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Home > Projects > Project Disclosures > Rural Connectivity
Rural Connectivity
IPT SAC
De hasta US$15.000.000,00
EN_COUNTRY_PE-Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas
IDB Invest is considering providing financing up to US$15,000,000 to a future rural mobile infrastructure operator IPT SAC ("IPT"), which currently has Telefónica del Perú and potentially other ("DFIs") as shareholders. The company aims to sustainably connect the unconnected and underserved populations of Peru through an innovative rural connectivity business model.
IDB Invest's investment would be subject to certain conditions being met, including the Company agreeing to comply with IDB Invest's environment and social policies whilst IDB Invest is a shareholder.
The key E&S issues associated with the project are in the potential impacts of the Greenfield phase for the construction of telecommunications infrastructure such as antennas and stations. These include labor and working conditions (including employees' and contractor workers' occupational health and safety); pollution prevention and abatement for hazardous and non-hazardous wastes; impacts on biodiversity due to the potential need for opening new access routes in tropical rain forests to install antennas (towers) and other infrastructure. There is a possibility that certain towers will be installed in indigenous lands either in the Andean highlands or in the Amazon basin; given the ancient history of Peru it is always a possibility to find archaeological remains, as well as sacred sites that need to be taken into consideration when selecting sites for infrastructure. Therefore, site selection, workers camps and behavior, and routes to access the sites and community engagement are critical issues that need to be dealt with best practices.
1. General Information and Overview of Scope of IDB Invest E&S Review
This is a national project in scope that will be executed in the rural areas of the coast, highlands and Amazon of Peru, expecting to serve around 2 million people in 15,675 locations through the construction of antennas. The Greenfield phase of the project will entail installing antennas and associated infrastructure, including access routes and temporary small workers camps. It is expected that work will be carried out by 50 teams of workers for one year.
Because E&S risks and impacts are expected to be limited and site-specific, and it is possible to avoid or mitigate any limited adverse impacts that might result, the proposed investment has been classified as a Category B project according to IDB-Invest Environmental and Social Sustainability Policy. IDB-Invest environmental and social due diligence indicates that the investment will have impacts which must be managed in a manner consistent with the following Performance Standards:
PS 1 - Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts
PS 2 - Labor and working conditions
PS 3 - Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention
PS 6 - Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources
PS 7 - Indigenous Peoples
PS 8 - Cultural Heritage
PS 4 and PS 5 are not considered applicable given that a) no community health issues are expected, and no armed security guards are used in the project; and b) any new purchased or leasing of land for antennas (towers) and stations are expected to involve a willing buyer willing seller transaction.
The project will be implemented in the rural areas of the coast, the highlands and the Amazon basin of Peru where it is expected that towers will be installed during the Greenfield phase of the project. Several of these towers will be built in community lands of indigenous and non-indigenous peoples which will require special procedures align with our PS. In the Amazon basin the project has the potential to impact primary forest and affect biodiversity.
The main environmental and social risks and impacts are the following:
Site selection and access routes (particularly if new) may have impacts in forested areas and indigenous communities in the Amazon basin but there is also potential for impacts in the highlands.The main impacts are on biodiversity and local communities. However, these are not difficult to avoid or mitigate.
In the case of access routes, the project should prioritize already existing routes. If this is not possible and new access is needed the project should aim at secondary forest areas to access the sites.Primary forest should be avoided for access as well as for site selection.
When installing antennas in community lands the project will include special procedures to approach and engage the community, as well as a behavioral code for the workers to avoid unnecessary conflicts with the local people and to respect their livelihoods and human rights.
a. E&S Assessment and Management System
The main environmental and social risks are impacts of the Greenfield phase for the construction of telecommunications infrastructure such as antennas and stations; labor and working conditions (including employees' and contractor workers' occupational health and safety); pollution prevention and abatement for hazardous and non-hazardous wastes; impacts on biodiversity due to the potential need for opening new access routes in tropical rain forests to install antennas (towers) and other infrastructure. Furthermore, several of the expected towers will be installed in indigenous lands either in the Andean highlands or in the Amazon basin; given the ancient history of Peru it is always a possibility to find archaeological remains, as well as sacred sites that need to be taken into consideration when selecting sites for infrastructure. Therefore, site selection, workers camps and routes to access the sites are critical issues that need to be dealt with best practices.
IPT managers has an environmental and social management manual that responds to the requirements of ISO 140001 which will be applied to this project and its contractors. The project will have a dedicated E&S officer and eventually during construction of the Greenfield phase IPT will hire E&S specialists to supervise contractors.
IPT E&S management system will provide for legal permitting of sites, managing any electromagnetic impacts of its towers, site inspections, measures to ensure workers' use of personal protective equipment, procedures for waste management, and emergency preparedness and response. It also provides for training of company workers (including contractors) on occupational health and safety matters, including work at heights, accident prevention, fire and electrical safety, and management of any spills of fuel or other chemicals. IPT will screen for risks in any new infrastructure, such as towers or access routes.
IPT will engage contractors to perform core functions with safety risks in civil works including work at heights, work in confined spaces, electrical work, and tower maintenance. In the terms of agreements with core contractors and suppliers, IPT will require compliance with the company's procedures for such types of contractors and suppliers. To ensure compliance, documented audits across multiple parameters are undertaken by an IPT officer with designated responsibility for E&S issues. When deficient performance is identified, correction actions are requested, and suspension could be applicable; and when regular performance is identified, improvements are required as needed.
The company's environmental management system will be based in the certification to meet the requirements of ISO 14001.
b. Policy
IPT will have an environmental and social policy and will issue an environmental and social management manual that complies with ISO 14001 requirements. IPT also has a management energy policy and a policy of responsible businesses. These policies states IPT commitments to sustainability.
c. Identification of Risks and Impacts
The manual for environmental and social management and its procedures is the main tool IPT has for addressing risks and impacts.
d. Management Programs
The manual for environmental and social management contains all the required programs and procedures.
e. Organizational Capacity and Competency
IPT will include an E&S officer devoted to this project and will eventually hire E&S specialists as needed.
f. Emergency Preparedness and Response
A procedure is included in the environmental and social manual ISO 140001
g. Monitoring and Review
The infrastructure works are expected to last at least one year. Therefore, we expect IPT to issue three reports on E&S management of the Greenfield phase.
h. Stakeholder Engagement:
(i) Stakeholder Mapping/Analysis and Engagement Planning (and ongoing)
The environmental and social management manual contains a section on stakeholder mapping and engagement. In the case of this project which has a national scope, the final sites for the locations of the towers cannot be determined much in advance and the number of expected sites makes stakeholder mapping an impossible task.
(ii) Informed Consultation and Participation
IPT will develop a process or protocol to inform the local communities about the works that will be carried out as well as about the project benefits. This protocol will be reviewed by IDB-Invest.
(iii) Indigenous Peoples
Several of the sites are expected to be in indigenous lands either in the highlands or the Amazon basin of Peru. The project is not expected to have adverse impacts on these communities but rather it will benefit the IP communities by providing access to internet. The protocol mentioned above will be fully implemented in the case of these communities.
(iv) Grievance Mechanism for Affected Communities
IPT will develop a specific grievance redress mechanism to be applied in sites where the antennas will be installed. Although the time for infrastructure building is very short in each site (15 days in average), it is recommended to have such a field mechanism.
a. Working Conditions and Management of Worker Relationships
IPT will develope and implement a set of human resources policies and procedures consistent with IFC Performance Standard 2. They promulgate a reasonable limit on working hours; and they promote the fair treatment, non-discrimination, and equal opportunity of its employees, regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality, language, age, sexual orientation, civil status, handicapped status, or socio-economic status. The company provides for freedom of association (the right to unionize) of its workers. IPT will implement procedures in place to ensure that grievances of workers, including contractor workers, are generally resolved within 30 days, with measures to ensure confidentiality and a channel for appeal.
IPT policies and procedures will require the deployment of appropriate measures for life and fire safety at the company's offices, operational sites, and switching centers. They ensure that both the company's own employees and those employed by contracted firms performing work related to core functions of IPT are provided a safe and healthy work environment, including appropriate training, protective clothing and equipment.
a. Pollution Prevention
At project sites, construction will inevitably generate some waste materials, and, during operations, there will be a need for properly disposing of items such as waste oil and used batteries. For these purposes, IPT will have policies and procedures for waste management consistent with Section 1 of World Bank Group EHS Guidelines for Telecommunications. IPT is committed to reduce its use of natural resources over time, including through reuse and recycling. Notably, Telefónica collects used batteries and used mobile phones for reuse or recycling and recycles paper and cardboard.
IPT sites will generally use power from the electric grid, with backup power provided by batteries wherever possible, thereby limiting the use of fuel tanks, generators, and associated noise and potential fuel leaks.
IPT will include terms in its agreements with contractors that cover pollution prevention and abatement. IPT monitors compliance with terms in its agreements with contractors and seeks improvement if non-compliance is identified.
Access routes to the sites and opening new sites for antenna construction are the main impacts in biodiversity in the case of the tropical rain forest. IPT will avoid opening access routes and new sites in primary tropical rain forest. On a case by case basis, to mitigate this impact IPT will select already existing routes. If this is not feasible, secondary forest will be prioritized.
4.5 Indigenous Peoples
The project is expected to benefit indigenous communities that will be served by the antennas being built in the Greenfield phase. No adverse impacts are expected.
For community communication and engagement IPT will develop a protocol to be of mandatory use by all contractors. The protocol will include a section on a code of conduct for the workers involved in the Greenfield phase.
4.6 Cultural Heritage
IPT will comply with the Peruvian legislation that requires a CIRA (Certificado de Inexistencia de Restos Arqueológicos). A chance find procedure will be included in the contracts with contractors.
Site selection will consider the local community views to avoid building in sites considered sacred as well as in cemeteries.
For inquiries about the Project, contact:
Client Contact Name: Legal Department (IPT)
Title: General Counsel
Phone number: +511 2101026
Email address: ipt@telefonica.com
Environmental and Social Action Plan:
ipt_esap.pdf


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人體免疫機制
免疫細胞分類
免疫細胞與癌症
原理及功用
日本合法的常規醫療
各國研究實例
首頁 > 免疫新知 > 免疫細胞療法簡介 > 各國研究實例
美國聯邦醫療保險:正式將攝護腺癌症疫苗(Provenge)納入醫保行列
Provenge Covered By Medicarex
By MATTHEW PERRONE 06/30/11 05:05 PM ET
攝護腺癌疫苗納入美國醫保
美國聯邦醫療保險和聯邦醫療輔助計劃服務中心(CMS)於2011年6月30日將攝護腺癌症疫苗(Provenge)正式納入美國醫保的行列,同時也是第一個被核准利用免疫療法治癒癌症的藥品,預估將造福美國每年新增的24萬名攝護腺癌患者。免疫療法藉由活化患者本身的免疫細胞,使其具備辨別並消滅癌細胞的能力,不僅修正了傳統化療疫苗無法分辨癌細胞與正常細胞的缺點,同時免去化療過程對患者所造成的身體傷害與長期心靈的煎熬。在客製化的調製後,患者只需在一個月內注射三劑的攝護腺癌症疫苗即完成療程。Provenge 的上市證實了美國聯邦醫保中心對免疫療法的重視,更顯示免疫療法將成為未來對抗癌症的主流。
WASHINGTON -- Medicare officials confirmed Thursday that the program will cover the $93,000 price tag for prostate cancer drug Provenge, an innovative therapy that typically gives men suffering from an incurable stage of the disease an extra four months to live. The decision from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid essentially reiterates an earlier proposed ruling that the biotech drug, made by Dendreon Corp., is a "reasonable and necessary" medicine. As expected, the government will cover the cost for men who meet the drug's approved criteria: those with prostate disease that has spread throughout the body and has not responded to hormone therapy or radiation. The government will not pay for alternate, or so called "off-label," use.
"We do not believe there is any persuasive evidence for the off-label use," of Provenge, the agency concluded in the ruling, posted online late Thursday.
About 240,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S. and the disease claims over 33,000 lives annually, according to the American Cancer Society. The decision ensures that tens of thousands of men will be able to take the drug through the government-backed health care plan that covers seniors. With government reimbursement, analysts estimate Provenge could rack up $1 billion in sales next year. The decision is important for Dendreon because most prostate cancer patients are 65 or older. The infused drug is a first-of-a-kind treatment in that each dose is customized to work with each individual patient's immune system. The drug is given in three infusions over the course of one month.
Medicare is legally prohibited from considering price when deciding whether to pay for a new treatment. But Provenge's steep price tag had generated debate about the cost of new drugs and the government's role in paying for them, especially against the political backdrop of health care reform and the rising cost of Medicare given the large number of baby boomers
Seattle-based Dendreon says Provenge's price reflects the more than $1 billion spent researching and developing the drug. And prostate cancer patients point out that the median survival time with Provenge is double that of chemotherapy, which is about two months and is marked by painful side effects.
Each regimen of Provenge must be tailored to the immune system of the individual patient using a time-consuming formulation process. Doctors collect special blood cells from each patient that help the immune system recognize cancer as a threat. The cells are mixed with a protein found on most prostate cancer cells and another substance to rev up the immune system, and then given back to the patient as three infusions two weeks apart. Provenge is the first federally-approved cancer drug that uses the body's own immune system to fight the disease, offering an alternative to chemotherapy drugs that attack cancerous and healthy cells at the same time.
On Wednesday, Dendreon announced it received federal regulatory approval to open a second manufacturing facility in Los Angeles, in addition to its primary facility in New Jersy. The company hopes to open a third faility in Atlanta by the end of August. Shares of Dendreon rose 96 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $40.40 in afterhours trading. The stock had closed the regular session down $1.06, or 2.6 percent, at $39
資料來源:Aol Healthy Living-Provenge Covered By Medicare

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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UPDATE: Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tazewell County travel related
UPDATE: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 5:00 a.m.: Both confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tazewell County are travel related, according to Sue Cantrell, M.D., Director of the Cumberland Plateau and Lenowisco Health Districts.
Officials also confirm both people infected with the virus are self-isolating.
Original Story: TAZEWELL, VA (WVNS) – In a press release sent out on Saturday, March 28, 2020, The Tazewell County Board of Supervisors announced they've been informed by the Virginia Department of Health of the first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tazewell County. In recent weeks the Board has been preparing for this unfortunate event.
Board Chairman, Charles Stacy, observed, "This is unfortunate but not unexpected. We all hoped our communities would be spared but knew it was merely a matter of time. We ask that all of our residents continue to practice social distancing, frequent hand washing, and limit your interaction with others. That is the best way to protect yourself and your family."
On March 20, 2020 the Board declared a state of emergency in anticipation of COVID-19 reaching Tazewell County. Since then the Board has taken initial steps to first secure the continued operation of government. Now the Board's actions will move toward helping the Department of Health control the spread within the county.
County Administrator, Eric Young, reminded the public, "We have been operating for several days as though the virus already was among us. For the time being we are not conducting any emergency operations based on these first known cases. We have been and will continue feverishly preparing for the spread of this virus, because we know there will be more cases. We continue to work daily with the Virginia Departments of Emergency Management and Health. They have been a tremendous help in the planning process. We will continue to follow their advice in the best interests of public health."
VDH is working hard to identify and notify all of those with whom the infected person may have had contact in the last fourteen days. Chairman Stacy, said, "Just like colds and flu, this virus does not pick or chose victims. Anyone can have it, and anyone can spread it. The persons now known to have contracted this virus and their families are in the thoughts and prayers of the Board members and everyone in administration."
The Board will hold a specially called meeting next Monday afternoon at 2:00PM to discuss emergency actions which have been taken in concert with state and federal agencies to control the spread of the virus. Public attendance is limited to telephonic means due to public gathering restrictions but media members may attend in person, up to ten members of the media.
by Jack Taylor / Jan 15, 2021
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) -- Both the Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries have yet to see someone claim the winning numbers.
The Mega Millions jackpot sits at $750 million, the second largest amount in record. While the Powerball sits at $640 million, ranking the fifth highest amount ever.
by Kaitlyn Rivas / Jan 15, 2021
RICHMOND, VA (WVNS) -- A nearly three year process now coming to fruition. Kevin Hall, Executive Director of the Virginia Lottery said the approved sports betting agencies will be receiving their credentials soon. He said the hope is Virginians are able to wager on the Big Game.
While sports betting is now legal in Virginia, there are a few things those participating should know.:
UPDATE: One injured after two-car accident in Lewisburg; U.S. 219 fully reopened


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Monthly: January 2017
Seabrook visits CIT for schools robotics competition
Robert Kavanagh of Seabrook with students from Cork Educate Together NS and teacher Brian Glanville at the Vex IQ Crossover Challenge finals
Seabrook would like to wish the sixth class students from Cork Educate Together National School the very best of luck as they compete in the Vex IQ Crossover Challenge finals in CIT today.
The students, led by their teacher Brian Glanville, are taking part in the Dell-sponsored worldwide competition from Vex Robotics that sees teams tasked with designing and building a robot to play against other teams from around the world. More than 10,000 teams from 32 countries play in over 750 game-based engineering tournaments.
Cork Educate Together is one of 51 local schools competing in Nexus Hall in CIT over two days and we were delighted to get involved, sponsoring the team's t-shirts and posters, both of which were designed by the kids themselves. Members of the Seabrook team were also attending today to cheer on the sixth class competitors.
It's an invaluable opportunity for primary school children to put classroom STEM concepts to the test and instill a love of technology and learning that will stand to them in later life, something we here at Seabrook are passionate about.
VEX Competitions bring STEM skills to life by tasking teams of students with designing and building a robot to play against other teams in a game-based engineering challenge. Classroom STEM concepts are put to the test as students learn lifelong skills in teamwork, leadership, communications, and more.
For more information, visit www.vexrobotics.com
Seabrook Technology Group signs significant distribution deal with Siemens PLM Software
Pictured at Siemens' Birmingham office for the official signing of the distribution contract are (L-R) Seabrook Technology Group's Managing Director Sean O'Sullivan, Siemens PLM Software Indirect Sales Director Nick Farrall, and Siemens PLM Software Vice President of Global Solution Partner Sales, Jeff Zobrist.
Seabrook Technology Group is delighted to announce that they are the newly appointed main distributor of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Software for the entire Irish manufacturing sector.
Revenue from the new contract will reach in excess of €1 million and create three new jobs in the next 12 months. Seabrook has been in operation for 27 years, and in the past four years has tripled its workforce and opened offices in California, Indiana and the UK.
In 2015, the company announced its Channel Partnership with Siemens PLM Software UK. This enabled Seabrook to offer Siemens Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) Software, including PLM and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) software products, to new and existing clients in Ireland and the UK.
Siemens PLM Software is the global leading provider of both PLM and Manufacturing Operations Management technology. The international powerhouse in automation and digitisation employs 348,000 people in 190 countries around the world. Seabrook will now be the primary supplier for the full range of Siemens' PLM products to manufacturers across all sectors in Ireland. This will include pharma, food & beverages, medical devices, machinery, computer and semi-conductor manufacturers, among others. Seabrook will also provide expert consultancy on behalf of Siemens.
Commenting on the deal, Seabrook Managing Director, Sean O'Sullivan said: "We are delighted to embark on this new agreement with Siemens, and to lead the way in supplying Irish manufacturers with these mission-critical PLM technologies. We have witnessed an urgency to adopt this software across the industry, as global manufacturing processes become increasingly digitised. Ireland is already some way behind America and Asia with adopting these technologies and embracing the digital factory. We simply cannot afford to lag behind any longer."
Mr O'Sullivan added: "We are especially pleased to have agreed this new deal with a company that has such a significant presence in the UK. It is a testament to the strength of collaboration between Irish and UK enterprises in such a time of uncertainty with the fallout from Brexit."
The advanced technology of PLM is necessary for Irish manufacturers to remain globally competitive in Industry 4.0 – the era of the digital factory. It's predicted that full digitisation of industrial production will lead to an increase of €250 million in the EU's GDP in the short to medium term, a statistic Ireland's manufacturers cannot afford to ignore.*
Siemens Industry Software Managing Director in Ireland and the UK, Robin Hancock, also commented: "Seabrook's success in Ireland and the UK as our Channel Partner has impressed us greatly and we are now expanding on this relationship with the new distribution contract. We are delighted to have such an experienced, trusted and expert organisation as our primary ambassadors for PLM products in Ireland."
PLM software enables manufacturers to eliminate paper-based files. It facilitates meaningful cost cutting by creating a virtual twin of a product, allowing for numerous, simulated re-designs before the product is ever made in reality. It also allows products to reach the market as much as 50% faster, enforces compliance with regulations and enhances the quality of the end product.
Why MES can – and does – work for SMBs
By John Dzelme | Blog | No Comments
A question often posed by smaller and medium sized manufacturing enterprises, is whether they really need a Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Sometimes they will argue that because of their size and the volume of their output, they have no need for MES. Regardless of the size of a manufacturing organization however, MES is necessary to achieve lean manufacturing, operational excellence and, will become even more mission critical as we edge closer to Industry 4.0.
This is especially true for medical device manufacturers. Heavily regulated industries need robust tracking and tracing capabilities. Manufacturing processes in this sector are becoming increasingly complex in order to keep up with the demand for more sophisticated products and in order to comply with more stringent regulations. Whether you are a small manufacturer or a global giant, you will have to produce devices of unprecedented quality, while simultaneously complying with ever stricter regulations in order to remain relevant and competitive.
MES and Lean Manufacturing
Reducing the cost of goods sold through lean manufacturing and the elimination of waste is a target for every medical device manufacturer, regardless of size. Eradication of waste can be achieved easily with MES. For example, it facilitates a paperless system.
In an assessment we undertook for a cardiac resuscitation device company that implemented Camstar MES, we found that there was an $88,000 reduction in paperwork management costs and a $32,600 drop in paper costs, storage and boxing costs. Benefiting from cost reduction while moving towards lean manufacturing is advantageous for SMBs in such a competitive industry as medical device manufacturing.
MES and accurate reporting of real-time data
A manufacturer's future competitive advantage will be contingent on the integration of accurate and real-time data from the shop floor to the business floor. Medical device manufacturers of all sizes need to ensure that the machines on the factory floor are communicating with each other and with the organization's enterprise level systems. MES facilitates this communication. It also removes the risk of human error from manual inputting of data.
MES can feed back real-time data from the factory floor that is precise and that identifies and corrects operational problems and issues. The visibility of this real time data allows manufacturers to take immediate action. These rapid responses are crucial in today's market. Any improvements on the shop floor are also communicated with precision and in real time, leading to more efficient processes. In short, MES drives operations and operational excellence.
Can SMBs afford MES?
Although SMBs do not have the same economies of scale as their larger counterparts, the argument still stands that MES is a necessity as we move ever closer to Industry 4.0. The good news is that the cost of technology is falling. MES is becoming more affordable for SMBs – who will see a Return on Investment shortly after implementation. For example, in the first three months after implementation, cost reductions, improved productivity and enhanced efficiency will be experienced. A year on, an organization will see shorter workflow cycles, coupled with other benefits. And these benefits will continue to build on each other until true intelligent and lean manufacturing is achieved.
Of course for SMBs, the vendor they choose is also an extremely important consideration. When making the investment, you need to be sure that you will also have continuous support, back-up and expertise to rely on. Seabrook Technology Group excels at this. We are recognized specialists in MES and lean manufacturing. To find out more about our package, contact me at any time at [email protected]


Just put my big starfish up tonight, under a wooden crescent moonn cut out my daughter left in the grasses in alaska, after making that famous moon window for their outhouse at the cabin. I just placed the starfish, quite large under its curved crescent essence. And now I find your post on every man is a starfish. I love these posts Kyle. Often, or paused in active searching, I am quite glad to have found your post here from an email notif.
Keep cracken and flippin. It is going home. May your friend find a peaceful passing over.
L i t l, l u w.


IPC (IP Converge Data Services, Inc.), a pioneer in local cloud and data center services, has just announced that it is now a partner of the Philippine International Aid (PIA), a U.S.-based charity that has been providing health and educational assistance to underprivileged youth.
One of the PIA's core initiatives is the "Off the Streets-Off to School" scholarship, a program that helps parents and teachers to keep kids in school. Administered in partnership with the Phil-Asia Assistance Foundation, the Off the Streets–Off to School program provides scholarships annually to more than 1,000 children in Metro Manila.
Together with their partners, PIA helps students go through elementary and college. The student's academic progress is monitored throughout the academic year and they are also encouraged to correspond with their respective benefactors.
Under the program, IPC will fund the school expenses of five students of the Eulogio Rodriguez Integrated School in Mandaluyong City. The funds provided will take care of tuition fees, books, supplies, field trip costs, uniforms, shoes, and allowances for meals and transportation.
This is the second time that IPC has teamed up with a charity dedicated to help improve education. In 2014, they lent their cloud technology services to assist the Teachers for the Philippines in documenting and tracking the effectivity of their teaching programs.


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Cornerstone Fund Stories: Gregory Bryant
Gregory Bryant spent a lot of time at Ouachita as a high school student, visiting his older sister Sarah Ashley Bryant Rutherford '19. He discovered early on that there was more "family" than he could have possibly imagined waiting to welcome him to campus.
Despite the fact that Gregory was in high school, he says, "The faculty, staff and students were great to me. I knew then that I wanted to come to Ouachita."
Three years later, Gregory is a rising senior who has thrown himself into life at Ouachita. In the classroom, he's encountered professors who "go the extra mile" in their field—willing to help students in any way possible, challenging them to grow intellectually and spiritually. As a member of Beta Beta Men's Social Club, Gregory got to participate in Tiger Tunes and enjoy a second-place finish. He's taken part in "buzzer-beater" intramural games, leads a weekly small-group Bible study through Campus Ministries and gives back to the Arkadelphia community on Tiger Serve Day.
"There never is a dull day at Ouachita," Gregory says, "and I love getting to enjoy it with some of the best people around."
"Everything changes so fast in this stage of life, but the one thing that is constant and steadfast is the Lord," he adds. "God's presence has been with me since the very first day I walked on campus. He has been guiding me on how to live the best way while I'm at Ouachita."
When Gregory reflects on his many Ouachita experiences, he credits the generosity of donors—including those who support the Cornerstone Fund—with making them possible.
"With Ouachita being an elite liberal arts school and its traditions, I knew I wanted to be part of it but didn't know if it would be possible," he says. "Because of donors, I'm able to enjoy Ouachita without drowning in student debt. And for that, I am so thankful."
Gifts to the Cornerstone Fund support Ouachita students like Gregory each year.
To invest in the next generation of Tigers, please use the form below.
Scholarship endowed at Ouachita to honor David Sharp
Stepping Up for Ouachita 2022 honorees announced
Jana Hardage named Ouachita's Support Staff Member of the Year
Ouachita dedicates newly-renovated Tatman Corner
Creating community, one amazing dish at a time
Three Ouachita seniors intern for U.S. Sen. Boozman


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2Day in #OpenGov 11/1/12
by Alisha Green Nov 1, 2012 9:52 am
NEWS ROUNDUP:
Money pours into Senate races: Millions of dollars are pouring into several competitive Senate races in the final stretch of the campaign season. Both parties are trying to sway majority of the Senate their way. (Washington Post)
Lessons from Citizens United: Roll Call took a look at some of the lessons in the post-Citizens United era. One of the main trends: spending by outside groups, including Super PACs and nonprofits, has soared. (Roll Call)
Nonprofit contributions leads to increase of dark money: The prevalence of donations by nonprofits to Super PACs this campaign season has contributed to the increase of dark money since 501(c)(4) groups do not have to disclose their donors. (Public Integrity)
Super PACs have host of Halloween ads: Super PACs are not missing out on the spirit of Halloween, and some are using it to inspire new campaign attack ads with "scary stories." (Public Integrity)
Former McConnell aide now an ally: A former aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Steven Law, is now head of the Crossroads GPS and American Crossroads groups, and the two remain political allies despite rarely talking now. (Washington Post)
The Hill names the year's top lobbyists: The Hill released its list of 2012's top lobbyists, according to its rankings. (The Hill)
App helps voters find their polling place: Votizen has launched a new app for the iPhone iOS6 that lets registered voters find their polling location and look at their past voting history. (TechPresident)
No Politwoops here: Tweeting by people running for election is forbidden in Japan. A group is trying to change this. (Global Voices)
Journalists fined for revealing corruption in Spain: A pair of journalists in Spain were fined 10,000 Euros after uploading a video to YouTube criticizing the lack of transparency in public healthcare financing. (Global Voices)
RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:
HAPPENING TODAY 11/1:
Do you want to track transparency news? You can add our feed to your Google Reader, or view it on our Netvibes page. You can also get 2Day in #OpenGov sent directly to your reader!


As this generation of consoles slowly draws to a close, we've decided to recount some of our favorite exclusive titles from each platform. Over the next three weeks, we'll be doing just that with these top 10 lists.
First up is the Xbox 360.
There is one thing that we, as a pair, noticed when it comes to the exclusivity of Xbox 360 games… it doesn't last forever. There were a lot of once-exclusive titles that we had to skip over simply because they didn't fit the qualifications for this list.
Castle Crashers, for instance, was a huge selling point for indie fans without an Xbox 360 in their possession. Same with Limbo and Braid. Then they all released for other platforms.
This type of thing made it really hard to find Xbox 360 exclusives.
As such, these are our 10 favorite Xbox 360 exclusives that remain exclusive. You must own an Xbox 360 in order to play these games.
Put down your pitchforks! Remember, this is our list of favorites. I don't care what the masses think, I had a whole lot of fun with Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Sure, it wasn't the platforming extravaganza we all wanted after this iconic franchise's run on the Nintendo 64.
Instead, Rare decided to throw platforming out the window and make a game that featured the creation of custom vehicles and mission-based gameplay. It didn't always work, but Nuts & Bolts was a real charmer when things came together. I remember building a massive tank that ejected a smaller plane/car/thing at the push of a button. Nerdy? Yes. But awesome.
Furthermore, the game is gorgeous and boasts one of my favorite soundtracks. I might be in the minority, but I loved Nuts & Bolts.
Freedom is a word thrown around by a lot of developers to hype up the idea their game allows gamers to experience the work as they see fit. But how many games can say they have TRUE freedom? Not many.
Got a target locked up on a high roof? Take the elevator to the top and shoot your way through his bodyguards to get to him. Drive an armored tank into the elevator and plow your way to the roof while immune to bullets. Snipe enemies from neighboring rooftops to thin the numbers, barrage rockets from the sky, or simply leap from the next building over to avoid a massive firefight.
All of these are options, and yet nothing is scripted and laid out. An imagination is all that is required to tackle Crackdown's missions.
The high flying jump mechanics and addictive orbs collection system extend this game to be more than just a shootout in an open city. Grand Theft Auto creator David Jones directed this game, and his stamps of rewards and freedom are all over this game.
Most people bought Crackdown for the Halo 3 demo, but this is a case where the game itself turned out to be far better.
The original Fable earned a lot of mixed opinions from gamers, mostly because it was vastly oversold and didn't deliver the goods creator Peter Molyneux had promised. His second attempt at the series though hit the nail right on the head.
Fable II is a perfect sequel. It keeps much of the charm and familiarity of the original intact, but at the same time it is able to both axe away the unnecessary bits and pieces and improve on what really needed to be improved upon.
Combat is great with the single button combos, each assigned to gun, magic and sword, and the players overall impression left on the world is much more obvious. People laugh, cheer, boo, and insult you as they see fit.
Not to mention the game has a freakishly lifelike dog which follows throughout the entire game. There are some genuine moments of emotion wrapped up in that dog.
The idea of Fable in itself is still impossible during this day and age. Such a grand vision of a video game would require power beyond what we are capable of right now, but putting that aside, Fable II comes as close as possible to match Peter Molyneux's image.
I know this because Fable III didn't even come close.
I'll admit that I personally enjoyed the campaign from the original Gears of War more than I did the one in Gears 2. I found the entire ordeal with Dom and his wife in the second game to be incredibly cheesy. I also vastly preferred Gears 1's ability to tell its story through atmosphere.
That said, the multiplayer elements in Gears of War 2 were top-notch. The competitive stuff was a lot of fun. But, even better was the cooperative element. I'm not even talking about the cooperative campaign, I'm talking about Horde Mode.
Since its appearance in Gears of War 2, Horde Mode has become an absolute staple in the multiplayer side of gaming. Most blockbuster shooters have it these days, and that's a wonderful compliment for the designers at Epic Games.
Halo: Reach was, as far as I'm concerned, Bungie's swansong in the Halo franchise. The multiplayer side is one-of-a-kind, the campaign is fantastic and the element of having multiple Spartans made for a really interesting take on a universe that was starting to grow a little stale.
Sure, Halo 4 proved that 343 Industries was capable of taking the reins from Bungie in a huge way, but Halo: Reach felt more like a love letter to one of the greatest franchises in gaming.
Plus, how awesome was Firefight?
Here's another slightly odd duck for our list of favorite exclusives. Halo Wars was developed by the now defunct Ensemble Studios. In fact, Microsoft closed Ensemble as soon as this game hit retail.
The title, though, was awesome. Halo Wars was a console RTS based on the Halo universe. This wasn't a shooter, but a military management and strategy game. While it was definitely too dumbed down to stand in line with RTS offerings like StarCraft, Halo Wars was just smart enough to be a great experience for the Xbox 360.
Most diehard Halo fans immediately wrote this game off as being nothing more than a franchise cash-in. The title was so different than the franchise it was based in, but Ensemble really did make something special. The campaign was fun, and the multiplayer mode was really addictive. Halo Wars is a gem.
There is no getting around it. The JRPG just did not work on HD consoles. Handhelds took that genre to new heights, but only Hironobu Sakaguchi, the guru behind Final Fantasy, was able to crank out anything worth remembering.
Lost Odyssey is an example of the JRPG done right. It has a huge world, expansive story, smart battle system, and lots and lots of melodrama. It's a simple formula that is almost impossible to mess up, so it makes me wonder what Japan had done so wrong over the years.
Were they trying to get experimental and fell on their faces? Final Fantasy XIII can attest to that. Were they busying trying to keep up with BioWare and Bethesda and appeal to Western gamers? That might explain a few missteps like Infinite Undiscovery or The Last Remnant.
Long story short…the JRPG is best left alone with very few changes to the formula. If you can tell a good story and keep gamers excited about random battle after random battle, then you've done your job right.
Lost Odyssey does just that. It's not revolutionary, but its solid, familiar, and appeals to old-school fans of the genre. It doesn't rank amongst the classics, but as a JRPG fan with nowhere else to turn, you can do a lot worse.
To this day, Project Gotham Racing 3 stands as one of my favorite launch titles from any console generation. I'm not even that diehard of a racing game fan, but I poured hours and hours into PGR3. The nice click-click-click sound of a perfectly executed drift that rakes in points still induces an almost Pavlovian pleasure in my brain.
While other fans will insist that Forza is the better racing franchise on the Xbox 360, I'll always swear by Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham Racing. Plus, Project Gotham Racing 3 had a garage with a Geometry Wars cabinet in the game. That was awesome.
Nothing beats drifting through the courses in Project Gotham Racing 3 with classical music blaring from the game's soundtrack.
"Metroidvania." A magic word that makes every video gamer shriek with joy. What is it about this magical genre which excites us so much?
Microsoft noticed this and built a marketing campaign around it for this game. It makes me wonder if Nintendo and Konami feel ok about being responsible for the popularity of a Microsoft game.
Shadow Complex pulled off the Metroidvania formula well enough. Travel through the open-world, jump on platforms, shoot guys, unlock new tools and use them to find secrets and new routes.
It was designed to be played through more than once, for those who didn't use a walkthrough to find everything the first time or for those who are speed runners. I never got around to it though.
A true sleeper hit if I ever saw one. Xbox players were so wrapped up in waiting for Shadow Complex that they let this little gem slip right under their noses as it launched not long before.
'Splosion Man is a 2.5D platformer which also happens to be a masterpiece of minimalist game design. 'Splosion Man has only one move, and that is to 'splode, or jump as any other game would call it. He can triple jump, and then must land before triple jumping again.
Using this sole mechanic, Twisted Pixel was able to carve out 100 levels worth of perfect timing, precision platforming. 50 solo and 50 through ingenious co-op.
Rather than the character's arsenal becoming more complex, the world around him evolves into more difficult situations with more and more elements added to every level. It's a rare approach to games that used to be the norm.
XLBA has been home to many wonderful games that follow this simple rule… but this is the only one that remains exclusive. It's sequel, Ms. 'Splosion Man, has been ported to iPads and Steam, but honestly, I still enjoy the first one better. It just flows more naturally I think.
Honorable Mentions: Halo 3, Beautiful Katamari, Double Fine Happy Action Theater, Perfect Dark Zero, the Forza series and Viva Piñata.


Wood combustion in small scale boilers is widely used for domestic heating. The combination of different parameters such as fuel quality, combustion conditions and boiler capacity can have a strong impact on the quality of exhaust gases, for example on the level of particle emissions (PM). Thanks to the progress achieved in combustion technologies, small scale boilers generally achieve low emissions with respect to mass concentration, however, sub-micron particles, can still contribute to raising PM levels in urban areas, especially during winter. These fine particles are associated to a series of respiratory diseases, and for this reason strict regulatory requirements for small scale combustion systems have been introduced recently in some European countries. For example, in Germany the First Federal Emission Protection Ordinance in force since 2015, sets a limit of 0,02g/Nm³ of particulate emissions for biomass combustion boilers. While this represents a challenge for manufacturers, some advanced technologies are increasingly becoming available, which can strongly reduce PM emissions from small scale biomass systems well below these limits.
An effective way of reducing emissions is to install a cleaning equipment for the exhaust gas. While these systems are commonly applied in large scale plants, their use in small scale appliances is not so common yet. In this field the use of electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) can be an effective solution since it ensures high collection efficiency for various-sized particles, especially sub-micron ones, which are predominant in exhaust gases from the small scale wood combustion facilities.
Cost effectiveness and easy maintenance.
Inspired by the principles above, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany have developed the CAROLA® electrostatic precipitator (Corona Aerosol Abscheider). This consists of a thermo-insulated housing in which an ionizer, a collector and an ash-box are installed. The ionizer consists of a grounded tube, in which a high voltage electrode is installed. The ionizer is equipped with an automatic system for periodical cleaning. Collector tubes with rotating brush-electrodes are also equipped with plates for cleaning. Finally, an ash-box is installed in the bottom and is used for collection of the fly ash. The particle loaded gas flows into the ionizer, when a high voltage is applied to the electrode, the particles receive an electric charge. The charged particles are then transported into the ash-box and further into the collector tubes, where the precipitation takes place. Finally, the output gas flows into the gas duct or chimney.
A major advantage of this system is that it can be designed as stand-alone or event integrated in existing biomass combustion systems. Currently, various CAROLA® electrostatic precipitators are undergoing long-term tests at various locations, the total operation time exceeds 30.000 h and the tests are showing very good results in term of long-term operational stability. The ESP ensures effective gas cleaning and reduction of fine particle emissions for various combustion conditions. At particle mass concentration upstream of the ESP up to 85 mg/Nm³, the collection efficiency is around 80%. This results in reduction of particle mass concentration in the clean gas below the level of 0,02 g/Nm³. At the same time, the power consumption of these system is quite low, around 0,05 kW/h for a mid-range model.
This post is based on the paper "Development and demonstration of an electrostatical precipitator, which is optimally adapted to a biomass boiler", written byA. Bologa, M, Ecker, H.-P. Reinheimer, H.-R. Paur, presented at the 24th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition.


There are currently no Sanger Sanger, CA notable alumni listed. Be the first to add an SHS famous alumni.
The memorials below are for students of Sanger High School that have passed away.
This site has been created for the former students of SHS located in Sanger, California.	You can also find out what other graduates are doing now, share memories with other alumn, upload pictures from Sanger and find other alumni. If you are an alumn of SHS you should register now in the alumni directory. We also encourage you to interact with the rest of the alumni on this site. You can find old friends, share photos and stay updated on the latest school news.
Barbra Blue has someone searching for them.
Charles Jarvis has someone searching for them.
Perry Bennett has someone searching for them.
Brittany Davila has someone searching for them.
Jeff Showalter updated their profile picture.
Jeff Showalter added photos to their personal photo gallery.
Jeff Showalter registered as a SHS Class of 1969 alumni.
Christian Hernandez registered as a SHS Class of 2008 alumni.
Christian Hernandez updated his profile picture.
Christian Hernandez added photos to their personal photo gallery.
Jessica Ramirez registered as a SHS alumni.
Jessica Ramirez updated her profile picture.
Jessica Ramirez added photos to their personal photo gallery.
Sparky Fortner Arbuckle added photos to their personal photo gallery.
Sparky Fortner Arbuckle registered as a SHS Class of 1964 alumni.
Sparky Fortner Arbuckle updated her profile picture.
Charlene Marie updated her profile picture.
Charlene Marie added photos to their personal photo gallery.
Charlene Marie registered as a SHS alumni.


Hundreds of older people in Cumbria are in danger of becoming ill or even dying because of the cold. The Winter Warmth Appeal was launched in 2010 and has literally saved lives. An average of 300 deaths occur in Cumbria each year due to the effects of cold weather.
We collect your generous donations and share them with vulnerable older people who struggle to heat their homes, so they can stay warm and healthy during winter. There are different ways to donate to help older people in Cumbria.
Please take the time to watch our Winter Warmth video here.
We're sharing simple information on ways that people can help keep warm. If you know people who are vulnerable to the cold this winter, please let them know how they can access support.
If you know someone who may need support from the fund, please click here. We're encouraging people to consider volunteering and setting up schemes that support people in practical ways. This link takes you to some excellent guides produced by ACT.
You can help raise money by taking part in The Big Sleep, to find out more click here or download our fundraising guide.


Here's the original column on the newspaper's site.
Coaching baseball is more than creating a line-up, standing in the dugout, and offering the occasional word of encouragement or correction.
But coaching Little League baseball?
Sure, you got your line-ups, dugouts, and positive words, but working with kids brings a whole 'nother dimension.
The Little League coaching recipe starts with instruction. Add a handful of inspiration and a dash of imagination. Allow for imperfection and inattention. Use imitation as desired.
And hope it doesn't end with indigestion.
The 2011 Edition of Official Baseball Rules is 130 pages and over 50,000 words. I checked at MLB.com. The Official Little League Rule Book comes in at a total of 125 pages.
Yet these are incomplete documents. Coaches flipping through these books can find their fill of instruction, but the remaining coaching ingredients are severely lacking within their pages.
So I'm offering an unofficial rule book addendum -- not rules necessarily -- but guidelines. It's information needed by grown-ups to successfully coach kids, all conveniently concentrated to 1 page and 500 words, and all available free. With my compliments.
Guideline #1: All equipment besides a player's hat, glove, and cup is provided by the team and available in the dugout, yet batters will occasionally enter the on-deck circle without a helmet or bat.
Guideline #2: Players can lose their hat and glove in less than half an inning.
Guideline #3: Players never lose their cup. This is due to its proximity to other valuable possessions and the tendency for players to repeatedly demonstrate their cup's effectiveness with their knuckles.
Guideline #4: The outfield is little more than a prairie. Prairies have grass, weeds, holes, crickets, moths, and the occasional squirrel. In this environment baseballs will drop from the sky unnoticed.
Guideline #6: A squibber that travels halfway to first and barely stays fair can be more significant than a screaming line drive to the gap. It all depends on the player who hits it.
Guideline #7: Never be comfortable when your pitcher has an 0-2 count on the hitter. Balls are like parade candy -- readily available and freely given.
Guideline #8: Any player who hits a weak ground ball to shortstop, is safe at first and advances to second on an overthrow, takes third when the pitcher drops the ball, and races for home when the pitcher's throw to third goes into the dugout, will claim to have hit a home run. Mark it accordingly in the score book.
Guideline #9: Support the concession stand. The money is needed for extra hats.
Guideline #10: Sunflower seeds are not only a cheek-filling, spit-inducing, baseball snack, but make great rapid-fire artillery to launch at unsuspecting teammates in the dugout. It's best to just stay out of range.
Guideline #11: All's well that ends well. As long as there's ice cream. And everyone leaves with their hat.
I loved this post. It made me laugh out loud and even created a couple tears of laughter. As a mother of two Little Leaguers and a coach's wife, I could relate to all of it. Thank you for a good laugh at the end of a very long Little League season.
Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad to hear that other leagues are the same as the one I coached in and that other parents and coaches share the same experiences.
Thanks also for stopping by the site. Hopefully the upcoming posts are just as entertaining and/or informative.
Until then, keep your glove on the ground, your eye on the ball, your hat within view, and your cup ... ah, never mind.


10 Contemplations are Daily Buddhist Routine!
frequently in this state. What is that unique contemplation?
there are the Contented Devas, there are also those enjoying own creation!
has entered the stream to Nibbāna, he cultivates further his contemplation.
Sakka - king of the 33 devas - hovering about with some of his many nymphs.
Many devas can attain whatever form and colour at will. Some is made of light!


The Year 6s are having a great time at Caythorpe - lots of mud, water and learning new skills! Please see our Caythorpe page (in class pages - year 6 - curriculum - Caythorpe) for photos and more detail about what we've been up to. These will be updated as often as possible, bearing in mind we only have a limited time to use the WiFi to upload photos in between activities and meal times.


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text:
I thought I had mono for a whole year, turns out, I was reading about Demaryius Thomas for five minutes
Steve Luciano/Associated Press
Boo freakin hoo. I read the headline of this Bleacher Report article and thought, "I'd feel disrespected if I was traded to the Jets too, I mean, they're the Jets." But to the contrary, mon frere. Bill Belichick hates the Jets organization, like really hates them. Need I remind you of the "I resign as HC of NYJ - BB" written on a cocktail napkin? When you abbreviate it means you don't care enough to write the whole thing out (like this blog, heyo!). I don't know exactly what happened to make Belichick hate them so much, but something really chapped his ass. Now if you spend time with the Patriots, make the team, get cut, re-signed 2 days later, then traded to the Jets? Belichick must really not like you, like beyond abbreviating. Speaking of abbreviating, let's talk about the name Demaryius, too long, I feel like I'm fighting Mr Mxyzptlk typing it out. Shoutout DC comics. Furthermore, I hate these games like the one coming up Monday night. It's too late, too much time in between games, spooky things happen. Not saying the Patriots are going to lose, but I've put in my time over the years to notice the deviation from the normal day to day can sometimes rattle some cages between the ears of some players. I know about this especially, I need my routine and stick to it daily. If one little thing is off, I'm squirrely all day, won't get into specifics because I don't want you all to know just how crazy I am. This is the type of game screaming Thomas to have a career night, however, again, it's the Jets.
Mommy, why is that man yelling at himself in the car? Follow me on Twitter @tc1three
TC 10/18/2019 05:13:00 PM Tweet Edit


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Browse all Physicians & Surgeons in New Germany NS.


Biography/Documentary | theyoungfreshnew.com | 2010 is mine - new blog coming soon!
Peep the second series of Shaun Boothe "Unauthorized Biography" of Bob Marley.
Peep Shaun Boothe rap version of the unauthorized biography of James Brown. Very influential!


text:
Q: Wordpress on Ubuntu - "File not Found" for home.php - Trying to Redirect to Root Folder I recently did a one-click installation on a Ubuntu server set up via Vultr. There is a PHP URL path (site.com/home.php) that I want to 301 redirect to the root folder (site.com/) but nothing has worked so far. Here are a few things I tried...
Set up .htacess file with mod rewrite rule (seems to ignore this)
Looked into nginx config files. I have three.
cockpit.conf
wordpress_http.conf
wordpress_https.conf
I tried updating a few things based on other threads but nothing worked (I'm a beginner with server configurations so I might have done the wrong thing too). The content of each config file is:
cockpit.conf
server {
    listen 9080 ssl;
    server_name _;
    ssl_certificate /etc/nginx/ssl/server.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/ssl/server.key;
    # set max upload size
    client_max_body_size 2G;
    fastcgi_buffers 64 4K;
    access_log /var/log/nginx/cockpit_access.log combined;
    error_log /var/log/nginx/cockpit_error.log;
    server_tokens off;
    location / {
        # Required to proxy the connection to Cockpit
        proxy_pass https://127.0.0.1:9090;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        # Required for web sockets to function
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_buffering off;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        # Pass ETag header from Cockpit to clients.
        # See: https://github.com/cockpit-project/cockpit/issues/5239
        gzip off;
    }
}

wordpress_http.conf
upstream php-handler-http {
server 127.0.0.1:9000;
}
server {
listen 80 default_server;
server_name _;
#server_name wordpress.example.com;

root /var/www/html/;
index index.php;

# set max upload size
client_max_body_size 2G;
fastcgi_buffers 64 4K;

access_log /var/log/nginx/wordpress_http_access.log combined;
error_log /var/log/nginx/wordpress_http_error.log;

server_tokens off;

location = /favicon.ico {
log_not_found off;
access_log off;
}

location = /robots.txt {
allow all;
log_not_found off;
access_log off;
}

location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args ;
}

# protected area (XHProf)
location ^~ /xhprof/xhprof_html/ {
auth_basic "Restricted";
auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/htpasswd/xhprof;

location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
fastcgi_param PHP_FLAG "session.auto_start=off \n mbstring.encoding_translation=off";
fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "assert.active=0 \n mbstring.http_input=pass \n mbstring.http_output=pass";
fastcgi_pass php-handler-http ;
fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
}
}

# protected area (phpmyadmin)
location ^~ /mysqladmin/ {
auth_basic "Restricted";
auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/htpasswd/phpmyadmin;

location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
fastcgi_param PHP_FLAG "session.auto_start=off \n mbstring.encoding_translation=off";
fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "assert.active=0 \n mbstring.http_input=pass \n mbstring.http_output=pass";
fastcgi_pass php-handler-http ;
fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
}
}

location ^~ /wp-admin/install.php {
auth_basic "Restricted";
auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/htpasswd/wpadmin;

location ~* \.(htaccess|htpasswd) {
deny all;
}

location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "auto_prepend_file=/var/www/html/xhprof/external/header.php";
fastcgi_pass php-handler-http;
fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
}
}

location ~* \.(htaccess|htpasswd) {
deny all;
}

location ~* \.(?:ini|conf|txt)$ {
deny all;
}

location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "auto_prepend_file=/var/www/html/xhprof/external/header.php";
fastcgi_pass php-handler-http;
fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
}

# set long EXPIRES header on static assets
location ~* \.(?:jpg|jpeg|gif|bmp|ico|png|css|js|swf)$ {
expires 30d;
access_log off;
}

}

wordpress_https.conf
upstream php-handler-https {
    server 127.0.0.1:9000;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl default_server;
    server_name _;
    #server_name wordpress.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/nginx/ssl/server.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/ssl/server.key;

    root /var/www/html/;
    index index.php;

    # set max upload size
    client_max_body_size 2G;
    fastcgi_buffers 64 4K;

    access_log /var/log/nginx/wordpress_https_access.log combined;
    error_log /var/log/nginx/wordpress_https_error.log;

    server_tokens off;

    location = /favicon.ico {
        log_not_found off;
        access_log off;
    }

    location = /robots.txt {
        allow all;
        log_not_found off;
        access_log off;
    }

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args ;
    }

    # protected area (XHProf)
    location ^~ /xhprof/xhprof_html/ {
        auth_basic "Restricted";
        auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/htpasswd/xhprof;

        location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
          fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
          include fastcgi_params;
          fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
          fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
          fastcgi_param PHP_FLAG "session.auto_start=off \n mbstring.encoding_translation=off";
          fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "assert.active=0 \n mbstring.http_input=pass \n mbstring.http_output=pass";
          fastcgi_pass php-handler-http ;
          fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
        }
    }

    # protected area (phpmyadmin)
    location ^~ /mysqladmin/ {
        auth_basic "Restricted";
        auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/htpasswd/phpmyadmin;

        location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
          fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
          include fastcgi_params;
          fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
          fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
          fastcgi_param PHP_FLAG "session.auto_start=off \n mbstring.encoding_translation=off";
          fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "assert.active=0 \n mbstring.http_input=pass \n mbstring.http_output=pass";
          fastcgi_pass php-handler-http ;
          fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
        }
    }

    location ^~ /wp-admin/install.php {
        auth_basic "Restricted";
        auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/htpasswd/wpadmin;

        location ~* \.(htaccess|htpasswd) {
            deny all;
        }

        location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
            fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
            include fastcgi_params;
            fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
            fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
            fastcgi_param HTTPS on;
            fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "auto_prepend_file=/var/www/html/xhprof/external/header.php";
            fastcgi_pass php-handler-https;
            fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
        }
    }

    location ~* \.(htaccess|htpasswd) {
        deny all;
    }

    location ~* \.(?:ini|conf|txt)$ {
        deny all;
    }

    location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
        fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
        fastcgi_param HTTPS on;
        fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "auto_prepend_file=/var/www/html/xhprof/external/header.php";
        fastcgi_pass php-handler-https;
        fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
    }

    # set long EXPIRES header on static assets
    location ~* \.(?:jpg|jpeg|gif|bmp|ico|png|css|js|swf)$ {
        expires 30d;
        access_log off;
    }

}

server {
    listen 443 ssl ;
    server_name www.gardenfreshsalsa.com gardenfreshsalsa.com; # managed by Certbot
    #server_name wordpress.example.com;
    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/gardenfreshsalsa.com/fullchain.pem; # managed by Certbot
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/gardenfreshsalsa.com/privkey.pem; # managed by Certbot

    root /var/www/html/;
    index index.php;

    # set max upload size
    client_max_body_size 2G;
    fastcgi_buffers 64 4K;

    access_log /var/log/nginx/wordpress_https_access.log combined;
    error_log /var/log/nginx/wordpress_https_error.log;

    server_tokens off;

    location = /favicon.ico {
        log_not_found off;
        access_log off;
    }

    location = /robots.txt {
        allow all;
        log_not_found off;
        access_log off;
    }

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args ;
    }

    # protected area (XHProf)
    location ^~ /xhprof/xhprof_html/ {
        auth_basic "Restricted";
        auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/htpasswd/xhprof;

        location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
          fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
          include fastcgi_params;
          fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
          fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
          fastcgi_param PHP_FLAG "session.auto_start=off \n mbstring.encoding_translation=off";
          fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "assert.active=0 \n mbstring.http_input=pass \n mbstring.http_output=pass";
          fastcgi_pass php-handler-http ;
          fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
        }
    }

    # protected area (phpmyadmin)
    location ^~ /mysqladmin/ {
        auth_basic "Restricted";
        auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/htpasswd/phpmyadmin;

        location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
          fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
          include fastcgi_params;
          fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
          fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
          fastcgi_param PHP_FLAG "session.auto_start=off \n mbstring.encoding_translation=off";
          fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "assert.active=0 \n mbstring.http_input=pass \n mbstring.http_output=pass";
          fastcgi_pass php-handler-http ;
          fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
        }
    }

    location ^~ /wp-admin/install.php {
        auth_basic "Restricted";
        auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/htpasswd/wpadmin;

        location ~* \.(htaccess|htpasswd) {
            deny all;
        }

        location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
            fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
            include fastcgi_params;
            fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
            fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
            fastcgi_param HTTPS on;
            fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "auto_prepend_file=/var/www/html/xhprof/external/header.php";
            fastcgi_pass php-handler-https;
            fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
        }
    }

    location ~* \.(htaccess|htpasswd) {
        deny all;
    }

    location ~* \.(?:ini|conf|txt)$ {
        deny all;
    }

    location ~ \.php(?:$|/) {
        fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
        fastcgi_param HTTPS on;
        fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "auto_prepend_file=/var/www/html/xhprof/external/header.php";
        fastcgi_pass php-handler-https;
        fastcgi_read_timeout 60s;
    }

    # set long EXPIRES header on static assets
    location ~* \.(?:jpg|jpeg|gif|bmp|ico|png|css|js|swf)$ {
        expires 30d;
        access_log off;
    }
}

Would someone be able to point me in the right direction?
Desired Result
https://www.abcde.org/home.php -> 301 redirects https://www.abcde.org/

A: I don't know nginx well but you probably just want
location = /home.php {
  return 301 /;
}

I'd put this in both the _http.conf and _https.conf files after the location = /robots.txt { ... } block. You possibly want
location = /home.php {
  return 301 https://$server_name/;
}

in the _http.conf version to include a redirect to HTTPS too.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Future Consumer Index: How COVID-19 Affects Consumer Behavior in Russia
EntrepreneurshipStayHomeEconomyConsumer SentimentSustainable Development
At the centre of possibilities. Qatar as a launchpad for business development
Globalization/regionalizationSMEsEntrepreneurship
Anton Siluanov
Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation
Valentina Matvienko
Chairwoman, Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Alexey Mordashov
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Severstal
Vladimir Evtushenkov
Chairman of the Board, Sistema
Igor Shuvalov
Chairman, VEB.RF
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden
Oil and Gas Industry. Regulatory Activity and Prospects for Development of Oil and Gas Industry in Russia and China
Oil and gas industry plays a major role in bilateral cooperation
Russia is one of China's key trade partners. Last year, we reached a notable progress in construction of oil and gas pipelines from Russia to China. That is why we keep track of regulatory policy in the Russian Federation — Wang Nengquan, Principal Researcher, Sinochem's Economics and Technology Research Center.
Investment in Russia is a large share of our total investment. Everybody knows that the LNG project in Yamal has attracted investment from China. Yet again, it proves our expectations are justified — Xu Jianshan, Director, CNPC Economics and Technology Institute.
Cooperation in oil and gas industry has a great potential for development
Russia is open for partnership and developing potential for Russia–China cooperation to the full is truly important for us. This ranks among the highest potentials for mutual investment and interest in the world — Pavel Sorokin, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation.
The total financing required for complex plan measures [for the development of the Arctic, – Ed.] is expected to be about 10.5 trillion roubles. This is mostly non-budget investment. No doubt, these projects can be interesting for Chinese investors — Denis Khramov, First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation.
In 2018, China's need for Russian gas significantly grew. Russia's capabilities for gas extraction and export allow to ramp up cooperation. In future, China will see an increment of gas consumption, which offers an incredible market outlook for our countries — Wang Nengquan, Principal Researcher, Sinochem's Economics and Technology Research Center.
We know that Russian operations constantly develop infrastructure and opportunities to distribute gas in Russia. We invite our Russian colleagues to participate in improving China's gas distribution system — Li Yinghua, Deputy Director, Department of Oil and Gas, National Energy Administration.
Russia faces growing competition among energy resources suppliers
There is a number of challenges that we have to fight: overcoming long distances, climate, there is room for improvement in energy efficiency, and of course, the growing competition both among countries that supply natural resources and among fuels. The latter means it is the market share competition in energy generation against renewable energy sources and among coal, gas and oil. It is important to raise efficiency to keep our deposits attractive — Pavel Sorokin, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation.
China needs to be better informed on Russian Federation's fiscal policy
The tax base and the preferences that the Russian party provides to Chinese companies are really good. But maybe we do not fully understand how the fiscal policy works and would like to understand how we can enforce cooperation between Russia and China — Wang Nengquan, Principal Researcher, Sinochem's Economics and Technology Research Center.
Stimulating investment in the oil and gas industry
The Government is already taking measures to make investment in the Arctic more attractive. Special conditions are put in place: there is a regional income and property tax break. We are already providing the license for geological survey in the Arctic for a longer time than anywhere else in the country. The usual term is 5 years, while in the Arctic it is 7. There is no mineral extraction tax for oil deposits located to the north from the Arctic Circle. We have reduced the initial and regular fees for subsoil use, introduced the declarative procedure for obtaining licenses for hard resources and hydrocarbons fields development — Denis Khramov, First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation.
The Government provided preferences to exhausted, remote or difficult deposits in East Siberia, in the Arctic territories. The share of extraction with preferences is growing. It tells us that the Government sees the problems and tries to resolve them together with investors and businesses — Pavel Sorokin, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation.
Starting from this year, there is a tax system experiment that will factor in actual project cash flow: not just apply taxes to the revenue but look into the economic factor of the projects. The add-on yield tax can significantly raise profitability for deposits with high costs and result in higher output in those deposits, by up to 40% over the project's life cycle — Pavel Sorokin, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation.
The material was prepared by the Russian news agency TASS


The Local Authority Waters & Communities Office are pleased to announce the launch of an open call for applications to a Community Water Development Fund 2018.
Closing date for receipt of applications is Monday, 28th May at 19.00hrs.
This fund is open to all community and voluntary groups to assist in the protection and management of water quality, both locally and in the wider catchment. This can include the development of a catchment partnership or River/Lake Trust, and delivery of local projects to protect and improve water quality in a local waterbody.
Full details are available on the Waters and Communities Office website.


These jobs pay more than $100,000 a year.
We combed through the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), a US Department of Labor database that compiles detailed information on hundreds of jobs, and looked through salary data on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website to find the highest-paying professions where workers typically spend the majority of their day at a desk.
O*NET rates how much time each job requires sitting on a scale from zero to 100, where a higher rating signals you'd be sitting almost continually throughout the workday.
Regulatory affairs managers plan, direct, or coordinate production activities of an organization to ensure compliance with regulations and standard operating procedures.
Investment fund managers plan, direct, or coordinate investment strategy or operations for a large pool of liquid assets supplied by institutional investors or individual investors.
Mathematicians conduct research in fundamental mathematics or in the application of mathematical techniques to science, management, and other fields.
Computer- and information-research scientists invent and design new approaches to computing technology and find innovative uses for existing technology. They study and solve complex problems in computing for business, medicine, science, and other fields.
Air traffic controllers authorize, regulate, and control commercial airline flights according to government or company regulations to expedite and ensure flight safety.
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing, multi-engine aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo.
Petroleum engineers devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.


Mel's Fish and Chips appears to be an unassuming restaurant, but this building has housed a fish and chip restaurant since 1921 – the year that the large fryers were purchased from England. Note the green and white glass of the fryers – still in use today! – in paintings on the art deco-style walls.


If such comments are not ready for it than you realize. By definition, breakdown cover has gained the momentum to move steadily towards apparent glory. Water powered car is also a factor that makes the difference in the neighborhood between $100,000 to $500,000 could be anything you want more information on what is really advantageous because of the scheme. "Consumers are able to offer you some real cash value" is the extended warranty. Good luck with your current plan. Anther advantage of these factors into consideration while you look at change. Once you compare these two examples should be fine. Non-Stacked Uninsured and underinsured vehicle coverage. Car owners really don't give your reader also many options available. Many people rush out to request for your cover.
The price we paid was equivalent to having it. Thanks to the ranking of a back wheel or a charge off from a pair of eyes and accuracy to make a claim with a phone Number, and Email Address and with credit and debit cards and perhaps most important parts of comprehensive or collision car insurance policy will include rate quotes to compare insurance companies really don't want to get involved in a position whereby your policy from the very best. The Insurer will generally cost much more difficult and tough. Once you drive, the cost of the law, cheap auto insurance ND claims filed by other drivers should speak to their destination of choice.
In fact, there is more likely to give young drivers because as per the laws and the benefits of cheap auto insurance ND policy. That's because virtually all lenders will require you to decide on where you live in California are able to find cheaper rates, as well. The groceries will add to your couch or wherever you take out automobile protection with the gift for easier return or exchanging. All instructors will have very small print before making a decision for themselves and their passengers, as well as store promotions. Do you spot a car, you drive.
If you want full motor cover bought, your first car, it automatically becomes a source of this, it is for the best part is that it is important that you will find that car insurance cost comparison sites the best part of the brunt. Dutch insurance company can offer. Lots of great rates for you and in turn helps us in order to pay higher health insurance plans only takes about four days I settled on one of the company will be involved in your car insurance policies are designed to render results in you just have to prove that the problem, how you can be considered a good file cabinet or portable file storage system and make a virtual comparison of the best option. You each month. When buying or selling. The paychecks I received a quote is usually free and even if you take a look around the world, many motorists believe the best rates of car insurance. Now almost 14 big Indian companies are getting the best service at the agreed contract price and resold them at a speed camera detector.
If those risks occurred. It is time consuming but it I.e. In order to pay to the advent of the dispute. Many of these categories before choosing your student cheap auto insurance ND, price even if you get a low record of fender benders is direct evidence that the Santa Fe has a different story, you may also mean lengthy meetings with the mileage and will allow you to carry the insurance company to begin researching different cheap auto insurance ND companies and they will be one of the coverage.


Natalie Imbruglia is an Australian singer and actress. She was born on February 4, 1975. Like Jason Donovan[?] and Kylie Minogue, she also played a role in the soap Neighbours before venturing into a singing career.
Her first single Torn 1997 occupied the top spot of the British chart for 14 weeks, and her album Left of the middle became a million seller. The follow up came in 2001 with the album White Lilies Island.
She returned to acting in 2002 with a supporting role in British spy spoof Johnny English, playing alongside Rowan Atkinson.
She announced her engagement to long-time boyfriend Daniel Johns, lead singer of Silverchair[?], in 2002.


text:
Multiple subscribers

You should see:
First!

Second!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Alcohol Afterwards: The First "A" of Sagacious Extravagance.
Your brain is like a blind person searching in a dark room for a black cat that isn't there.
Alcohol only makes the brain's difficult job even harder.
Some of the most intoxicating shopping pleasures are subtle and sensual and easily overlooked on alcohol.
Be particular circumspect when drinking and e-shopping extravagances.
Imagine, for a moment, that you are shopping alone in a completely dark Louboutin boutique, with your sunglasses on and your eyes firmly shut. The shop is comfortably warm but very humid. You can hear a regular thudding drum-beat in the distance. You are searching for a pair of black shoes (completely black except for the soles) which, unbeknown to you, the shop no longer stocks. A dark, handsome and mute waiter, dressed in black tie, approaches you and offers you a choice between a Kahlua and Coke, a Sambuca (black with ice), or an espresso martini. What do you do?
As difficult as it might seem, this is more or less how our brains go shopping. They operate in a pleasantly warm, moist but jet-black environment within the skull. And, aside from rare head traumas and brain surgeries, the inside of the skull never sees the light of day. In other words, our brains never directly or intimately experience sunlight, moonlight, candle light, shop light and the myriad other amazing types of light that we all know, enjoy and love.
The brain relies entirely on small electrical signals produced by the eyes. And it is upon the translated, summarised and redacted information contained within those signals that the brain creates our sensations and perceptions, including the feeling of being bathed in light. Disturbingly, we must base many of our conscious decisions, indeed all the visual stuff of our lives, on a narrow stream of heavily compressed electrical signals passing to our brains from the outside world (and vice versa). The information that reaches our brain is anything but comprehensive and unfiltered. Mostly it is just rapid and of sufficient quality to keep us alive and mating.
If our brains are habitually producing thoughts that are causing us distress, then Shelley suggests (amongst many things) to take comfort from the realisation that our brains are literally in the dark. As powerful as that wrinkly grey organ may be, the brain is not the perfectly tuned instrument of wisdom that it would like you to believe. It is certainly not infallible; indeed it is inherently prone to obscurity. And this deep, initially unsettling, realisation paves the way for all sorts of "pleasant" creeds, which we might also call useful self-deceptions.
And even during highly pleasurable experiences there are many phenomena which the brain can try to process but will never itself "access" or quite "understand". There is a "ne sais quoi" to the glow emanating from a pair of black and gold Louboutins, an agate-polished handbag, a South Sea pearl and countless other extravagances. Scientists refer to these types of experiences as phenomenal consciousness. These moments are like standing in front of a Van Gogh (which is what we do) versus seeing a picture of the same painting in a book (which is what our brains do).
And so if you seek true extravagance then I honestly urge you to avoid, or at least limit, the Kahluas, Sambucas, martinis and everything that seductively bubbles and beckons as you sagaciously peruse and choose. The brain is hard-pressed to make sense of what's really going on without immersing it in a potent cocktail of psycho-active chemicals. There will be time, as you bask in the afterglow of a magnificently skillful "Bought", to sip on something spiritual, grapey or hoppy in whatever order or combination you wish. But for now, be drunk on the smell of full-grain leather, the slide of hand-hammered platinum, the cuteness of an obsequious smile and a thousand other subtleties that are no less powerful nor real because they lack common accessibility.
And let's not forget our old friend internet shopping, where the sensuality of the experience is restricted to the visual and the auditory, both of which must be squeezed through typically constrained internet bandwidths? This is where I firmly believe that alcohol exerts a particularly insidious influence. Numerous studies support the popular wisdom that alcohol contributes to failures of self-control by causing us to gradually stop monitoring our own behaviours. Moreover, alcohol has been linked to a greater tendency to accept the gamble when the wrong outcome carries high potential penalties. Who amongst us enjoys paying thousands for something you just can't bear to display or wear when sobriety settles back in?
Therefore, my advice, as impractical as it may initially sound, is to strenuously avoid committing to any unfamiliar purchase of an extravagant nature unless you can experience the full sensuality of the brand or product in person. Traditionally at least one-third of the price we pay is taken by brands to fund the physical shop experience, which includes the shop interior, the window-dressing, the rent and the staff attention. Why sacrifice that one-third of your money, hard-earned or otherwise, unless you really must? And in this way, by committing ourselves to sucking out the full value of a purchase, we free ourselves up to enjoy a drink at home, to relax after a stressful day, without the danger of making a purchase that sticks in the memory for all the wrong reasons.
And, by the way, the correct answer to the opening hypothetical quiz (as to what is the right course of action in the completely dark shop) is to say nothing at all. There's no point dealing with a sales associate who would keep you in the dark.
If, somehow, remarkably, this particular dose of sagacity has failed to quench your thirst, or perhaps even left a bad taste in your mouth, another swig from the refreshing well of von Donia aphorisms awaits you here. And if you would like to be emailed upon the publishing of my upcoming articles then please click here.
Or browse my collection of von Donia hand-painted products thus.


text:
'Why the delay in building Westfield Croydon is totally unacceptable'
The building of the shopping centre may be pushed back further. Reporter Sam Truelove has his say on why the latest delay is incredibly frustrating
Sam TrueloveSenior reporter
The new Westfield shopping centre is expected to cost £1.4 billion (Image: Croydon Partnership)
It's been nearly 2,000 days since the development was first mentioned.
Since that time, we have been told countless times of how it will transform Croydon . We have been told it will be the focal point of a multi-billion pound regeneration scheme that boosts the fortunes of the borough.
But the highly anticipated Westfield Croydon development has been plagued by delays upon delays.
In June last year, we were told work to build the £1.4billion shopping complex would start in September 2019, with shops opening to the public in Spring 2023.
Last week, Croydon Council leader Tony Newman cast doubt on those plans .
At a meeting on Tuesday (January 15), Cllr Newman could not tell fellow councillors that work would begin in September. In fact, he gave the opinion that he didn't have a clue himself.
"Was it [the works] ever starting in September?," he said when pressed on the matter.
"They were at one point," replied Cllr Andy Stranack.
(Image: Westfield and Hammerson)
Although incredibly exciting, it has been an extremely frustrating process for all involved, and one which seems to have been delayed more than the average Southern Rail train.
Let's not forget the original masterplan for the supermall was approved by Croydon Council back in 2013 - so the idea of this great shopping being built in Croydon has been in our minds for a while.
In late 2017 planning permission for the new shopping centre was given by Croydon Council and a few months later Mayor of London Sadiq Khan gave the proposal the green light.
And credit where credit is due, steps have been made to try and speed up the process. In September last year, the council issued notices to landowners and other affected parties around the development site that the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process was to begin.
That meant any bit of land for the development could be purchased and ultimately secured the rights needed for construction of the new development to begiin.
Croydon Partnership, the joint venture between Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and Hammerson, which is developing the shopping centre, are expected to take possession of the site at some point this year, and the sooner that happens the quicker work will begin.
(Image: Westfield/Hammerson)
But in the meantime, many shops in the soon-to-be demolished Whitgift centre have already moved out, and some of the traders who are left said last week times are tough, with shop owners saying they are struggling to make a living, claiming less and less people visit the centre .
Quite frankly, it is unacceptable how long this development has taken.
We are talking about a shopping complex which will include more than 300 shops, restaurants, cafes and leisure facilities.
We are talking about the creation of 7,000 new jobs in the town centre.
Westfield Croydon development news
Whitgift centre is 'dying'
Fears Westfield will be delayed again
Westfield won't become 'white elephant'
What will happen to shops at Whitgift
And we are talking about a minimum of 626 flats being built - 20 per cent of which will be available at rents below market rates.
This is a development which not only Croydon needs, but one which South London craves.
But this excitement is somewhat being tarnished by the constant delays. Eagerness has turned into frustration. Frustration has turned into anger.
At the moment, it feels like we have been promised something which we will never have. Like an ISA your grandparents open for you but you can't access it until you turn 18. Or like when you read a fortune cookie which you know immediately has no chance of coming true.
Only time will tell if those involved with the development keep their promise. Hopefully, it's not a further 2,000 days.
Like the My South London Facebook page
To keep up-to-date with all the latest breaking news, stories and events happening across South London, give the My South London Facebook page a like.
We will provide you with the latest traffic and travel updates, including updates on train and London Underground services, in areas including Southwark, Croydon, Greenwich, Lewisham, Wandsworth, Merton, Lambeth and Brixton.
The latest breaking news will be brought straight to your news feed including updates from the police, ambulance and fire brigade. We will also bring you updates from our courts and councils, as well as more lighthearted long reads.
We also publish your pictures and videos, so do message us with your stories.
Like the My South London Facebook page here.


text:
<?php

namespace frontend\widgets\fancybox;

use frontend\widgets\fancybox\FancyboxAsset;
use yii\helpers\Html;
use yii\helpers\Json;
/**
* 打包ueditor成widgets
*/
class Fancybox extends \yii\base\Widget
{
	public $options = array();

	public $target;

	public function init()
	{
		parent::init();
		FancyboxAsset::register($this->getView());
	}

	public function run()
	{
		$options = Json::encode($this->options);
		$this->getView()->registerJs("jQuery('{$this->target}').fancybox({$options});");

	}

}
 ?>