narrowly escaping several proposals for demolition and redevelopment, the Grade I listed building has been empty since 2001.
In 1968, following the tragic assassination of Robert F Kennedy, American photographer Paul Fusco boarded the funeral train which carried the Senator's coffin from New York to his final resting place in Washington DC. In what has since been described as "among the greatest and most singular projects of 20th century photo-journalism", he recorded the faces, the mood, of the thousands of mourners who waited by the tracks to pay their last respects.
Drawn from Birmingham Central Library's vast Archive (awarded Designated Status in recognition of national and international importance), the collection includes atmospheric images dating from the early days of photography to the recent past, covering all aspects of railway life from steam engines to the interiors of luxury carriages made by Birmingham firm, Metropolitan Cammell.
Commissioned for the exhibition, Birmingham-born photographer and former UCE student, Stephen Morgan documents the Severn Valley Railway. This new body of work captures the volunteers who help run and preserve this steam-hauled passenger railway line, as well as the visitors and enthusiasts who ride the vintage trains between Kidderminster in Worcestershire and Bridgnorth in Shropshire.
"Curzon Street Station is easily one of Birmingham's most precious architectural treasures," says Neville Topping of Elias Topping, the exhibition's organiser and sponsor. "Its location at the gateway to the emerging Learning & Technology Quarter presents the city with an ideal venue in which to display another of Birmingham's unique yet hidden cultural legacies - the photographic archives. For two weeks in September we want to encourage thousands of visitors to enjoy outstanding photography and architecture - and thereby reclaim their inheritance."
The STATION project is the result of a unique partnership between Birmingham Central Library, the University of Central England and Birmingham-based developers Elias Topping and Viti. The exhibition is sponsored by Drivers Jonas among other Birmingham firms. Entry is free."
The £500 redevelopment of New St, it is now proposed, will include two skyscrapers - one for residential purposes and one for offices (appears you can never have enough offices in the City Centre!) which fits-in with the ever-bewildering Birmingham City Council's wish to 'grow the skyline' of Birmingham. The delapidated Stephenson Tower, which presently hovers over the station will be demolished during the redevelopment. Construction could begin as 'early' as 2010 if planning permission is given, funding secured etc, etc . . . .
Network Rail has submitted a planning application to Birmingham City Council outlining their proposals for the redevelopment of New St station which will include trebling the size of the concourse, news lifts and escalators, a pedestrian 'street' and an atrium roof to 'flood the concourse with natural light'. Apparently the scheme is going to increase passenger capacity by 150% - however, I have still yet to see how this dramatic proposed increase in passenger numbers is going to be handled by the trains themselves considering the existing rail infrastructure around the site: and what of the Pallasades monstrosity above the majority of the platforms? It is all well and good having a 'naturally lit' concourse but it is the platforms that would benefit from some light and without the removal of the Pallasades above, I can't see that aspect, which is also one which significantly contributes to the abhorrent appearance of the station, being resolved. For more, well slightly more, information take a look HERE.
- [added 27/09/06] Transport Minister, the anonymous Stephen Ladyman, has instructed the West Midlands that congestion charging is 'paying the price' for central government investment in the region's ailing rail network! It would appear that we must be made to pay for using our cars before we can receive investment to improve rail services - surely this is the wrong way around? Investment in the rail network would make rail travel a reasonable alternative to using road transport. For anyone who uses cross-city services at present, you will be familiar with sardine-like train journeys and standing on windswept platforms waiting for trains to come which, often following heavy delays at peak times, arrive packed to capacity and unable to take-on additional travellers. However, this problem seems to have been missed by Dr Ladyman who appears to be proposing to finaincially force people off the roads and onto a rail system that can ill-support its current passenger capacity BEFORE providing funds that will improve the region's rail network! Any comments?
- [added 27/09/06] Tying-in nicely with the above story, government plans have been revealed to scrap services from Walsall to Wolverhampton and Stafford and divert the current Walsall-New St service into Birmingham Snow Hill. Interesting to see how congestion charging, urban renewal and environmental policy sits with the scrapping of rail services: seems the DfT are hoping to succeed where Dr Beeching failed by totally whiping Walsall off the rail map!
- [added 27/09/06] Another of my pet hates at present is the outsourcing of British Industry to foreign countries. Imgaine my horror, therefore, when the following news filtered through to me. It appears that the new West Midlands franchise - to operate services currently run by Central Trains and Silverlink - has had the list of possible bidders shortlisted to three by the DoT: a company from China, one from Holland and once from the company behind Southern Trains who themselves is part owned by the French. The franchise will run from November 2007 until 2015. Of course, the proof is in the pudding and so long as there is significant investment in the region's railways then who am I to argue? The new franchise is certainly one to keep an eye on over the next couple of years.
- [added 27/09/06] Whilst on the subject of investment, private sector investment in rail dipped from £3.79 billion in 2004-05 to £4.59 billion in 2005-06 whilst government investment in rail increased from £3.79 billion in 2004-05 to £4.59 billion in 2005-06! The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association has raised concerns over this apparent waning of private sector investment and have voiced concern over GNER's precarious predicament, due to financial difficulties encountered by its overseas parent company, as indicative of a potential decline in the rail network which must be resolved before it's too late.
- [added 27/09/06] On a more local level, Chiltern Railways have conceded to reopen a disused entrance to Moor Street station following a persistent campaign by Transport 2000, Rail Future and Centro. However, Chiltern have voiced concerns regarding station security as a result of this move. On a personal note, as railway companies go, Chiltern must be commended for the efficiency of their service and for the considerable investment they have put into the sympathetic resotration/redevelopment of Moor St.
- [added 27/09/06] Birmingham City Council have responded to a DoT consultation on criteria for the new regional franchise by suggesting that the new operater must improve Sunday and late-evening services, operate longer trains and build longer platforms. Additionally, services between Birmingham and Birmingham International and Dorridge were identified as priorities.
- [added 27/09/06] During the month of July, figures just released have shown 290 services were cancelled due to heat-related problems with Central Trains' punctuality record slumping to 77%! Warped/bent rails accounted for a significant proportion of delays despite 'significant' investment by Network Rail in track replacement in the previous couple of years. A spokesman for Network Rail stated: "While we do everything we can to prepare our tracks for summer, we can't completely combat the effects of extreme heat". Maybe worth a trip to Australia, the Middle East etc . . . I'm sure they have railways too and have been known to be a little hotter than the West Midlands from time to time.
- [added 27/09/06] Sutton Coldfield Disabled Network have dscribed facilities at Sutton Coldfield station as 'woeful' with regard to disabled access to the site. Yvonne Moore of SCDN interestingly highlighted the fact that Centro hadn't applied for any of the government's new £370 million Access To All Fund for any station improvments across the West Midlands and that the deadline has now passed for applications to the Fund. Seems unusually myopic of Centro who have secured investment for disabled access improvements to many of the region's stations over the past 10-15 years.
Taken a sabbatical on the 'News' page for a few months but will be back soon!
- [added 10/03/06] Many readers have emailed me regarding this next story but I felt it necessary to state it here for those of you not aware. The only remaining original Kings Norton station building has been demolished as of 25/02/06 from what I can gather 'for safety reasons'. Whether the reasoning for the move is legitimate or not I am not qualified to debate however, it is a sad day to see part of the regions's railway heritage reduced to a pile of rubble. The building itself was deemed to be located in the wrong place when plans were drawn-up for the reopening of the Cross City (ex Birmingham West Suburban Line) during the early 1970s and thus was left to rot, be vandalised and suffer a serious arson attack (similar to the history of Sutton Park station building) some years back. I remember it as an unstaffed and rather desolate spot during my childhood when it was still in fairly good condition but during the 1980s-90s it deteriorated rapidly. During a short spell working at Kings Norton station I enquired of the line manager if there were any plans to reuse the building and we both agreed it was a shame to leave an historically important structure to crumble away. However, Network Rail took the decision and it is now no-more. I have added a couple of photos of the demolition to the page for Kings Norton station HERE. It is a pity that preservation orders, and public pressure to preserve, seldom seem to apply to railway buildings which are as significant, if not in many cases more so, to the history of Britain and its development than some of those structures for which such orders are secured.
- [added 10/03/06] Just when things appeared to be stirring with regard to actually getting-on with the New Street redevelopment, it appears there are two Gateway proposals: an expensive one, and a very expensive one involving the demolition of the Pallasades Shopping Centre which hovers above the station site and is largely responsible for the dim lit cavern-feel at platform level. Surprisingly, the latter £800 million scheme has been shelved due to lack of funding and Birmingham Council are now looking at approving the £500 million 'Gateway 1' scheme in which the Pallasades stays put: hence, no glass roof, light and airy feel etc . . . What a farce - I can barely bring myself to comment on this issue any more, but will as things develop further! Also interesting to note the ever-changing cost figures for the revamp: a point noted by a Parliamentary inquiry earlier in the year.
- [added 10/03/06] Central Train's 'Buy a Ticket - Don't be a Loser' campaign goes from strength to strength since its launch in March 2005 to combat the ever-increasing problem of fare-dodging on the region's rail network. In addition to proactively seeking and prosecuting fare-dodgers through a number of strategies, such as teams of RPIs (Revenue Protection Inspectors) swooping on trains and checking all tickets/passes, Central Trains also took the bold step of naming and shaming those convicted on posters displayed at stations - the Birmingham Mail has also got in on the act, publishing their names and street addresses. During January, 167 were caught and paid-out over £22,000 in fines costs and compensation with £261,577 collected so fair in total. Centro also operate a penalty fare scheme whereby if you are found to be travelling without a ticket within the Centro area you will have to pay a fixed fined of £20.00 - a recently doubled figure. Between these initiatives, fare-dodging has fallen from 6% to 3% in the West Midlands - however, this 'drop' figure is, of course, based on the amount of passengers inspected who didn't have the appropriate ticket - the 'actual' figure for those travelling without a ticket maybe considerably higher.
- [added 10/03/06] A glimmer of hope in the seemingly never-ending New Street station redevelopment saga emerged with the unveiling of artists impressions of the 'Birmingham Gateway' £500 million pound rebuild. Network Rail and Birmingham City Council released full details on 16th February of a scheme that has been 18 months in planning stating work could commence (note the phrase 'could') in 2008 with completion by 2013. However, whilst they propose that the redevelopment would "greatly increase passenger capacity and relieve congestion", again they miss the fundamental flaw of train capacity at the site - shoe-horning more passengers into the site to use a train flow that is already at capacity seems rather pointless: no end of glass roofs and 'airy' concourses is going to solve much other than aesthetics.
- [added 10/03/06] An interesting initiative - 'Adopt a Station' - has been launched by Central Trains to attract volunteers to become more involved with their local stations to help with publicity, passenger surveys, gardening and 'improving the station environment'. Cleaners and litter-pickers apply within - maybe if some of the larger stations had two staff per shift more time could be spent 'improving the station environment' and in addition, workers in stations would be safer and long rush-hour queues avoided: may involve spending a little money though so highly unlikely - probably demonstrates more business acumen to ask those who have enjoyed a 6.4% rise in ticket prices to come back and clean the railway as well!
- Good news and bad in one stroke: a 7% rise in passenger numbers during 2005 (almost 30 million passengers journeys in total) on West Midlands trains, according to Centro, has coincided with the 'worst' services in the country prompting a Centro spokesman to chip-in "Imagine what would happen if the service was decent"! Quite, Central Trains has paid $47.5m in fines over the last 5 years - the most by any train operating company - for various failings in its service. Oh yes, whilst I remember, Central Trains fares rose by 6.4% during 2005 also. Whilst the reemergence of trains as THE transport, well public transport at any rate, of choice, it's a shame Central Trains (and I am aware it's not all down to them) can't get their act together and feel the need for significant ticket increases: and I won't even start on their plans mooted some time ago for significantly higher peak-time fares - encourage people off the roads by over-charging on appallingly over-crowded services . . . yes, that would work! Furthermore, what happened to plans for 9-car units operating on the Cross-City to 'ease' overcrowding on peak services along with the highly spurious argument that this should happen if major investment in platform extending were put in place! The platforms are long enough - you don't have enough trains and don't want to spend any money (franchise issue etc . . . ) - allegedly!
- First Great Western have banned the use of cheap day tickets and one-day travel cards on its peak-time services. Mike Foster MP has condemned the move arguing that it will impact Midland's travellers going to London who are likely to use day-tickets whilst creating more room for commuters local to London who would use season tickets. The North/South divide argument, whilst possibly being of some merit, falls a little flat when considering other train operating companies operate similar restrictions but fair play to MP Foster for trying to ensure value priced services from Worcester to Paddington.
- The Severn Valley Railway is going from strength to strength carrying 250,000 passengers during 2005. On the back of this success, they are planning the £4.5m construction of a visitors centre and engine shed. Apparently, the Railway's 3-minute appearance in Disney's 'The Chronicles of Narnia' has further boosted interest in the line. Some good new for once!
- A Channel 4 research project has revealed that Birmingham New Street station has been voted one of the nation's most awful buildings and should be demolished along with the multi-storey car park on Livery Street which stands over Snow Hill station. Fair play to the chairman of the Birmingham Civic Society who said "I have nothing good at all to say about it" when asked for comment on New Street!
- Network Rail, Walsall Council and the British Transport Police have joined forces to tackle the problem of rubbish being dumped on the railways. A maximum £20,000 fine be charged and tipping action could even result in a prison sentence.
- Solihull and Leamington Rail Users Association have commended the long-overdue removal of the appalling canopies at the entrance to Snow Hill station but argue that a derelict shop is still spoiling the aesthetic of the area. Central Trains stated plans are afoot for further redevelopment.
- Plans have been given the go-ahead for barriers to be erected on a narrow bridge over the Cross City line on Pritchatts Road, Edgbaston in Birmingham. A group called Rail Future has campaigned for barriers to be erected on rail bridges to prevent a reoccurrence of the incident on the West Coast main line where a Land Rover plummeted off a bridge and onto the track. Quite why this particular bridge has been singled-out is unclear but a local Councillor has helpfully pointed-out that "many drivers perhaps don't realise the potential dangers of veering off the road" . . . and down a 20 feet drop, through electrified cables and onto a busy railway line: WHAT? Whilst I agree that railway safety is of paramount concern, I fear someone's put something in the tea urn at Birmingham City Council (again)!
- Stourbridge Line Users' Group have won Parliamentary backing for the reinstatement of direct services from Worcester to Birmingham New Street.
- Birmingham City Council's penchant for profligacy with the public coffers in creating one development plan simultaneously with another that will negate the findings of the first, gathers apace! Whilst, as was mentioned below, the Transportation Department are studying proposals to reopen the Camp Hill line and its stations to passengers, the Council's Development Control Committee have agreed plans for a car showroom to be built on the site earmarked for Moseley station! A recent Council statement suggested they may negotiate with the soon-to-be site occupants, Bristol Street Motors, to see if they would kindly shift their proposed car showroom 12 feet to permit access to the station site!
- The West Midlands Regional Logistics Study has mooted plans for new distribution depots most likely in the South Staffs/Warks area that would be extensively rail-connected and occupy up to 12 mile! Whilst the moving of goods to rail is a notion that should be applauded, the Campaign to Protect Rural England argue that green-field sites should not be used for such purposes: the jury is still out.
- It appears that West Midlands Business Transport Group have called on references to a new station for Birmingham to be muted for fear that the Department for Transport may be 'distracted' from the £350m face lift for New Street by such proposals thus undermining the New Street project. They also argue that the New Street plan has provision for a new tunnel also!
A new, possibly subterranean, station in the City!
Whilst the problem of congestion needs urgent attention (particularly Proof House Junction which is still problematic and the restrictive size and layout of New Street) an air of caution over £1 billion tunnels etc . . . much less costly and similarly beneficial projects have been scuppered at the financing stage previously! However, the £350m face lift for New Street is still scheduled to take place which will aid accommodation of greater passenger numbers - quite how the train numbers themselves are going to be increased to deal with them remains to be seen. Furthermore, I seem to recall an article earlier in 2005 showing the 'visionary' plan for New Street's remodelling to include a 'ground-breaking/breathtaking' overall glass roof: what a creative genius the architect was (it was a rather sycophantic piece), or had he just looked at old postcards of New Street when it had an overall roof, including glass panels, prior to Mr Hitler's part in its downfall?
- At long-last, Birmingham City Council's Transportation Dept have looked into the idea of reopening the Camp Hill line (from Kings Norton through Kings Heath and Moseley to the City) for passenger traffic and have proposed stations at Moseley, Kings Heath and Stirchley (not quite sure what they meant by Stirchley: perhaps the old Hazelwell station site?). Whilst this is welcome news, and something many have been calling for for many, many years (albeit that Lib Dem Councillor for Moseley, Martin Mullaney, is taking credit for this 'vision'), the £40-£50m required for a viaduct to take the line into Moor Street (as the concept is not only to reduce traffic congestion but also rail congestion at New St) may be a stumbling block!


Parcel 25 Approximately 7.5 Acres fronting 10 Road. Good building site close to Mack Airport and Highline Lake. Manufactured homes OK. Contiguous to 19 other available parcels. Parcel subject to a rail easement.
I am interested in 1793 10 Road, Mack, CO 81525.


text:
Updates Most Wanted Lists to Reflect Osama bin Laden's Death
J. Patrick
Now that Osama (Usama) bin Laden has been killed, the FBI has updated its Most Wanted Terrorists list, officially marking him as "DECEASED."
Nine other terrorists remain on the list, including bin Laden's deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri.
The FBI also updated its 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list to reflect yesterday's news.
Check out a direct look at the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list after the jump.
[The Daily What]
Filed Under: FBI, Most wanted, Osama bin Laden
Categories: National News

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


1.1 "Company" means NetThreat Limited.
1.2 "Customer" means the customer of the Company.
1.3 "Contract" means any contract entered into for the supply by sale or otherwise of Goods by the Company to the Customer.
1.4 "Goods" means any Goods forming the subject matter of any Contract including any parts or components and any materials incorporated into them, and does include services.
2.1 The company's prices exclude VAT (unless stated), and exclude carriage.
2.2 Special Offers, or any prices other than those displayed on the website, are for a limited period (max. 30 days), and may be changed, at the Company's discretion.
2.3 The Company's price lists may be varied or altered at any time.
4.1.2 BACS: Customers may complete an order selecting Payment by BACS, our payment details will be emailed to you, once payment is received goods will be dispatched (on discretion this can be done on receipt of remittance advice).
4.2 Customers may request the creation of credit facilities if payment in advance is not available, terms for credit accounts (when accepted) are strictly 30 days.
4.3 In the case of customers with credit facilities, if payment is not received in full within terms agreed admin charges of £50 per week may be added to total owed.
5.1 Unless otherwise agreed goods shall be delivered and risk shall pass to the Customer on despatch from the Company's premises, or distribution facility.
5.2 Every quotation, tender or acknowledgement of order is based on the information available to the Company at the time it is given.
5.3 The Company will endeavour to comply with any date given by it and to advise of any adjustment, but shall not be liable for any penalty, loss, injury, damage or expense arising from any delay or failure in delivery.
6.1 If at the time of delivery any Goods are missing or lost, or the Goods supplied are incorrect the Company will make good the discrepancy within a reasonable period by the replacement of the Goods at the original point of delivery.
6.2 In the event Goods being supplied faulty, manufacturer warranty covers replacement of items, this must be dealt with by the Customer, in direct communication with the Manufacturer.
7.1 Except to the extent stated in these conditions, or otherwise agreed in a written document signed by a director of the Company, the Company shall have no obligation, duty, or liability in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise howsoever under or in connection with the Contract, other than for death or personal injury resulting from its negligence.
7.2 The Company shall be discharged of all liability to which these conditions apply unless proceedings are begun within twelve (12) months after the Customer became aware (or should reasonable have become aware) of the facts giving rise to such liability.
7.3 The Company's liability in connection with the goods shall in no circumstances exceed the price payable for them.
8.1 The Company shall not be liable for any delay or failure to perform the whole or any part of the Contract resulting from any cause whatsoever beyond the Company's control existing at the date of any quotation given by it or arising thereafter including but not limited to fire, explosion, lack or failure of transportation facilities, supply of labour, materials, power or supplies, lockout or labour dispute, illness, epidemic, flood, drought, war, civil commotion or restriction of any authority or governmental agency (including delays in the issue of export or other licenses) and the time for performance shall be extended by the period of any such delay.
9.1 The acceptance of any cancellation of the Contract requested by the Customer shall be at the Company's discretion and take effect only when written confirmation of such acceptance has been given by the Company which reserves the right to charge for any costs or expenses which it incurs in connection with any such cancellation.
9.2 Any specifications, drawings, details of weights and dimensions and other technical information contained in the Company's website or quotations are approximate only and are not to form part of the Contract.
9.3 The Company shall have no liability for any advice, opinion or information furnished by the Company, its servants or agents unless given in writing in response to a written request by the Customer referring to the Contract.
9.4 All drawings, designs or other data and all rights therein and all materials, tools, patterns or other items prepared or made available by the Company shall be and remain the Company's property and the Customer shall not copy or reproduce the same in whole or part in any form, or allow others to do so.
9.5 The Company shall have no liability for and damage to or loss of any property of the Customer whilst on the premises or under the control of the Company unless occasioned by wilful misconduct on the part of the Company or its employees.
9.6 The Company may sub-contract all or any of its obligations under the Contract.
9.7 If the Customer proposes to export any Goods it shall disclose to the Company in writing the proposed destination at the time of making the enquiry, specification or order. If the Customer fails to disclose this information to the Company, then any contract between the Company and the Customer relating to the Goods for export shall be voidable at the option of the Company, notwithstanding that any act of thing may have been done by the Company in performance or part-performance of such contract.
10.1 Credit Card payments are processed through HSBC, HSBC may store customer details outside of the EU region.
11.1 The Contract shall be governed by English Law and the parties consent to the jurisdiction of the English courts in all matters connected with the Contract.
11.2 The heading of conditions are for convenience of reference only and shall not affect their interpretation.


Digital dental tools are here to stay. With proven systems such as CEREC, LAVA and others, it is not a matter of if dentists will go digital, but when. Along with that comes a vast array of milling materials to choose from. The list of milling options available for the dental industry has grown rapidly over the last few years. With all of the choices it's easy to get confused or just choose the most common or popular material, but is it really the right choice? Let's explore some of the options available to the dentist today.
Lava™ Ultimate Restorative is a CAD/CAM material with natural looking esthetics and excellent durability making it especially impressive for implant-supported crowns. It is also ideal in other challenging single-unit applications including crowns, onlays, inlays and veneers. This material comes in eight natural-looking shades and two translucencies making it one of the most versatile CAD/CAM materials ever.
Enamic is a hybrid ceramic material, which is porcelain that is infiltrated with a polymer. This unique combination gives it the strength of a ceramic with the flexibility of a resin. Combining the positive properties of both ceramic and composite materials offers the perfect combination of stability and elasticity. Enamic allows minimally invasive restorations, preserving as much tooth structure as possible. It is available in five shades with two translucency levels offering a natural and aesthetic result ideal for crowns, inlays, onlays, and veneers.
3-unit anterior bridges or 3–unit bridges not requiring a molar as an abutment, as well as veneers, inlays and onlays. Obsidian restorations resist chipping compared to a layered ceramic or PFM restoration. These ceramic restorations exhibit an ideal combination of esthetics and strength with translucency that mirrors the vitality of natural teeth. Obsidian ceramic exceeds the strength requirements for cemented all-ceramic restorations. They follow traditional all-ceramic prep requirements and can be conventionally cemented or adhesively bonded. Obsidian is available in all VITA Classical and Bleached shades.
IPS e.max® is made of monolithic lithium disilicate ceramic and delivers outstanding esthetics and precision fit. An affordable alternative to PFMs and zirconia-based restorations, IPS e.max can be pressed or milled. Prescribe IPS e.max to achieve optimal esthetics, virtually perfect contacts and occlusion, and impressive strength. Emax is the ideal high-strength solution for single-unit anterior or posterior crowns, veneers, inlays, onlays, screw-retained implant crowns, 3-unit anterior bridges or 3-unit bridges not requiring a molar as an abutment. Conventionally cement with resin ionomer cements or bond for maximum retention on non-retentive preparations.
The IPS Empress is a glass-ceramic, leucite-based material that scatters light naturally. It has a natural translucency and lifelike appearance. Empress restorations harmoniously blend in with their natural environment. Careful preparation determines the durability and accuracy of fit of the restorations, whereas minimally invasive preparation is gentle to the tooth structure. IPS Empress® Esthetic leucite-reinforced restorations offer lifelike esthetics. IPS Empress can be used for anterior single-unit crowns, inlays, onlays and veneers.
BruxZir Solid Zirconia is a monolithic zirconia material and can be used for crowns, bridges, veneers, inlays and onlays with no porcelain overlay. It is an esthetic alternative to PFM metal occlusal/lingual or full-cast restorations and ideal for restorations requiring extra durability such as crowns under partials or screw-retained implant crowns. The chip-proof durability of this material makes it a great solution for bruxers who have broken natural teeth or previous PFM restorations. BruxZir restorations are also ideal for patients lacking the preparation space for a PFM. Complete color penetration all the way through the restoration ensures greater shade consistency and prevents any shade changes after occlusal adjustment.
Since the technology of chairside intraoral scanning was introduced, the milling of temporaries using the scanned file have become more popular. There are several of these materials available, but a new class of milled temporary has recently been introduced to the industry. It is a layered PMMA developed to look much more natural than the monochromatic materials available before, without the necessity of post milling staining and coloring.
For your convenience, Image Dental Arts offers all of the materials listed above. If you have any questions about these milling materials, give us a call at 260-496-8800.


Retired CIA intelligence expert Carmen Medina recently told me of her experiences on the Washington, D.C. Metro subway system. As she looked around, she noticed that no one else was even looking around at the others on the train, much less making eye contact. Americans are not an observant type, we concluded, yet intelligence is in part about disciplining ourselves to be sensitive and inquisitive about our environment, and curious enough to wonder why things don't seem quite right when the situation indicates same. Most of you have heard the old cop line: "If it doesn't seem right to the cop on the beat….." If we don't look around and notice our neighborhood in a culture and situation that is familiar to us, how will we train ourselves to be observant and inquisitive in a foreign environment that does not abide by many of the phenomenon that we take as "normal"?
It's always seemed to me that people who are good storytellers would make good intelligence analysts. The ability to weave a set of facts into a reasonable story, as well as the skill to realize when the story has holes and/or doesn't make sense, is a skill that can be taught and learned. It can be a wonderfully effective way to relate and/or test one's understanding of the situation and circumstances, say, in an AO in Afghanistan. A Marine friend recently told me about how COL Pete Devlin (Ret.) changed the method for intelligence reports in his command from PowerPoint to Word, and how much affect that had on the quality of the intelligence analysis and reporting.
I sat next to a young naval intelligence analyst two weeks ago at a recognition dinner. We got to talking about her job and how she does her research. Laura talked a bit about how she does her research, and touched first on the several kinds of data holdings she would query. But she said the greatest progress usually came from calls she made to and conversations she had with analysts elsewhere in her agency and beyond. In the process of asking them what they knew and what they thought about a situation, she expanded her horizons, gained additional data point to consider, tested her thinking on others before she formed conclusions, and included a richer thinking in her products.
Observant and curious, good storytellers, having conversations to test your thinking and incorporate others' views…..seems like a formula for good intelligence.
We'd like to hear from you on this note and others. Send us your thoughts and stories. I'll share them with our readers. You can get them to me via the Roundtable, at www.lsi-llc.com, or via e-mail at john@lsi-llc.com.


One of the importantaspectsto book your Jordan trip is the best time to ensure that you make your trip exciting and full of enjoyment in sunny weather.There is a number of travel agencies which offer several types of tours package. Take a two-day tour, or enjoy luxury tours and get an unforgettable experience. If you are looking for a perfect destination to enjoy the holiday, then Jordan tour will help you to fulfill your dream.
The professional guides of reputed agencies have an excellent knowledge about the different places of Jordan. They will let you know the entire history of Jordan. They have precise knowledge about history, tradition, and culture of Jordan. Jordan is the best place where a lot for you to learn and enjoy your vacation.
If you want to get an amazing experience in Jordan tours & travel, summer months the best option to visit there. When you're planning your trip, it is important to get proper information byresearching and understanding of the desired place and its weather changes.
If you really want to enjoy the Jordan Desert Castles Tour, then you should book your tour from the reputed agency. The reputed agencies also offer a car with trustworthy driver so that tourist feels safe and secure and enjoy their journey. There are many tour operators that organize Jordan tours and help to explore the beauty of nature.
You can hire car in which you can enjoy sitting at the back with your partner to get relax from the busy schedule of your life. There is no need to spend extra money if you get a package from reputed tour agency because tour operator of best agency giveshigh-quality services at affordable price.
Jordan is the place that has much to offer to tourist in terms of sights and monuments. The popular areas in Jordan are really fulfilling the entire requirement for the visitor. If you want to preserve all your memories of the Jordan, you do not forget to bring your camera along with the trip. There will be no need to buy any tour guide book if guide of the travel agency is with you in the entire journey.


Photographing animals is an awesome experience….when you have the opportunity. They are elusive and skittish. There are a couple of hawks on our private road who swoop down in front of me as I drive out, taunting me with their accessibility, which really isn't accessibility. If I stop to grab the camera, off they fly. Another ones lives along a road I travel frequently. He knows I cannot pull off the four-lane highway to get a shot of him so he sits there and laughs. But, occasionally I get really lucky and have the camera in my hand in a place where I can actually get a shot. Today I will show you some of my favorite shots of animals. I have gotten images of all kinds of animals, from the White-Tailed Deer in the Shenandoah National Park, to the tiny snail in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.


Saints celebrating feast days today include Saint Brice (invoked against diseases of the stomach), Saint Didacus, Saint Homobonus (patron saint of clothworkers), Saint Siardus, Saint Felician, Saint Victor, and Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (patron saint of immigrants).
Celebrating birthdays today are Richard Mulligan (67), Fred Harris (69), and Whoopi Goldberg (50), among millions of others.
After I arrived in Alaska, I wrote one letter to my sister and another to my parents. This is the first part of the letter I wrote my sister.
When I finally arrived at the ferry terminal, car packed to the seams and both the dogs and myself in a frenzy, it was too late to board. The boat wasn't leaving for another hour, but the rule (that I had somehow overlooked) was that cars must be in line three hours early. I begged. I cried my eyes out. I had planned so carefully and now it was all falling apart.
My friends who were there to see me off tried to console me, but I was devastated.
Then just before the ferry was to pull out, an attendant came running over with a tape measure. There was a little room left and my car, being very small, just might fit. He relayed the measurements to the boat. Not small enough.
Of course, I wasn't the only one who had messed up. One man was running from car to car asking if anyone wanted to drive to Anchorage with him. Wrangell was as far from Anchorage as it was from Seattle, and in the opposite direction, but what the heck...it was October 28th and that was the day I was leaving for Alaska.
I told him that if he couldn't find anyone else, I would go as far as Haines, where I could catch a different ferry heading south back toward my destination. Of course, he didn't find anyone else so I invited him to go back with my friends and me to Pat's house so we could look him over in better light. He seemed okay so I threw the critical supplies into his car from mine (and the dogs, of course), arranged for someone to put my car on the ferry that was leaving the next week, and took off in the middle of the night for a 2000 mile ride with a total stranger.


text:
Home / Govinda Pillai P
Govinda Pillai P
P Govinda Pillai (Parameswaran Pillai Govinda Pillai), also known as PG, is a rare intellectual amongst the journalists of Kerala. Political observer, Parliamentarian, author, orator, linguist, media critic, and philosopher - he is first and foremost a communist who profoundly assimilates and promulgates proletarian theory and above all lives it. He is highly enterprising and relentlessly industrious. Born to Parameswaran Pillai and Parukutty Amma in a middle class family of Pulluvazhi, near Perumbavoor, Ernakulam district, he mastered almost all subjects ranging from astrophysics to spirituality.
PG is also an editor who brought about remarkable changes in Malayalam journalism. The linguistic innovations he had adapted in 'The Desabhimani' were unconditionally accepted by almost all dailies. The role of PG in elevating Deshabhimani from a party media to the position of a well accepted public newspaper was not a mean task.
He was made the Chairman of the Kerala Press Academy on 1 April 1981. He retired from his services on 31 March 1982. Thereafter, submitting to the directions of CPI(M), PG took up a new assignment as the editor of the party's popular publication in Delhi. He served as the editor Deshabhimani daily, member CPI(M) state committee, member Calicut University senate and so on. He was made the chairman of Kerala Film Development Corporation twice. It was during his tenure, the government started theatres in various districts. The Centre for Development of Imaging Technology( C-DIT) Trivandrum was another feather added to PG's versatality.
PG's work ''Marx, Aesthetics, History and Progress'' has bagged the Kerala Sahithya Academy award. He was ostracised from CPI (M) state committee after the controversial observations he had made in an interview to Bhashaposhini. However, he stood against all odds with erudite felicity by engaging himself in reading, writing and publishing books on Renaissance of Kerala, and three biographical works of EMS, Angles and Archbishop Mar Gregarious.
PG has one son MG Radhakrishnan, Assistant Editor of India Today and one daughter Parvathi Devi, a journalist. His wife Rajamma is a retired college professor. PG died on 22 Nov.2012
Govinda pillai
Press academy
Deshabhimani
Previous: Sathyavrathan N N
Next: Mohanan.K


Sitting here quietly reading an article I wrote for the most recent edition of Geelong Coast magazine on Point Henry … a subject I know really well.
Not surprisingly I choked on the peanuts I was munching on before I got through the first couple of paragraphs. I went scrambling for the document I sent to the magazine to make sure I wasn't imagining things.
I understand that articles need to be edited to ensure good flow and to fit within the constraints allowed for an article including images but gosh it would be good if the facts weren't changed in the process!
WHAT I WROTE about the naming of Point Henry … it was named after the brig Henry which surveyed Geelong Harbour.
Those peanuts are dangerous! I haven't checked the rest at this stage – I just realised how important it is for people to hear the facts first-hand.
WHAT I WROTE … some seasons reporting 70.000 visitors from Melbourne and Geelong.
WHAT THEY LEFT OUT … a SEASON was only for six to eight weeks a year! Just a minor difference between 6-8 weeks and 52 weeks!
Make sure you hear my next talk live and not an edited version.
My talk on female ancestors, particularly midwives and nurses, complete with plenty tips on how to research them, will be on Wednesday 16th May, 2018, from 1.00 – 2.00 pm followed by a cuppa and chat. Location: Kings Chapel, 130 Bellarine Highway Newcomb. There is plenty of free off-street parking in the grounds.
Kings Funerals in Geelong are hosting four talks this year – the full program can be found on their web site.
I hope to see your there – you'll enjoy it!
Attendees will be given access to a surprise / special bonus!
Next Will we see you there?
I hope you've found lots of entries in the Geelong & District database??


I've only been to one other Chinese wedding in my lifetime so I was excited to be attending my friend E's dinner reception. The dinner was hosted at Yang's Fine Chinese Cuisine in Richmond Hill (North of Toronto). And from what I remember from my friend J's Chinese wedding reception a number of years ago is the parade of non-stop dinner courses, one after another being delivered family platter style by each server. Each server would then plate an equal portion for each guest at the table. Most of the dishes consisted of seafood, some very unique ingredients like abalone and shark fin. My favourite would have to be the first course – roasted pig! The skin was absolutely crisp and salty, the only regret was that there was only one piece! Check out each of the courses!!!
Course 1 – Roasted Pig, my favourite dish of the night!
Course 10 – Dessert, butter cookies and red bean stuffed pastry.
Course 11 – Dessert #2, red bean soup with sticky rice (kind of like Japanese mochi).


1609 Ben Hogan Loop is a $17,000 property on a 0.18 acre lot located in Rio Communities, NM.
Perfect lot in established Golf Course community. Great mountain views! Owner is also a builder with house plans for this lot if you don't have your own. Stop by today!
I am interested in 1609 Ben Hogan Loop, Rio Communities, NM 87002.


text:
(952) 224-9902 info@remarkablejourneys.com
12 Remarkable Journeys
Australia is a country of exciting, sophisticated cities and wild, solitary landscapes. Almost the entire population lives in an urban area along the coast, which means cities thrum with energy and that you'll often have vast expanses of wild beauty all to yourself. Each of Australia's major metropolises has its own vibe, but constant through them all are generally laid-back, fun-loving locals who are sure to be enjoying their spectacular surroundings—go surfing or stretch out on Bondi Beach, enjoy the epicurean delights of the Hunter Valley, or hit the trail in the Blue Mountains, all within easy reach of Sydney. Head north to Cairns to explore the ancient Daintree rainforest, the world's oldest at 110 million years old, and then sail out to snorkel or dive with the technicolor marine life of the Great Barrier Reef. Wander the laneways and arcades of international, artsy Melbourne, or travel to the sun-soaked sandy beaches of Perth in the west. Enjoy fine wines and craft brewing at ubiquitous rooftop bars in the big cities and local island specialties in the tranquil towns of Tasmania and Kangaroo Island. Outside of the cities, wherever you roam, you will find national parks, incredible biodiversity—this is the land of koalas and kangaroos, deserts and rainforests, and 700 species of birds—turquoise waters, sandy beaches, and the solitude to savor it.
Spread spectacularly along the swooping coves of Sydney Harbor, the city's skyline is dominated by the dynamic sails of the Sydney Opera House and the steel arch of the Harbor Bridge. A vivacious and up-tempo city that knows how to kick back and relax in the summer sun, Sydney is a sophisticated yet casual city packed with exciting restaurants, music venues, and avant-garde art galleries. The most vibrant parts of the city are draped along the waterfront of Darling Harbor and the pedestrian walkways and shopping district around Circular Quay, but it is Sydney's proximity to nature that truly sets the city apart—national parks and incredible beaches are scattered around the city, and boat rides offer island adventures and views of the harbor's rugged sandstone cliffs. Stretch out in the sun or ride the waves on the swooping curve of Bondi Beach, hike the trails of Manly to North Point, wander the waterfront paths of the Royal Botanic Gardens right in the heart of the city, or get a glimpse of everything Sydney has to offer with a 360-degree view of the city from Sydney Tower's Skywalk.
Blue Mountains National Park
Within reach of an easy two hour drive from Sydney, it's small wonder that the UNESCO-listed Blue Mountains are one of the region's top attractions. The approach to Blue Mountains National Park passes through scattered brush and grasslands of the foothills, rising to an impressive sandstone plateau where deep valleys cut their way across the rugged terrain. A dense canopy of massive eucalyptus trees covers the landscape, broken up by jutting sandstone cliffs and plunging canyon walls. Hiking trails lace the park and offer endless opportunities to climb to cliff-top panoramas, explore cascading waterfalls, and trek through luxuriant forest and swirling mist. Katoomba is main town of the park and manages to be both upscale and bohemian at the same time; Leura is lined with old buildings and quality restaurants and offers trail networks and incredible views of the Three Sisters rock formation from Sublime Point Lookout; and Wentworth Falls is home to an array of artsy shops, bush-walks, and the 922-foot falls of the same name. Though a day in the park will grant you spectacular views, spend a night or two and you'll get a deeper sense of this amazing landscape.
The booming capital of Queensland, perched in the middle of the continent's west coast, Brisbane is a sophisticated but classically down-to-earth Australian city. Sandy beaches, turquoise waves, and lush forests are just as much a part of the city's identity as its swanky rooftop bars, glittering skyscrapers, and edgy art galleries and museums. Take in the renowned contemporary art collection of the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, or walk the trails of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens on Mt. Coot-tha. Subtropical heat makes a trip to the beach a necessary pleasure on sultry summer days—or you can head out to Moreton Island National Park to dive among coral reefs and sunken wrecks. Head out of the city for cooler climes and visit the region's picturesque vineyards, and wherever you roam remember to embrace the locals' low-key pace of life.
A tropical city set on the east coast of the jutting thumb of the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland, Cairns is a gateway to the underwater glories of the Great Barrier Reef. Get out on the water on a large vessel or a more intimate sailboat and experience the marine marvels of the reef snorkeling or scuba-diving; or head skyward for an aerial perspective of this natural wonder that stretches 1,200 miles along the coast. Back in town there are an endless array of restaurants and shops for every budget, and though Cairns' beaches are a short bus or drive to the north, you can cool off in the translucent waters of the man-made Esplanade Lagoon at the heart of the city. Ideally situated between the shimmering waters of the Coral Sea and the UNESCO-listed Wet Tropics Rainforest, protected in a series of 29 national parks—boundless marine life meets the Wet Tropics' biodiversity showcasing marsupials, birds, and butterflies.
A few hours drive up the coast from Cairns, the Daintree Rainforest provides exceptional access to the Wet Tropics. An ecosystem that has remained largely unchanged for the past 110 million years, you will find an incredible variety of rare flora and fauna. Though rainforest wildlife is often nocturnal or difficult to spot, you can take night tours to see crocodiles or journey out around dawn to see an abundance of vividly-colored birds. Boat trips along crystalline waterways, four-wheel drive tracks with knowledgeable guides, and isolated swimming holes make the Daintree Rainforest a natural playground. The Kuku Yalanji people are the local custodians of the park, which they have inhabited for thousands of years—learn more about their cultural history and the special significance of the region on Dreamtime Walks centered around traditional oral history. Visit the boulder strewn Mossman Gorge and take a dip in the crystal-clear river, or head to the northern section of the park to the isolated beaches and rugged mountains of Cape Tribulation.
A picturesque landscape filled with internationally renowned vineyards, rolling farmland, and a latticework of tree-lined narrow lanes, the Hunter Valley is a pastoral haven only two hours from Sydney. Home to vineyards since the beginning of the 19th century, this region has some of the oldest vine stock in the world. The banner wine of the Hunter Valley is the dry, sweet semillon produced from golden, thin-skinned grapes that finishes with a hint of citrus and honey—but the area is also known for fine shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and verdelho. And true to form, where there is excellent wine, other gourmet industries are quick to follow; the Hunter Valley is full of quality restaurants, craft beer, cheese, olives, and more. Hundreds of vineyards and cellars open their doors for tours and tastings, hot air balloons float across the valley, and open-air concerts make for long relaxing evenings after a day of tastings or a meandering walk through the countryside.
Across the Backstairs Passage from Cape Jervis, to the south of Adelaide, Kangaroo Island is a wilderness wonderland that has a uniquely preserved ecosystem and a delightfully underdeveloped atmosphere. You will find plenty of quality hotels, restaurants, and other outdoor enthusiasts, but the island has held onto its decidedly relaxed pace and rural roots. Almost half of the island is either a designated national park or natural bushland, interrupted only by picturesque farmland and small towns. The entire western coast is protected in Flinders Chase National Park and Ravine des Casoars, which contain a vast network of hiking trails, the 500 million-year-old Remarkable Rocks, and the wave-formed Admiral's Arch—home to a resident seal colony. Kangaroo Island is one of the best places to find Australian animals in the wild; koalas, kangaroos, Australian sea lions, penguins, echidna, and more than 250 species of birds. Top off your island experience with delicious local fare—fresh seafood, roasted lamb, artisan cheeses, fine wines, and the last remaining pure Ligurian honey.
Sitting on Port Phillip Bay on the southern tip of New South Wales, Melbourne is a cosmopolitan melting-pot that resonates with artistic flair. European-style architecture, narrow cobbled lanes lined with cafes, open-air markets, and international cuisine and culture all blend to give Melbourne an alluring elegance. This bustling city of four million is abuzz with edgy restaurants and nightlife, boutique shops and fashion, and crisscrossed with meandering laneways and arcades lined with street art. Visit the sprawling outdoor Queen Victoria Markets, wander through the Royal Botanic Gardens along the Yarra River, or attend whichever sporting event that's taking place—cricket, football, tennis, sailing and Grand Prix racing—for a boisterous good time with the local crowd. Check out the immense art collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, and then watch the sunset and spend the evening sipping cocktails at one of the city's many rooftop bars.
Sitting on Australia's west coast along the Swan River and the Indian Ocean, 1,700 miles from another major city, Perth is a world apart, but that doesn't mean they're missing a single thing. The city is full of riverside paths and gardens, forested parks, incredible beaches, all bathed in the near constant sunshine of a pleasant Mediterranean climate. World-class restaurants, a glamorous downtown, and renovated waterfront areas like the bustling Elizabeth Quay give Perth a cosmopolitan verve, but the relaxed atmosphere of the city means that there is always plenty of time to enjoy the finer things in life. Follow the locals' cue and catch a wave or swim along miles of sandy beaches, head to the bush for some hiking, or kick back at one of the city's many trendy bars. Walk underwater in the 320-foot long tunnel of the Aquarium of Western Australia, head out of the city to Swan Valley vineyards, or cycle and snorkel your way around idyllic Rottnest Island.
Sitting across the Bass Strait from Melbourne off of Australia's south coast, Tasmania is a land of wild beauty. Once home to the notorious British penal colony at Port Arthur—now an open-air museum and a haunting glimpse of one part of the island's turbulent past—Tasmania's remoteness has helped it preserve its incredible natural landscape. Nearly one-third of the island is protected in national parks boasting craggy coastline, vast forests, rugged bushland, and myriad mountains. Tasmania's capital city, Hobart, is home to elegant sandstone colonial architecture, excellent restaurants, and the sophisticated galleries and shops of the refurbished Salamanca Place warehouses. From the green slopes and white-sands of Wineglass Bay on Freycinet Peninsula in the east, to the alpine plateaus, pristine lakes, and ancient rainforests of Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park in the west, there are infinite possibilities to explore. Hike, swim, surf, or kayak and then indulge in the island's culinary flair—fresh seafood, cheeses, craft beer, whiskey, and wines make Tasmania a land of scintillating local flavors.
In the heart of Australia, nearly 300 miles from Alice Springs, lies the sacred and surreal red-rock landscape of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Gazing upon the 1,141-foot tall, 600 to 700 million year old rock formation Uluru is a ethereally spiritual experience that photographs simply cannot capture. To understand some of Uluru's magic, join the local Aboriginal Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people, who call themselves the Anangu and co-manage the park, on guided walks through the lands they have called home for tens of thousands of years. Sparse grasses and pockets of trees radiate out from the sandstone monolith and spread across the arid desert—a landscape painted a pastel rainbow of burnt orange, rusted reds, and russet pinks depending on the intensity of the sun. The surface of 'The Rock' is stippled with crags and hidden caves, waterholes tucked beneath overhangs, and Aboriginal rock art; if you are among the lucky few to visit when it rains, waterfalls cascade down Uluru's sides. Beyond the mystical experience of Uluru lies Kata Tjuta, or the Olgas, 36 massive iron-red rock domes surging from the desert—the tallest of these sedimentary formations is 650 feet taller than Uluru. This park is a mystical and profoundly beautiful place, and with bike rides, walking paths, lookout points, and the allure of seeing the sunrise and set on Uluru, plan for more than just one day to truly feel the enchantment.
7805 Telegraph Road #205
Bloomington, MN 55438, USA
info@remarkablejourneys.com
Contact an agent today:
© 2016 Remarkable Journeys


text:
WIREDGOV
The UK's No.1 government & public sector news alerting service.
My WiredGov
WiredGov Plus
Contracts Locator
Supplier Locator
Search for Press Releases
Saturday 19 May 2012 @ 09:10
Printable version E-mail this to a friend
Promoting Local Democracy White Paper aims to Revamp Boundary Commission
A White Paper seeking views on proposals to improve local democracy goes out to consultation.
Carl Sargeant, the Minister for Local Government and Communities said that many of the proposals being put forward in the paper are designed to be included within an Assembly Bill – the Local Democracy (Wales) Bill – which the Minister intends to introduce in the autumn.
A key element of the Bill is in relation to how the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales operates. The Bill aims to redesign the rules within which the Commission operates and make reforms to the structure and functions of the Commission.
The White Paper also makes proposals aimed at:
improving access to information about Town and Community Councils
improving the effectiveness of electoral management in Wales, in terms of its organisation and funding, as well as encouraging high rates of voter registration;
strengthening the scrutiny function of local government, to ensure it provides robust public accountability and drives public service improvement both locally and regionally;
ensuring councillors receive improved levels of training and development, both in terms of their local leadership ability and their ability to act as effective community representatives when participating in local democratic processes.
Carl Sargeant said:
"This White Paper represents a further step in the Welsh Government's drive to ensure that our local democracy operates as efficiently as possible to meet the challenges posed by the ongoing reforms to the delivery of public services.
"We need to ensure that our local authorities are democratically representative of their communities, are organised in the most effective way, communicate well with the public and have the necessary skills and knowledge to cope with changes in the way that services are being delivered to the public.
"Much of the content of this Paper has derived from the recommendations of the Mathias Report on the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales, which was published in June of last year. The report found that the Commission was, at that time, not fit for purpose and called for significant reforms to the methodology the Commission followed in conducting their reviews of electoral arrangements in each county.
"The White Paper proposes changes to the name, structure and functions of the Commission. The need remains to ensure that councils in Wales are democratically elected with, as far as possible, each councillor representing the same number of electors. But we need to do this while still recognising community ties. I hope that the proposals in this White Paper will help a revamped Commission to achieve this."
Promoting Local Democracy: A Welsh Government White Paper
Subscriber Testimonials
The WiredGov Privacy and Cookies Policy
google+ twitter facebook linkedin
WIRED GOV LTD
1st Floor Hilton House,
Lord Street, Stockport,
SK1 3NA, United Kingdom
www.wired-gov.net
Registered in England and Wales No. 04667736


text:
Q: How to concatenate multiple column values based on a matrix in R I have a matrix of binary values I want to use to return different subsets of values from a vector.
This seems like it would be simple, but I can't do anything to generate the desired result
G <- as.matrix(data.frame(a=c(0,0,1,0),b=c(1,1,0,0),c=c(1,0,0,1),d=c(0,1,0,0)))
c <- colnames(G)
> G
     a b c d
[1,] 0 1 1 0
[2,] 0 1 0 1
[3,] 1 0 0 0
[4,] 0 0 1 0

The result I want is:
[1] "b,c" "b,d" "a"   "c"

Please help!

A: sapply(1:nrow(G), function(i) toString(names(G[i, G[i,] == 1])))
#OR
with(data.frame(which(G == 1, arr.ind = TRUE)),
     unname(sapply(split(colnames(G)[col], row), toString)))
#[1] "b, c" "b, d" "a"    "c"

If you have newer version of R, you could also do
sapply(asplit(G, 1), function(x) toString(names(x)[x == 1]))

A: Here's another approach that converts 0 and 1 to FALSE and TRUE to subset the colnames:
apply(G, 1, function(x) paste(c[as.logical(x)], collapse = ','))

[1] "b,c" "b,d" "a"   "c"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Valve has announced that they are adding an "experimental virtual reality mode" to their multiplayer first-person shooter Team Fortress 2. It will be playable by anyone with an Oculus Rift developer kit. The mode will be released in the coming days.
Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, and Left 4 Dead), today announced the addition of an experimental Virtual Reality mode to Team Fortress 2. The new mode will be released in the coming days as part of an update to the popular Free to Play game.
Anyone with an Oculus Rift Developer Kit will be able to use their device to play all of Team Fortress 2 on the PC. All game modes and classes are supported with the new Virtual Reality mode.
"When we first played an early version of Virtual Reality mode in Team Fortress we were blown away by the immersion we experienced.", said Joe Ludwig at Valve. "VR is just getting started, but it is going to have a big impact on gaming. This update will let us share that experience with more of the Team Fortress community."
"Valve's done an incredible job bringing Team Fortress 2 to virtual reality! TF2 is the most-played game in my Steam library, so you can imagine how excited I am to play it in the Rift with all of our backers," said Palmer Luckey, Founder of Oculus VR, Inc.
In addition to gaining access to the new Virtual Reality mode, owners of the Oculus Rift will also be granted a unique Oculus Rift in-game hat. Steam codes to redeem for this item will be sent out by Oculus.
Team Fortress 2 is Valve's Free to Play team-based online game. The game has had more than 350 updates since its release with The Orange Box in 2007.
Okay, step one: Get an Oculus Rift dev kit. Step two: Play this. Step three: Get that Crysis mod that Nathan Andrews made and play that.
Fans of Secret of Monkey Island, the 1990 point-n-click adventure game, will undoubtedly remember the infamous "three trials" scene, in which protagonist Guybrush Threepwood proclaims to Mêlée Island's pirate leaders that he, too, would like to be a pirate.
Here's the iconic scene, Team Fortress 2 style. And it's extremely well done. Enjoy.
Can't it be both? Coming soon to iOS and Android, Blitz Brigade is a team-based online multiplayer shooter. It's set during World War II (can't you tell?) and features vehicular combat, five character classes, single-player challenges and trailer music that sounds like it's being performed by a Team Fortress 2 cover band.
Reader Brandon passed this video along yesterday, which he helped make, wondering if we'd ever seen it. I had to say "no", which tore me up inside, because it is absolutely perfect.
Sadly ineligible from winning a Saxxy award due to its use of copyright material, that won't stop it winning hearts here today, because if there's one thing Team Fortress 2 needs more than less hats, it's more Queen.
Team Fortress 2 just got itself a big Christmas update. I'm so far past playing this game that the significance is lost on me, but hey, that giant Godzilla poster is awesome.
Gaming Heads has been working away on a line of enormous Team Fortress 2 statues for literally years now, and are only now moving onto their fourth one. But that's OK. When they turn out as nice as they have, it's worth the wait.
The latest is my second-favourite Australian in the TF2 universe, a man whose accuracy and ability to pull of wearing a silly hat more than makes up for his slender build.
The Sniper should hopefully be out in Q2 2013, and will retail for $220 (or $235 for a slightly fancier, limited edition variant that comes with an African shield).
Two weeks ago Valve opened voting on the second annual Saxxy Awards, celebrating cinematography in Team Fortress 2 and the Source Filmmaker tool released earlier in the year. Last night, voting ended, and winners in four categories were crowned. You may see them here in this gallery.
The overall winner has not yet been named. It will be revealed, and shown, during the 2012 Video Game Awards on Spike TV on Dec. 7. For now, kick back and enjoy the winners from these four categories.
The Saxxy for Best Replay goes to "EPIC High Five Fail," by 1231231453123.
The Saxxy for Best Drama goes to "Bad Medicine," by Zachariah Scott.
The Saxxy for Best Action goes to "Meet the Dumpster Diver," by MrPopulus89.
The Saxxy for Best Comedy goes to "The Wishmaker," by MaxOfS2D.


An advanced product from Dow Coating Materials that helps reduce noise was one of the main attractions at a conference on noise and vibrations in the US.
Accousticryl liquid-applied sound damping (LASD) technology embodying an advanced noise mitigation coatings system, for cars, white goods and a range of other applications reflects the new focus on quieter, greener and more congenial products of everyday use.
Acousticryl LASD was the focus of live demos and a technical presentation at the premier noise, vibration and harshness conference in late June in Grand Rapids, Michigan (US).
Traditionally, bitumen pads are placed between door frames, under floor boards and other vibrating parts of a car to help dampen sound by reducing the mechanical vibrations that create unwanted noise.
These pads need to be stocked in various shapes and sizes, then trimmed before application. In contrast, Acousticryl acrylic resins require less inventory and storage space, generate a smaller amount of material waste and are compatible with automated application for reduced labour cost. These waterborne acrylic binders can also help to reduce workers' exposure to VOC emissions.
Acousticryl acrylic resins can help decrease vehicle weight for increased gas mileage, improved safety ratings and heightened passenger protection. They can be used in any application that could benefit from sound management and reduced noise, vibration and harshness. These include commercial transportation (marine, rail, bus); agriculture and construction equipment; appliances (washing machine, dishwasher, air conditioner); and infrastructure (roof, floor, wall, duct, service conduit).
For optimised performance, Acousticryl technology may be combined with Avanse acrylic emulsion technology from Dow for an improved dispersion quality.


text:
Central Casting: Heroes of Legend is a fantasy role-playing game supplement first published in 1988 by Task Force Games, with a second edition published in 1995.

Contents
Central Casting: Heroes of Legend includes a system to allow players to generate a detailed heritage and origins for their player characters.

Reception
Trenton Webb reviewed the 2nd edition of Central Casting: Heroes of Legend for Arcane magazine, rating it a 7 out of 10 overall. Webb comments that "Heroes Of Legend fleshes out characters and offers those odd foibles that make roleplaying rewarding - a dragon shaped birthmark on the buttocks anybody? The trick, if players will use the system, will be keeping player histories in check as the personality traits thrown up could easily overwhelm less skilful players."

References

Fantasy role-playing game supplements
Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1988

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
U.S. Population Growth Has Nearly Flatlined. Is That So Bad?
Well worth reading, a useful and needed counterpoint to all the fretting about demographic decline and an aging population. Canadian policy makers and others need to think more about how to manage an aging population that mainly advocating for increased immigration to slow the trend:
"A Demographic Crisis." "A Blinking Light Ahead." "The Death of Hope." Those are some of the dire headlines that have been written in recent years about the sluggish pace of U.S. population growth, which in 2021 fell to its lowest rate ever — just 0.1 percent.
While the pandemic played a major role in driving last year's decline, the country's population growth has been slowing for much of the last decade, depressed by declining fertility rates, a surge in "deaths of despair" and lower levels of legal immigration.
But is a population slowdown as much of a crisis as some have made it out to be, or could it actually bring welcome changes? Here's a look at a longstanding demographic debate.
A global phenomenon
For a population to replenish itself in the absence of immigration, demographers estimate that there must be, on average, about 2.1 births per woman. In the United States, the fertility rate has been consistently below that level since 2007. And it's not alone: While some countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, are still growing rapidly, the global average fertility rate has been falling for decades, and even China's population, the world's largest, may very soon reach its peak.
As a result, the United Nations now predicts that the human population will start declining by the end of the century. (Other demographers have projected an even earlier peak.) Some countries — notably Japan and South Korea, whose fertility rates are among the lowest in the world — are already shrinking.
Why are fertility rates falling? The trend is typically attributed to a combination of economic prosperity, which leads to lower infant mortality, and greater gender equality. "As women have gained more access to education and contraception, and as the anxieties associated with having children continue to intensify, more parents are delaying pregnancy and fewer babies are being born," Damien Cave, Emma Bubola and Choe Sang-Hun reported for The Times last year. Because many of those babies then go on to have smaller families than their parents did, they added, "the drop starts to look like a rock thrown off a cliff."
It's a stark reversal of the demographic trends of the 1900s, during which the coincidence of high fertility rates and lengthening life spans caused the global population to nearly quadruple in size, from 1.6 billion to six billion. And for much of the 20th century, it was the specter of overpopulation, not stagnation or decline, that animated dystopian visions of the future.
Which raises a question: How much stock should we really be placing in population forecasts? As David Adam explained in Nature last year, medium-term projections are usually quite accurate, as most people who will be alive in 20 to 30 years have already been born.
But over the longer term, projections diverge and become less reliable, in part because technological and environmental shocks that could cause demographic swings are impossible to predict, as Vox's Kelsey Piper has written: "If, for example, climate change drives currently developed countries back into poverty and drives their birthrates back up, the estimates are poorly equipped to account for that. On the other hand, if more reliable contraceptives are developed and virtually end unintended pregnancies the world over, birthrates could fall much faster than predicted."
Why a population slowdown is causing concern
For many futurists, the primary challenge posed by declining population growth is economic: When people live longer and have fewer babies, the population ages, leaving fewer working-age adults to support a country's swelling number of retirees.
"Older people are more prone to illness, and many rely on publicly funded pensions and eventually require caregiving," Stephanie H. Murray wrote in The Atlantic in February. "Many countries, including the U.S., are already struggling to meet the needs of the rapidly growing elderly population."
This can create a kind of national languishing, as the Times columnist Ross Douthat argued last year: "If you assume that dynamism and growth are desirable things (not everyone does, but that's a separate debate), then for the developed world to be something more than just a rich museum, at some point it needs to stop growing ever-older, with a dwindling younger generation struggling in the shadow of societal old age."
Aging may take a particularly heavy toll on middle-income countries. Historically, as industrialized countries have become richer, their labor force grew more rapidly than their nonworking population, providing a "demographic dividend." But in some developing countries, including Brazil and China, fertility rates have fallen to around or below replacement level much more quickly than they did for their higher-income counterparts, and their populations now face the risk of getting old before getting rich.
A population slowdown can be a symptom of other national problems. For example, as Derek Thompson has noted in The Atlantic, while declining fertility is often a sign of female empowerment, it can also be a sign of its opposite, as suggested by the growing gap between how many children Americans say they want and how many they have. "There are many potential explanations for this gap," Thompson wrote, "but one is that the U.S. has made caring for multiple children too expensive and cumbersome for even wealthy parents, due to a shortage of housing, the rising cost of child care, and the paucity of long-term federal support for children."
A crisis or an opportunity?
To see how population stagnation or even decline need not spell disaster, you can look at countries where it's already occurring, as Daniel Moss, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian economies, did last year. Take Japan: "Despite the caricature of the country as an economic failure in the grip of terminal decline, life goes on," he wrote. "True, growth in overall G.D.P. has been fairly anemic in past few decades, but G.D.P. per capita has held up well." What's more, he added, Japan's unemployment rate is very low and has remained so throughout the pandemic (it was 2.6 percent in July).
Japan's example lends some credence to the view of Kim Stanley Robinson, a widely acclaimed science-fiction writer, who believes that an aging population with a smaller work force could actually lead to economic prosperity. "It sounds like full employment to me," he argued in The Washington Post last year. "The precarity and immiseration of the unemployed would disappear as everyone had access to work that gave them an income and dignity and meaning."
The challenges of an aging population could push countries to pursue policies that improve quality of life:
One 2019 analysis estimated that if the European Union eliminated inequities in educational attainment and in women's and immigrants' labor force participation, it could cancel out more than half of the labor force decline it might otherwise experience by 2060.
Another way governments have responded to labor shortages caused by population aging is by investing more in the automation of work, an M.I.T. study found last year. As The Times's John Yoon reported last month, "The prospect of a shrinking work force has put South Korea at the forefront of developing robots and artificial intelligence for the workplace."
In the view of the Times columnist Paul Krugman, the biggest economic problem of an aging population isn't increased strain on the social safety net, but rather weak investment from businesses anticipating reduced consumer demand. If that scenario comes to pass, though, "why not put the money to work for the public good?" he wrote last year. "Why not borrow cheaply and use the funds to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, invest in the health and education of our children, and more? This would be good for our society, good for the future, and would also provide a cushion against future recessions."
Fertility rate declines may also be making climate change easier to combat, albeit not in the way many think: As Sarah Kaplan of The Washington Post has explained, fossil fuel consumption is driven primarily by increases in affluence, not the number of people on the planet per se. So while population growth in poor countries hasn't led to large increases in planet-warming emissions, a sudden baby boom in high-income countries like the United States almost certainly would.
For some demographers, the prospect of population stagnation or decline isn't any more a cause for alarm than population growth was; it's simply a change that governments will need to manage. "Rather than panicking or trying to forestall this for ourselves," Leslie Root, a demographer and a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Colorado, Boulder, wrote in The Washington Post last year, "we should be thinking about what that transition will mean globally — both for rich countries and for poor ones that will be far more burdened by aging populations than we will."
Source: U.S. Population Growth Has Nearly Flatlined. Is That So Bad?
Filed under Immigration Tagged with aging, demographics, New York Times, population growth
Immigration Can Offset US Population Decline | Cato at Liberty Blog
Cato Institute's reply to the CIS post highlighting the limits of immigration in addressing an aging population ( Immigration and the Aging Society ). Not convinced. And like all immigration debates, the question is one of balance and understanding the limits of immigration in addressing ongoing policy and demographic issues:
The U.S. population is growing slowly and the average age of Americans is increasing as a result. Although the United States is not as old as other countries and likely to age better, the future looks demographically grim. Some social scientists and commentators think that boosting immigration can help delay or reverse those trends. Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, makes a series of silly argumentsagainst the notion that immigration can slow the aging of the U.S. population. Camarota's points below are in quotes and my responses follow.
In reality, a significant body of research shows that the impact of immigration on population aging is small. While immigration can certainly make our population larger, it does not make us dramatically younger.
Camarota might be correct that the current and historically low rate of immigration to the United States doesn't much lower the average age of the population, but that does not mean that immigration could not lower the average age if it were expanded. He merely shows that current U.S. immigration policy, which is very restrictive and much closer to his ideal level than mine, cannot much affect the average age. We shouldn't expect a restrictive immigration system that allows in, at least prior to the immigration restrictions adopted by President Trump and partly maintained by President Biden (so far), a number of immigrants roughly equal to 0.3 percent of the population annually to have a big effect on the average age of the population. In 2018, 32 OECD countries had higher immigration flows as a percent of their populations and only five had lower flows, relative to the United States. Camarota's point does not rebut the argument that expanded immigration would lower the average age and expand U.S. population.
But demographers have known for a long time that, absent truly gargantuan and ever‐increasing rates of immigration, it isn't actually possible for immigrants to undo or dramatically slow the overall aging of society. As Oxford demographer David Coleman observes, 'it is already well known that [immigration] can only prevent population ageing at unprecedented, unsustainable and increasing levels of inflow.'
Do demographers know that? I looked up the source of the quote by David Coleman, former British MP and member of the Galton Institute. Camarota clipped a portion of a longer quote that makes a slightly different point. Coleman's full quote is: "Although immigration can prevent population decline, it is already well known that it can only prevent population ageing at unprecedented, unsustainable and increasing levels of inflow, which would generate rapid population growth and eventually displace the original population from its majority position [Camarota's quote italicized]."
Coleman agrees that immigration can prevent population decline. He identifies two problems with more immigration: It would "generate rapid population growth and eventually displace the original population from its majority position." Rapid population growth is one of the many goals of those of us who favor liberalized immigration, so I have no argument with Coleman there. We simply disagree as I believe that population growth is positive and he thinks it's negative. When it comes to "displace the original population from its majority position," Coleman means that immigrants and their descendants would eventually become the majority of the population in the United Kingdom at a high level of immigration.
There's no good reason for Camarota to find that shocking as it has happened at least once in U.S. history. As sociologist Charles Hirschman pointed out, the population of the United States today would only be about 100 million if immigration had stopped in 1800. Since the current population is about 330 million, that means most Americans are immigrants or the descendants of post‐1800 immigrants. That doesn't mean that boosted immigration would be "unprecedented" or "unsustainable." It sounds like a return to immigration normality for Americans.
There are four broad reasons why the demography doesn't support the political credo. First, not all immigrants arrive young — in fact, a growing share are arriving at or near retirement age. Second, immigrants age just like everyone else, adding to the elderly population over time. Third, immigrant fertility rates tend to converge with those of the native born. Fourth, to the extent that immigrants do have higher fertility rates than the native born, their children add to the dependent population — those too young or old to work.
Camarota's first point is a curious criticism of the current restrictive immigration system. If this is his concern, why not just increase legal immigration opportunities for younger immigrants? Camarota's second point somewhat answers that criticism – because "immigrants age just like everyone else, adding to the elderly population over time." After all, newborn babies age too and will one day retire, which is a particularly poor argument against having children or increasing immigration.
Camarota's third point is that immigrants assimilate. While a surprising admission from Camarota given his research, immigrants and their children still increase the population, and it takes time for immigrant fertility to approach that of natives – which he admits in his next point. Camarota's fourth point is that immigrants have higher fertility rates that produce children who are also dependents.
To sum up, Camarota thinks that our current immigration system doesn't help reduce the ratio of dependents to workers, immigrants age like everybody else, immigrant fertility shrinks too rapidly, and immigrant fertility doesn't shrink fast enough.
The Census Bureau also estimates that, in 2060, 59% of the population will be of working age. Again, this is based on the assumption that net migration will amount to an average of 1.1 million each year. Under a zero‐immigration scenario, just under 57% of the population would be of working age. In other words, while immigration is projected to add 75 million people to the American population by 2060, it will only increase the working‐age share of the population by about two percentage points. Even if annual net immigration were expanded by 50% above what the Census Bureau projects, so that it averaged about 1.65 million a year, it would still only increase the working‐age share of the population by three percentage points.
In other words, Camarota writes that the U.S. can increase immigration by 50 percent and have a working‐age share of the population in 2060 similar to what it would otherwise be in 2027 or, on the extreme other side, 2060 America will look like Japan will in 2032. The percentage point spread is small, but the social, economic, and fiscal impacts are larger than they appear. Japan's looming population collapse is terrifying and a few percentage points difference caused by expanded legal immigration can delay it for decades or longer. Even better, expanding legal immigration is a lot cheaper than birth subsidies.
You can read the rest of Camarota's piece as it merely expands upon his points, offers some politically correct suggestions for reforming entitlement programs, and adds more figures. Nowhere does Camarota contest the obvious counterargument that immigration's currently small effects on America's age distribution result from very restrictive immigration policies.
The U.S. fiscal imbalance is a serious problem created by a poorly designed entitlement system. Declining U.S. fertility exacerbated the problem of the fiscal imbalance in a way that a well‐designed system would not face. In addition to that, a growing population is correlated with increasing prosperity over the long term. More people mean more ideas, workers, consumers, investors, as well as potential friends, neighbors, and family members.
The worldwide and American increase in economic output from expanded legal immigration would be large and much of it could be captured to resolve the fiscal imbalance – at least for a few more generations. According to some estimates, massively expanded immigration would place the United States in an unassailable economic position. Allowing Americans and immigrants to interact as they see fit would also be a more ethical policy. In short, there are many reasons to support expanding legal immigration, and reversing expected US population decline is one of them, despite what Neo‐Malthusians say.
Source: Immigration Can Offset US Population Decline | Cato at Liberty Blog
Filed under Immigration Tagged with aging, Cato Institute, Center for Immigration Studies, demographics, levels
Statistics Canada: The contribution of immigration to the size and ethnocultural diversity of future cohorts of seniors
Not surprising but interesting:
The aging of Canada's population is currently related to the baby-boom cohort reaching their senior years. Subsequent cohorts will continue to sustain high populations of seniors because of declining mortality rates and higher immigration levels.
According to population projections, future cohorts of older Canadians could also be more ethnoculturally diverse, as a larger portion of them could be born outside of Canada.
Source: The Daily — Study: The contribution of immigration to the size and ethnocultural diversity of future cohorts of seniors
Filed under Multiculturalism Tagged with aging, seniors, Statistics Canada


When I enter html code, switch to visual, and then back again, it re-formats my code. This may seem like a great feature . . . but really, if someone is technical to edit their html code, doesn't that imply that they have some idea what they are doing, and would like things to stay the way they entered them?


Choose the Right IPC Training Center!
What Is IPC-A-610 Certification and Who Needs It?
IPC Certification Can Lead to a Career in Many Interesting Industries!
What Can I Do As A Colorado Certified Electronics Technician?
Why Is The Spotlight Now On Lead-Free Soldering?
Why Get An IPC Certificate For Soldering from Blackfox?
Electronics Assembly Training for IPC Certification: Where to Start?
Blackfox: Trade School vs. College: Which Is Right For Me?
Blackfox: To Lead Free, or Not To Lead Free—That is the Question.
Blackfox: Improving Health with Electronics.
Blackfox: The Many Benefits of Hiring Veterans.
Happy Memorial Day from Blackfox!